Mind Games

by Polly Iyer

  “We’re going back to the hotel in New Orleans tomorrow. What happens then?”

  “He won’t get within a mile of you.”

  Diana’s swollen jaw produced a lop-sided grin. “You said ten miles before. He’s getting closer.”

  “We’ll have a policewoman in your place. I promise you’ll be safe.”

  “No good. He’ll know it’s a trap.” She stared at the T-shirt. “I wonder what he had of mine to reach me at Francine’s. Maybe the autographed picture we hand out at my performances. That’d work, and it accounts for the pain in my neck that night.” She reached for the shirt. “Let’s hope I can return the favor.”

  Before she took hold of Macon’s shirt, Lucier pulled her close. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m sure. I have to keep on him until he’s so messed up he’ll have to come after me to stop me. That’s if I can penetrate his barriers again.” She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

  He put both hands on her face and kissed her. “I’m here.”

  Diana propped herself up on the bed. Taking the T-shirt in her hands, she held Lucier’s gaze for a moment, then closed her eyes.

  Lucier couldn’t believe he was allowing her to do this not once, not twice, but three times. Grab it away. But when he reached out, she clutched the shirt in a death grip. Before long, her breathing quickened, and a sheen of perspiration glistened on her face. She started to rock, then she went limp. He wasn’t sure what to do. Would she come out of it by herself? Should he call the nurse?

  “Ernie?”

  Thank God. “I’m here.” He poured a glass of water and held it to her lips. “Drink this.”

  She sipped. “What I could really use is a scotch.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Fine, I’m fine.”

  “You fainted, and now you’re shaking. I won’t let you do that again. We’ll find this guy, and I won’t sacrifice you in the process.”

  “I didn’t faint. More like all my energies were expended until there was nothing left. I go into a kind of rest mode.” She shook her head. “Hard to explain.” She sat up, wincing a bit. “He knows.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He knows what I’m doing, and he’s spooked.”

  “Did he do something back?”

  “No, but he was trying to block me. I used everything I knew to stay in his head. I know this sounds crazy. Me into him; him into me. If anyone heard this, they’d put me away. Probably want to do that anyway.”

  “What happened?”

  “He’s mad, not crazy mad, although he’s that too, but angry mad. And he’s scared, which is why I got in. You see, before, I couldn’t reach him because he had the upper hand. Now, he’s on the run. If he’s caught this time, he’ll never see freedom again. He’s afraid if he runs I’ll find him like I found all those others.”

  “He told you all this in those few minutes?”

  “It comes through as sensations, the same way you develop a thought or idea. More like hacking into someone’s computer, you know what I mean?”

  “This is way over my head.”

  “Sometimes it’s over mine.”

  “What’s the next move?” Lucier asked.

  “We wait.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Follow That Car

  Alice dragged her meager satchel to the back door. “If we’re gonna go, Harley, let’s get started.”

  “We’re not going. Not yet.” He’d suffered through another raging headache. This time he didn’t fear for his life, because now he knew the cause. He also knew what he had to do.

  “You said we’d go to Mexico. They’d never find us. That’s what you said, Harley.”

  Macon put his hands over his ears, willing Alice to shut up. “Goddamn, I know what I said, but if I don’t put a stop to her, we’ll never be free. I can’t block her out. Don’t you understand? She’s found a way inside my head. I’ll never have another minute’s peace. Never. Only be a matter of time before she tells the cops where I am. Hell, she might have done that already. One thing’s for sure—we can’t stay here.”

  “Maybe they know the car’s been stolen by now,” Alice said, “maybe not. So what do we do?”

  “Diana Racine’s not staying in that hospital forever. She’ll either go back to New Orleans, to another city, or home to South Carolina. Let’s see if they say anything about her on TV.”

  They listened as every television station rehashed the known facts, showed the same two pictures, and cautioned the public to be on the lookout. No one mentioned Diana Racine.

  “Maybe I should go out and get us a newspaper. There’s more information.”

