Pallor hesitated just long enough to keep the man from getting suspicious and then he nodded. When he parked the bus at the garage two hours later, the regular driver shook his hand and said, “She’s all yours for as long as you need her. Good luck with your case.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Around 3:30 in the morning, Pallor dressed in black, drove out to Chris’s apartment complex, and parked in the shadows. After thirty minutes, he got out of his car and walked over to Chris’s. He opened the door, popped the hood, loosened the wire exactly like his mechanic had told him to, quietly closed the hood, and walked back to his own car. He waited twenty minutes before starting his car and driving home.
When he got home, he changed clothes again and settled in his office to wait until 7:00, when he would drive back over to Chris’s apartment to rescue him.
Pallor pulled into the parking lot just as Chris climbed out of his car. He stood beside it shaking his head and looking totally helpless. Pallor parked beside him and got out. “Car problems?”
“Yeah. It won’t start and I have no idea what to do,” Chris said with a shrug. “Are you headed over to your girlfriend’s at this time of the morning? I hope she’s expecting you.”
“She’s on nights this week. She’ll be getting home in about fifteen minutes. I was going to surprise her and take her out for breakfast, but I can do that another day. Come on. I’ll take you to work,” Pallor said as he got back in his car.
“Are you sure?” Chris asked. “I hate to mess up your plans.”
“No big deal, really. She isn’t expecting me. Do you want me to call my mechanic and have him take a look?”
“Would he be willing to come out here? I mean, I can’t get it started, so I can’t exactly take it to him,” Chris said as he settled into the passenger seat of Pallor’s car.
“No problem. He has a tow truck. If he can’t fix it here, he’ll tow it to the shop. I’ll call him as soon as I drop you off. He’ll probably have it fixed by the time you get home tonight,” Pallor assured him.
“That’d be great. I really appreciate it.”
“I have to see a client out at Mall of the Bluffs this evening, but after that, I don’t have any plans. Like I said, my girlfriend is on nights. Do you want to meet me, go get some dinner, maybe have a few drinks?”
“Okay. Where do you want me to meet you?”
“Why don’t you take the last bus out to the mall and meet me at the main entrance? The bus stop is only about half a block from your office building. I’ll show it to you when we pass it.”
A few minutes later, Pallor pointed out the bus stop and told him what time to be there. “Is that going to be too late for you?”
Chris shook his head no. “I’ve got so much work to do I could stay here until midnight every night and still not get it all done.”
When he stopped in front of Chris’s building, Chris said, “Thanks,” and then as he got out of the car, he added, “See you tonight.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When Pallor got home, he called his accounting firm. Once he had Mr. Beasley on the phone, he said, “I have some instructions for Kevin. Would you please see that they are followed to the letter? It’s important.”
“Certainly, sir. Would you like for me to tape your instructions?”
“No, that’s not necessary. Just be sure to pass them along. A briefcase will be delivered to your firm this evening, probably around 8:00. I want Kevin to sign for it, take the last bus to Mall of the Bluffs, and bring the briefcase to me at the main entrance. Afterwards, I’ll drive him back home. I need to talk to him anyway.”
“Certainly, sir. I’ll see to it.”
After Mr. Beasley hung up, he buzzed Kevin and asked him to come to his office. When Kevin arrived, Mr. Beasley told him about the phone call and that he was to follow the instructions precisely, no variations, or it would be his job.
~ ~ ~ ~
When Pallor sat down behind the wheel of the bus Tuesday evening, he was in the same disguise he had worn the night before. The only passengers he allowed to board the bus were the seven people he wanted to send to Terah. As they traveled through town headed for the expressway that would carry them to the mall, his passengers were too absorbed in their own thoughts to notice how seldom he stopped. The bus company was going to get a few phone calls from some irate customers that evening, but by morning those same people were going to be very glad that the bus had passed them by.
