Good sleeping
weather. The temperature outside hovering just under comfortable. The howl of
the wind calling an end to autumn. The winter storm season had begun. There
would be snow in the high mountains in a few weeks and many more nights like
this. The breezy, blustery rapture of good sleeping weather.
Chanra’s eyes
fluttered open. She loved the rumble of winter thunder as it stomped around in
the heavens. She slept best with the gentle patter of rain on the soil outside
and the breeze kicked up by the storm making the sheer cloth of her curtains
dance. It was perfect winter storm. She lay there, drifting in those hours just
before dawn, not fully awake, not fully asleep.
Chanra glanced
at her clock. Still hours to go before morning. There was another flash of
lightning and then the roar of her beloved thunder as it rattled her windows in
their frames. She could hear the alarms of the cars parked on the street begin
to wail in unison. She smiled to herself. Several dogs down the block began
howling in response to the car alarms. She nuzzled deeper into her pillow .
There was
another gust of wind and Chanra opened her eyes to watch the wisps of her
curtains billow.
When the next
flash of lightning came she saw him standing, silhouetted in her window. Chanra
sprang up in bed and began to let out a scream. By the time the flashing of the
lightning was gone he had leapt across the room and held her still with his
hand over her mouth.
“Chanra, my
name is Anthony Flair. Shhhhhh. No screaming,” he whispered.
Terrified,
Chanra shook under his weight and listened for the inevitable thunder.
Big City
BANE
by Eric Schwartz
& TooWickedToLove
Stack held up
his badge and the officer held up the police tape for the detective to move
under. Stack nodded.
“It’s nice to
have you back, Sarge,” the officer muttered quietly.
The recently
reinstated detective simply smiled and patted the kid on the arm. It was a suck
up, but it felt good all the same. He stopped and looked up at the house, a
brick two flat in a gentrifying area of the city. He shuffled some change in
his pocket and moved up the stairs to the first floor apartment. Some of the
officers from the crime lab were already starting to look at the front windows
and the soil around the house for clues to the assailant’s entrance.
Stack again
flashed his badge to the officer watching the front door. He looked around.
Single woman. He chuckled to himself. The decorations, no signs of a struggle
over the decorating. Hard wood floors. Nearly symmetrical living room and no
powerful stereo or home theater system. He chuckled again. Single. Fairly well
off. The furniture is a set. No kids, no pets - the cream-olored area rug is
spotless.
He looked
around again. ‘Everything has its place,’ he thought.
Needless
stepped out of the adjacent room and looked up from his notes. He nodded his
greeting to Stack. “Morning.”
“Morning,”
Stack smiled. “Single human female. Early thirties. Somewhere in or near middle
management. No kids and no immediate family near by.”
Needless looked
again over the top of his notes. “Stop showing off.”
“It’s good to
be back.”
“Chanra Clem.”
Needless looked begrudgingly at Stack. “Single human female in her early
thirties.” Stack gave a broad smile knowing that it was a twist of the knife.
Needless rolled his eyes and went back to his notes. “She woke up some time after 3:30 during the storm. The next
thing she knows some guy is standing in her bedroom. He forcibly stopped her
from screaming, said only a few things and then left.”
Stack cocked
his head. “He just left?”
“Yep. Didn’t
touch her, other than covering her mouth so she wouldn’t scream AND nothing is
missing from the apartment.” Needless folded his notebook back up and slipped
it into his inside pocket. “He gave her a name.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, he
called himself Anthony Flair. Seems like an alias, we’re running it anyway.”
Stack shook his
head. “Did he threaten her?”
“No. He told
her not to scream. Sat for about 5 minutes staring at her, said a few words and
left.”
“Did she get a
description of him?” Stack started to jingle the coins in his pocket .
“No. His face
was covered by one of those breath masks. You know, with the rubber bands. She
did say that he wasn’t really very muscular. Medium build. Probably not very
tall.”
Stack made a
little pile of coins in his fist. “I have to ask… other than her word, is there
any physical evidence that he was here?”
“Yeah. There’s
tracks on the floor and in the mud outside. Just eyeballing it I’d say about an
11 men’s.” Needless rolled his eyes again. “With evidence like that we should
nab him by lunch.”
Stack pointed
at the door Needless just came out of. “Is she in here?”
“Yeah.”
Stack and
Needless moved down the hall and into the kitchen. Chanra sat at the table with
a steaming mug of coffee. Two uniformed officers stood nearby. Stack glanced at
Needless who nodded. Chanra looked up at the two detectives.
“Miss Clem,”
Stack said, easing himself into the chair across from her. “My name is
Detective Sergeant Adam Forray. I know you have spent a good deal of time
already answering Sgt. D’yen’s questions. I don’t want go back over the same
stuff with you. I’m sure you don’t want to repeat it.”
“Thank you.”
“Miss Clem? Is
there anyone you can think of that would do this? Ex lover? Anybody?”
Chanra stared
deeper into her coffee. “No one. I don’t know anybody that would do this.”
“A brother?
Some sort of prank?”