  “Yeah, do that, but make sure you get one from those outside things. You know, the ones where you put your money in and open a door. Don’t go inside anywhere. Oh, and park out of the way. We’ve got to get another car, but till we do, keep this one out of sight.”

  “Okay, Harley.”

  “And stop saying my name.”

  Alice snapped on the hat and shrugged into the oversized shirt. “Sure, okay.”

  Macon sat on the porch taking in the lake view. He wished he could stay here forever. Fish off the bank, fresh air in his face, and the sun pouring down on him, like when he was a kid. Before he moved in.

  But he couldn’t go back. The world was closing in on him, and he felt like he did twenty-two years ago when the prison doors slammed shut behind him for the first time. “That’s not going to happen again,” he said to the wind.

  He drifted into a half sleep, awakened by Alice’s voice. “You’re all over the front page.” Alice climbed the steps to the back porch, front page of the newspaper facing out across her chest. “My picture’s here too. Where in the hell did they get that photo? Looks like a damn mug shot.”

  He snatched the paper out of her hand. “Mine is.”

  Shedding her disguise on the way into the house, she returned with two cups of coffee.

  “Says here she’s still in the hospital. No mention of when she’s getting out either. Everyone’s looking for us. Even the Canadians.” Macon sipped his coffee. “Look, Alice, if you want to get out of this, now’s the time. Give me a few hours with the car, then you can say I stole it and forced you to go along. You can say you escaped when I wasn’t looking. They’ll believe you. That way you’ll be in the clear and I’ll be long gone. Diana Racine might find me sooner or later, but I’m pretty close to the end anyway. I won’t spend another night in jail. Not ever. No need to pull you down with me.”

  Alice stared into her coffee, then raised her gaze to his. The resigned look on her face said she’d seen it all. Macon figured she had.

  “Naw, Harley. I ain’t got nothin’ better to do or nothing to go back to. Besides, I’m havin’ a good time. You’ve spoiled me for anyone else.” She blinked heavily-mascaraed eyes. “I think I’ll stick around, if that’s all right with you.”

  “All right with me. I just wanted to give you the out.”

  “’Preciate it, but the way I figure, Harley, you couldn’t let me go anyways, even if you wanted to. I wouldn’t rat you out, but no way you could be sure.”

  “Truth be told, I don’t know, but we’re in it together now. All I’ve got to do is figure out what’s next.”

  “Let’s get her, Harley. Let’s find the bitch and kill her.”

  Macon wanted to tell her again to stop repeating his name, but he looked at her earnest face and couldn’t. Whatever he decided, he needed to do it today. The hospital would be infested with cops, unless they’d moved her to another location. Maybe even back to New Orleans. He needed to get control of the situation again. There was no way he could get to Diana, but there was one way he could get her to come to him. Be risky, but the more he thought about the idea, the better he liked it.

  * * * * *

  Alice parked in the hospital parking lot, one of a few dozen cars on the back side, but with a good view of the main door. Macon sat shot
gun. Luck was riding with them. Nothing in the papers about the car. Keeping out of sight, they watched the entrance and waited for their opportunity. The cops examined everyone going in, checking faces and stopping a few people fitting their descriptions. But the people going in held no interest for Macon. His concern centered on the people coming out—two people in particular. He saw the black New Orleans cop leave earlier, the one in the newspapers heading up the investigation. If it weren’t for him, Diana Racine would be dead by now, and he’d be in Mexico, but things worked out for the best. After all, he found Alice.

  He looked at her sitting in the driver’s seat, her eyes vigilant. She saw the van with South Carolina plates first, so Macon knew they were inside.

  On their way out, the Racines stopped to chat with the cop on the door, shunning questions from the few reporters camped outside. The old man stood no taller than five four, puny, with a basset hound face, strutting like a peacock, full of himself. The woman, taller and bigger, hung on his every word.

  They got into their van and Alice followed them out of the parking lot, staying far behind but never losing sight.

