The Cornelius Saga Series (All 15 Books): The Ultimate Adventure-packed Supernatural Thriller Collection

by Tanya R. Taylor

  “He’s okay,” Ashley replied, momentarily looking off in Max’s direction.

  “Still putting in a lot of hours at work, is he?”

  The girl nodded. “He’s home early today though.”

  “That’s nice.” Mira smiled.

  “You know you’re welcome to come over and shoot the breeze here whenever you want.”

  “I know. Thanks, Mira.”

  Just then, Ashley’s cell phone rang. “It’s Dad,” she said, picking up.

  From the conversation, Mira surmised he was questioning her whereabouts.

  “I’m coming in a minute,” Ashley said before disconnecting the call.

  “I have to go. Dad’s ordered pizza, so I’d better hurry before it gets cold.”

  “Tell John I said hello,” Mira told her.

  “I will.”

  The teenagers said goodbye and Ashley patted Max one last time before she headed home.

  * * * *

  Bobby felt energized. He always felt like he’d hit the jackpot whenever Mira uttered anything remotely romantic to him. It was no secret that she was a tough nut to crack, but he was glad after all those years of loving her from a distance and her not giving him the time of day, he’d remained connected to her family and relentless in his quiet pursuit.

  Unlocking the doors of the sedan that was parked on the fourth floor of the airport parking facility, Bobby nodded with satisfaction at the rental car. His company had spared no expense in ensuring their new Manager was traveling in comfort and style.

  He opened the back door and rested his luggage on the seat; then he sat behind the steering wheel and inhaled the fresh, leathery scent of the brand new vehicle. He was told by the CSR that he’d be the first customer to drive it off the property, and he couldn’t have felt more special. After buckling his seat belt, he switched on the radio and was fiddling with the knob when a strange feeling suddenly engulfed him—an inexplicable sensation of dread—and he started to feel really hot very quickly. Large pebbles of sweat began to bubble on his forehead, cheeks and neck. He loosened his tie, unbuttoned a few holes at the top of his shirt, and turned on the air conditioning at full blast, but his breathing became labored and soon he had a chilling claustrophobic attack. As if seeking to escape for dear life, he yanked open the car door and got out immediately.

  He leaned forward against the vehicle, heaving and struggling to catch his breath, wondering what in the world had come over him. Then the coughing started and he was relieved that it was freeing up his lungs. Soon, he was able to breathe easily again.

  “What the hell happened?” he muttered.

  He yanked off his tie and tossed it into the car, then opened the back door and retrieved a small bottle of drinking water he’d brought along in his carry-on.

  The odd, heavy sensation appeared to have, for the most part, left him and he was beginning to feel normal again. Shaking his head, he was convinced it must have been some sort of weird hormonal imbalance that had gotten to him. He shut the back door, then sat behind the steering wheel a second time. “Let’s try this again,” he said quietly. A few seconds later, he revved up the engine and reversed out of the parking space. As he drove carefully ahead following the exit arrows, he was oblivious to the fact that the tall, broad-shouldered, sinister entity with charcoal eyes who’d been seated in the car with him when he first entered it was standing straight ahead in the middle of the final exit. He was never aware of its presence. He and the car would pass through the entity shortly before Bobby ever came within view of the highway.

  4

  _________________

  News of the plane crash shook Charles Cooley to his core. He was in his office, getting ready to leave for the day when his sister Tess made the unexpected call. To his shock, he learned that his wife Barbra and daughter Vanessa were coming to surprise him in Chicago and at the same time was informed that they were passengers on the ill-fated flight everyone was talking about.

  Charles’ heart sank to the floor and his knees got weak like spaghetti. He couldn’t believe such a nightmare had become his reality. Maybe this was a mistake, he thought. But Tess would never lie to him, especially about something so serious.

  He had to face the grim possibility that his wife and only child had perished.

  Ted Jeffries took it upon himself to help Charles out of the building and to his car parked out front. He offered to drive him home, but Charles insisted he’d be fine. More than anything, he needed to be alone with his thoughts—to process the bombshell he’d been hit with. He needed to cry, to scream, and when the truth of the matter settled in, he needed to die because he could not imagine living without his wife and child. They had big plans for the future and Vanessa was going to become that doctor she’d always dreamed of. He and Barbra were going to retire one day and fly off to the U.S. Virgin Islands where they would spend the rest of their lives drinking coffee in local coffee shops and dipping their feet in the crystal blue Caribbean waters. That was their long-term goal while Vanessa would be off somewhere living her best life.

  It was all said and done now. Fate had stepped in and ruined everything, and Charles was at home feeling completely alone, sitting in his arm chair blankly staring out the front window. Four days had passed since the plane went down and although recovery efforts had long been underway, the wreckage had not yet been located.

  “Charlie...” his sister Tess entered the living room. The sorrow that had filled the space was heavy.

  He didn’t blink.

  “Charlie, you must eat something.’” Tess walked over to him. “Honey, I know this is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to deal with, but you must keep up your strength.”

