Good Tidings - a Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery

by Terri Reid

  “Yeah, Sean called me too, but I still feel uneasy.”

  Mary smiled. “Your spidey-sense?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, my spidey-sense.”

  “I’ll tell you what, I’ll call Stanley, he’s going to be downtown late anyway,” she said. “And I’ll have him walk me to my car. Okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks for putting up with my worries.”

  “Hey, it’s nice to be worried about,” she said, “Have a good meeting.”

  As soon as she hung up, she placed the call to Stanley. “Hi, I need a favor,” she said. “I need a walk to my car tonight, about eight-thirty. Would that work for you?”

  “Sure, I’ll be closing up here about that time,” he said. “I like having a cute gal on my arm, even if it’s only for half a block.”

  “Thanks, Bradley is still worried.”

  “He’s a good man,” Stanley said. “A girl could do a lot worse.”

  Mary sighed. “I know Stanley, but he is married.”

  “What kind of wife up and disappears on her husband for almost nine years, I ask you?”

  “We don’t know what the circumstances were,” Mary said. “And, if Bradley loved her, she has to be pretty special.”

  “Okay, girlie, you’ve got a point,” he said. “I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. So, you want me to give our special knock?”

  “We have a special knock?” Mary asked with a grin.

  “Sure we do, two knocks, a pause and then two more knocks,” he said.

  “Oh…that secret knock,” she said with a grin, “That’d be great. I’m going to close the blinds before it gets dark, so I’ll know it’s you.”

  “Alright, girlie, see you at eight-thirty.”

  “See you then, Stanley. And thanks!”

  Several hours later, Stanley turned off the lights at Wagners’ Office Supplies and walked over to the front door. He’d locked it after the last customer, so he could count the cash in the register and put together the deposit for the next day. He had just pulled the keys out of his pocket when he heard a noise in the office furniture section of the store. He glanced up to the clock, it was only eight-twenty-five, he still had a few minutes before he had to go next door and pick up Mary.

  The glow from the streetlight was enough light for Stanley to make his way back through the store. He wondered if someone had left a fan running. Careless salespeople were always doing something like that. Did they think electricity was free?

  He looked down the aisle that housed sample cubicles. Sure enough, at the end of the aisle was a fan running full force. He stepped into the aisle, shaking his head. Someone would be getting a talking to tomorrow morning.

  The sharp pain to the back of his head barely registered before he fell unconscious to the floor. Kevin leaned down and picked up the keys Stanley had dropped. Whistling to himself, he wandered back to the front of the store. Things were going according to plan.

  Two knocks, a pause and two more knocks. “I’ll be right there, Stanley,” Mary called, as she picked up her purse and computer case.

  She clicked off the lights and stepped out the door, her back to the street as she inserted the key into the lock. “Hello, Mary,” Kevin whispered, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against him. “Sorry Stanley can’t see you home. He’s been detained.”

  She inhaled, ready to scream, when she felt the unmistakable pressure of the barrel of a gun pressed against her side. “Ah, Mary, you don’t want to make a fuss, do you?” he whispered, his mouth next to her ear. “You don’t want any of your friends to die, do you?”

  She shook her head. “No, no need to hurt anyone,” she said.

  He laughed softly and kissed her on the neck. “Oh, Mary, so wise and so delicious, I am going to thoroughly enjoy you.”

  “Kevin, you know people are watching for you,” she said. “You won’t get away with this.”

  “Mary, Mary, such a cliched statement. Of course, I’m going to get away with it. I’ve been in your town for over a week. I’ve made plans. And once I drug you, you’ll do anything I want you to do,” he whispered into her ear, “My own personal plaything.”

  “I’d rather die,” Mary spat.

  He laughed softly. “Well, of course. I’ll do that too.”

  Mary drove the four blocks to the Rawleigh Building, Kevin’s gun trained on her. He had her park in one of the abandoned freight yards, and then he pulled her from the car. Most of the streetlamps around the vacant building had been broken by vandals, so they walked through shadows. Kevin held Mary around the waist, with his gun ever present in her side.

  She knew she had to get away before he was able to inject her with drugs. As far as she was concerned, death was a far better alternative to the hell he was planning on putting her through.

  He pulled her through a door in the old shipping area. “Welcome to my home,” he said. “You can scream as loud as you’d like and no one can hear you. No GPS signals can be picked up in here. And in the time I’ve been here, no one has ventured even close to these buildings. It’s our little paradise, Mary.”

  The walkie-talkie in Mary’s purse beeped. “Mary, can you hear me?” Bradley’s voice was muffled by the purse.

  “Take it out,” Kevin said, nudging her with the gun.

  Mary pulled it out.

  “Answer him.”

  “Hello, Bradley,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “Mary, what’s wrong?”

