The Countdown Begins

by Patrick Higgins

  CLAYTON HOLMES STEPPED OUTSIDE and called Braxton Rice on the secure Satphone he obtained from President Danforth.

  “Hey, boss...”

  “Where are you?”

  “I-75 south near Lima, Ohio. Hope to be there in about six hours.”

  “Glad you’re out of Michigan. Man, oh man! What a mess this day turned out to be.”

  “I heard that...”

  “You only saw Round One.”

  “What did we miss?” The way Rice said it made Calloway look his way.

  “Tell you later. Travis and I will be leaving soon. Hope to see you late tonight or early in the morning.”

  “Okay, boss.”

  “How are Charles and Tamika?”

  Rice looked into his rear-view mirror, “Charles is fine. Tamika’s sleeping.”

  “Let’s not wake her then. Get on down the road. Call me when you get there.”

  “You got it.” Rice placed another phone call. “Hi, Miss Evelyn. It’s Braxton.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Just dodged a bullet,” Rice said in a near whisper. “I’ll explain later. For now, can you prepare a room for a young woman who’s with me now. Her name’s Tamika? Charles is with us as well.”

  “When will you be here?”

  “Not for a few hours. I’m sure we’ll be hungry by then. Also, can you call our doctor friend?”

  “What for?”

  “Tamika was bitten by two dogs a while back and has a serious leg infection. It needs to be treated immediately. Perhaps Doctor Singh could examine her.”

  “Just get her here. I’ll take care of the rest. It’ll be nice having a woman around for a change,” Clayton Holmes’ aunt replied.

  “I’ll call again when I’m twenty minutes out. Pray for us.”

  “You know I will.”

  Charles Calloway said, “What would we do without you, Miss Evelyn...”

  “Lots of cooking and washing your own dishes...”

  Her reply caught both men by surprise. Their laughter was loud enough that it rattled their sleeping passenger in the back seat. “See you soon, Miss Evelyn.”

  “Be safe out there.”

  “We will,” Calloway said.

  The call ended.

  Braxton Rice looked in his rear-view mirror again to find Tamika Moseley staring at him.

  Seeing his facial features soften while on the phone with Miss Evelyn—whoever she was—comforted Tamika greatly.

  The man driving her to someplace in Tennessee really was human after all. “Can I thank you now?”

  Rice said, “You’re welcome, Tamika.”

  Tamika grinned briefly, then closed her eyes and went back to sleep...

  33

  AFTER WHAT COULD ONLY be described as a tumultuous wedding ceremony, to say the least, everyone sat down to a simple potluck dinner cooked by a dozen or so members from the church. It was their wedding gift to the newlyweds.

  Brian introduced his mother and sister to Tom Dunleavey. “He’s the former Catholic priest I told you was staying with me.”

  Tom Dunleavey said, “Nice meeting you, Sarah. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Nice meeting you, too, Father Dunleavey.”

  “Please, call me Tom.”

  “You must be someone special to have my son ask you to be one of his groomsmen.”

  “I consider it a great honor.”

  Chelsea Mulrooney kept looking down at her feet, unable to make eye contact with Brian or Jacquelyn. The newlyweds sensed Chelsea knew about Tamika. What else could it possibly be?

  Sarah also noticed her daughter’s sudden attitude change but ignored it for now. She would find out soon enough.

  Brian said, “Why don’t the three of you dine together? It’s not like it’s a formal setting.”

  “I’d love to dine with you, Tom.” Glancing at Chelsea, Sarah said, “I could use the company...”

  All throughout the meal, Chelsea picked at her food in total silence, looking like this was the very last place she wanted to be.

  After texting back and forth with her father, and realizing she actually stood next to Tamika Moseley of all people—the very woman she’d spent many hours online chatting about with friends—she no longer wanted any part of her brother’s so-called wedding. She wanted to leave this place and join her father back at the hotel.

  After dinner, the newlyweds were eager to be alone. Travis Hartings drove Brian and Jacquelyn to a hotel in Sterling Heights and checked them into a room that was registered in his name.