  “You know this area,” Macon said. “Where do you think they’re going? They must be staying around here.”

  “If they’re staying nearby, there’s only one place—Mrs. Kirk’s boarding house. They’d have to go at least twenty miles to get a real hotel, and I doubt they’d wanna be that far away from their baby girl. Bet the cop’s staying there too.”

  “Well, we’re gonna have to stop them before they get there. The minute you see the road clear, pull them over.”

  “Jesus, Harley, what if someone sees us? It’s broad daylight.”

  “You getting cold feet, Alice?”

  “No, but I don’t want to make it easy for them to catch us neither. There’s an abandoned strip mall up ahead. Maybe I can steer them into the driveway.”

  “You know, at first I thought you were only a pair of tits, but you’ve got a brain too. Just takes a little longer to notice.”

  “Yeah, well you’re the only one who got past the tits.” She turned her attention to the road. “There’s the entrance. I’m gonna speed up. Hold on.” With no cars coming the other way and no one behind them, Alice pulled to the middle of the two-lane and swerved in front of the Racines’ van, forcing them into the empty lot. She swerved harder and followed them in.

  “Good job, Alice. He’s not such a bad driver for an old coot, and you are stellar.” Macon pulled a knife and darted out the door. Alice slammed the car into park and ran to the other side of the van. She slid open the door and hopped in the back seat, then clamped her hand over Blanche Racine’s mouth.

  Macon got in behind Galen and held the knife to his throat. “Now, both of you, keep your mouths shut and nothing will happen.”

  “What the hell’s going?” Galen looked in the rear view mirror and gasped. “Harley Macon. Whatever you do, don’t hurt my wife. I’ll do anything you want, but don’t hurt her.”

  “Your daughter’s the one I’m interested in,” Macon said.

  “You son of a bitch. Diana’s never done nothin’ to you. She’s an entertainer, for chrissakes. You almost killed her. What more do you want?”

  Macon resisted an urge to swipe the blade across the cocky little twerp’s throat. “She put me in prison, ruined my life, and now she’s tormenting me with these fucking headaches.”

  “They locked you away because of things you did. Time you took responsibility for messin’ up your own life. My daughter had nothing to do with it.”

  “Hell she didn’t, but I’m not getting into a pissing match with you, little man. Here’s the deal: You go back to the boarding house and your old lady comes with us. When I get what I want, I’ll let her go.”

  “No way,” Galen said. “No way.”

  Blanche yanked Alice’s hand from her mouth. “Don’t let them take me, Galen.”

  “Don’t you worry, dear.” He patted her hand, then turned to Macon. “I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but leave her alone. If you have to take someone, take me instead.”

  “How noble, but…nooo. If I leave her, she’ll blab. She’s a woman and women got big mouths. You won’t say a thing, ’cause you know what’ll happen to her if you do.”

  “What d’ya want?”

  “Simple. I want your daughter. To talk, that’s all. Get a few things straight. She’s gotta promise to stop fucking with my head. The game’s over, she wins. After we talk, she can walk away. Then I’ll need some getaway time. When Alice and I are safe, I’ll tell you where your wife is. I won’t hurt her. You have my word.”

  “Humph, your word don’t mean too much.”

  “Well, that’s all you’ve got, old man.”

  Blanche grabbed onto Galen’s arm, pulling him toward her. “Galen, you can’t let them take me. He’ll kill me. He won’t let me go. He never lets anyone go.” She turned to Macon. “You would’ve killed Diana if the Lieutenant hadn’t found her first.”

  “No,” Macon said. “I got a little rough, I admit, but I wouldn’t have killed her. Besides, you don’t have a choice. I could kill you both now and be no worse off. Doesn’t matter how many bodies I rack up, they can only stick that needle in me once. The cops can’t watch her forever. I’d get her sooner or later if I wanted to, but I don’t. I told you, all I want is to talk.