  Kevin grabbed the walkie-talkie from Mary’s hand. “Well, hello there, Chief! Guess who?”

  “Brady. You touch her and you will die.”

  Kevin laughed. “Wow! That was original. I’m not only going to touch her, I’m going to use her in every possible way I can and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. ‘Bye for now, Chief. I’ve got a date with Mary.”

  He threw the walkie-talkie against the concrete floor and it shattered into tiny pieces. “Now, let’s go up to the Penthouse Suite and get comfortable.”

  The inside of the building was dark, the few street lights barely penetrating the boarded windows. Mary waited for her eyes to adjust.

  She could see the outline of a freight elevator in front of them. Kevin pulled her in that direction. If she could distract him, perhaps she could get away.

  “Did you know it wasn’t Bradley who could see the ghosts,” Mary said. “It was me. I could see them. I spoke with Jack. You killed your own partner.”

  Kevin shook his head. “He gave me no choice. He would have sent them home. He would have messed up the deal.”

  The freight elevator was an ancient behemoth from the early 1900s lacking the safety features in more modern equipment. “Watch your step,” Kevin said, as he dragged Mary over the six-inch gap between the floor and the elevator. “I’d hate to lose you before we had a chance to get to know each other better.”

  Large metal gates slid from the top and the bottom and met in the middle with a clang. The elevator was lit by a single bulb hanging from a thick black wire, causing shadows to dance as the elevator moved, its mechanism creaking eerily as they ascended. The floor of the elevator was scattered with papers and broken sections of pallets.

  “He’s here, Kevin,” Mary said. “Jack’s here and wants to know why you killed him. He trusted you. He saved your life.”

  “You’re lying,” Kevin said, twisting her arm back behind her. “You’re nothing but a lying bitch.”

  “Ask me a question only Jack would know and I’ll prove it.”

  “I don’t need to ask any questions. Jack’s dead and he’s gonna stay that way.”

  “He won’t rest until his killer is brought to justice,” she said. “He won’t rest until they catch you. You can’t run from a ghost, Kevin.”

  “Shut up!” Kevin screamed as he twisted her around and slapped her across the face. The impact sent her sprawling to the floor of the freight elevator. “Just shut up!”

  Mary rolled to the side of the elevator and slid
a pointed piece of wood from a broken pallet up her sleeve.

  “Get up,” Kevin demanded.

  Mary quickly climbed to her feet. Kevin smiled. “That’s more like it,” he said. “I’ll teach you to be obedient.”

  Like hell you will, Mary thought.

  *****

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  With his siren blaring, Bradley was driving west on Highway 20 as fast as safety would allow. He had notified all of the local law enforcement agencies that Kevin had abducted Mary. Pulling off the Highway, he careened onto Adams Street and headed towards downtown.

  He was sure he heard an echo while Kevin was talking to him on the walkie-talkie, which meant they were indoors. Mary wasn’t scheduled to leave her office until eight-thirty and he called her no later than eight-forty-five. In order to be indoors, they had to still be in the downtown area.

  He drove past the Stephenson County Prison and continued to speed up the street. The radio on his dashboard was relaying the current information on the search. They had divided the downtown into quadrants and teams were going through buildings systematically. So far, no one had found anything bringing them any closer to finding Mary. He hoped to God Mary was able to somehow get away from Kevin before he drugged her.

  The elevator stopped on the top floor of the building. Mary was surprised to see the glow of electronics coming from work tables set up near the windows. Kevin grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. “Welcome to our little getaway,” he said.

  “Get real, Kevin,” she said. “You really think they aren’t going to turn this town apart looking for me?”

  “Babe, when I get through with you, you’re going to go with me where ever I say,” he said. “I just need to lay low long enough for the drugs to kick in. Then it’s free sailing all the way.”

  Mary scanned the area. The windows were still intact, so the ambient light was greater here than downstairs. Although still shadowy, Mary could see the area around her. Most of the floor was open with four-foot diameter pillars scattered throughout the space. At either end of the floor were doors that led to offices. She could also see a staircase at the far corner of the room, but had no idea if the stairs were still intact.

  Kevin still had her arm in his grasp as he pulled her towards his work area. “I think you’ll like this,” he said as he pulled her around the table.

  Mary felt her blood run cold. Against one wall he had fashioned a pair of shackles that had been fastened to the concrete. “I thought this would keep you secure, yet handy,” he said. “See, Mary, I’ve thought of everything.”

  Mary worked the piece of wood down into her palm. She turned to Kevin and smiled. “I didn’t realize how resourceful you were,” she said.

  He loosened his grip and slid his hand up and down her arm. “I think you’ll find I have many talents.”

  She whipped her arm around and stabbed the piece of wood into his throat. He screamed, releasing her arm, as he reached for the wood protruding from his neck.

  Mary ran towards the stairs.

