Saul looked out the window at the two schmendricks staring at him and said, “These two are the least of our problems. Watch this.” He looked directly at Sean and Carl, and slowly, seductively, he blew them a kiss accompanied by a wink. As fast as they had appeared at the window, the two of them disappeared from view, Carl dragging Sean, most likely not to return any time soon. “You see, Jeffrey? It’s easy to keep schmucks silent about certain things. I doubt that they even have on dry pants anymore.”
“You are very good at what you do, my friend,” Jeffrey toasted Saul. The ghost beamed with pride and happiness at hearing Jeffrey refer to him as a friend.
They sat in silence for a while as Jeffrey ate his dinner, a nice meal of roasted chicken and potatoes, nothing fancy but very satisfying. Saul watched as his new friend enjoyed his meal, wishing he could return to the days when he was able to enjoy the comforts of a properly cooked chicken or the smoky creaminess of bagels and lox. He longed for many things that he knew he would never enjoy again, but thanks to Jeffrey he was on the brink of being able to enjoy the theater again.
“So, how was the city other than Schultz and Fujikawa?”
Saul dreaded this question, he knew it meant he had to be forthright with the information he had about Rachel and that awful Richard Kearney fellow, and he dreaded it. He knew that Jeffrey did not believe him about their relationship, and if Saul brought it up again he ran the risk of alienating him forever.
“There really wasn’t much to see since I was on such a tight schedule,” Saul lied.
Jeffrey gave him a knowing look and continued, “You didn’t go try to smooth things over with Rachel?”
Saul’s face showed his discomfort and he replied, “Rachel? Oh, Rachel! Of course, I really didn’t have the time to visit her and apologize for the other night.”
Jeffrey nodded his head and answered, “From the sound of things, I think she owes me the apology, and I owe you one for ever doubting you.”
The ghost was taken aback by this statement and found himself at a rare loss for words, when Jeffrey added, “She called me before you came back to the cabin and confessed everything about her relationship with Kearney.” Jeffrey shook his head in disbelief. “She said she couldn’t keep up the charade anymore, and the fact that I had sent a ghost to do my bidding scared her a little.” He waited for Saul’s reply, but got none. “It just amazes me that after we have been through so much together, she could just throw it all away for someone else.”
“And he’s not even as handsome as you are,” Saul said innocently.
Jeffrey shot him a quizzical look and continued, “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He wiped his mouth and took a sip of his wine and added, “Well, who needs her? We have work to do, and I think it’s for the best that I have no more distractions.”
Saul shuffled in his seat and said, “I thought you loved her.”
“I thought so too,” Jeffrey replied. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot over the last month or so, and I think what I really loved was the idea of being in love.” He shook his head.
“It looked like you loved the sex.”
Jeffrey smiled and answered, “The sex was great. Better than any I’ve ever had.”
“From the look on your face and the sounds Richard used to make, I’d say she was some kind of modern-day Mata Hari.”
Jeffrey showed an obvious expression of disdain when Saul mentioned Richard, and Saul continued, “I’m so sorry, Jeffrey. That was insensitive of me.”
He smiled at the ghost and put his hand on Saul’s and said, “That’s all right. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never known.”
Saul looked deep into his friend’s eyes and suddenly felt the realization that he had neglected to tell him something very important about his trip to New York.
“That reminds me, Jeffrey. When I was at Schultz’s office, they were talking about your friend, Jacob, and how he wasn’t returning any calls.”
Jeffrey listened carefully and asked, “Did they say anything about what they think is going on?”
Saul shook his head and continued, “Just that he has gotten too big for himself and that maybe they should send the same guy after him who is coming for you.”
The last part of that statement was alarming to Jeffrey, because this was the first time he had heard anything about someone being directly sent to find him. Rachel had told him she was the one behind his relocation to Zion being leaked to the local gossip columnist, but she had never said anything about this.
“There’s more,” Saul said. “Whoever this guy is, he did a real number on Richard. He looked like he just went through the ringer, and he was obviously scared out of his mind that this guy could come back.”
Jeffrey was honestly becoming concerned at this point, not just for his own safety, but for that of Rachel and Jacob. Two people who he owed absolutely nothing to were now the focal point of his worries. He had to get in touch with Rachel and maybe help her relocate for a time, and he had to warn Jacob that the man who had made him so famous was plotting to have him injured, if not killed.
This would mean Jeffrey had to leave Zion and return to the city; Jacob would need to be told this information face-to-face, an option he was not looking forward to. He was not ready to return yet, and his concerns only grew when Saul added more to the conversation.
“The guy who is coming after you isn’t listening to Schultz anymore. He’s gone rogue, and that scares him.”
The nightmare continued. Jeffrey felt his temples ache at the revelation that a dangerous person was on the hunt and Jeffrey was the prey. He wanted desperately to abandon the cabin and find the most remote place on the planet to hide, but he knew he had to warn Rachel and Jacob, especially Jacob, that they were in dire straits and their next moves had to be made quickly and with as much stealth as possible.
He felt a responsibility to his former apprentice, for whatever reason he could think of. He could not in good conscience leave him to the proverbial wolves and allow him to be brought in by the monster he knew Schultz was capable of sending.
