After the Sunset

by Mark Stone

  “Not doing what?” Boomer asked from the other end of the phone. “Dil, are you about to do something stupid?”

  “I’m about to do something necessary,” I said. “You tell my grandfather that I love him, okay?”

  “You tell him yourself,” Boomer said. “Get your skinny ass back here and tell him!”

  “I will,” I said, hanging up the phone. “At least, I hope I will.”

  The phone rang again as I handed it to Jack. It was Boomer, calling back, almost certainly trying to talk me out of doing what I now knew I had to do.

  “Don’t answer that,” I said.

  “Don’t worry,” Jack said. “I doubt there will be much signal down that damn thing anyway.” He motioned to the well.

  “You’re not coming with me,” I said flatly.

  “The hell I’m not,” Jack growled his response. “You might be an annoying bastard most of the time, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get yourself killed on my watch.” He looked down at my hip. “You don’t even have a gun on you.”

  “Lost it in the fall,” I said. “But that’s beside the point. I need you to do something for me, something that’s just as important as what I’m about to do.”

  Digging into my pocket, I pulled out Joel’s medical bracelet.

  “You’re good at getting to information you’re not supposed to know, right?” I asked.

  “Built a damn lifestyle on it,” he said, taking the bracelet.

  “Good,” I answered. “I need you to do that with this.” I told him exactly what I wanted him to do and then wished him luck.

  “Wait,” Jack said as I turned to head toward the well. “Take this. You’ll need it more than me, I’m guessing.”

  He handed me his pistol. I took it gratefully, nodding and understanding what it meant for a man like Jack to hand you his firearm.

  “Last time we were here both of us came a hair away from dying,” he said. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m starting to think you’re a bad influence on me.”

  “I never thought I’d say this,” I said, sticking the gun on my hip. “But I think you might be right.”

  “Go kick some ass, okay?” he said, nodding at me again.

  “Absolutely,” I answered, and then marched toward the well.

  When I got there, the damn thing was covered over. Like I had spied before, this well was out of place. Where the rest of the swamp was overgrown and untended, the well was nearly new.

  I didn’t have much time to consider that though. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing thinking about all that had happened. There was a real possibility that Rebecca was dead. For all I knew, she could have been killed while I was speeding toward Marco Island last night.

  If not though, she was definitely in trouble. Pushing off the heavy lid of the well, I decided to go with that. If I let myself believe that the woman I loved was dead, then I wouldn’t be able to go on. I had to cling to the hope that I wasn’t too late. That was the only thing that would push me as far and as fast as I needed to go to save her.

  Grunting loudly as I pushed the lid off the well, I heard it hit the ground. Taking a deep breath, I looked down into the well. A long ladder ran down the side wall, though I couldn’t see the bottom or any water at it.

  Grimacing, I climbed onto the ladder and began my descent. Horrible images filled my mind, but I shook my head. They wouldn’t help me right now either. I had to stay strong. I had to stay moving.

  It wasn’t long before the light from outside dissipated into almost nothingness. Steeling myself, I continued further down. Then, something strange happened. Another light, a softer and more artificial light started to illuminate the well. I could see now; see the brick surrounding me, see the new and unused ladder I climbed down, and see that I was nearing the bottom.

  As I did, I hopped onto the well floor and spun around. There was a long tunnel; obviously where the source of the artificial light was coming from.

  Instinctively hovering my hand over the gun Jack gave me, I started toward the light. The entire place smelled like water, and not just the way all of Florida smells like water. This place smelled musty and desolate. I soon began to feel very enclosed.

  Pushing past that as well, I walked until I reached the source of the light.

  Like on the mayor’s boat, there was a large television screen. On it, Joel sat, his hands folded on a table in front of him.

  He smiled as he caught sight of me.

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show,” he said.

  “You should know better than that,” I said. “Where’s my wife?”

  “She’s not your wife, yet,” he answered. “And, if you don’t play your cards right, she’ll never get the chance to be.”

  A torrent of white hot rage filled me. If that son of a bitch would have been here, I’d have thrashed him where he stood, broken leg and all. He wasn’t though. So, I needed to play this cool.

  “What part of your mother’s body did she break?” I asked, taking a deep and calming breath.

  “What did you just say?” Joel asked, his eyes widening.

  “I’m not an idiot, Joel,” I said. “And my girl’s not a pushover. You have help here. It’s the only way you could have gotten off the island. The only person who could have helped you- the only one who has motive- is your mother.” I nodded. “I’m guessing she snuck into Rebecca’s place last night as she was getting ready for her bachelorette party. She was probably armed. So, Rebecca wouldn’t have stood a chance but, if I know my fiancé, she didn’t go without a fight. And she’s very good at fighting.”

  Joel looked to his left. From that corner of the screen, Lilith Mayberry came walking out, her nose bandaged up.

  “That’s what I thought,” I muttered, a little satisfied despite myself.

  “It wasn’t enough to keep her from going down there,” Lilith said. “And it won’t be enough to save her life, not if you can’t do it.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, my body tensing,

  “Do you know why you’re involved in this, Dillon?” Lilith asked me, her mouth thinning into a merciless line on her face. “It’s because I had faith in you. I had faith in you, and you disappointed me.”