  Charles was six years older than his wife Barbra. He’d met her when she was just seventeen and he was twenty-three. She admitted when they met that he was her first love, but he couldn’t say the same. He’d gone through at least three relationships before setting eyes upon the woman who was destined to become his wife. For him, although Barbra was beautiful, it wasn’t love at first sight. He was still in the playboy mode and had a lot of maturing to do. But as months went on, he realized she was all he needed and he found committing to her came easy. He was falling in love.

  As he sat there barely hearing the words his sister was speaking, the realization that it was because of Barbra that he was the man he became set him even more deeply into depression. She was his rock; his greatest motivator and without her constant encouragement in those earlier days, he would’ve never gone to college and when it got rough, would’ve never finished. They toughed it out together while she studied as a Science major. She wanted to become a lecturer at a prestigious university and for twenty years, she lived her dream until she decided on an early retirement to do some of the other things she had on her ‘bucket list’. Tears rolled down his face as he reminisced about the regular discussions they had pertaining to that bucket list. She’d taken that trip to Hawaii, Europe and The Bahamas, but there were other things she wanted to do like open a bed and breakfast and a coffee shop. They were the things she’d aimed to accomplish before Charles was set to retire and before they headed off to the U.S. Virgin Islands with Saint Thomas in sight.

  “No more working for me once you’ve handed in your resignation!” He remembered her saying. “The businesses would have to be sold if Vanessa’s not interested in taking them over.”

  Tess stood directly in front of him. “Charlie, I’m going to make you a sandwich and I want you to eat it this time, okay?”

  “I’m not hungry,” he replied; his face sullen.

  “It doesn’t matter if you’re hungry or not. It’s been four days! You have to eat something.”

  His eyes slowly met hers. “I said…I’m not hungry.”

  She stared at him for a few moments. That look in his eyes was familiar and she knew what it meant.

  “Okay, then. Have it your way. I tried! You don’t even know what the fate of your family is yet and you sit here a
s if you’ve given up! Well, if you have, that’s on you, but I haven’t. I’m not trying to give you false hope or anything, but suppose somehow they survived the crash, Charlie. Suppose they’re out there somewhere waiting for someone to find them. You’re not supposed to be sitting in this chair feeling sorry for yourself, dammit! You’re supposed to be out there putting heat up everyone’s asses to find that plane and to bring Barbra and Ashley home!”

  She stormed out of the room and in that instant, something awakened inside of Charles. He knew Tess was right. He’d given up all hope.

  He got out of the chair and joined his sister in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table with a glass of water in front of her.

  “You’re right,” he said, humbly. “I guess I was feeling sorry for myself.”

  “This is not the time, Charlie,” she replied. “You don’t have closure yet.”

  “I’m going to get Mayor Pacino on the phone. Enough of dealing with those guys who are supposed to be in charge of finding the plane. Pacino knows the type of revenue our company brings into this state. He should be able to get things rolling more quickly.”

  Tess smiled. “That’s my brother—the go-getter!”

  She went to get up.

  “I think I’ll have that sandwich, if you don’t mind,” he said.

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  He sat at the table while Tess made a ham sandwich for him. “I’m really grateful you’re here,” he told her.

  She stopped and looked at him. “How could I not be? I rushed to catch the first flight out when I heard the awful news. They’re my family too, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “But most of all, I couldn’t let you be here all alone without family to support you. Remember, Mom made us promise on her death bed that we’d take care of each other until the day we died.”

  “I remember.” He lowered his head as flashbacks of that moment came rushing in. “You and I made a pact that no matter where life took us, who we married, no matter what—we’d still be there for each other just like Mom wanted us to.”

  “Yep.” She nodded. “We’ve not let her down.”

  That single thought warmed Charles’ heart. Without Tess, he had no idea what he would’ve done to cope with such a tragedy. In that dire moment, he appreciated their close bond as siblings more than ever before and was grateful they’d never drifted apart.

  * * * *

  Nurses’ Station – Caring Hands Clinic

  “Are you ready for the big day?” Maggie Knox asked. “I’m so excited, I can barely contain myself!”

  “You act as if you’re the one getting hitched,” Sylvia Cates remarked before Mira had a chance to respond.

  “Well, for one, Doctor Cullen here is about to marry the love of her life and two, I’ve never seen a woman’s daughter be her maid-of-honor slash bridesmaid before—and the only bridesmaid!”

  “I’m as ready as I can be,” Mira stoically commented.

  “Well, I think it’s just lovely that little Rosie is going to be your one and only bridesmaid,” Sylvia said. “Why follow what others do, huh? Who needs three, four, five or six bridesmaids and groomsmen?”

  “That’s true,” Maggie agreed. “Mira’s gonna be a beautiful bride and Rosie will step into that maid-of-honor slash bridesmaid role just perfectly.”

  “You know what my problem is, right?” Mira asked.

  Maggie had a puzzled look on her face, “No. What?”

  “I don’t have any young friends! You two are ancient, so I couldn’t ask you!”

  “Well, I never!” Maggie replied while Sylvia chuckled.

  “She’s just being honest,” Sylvia said. “Besides, what would we honestly look like walking up the aisle as Mira’s bridesmaids? We’re both in our sixties while she’s in her thirties. Can you imagine the snickering that would be going on all throughout the church as we’re walking up toward the altar?”