“No one!” She
looked at the two detectives. “You think I’m making this up, don’t you?”
Stack smiled as
comfortingly as he could. “Unfortunately, no. We know he was here. We just
don’t know why.” Stack realized that he
was piling up different objects from her table. “How about your job? Any reason
that some one from work would want to do this.”
Chanra gave off
a hollow laugh. “Well, I’m not real popular there.”
“No?”
“No, but not to
this degree. I don’t have enemies, if that’s what you mean. At least I can’t
magine I would.”
“What do you do
Miss Clem?”
“I do customer
phone consultations. I talk to customers who are using our products and help
them.”
“You’re a
customer service person.”
“There’s a
little more to it, but that’s basically it. I work for Bandelburg Films. We
supply educational films to schools.”
“So there’s not
much chance of this being the act of a disgruntled customer? “ Stack smiled
again.
Chanra finally
let out a laugh. “No! There’s not much to get disgruntled about. I mean, they
get a little pissy when videos they’ve ordered don’t arrive on time. But they
don’t threaten me.”
Stack glanced
at Needless and smirked. “Miss Clem, are you in a managerial position with
Bandelburg?”
“Sort of. I’m a
regional supervisor. I have about 3 people as direct reports.”
Stack could
hear Needless’ eyes roll. “Any of your reports you think could be behind this?”
“No. All three
of the people under me are women.”
Stack sat back.
The most non-threatening woman in the greater Big City area is non-attacked and
nothing much to go on. He looked over at Needless. “So what did this guy say to
you?”
Chanra took a
deep breath. “He knew my name and introduced himself as Anthony Flair. Then he
said,‘no screaming’ and then didn’t say anything for a long time. He just
stared at me. Just before he left he said. ‘I’m away Sugarlips, don’t stay up
too late.’ I have no idea what it
meant.”
“Do you have
someplace to go for a couple of days? Until we get a better handle on this and
we can be certain it won’t happen again,“ Needless said, standing up.
“My sister
lives in Marrsfield.”
“I would suggest
staying there for a few days. Would need any help getting there? Bus ticket?
The department could help.”
“I’d rather
not. I really should be at work today.”
“Ma’am. Until
we can start investigating this, we need to assume …” Needless was cut off by Stack raising his hand.
“Why today?”
Stack slowly stood.
“They’re doing
a round of internal interviews today. They are looking for a new office VP. I’m
supposed to get interviewed.”
“Big jump in
pay? Better benefits?” Chanra nodded
her head. Stack looked at Needless. “Well, that’s more motive than anything
else we’ve heard. Miss Clem, we will let your employer know what happened. I
would suggest going to stay with your sister. At least for the time being.”
Needless spoke
to the uniform officers about making sure that Chanra got off all right. Stack
checked with some of the crime lab officers. Twenty minutes later Stack and
Needless made their way to their cars, parked on the street.
Stack pulled
out his keys. “I have to drop this off at the station.”
“You really
think it’s somebody at her job? That’s pretty flimsy.”
Stack shrugged.
“I don’t know. It’s just the closest thing we have to a lead. Let’s look into
it and see what we turn up.”
A few moments
later the two pulled away and headed to the station.
*
As always Dr.
Glau’s office was dimly lit. Dr. Glau himself was blind, his dark glasses ever
present. His short cropped white hair added some illumination to the room which
always made Charlie chuckle. Though he couldn’t see a thing, he glittered like
a light bulb. Glau had a genuine smile and a gentle voice that always made
Charlie feel at ease. It had been years since he’d seen the orphanage’s
overwork, under-qualified counselor and Charlie’s resistance to such situations
was an obstacle but Glau won out in the end.
After orderlies
had found Charlie on the bathroom floor in the hospital, both his blindness and
his madness gone and the strange discoloration of his eyes having vanished
miraculously, doctors felt it best that Charlie start a regular therapy
session. The only reason they could find for any of Charlie’s problems was
stress. He always found it funny that stress always got such a bad rap. Stress
needed a better press agent.
This was nearly
his fourth month with Glau. The sessions had dwindled to once a week from the
original three weekly visits. The more intense therapy had turned into a weekly
chat. Charlie had started to look forward to them. He sipped the soda that Dr.
Glau always offered him and sank back into the leather of the chair across the
desk from the counselor.
“It’s been a
busy few weeks for you.” Glau chuckled. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Great.
I’m glad Smiles is back. I missed him a lot.”
“It’s an
amazing story. The adjustment for both of you must be stressful.”
Charlie
shrugged. “Well… he’s getting used to the fact that he missed three months in
the blink of an eye and I’m getting used to the fact that he’s not dead.”
Glau smiled
that comforting smile that Charlie hated because it was insightful. “Things
back to the way they were before?”
Charlie nodded.
“Yes.”
“Are you happy
about that?”
“I’m ecstatic
that he’s back and alive. I couldn’t be happier.”
