Mirror Image (Capitol Chronicles Book 4)

by Shirley Hailstock

  "Yeah," he said. "I know how they work."

  "Mind if I turn one on? I've never worked with them. I've been in front of them, never behind."

  He shrugged and she went to find the buttons. Looking all around, she found nothing. He came over and pressed a button on the side. The viewfinder came on. She could see the dark set before her. The room was a huge, warehouse-like place. She moved the camera to take in the area where he sat. The lack of light limited what she could see. Going to another camera, she found the on switch and turned it on.

  "That's enough," he said. "Come out where I can see you."

  Aurora moved back into his view. "You're not going to get away with this," she told him.

  He laughed at her. "I've planned this for a very long time."

  "You might have gotten away with it before we came here." She looked at his shoes. "Now you've got fibers on your shoes, carpet cleaner, any number of microscopic things the police can use to determine that you were inside this building."

  "Shut up!" he shouted.

  "I don't understand," she shouted back, ignoring the fact that he had a gun. "What did Duncan do to you that makes you hate him enough to do this to him?"

  He came forward. Every instinct she had screamed for her to run, yet her feet were rooted to the floor. He grabbed her arm and pushed his face into hers.

  “He sent me to jail."

  ***

  Duncan swung the door open before Coop got out of the car. "It's Baldwin," he said, stepping onto the porch.

  "He's in Los Angeles," Duncan said.

  "That's what I thought." Coop came inside and followed Duncan to the living room. When they were seated he continued. "On the way here I got a call from the officer who'd checked the airline files. There was no record of him on any commercial flight or any charter into the major airports. There was also nothing about him in any of the local private airports. He covers himself well."

  "Then what did you find?"

  "The origin of one flight matched the dates in question and the flight came from Los Angeles."

  "He chartered a plane?" Duncan asked.

  “No, he borrowed it. From a producer friend of his." Coop sat back in his chair. "It landed at a private airport in Pennsylvania. He then rented a van and drove to New Jersey. It amazes me how people who have been convicted of a crime can manage to pick up the threads of their lives, then even go one better and get more money, more support, and more friends than they had before going to jail. There's something wrong with this country."

  "Any idea where he is now?"

  "He's filming a movie. Nothing was scheduled for today. "

  "That's unusual. Filming is expensive. Once it begins there aren't any scheduled breaks. Barring a devoutly religious holiday, weather and temperamental talent filming continues until it's in the can. Production companies are independent these days. They have too little money and too little resources to take days off. The industry moves fast. They begin advertising before the film is actually done. It has a schedule, a distribution date. They can't delay it for scheduled breaks."

  "He could be here," Coop said.

  Duncan's heart constricted again. "I'm afraid he already has Aurora."

  "According to the officer who took the report, the plane came in yesterday. It's still at the airfield. The pilot thought Baldwin was going to visit his sick mother. He's waiting for him to return. I've alerted the Pennsylvania authorities to keep it on the ground. If he shows up we've got him."

  "What do we do in the meantime?" He could be hurting Aurora. Duncan thought it, but he didn't say it. He didn't want the words to be true.

  "We pray she's all right until she can get word to us."

  Duncan stared at his lifelong friend. "She'll do it.”

  Aurora had been in tight situations before. He recalled her telling him how she'd faced down pimps and drug dealers in New York. Somehow the image wasn't comforting.

  ***

  Duncan remembered Kevin Baldwin. The man had been going places. He had vision, was a master at his craft. The trades tapped him as one of the leaders of cinematic’s future. Duncan had discovered he was unwilling to wait for the future. He wanted it now, and he took steps to ensure it happening. He'd laced his films with subliminal messages, and Duncan had caught him doing it.

  "What is that noise?" Coop asked.

  Duncan listened. He heard the faint beeping. It came every fifteen seconds. "The camera. I guess I forgot to plug it in. It's been running on the battery."

  Turning the coffeepot on came along with memory of switching the cameras on.

  "I made coffee. Do you want a cup?" Duncan stood up.

