by K. H. Pope
“What did you do while all of this was going on?” he asks angrily.
“I couldn’t do anything,” I answer.
“You didn’t try to save him?”
“It was two against one, and she was the one that was outnumbered.”
He huffs and says, “When did you arrive at Mrs. Freland’s house? Before or after the President’s arrival?”
“I was there before.”
“And what did you talk about with her?”
“I wanted her to free those people. I told her to give up the search for the meteorite.”
“I think you’re lying to me, Alice. I can hold you responsible for the death of President Oliver and Mr. Pike.”
“You can’t blame me for something I didn’t do!”
“You are protecting yourself!”
I try to move my arms, but the cuffs stop me short. I break the chain and stand up. Inspector Renald takes a defensive stand on the other side of the table, and Officer Kutto comes in to help him. Her hands are glowing red.
I remark angrily, “I’m the one that started this case. Not you. Not your president. Not anyone in the Magi Elite were interested! If you want to hold someone responsible, you better look at where the blame is due. Within your own organization, and not at me!”
He touches Officer Kutto’s arm, and she backs off. Her hands return to her normal pigment.
“Give us a minute, Officer Kutto,” he tells her calmly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s alright. Take all of the evidence with you, please.”
Officer Kutto glares at me as she’s gathering everything off the table. Once she’s done, she slowly leaves, softly closing the door behind her.
“We both need to have cooler heads here. Have a seat, Alice.”
I cross my arms in defiance. The bracelets to the cuffs are still hanging around my wrists.
“Please,” he says, “sit down.”
The only reason why I do as he requests is because he’s not giving me the sense that he’s about to attack.
I remark as I point at him, “I’m not going to let you blame me for their deaths.”
“We are only seeking the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth.”
“Alice, they want to know how you and John got out of the trap. They want to know what happened in that room with you, Mrs. Freland, and President Oliver. They want to know everything.”
“I told you everything.”
“Okay,” he sighs with aggravation. “How about you tell me how John got out? Can the same happen for those people, too?”
“I have no idea how he got out.” I’m completely annoyed at this point. “You know what? I’m done talking to you, Inspector Renald. If you don’t want to listen, then this conversation is over.”
“It’s in your best interest to cooperate, Alice.”
“I want out of here...now. You can’t hold me for something I didn’t do.”
The moment I try to stand up, two guards appear beside me, and they grab my arms. The table and chair disappears. We all hit the floor, but the guards land on top of me. I’m frantically trying to fight them off, but they’re using their weight to keep me pinned.
Inspector Renald begins yelling, “Get her in cuffs! Get her under control!”
One of them puts me in a choke hold with his arm, and then I get a knee in the side. That’s all it takes. I’m not going to get beat up again. I stop moving and concentrate on their arms. The snapping of their bones makes both of them yell and come off of me with lightning speed. One of them disappears.
As I’m trying to get back on my feet, Inspector Renald rushes towards me, and Officer Kutto busts open the door, blazing up behind him. I concentrate on both of their legs, but I stop the moment I hear someone whistling softly from the hallway. Officer Kutto faints, and Inspector Renald stumbles to his knees. He’s trying to fight the sleep, but he is out within seconds. The whistling man comes into view with raised hands and a nonthreatening demeanor. All of a sudden, I feel utterly tired, and I sink to the floor. All of my energy is spent. For some reason, I can’t keep my eyes open.
CHAPTER 41
“Wake up, Alice.”
I open my eyes and see Ammon standing over me. His gentle smile is comforting, and I reach for his soft face. He grabs my hand and pats it gently.
“Are you alright?” he asks as he sits beside me.
I want to answer him, but I’m too exhausted. I feel like I can go back to sleep again.
“Alice, say something. Are you alright?”
“I’m alive,” I answer weakly. “Where am I?”
“You’re in a holding cell.”
I look around for the first time. There are three walls of cement and the fourth wall has bars. The door is open to a corridor. Leaning on the opposite wall is Inspector Renald, and he doesn’t appear to be too happy.
“Ammon, Inspector Renald thinks I killed the President.”
“Don’t even worry about that,” he says. “He knows that’s not true.”
Ammon offers his hand, and I take it. He helps me up and out of the cell. Inspector Renald starts walking away in the opposite direction that Ammon is taking me. Good riddance. I hope I never see him again.
We get to the end of the corridor, and Ammon opens the door to a transfer chamber. Thank goodness he’s getting me out of there. We end up going to his house, and he takes me to the room where I healed the last time.
He says, “There are some clean clothes in the dresser. After you finish getting yourself together, someone is here to see you.”
“Ammon, where is Priscilla?”
A solemn expression appears on his face. “She’s at headquarters.”
“She knows about her father?” I ask.
Ammon nods and says, “She does.”
“Will you please tell her I didn’t kill him? I don’t want her to believe Inspector Renald’s lies.”
“She knows you didn’t do it, Alice. Just get yourself cleaned up.”
“Where is John?” I ask as I grab his arm.
“He’s in the infirmary at headquarters. He’s still sleeping.”