“But…”
Charlie
hesitated. The feeling was like looking a gift horse in the mouth. Like he was
about to speak ill of the recently not dead. “I don’t really want to go back to
being the sidekick. I spent the last three months running that business. I was
getting good at it. I… liked it. I guess I’m not real happy having to give it
up. I know that makes me selfish and an asshole…”
Glau sipped the
tea that was steaming on his desk. “Why? Because you found that you are
qualified to do more than you are being allowed to do? That’s not selfish. Have
you said anything to Smiles?”
“No.”
“Don’t you
think he would see things the same way?”
Before Charlie
could answer his phone vibrated. “Sorry Dr. Glau. One sec.” He pulled the phone
up and looked at the caller ID.
Glau smiled
knowingly again. “Smiles?”
Charlie cocked
his head. “No.”
*
Charlie slipped
into the semi-circular Gobblin’ Goblin booth across from Stack and Needless.
“That took long
enough,” Needless said, checking his watch.
“Sorry. I had
to finish my session.”
“Shrinkage?”
Stack nodded.
Charlie
motioned to the waitress for one coffee. “So what’s up?”
Needless
glanced over at Stack. “Well, kid, you’re going undercover for us.”
“What?”
“We’ve already
cleared it with Smiles. We need you to pose as a mailroom guy for a few days.
We need you to keep an eye on an office building for a while.” Needless leaned
forward and sipped his coffee.
Charlie
chuckled to himself. Cleared with Smiles. “What’s going on?”
Stack shrugged.
“We don’t really know. Early this morning some guy waltzes into a woman’s
bedroom, freaks her out and leaves everything the way it is. The only thing we
have so far is that she’s in the running for some big job.”
The waitress
planted the coffee in front of Charlie. “Okay. So what should I do?”
“We’ll talk to
the office managers. They will know who you are, but everybody else will think
you’re another temp, in for a few days. Needless and I are going to go in and
conduct some interviews. Now, everybody will be on their best behavior in front
of us. We need you to keep an eye on things… NOT around us.” Stack placed
another sugar packet on top of a creamer.
“How long?”
Needless sopped
up a small spill with his napkin. “Two or three days. Tops.”
Charlie sighed.
“Am I going to have to…you know…”
Stack nodded.
“Wear a costume? Yeah. I was hoping for the
taped-glasses-pocket-protector-nerd-character but it’s your call.”
“Just be
unobtrusive. I wouldn’t even ask any questions. Just watch for anything that might raise a red flag and let us
know.” Needless interjected, ignoring Stack.
Don’t ask any questions?
This was a jerk off assignment. Charlie stared into his coffee for a moment.
“Why are you guys handing this off to me? I’m sure there’s two dozen beat cops
who would jump at the chance to go plain clothes for a few days.”
Stack flipped
over the bill and reached for his wallet. “Because we don’t trust their
judgment the way we trust yours.” He
pulled out a few bucks and a slip of paper with the address of the office.
“Meet us at this address in two hours. Sorry but we have to get back to the station.
This should be enough for the coffees.”
Needless
slapped Charlie’s arm. “Thanks man, we appreciate it.”
Charlie watched
the two leave. He felt winded. That wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. He
looked back at his coffee and swirled the spoon again for good measure. Nope.
Not the answer at all.
*
Anthony Flair dropped his cigarette to the
ground and stepped on it. The deep red of Salia’s lips against her porcelain
white skin gave him shivers. Her clear
blue eyes looked deep into him as her long lashes did their dance for him. He
smiled out of the corner of his mouth which drove her crazy.
Salia slipped her arms through the spaces
created by Anthony stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“Mr. Flair, is there any way I can repay you?”
Like a gunslinger, Flair’s hands were out of
his pockets and clasped on her wrists, lifting them away from his body.
“Believe me, Salia, I would like nothing more
that to spend hours with you in a bed. But unfortunately I don’t mix with
business associates.”
“Then I will pay you. That will bring our
business to an end.”
Flair finally pushed her hands clear. “You ARE
my business. How stupid do you think I am? Who else could have killed Duncan?!”
The
phone rang. Darlene Tyler hit ALT + TAB and toggled back to her work. Her
headset sprang to life.
“Bandelburg,
this is Darlene. How can I help you?” She said feigning a smile. A smile makes
your voice sound happier. That’s what they told her. Mostly the smile was
ironic.
It was another
day in a long line of similar days for Darlene. By the time her call was over
she had already forgotten what it had been about. She stood up, put her phone
on “send call” and walked out of the office. The voices that lifted up from the
cubicles turned into a white noise. There were no more distinct voices, just a
constant noise that sat in the background of the day. She stepped out into the
hallway and closed the office door behind her. The only thing brightening her
day was the possibility of becoming Office VP.
Sure that meant
a raise in pay. Sure it meant more benefits. All Darlene could think about was
the fact that it meant an end to the soul-sucking, never-ending calls. She’d
have an office door that she could shut and hold out the noise. She like that
thought. Today was the day for the interviews. As she made her way down the two
flights of stairs to the break room, she thought about Chanra. The hair on
Darlene’s neck stood up at the thought of her. She couldn’t stand Chanra. It
was nothing specific, just a general vibe that Chanra put out. She was
pointless middle management who would stab you in the back as easily as shake
your hand.