All day long, as Chris had struggled with stacks of surveys and catalogues without any help, thoughts about Paul’s offer of a job with the modeling agency had floated through his head. By the time he left his office, he had made up his mind to talk to Paul about it that night. He was trying to think of a tactful way to bring it up when remnants of a quiet conversation near the front of the bus distracted him.
“Just don’t get your hopes up, honey,” a rugged, outdoors-type man said to the woman beside him. “Wait and see. We don’t have to move tomorrow.” He put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug.
Joan playfully poked him in the ribs with her finger and whispered, “You want out of there every bit as bad as I do, Karl. I’ve got a good feeling about this one. You’ll see. We’ll be out of that place by the end of the week.”
That afternoon, she had put a bottle of wine in the refrigerator to chill. If this house worked out, she was planning to invite Paul in for some wine and cheese to celebrate. She gave Karl’s hand a little squeeze and glanced around the bus. One of the other passengers caught her eye, a young woman who kept wiping her hands on her skirt and fidgeting. The way her head and lips were moving, she was obviously engaged in some kind of conversation, but Joan couldn’t tell if she was mumbling to herself or rehearsing lines for a play.
Theresa had butterflies in her stomach and her hands were damp. She didn’t think she could have been any more nervous if she’d been going on stage and no matter how many times she played through the scene in her head, she couldn’t relax. Finally, in an effort to distract herself, she looked around at the other passengers on the bus, trying to guess where they might be going by the way they were dressed.
One of the passengers was about her age and looked very familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. At first she thought he might have been in one of her classes, but that didn’t feel right. She had a feeling that she’d seen his picture recently, maybe in the newspaper.
Darrell was almost as nervous as Theresa. He had planned to drive his own car so that he could leave when he wanted to, but around lunchtime, he’d started getting uneasy, and as the afternoon had worn on, he’d become more and more jittery. Finally he’d decided that he was too tense to drive, so he’d taken the bus.
While he was looking around the bus, he noticed someone else who seemed edgy: a slim, relatively short man who was probably older than he looked. He wore glasses that he kept taking off and putting back on, and he was squirming in his seat. He looked more like a high school nerd than anything else. The old beat-up briefcase resting on his lap didn’t really fit with his expensive, tailor-made suit. It made the whole picture seem off, like something was out of place.
The briefcase was heavy and Kevin wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. He didn’t know what was in it, and he didn’t want to know. The whole situation was weird, almost like part of a game. He liked his job, even if it was pretty boring most of the time, and he didn’t want to lose it, but many more errands like this one and he’d have to quit. That afternoon, Mr. Beasley had acted like this was a normal function of an accounting firm, but Kevin knew better.
His anxiety over the briefcase made him feel like everyone on the bus was watching him. In fact, the man seated in front of him looked like what Kevin thought an undercover cop would look like. He was an older man dressed in jeans and a sweater, and he had a baseball cap in his hands. He looked alert and thoughtful, and that made Kevin uncomfortable.
Steve felt like fate had intervened and sent him a project just when he was
ready for one. That morning, he had gone back to one of the computer stores and bought a new computer, scanner, and printer. After he had his system up and running, he’d made a couple of phone calls, and by late afternoon he had Internet service. He could hardly wait to find out what the book was about and get started doing the research. He felt like he was finally beginning to come out of mourning.
The bus was less than a mile from the mall when sharp lightening lit up the sky and the wind began to howl. The bus rocked against the wind, and when Chris looked out the window, the sky looked eerie and he saw a strange looking cloud.
A few seconds later, Steve glanced out the window and yelled, “On the floor! Everyone! On the floor!”
Kevin looked at Steve, momentarily stunned by the sheer horror on Steve’s face.
Karl grabbed Joan, pulled her to the floor, and tried to cover her with his body.
Darrell grabbed Theresa and half threw, half dragged her to the floor. Chris fell on top of them.
Steve grabbed Kevin and pulled him down just as the tornado hit.
The bus was lifted off the road and started to spin. Glass blew out of the windows with a crashing sound, and the metal in the bus screeched as it was being pulled apart.