  Just then, Maggie descended from her proverbial high horse. “I see your point. But do you realize they won’t be laughing at us?”

  “Who would they be laughing at?” Sylvia asked.

  “They’d be laughing at Mira because they’d think we’re the best she could’ve done!”

  The ladies quietly laughed themselves to tears.

  After they settled down, Maggie said to Mira, “Do you realize that’s the first time we saw you laugh in weeks?”

  Mira composed herself and grabbed her mug from the counter. “Anyway ladies, I’ve gotta get back to work. My coffee break is over.”

  “See ya later,” Sylvia said.

  Media reports of the missing plane could be viewed on the thirty-two inch Samsung television that hung on the wall in the main Waiting Area.

  “Such a tragedy, huh?” Sylvia remarked, sadly. “All those people feared dead.”

  “I heard they believe it landed somewhere in the Atlantic,” Maggie indicated.

  “I’ve not heard that and I’ve been keeping up with the news pretty much every day. The thing is they don’t seem to have the slightest clue where to look.”

  “Shouldn’t the plane’s last location show up somewhere when the pilot radioed in to say they were in distress?” Maggie asked.

  “I thought so, too.” Sylvia picked something out of her teeth. “I think they have to locate the little black box or something and it would tell them what went wrong with the plane.”

  “Are you sure?” Maggie looked at her nearly cross-eyed.

  “’Course, I’m sure! That little black box’ll tell them everything.”

  Maggie thought for a second. “How would that little black box you mentioned be of any use to them location-wise if they can’t find the bloody plane in the first place? What you’re saying makes no sense!”

  “I think it has some sort of radar attached to it or something that can help them locate the wreckage. That’s what I’m saying!”

  That conversation was put to rest when Dr. Barns approached the counter. Fifteen minutes earlier, he’d just called in his tenth patient for the day.

  Rumor had it that he planned to retire soon, after having practiced medicine for forty-five years. Also that he was going to leave Mira in charge of the clinic and might even make her a partner.

  “I need Emma Elestine’s file,” he told Sylvia. As he waited, his eyes met those of a distinguished gentleman who was walking through the front entrance—tall, with salt and pepper hair and he appeared to be in his mid-fifties. Barns thought he’d seen him somewhere before, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Perhaps, he’d find out soon.

  5

  _________________

  The cool night draft seeped into the house as Bobby and Mira were stretched out on the couch in each other’s arms. Bobby had just returned from Chicago that day and the two decided to spend a few hours together at his home. They’d been watching a movie and enjoying a little red wine.

  Mira’s intention was not to stay—she hardly ever did—not that she didn’t want to and not that Bobby didn’t desperately need her to. She’d always felt she had Rosie to think about and wanted to set a good example. Now the long, narrow hand of the clock was about to hit 9:47 as she and Bobby were dead to the world; caught up in the bowels of sleep and subconsciously relishing it.

  Her eyes suddenly popped open and she found herself staring into pitch darkness. Not in the living room, but in some other place. There was no sound; just a nothingness she couldn’t comprehend. Aware that Bobby was still next to her, but unable to see him, she sat up and looked straight ahead toward a spark of light in the distance. It appeared to be growing and brilliant, and became brighter as it moved decisively and graciously toward her. Mira sat as if in a trance as the light grew simultaneously taking on a form—of a woman she recognized. She was dressed in a long, white dress with pearls along the tail of the gown and at the end of the puffed sleeves.

  “Mira...” Karlen Key started.

  Everytime Mira laid eyes on her, she was in awe
of her elegance. More than twenty years had passed since the day they first met in that old, dilapidated house Mira and her brother Wade had explored in their childhood neighborhood. She distinctly remembered how different Karlen looked back then, when the weight of the world was still pressed against her fragile frame; the pain of the past etched into every fiber of her being until the day came when she was reunited with the one man she loved more than life itself.

  “Karlen...” Mira answered.

  The woman stepped forward and stopped when they were in close proximity to each other. “I’ve come to prepare you,” she said.

  Mira knew precisely what she was referring to.

  “It’s true. Isn’t it?” she asked, sadly.

  Karlen nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  “But, why, Karlen? Why does it have to be? You were the one who encouraged me to let my guard down and to listen to my heart. You, Andy, Matilda—all of you wanted Bobby and me to be together. Why, after I gave in to my heart, am I struck with such a dreadful reality? If we were meant to be together, why can’t we be?”

  She’d lost control again as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Bobby could not hear anything that was spoken as his very senses had been temporarily hindered by an invisible barrier.

  “You are right,” Karlen calmly replied. “You both were meant for each other, even before the beginning of time, but each of us must return from where we came and those we left behind must hold on to the memories that were made. Within those memories are life and joy and strength.”

  Suddenly, the spot where Bobby was sleeping lit up brightly, yet he remained fast asleep. As Karlen fixated her eyes on him, Mira noticed the deep sadness in them as well.

  She turned to Mira again. “The day of your wedding will be the day of his death.”

  Mira’s heart sank. “No!” she cried. “No! It can’t be! How could this happen?”