Darlene stepped
into the break room and scanned the vending machine. Chocolate bars, chips, the
obligatory pretzels for the women who thought they were healthy. Nothing looked
good. And where was Chanra. She hadn’t turned up yet. It was odd since Chanra
was going to be interviewed today too. Darlene dropped a couple coins into the
pop machine and selected her mid-morning caffeine vehicle. After the can of
chemical stimulants thundered out of the machine, she popped the top and sat at
an empty table.
Her mind
drifted to Flair. She was enjoying the way this story was going. She already
had ideas for the next. Something tropical. Anthony should spend a little time
in the sun. She crossed her legs and sat back to enjoy her soda.
Her mind
floated to Chanra again. Maybe if she didn’t turn up at all, the job would to
default to Darlene. She chuckled and took another sip. “I’m such a bitch.”
*
Stack and
Needless moved up the gray-carpeted stairs. They glanced at each other for a
moment.
“Kind of…”
Needless began.
“Oppressive?”
Stack finished out of the side of his mouth.
Needless raised
an eyebrow. “I was going to say dull, but oppressive works.” He shoved his
hands in his pockets. “I’m so glad I never took an office job. I’d go crazy.”
Stack chuckled.
“Then your nickname would probably be Needless Planning.”
“Needless
Meetings.”
They made their
way through the rows of cubicles to the office of Barris Feld. Barris’ door was
open and he was typing on his computer. Stack knocked on the door jamb.
“Yes? Can I
help you?”
Stack held up
his badge. “I’m Sgt. Adam Forray with the BCPD. This is Sgt. John D’yen. we are
here to talk to you about Chanra Clem.”
Barris stood.
“Is everything all right?”
Needless
pointed to the door. “Do you mind?” Barris shook his head. Needless shut the
door. “Early this morning an intruder broke into Ms. Clem’s home.”
Barris gasped.
“Oh no! Is she all right?”
Stack slipped
his badge back into his inside pocket. “She’s fine. She wasn’t hurt. In fact it
wasn’t really an attack. She’s pretty shaken up as you might imagine. She’s
gone to stay with her sister for a few days.”
Needless
nodded. “We’d like to talk to some of your employees. Currently the only lead
we have is that Chanra is up for a promotion. We just want to talk to some of
her co workers, the people she supervises, the people in the running for the
promotion.”
“We’d also like
to put an undercover man down in your mail room posing as a temp.”
Barris nodded
and sat down. “Of course, anything you need. Do you really think it’s somebody
here?”
Stack sat down.
“To be really honest, we don’t have a clue. It’s a really strange crime. Nearly
non-violent. No apparent motive. We’re following up on all leads.”
“Do you want to
use my office? “
Stack shook his
head. If you have an empty office, that’s fine. Maybe an open conference room.
No body is going to be interrogated, just going to ask them a few questions.”
Needless put
his hands in his pockets. “And there’s no reason to panic them either. Just let
them know that we are inquiring about something and that no one here is in any
trouble. There’s no reason to not go on with their normal daily activities.”
*
“I guess the
cops are here,” said Varla.
“I heard that
Chanra has been embezzling money,” half-whispered Patrice.
“The cops want
to talk to all of us. There’s others involved,” Tom interjected between bites
of his cheese sandwich.
It had been an
hour since Needless and Stack arrived. Charlie was now being shown around by
his new manager, a mopey Vampire named Clarn. His arms were built up like he
could dead lift a sedan but his demeanor and haircut would lead you to believe
that his soul had been removed and he spent his evenings doing autopsies on
puppies. Charlie was only half listening to Clarn. Most of his ears were tuned
to the gossip that was moving around the break room.
Clarn held his
hand out to indicate that the space in front of them was in fact the break
room. “This is the break room where you can take your breaks. You get two, one
in the afternoon and one in the morning.”
Charlie smiled.
“In that order?” He chuckled at his own joke but Clarn only blinked.
“Lunch is your
own. You can eat it here or not. There’s a microwave and a fridge.”
Charlie had
already been shown the mail room where, as Clarn detailed, packages and letters
come in and stay before going up to the recipients. Charlie thought of Emily
sitting at her desk all day at Big City Eyes. He prayed that her job was more
fulfilling than Clarn’s seemed to be.
Soon Clarn took
him back to the mail room. Charlie had resigned himself to the fact that this
would be his job for the next few days. Clarn rolled a cart full of packages
and envelopes up.
“Okay, while
we’re waiting for Gareth to finish setting up your account, why don’t you do a
run. Don’t forget to get the out going mail. When you get back I’ll show you
how to ship packages out.”
Charlie nodded
and began pushing the mail cart toward the elevator. A few weeks ago he was
standing on a bus, helping Smiles take out bad guys, now he was delivering
mail. He chuckled for an instant. At least the job never got boring.
*
Anthony Flair’s kiss made her stomach flutter.