Jacob may have acted treacherously with his dealings with Jeffrey, but as long as Jeffrey had known the man, he also knew he was very gullible and that had made him an easy mark for the two power brokers to make their move on him. It was time Jeffrey put aside all of his emotions and do what was right by Jacob and Rachel and see to it that the two of them were as safe as possible.
* * *
“I’m telling you, Sean, that damned thing saw us and blew a kiss.” Carl was hysterical as the two of them drove back toward Zion.
Sean Wagner shook his head furiously and answered, “I didn’t see anything. One minute I’m watching that Jew, Rothstein, talking to himself, the next you’re screaming like a woman and dragging me off the porch.”
“Because the ghost saw us!”
Sean reached over and slapped Carl in the face and continued, “Stop that shit! There was no ghost, just a scared little man who’s late for happy hour.”
They sat in silence as Sean sped along the winding lakefront road that led into Zion and continued, “That settles it. I ain’t playing on his turf anymore. The next time that son of a bitch comes into town, he’s leaving on a stretcher.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Off to the Island
Being back in Manhattan should have been a somewhat comforting experience for Jeffrey, since the sights, sounds, and smells were so familiar, but instead he was consumed with an increasing sense of dread at what was looking for him, and potentially his former colleague, Jacob Stone, and onetime lover, Rachel Benjamin.
When he thought about it, he realized he was under no obligation whatsoever to help either one of them, but there was that voice deep inside that would not, could not, allow him to leave them to the slaughter at the hands of the monster that Heinrich Schultz had unleashed on the unsuspecting populace. Whoever this person was, Saul was convinced by what he had heard that he was very dangerous and would stop at nothing
in finding Jeffrey. Saul had spent enough time in his life around the seedy people of the world who hired mercenaries to do their bidding, and knew that if a man like Schultz hired this mysterious hunter, the hunter would not stop until he had his prey.
Jeffrey first went in search of Jacob, because he seemed to be the one in the most imminent danger and asked for the two of them to meet at the downtown bar where Jeffrey sometimes liked to relax after completing a script. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside, and even less from within, but that served a purpose as well, because nobody who would be looking for Jeffrey would ever think to start in this place.
Jeffrey arrived in the dimly lit, stale-smelling pub and found Jacob sitting in the back booth near the pool tables nursing a pint of Guinness. He smiled weakly and motioned for Jeffrey to come to the booth. He extended his hand and offered a limp handshake. He had the look of a man who had not slept much and who was very concerned about things other than writing or doing interviews with the various tabloids of the theater community. Dark circles revealed eyes that were drawn in, pale skin led Jeffrey to believe that Jacob had not been out much in the last month or two, and the fact that he was not clean shaven alarmed Jeffrey even more. Jacob had always been very concerned about his outward appearance, and now he was more like a man who was waiting for death to stop wasting its time and finish the job already.
“You’ve looked better, Jacob,” Jeffrey offered.
Jacob shrugged his shoulders and coughed a harsh, raspy sound that made Jeffrey think that perhaps his former friend was ill. “They’re going to kill me, Jeffrey.”
It was a statement so matter of fact that it took Jeffrey aback some. Jacob was convinced he was a marked man, and Jeffrey could only begin to imagine what it was that he had heard or seen to make him believe such things.
“Who’s going to kill you?” Jeffrey asked innocently.
Jacob shot him a harsh stare and replied “Don’t bullshit with me, Jeffrey! You know who I’m talking about.” He drained his Guinness and motioned to the bartender that he wanted another. He looked at Jeffrey and silently asked if he wanted anything, and Jeffrey declined. Better that he remain sober while in the city, and from the look of Jacob, those were not good odds if he stayed with him for any length of time.
He coughed again, accepted the pint, and took another deep sip. “It’s my own fucking fault. I never should have gone into business with the bastard.” His eyes glazed over a bit as if to imply that he was holding back tears. “Schultz is a lunatic, and that little faggot who hangs around him all of the time is the most despicable human being I have ever had the misfortune of knowing.” He drained his second and said, “He likes you, though, something about your bone structure.” He smiled at that thought and said, “I can just imagine how he would never have left your side for a minute if you had agreed to write the script for Schultz instead of me.”
Jeffrey stared silently at Jacob and suddenly felt very bad for the condition he was in. What Jacob had done to him was unforgiveable, but it was not a crime worthy of leaving the man in the state of despair that he was now experiencing. Jacob had the look of a death row inmate who was just counting the minutes until the executioner came to finish the deed. The man looked, and even smelled, like a man who had given up and was awaiting the inevitable. There was no fight left in him; there was no hope.
“You need to leave town immediately,” Jeffrey said after a moment.
Jacob laughed and asked, “And where do you expect me to go? I’m the new face of Broadway, remember? Everyone knows me. I can’t go anywhere without being recognized. This is the one place in the city where I can have some kind of anonymity.” He lowered his head into his hands and sniffled. His hands were trembling, and the table was shaking due to Jacob’s legs rocking uncontrollably.
“Come stay at my cabin,” Jeffrey said. He could not believe he heard the words come out of his mouth, but once they did they did not feel wrong; they felt like he was doing the right thing, and he hoped Jacob would accept.