The last thing that Chris saw was a brilliant bluish-white light; then everything went black.
Chapter 10
Wednesday, March 21
Kalen was pacing back and forth across his living room, mumbling. He had no idea what was going on, how many people to expect, when they would arrive, nothing. All he knew was that time was quickly running out.
When Pallor popped in, Kalen blurted out, “It’s about time you got here. How many did you bring? Did you tell them anything about Terah? Or about Myron?”
When Kalen paused for a breath, Pallor shook his head. “None of them know anything, Kalen. They don’t even know each other.”
“What?! I thought the companions were all going to be friends of his!”
“I know. That was the plan.” Pallor shrugged. “But he didn’t have any friends.”
“No friends?!” Kalen gasped. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing’s wrong with him. He’s just never had any friends. It’s the way he grew up.”
For a moment, Kalen stood there with his mouth hanging open. Then he asked, “What am I going to do? How am I going to get them to go with him? And protect him?” Kalen shook his head, completely bewildered. “Complete strangers?!”
Pallor nodded. “Look, I’m sorry, but that’s the best I could do under the circumstances. I hate to dump all of this on you, but I’ve to get back. Good luck.” Pallor handed Kalen the briefcase, turned the key, and vanished.
~ ~ ~ ~
When the passengers from the bus came to, they found themselves in a large, circular meadow. Around the outside of the meadow was a ring of huge stones standing about five feet apart, with slightly smaller stones balanced on top, giving the appearance of a stone wall with a lot of doors. Several feet inside that circle was a second circle, made up of smaller stones. A dense forest surrounded the whole area and there was no sign of any other people anywhere.
After they introduced themselves to each other, they talked about the tornado, wondered what had happened to the driver, and marveled at how lucky they were to be alive and relatively unharmed. At a lull in the conversation, Karl asked if anyone had any idea where they were.
“We’ve got to be in some kind of museum or park,” Chris said as he motioned towards the stones. “Doesn’t this look a lot like Stonehenge, or rather what it must have looked like when it was first built?”
Steve nodded and said, “But I’ve never heard of a replica being built anywhere near Omaha.” Then he walked over to one of the closest stones and examined it for a moment. “These stones are real, not concrete, and they look like they’ve been here a while.”
“Could it be an old Indian mound of some kind?” Theresa asked. “Maybe a sacred burial area or something?”
“I don’t think any of the Indians from this area built anything that looked like this,” Karl answered. “I agree with Chris. It must be some kind of exhibit, but I don’t see any signs that people have been here, not even any litter. Why build something like this unless you want people to come look at it?”
Darrell slowly turned all the way around, looking for a gap in the trees. “There has to be a road around here somewhere. Those stones are huge. You’d need heavy equipment to set them up.”
“Maybe we should walk around the perimeter and see if we can find an entrance of some kind,” Chris suggested.
“Wait a minute,” Steve said, frowning at Kevin. “You were wearing glasses on the bus. Do you need them to see?”
Kevin shook his head. “The glasses were just plain glass. I bought them to fit the image. No one trusts an accountant with good eyesight. I’m fine.”
As they began to spread out, Kevin cleared his throat and said, “But while we’re looking around, could you keep an eye out for an old battered briefcase? I was supposed to deliver it to a client, and I really need to find it. My job depends on it.” The others nodded and headed out towards the woods.
The undergrowth was so thick that the forest was virtually impenetrable. After a while, Kevin spotted a narrow and overgrown path leading away from the meadow, right through the thickets. “Hey! I found something over here,” he yelled and motioned for the others to join him. By the time everyone else got there, the path looked wider and clearer than it had at first. Kevin blinked his eyes a couple of times and then forgot about it.
“I guess this must be the way then,” Karl said. He reached for Joan’s hand and stepped towards the trail.
Kevin stepped back as the others started to follow. Steve looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I haven’t found that briefcase and I really can’t leave without it,” Kevin explained. “The rest of you go on. I’ll catch up later.”
