by K. J. Dahlen
Willow was silent for a moment as the men waited for her to finish her story.
“There were bodies everywhere. I was by the door when I saw something I’d never seen before. It was a small book. When I picked it up, I heard a noise outside. I grabbed the book and went back inside the hole. It was the police. They called out and then came inside. One of them rushed back out and puked all over the yard. They were there for hours while they collected all the bodies.”
“Why didn’t you let them know you were alive at that point?” Shay asked.
Willow shook her head. “Grandpa didn’t like the police. He told me never to talk to them, besides he told me to stay in the hole and not to talk or someone would kill me. I didn’t know who I could trust.”
“The police wouldn’t have hurt you.” Shay scoffed.
Willow glared at him. “I was a scared kid. I’d just seen my family murdered.”
“What happened then?” Gage asked as he glared at Shay.
“The police left after a long time and it got dark again. I stayed hidden until the next day when someone came back. I peeked out and saw the first group was back. They seemed to be looking for something and when they didn’t find it, they set fire to the cabin. I knew I had to get out of there so I snuck out through the hole in the floor. I ran for the woods as fast as I could and managed to hide for a couple more days. Then a game warden found me and turned me over to the authorities. They put me into the foster care system and I never went back there again. I couldn’t speak by then, so growing up was a challenge.”
“What about the book?” Stone asked.
“When I first got to the woods, I climbed a tree and was hiding there. I didn’t know if those men had seen me leave the cabin or not. I finally saw them leave. I stayed there for a long time but I finally got hungry and I knew where there was something to eat, so I climbed down. I had my own special place in the woods where I would go to be alone, so I went there and stayed a day or two. I hid the book in case someone found me.”
“What made you remember the book after all this time?” Sam asked.
“I saw that damn tattoo again. The triangle with the reaper inside,” Willow finally explained. “Phoebe and I were working in a diner just outside of Chicago and man came in. He sat down at the counter and when he reached for the menu, I saw the tattoo on his wrist. It brought back the memories of the past.”
“Did you know this guy?” Sam spoke again.
Willow shook her head. “I’d never seen him before. I couldn’t even tell you what he looked like all I could see was that damn tattoo. Phoebe told me I went in the back room and passed out after that. My boss sent us both home. Phoebe wouldn’t let me go alone. We left the next day for Boston. I had to get the book back. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with it but I had to get my hands on it.” She shrugged. Looking over at Gage, she said, “Then I found you guys and you know the rest.”
As Scott led the group back through the tunnels to their starting point, he kept looking back at Michael. When he opened the last door, he let the others through but reached out and stopped him. “Is what you said, really going to happen?”
“It will, if we can’t stop it.” Michael stared at him for a moment. “Why? Do you know something you think we should know?”
Scott nodded. “Maybe I do.” He shifted his stance. “Part of my job is to know who the people I serve are and who they associate with. I have files on everyone within the government and beyond. Last week, I overheard something I didn’t understand at the time but when you mentioned Alex Daniels, it all made sense.”
“What did you overhear?”
“Alex was talking on the phone to someone and he wasn’t very happy. I thought I heard him mention Kansas City but I can’t be sure. He did mention a man named Jethro but I didn’t catch a last name or what he wanted this man to do.”
“I would really appreciate a look at your files, if you don’t mind?” Michael asked.
Scott nodded. “I’ll get them to you as soon as possible.” He turned to go, but hesitated. “You mentioned a deaf man?”
Michael nodded. “Ali was using sign language to someone in the room with him, why?”
“This may or may not mean anything, but Drake Carrington’s father is deaf. When he was exiled from Syria, as part of his punishment they gave him the same punishment the man he was guarding suffered. The man took a blow to the side of his head that broke his ear drum. He was left deaf on one side. Drake’s father lost his hearing on both sides.”
“How do you know all of this?” Michael asked.
“I told you.” Scott stared back at him. “It’s part of my job to know the people around the people I’m in charge of. I’ve been doing this job for some time now and I’m good at what I do.”
“Send me whatever you have as quickly as you can and maybe we can stop this from happening before it gets started.”
“God, I hope so.” Scott looked troubled.
A few hours later, Michael received an email from Scott. When he opened it, he was astounded by the sheer volume of the information he had collected over the years. Scott warned him that the files were for his eyes only and Michael was okay with that.
He clicked on the file titled, Carrington. Sub-files came up on the screen and he clicked on the one for Alan Carrington. When the file came up, he saw a picture of an older man with dark eyes and almost all white hair. His hair was brushed back away from his face and it spilled down to his shoulders. If you didn’t know he was deaf, you couldn’t tell for the arrogant look on his face. In this photo, he was posed sitting in a chair. In his left hand, he was holding an ebony black cane. Michael’s eyes were drawn to his ring finger where a large gold ring with a jade stone was present. Michael had seen that ring before and now, he knew another member of the group he was looking for.
Michael stared at Alan’s eyes for a few minutes. He couldn’t read much from the photograph but he could read enough. This man was dangerous.