  "I want a beer."

  Both of them headed for the kitchen. Passing the office, Duncan heard the beeping again. "I'll turn that off. Beer is in the refrigerator."

  He went into the office. Light beamed from the computer on the desk. He could see the menu screen reflected in the French doors behind the desk. The camera's red battery light blinked incessantly. He bent over and reached for the plug. Pushing it into the wall, he straightened. The beeping stopped as the light indicating battery charging went on. Duncan was reaching for the off switch when he saw the view screen.

  He froze as Aurora's miniature image walked before him. It was too dark, he told himself. There was nothing on the screen. His breathing stopped, his throat closed. He grabbed the camera support and stared at the screen. She walked past again. God, he wished there was more light. She said something. He couldn't hear it. Kevin Baldwin. She must be talking to him.

  Somehow he found himself moving, running, sprinting toward the kitchen.

  "Coop!" Duncan slammed the refrigerator closed. Coop jumped back, turning his hands back and forth as if making sure they were still there and not bedded inside the door. "You'd better come see this," Duncan said, ignoring his friend's actions. He towed Coop back to the office and forced him to look at the screen.

  "Where is this?"

  "Good girl," Duncan whispered to himself. "They're at the studio. She must have gotten him to turn on the cameras. She knows I have a hookup here."

  "Let's go," Coop ordered.

  Duncan prayed they'd be on time. Kevin Baldwin had tried more than once to harm Aurora. Would he make good on his promise before they arrived? Duncan's blood pumped through his system.

  With lights flashing and sirens blaring Coop drove through the streets in route to the studio. He barked instructions into a CB radio while he drove at a speed that could tip the car over on a sharp turn.

  Duncan pulled out the cellular phone he hadn't been without since Aurora went missing and dialed the studio.

  "What are you doing?" Coop asked.

  "I'm calling them. He might kill her before we get there. It's me he wants, not her."

  "Be careful. You don't want to force his hand."

  "Turn off the siren. I don't want him knowing I'm with a cop."

  ***

  The phone in the studio began to ring. Aurora stopped her pacing and looked toward the control booth. The man with her followed her gaze. She hoped it was Duncan, hoped he'd seen her incessant walking back and forth in front of the camera. She hoped he had his camera on. She hoped he was on his way, and that they would get out of this alive.

  "We should answer it," she said.

  “Why? No one knows we're here.”

  "But you want them to, don't you? Isn't that why we're here? You want Duncan to pay for what you perceive he's done to you."

  "There's no perception involved. He tried to ruin me and I'm going to ruin him."

  "Then we'd better answer the phone."

  He gestured with the gun for her to precede him. The small control room was filled with equipment, mainly a switchboard and a wall of videos. The phone sat next to the switchboard. Aurora depressed the speaker switch.

  "It's on," she said.

  "Hello, Kevin." Duncan's voice came mechanically into the room. Tears rushed to Aurora's eyes, but she blinked them asid
e. She needed to remain calm. She couldn't fall apart at the sound of his voice. "It's been a long time since we last spoke."

  "Ah, Duncan," he said as if they'd talked just the other day. "I knew you'd find me."

  "What do you want?"

  "I want you to pay, and you will. I'm going to kill Marsha Chambers and you're going to go to jail for it.”

  Aurora pressed herself into the darkness.

  "You're wrong, Kevin. You don't have Marsha Chambers. The woman you have only looks like Marsha. Her real name is Aurora Alexander. Killing her won't accomplish anything."

  "You don't worry about that. Just come on over here. And come alone. I even smell a cop, and she's dead where she stands."

  To emphasize his point he turned the gun point blank at her head. Aurora moved back, unable to speak. Fear turned her arms and legs into dead weights. She could hardly remain standing. Then Duncan's voice saved her.

  "Aurora, are you all right?"

  Yes, she said, or thought she said. She could hear nothing but the roar of blood in her ears.

  "She's fine."

  "I want to hear her say it.”

  "Fi...fine. Duncan, I'm all right." She sounded afraid.