  Charles Calloway had originally reserved a honeymoon suite for the newlyweds in Ann Arbor. It was his wedding gift to them. But that plan was quickly scrubbed.

  This room, not suite, in Sterling Heights was paid for compliments of the ETSM. Given the situation, it was just perfect.

  Brian carried his bride over the threshold. Despite everything that had happened, now that they were officially husband and wife and alone inside their hotel room, they let the rest of the world fade away.

  “We did it, honey,” said Jacquelyn to her husband, wrapping her arms around Brian’s neck.

  “Yes, we did!” Gazing into his wife’s gorgeous blue eyes, he cupped her head with his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. Then another. Then, “Are you sure you want to consummate the marriage, after what just happened, and knowing what’s still to come?”

  Jacquelyn took a moment to consider her husband’s words, then gazed deep into his eyes and nodded yes.

  And so it was...

  Jacquelyn jumped out of bed, still energized. “Don’t you dare open any of the cards and gifts until after I shower, okay?”

  “Yes, dear.” Brian yawned and reached for the TV remote control. It had been an emotional day and he was exhausted. The many highs and lows suffered along the way had drained him of all his energy.

  After a hot shower, Jacquelyn rejoined her husband in bed to find him sound asleep. She curled up next to him in silence and wrapped her arms around him.

  A half hour later, Brian woke up, “Ready?”

  Jacquelyn kissed her husband on the lips and climbed out of bed. The youthful exuberance she felt for having just consummated their marriage was about to come to a screeching halt.

  Jacquelyn sorted through the cards. “I think you should open this one, honey.”

  “Who’s it from?”

  Jacquelyn said nothing but handed the gift and card to her husband. On the envelope were the words, “Open gift first before reading card!” Brian pulled back the tag on the gift and recognized the handwriting: It was from Renate. He read the inscription:

  To Mr. and Mrs. Mulrooney:

  Congratulations!

  Hatefully, Renate M.

  Brian opened the small package. “A DVD?” Hmm? He wondered if he even wanted to view it. He hesitatingly inserted the DVD into his laptop and tapped the play button.

  Renate McCallister appeared on screen looking beautiful as ever, dressed in black from head to toe. “Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Mulrooney!” Renate declared arrogantly, slurring her words. She sounded intoxicated. It was apparent that she’d been weeping. Mascara was smeared across much of her face.

  “I guess the way I acted at your apartment the night I first met Jacquelyn wasn’t without foundation after all, was it Brian? See, I’m not so crazy after all. You kept saying you were friends only, but my woman’s intuition was spot on!

  “Do you know how many years I suffered hoping and praying you’d ask me to be your wife? Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep over this? Do you even care? And to think I wanted to have your children!”

  Tears formed in Renate’s eyes, “Yet you know her for less than a year and you’re already married and relocating somewhere on the East Coast? That’s right, I know about your secret escapades.

  “I went to your apartment one night when you were away on one of your bogus business trips. I saw credit card statements from hotels in Chicago and Pennsylvania.<
br />
  “Why didn’t you just tell me? Don’t answer that! I already know why. It’s because you brought Jacquelyn along with you, didn’t you?” Renate lowered her head. “I can’t bear to think how many other lies I would have discovered had I only kept digging.

  “Have you forgotten how happy we used to be? How perfect we were for each other? How many times we laid in each other’s arms dreaming of having children together?

  “It’s like you’ve gone off the deep-end, maliciously leaving so many victims in your wake, especially me and your father!

  “Well, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate wedding gift for the new bride and groom. I hope you enjoy it, Brian! After all, this is all your fault!”

  Jacquelyn brushed off a cold shiver. Fear twisted through her body like a snake in search of food. “This can’t be good...”

  Brian gathered Jacquelyn in his arms, suddenly fearful for his ex-girlfriend.

  “Well, Brian, my love,” Renate said, sarcastically, “it’s time for the moment of truth. Time for me to explore the afterlife and see what I can discover on my own, without you or anyone else trying to direct my path!

