“Are you sure you want to print this?” Jack’s boss asked after setting down the stack of papers he was reading. “Your name would be on it, Jack…”

“I’m sure, Phil,” Jack responded quickly. “He can’t keep getting away with this, and if no one says anything he will.”

Phil scratches his chin and leans back in his chair. “Jack, I respect your work and your morals. You consistently write the truth without embellishment, which is rare these days… but if this is true it’s going to be dangerous.”

“It’s true: I’ve been collecting evidence for months and left no stone unturned.”

“Mayor Brinely moonlighting as the infamous McCoy makes sense… it would explain how he gets his drugs into the city, why the police can’t catch him, and how he avoids every raid. However, if you got the wrong guy it’s more than just a bad expose; McCoy kills people who cross him.”

“Brinely is McCoy. Everything is in there: he has been at every questionable shipment, raid location, and suspected drug house within 24 hours of anything happening. June 30th he shows up to the old train station, then July 1st it’s raided at 2 AM only to be found deserted. August 7th he-“

“I understand, I’m just asking if you understand how dangerous this is for you… and for anyone you care about…”

Nodding, Jack cleared his throat and repeated himself, “I’m sure about this, Phil.”

With a nod, Phil turned back to his computer and Jack turned to leave. The moment he got to his desk Jack slumped into his chair and grabbed the picture next to his computer. A beautiful blonde woman with grey eyes hugged a four year old girl with sandy blonde hair who was beaming at the camera. Jack smiled at the two girls as if they could see him.

“Thinking about Alexa and Gracie again?” A soft voice questioned.

Jumping out of his chair, Jack looked up to see a short redhead standing behind his desk. “Oh, hello Ashley,” he responded.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you!” Ashley looked at the ground and clasped her hands together as she often did when talking to Jack. “Just was worried… you have that look again.”

“What look?”

“The one where you almost look happy…” slumping her shoulders Ashley paused for a few seconds. “Because you are remembering them…”

“Yeah… I wish I could hold them one more time.” Jack sighed. “It’s been over a year now.”

“That’s right,” Ashley agreed, looking up and squinting as if the answer she was looking for was written on the ceiling. “I can’t believe it’s been a year since… since…”

Jack looked up at Ashley, who avoided his gaze and bit the nail on one of her thumbs. “Since they were killed in the McCoy massacre,” Jack finished Ashley’s thought. “Caught in a crossfire because that psychopath had to send a message.”

“I’m sorry…” Ashley muttered. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, Ash. I think McCoy is finally going to answer for it…” Jack let a grin spread across his face for the first time in over a year.

“You got him?” Ashley asked. Her face light up and she leaned forward expectantly.

“We are just reporters; we don’t really get people. However, McCoy’s identity might be exposed this Sunday.” Standing up and stretching, Jack grabbed his coat and turned to leave. “Keep an eye on the news!” He called over his shoulder as he waved to Ashley.

***

Monday morning Jack walked into the office triumphantly. His quick pace had an extra spring in it as he threw open the doors and grinned. The entire office stood up and cheered when he entered, and for the first time in a long time Jack was smiling.

“I can’t believe McCoy was Mayor Brinely!” Someone exclaimed.

“You got him Jack! I watched the arrest live!” Another coworker shouted.

“He’s gonna get what’s coming to him!” A voice yelled and everyone cheered.

Beaming from ear to ear, Jack sat at his desk and put his hands behind his head. Tears fell from his eyes as he recalled the morning news article he read. “Finally, I got you justice,” Jack whispered to Alexa and Gracie.

He was waiting for a response when he noticed it: a plain Manila envelope was placed on his keyboard. It wasn’t there when he left on Friday, and no one seemed to be crowded around his desk to watch him open it.

“Strange…” Jack muttered, picking up the envelope. He opened it slowly, and peeked inside. There was a single sheet of paper inside.

Removing it, Jack felt a chill travel down his spine. The paper was a letter addressed to him; however, it was not handwritten or typed. Rather, someone cut words and letters out of the morning newspaper and glued them together to make a cliche ransom note style message that Jack read silently:

Jack,

It’s nice to finally get to address you like this. You seem like a busy man, so I’ll get to the point. While you didn’t quite catch me, you did take something valuable to me. Brinely was useful because of his position, and without him my business will suffer. I suppose you might like that, but I think it’s only fair that you pay me back.

While I’m angry enough to put a stop to your meddling through force, I didn’t get to my position without having an eye for a bargain. Your position and public perception make you dangerous, but they make you valuable. The entire city trusts you, and they all believe they are safe from McCoy. There is no reason any of that has to change.

Use your new found fake and popularity to run for mayor, and wait for instructions to resume my operations in Brinely’s place, or else…

-The Real McCoy

Jacks hands trembled as he put the note away. Amid the chaos on the office, he knew he only had one choice.