What he did get from Panco would have to do for now. He pressed down the phone’s lever for a second, then released it again to regain his dial tone. Immediately, he called his partner, who answered after just one ring.
“Gibbons,” he heard his coworker answer.
“It’s Harrison. What’ve you got?”
“Would’ve called you if I had anything new, pal. Slow going as usual. It’s almost twelve. Calling it a night. You?”
“Damn, that late, huh?”
“Ain’t you got a watch? You burnin’ both ends, man.”
“Yeah,” Harrison sighed, “it’s easy to lose track of time with this job. Anyway, Chief wants you to look for the Williams boy.”
“Still M. I. A.?”
“That and other things are making him a person of interest.” Harrison spent the next couple of minutes relaying the same facts about Sonny Williams that he had explained to Chief Biddle recently.
After taking it all in, Gibbons remarked, “Definitely makes him a person of interest. Alright. I’m on it. Don’t sound like it’ll be easy.”
“Never is, pal.”
“What’s the man got you doin’ then? The homeless guy?”
“Chief still believes he’s the prime suspect, so yeah. I got a lead on him. Gotta head over to St. Elizabeth’s. The guy might’ve been registered with their Outreach Program.”
“Yeah,” Gibbons retorted. “Him and every other alley cat lookin’ for handouts. That’ll keep you busy.”
“No shit. Guess I better head over there.”
“Like I said,” Gibbons nearly laughed, “ain’t you got a watch?”
Harrison returned a weak, tired chuckle of his own. “Yeah, right.”
“Get some sleep Murphy,” Gibbons laughed again. “Your batteries need recharging.”
“Alright,” Harrison conceded. He understood the reference. Gibbons was using his own special way of telling his partner, You ain’t no Robocop, Harrison. “First thing in the morning then. Let me know as soon as you get anything on the kid.”
“Sure thing.” Gibbons paused. “Anyone else you want me to question again while I’m at it?”
Harrison looked down at the notes on his desk again. His eyes fixated on the name Diana Palmer, written on his notes under what he found in George Summers’s file, and circled with blue ink. “Not yet,” instinct told him to answer. “I may have more, but need to do more digging first. Gotta keep the man happy and follow up on Cliff for now.”
“Good idea. Night, Murphy.”
Harrison grunted another laugh. “Night.”
He hung up the phone, trying to take his eyes off of the name circled in blue. One lead at a time, he reminded himself. He knew he’d have a full day, or multiple full days, ahead of him researching every name recently registered in the Outreach Program. He understood it was important. Biddle was in charge, and the chief did have more experience. He would just have to trust the man. But in the depths of his gut, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the next few days would all turn out to be a wild goose chase.
Chapter XIV
At about the same time that Jim Panco was staring, wide-eyed and dumbfounded at his mysterious visitor, Megan Panco found herself staring wide-eyed at her familiar one. With aggressive force, Sonny flung open the door to the dark room that had been her dungeon for however long she had been his prisoner (she had lost track of the days at this point). Megan was sitting on the dirt floor with her back against the farthest corner from the entrance, behind the mildew infested mattress; the only obstacle between her and her captor, who she could tell immediately held rage and violent hatred in his eyes.
After spending three months by his side, the man she fell in love with was quickly becoming a dwindling memory. He never existed. Here, barging in the room, was the real thing. The man she once cuddled with, kissed, shared her every thought and feeling with, now frightened her. If not for their previous conversation regarding his twisted employment by an unknown entity, she would have felt for sure that this was the moment he would end her life, and that it wouldn’t be a quick death.
Yet the monster did not approach her. Sonny stopped in his tracks as he neared the center of the room, regarded her for a second, then placed a fresh cup of water and a paper plate with two end slices of white bread on the dirt floor. “No steak and potatoes tonight,” he said with a demeanor that seemed calmer than his motions and features revealed. Megan eyed him suspiciously, not moving from the corner. He was clearly not in the playful mood he had left with the last time he visited her in this dungeon. To some extent, she was thankful for that; his playfulness before resulted in her having her wrists swollen with sprains as well as having the wind knocked out of her. Regardless, the personality he expressed at this moment didn’t make her feel any safer.
Sonny waited a moment until he noticed her apprehension. “Well, are you gonna eat or not?” She didn’t answer, remaining against the corner, not taking her eyes off of him. “Whatever,” he decided verbally as he turned toward the door.
He stormed in the direction from which he came, but stopped in his tracks as he reached the threshold of the heavy, wooden door. He remained there with the door wide open, his back to her. Yet Megan did not move. She knew that there was no point at attempting escape. Sonny was too quick, too strong… too aware of his surroundings. She only watched him, waiting for what he would say or do.
Then Sonny spoke. “So this is goodbye, Meg. I’m leaving. Not coming back. You won’t be seeing me again.”
He stopped, as if waiting for a question from her, but she said nothing, so he continued speaking with his back turned. “Somebody else will be bringing your food and dumping your shit for you. I’m heading out of town… for my next assignment… August I think.