  “You’re a lunatic,” I said.

  “She didn’t want to kill your fiancé,” Joel said. “I mean, she did at first. After all, Rebecca Day couldn’t save my brother. It was her job and she couldn’t do it.”

  “I’m sure she tried,” I cut in.

  “And that’s what she’ll get,” he said. “She’ll get someone trying to save her, but not yet.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Mother got to know her when she helped with my father’s campaign. She started telling me that Rebecca had to be a good person because you were such a good man. She had heard about all you’d done in Naples, all the people you’ve saved. So I told her, that I was going to have to fake my death to get away from my father. I told her we would give you a chance to prove yourself, to do the right thing. My mother would warn you about what was going to happen. You wouldn’t have time to stop it, of course. That was never the intention. But if you did the right thing, if you believed her and tried to help, then we would spare your fiancé. If you didn’t, then both of you were going on the chopping block.”

  “Like I said,” Lilith chimed in. “You disappointed me.”

  I blinked hard, taking all of it in. “Where is Rebecca?”

  “She’s in these tunnels,” Joel said. “Just like the tunnels Sam and I used to play in when we were kids.”

  I remembered him telling me that. God. How long had he been planning this? What kind of sick game was he playing?

  “She’s handcuffed somewhere in this maze, and she’s not the only one here,” he said.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “My father, Dillon,” he said. “My father is in this maze, too, and he has a gun a lot like the one that’s on your hip right now. He knows the
only way he can get out of this is to kill Rebecca. So that’s what he’s doing right now. He’s searching these tunnels looking for your fiancé. If he finds her, he’ll kill her,” Joel smiled again. “Unless, of course, you kill him first. Happy hunting.”

  Chapter 35

  I pulled the gun from my holster and held it out into the air as I marched forward into what Joel called the ‘maze of tunnels’. My head was spinning at the idea of Rebecca being down here. If Joel and Lilith were telling the truth, and I had no reason to believe they weren’t- she was likely on the floor of this filthy well, handcuffed to a wall or something.

  As horrible as it was, a strangely nice thought entered my mind. If Rebecca had been taken before the boat I was on crashed into Marco Island, then she never had to go through the living hell of thinking I had been killed. Sure, she was enduring a different sort of living hell right now, but at times like this, you have to take solace in whatever bit of comfort you can find.

  As I stepped into the tunnels, I saw that they were studded with industrial lights. I wouldn’t have to worry about not seeing anything in here. This place was lit up like a classroom, fluorescent lights tearing through my bleary eyes. I blinked, looking around the place.

  The tunnels were clinical, bare aside from the lights hanging overhead. This place was built for this somehow, painstakingly crafted for this very moment. The idea of that sent shivers down my spine.

  I thought about screaming, about yelling Rebecca’s name and hoping she yelled back. I still didn’t know where Gary was though, and that could be a problem. A man who had already killed his own son to save his secrets wouldn’t hesitate in killing Rebecca to save his life.

  Besides, he had a head start on me. The only advantage I had on him- if I even had it- was the fact that maybe Joel hadn’t been told I was coming. Screaming in these tunnels would certainly change that piece of the equation. No. I needed to be stealthy. I needed to keep calm and be smart about this. It was the only chance I’d have at saving Rebecca’s life.

  I heard footsteps in the distance, a skittering sound that could have either come from a person or some sort of animal. Because Rebecca had been handcuffed-if this was a person- it had to be Gary.

  I darted off in the direction of the noise, hoping I could reach him in time. I had no idea where Rebecca was, how big a head start Gary had on me, or even how big this maze of tunnels even was. For all I knew, it could have been acres and acres of twisting and turning nonsense. It also could have been nothing more than a few thousand feet.

  Honestly, I wasn’t sure which I preferred. A longer maze meant more time for me to find Rebecca. It also meant Gary would have a harder time with her. Of course, there was something to be said for getting all of this over with quickly. If not, my damn heart would probably explode from the stress of it.

  In the distance, a shrill shriek cut through the air. It was a woman’s scream. It was unmistakably Rebecca, and the sound of it would have been enough to take me off my feet if I knew with everything in me that she’d die if I didn’t keep moving.

  I had been too late. Gary, that murderous bastard, had found her. I would bet money that this was the idea the entire time. Joel and Lilith had no intention of ever letting any of us go. They wanted Gary to kill Rebecca and me to kill Gary. After that, maybe this damn thing would close in or something. Whatever the case, I doubted Joel and Lilith would have shown me their faces if they intended on me walking out of here.

  That didn’t matter right now. Even if the deck was stacked against me, I had to try. The love of my life was at stake, and that was worth so much more to me than myself.

  My legs pumped like hydraulics under me as I rushed toward the sound of the noise; a shriek that repeated as I neared.

  “Get away from her!” I roared, my feet carrying me as fast as possible.

  “Dillon?” Rebecca’s voice, now clear and crisp against the tunnel walls, sounded. “Dillon, get away from here!”