  Kevin grabbed hold of the wood and pulled it out, blood pouring from the wound. “You’re going to pay for this bitch,” he yelled, pointing his gun at her and shooting.

  Mary heard the bullet ricochet off one of the large pillars near her head. She kept running, dodging back and forth between the pillars. She could hear his footsteps gaining on her. The beginning of the staircase was covered with debris, mostly plaster that had fallen from the ceiling. She glanced further down; the stairs disappeared into inky darkness. Another shot hit the wall near her. Her decision was made; she was going to take the stairs.

  Clutching the handrail, she ran down the stairs as quickly as she could. Once she reached the first landing, she dashed to the wall side of the staircase, staying in the shadows as much as she could.

  “Where are you, you bitch?” Kevin screamed, staring into the dark. “You won’t get away from me.”

  Mary kept her hands clasped onto the rail; she couldn’t see far enough in front of her to tell if the staircase was safe or had been removed. She didn’t need to fall six stories down to a concrete floor. She could hear Kevin struggling down the stairs behind her. Then she saw the beam of his flashlight scouring the area. She dove down several steps to avoid being caught in its light but when she reached the landing between the fifth and fourth floor, she stepped into a hole where the landing should have been.

  Mary struggled to grab onto something. Her hand brushed papers, cardboard and smooth concrete. She dug her fingernails into the concrete and scrambled with her arms and legs, but she was still slipping through the hole. Finally, at the edge of the hole she caught hold of a piece of exposed rebar and halted her descent.

  She felt around with her feet for something to step on to get back up to the landing, but all she felt was air.

  The flashlight beam danced along the wall of the fifth floor, Kevin was getting closer.

  Bradley continued up Adams, trying to decide where he should look first. His teams had searched the Masonic Temple and the Lindo Theater, two of the larger buildings in the downtown area. They had also gone through many of the older brownstones that had empty office space, but there were no signs of Mary.

  Bradley passed the Armory, but it was deserted and no cars were in the parking lot. That building was too secure; Kevin wouldn’t have been able to get inside. He drove past the Freeport Area Church Cooperative Building, but it was filled with people and he didn’t think Kevin would risk going there. Finally, he entered the downtown area. He scanned the parking lots and alleys, hoping to see Mary’s Roadster.

  Where the hell would he take her?

  Bradley slowed the cruiser and pulled over for a moment. He needed to think it through; he would just waste time if he reacted in a panic. Kevin would have thought it out. He would have created a secure place to hold Mary. This was not a random act, Kevin was not impulsive, his revenge was too important to him.

  Bradley ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

  But, where the hell could he accomplish all that in the middle of downtown Freeport?

  A shimmer of light caught his eye. He turned and saw it again. Someone was signaling him from the top of the Rawleigh Building. He tried to see if it was Mary, but could only see the flickering of the light. He whipped the cruiser back behind the building and stopped next to a loading dock. The entry where the door had once stood had been boarded over. Bradley pulled a “jaws of life” tool out of his trunk and climbed up on the dock. Sliding the tool between the building and the plywood, he quickly pulled the plywood away from the building far enough to slip in.

  The flicker appeared again across the room. Bradley pulled his gun out of his holster and followed the light.

  Mary could see the bottom of Kevin’s legs on the staircase above her. She considered her options. She could stay where she was, hanging down a hole in the landing, and hope that Kevin wouldn’t find her, or she could drop down and hope the landing below was intact. And she didn’t break something during the fall.

  If Kevin got hold of her again, she didn’t think he’d give her another chance to escape. But, if she broke her leg, could she still move enough to escape?

  Kevin came closer.

  Mary reached across the landing with one hand and grabbed hold of a packing box. She quietly slid it over and laid it on top of her head and shoulders. Perhaps the flashlight would glance over it and he’d miss her.

  She heard him stop and could see the beam slowly scan the area. It stopped next to her.

  “Well, little Mary has herself in quite a predicament,” he said.

  Mary’s heart dropped. She heard him stepping down the final steps to the landing. “Don’t worry, Mary, I’ll take care of you,” he laughed.

  Suddenly Mary felt strong hands grab her legs from below. She released the rebar and allowed herself to fall. Bradley lowered her into his arms.

  “Damn, you are going to be the death of me,” he whispered, hugging her
quickly and then placing her on the ground.

  “How did you find me?”she asked.

  “I saw your signal.”

  “What? I didn’t signal…”

  The beam from Kevin’s flashlight shone through the hole in the landing. Bradley and Mary dropped back against the wall. “Mary,” he called. “I’m coming down to get you.”

  “Let him come,” Bradley murmured.

  The debris rustled and Mary and Bradley watched as Kevin made his way down the steps. Halfway down, his gun barrel extended in front of him, Kevin stopped. “Who’s there?”