“I have to see him.”
“After we’re done here, that’ll be the first place we go.”
“Ammon, I don’t want to wait.”
“John isn’t going anywhere. Like I said before, someone is here to see you. Afterwards, we’ll go to the infirmary. I’ll wait for you outside.” Ammon touches my arm. “I’m glad you’re alright, Alice.”
As I get undressed, I begin to think it’s actually a good idea that I get cleaned up first. My white hair is a mangled mess. I’m dirty, and I have a fat nose, a black eye, scars on my face, and bruises on my midsection and arms. I look like war warmed over. If those people ever get out of those traps and John wakes up, I’m going to disappear and recoup for a long time.
CHAPTER 42
My so-called guest is sitting on the balcony outside of the parlor. He doesn’t look familiar. I glance at Ammon wondering who this man is.
“Vice President Xavier Bishop from Alabama,” he says as he stands and offers his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Alice. Where are you from?”
“Nowhere,” I answer. I refuse to shake his hand.
“You don’t-”
“If I shake your hand, I’ll see your guardian angel. I don’t want to see your guardian angel.”
“Oh,” he replies with confusion.
Vice President Bishop is a man in his late thirties, black hair cut short to the scalp, brown eyes, and no doubt the happiest guy in Germany. His smile is as wide and as bright as the sky itself. He is taller than me and Ammon, but he’s not overweight or muscular.
“I guess that’s not a good thing, huh?” he says with a weird chuckle. “Well, why don’t we all sit down?”
“Why should I?” I ask with distrust.
Vice President Bishop smiles at Ammon. He’s not sure how to take me.
�
�You are a pistol, aren’t you?” he remarks.
“Ammon can tell you I haven’t had much luck with the Magi Elite,” I comment.
“Well, I’m here to remedy that. This meeting is what I like to call a peace summit.”
I look at Ammon. He pulls out a chair for me to sit. I can’t help but to think back to the last time I sat down at the offer of a Magi Elite member. I got jumped on. I’ll see how this meeting goes.
Ammon and Vice President Bishop sit down, as well. Mr. Aleshire, the butler, comes out with a tray of glasses, a bottle of wine, and a can of beer. Vice President Bishop takes the beer immediately with thanks to Mr. Aleshire, and he pulls the tab.
“Egyptian hospitality in Germany,” he remarks. “There’s nothing like it.”
“You’re welcome,” Ammon says.
Vice President Bishop turns to me and asks with widened eyes, “Did you sleep well, Alice?”
“I guess so,” I remark. “You’re responsible for that trick?”
“Yes, indeed,” he says before taking another drink. “Things were getting way out of hand, and I had a feeling you were about to put down my two best inspectors.”
“I was going to do whatever it took to get out of there.”
“Exactly why I ended it,” he says. “Alice, before we go any farther. I want to apologize on the behalf of the Magi Elite. We know that you’re not to blame for what has happened to President Oliver and to the people in the dimension traps. I believe what you said to Inspector Renald, and because I believe you, the Magi Elite believes you.”
This is good news, but it still doesn’t solve the glaring problem at hand.
He continues, “Heather Freland has been after the office of the president ever since she was old enough to be appointed, but each time the position came open, she has been overlooked. The same for her crazy father before he died. She felt she deserved it, and she was willing to do anything to get it.”
“Like searching for a meteorite for years,” I comment.
“Exactly,” he says with a quick nod. “Our main concern now is to figure out how to free those people.”
“If you’re going to ask me how I got out, my answer is still the same. I don’t know, and I don’t know how John got out.”
“Well, I have many inspectors on the case now. They are searching Heather’s house and office for anything that might be able to free them, and we’re talking to her husband and daughter. We will not stop until we find a way to get them out.”
“Why was Heather killed in the first place? No one thought about just capturing her and bringing her in?”
“Heather and Chief Lacey attacked Inspector Renald and Officer Kutto. My officers are trained to kill if they are assaulted. They don’t think twice about it.”
“From what I understand, only Heather could free them. At least, the ones she trapped. Her father is dead. So, I’m sure whoever he put in the traps will not be able to get out, either.”
“She’s right,” Ammon replies.
“You two have forgotten about John. He escaped, and my inspectors are going to talk to him when he wakes up. I’m not setting aside hope, thinking the answer died with Heather Freland.”
“It’s good to know someone else cares as much as I do,” I remark.
“There are a lot of us that do care, Alice. We just didn’t hear about it soon enough.” He finishes his beer and stands up. “There is something else I need to speak with you about before I go. I know you have invested a lot of time and energy into this, but I want you to back off and let my inspectors handle it.”
“You sound like President Oliver,” I remark.
“Alice, this is not a power play.”
I sigh with disappointment. With Heather Freland and Chief Ryan Lacey dead, there’s nothing more I can do, anyway. The way out of the traps died with them, and on top of that, the Magi Elite have all of the portraits. They have Detective Boyd’s police reports. I’ve officially hit a wall, and honestly, I’m not happy about it.
“How many people are in the traps?” I ask him.