Jacob looked at him and answered, “You don’t swim with sharks with a bag of chum around your neck.”
Jeffrey smiled at the answer. Jacob had always had a unique way of putting things, and this was his way of trying to convince his former mentor that he did not want anything to do with him, that being anywhere near Jacob would prove to be nothing but a fatal mistake for both of them.
“True,” Jeffrey answered. “But if you catch enough sharks, you can make a very nice soup.”
“I hear that soup is really gooey and not very good.”
Jeffrey shrugged and continued, “Two billion Chinamen can’t all be wrong.”
Jacob played with the stubble on his chin and looked off into the distance staring at nothing, and said calmly. “I really am sorry about what I did.” He looked at Jeffrey with tears in his eyes. “I just wanted to have what you did, to be the man everyone wanted to be around. I wanted people to think I was something that I was not. I really fucked it all up.”
Jeffrey said nothing and shook his head in silent agreement and said, “Let’s go to your place and pack some bags.”
“We can’t,” Jacob said. “He’s at the apartment.”
* * *
Louis walked around Jacob’s small studio apartment and admired his collection of vintage superhero figurines. They stood like silent sentries guarding the home of their master and the lair where they could hide their mythical identities. Whenever Louis saw items of this nature, he was both delighted and enraged at the same time.
He had always liked the “color books,” as his mother had called them, and was a fan of the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader and had often daydreamed he was their friend and confidant. He was the man who they trusted with their secret identities and the man who would one day lead them all to their greatest triumph. He looked at a statue of Wonder Woman and felt his heart rate increase. The emotions that she evoked had never changed from the time he was a young boy until now, and he wanted so very deeply to control her, to dominate her. That would be a true mark of a superhuman, to do what even the son of Krypton could not and would be Louis’s crowning achievement.
He thought at that moment of the woman, how he longed to possess her and what he was going to do with her once he had her for himself. Perhaps the music would grant him the permission to recreate her in the image of the Amazonian woman from the color books. Perhaps he would remake her in his mother’s image, and just when she was made into the perfect specimen, just when she was what he had always desired, he would end it all and sacrifice her to the music. His gift in return would be the clarity that it had enticed him with for years and that it promised would one day belong to him. Louis would no longer be the monster that most people only knew about on the fringes of their minds; he would be the one with whom they would come to worship in the manner that the music dictated.
He held Superman in his hands and admired the craftsmanship that had gone into the detail of the facial features, the rippling of the muscles, the raised letter S that signified who he was, and he was overcome with hatred and fear. He knew that in a world where there were supermen, he would never be able to dominate the woman the way that he and the music wanted him to. He had to destroy those who wanted to control him, starting with this figurine.
He shattered it into a hundred small pieces with only the grip of his giant hand and watched as small droplets of blood formed where the statue had pierced the skin. Louis looked up and saw the half-naked Wonder Woman staring at him and held her gently in his hands, rubbing the blood all over her, baptizing her in the Way as he made a silent confirmation that he would do the same to the woman. He would not allow anyone or anything to keep him from possessing her.
Louis closed his eyes and listened to the symphony playing in his mind and the words the Way was speaking to him. They spoke of the destiny that had been laid out for him and the conquest that waited. He suddenly felt a very strong pang in the pit of his chest and began to breat
he heavily, labored. He struggled to calm his breathing, but was increasingly more aware of the fact that it was an outside source that was dominating him. It was the Way speaking to him, and it was telling him what he wanted to know.
Jeffrey David Rothstein had come home.
Louis placed the Wonder Woman in the pocket of his coat and left the apartment. Jacob Stone would have to wait, as would the woman. His target, the main target, was in the city and moving toward him. Louis knew the feeling and was confident it would never lead him in the wrong direction.
He smiled to himself and thought about the pleasure he was going to experience in destroying the man Heinrich so desperately wanted. He would never deliver him to his employer, of course. He would own him for himself and do what he wished until it was time to turn him over to the Way; then he would have her.
He closed the door behind him and quietly walked down the steps leading out of the building. Beyond them was the city that he knew better than any other place on earth, the place where he did his best hunting, and the place where he would finally realize his true destiny. He needed only to find Jeffrey.
* * *
Jeffrey sat across from Rachel and her boyfriend, Richard Kearney, and could barely hold back the urge to jump to his feet and strike the already battered man into an even more unrecognizable pulp than he currently was. His anger at her betrayal was still fresh, but he could not ignore the fact that the two of them had been through a lot together, and he owed it to her to keep her safe from whatever evil, demonic plot Heinrich Schultz’s monster had in store for them. None of them were safe, and Jeffrey needed to do his part to see to it that he had done his part to keep her out of harm’s way.
Saul had insisted he leave her to the wolves, but he did not press the issue once he realized Jeffrey was determined to be the hero in all of this and wanted to provide some form of sanctuary so the two of them could remain safe.
Jeffrey was certain of only one thing in regards to the man who was now hunting him and his friends; he would not stop until he had them in his possession, and the only person whose location he was unsure of was Jeffrey’s.
The Queen and I Page 25