She felt her toes curl and dig into the thick carpet. He gripped her shoulders
with his hands. He seemed to be all around him and that was right where she
wanted him. As the kiss lingered she wanted him more. She wanted to be all
around him. When the kiss ended her eyes opened slowly. He was looking down at
her. The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he smiled.
“Goodbye, Shiva,” he
said, turning.
“You’re leaving?!” Her
question took on the sound of a plea.
He turned and smiled his crooked smile. “I
have to. I have to find Dahl-Donna before I can stop. If you are here when I
get back …
She heard
somebody approaching and Darlene quickly went back to her work. Barris poked
his head over the cubicle wall.
“Darlene, would
you go to the conference room? There’s some police who are asking around about
a few things.”
“The police?”
“They’re just
trying to get some information about a situation.”
Darlene
shrugged. “Okay.”
Barris smiled
his thank you and moved back toward his office. Darlene quickly saved and
closed her document and went to the conference room. She chuckled at Barris’
tight-lipped request. Inside the conference room two detectives were chatting.
The older of
the two smiled at her. “Hi. Are you Darlene?”
Darlene sat
down across from them. “Yes.”
“I’m Sgt. Adam
Forray, this is my partner John D’yen. We are looking into a recent incident
and we are trying to see if anybody here at Bandelburg can help shed any light
on it.”
“I’ll help in
any way that I can.”
“Great. Do you
report directly to Chanra Clem?”
“No I don’t.”
“Are you taking
part in interviews for the job of Office VP?”
“Yes.”
“Are you aware
that Ms. Clem is also going to be interviewed for the position?”
“Yes. I am
aware.”
“Where were
you, last night about four AM?”
Darlene looked
at the detective strangely. “At home sleeping. What is this all about?”
Needless took a
sip of the breakroom coffee and winced. “It’s just routine, ma’am.”
Stack nodded.
“Does the name Anthony Flair mean anything to you?”
The room sank
in around Darlene and she felt her entire body shift in the seat. How could
they? It’s impossible. If Barris ever found out. She blinked. “No. There was an
Anthony here about a year ago, but his last name wasn’t Flair.”
Stack raised an
eyebrow. “What was his name?”
“Rhodes, I
think. You’d have to check with Barris. I didn’t really know him.”
Needless cocked
his head. “Ms. Tyler, is there anyone in the office who is openly hostile
toward Chanra.”
Darlene shook
her head, eager to help. “No. I will admit that she’s not very popular.”
“Why do you
think that is?”
“She’s an
attention hog. She seems to throw around the little bit of weight that she had
here.” Darlene paused and her eyes grew
wide. “Wait. Did something happen to Chanra?!”
Stack and
Needless looked at each other. Stack nodded. “A man going by the name of
Anthony Flair broke into her house last night and scared her. He didn’t hurt her. She’s fine, just shaken
up.”
Darlene took a
deep breath. “Wow.”
Stack looked at
her again, quizzically. He held out a business card. “That’s all for now Ms.
Tyler. If you think of anything else, you let me know.”
A few moments
later Darlene was walking back to her cubicle.
Her hand trembled slightly. How could they know? The blame would be
placed completely on her. She sat down at her computer and stared at her
screensaver for a while.
Over her shoulder the new
temp was delivering mail. He noticed her staring at the computer screen.
*
The clock moved
slowly toward five. People moved in and out of the conference room all
afternoon. When the day’s last interviewee left Needless’ head collapsed on the
table.
“This could be
the single worst lead we’ve ever followed up on,” he mumbled into the arm of
his coat.
Stack leaned
back. “Oh I don’t know. I can think of a few worse.”
Needless looked
up. “So, any of these people stand out
to you? Anybody seem to be lying.”
Stack looked at
the list. He thought back over the afternoon. “I don’t know.” He began to focus
on a name. “Darlene Tyler seemed a little…”
“Shifty?”
“No. But the
Anthony Flair thing gave her pause.”
“Yes, but 1)
she’s a woman. Second, pausing isn’t evidence. It’s not even probable cause.
She’s probably freaked out by being asked to talk to the police.”
Stack nodded
and added a little star next to Darlene’s name on the list. “C’mon, let’s meet
Charlie at Tuck’s before heading back.”
Needless
couldn’t argue. He needed a drink.
*
In the earliest
hours of the morning. Somewhere in the hazy, silent hours between 1 and 5, when
the streets are at their quietest, you can hear the howl of winter in the
mountains. To those who heard it, it was like a distant land calling to them.
The distant winds were howling that night.
Darlene lay awake in her
bed. Between thoughts about the police and the Tellemakis’ dog two houses away
there was no going to sleep. LaptoBoy46 on The Board always suggested that if
she faked an attack the dog would be taken away by the city. The thought still
made her chuckle. Most nights the dog kept her from getting more than four
hours of sleep. She hated the dog and the Tellemakises kept the freakin’ thing
on a chain all night.
She buried her
head in the pillows and hoped it would stop.