  "I'm coming," he told her.

  Kevin hit the button, disconnecting the line. Aurora feared he had no reason to keep her alive any longer. He knew Duncan was coming. Duncan knew who he was. If he killed her now and called the police, both of them would arrive at approximately the same time. They would certainly think he was involved. She had to keep him here and keep him talking until Duncan and Coop arrived. She prayed he was coming with the police. He couldn't handle this man alone. She knew that. Duncan didn't

  He was bent on revenge, an emotion which killed rationality. It attached itself to the soul and grew like a cancer. He said Duncan had sent him to jail. If that was true, he would have had plenty of time to let the cancer fester inside him until nothing could stop him from the course he'd set.

  "Kevin," she said. "He called you Kevin."

  "Kevin Baldwin. Maybe you've heard of me."

  Aurora hadn't. She shook her head. "What do you do?"

  "I produce movies."

  He said it like she should know and he was insulted that she didn’t. Aurora understood now how he knew about the equipment. He worked with it.

  "What did Duncan do to send you to prison?"

  He looked directly at her. "He testified against me. He refused to believe I wasn't hurting anyone. Now he's going to go to jail." He paused. "My films had messages in them."

  "Message films aren't illegal. Every film has a message." She hesitated, shaking her head. "Yours, your messages couldn't be seen with the naked eye, could they? They were hidden so the brain could read them." Mind control went though her mind.

  "Hey!" he shouted. "I didn't hurt anybody. I didn't say anything that would hurt anyone."

  "It's mind control. It takes away freedom of choice."

  "Now that's where you're wrong," he debated. "The freedom of choice is still there."

  "But it's been clouded, directed, heavily weighted against free will."

  She glanced at the door. Where was Duncan? How much longer could she keep him talking?

  "I agree. It was wrong." He lowered his voice. "Did he have to ruin my life? I was on the verge. I was going to be a great producer. Everyone knew it. I was written up in all the trade magazines. But Duncan West couldn't stand that. He wanted what I had. I promised him I wouldn't do it again. I begged him!" Aurora jumped at the force of his voice. "He would listen to nothing. Now it's his turn to beg."

  Chapter 18

  Police cars from the three neighboring municipalities lined up in front of and behind Coop and Duncan. The blue and red lights whirled, lighting up the dark, but no sirens blared. At the gate Coop stopped and the lights ceased, plunging the foliage outside the facility into eerie shadows.

  Coop got out and formed a command center with the guard and the other officers. When he came back he drove slowly around the studio. The other cars formed a complete circle around the building. As soon as he stopped, Duncan bolted from the car. He was halfway to the door when Coop tackled him. They went down like two football players.

  "We do this my way," Coop stated, flipping him over.

  "He doesn't want you. He wants me. And we're running out of time."

  "So let's not waste any of it."

  Coop got up and offered Duncan his hand. He took it and they stood.

  "Coop, I have to go in there. I have a better chance of getting him to listen to reason than anyone else. Remember what he said about cops."

  Coop led him back to the car and opened the trunk. "You're going in," he said. "But you're going in with a bulletproof vest and microphone." Pulling the needed items from the car, Duncan quickly slipped into them.

  "Aurora doesn't have a vest."

  Coop looked straight at him. "I know that. You make sure he doesn't do anything to her."

  Duncan waited a moment, then slapped his hand on Coop's shoulder and headed for the door. It was open. He stepped inside.

  "Come right in," a voice said. Duncan looked around, up at the security camera. "We're in the studio. I hope you haven't done anything stupid."

  Duncan walked straight. He passed the receptionist's desk and headed around back toward the studio. "I'm heading for the studio," he whispered to Coop. "The security cameras are on. He can see me."

  There were no lights on in the cavernous room when Duncan entered it. He knew every inch of the place. He'd worked there for the past three years and could have negotiated the room blindfolded. He didn't see Aurora or Kevin Baldwin. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the raised stage. Two cameras were on. He prayed a thank you for Aurora's insight in getting them turned on.