  “And you, Mr. Racine, are going to help me.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The Empty Room

  Diana couldn’t relax. What had she set in motion? Just as her eyes grew heavy, she jerked upright. She didn’t remember a dream or hear a noise, but a picture of Harley Macon flashed in front of her eyes, and her heart stuttered in fear. Was he channeling her? Was he doing to her what she had done to him? An uneasy feeling crept over her; nothing she could put her finger on. She rested her head back against the pillow and called the cop guarding her door.

  “Yes, Ms. Racine?”

  “Can you get in touch with Lieutenant Lucier and ask him to call me, please.”

  The call came through almost immediately. “What’s the matter, Diana?”

  “Ernie, are you at the boarding house?”

  “Yes, in fact, I was about to grab a bite to eat before going to see you.”

  “Are my parents around?”

  “No, your father came down half an hour ago, made two plates and took them up to their room. He said your mother wasn’t feeling well so they were eating in. He was going to the hospital to see you after eating. Why?”

  “Because something’s wrong. Please, do me a favor and check on them.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. Make sure they’re all right.”

  “I’ll call you back.”

  Lucier went up the stairs and knocked on the Racines’ door. Galen answered, sticking his head through a slim opening. “Is everything all right, Mr. Racine?”

  Galen stood on his tiptoes, trying to block the view into the room, but Lucier was almost a foot taller. “Sure, why wouldn’t it be? Why’re ya asking?”

  “Diana asked me to check up on you. How’s your wife?”

  “She ain’t feelin’ good. I’m gonna let her rest and go see Diana alone.”

  “I’m going over too. Maybe we could ride tog―”

  “No,” he interrupted. “No, thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I ain’t seen my daughter alone since this whole thing happened. You don’t mind, I’m sure.”

  “Um, no, I don’t mind.” Lucier saw a full plate of food sitting on the table. Blanche Racine was nowhere in sight. “Your wife didn’t eat much, did she?”

  “I told you she’s feelin’ outta sorts. Not much of an appetite. She’s napping and I don’t want to wake her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna finish my dinner and be on my way.” He closed the door, leaving Lucier standing in the hall.

  He called Diana back. “You’re right. Something’s wrong. Your father’s on his way to see you. I suggested we go t
ogether, but he didn’t want company. Said he wanted to see you alone for a while.”

  “Have you seen my mother since this afternoon?”

  “No. What do you think happened?”

  “I’m not sure, Ernie. When he leaves, see if you can get into their room. Check on my mother. Will you do that for me, please?”

  “I’ll ask Mrs. Kirk to open the door.”

  “After you check on Blanche, call me, but don’t come until I tell you. First, let me have some time alone with Galen, okay?”

  Lucier sat down to a late lunch, and when Galen left the house, he asked Mrs. Kirk to check on her guest. She hesitated until he stressed that it might be police business.

  Mrs. Kirk knocked, calling Mrs. Racine by name. When there was no response, she unlocked the door and they entered. A full plate of food sat in the empty room. Lucier thanked her and called Diana.

  “The room’s empty and Galen left alone.”

  “I knew it. Macon’s got my mother. I need Galen to tell me what he wants. Remember, don’t come until I call.”

  * * * * *

  Diana knew her premonition was justified the minute her father entered into the room. “Where’s Blanche?”

  “We gotta talk, baby. Something’s happened.”

  “He’s got her, hasn’t he?”

  Galen broke down. Diana had never seen her father cry. Had never seen him anything but cocky and overconfident. “I knew it,” she said, punching the bed. “Okay, Galen, what does Macon want?”

  Galen blew his nose. “How…How did you know?”

  “I’m getting real good at this psychic stuff. Why didn’t you tell Lieutenant Lucier?”

  “He said if I told anyone but you, he’d kill her. I couldn’t help it. That slut he’s with drove us off the road and they jumped in the car before I knew what was happening. Macon had a knife on me. Said he could kill us both and be no worse off than he is now. The cops can only kill you only once no matter how many bodies there are.”

  “He’s right about that.” She patted her father’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt Blanche. He wants me, and he can’t have me without letting her go.”