Outside
Darlene’s two flat he crossed the street. He paused for a moment and stared at
her house. He was so glad that she made him the way he was. He owed it all to
her. He loved her. Another gift. Yet another bane of her life dealt with. She
deserved nothing less. He continued across the street.
In the dim
light of the street lamp a block away, he could make out the fence line. The
dog barked louder. As he got closer he could make out the silhouette of the dog
through the chain-link fence. The dog caught sight of him and barked louder
while throwing its body back and forth.
Without fear he
stepped up to the fence. The dog went crazy. The dog wanted a piece of the
intruder. It barked and scratched at the pavement, slobber dripping from its
mouth. Finally the man pulled out a tazer and shocked the dog with all the
volts he could. He held it there as the Tellemakis’ dog was overcome with
uncontrollable convulsions. There was a quick yelp and the dog fell dead to the
pavement. Silence fell on the street.
Anthony Flair
could now hear his footsteps as he made his was back across the street.
“Sleep tight,
my love,” he whispered as he disappeared into the shadows.
Two houses away
sleep overcame Darlene and in the peace and quiet she fell into a deep,
dreaming sleep. Her mind filled with romantic thoughts of Anthony Flair.
*
The over night
rain had caused mist to roll up from the bay. Stack and Needless sat on the
trunk of the car as Charlie emerged from Laura’s apartment building. Stack smiled and held out a hot coffee.
“There’s the
working man,” Stack chuckled.
Needless sipped
his coffee. “Our boy is growing up.”
Charlie took
the coffee with early morning gruffness. “Funny. You two are friggin’
hilarious.”
“We’re thinking
of changing our monikers to Stack Funny and Needless One-Liners,” Stack quipped
as he hopped off the trunk.
“What’s with my
nick-name?! That’s the second time in as many days that you’ve talked about
changing it.”
Charlie
chuckled. “So, any game plan for today.”
Needless shook
his head. “I’m pretty sure that we’ll be done today. I don’t think we’re going
to turn anything up. Unless this guy turns up again or we get another lead,
this case is dead in the water. I’m starting to think that it was just a
random, crazy act. “
Stack held his
coffee out as he removed the lid. “Wouldn’t be the first.”
Charlie looked
at his watch. “Shall we?” The three climbed into the car.
Across town
Darlene Tyler was awakened by blood curdling scream. She sat up in bed and
opened the window to hear what was going on. From her window she could see Mrs.
Tellemakis sitting on the ground near her dog, sobbing.
Darlene
blinked. The dog wasn’t asleep… the dog was dead.
A shiver ran
down her spine.
*
Mid-morning.
“Thank you Professor.
Have a good day.” Darlene pushed the button that disconnected the phone and
waited for the next call to ring in. Nothing. She checked the display… no one
on hold. Alt+Tab and she was back to Anthony’s latest adventure.
Flair
moved to the wicker chair and sat down. He looked across the sun bleached stone
to where Timonia was pushing her tan body up out of the water. His eyes traced
her form. The toned muscles of her legs moved her skin as she took every step
his direction. The water fell down her stomach and the small of her back,
dripping to the thirsty patio stones below.
She stopped just a few feet from Flair. He
looked up at her from the chair, watching the streams of waters drizzle from
her long hair. He squinted in the sun which made him look like he was smiling.
“I
hear you are a man who can get things done,” she said, rubbing a towel over her
legs.
“Darlene?”
Darlene jumped
and toggled back to her work page. How did she not hear? She turned to see
Barris poking his head over her cubicle wall. He seemed to be none the wiser.
She smiled.
“Yeah, Barris?”
“I just wanted
to let you know that because of everything that’s going on, Chanra and
everything, we are going to postpone the interviews for another week. I’m
sorry, I know you’re anxious about them.”
Darlene forced
a smile. “That’s fine. I completely understand. Just let me know when you need
me. “ She continued the smile until
Barris nodded and moved away.
Toggle over.
Log in:
I can’t believe this. My boss is making me
wait another week for this interview. I hate interviewing…
With every word
she typed the stress seemed to melt away.
*
“I think Chanra
is a great supervisor and really deserves that VP position.” Jarna, the
middle-aged woman with the shoulder pads smiled and nodded her head.
Needless
squirmed in his seat. “Jarna, this has nothing to do with the VP position.
We’re here to see if anybody might want to harm Chanra.”
“Oh heavens no.
She’s a wonderful young lady and supervisor.”
Stack chuckled.
“If Chanra got the VP position, she would no longer work with you directly, is
that right.”
Jarna blinked.
“Yes.”
“That would
make you happy wouldn’t it?”
Jarna took a
forced breath through her smiling. “Yes. Yes it would.”
Stack closed
his file. “Thank you Jarna, that’s all we needed.”
Jarna grinned
and left the conference room. Stack looked at his partner and smiled. “This is
a waste of time. Let’s get out of here before WE apply for the VP position.”
Needless was
slipping his shoes back on under the table. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Stack glanced
under the table. “Why do you do that?”
Needless
shrugged. “You go tell Barris.” He checked his watch. “You’ll need to catch him
before lunch.”