  Looking around, he saw no movement. They could be anywhere, together or separated. He could be lined up in the site of an automatic rifle and Aurora could already be dead.

  "Aurora," he called. "Where are you?"

  He heard a sound. Turning toward it, he faced the dark control room.

  "Aurora, are you all right'"

  Kevin Baldwin's voice came through the control room microphone. "She's fine. For the moment."

  "Turn the lights up, Kevin. You and I never worked in the dark."

  "Have them removed, Duncan."

  "Who?"

  "I'll waste her here and now."

  "Kevin, I don't know—"

  "Get rid of the cops or her blood will be all over this set."

  Duncan heard the unmistakable cocking of a gun.

  "Kevin, wait! I'll get rid of them. Let me get to a phone."

  "Use the mike you're wearing." He grunted. "I picked it up."

  Duncan remembered Kevin well. He had been eager, wanted to learn every aspect of filming. He'd spend hours with anyone in any department until he'd mastered what they did. He'd especially liked makeup and the sound department. Why hadn't Duncan thought of that when Kevin’s name came up. The man was great at disguise. If he said he knew Duncan was wearing a mike, then he knew it.

  "Coop, get them out of here!" he shouted. "He'll kill her, Coop. Get all of them in the cars and leave." Duncan could transmit but he had no receiver. He didn't know if Coop was following his instructions or not. From where he stood he couldn't hear anything going on outside. The stage had been made so that there was no outside interference. They didn't have time to do re-takes when the program was recorded in front of a live audience.

  "Ten came in, ten went out," Kevin said. Duncan let his breath out. He hadn't realized he was holding it.

  "I want to talk to Aurora."

  There was silence. Then he heard a small, scared voice. "I'm here, Duncan."

  "Are you all right?"

  "Yes...yes, I'm fine."

  "Kevin, we're alone now. Come out so I can see you."

  Again, silence. He didn't think he would get an answer. Then the house lights came up slowly, like in some horror film where
they didn't want to reveal the monster too quickly. Soon Duncan was standing in bright, white light. The empty chairs screamed at him. He squinted against the harshness.

  Aurora stepped through the control room door. Kevin Baldwin came in behind her.

  "Stop," he told her when she started for Duncan.

  He had changed a lot. His hair was shorter and grayer. His face had deep grooves in it, and a scar across his forehead told of at least one fight where he didn't emerge the victor. He'd been handsome. Women had fallen all over him. His face no longer looked handsome. It looked evil.

  "Like what you see?"

  Duncan shrugged.

  "You put it there, this scar and the others. You sent me to jail and ruined my life."

  "A judge and jury convicted you. I was only asked to tell the truth and I did that."

  "You told the truth, all right, and with every word you changed my future. Stole it. Sent me away to places you can't imagine. The movies do nothing to depict the real thing. No one could write the horror of what happens inside a jail."

  Duncan let him talk. He tried to communicate with Aurora. She looked at him. He saw fear in her body. He wanted her to concentrate. He couldn't run across the room and tackle Kevin. One of them would surely be shot. Twenty feet separated them.

  "Now it's your turn, Duncan. You've got a number one show on television. In Hollywood you have connections. Big deals are falling into place. You're on the verge of the greatest success of your life. Exactly where I was."

  "There's a difference, Kevin. I didn't manipulate it. I worked for it. I tried and failed and tried again until I got all the irons in the right order. And I didn't have to fool people into thinking I'd done it when I hadn't.”

  "You don't think I had it?" He stepped forward, pushing Aurora ahead of him. Duncan took a step, too. He wanted the distance decreased. "I had everything. I could have done it without the sublimes."

  "Then why didn't you?" Duncan took two more steps. "Why did you force-feed the public, brainwash them into returning time and again to see your films and to see your future films? You did have it, Kevin. Your name was used in all the right circles. Producers were rushing to you to invest in your projects. It wasn't enough, was it? You wanted to be the best. You wanted to outdo all the other filmmakers. You wanted to be the best of all time."