He skipped down to the text and began reading about Alan’s escape from Syria. Most of the information he read, he already knew. Then he found something he didn’t know. The man Alan had been in charge of guarding all those years ago had been Prince Ali’s uncle, Mohammah Alkeem. When he failed to keep Alkeem safe from harm and Alkeem suffered a blow to his head that rendered him deaf on one side, Alkeem’s father King Jalbar took Alan’s hearing and banished him from Syria.
Michael skipped the rest of the briefing and skipped down to Scott’s notes. Scott noted that Alan might not be what he pretended. He wrote that bodyguards usually take a lifelong commitment to whomever they serve. Michael found that an interesting fact and he couldn’t help but wonder if Alan was still serving the family that deafened him.
He went back to the sub file page and clicked on Drew’s file. Drew was born here in the United States after his mother, father and older brother Drake had become citizens. He had a normal life until he went to college. That’s where he met and became friends with a man named Alex Daniels. Michael knew Alex was in truth, Ali Rudan.
Scott had noted that Ali seemed to be the alpha male in the friendship and Drew was the follower. In his junior year, Drew’s cousin Nick joined the group.
He went back to the sub-file page and clicked on Drake Carrington’s name. There was nothing in the file to hint that Drake was anything but what he seemed to be. He didn’t seem to have any ties to Syria or the Rudan royal family. He married Margret Stillman and together, they raised four children.
Drake entered politics at an early age and now at forty-nine years old, he was Vice President of the United States.
Michael went back to the sub-file page again and clicked on Alex Daniel’s file. He was surprised to find no link to his family ties. Scott hadn’t dug very far into Alex’s background. All the information Scott had was after Alex joined Drew in college.
Scott tracked Alex’s rise in politics. He seemed flawless in his rise through the ranks. Right now, he worked
as the Press Secretary to the White House.
Michael couldn’t help but wonder why there was no mention of his ties to Syria. Had Alex hidden his past that well or had Scott just not seen it? Scott seemed to have the best interest of his clients in mind, then why wasn’t there any warning in the files?
He went back to the sub files and clicked on Drew’s cousin, Nicholas R. Carrington, file. Scott had noted that Nick had come over from Syria to join Drew in college; in fact, his Uncle Alan had sponsored his transfer under an education visa. After graduation, Nick had applied for another visa that would allow him to stay on. Every three years, he applied for an extension until a few years ago, he became a citizen himself.
There was a copy of his background check in the file. As Michael read it, he didn’t find anything in the file that would alert anyone to what his political beliefs were.
All in all, Scott’s files helped immensely, though Scott would never have known which parts of his file helped the most.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and found it was after midnight. He pushed his chair away from the table, went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of beer. Twisting off the cap, he took a long swig. He felt tired but was avoiding going to sleep.
Snickerdoodles was resting on a rug in front of the sink. He raised his head and looked at his master.
Michael grabbed his cigarettes and walked to the back door. He put the beer bottle on the table and motioned for Snicker to join him and they went outside for a moment. As he lit a cigarette, he watched Snicker go out to do his thing. Michael looked at the night sky as he stood there. He saw a clear sky filled with stars. The neighborhood around him was quiet and right now, he appreciated the quiet. It gave him time to think. He heard the door open again and he turned his head to see Phoebe join him.
“Are you ok?” she asked quietly. It had been a long day. Left alone all day, she looked over the evidence they left on the walls and found it gruesome.
“Yeah. It’s just been a very long day.”
“Yeah, I get that.” She swiped a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was looking at the photos on the wall and I think I recognized one of the men. I think I saw him in the diner in Chicago the day Willow went nuts.”
“What do you mean?” Michael turned to face her.
“When this guy came in and sat down, she stared at him for the longest time, then she went in the back and just sat there. I asked her what was wrong but it was like she’d seen something that scared the bejesus out of her. The next morning, she insisted we go to Marlborough. It was like she was possessed or something. We couldn’t get there fast enough.”
“Is that where she got the book?”
Phoebe nodded. “I tried to tell her the book might not still be there but she insisted it would be.” She rolled her eyes. “And it was right where she left it sixteen years ago. I couldn’t believe it.”
“How could Willow work in a diner when she didn’t speak?”
Phoebe grinned slightly. “She’s a damn good short order cook. She doesn’t have to talk to cook.”
When Snicker joined them on the deck, Michael turned and ushered Phoebe back into the house. Phoebe told him good night but Michael didn’t want to go to bed. He didn’t want to dream that night. He sat down at the table and lit another cigarette. Grabbing his beer, he took another swig. He watched Snicker have a drink of water. He shut down his computer, finished his beer and stood up. He went over to the doorway and turned off the light. He moved toward the hall and laid down on his bed. His body needed to rest but he could tell he wouldn’t be getting much sleep. His mind was wound too tight and he couldn’t shut off the thoughts going round and round inside his brain.