He stopped speaking again as he scuffed the dirt floor with his foot, again as if in waiting for any question she might have. She remained still, taking in his last sentence. The sound of Sonny’s shoe as it slowly kicked into the dirt reminded her of a ticking clock, and she started to get the sense that it was only a matter of time before she would discover the reasoning behind her kidnapping, that she wouldn’t remain a prisoner in this unknown place forever. But the discovery would be even less enjoyable than her current predicament.
“What will happen in August?” she spoke softly, hoping he would give some sort of answer that made sense.
He turned his head slowly. The dim lighting of the room only allowed his appearance to be that of a silhouette in the threshold, so she could not see the side of his face as he turned; could not tell if he was looking at her as he continued. “Same as all the others. I won’t have any involvement with June or July. Fine by me. They’re probably dogs anyway. But August; she’s cute. They gave me a picture of her. And her address of course. Not as pretty as you, but she’ll do.” He paused as Megan’s eyes widened with slight understanding. “Not your concern though,” he went on. I think you should be more worried about May.”
Megan suddenly became aware of the small tremor that was vibrating inside her stomach. “I’m May?” she whispered. It wasn’t really a question.
Sonny faced forward again; his back completely to her. “I sure wanted to watch,” he went on. “They won’t let me though. They say I’m not ready. Not high enough in rank.” He sighed. “How am I supposed to learn how things work if I can’t watch?”
“Watch what, Sonny?”
He ignored her. “It can be very frustrating, all these fucking rules. If I knew how things worked, last night would’ve ended differently. I wouldn’t have had to kill her. Would’ve made her kill herself. But now, apparently, I’ve brought too much attention on myself. I’m a hot item, so I’ve gotta leave town. Tonight.”
The tremor became a mild quake in Megan’s pit. “Who? Who did you kill?”
Sonny turned his head gently, then faced forward again. “He could’ve stopped me, Meg. But he couldn’t handle me. It was too easy. No fun at all. I guess he couldn’t think all
too clearly since I just raped his girl. Had to beat the shit out of her first. He probably didn’t like that either. Anyway they’re both dead. And now I have to leave.”
Megan raised her quivering voice with much difficulty, knowing that she was speaking to a now-confirmed murderer. “Who, Sonny? Who’s dead?”
“Oh,” he shrugged, “um… Ben and Ryleigh.”
Megan could find no more words as her eyes were nearly blinded with hateful tears.
“Aw shit,” he said with a sadistic giggle. “I promised her I wouldn’t tell you what I did to her. Oops.”
She hardly heard these words, still focusing on the two names he’d just given her.
“Goodbye, Megan,” Sonny said with no emotion; the last words she would ever hear from his lips. He stepped completely through the threshold and closed the door.
As he locked the door behind him and began to leave toward the stairway that would lead him out of the oddly renovated cellar, Sonny could hear uncontrollable sobbing from the room he’d just left. Though he remained in a rather grumpy mood, he couldn’t help but to smile, knowing he inflicted yet another painful wound on such a disgustingly sweet and innocent young lady.
****
As Sonny reached the top of the dusty, wooden stairway that led out of the farmhouse cellar, he closed the trap double doors that was angled and protruding from the Earth, securing the padlock between the two iron handles. Diana was waiting for him, leaning casually against a charcoal Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows. She waited until he approached her before she spoke: “Saying your goodbyes, dear?” She motioned to the rear car door behind the passenger seat. Sonny said nothing, but obediently opened the car door and sat within.
The driver was a large, burly man whom Sonny had seen before. He had accompanied or chauffeured Diana every now and then, especially of recent months, as she and the other Agents within the Inner Circles had neared the times of sacrifice. He never took much notice of the bodyguard, but now he immediately pegged him as one of Diana’s Erased, given the empty, blank expression in the man’s eyes. He stared straight ahead at the gravel driveway that led away from the property. He said nothing, and he barely moved; barely even blinked.
“Take us to the highway and head west,” Diana instructed before she even seated herself behind the large man, next to Sonny. Immediately, the Erased turned the key in the ignition of the Cadillac, and the engine came to life with a perfectly tuned hum.
Though the interior of the luxury car provided maximum comfort, Sonny remained agitated and unrelaxed. Diana placed her long fingers gently on the back of his neck and began to tickle his skin playfully, but Sonny shrugged his shoulder to shoo her hand away. Diana smiled patiently. “Now darling, there’s no need to be sore about this. No one’s upset with you for having a little fun. But really, this is just a strategic move for everyone’s benefit.”
“Chief Biddle seemed pretty upset when he called me to tell me I’m being reassigned,” Sonny retorted quietly as he gazed out of the side window and stared into the darkness.
“Oh, never mind him,” Diana chuckled. “He’s always been the high-strung type. But honestly Sonny, with your involvement in Megan’s social life, and everything else, some persons within the state police force are rather curious about you. They’ve discovered that you’ve no record at the university, or anywhere else for that matter, and it’s raised some red flags on their end. As of now, their primary suspect is the vagabond who robbed Megan last week, and we’d like to keep it that way. That could change quickly if someone spotted you in town. It would draw unwanted attention.”
Sonny continued to look out the window at nothing. “So where we headed?”