  I ignored that command, of course. If Rebecca thought I was actually going to run from her when she was in danger, then she didn’t know me at all.

  I took the turn as fast as I could, nearly slamming into the wall as I finally bridged the distance between us.

  The first thing I saw was Rebecca. She was on the ground, her hands cuffed to a built-in bar in the wall. She looked tired and afraid, but that wasn’t what really took my breath away. The thing that surprised me the most, the thing that really put the cherry on top of this crap sundae I was in now, was the fact that Rebecca was wearing her wedding dress.

  “Lord in Heaven!” I muttered. Blinking at her, I turned my attention to Gary, standing in front of Rebecca with his back to me.

  “Dillon, you have to go!” Rebecca said, tears streaming down her face. “You have to get the hell out of here right now!”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I said breathlessly. “And nothing is going to happen to you.” I pointed the gun at Gary’s back and walked toward him. “I’m armed, Mr. Mayberry,” I said. “I don’t want to, but make no mistake, I’ll shoot you if I have to.”

  “Dillon, you don’t understand,” Rebecca said, her eyes moving from Gary to me and back again.

  “Shooting me wouldn’t do you much good, Detective Storm,” Gary said, turning around. As he did, I saw the glowing light and ticking clock that I saw strapped across Lilith’s chest a year ago. Just like that night, when Gary’s wife was strapped with a bomb, and it was counting down. “Unless,” he said. “Your goal is to blow this entire place to bits with us in it.”

  Chapter 36

  “My, God,” I said, looking at the bomb and the ticking clock racing down on its front. Suddenly, all of this became clear. I wasn’t supposed to kill Gary. Maybe he wasn’t even supposed to kill Rebecca, and the well certainly wasn’t going to seal up or anything. We were all down here to be blown up by a bomb reminiscent of the one Lilith wore the night her son disappeared; a bomb I now knew to be part of some huge sick game. I stood at the endpoint of that game, and the woman I loved was right alongside of me.

  “They said they would turn it off if I killed her,” Gary said, tears glistening against the fluorescent lights.

  “They’re lying,” I assured him. “They’re not going to let you live through this, not after everything you’ve done.”

  “Done?” Rebecca asked, her voice cracking. “Gary, what did you do?”

  “There’s no time for that,” I said softly, looking at Rebecca, and seeing that the clock had a little over two minutes left on it.

  Gary shook his head hard. “I don’t have another choice. I have to kill her. It’s the only way.”

  “It’s not,” I answered. “I can help you. I disarmed one of these last year. I can do it again.”

  “Are you-are you sure?” Gary asked, hesitation coloring his eyes.

  “Sure enough to know it’s your only shot,” I answered, lifting the gun in my hand to reach the center of his forehead. “Because, I’m not about to let you shoot that woman. So, go. Get up to the surface. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “You could just as easily stay here. How do I know you won’t just let me die up there?” he asked.

  “Because, unlike what your wife and son think, I do my job, Mr. Mayberry. I do what’s right. Now go!”

  He blinked at me and ran in the direction of the ladder and the surface.

  As he disappeared behind the corner, I took a deep breath and crumpled to the floor, wrapping Rebecca in a huge hug.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said, kissing her face and neck. “I should have been able to stop this. It should have never gotten this far.”

  “Don’t you dare,” she said. “This isn’t your fault. Whatever is going on here, I know you’ve done the right thing.”

  I pulled away, breathing heavy and looking her up and down. “You’re wearing your dress,” I said.

  She laughed a little. “I was trying it on when she came for me. It was stupid. I-I didn’t want you to see me in m
y wedding dress for the first time like this.”

  “You look beautiful,” I said, nodding. “You look perfect. You know, aside from the handcuffs.”

  “Wait for the honeymoon,” she laughed.

  I laughed, too, but then her face fell. “You’re going up there, aren’t you?”

  “I have to,” I answered. “I can’t let him die, even if he deserves much worse than that. But someone is coming for you. I talked to Boomer, and he’s got in touch with emergency personnel on the island. They’ll be here soon.”

  “I think you’re the best person I’ve ever known,” Rebecca said through tears.

  “You don’t know yourself very well then, do you?” I asked. Smiling, I continued. “I wish my mom could have met you.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too,” I said. “But there’s no time. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I have to go.”

  She nodded. I stood and gave her one last look before turning away.

  “Dillon,” she said, her voice cracking again. “This was supposed to be our wedding day.”

  I turned back to her. “It still will be, baby,” I answered. “It still will be.”

  By the time I made it out to the surface, Gary was pacing back and forth, running hands through his hair.

  “Damn it!” he screamed when he saw me. “Do you have any idea how long you took? I’m down to under a minute.”

  “Get away from the mouth of the well,” I said, motioning for him to move. “I don’t want the blowback to cause it to collapse and trap Rebecca inside.”

  “Blowback?” Gary balked. “You said you could fix this. You said you did this last year.”

  “I know what I said,” I answered as he moved away from the well like I’d said. “And it was true, except for the fact that I had a specialist walk me through it then, and that’s not an option right now.”

  It was true. Not only did I not have a phone, but the forty-five seconds we had left wouldn’t be long enough.