“Two hundred and one,” he answers. “That count includes Vanessa Brenlich. Well, I must get going. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
I’m speechless. I never knew there were that many.
“Thank you for stopping by, Vice President Bishop.” Ammon rises from his seat and shakes his hand.
“Thank you for having me.” Vice President Bishop takes long strides back into the parlor.
Ammon sits back down, and for a long time we say nothing. We look out at the German countryside. The air is cool, but it’s not so bad to the point that we need to wrap up. In the distance, we can hear the train going towards Hamburg. Smoke no longer marks its path of travel. The new trains are electric now, running from the power of the rail. It’s quiet and fast, except for the horn when it comes across an intersection.
The sky is perfectly blue above the fields of winter dry grass. The birds are hanging in the wind high above us. All of this should make me happy, but it doesn’t. I’m saddened because the beautiful truth we’re looking at does not compare to the disturbing facts that still exist.
Another hour passes in silence, and Ammon is the first to speak. “They will never find a way to get them out.”
A reply is not needed, and I hang my head as the tears escape my eyes. I don’t think I’ll be able to tell Adam that his brother is lost forever, and what will I say to the Brenlich family? How do I form the words? And the rest of those poor people that are still in traps, their loved ones, they will continue to suffer a deep felt loss. Heather didn’t gain a single thing from her endeavors. She selfishly hid away precious lives. I wish there was something else I can do.
CHAPTER 43
As we travel through Hamburg, I see a gorgeous city. In all my lifetime as an angel and human being, I’ve never lived or been to this place. It’s a mixture of old and new worlds. The aged stone roads, the new beautiful architecture, some of them hint of the influence of other worldly cultures. The German people are in the moment. It’s a bright shining day. Life is good. Life is still moving on. Why hasn’t the Fellowship made their presence known here?
The trip is short to the infirmary. It only takes thirty minutes. We couldn’t use the transfer chamber. The hospital doesn’t want people going in and out without signing in. This comes from warlocks, witches, and fairies stealing controlled meds in the past. They have a tight seal around the hospital. No unauthorized back door visits are possible. It’s fine with me. The ride is nice and gives me a chance to wind down even more.
The brick building is four levels high, and it’s a masterpiece of old architectural design. Rounded corners like those of a Victorian home, and the cone shape roofs rise high and crest with wrought iron wind vanes. Ornate marble statues of angels stand in the grassy lawns on each side of the steps, and there are benches beside them. The angels are holding out their hands in an offer of love and protection to no one. I can’t help but to stare at the one to my right. Her wings are spread, a soft barely there smile, and the weathered stone brings back memories of what once was and never will be again.
Ammon touches my hand, bringing back to the present. I smile and follow him up the stairs. The double doors are surrounded by marble. The etching above it says ‘Magi Elite Infirmary.’
We enter into the lobby, and the sight of it is an anomaly. The room is wider than the outside building itself. There is a glass barrier that cuts the lobby in half lengthwise, but there are several doors evenly spaced out that leads to the other side, which have different information desks and secondary entrances to different wards. The glass doors turn perpendicular on its center hinges when people walk to it.
I’m thinking that getting into this place will be a long drawn out process, but we simply walk to the coma ward information desk and sign in. The secondary door slides open for us. Upon entering, a nurse’s desk is to our immediate left, and the hallway goes on forever. I can’t even see the end of it, and the
re are countless doors on each side. I sure hope we don’t have to walk a mile to get to John’s room.
“One moment please,” the nurse says. She is typing something, and within seconds, the second door to our right opens.
Ammon thanks her, and we go inside. The hospital room is like any other. It’s bland, white, clean, and smells very much sanitized.
John is in bed, and I go to him. He’s covered up but his arms are outside of the blankets. I touch his hand and his face, but he doesn’t respond.
“What did the doctors say about him, Ammon?”
“He’s in good health. All of the tests come back normal. They believe he will wake up at any time.”
I lean down to him and whisper, “John, whatever you do, don’t give up. Find your way back to me. I’ll wait for you. You hear me? I will wait for you.”
The first time I met him was when I was getting my butt handed to me by a Magi Elite bounty hunter. I like to believe that I was winning, but I think I lost that fight. Anyway, he asked me out to coffee afterwards. I took him up on his offer, but I didn’t drink any coffee. We talked. I got what I wanted out of him, and I left. Sometimes I wish I could redo that moment.
The day ticks by, and I remain at his side. Ammon has come and gone a few times. Tasks must be completed; meetings, appointments, and last minute things pop up. I don’t pay attention to him. John is all that matters.
By the early part of the evening, the nurse comes in and tells me visiting hours are over. I don’t want to leave John’s side, but I know I have to. The last thing I want to do is cause a fuss in that hospital and never be welcomed in there again. I leave the infirmary, standing alone at the top of the steps.
My thoughts stay on John. His sweet face, his warm personality, and a great all-around guy. What can I offer him? Nothing, honestly. I’ve never fallen in love with anyone. I’ve never slept with a man or even kissed one. And the one big question: am I capable of being in love? I don’t think I’m supposed to.