  “Hopefully Salvador Romanero will be there to receive me on the other end someday...” Renate hiccupped. “Wouldn’t that be great? Then again, anything will be better than the hell you’ve sentenced me to on this planet!”

  Brian’s pulse raced in his ears. His mouth was suddenly dry. He felt a full-blown panic attack festering beneath the surface.

  Renate went on, “Why should I look to you or the God you serve for spiritual guidance? I believed you all those years and look where it got me: lonely, depressed and forever bitter! There’s nothing left for me here. You’ve stripped it all away. Thanks to you, my life’s a total failure!”

  Renate hiccupped again then continued, “I want you to know I have no interest in meeting the so-called God you love so much. If this is how His own people act toward others, I’d rather spend an eternity in hell with Satan than one second with your cruel and heartless God!

  “Regardless of where I end up, it’ll be far better than remaining here on this cruel planet with the two of you! How could it possibly get any worse? My only hope now is that I’ll end up with someone like Salvador Romanero in the next life. Despite what you say, he’s a good man. A real man, unlike you!”

  Brian closed his eyes and shook his head. He wished he could stop the DVD and, in the process, stop what he sensed Renate was about to do. If she only knew the repercussions of her words and actions, she would never consider doing anything like this...

  Renate reached for a half-empty bottle of whiskey and poured herself another shot. Throwing it down her throat, she winced, shook her head and went on, “Sorry if I ruined your honeymoon. Actually, I’m not sorry,” she hissed, “you’ve ruined my life, Jacquelyn! You don’t deserve to bear the Mulrooney name.

  “You’ve already had your shot at marriage! I should be Mrs. Brian Mulrooney, not you! Who do you think you are? To me, you’re nothing but a worthless tramp! I hate you!”

  Renate fell to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. The pain in her heart was intense. A few moments later she pulled herself together.

  Looking straight into the camera, she said, “I don’t understand what’s happened to you, Brian. You used to be so stable in all ways until you found religion and lost your mind. But know in your heart that I’ll always love you, even if our final destinations are different.”

  Renate paused a moment. Her eyes narrowed. “No, I take it back: I hate you, Brian, and I’ll never forgive you for this—not in this lifetime or the next!”

  Renate reached for a handgun and placed it inside her mouth. Without the slightest hesitation, she pulled the trigger and quickly fell to the floor completely motionless.

  Brian’s eyes grew wide in panic. At the top of his lungs he screamed, “Noooooooooooooooooo!”

  “Oh my,” Jacquelyn looked away. She felt the sudden urge to vomit and raced to the bathroom, sobbing hysterically.

  Brian wanted to comfort his wife but didn’t know how. There was a scream on the DVD. Almost immediately, Dylan McCallister appeared on screen. He was weeping uncontrollably.

  He fell to his knees. “Please, God, no!” Gathering his daughter’s lifeless, bloodied body in his arms, he covered her disfigured face with a towel.

  His wife, Rose, appeared a few moments later. She took one look at what was left of her daughter and collapsed to the floor. Within minutes, Rose McCallister was dead after suffering a massive heart attack.

  Brian was too terrorized to move. Watching his former girlfriend blow her brains out on camera was the most traumatizing experience of his life; even worse than the disappearances. The feeling of guilt was unbearable.

  It wasn’t his fault, he wanted to believe, but right now it certainly felt like it was.

  Brian hesitantly opened the card from the McCallisters. It was a morbid looking black card with a broken heart image on the front, with no printed words either inside the card or out.

  Twelve words were handwritten on the inside: We buried Rose and Renate shortly before attending your wedding. Congratulations, murderers!

  Brian tore the card into shreds and deposited it in the waste basket before Jacquelyn had the chance to see it.

  The phone rang. Brian answered but was sobbing too much to speak.

  “Is everything okay in your room, Mister Hartings?”

  After a while, Brian said, “Who’s this?”

  “Sir, this is Ramon from the concierge desk. A guest in the room next to yours said she heard loud screaming.”

  “We’re fine. Leave us alone!” Brian slammed down the phone and grabbed his cell phone off the bed.

