by C. J. Carson
As the anger grew inside me, I reached out again with my hand and lifted him from the floor like a marionette. Distracted by a voice in the back of the theatre, he crashed the floor and took my eyes off him.
“Allie, I called Payne. They are just outside and on their way in.”
When I looked back, he wasn’t there. I dashed off to the back of the stage finding him standing at the top of the staircase. “Stop right there, Allie, don’t come any closer!”
Neither one of us made a move.
“Makya, you’re surrounded, this place is crawling with police.”
“He turned and ran down the back staircase. Following him, I stopped at the top of the last flight. He was standing at the bottom with a gun pointed at me.
“Stop right there, or I swear I’ll shoot you.”
Suddenly, Jake came up behind him. They scuffled and Jake went down.
Jake was unconscious on the floor as Mak pointed his gun at him. “Well, isn’t this quite a predicament! Back off, Allie, I mean it! Don’t come another step or your buddy here is done.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “All right! All right already! Look, don’t shoot him. This is between you and me!”
“Oh, you got that right, it is definitely between you and me, and that little box of yours! I had hoped you would cooperate so I could keep you alive long enough to teach me all about those little artifacts in it, but it looks like that just isn’t going to be an option.” He put his hand on the door behind him. “Look, I’m going to back out this door and you’re going to let me, but not to worry, I’ll be in touch.”
As he moved out the door, I ran down to check on Jake.
Payne caught up and rushed down the stairs behind me. “Allie, are you okay, and how about Jake?”
“I’m fine, but as for Jake, I’m not sure. He had a confrontation with Mak and was knocked unconscious. Mak took his gun.”
“It was Mak? You were able to identify him?”
“Yes, he ran out that door behind you just before you came down the stairs.”
Taking his radio off his belt, he barked, “Officer down! I need EMTs in the back stairwell behind the stage of the theatre.” Reaching down, he took my hand. “You stay here with Jake. I want you both taken to the hospital to get checked out. I’m going after this S.O.B.”
“Payne, no, don’t go after him without me. It’s too dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself; don’t you worry.”
I stood my ground and grabbed his arm. “Normally, I would agree, but Payne, he has abilities that you will not be able to compete with. Please, let’s regroup in the morning and go after him with a team and a well thought out plan.”
Looking stunned, Payne faced me. “Abilities? Just what kind of abilities?”
“The kind that makes him a threat to anyone that gets in his way. I’m afraid, even the self-defense I learned from Josh would be useless. I know it sounds crazy, but he and I got into it without even laying a hand on each other. He threw me against the wall without even touching me and I have an egg on the back of my head to prove it.”
“Allie, that does sound like something straight out of a comic book!”
“As absurd as it sounds, that’s what happened. I don’t blame you for having doubts. Hell, if I hadn’t experienced it, I would have a hard time believing it.”
The EMTs made their way through the theatre and came down the back stairs. As they reached us, Payne started rifling orders. “I want these two taken over to Southern Maine. Do you know if Doctor Kennedy is in the ER this evening?”
“We haven’t transported any patients there this evening, so I’m not sure.”
“Well, if he is, let him know I will be there as soon as I wrap things up here.”
As they loaded Jake’s stretcher into the ambulance, he came to and started thrashing around. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Jake, it’s okay, stop! You’re okay!” The EMT came at him with a needle. “Wait, give him a second.”
Turning his head to me, he groaned. “What the hell, Allie? What is going on? Why am I in an ambulance?”
“If you slow down, Jake, I can explain. I was chasing Mak down the stairwell and when you came up behind him, he knocked you out. He took your gun and threatened to shoot you unless I let him go.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense because the last thing I remember is coming around the corner to climb the stairs and then everything went black.”
He paused and looked around the ambulance. “Did you say Mak? It was Kaiah’s Makya?”
“It sure was, and I can’t wait to catch up with that psychopath again!”
Chapter 37
AS THE AMBULANCE WAS PULLING UP to the emergency entrance, Doctor Kennedy, a nurse, and two security guards rushed through the automatic doors to meet us. As soon as the vehicle came to a full stop, the ambulance doors swung open. They immediately pulled us out and rushed us into the ER.
Even as we moved down the hall, Doctor Kennedy directed the staff. “I want both of these patients to have a head X-ray and CT scan, stat!”
A nurse nodded her acceptance and walked to the desk to order the tests.
“Allie, you just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Payne called ahead and said you both have head injuries. What the heck is going on?”
“To make a long story short, doctor, I had another confrontation with my attacker.”
“What? Are you kidding me? He came after you again?”
“He has been stalking me since he attacked me the first time. I’ve been working with an investigative team at the police station and we have finally been able to identify him.”
“Well, that’s up to Payne to sort out, but my job is to address the hit you took to your skull.”
Turning my head, I pulled back my hair to expose the area. When I took my hand away, it was wet with blood. “I didn’t know I was bleeding.”
“Well, that is one nasty lump back there and you’re definitely going to need some stitches. How did you say you got this bump?”