Steve shook his head. “If whatever was in that briefcase was all that important, your client should have picked it up himself. There’s no telling where it is now.”
“And if there was anything really valuable in it, I’m sure he had it insured. No one can hold you responsible for a tornado,” Karl added.
“Come on, Kevin. We need to stick together,” Joan said. “There’s no telling how far it is to a main road or even if this path leads to a main road.”
“Okay,” Kevin answered slowly. “I guess you’re right. I can always come back later and search for it.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Three hours later, they were still walking through the woods. They were all getting tired, but Theresa was about ready to call it a day. She didn’t want to hold the others up, but she honestly didn’t know if she could make herself go much farther in her heels. Of all times to get dressed up.
Chris was having similar problems. His feet felt like they were so swollen that if he dared take his shoes off, he’d never get them back on. If he’d had any idea how his day was going to turn out, he never would have worn these shoes. They were only about a month old and definitely not broken in enough for a hike. He was on the verge of suggesting a nice long rest break when he saw something off to the side of the trail.
After a few moments, he realized that he was looking at a small cabin sitting in a thick grove of trees. It was dark and gloomy, but there was a thin trail of smoke coming out of the chimney so someone had to be there.
“Hey!” Chris said to get everyone’s attention. Then he pointed towards the cabin. “Look. See that smoke? Someone’s got to be there, or else close by. Maybe he has a phone.”
As Chris started to head for the cabin, Steve grabbed his arm. “Hold on. Wait a minute.” Steve looked around the woods in that area and shook his head. “I don’t see any sign of a road, electrical lines, or telephone lines. I think we’ve either stumbled across a hunting cabin or some kind of hermit. Either way, whoever’s in there is probably well-armed.”
Karl nodded. “And without knowing anyt
hing about whoever’s in there, I don’t think it would be a good idea for all of us to go storming up to his front door.”
“Okay,” Chris said slowly. “But someone has to. If nothing else, whoever’s in that cabin can point us in the right direction.”
“I agree,” Karl said. “The only question is who’s going to go up to that door. I sure don’t want Joan to, and I don’t think Theresa should be the one to go either.”
“Why not?” Joan asked. “Wouldn’t it be a lot less threatening to see a woman out here in the middle of nowhere than to see a strange man?”
“Maybe less threatening to whoever’s in there, but not less dangerous for you,” Karl answered.
“She does have a point,” Chris said slowly.
“I agree with Karl,” Darrell spoke up. “Why don’t I go up there by myself? One man, by himself, wouldn’t be much more threatening than a woman, and maybe whoever’s in there would be less likely to get physical with someone who can get physical right back.”
Steve nodded. “I think you’re right as far as the one man part goes, but I’m the better candidate. You’re young and obviously strong. No one would have any doubt whatsoever that you could take care of yourself, which some people might read as a threat. I’m older, and there’s no way anyone would think I was dangerous. And besides, I’m the only one dressed for the part of a lost hiker. I’m going.”
As Steve took a step in the direction of the cabin, Chris stopped him. “What if he shoots first and asks questions later?”
Steve shrugged. “If you see a gun, duck. I know I will.”
As Steve made his way to the cabin, the others backtracked a little ways down the trail so that they would be out of sight from the door of the cabin. Then they settled in to wait.
When Steve knocked on the door, it slowly swung open revealing a bright and cheerful room with soft white walls and beautiful rugs scattered over the floor. Large windows looked out over exquisite gardens and spacious lawns.
The entrance room was larger than the whole cabin had looked from the outside, and appeared to be a combination living room and office. There was a big fireplace on one side of the room with shelves full of strange knickknacks on each side of it. On the other side of the room was a modern executive-style desk. In between, were couches and big overstuffed chairs, each with its own lamp table, but the tables had small black boxes on them instead of lamps. From the front door, Steve could see a hall leading to other rooms, and a very enticing aroma of freshly cooked food drifted from that direction.
The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) Page 12