*
Barris Feld
buttoned one button on his over coat as he stepped out into the parking lot.
The butterflies in his stomach the day before had kept him from eating. That
was not going to be the case today. There was a cold sub with his name on it
less than five minutes away. Oblivious to everything except the rumble in his
gut, he open the door to his SUV and stepped up to the seat.
He slipped the
key into the ignition just as there was an explosion of stars and a sharp pain
to the back of his head. He tried to turn around to see who was attacking him,
but another fist stopped him.
“Don’t bother
turning around,” the attacker nearly whispered. Barris felt an arm encircle his
throat and squeeze. “Mr. Barris, my name is Anthony Flair. I think you should
reconsider postponing the interviews. If you want Chanra Clem so bad that you
have to wait, why bother with the charade. Hire her and spare the feelings of
other employees.” The assailant squeezed tighter. “Do you have any idea what
it’s like to watch someone you love be dragged along by some suit like you?
Rage is all I feel.”
Another hit
connected with Barris’ jaw. Then Flair released his neck and slammed Barris’
head into the steering wheel.
“Think about
it,” the mystery man said before slipping out of the SUV. A moment later Barris
slipped into unconsciousness. As he did, the weight of his head pushed against
the horn and the car blared.
Not far away
Charlie was helping to unload a delivery truck. His head snapped toward the
blaring horn. Only a few moments later he was helping Barris from his car.
*
Co-workers
jammed the windows to look down on the parking lot. Word had spread immediately
that Barris had been attacked in his own car. Everyone went to see. Everybody
but Darlene.
Something was not right.
Somehow this was all her fault. She sat in her cubicle staring at her computer
screen.
*
Barris was
lifted into the ambulance, the doors shut and it pulled away. Needless turned
to his partner.
“So do we still
think we’re barking up the wrong tree?”
Stack was
jingling the loose, unstacked change in his pocket. His eyelids narrowed as his
eyes followed the ambulance. “No. Let’s get back up stairs.”
The two turned
around and headed back into the building. They trudged up the stairs and back
into the conference room.
“Should we get
some uniforms down here?” Needless inquired.
“Not yet. We
need to know what we’re dealing with. A massive police presence could cause a
hostage crisis.”
“We’ve got it
narrowed down to a few people now, because it involved Chanra and Barris.”
“ I know…”
Stack turned toward the door. “Ms. Tyler?”
Darlene stepped
into the room. “Can I talk to you both for a moment?” They both nodded. Darlene shut the door to the conference room.
“I’m scared,” she said moving to a chair.
Needless sat
opposite her. “Ms. Tyler, there’s no reason to think that the attack on Mr.
Feld wasn’t an isolated incident…”
“It was my
fault!” Darlene blurted.
Stack raised an
eyebrow. “How?”
“I think I can…
do things… make things happen with my mind.” She began to cry. “ I know how
crazy that sounds.”
Needless
smiled. “A year ago that would have sounded crazy. Recent events have…” Stack
shot him a look and the words stopped coming out of his mouth.
Stack nodded.
“What makes you think that?”
“I created
Anthony Flair. I made him up. I write stories about him. Just some little
things that I don’t even bother printing off. He’s the hero. He ‘get’s things
done’.”
“So no one has
ever read your stories?”
“No. Everything
he’s done I’ve secretly wanted to happen. I wanted Chanra out of the picture. I
was mad at Barris for canceling our interviews. Plus he killed my neighbors’
dog that kept me up three or four nights a week. It just feels like the darker
desires of my mind have taken form.”
Needless opened
his notebook. “Have you told anybody about the dog or Chanra? Anyboy who might
have taken the idea and run with it?”
“No. I keep a
journal online where I mention things, but nobody here knows about that.”
Stack sat on
the edge of the table. “You blog?”
“A little. I’m
a writer. I took this job eight years ago because it gave me a chance to work
in an office, make decent money, and when no one was looking I could write.”
Needless sighed
which caused Stack to look down at him. Needless looked up. “Sorry. Was that
audible?”
Stack shook his
head and looked back at Darlene. “Did you ever mention this dog… or Chanra… or
Barris on your blog?”
“Yes, but never
by name. There’s this group of people who keep online diaries and we read each
other’s entries and comment. But it’s all for fun. We all bitch.”
“And you have
never once mentioned them by name?”
“Never. I’ve
heard way too many stories about people who get caught writing about the
workplace.”
Needless, “You
don’t think that somebody from that community could come here and be tracking
you down?”
Darlene smiled.
“It’s not like that. They are all over the country. Nobody in this group lives
anywhere near Big City. No I’m telling you, somehow, the things I write are
coming true.”
Stack and
Needless looked at each other. Stack looked back. “Tell me more about Anthony
Flair.”
“What do you
want to know?”
“What kind of
guy is he?”
Darlene blushed
a little. “He’s, you know, one of those guys. Broody, moody but has a strong
sense of justice. He’s pretty good looking, but his confidence and charm are
his winning qualities. I started writing stories about him when I was in high
school. It’s just comforting.”