  “Hey, Brian! Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon, especially tonight, if you know what I mean...” Pastor Simonton chuckled loudly. After a turbulent wedding ceremony, the fellowship they shared after had proven quite therapeutic.

  There was no reply from Brian.

  “Least one of us thought it was funny. Hey everyone, it’s the man of the hour,” Pastor Jim said, to the many still gathered at the church.

  “Don’t tell me they already need marriage counseling,” Tom Dunleavey shouted, jokingly. Many laughed.

  “Did you hear that?” There was silence. “Still there, Brian?”

  “Yes,” came the somber reply.

  “Are you okay?” Pastor Jim asked, sensing that he wasn’t.

  “No, I’m not! Can you come here as quickly as possible?”

  “Sure, but why?”

  “You’ll see when you get here.”

  The call ended.

  “Hmm.” The look on Pastor Simonton’s face said it all: something was seriously wrong. Brian never acted like this before.

  “What’s wrong, Pastor Jim?” asked Rick Krauss somberly. Krauss was the one who invited Tom Dunleavey to stay at his house. He was also one of the prayer intercessors at the church.

  “Something bad happened to Brian and Jacquelyn. He wouldn’t tell me on the phone, but I have a very bad feeling inside. He wants me to go there immediately. This may take a while, Rick. If I’m unable to come back tonight, could you lock up and set the alarm for me?”

  “Sure thing, Pastor.”

  “Thanks.” Jim Simonton left at once for the hotel.

  Meanwhile, Brian called his mother’s cell phone.

  “Hi Brian!”

  “Mom, can you come up here right away?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “No. It’s horrible.”

  Sarah said, “Be right there, sweetie.” Dick, Sarah and Chelsea were staying at the same hotel, three floors down from Brian and Jacquelyn. “Something’s happened to Brian, I’m going up there.”

  “What is it,” Dick Mulrooney all but shouted down the hallway to his wife.

  “I don’t know.” Sarah hurried toward the elevator with a sinking feeling inside. Still in her robe, she was the first to arrive on the scene. Brian opened th
e door.

  “Oh Brian, you look awful! What happened?”

  Brian said nothing but stared blankly at his mother.

  “Is Jacquelyn okay?”

  Brian shook his head no, then motioned for his mother to come inside. They sat on the couch and Brian pushed play.

  Sarah watched the DVD and was horrified. Her body trembled. “Oh no!” Why did you do this, Renate?

  Brian was too numb to console his grieving mother. She sobbed uncontrollably.

  A few minutes later, Pastor Simonton arrived. Seeing the door was slightly open, he went inside to find Brian and his mother sitting on the couch weeping hysterically.

  Following closely behind them were Dick and Chelsea Mulrooney. “What’s all the commotion about,” Dick snapped, “This is supposed to be their honeymoon, not a discotheque!”

  Before Brian played the DVD again, Sarah excused herself and joined her daughter-in-law in the bathroom. She couldn’t bear to watch it again.

  It didn’t take long for Chelsea Mulrooney to see why everyone was so hysterical. She started dry-heaving and looked away from the laptop. Now that she understood what had caused Renate’s father to do what he did at the wedding, she started weeping and trembling uncontrollably.

  Pastor Simonton watched and was shaken to the core.

  When Renate said, “It’s like you’ve gone off the deep-end, maliciously leaving so many other victims in your wake, especially your father and me,” Dick shifted his gaze from the laptop screen to his son. With eyes full of rage, it’s as if he was trying to burn holes in Brian’s head. His nostrils flared.

  When the DVD ended, Dick inched up close to his son until their noses nearly touched. Gritting his teeth, something he never did prior to the disappearances, he said, “I hope you’re happy now! You’ve forever disgraced the Mulrooney name. May God forgive you for the many despicable things you’ve done! Don’t bother taking us to the airport tomorrow. We’ll manage on our own!”

  Dick Mulrooney stormed out of the room, much like he did at the wedding ceremony earlier. His parting words were, “Serves you right for being in a religious cult! You won’t get away with it, son! God will punish you!”