“Your car has been moved to a private lot owned by the Agency. All of your personals and necessities are stored in the trunk, and the license plate has been switched. You’ll also find the address to your new temporary residence in the glove box, along with a new social security card and an Iowa driver’s license showing your changed surname. ”
“And just like that, I’m off to my new assignment.”
Diana shrugged, “August will be here before you know it. You’ll want to start wooing your new target as soon as possible. Get her to love you… to trust you. Same as always.”
Sonny said nothing.
“And anyway,” Diana continued, “you might as well get started now. There’s really nothing left for you to do here.”
“In other words, I’ll just be in the way.”
Diana looked away, out her own window. “It’s rather late,” she finally commented after an awkward silence within the moving vehicle. “Des Moines is a pretty long drive. You should find a place to stop for the night, but make sure you’ve travelled at least one hundred miles before…”
“I’ll be fine,” Sonny interrupted. “I can drive straight through.”
Diana sighed. “If you insist. Senator Homan will be there, as well as a few agents in the Secondary Circle. He’ll get you settled in when you arrive.
“I’m sure he will,” Sonny scoffed, referring to the Iowan senator, “along with his explicit instructions. I’m guessing August is his show then.”
“The area is in his jurisdiction, yes,” Diana replied with a business-like tone.
“And once he’s given me his orders, he’ll be on his way here. To enjoy the May ceremony. To enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
Diana responded immediately: “Yes, he will be participating because he is in the Primary Circle. I’ll remind you darling, that he earned his place there after decades of loyal service.” There was no anger or irritation in her voice. Everything spoken was matter-of-factly. If she were even the slightest agitated by Sonny’s complaint, she hid it completely; both in tone and facial expression.
Sonny, upon Diana’s verbal counter, did change his tone to one that lacked the previous sting. “It’s just that… I worked Megan for three months. I was the one that got into her life, manipulated her…”
“Which we’re paying you handsomely for…”
“…and all I want is to watch the ritual.”
“We talked about this, Sonny…”
“Even he gets to be there,” Sonny waved a disapproving hand at the silent driver, who did not show any indication that he was aware of the conversation behind him.
Diana laughed softly before continuing the discussion. A brat, Sonny may be at times, but she often found amusement in all situations, and in all people. “Sweetheart,” she began with a more playful demeanor, “he and my other mindless toys will be present, but I wouldn’t say they’re actually there. They’re little more than statues that stand watch, but see nothing. They’ve no more comprehension of the events that occur during the ritual than a fly understands a television show. They do nothing more than what I instruct them to. If I abandoned them, they would sit and stare from the blank void in their minds until they die from starvation. Do you really want to compare their fortune to your own? You insult yourself if you think they’re more important pieces on the board than yourself.”
Sonny looked out the window again. He knew she was right, and that it was ridiculous for him to have even incorporated into his argument the role of Diana’s Erased in the Cycle of the Dark Year.
Diana watched him for a moment with a widening smile. With all his ability in strength and speed, he was certainly easy to control. Never once did she have to use her own special abilities to quell his frustrated mind, only her natural talent as a manipulative woman. She reached her hand to him again and began to trace her fingernails up and down his left thigh.
“I tried to control that girl from the other night,” Sonny spoke softly at the window, “the way you controlled George. I did everything the same way you did. Nothing happened. I thought I could at least get a little control…”
“I know, baby. I know,” Diana answered in a low, placating voice, moving her playful hand to the center of his trousers, tickling his upper-inner thigh.
“I’ve sacrifice
d animals, and some people, on my own; the way you taught me. I think I’ve done it enough to have developed some power. Maybe I’m not doing it right. Maybe if I watched one of the rituals of the Cycle, I’d figure it out.”
“No, no. You’re not doing anything wrong, darling. You’re developing nicely. Don’t you see how strong and fast you are?”
“I keep in shape…”
“Yes you do, but the things you can do are because of more than just your daily workouts. And think of how charming you are. You said so yourself that you got into Megan’s life. It didn’t take much to win her over, did it?”
Sonny thought for a second. “No,” he admitted. The bulge inside his trousers began to grow from the seductive woman’s gentle touch.
“No,” Diana agreed, “it didn’t. It was very easy for you. She’s a pretty thing, your Megan. Do you think any man could have swept her off her feet as quickly? You did that because of your training. You’ve never had professional acting classes; never had training in persuasive speech or salesmanship, yet you’ve sold a ‘Mr. Right’ character to that girl with no effort whatsoever. You’ll do the same with your new assignment in Des Moines.”
Sonny breathed in and out as she caressed his genitals through his pants. He nodded in submission to her voice of reason.
“One day,” she went on, lowering her voice to just above a whisper, “you’ll be able to make pretty little things like Megan cream in their little panties, just by looking at them. One day, you’ll strike fear into their hearts with just one sniff. One day, you’ll tell a crowd of intelligent men and women the most absurd things, and they’ll believe you as if it’s the gospel truth.”
“Yes…” Sonny whispered at the thought of her promises.
“You keep playing your part in the Cycle, baby,” Diana continued as she lowered her head to his crotch, unzipping his trousers. “When the last sacrifice is completed at the end, things will change for both of us. You believe me, don’t you Sonny?”
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