“I didn’t say.”
“Well then, let’s hear it.”
“So, I kind of got thrown across the room and hit a brick wall?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“I guess I’m testing the waters to see if you will buy the truth.”
“This must have been one powerful guy to be able to pick you up and throw you that far.”
“Powerful? You could say that. I know you’re worried about my head, but—”
“It’s not just your head I’m worried about, it’s your skull and your brain.”
He ushered me into an exam room. “A nurse will be in shortly to see you.”
The nurse entered the exam room, with Claudia on her heels. “Allie, are you okay? That was some pretty crazy shit at the theatre! I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! They won’t let me see Jake yet. Is he okay?”
“Please, Claudia, one question at a time. I think Jake is going to be fine. We both got a pretty hard knock on the head. My guess is that he is probably up in X-ray now. They are going to do some tests and then we’ll know more.”
Doctor Kennedy walked into the room, followed by Payne and Carl.
I couldn’t quite tell by Payne’s expression if he was angry or just concerned. Perhaps a little of both.
“Allie, what were you thinking? Why didn’t you call me? Don’t you realize how dangerous that was?”
“I know, Payne, but every ounce of my being said I needed to go alone. As strange as that sounds, I still think I was right. Look, this guy has instincts and abilities every bit as strong as mine. If I had not confronted him alone, he probably would have sensed you there and I couldn’t have drawn him in.”
He turned away from me, rubbed the back of his neck, and turned back. “That may be true, but it was still too dangerous. We were way too close to show him our hand and now he definitely knows we are on to him. I realize we will need you to bring hi
m down, but it needs to be a team effort. You want me to listen and trust you on this, but that goes both ways. You need to trust me and the team we have put together. I may not have the abilities and the instincts you have, but I do have years of experience in investigating and taking down perpetrators. That does count for something, don’t you think?”
“I’m sorry, Payne, you’re right.”
“Okay, then no more stunts like that, right?”
“Right.”
Carl stepped over to Payne. “One great thing that did come out of all this is that we now have a positive ID on this guy. We know the person behind all this is indeed Makya.”
Another nurse entered the room. “It would appear you have quite the fan club, Ms. Callahan. There is a gentleman named Josh asking to see you.”
“Oh yes, please let him in.”
“Sure, he is right outside the door. I will—” She turned to find Josh right behind her.
“Sorry, I couldn’t wait.”
Moving toward the bed, he looked relieved. Gathering me in his arms, he exhaled. “I’m so glad you’re all right. What were you thinking? You just can’t be putting your life at risk like this anymore.”
As Doctor Kennedy continued to examine me, his sense of humor was still intact. “My, it’s getting crowded in here. Are we having a party?”
Payne turned to Doctor Kennedy. “How is Jake doing? Any test results yet?”
“Yes, and the good news is that his X-rays show no fractures and he doesn’t seem to have any serious injury to his brain. However, we still need to get the results of his CT scan. He does have a slight concussion, so I’m going to admit him for the night, strictly for observation.”
Claudia’s eyes welled up. “Can I see him now?”
“Absolutely. You’re Claudia, Allie’s escape driver, right?”
“Yes, that would be me.”
“You most certainly can. He has been asking for you. We will be moving him up to his room shortly, but you can stay with him until then.”
Turning to me, Doctor Kennedy paused. “As for you, Allie, we are sending you up for your CT scan and X-rays now. I think you should plan to be here for the night as well. You are one of the luckiest patients I have ever had, but you can’t keep tempting fate like this. I can’t believe you escaped again without any broken bones.”
Payne tapped Carl on the shoulder. “I have Antonio staying outside Allie’s room this evening and they are sending someone over to cover Jake’s room. Detective Edwards is waiting in the hall to take Claudia back to the Summit and will be stationed outside her apartment door this evening. What do you say we call it a night? We should get an early start tomorrow. I have everyone on the team coming to the station in the morning by 9:00 a.m. sharp. We’re going to get started devising a strategy for our next move. We have to get this guy before he has a chance to regroup or make a run for it. Especially because he knows we’re on to him.”
“You’re certainly right about that.”
I wasn’t letting them go without putting in my two cents. “I’ll be there as soon as Doctor Kennedy releases me tomorrow, right Doc?”
“I would say no, but—”
Claudia nodded. “But you know that would be futile.”
“Yes, that is definitely where I was going, but Payne, keep an eye on her. No more suspect-chasing for at least a few days.”
“I can’t promise anything, but I will do my best to keep her out of trouble.”
Chapter 38
THE NEXT MORNING BY NINE O’CLOCK, the war room was buzzing with conversation as everyone moved around, reviewing the evidence on the whiteboards. Except for a few in the room, no one knew about the events of the previous evening.
Payne took a seat at the conference table. “Please, could everyone join me here for a briefing as we begin our day? I would like to bring you all up to speed regarding a recent event and a huge breakthrough in the case.”
The room fell silent as each person sat down at the table.