Within a few minutes, Phoebe slipped into his bed and when he wrapped his arms around her, felt his mind clear.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she whispered. “I couldn’t sleep in my room.”
“You’re fine.” He tugged her a little closer. “I don’t mind at all.”
A few minutes later, he felt her slip into sleep. He held her tight to his side and whispered, “I think you’re beginning to matter to me little one.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head then closed his eyes.
As he slipped into REM, his mind was silent. No nightmares of the past or the future disturbed him through the next few hours, and when the sun came up hours later, Michael awoke refreshed. He was a little groggy but his body felt rested. He glanced down at the woman in his bed and smiled.
He sat up to see Snicker was lying beside the bed on the floor and Michael rubbed his head as he stood up. He went out to the kitchen in search of Judson and coffee. When he saw no sign of either, he went to find his friend.
He went down the hall to the first bedroom and opened the door. At first glance, the bedroom looked empty. Then he heard a noise in the adjoining bathroom. He called out, “Hey you want coffee?”
“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute,” Judson called back.
Michael reached for his phone and called Kenn. He wanted to update him on what he’d found in Scott’s files.
When Kenn answered, Michael couldn’t get a word out before Kenn told him the bad news, “We have a problem here. As in a security breach, we had a break-in last night. Glen and Sean are dead.”
Michael remained silent for a moment then asked, “What the fuck happened?”
“I’m not sure. The cameras went out for a full five minutes. So far, we got nothing.”
Michael watched as Judson joined him. Putting his hand over the phone, he told Judson, “Someone broke into the offices last night and Glen and Sean were dead.”
Judson looked stunned. “How did that happen? It’s supposed to be a secure office.”
Harper must have come into Kenn office because her voice was the next thing they heard. “No one knows. When we got back to the office last night, Kenn went into the interrogation room to talk to Glen. He came right back out and went into another room where Sean was. He looked at me and announced they were dead. No one saw or heard anything.”
“The only conclusion I could come up with was the fact there’s another person in our office in league with this Viper group,” Ken added. “The only thing is we don’t know who it is and we’re running out of time.”
“Damn…” Michael sighed.
“We’ve also run a new background check on everyone in the office. We’re waiting on the results now,” Ken said. “I noticed you were held up last night leaving the White House. What were you and Scott talking about?”
“He was asking some questions about the group. He had some background on the members of the government and asked if I could use it. I looked at the files he sent me and found some very intriguing things. Like finding our deaf man in his files.”
“Who is he?” Harper asked.
“Alan Carrington, Drake Carrington’s father.”
“How did no one ever catch this link before now?” Kenn queried.
“No one was looking for it before. No one had any cause to look for it before now,” Michael explained.
“Did you find anything else we could use?”
“Maybe, but I have to track it down some more. I’ll let you know.” After he hung up his call, Michael whistled for his dog. Snicker came as far as the door and no further. He frowned and whistled again, but the dog wouldn’t move. In fact, he turned and went back inside the house.
Michael walked to the house and disappeared inside. Snicker was standing at the door to the basement. Michael turned to look at Judson. He drew his weapon and opened the door to the basement. Taking one step at a time, he made his way to the basement. Judson followed with his gun drawn as well. Michael motioned for him to go left and he stepped off to the right. Making his way around the corner, he found himself in a finished basement room. There was a big screen television, a sofa and a couple of easy chairs. In the dim lighting, he couldn’t see anything out of place. He stepped a little further into the room. That’s when he noticed the scent permeating
the room. It smelled like blood. He went back to the stairs and turned on the lights.
When the lights came on, he could see a trail of blood. It ended at the door leading to a closet.
Judson came around another corner and saw Michael standing there. He walked to the door and opened it.
“Oh my God, it’s Carla Winesap.”
Michael saw the body of a young black woman. She’d been badly beaten and dumped just inside the closet. Her eyes were closed and her face was badly bruised. Michael knelt and felt for a pulse. He frowned when he found a weak pulse. He turned to Judson. “She’s still alive. Get an ambulance over here now.”
Judson reached for his phone and called for an ambulance.
Michael carefully moved Carla’s body out of the closet and laid her on the floor. While Judson was calling an ambulance, he called Kenn back. “We just found a woman beaten and stuffed into a closet. Judson told me her name was Carla Winesap.”
“Oh my God, why would someone do this?” Kenn exclaimed.
“How the hell did she know where we were?” Michael countered.
“I don’t know. The address isn’t listed on any of the paperwork we have on file,” Kenn reminded him. “No one should have known how to find you guys. I’m so glad I had Phoebe moved.”
Michael shuddered as he silently agreed. They could have killed her while he’d been gone. “I wonder what she had that someone else wanted bad enough to beat her for?” Michael murmured.
Harper came back on the line. “She had the address,” Harper told them. “I gave it to her yesterday when I asked her to forward some computer programs to you.”
“I asked you not to tell anyone where we were,” Michael reminded her.
“I know but Carla can keep a secret. In fact, she’s kept secrets for everyone in the office. Whoever beat her must have known that.”