“First, I would like to thank you all for being here this morning at such short notice. Because of recent developments, I didn’t want to wait until Monday. Jake and Allie will be joining us this afternoon and I guess that is as good a place to start as any. Last night, there was a confrontation between Allie and her stalker.”
Stunned, George looked around the room. “A confrontation last night? Is she okay? What does that mean? Was he able to breach her apartment?”
“No, please hear me out. I’m sorry, I should have prefaced that by telling you that she is okay. She and Detective Carpenter had minor injuries and were kept overnight for observation. I was told they would be discharged this morning and the doctor gave them the clearance to attend the meeting this afternoon. The good news is, we now have identified the suspect as Makya Hammonds. The bad news is that over the last few days, we have learned that he has been searching Allie out for about ten years, leaving a path of tragedy in his wake.”
Paco stood from his chair. “How can this be? I don’t recognize this name at all. How could he possibly know anything about Allie, much less her many gifts?”
Carl held up a folder. “This is how?” Passing copies of a document around the room, he continued. “We found these records showing that Makya went to prison about fifteen years ago for the assault and attempted murder of his own father. He was incarcerated for five years with Delsin Hill. I believe he is the son of Allie’s grandfather’s adversary. Can you confirm that information, Paco?”
“Yes, absolutely, Delsin was the young man being considered to receive the ancestral box.”
Payne stood and moved to the whiteboard. “It was this woman, Kaiah, and Detective Hayln, that helped us put the rest of this altogether. When Delsin was incarcerated with Makya, he must have discussed Allie and the box with him. Makya, a gifted man in his own right from another indigenous tribe, became obsessed with the story and began seeking out Allie and the box the minute he was released from prison.
“The worst part of all this is that Makya now knows that he has been exposed for meeting with Allie last night. We don’t want him to disappear before we can apprehend him.”
The rest of that morning was spent putting together a comprehensive timeline of Makya’s movements as he searched out Allie. Payne and Carl adjourned the meeting for lunch at eleven-thirty and asked for everyone to return by one o’clock to continue working.
***
About twelve-thirty, Jake and I were discharged from the hospital. Antonio gave us a ride to the Summit to meet Claudia and Josh. Before the car could come to a full stop, Josh had the door open, was climbing in, and wrapping his arms around me.
“I’m so glad to see you both! You gave us quite a scare last night.”
Claudia climbed inside. “We have been so worried; I barely slept a wink. Let me say that what we did last night was the most insane, but without a doubt, the bravest thing we have ever done.”
Jake reached out and grabbed her hand. “I agree that it was insane, but I would say it must be the craziest thing you have done, not the bravest.”
She planted a soft kiss on the back of his hand. “Well, you know what they say about heroes, they’re either really brave or extremely stupid.”
I chuckled. “You’ve got that right! I don’t think we’ll ever do anything like that again. I can’t wait to figure out how we are going to go after this Makya. I have been giving it a lot of thought and I have some ideas.”
Josh looked at me with fear in his eyes. “Woah there, Allie. Didn’t you just say you were not going to do anything like that again?”
“Not alone, but they are going to need my help on this one. No one is prepared to confront this guy. He has some incredible abilities that give him the advantage. They will need me to be able to level the playing field.” No sooner than I got the words out of my mouth, my cell phone buzzed, alerting me of a text message.
Hello, you crazy bitch! You truly are a strong adversary. We’ll have to meet again
soon.
I texted back. I look forward to it! I still think you’re a coward, but we will see, won’t we?
I put my phone on “unavailable” status. “There, that will shut him up for a while, and really make him angry because I got the last word!”
We made our way across town to the station and when we entered the war room, everyone was sitting at the conference table. George got up to meet us at the door.
“Are you all right, honey?” He wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug. “I heard you took quite a spill last night. I would have come if I had known!”
“I’m fine, George. It was in the middle of the night and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
As we moved to the table, Dakota stood and pulled out chairs for us. “Good afternoon, you guys, have a seat.”
Payne greeted us and then began the afternoon meeting.
“Allie, before we begin, I just want to let you know that I have brought everyone up to speed on the events of last night. We have put together a timeline of Makya’s movements for the past ten years. I believe we may be able to begin strategizing his capture. As much as it concerns me, I have come to terms with the fact that we will need to involve you in this effort. First, we may need to use you as bait, that is if he is still around. Second, we now know we are up against someone who has some abilities beyond our understanding. Abilities much like your own.”
Jake spoke up. “Payne, I think Allie has some additional information that may prove to be helpful.” He turned to me. “Tell him what happened on the way here, Allie.”
Getting up, I moved over to the whiteboard. “Well, it seems Makya hasn’t tried to flee. I received a text from him on the way here.”
Carl reached over. “May I see the text?”
I handed him my phone. “It’s really short. I set my cell to unavailable after I texted and didn’t give him an opportunity to respond.”
Looking up from my text, with his eyes on me, Carl smiled. “That must have pissed him off. For once, he didn’t get the last word.”