Needless
shifted in his seat and leaned in curiously. “You write these in notebooks or
on computer?”
Darlene
hesitated. “I write most of the stories about him on this computer. I don’t have
one at home. I keep waiting for the price to go down.”
Stack looked up
at the ceiling. “Does anybody else here have access to your computer?”
“No, I have the
file protected. Look, I know how this sounds. But, I’m telling you, I am
causing this some how.”
Stack shook his
head. He wanted to shout at her but there was no point. He didn’t know that
anybody in the office was doing this. He sat down across from her and looked at
Needless.
Needless stood
up. “Give us a few hours to look into this.”
Darlene nodded.
“So… what should I do?”
Stack shrugged.
“Sit tight. And don’t tell anybody about this!”
*
Tim Carnaby
moved around a pile of copier paper boxes, each one filled with various
documents. He steadied the pile as he moved around it and looked up to catch
sight of Stack and Needless entering.
Stack chuckled.
“Glad to see your …den is still in control.”
Tim rolled his
eyes. “Budget alterations lately means that I’m doubling up on work. Thank you
very much.”
Needless moved
some evidence from a chair and sat down. “They’ve cut the crime lab budget?”
Tim stopped,
placed his hands on his hips and laughed sarcastically. “No. It’s been…
rethought. The public outcry and the Mayor’s decree that Sweepers be reinstated
into the police force means that some of our Crime Lab budget is now going that
direction.”
Stack folded
his arms. “No way.”
“Oh! Yes way!
Very YES way. In less than a month I will have a Sweeper counter part. A
partner. Because of that, they laid off several other members of the staff to
make room in the budget. We are running on a skeleton crew right now.”
Needless and
Stack glanced at each other. “Wow,” Needless finally exclaimed.
Tim shrugged.
“Eh… what are you going to do?” He turned and moved back toward his computer.
“So this Darlene Tyler that you wanted me to check on…” He flopped down and
began pounding away at his keyboard. “What’s her deal any way?”
Stack cleared
his throat. “She.. thinks that she can make things happen with her mind. She
has these thoughts… desires and they have a way of manifesting themselves.”
Tim nodded.
“Like the dog that barks and keeps her up at night. She wishes it would run
away or choke on something? How about
her “nemesis”, the bitch at work, is in the running for the same position at work?”
Needless stood
up, his mouth gaping open. “That’s her.”
Tim looked back
at them and smiled. “She blogs.”
Stack squinted.
“Yeah, she finally came clean with us about it today. It’s all on there?”
“Yes sir. But
it’s scattered. It’s not all in one place. She keeps an online diary. All her
‘innermost thoughts’ are out on the web.” Tim clicked a link with his mouse and
Darlene’s BLOGGUMS site came up. “On top of that she belongs to newsgroups and
messageboards. She’s very chatty…in a virtual capacity. But she rarely keeps
everything in one place.”
Stack shook his
head.” So she’s made all her desires known but all over the web. She’s chatted
with different people about different problems. So what, then, is going on. The
chances that she has developed a stalker like this, through her blog is
ludicrous. This guy could be anyone or be from anywhere.”
Needless ran
his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry to be the dope here, but what’s a
blog?”
Stack looked
over at him. “Blog. Weblog. It’s an online journal.”
Needless
nodded. “Is that a big thing now?”
“Cripes
Needless. Everybody blogs. Anybody with internet access can write whatever
whenever. There are free blog hosting sites spilling off the internet. People
blog about everything. Politics, work and most go on and on about the mundane
things of life; who they want to date, what their favorite show is, did Puffy
make a mess on the carpet. Anybody could just stumble across her ‘deep
thoughts’. It’s become so ingrained in her that she probably does it without
thinking that anybody is reading.”
“Can we get
records of all the people who have visited her site in the last few months?”
Stack restacked a pile of folders that was teetering on the brink. “We need to
know who’s been visiting her journal.”
“I can contact
Bloggums, get the IP addresses and run it through the Bureau database. It’ll
take a few days at least.”
Needless
stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You think someone found this site and took
it upon themselves to take care of her problems?”
Stack nodded.
“It’s possible. It’s more possible that her ‘doing things’ with her mind. It
still doesn’t cover the Anthony Flair thing though.”
Tim leaned back
in his chair. “Anthony Flair?”
“This attacker
made reference to Anthony Flair. Anthony Flair is a character that Darlene
writes about. She never lets anybody read it. Can you see if there is any
reference to that name on her site?”
Tim nodded
casually and typed ANTHONY FLAIR into the “Search Site” box. A moment later a
series of links appeared. None of them matched. “I’ve got several mentions of
Anthony and one Flair but none of them look related.”
Stack scratched
his scalp vigorously for a moment. “Well, run the search on the readers. Maybe
we’ll come up with something. Thanks Tim. Let me know when you get the
results.”
Tim turned back
to the computer as the other two began to leave. “Will do.” Tim began typing
again on the keyboard. Then he stopped. “Wait.” Stack and Needless turned back.
“You said she writes these stories and just what… hides them?”
“She said she
doesn’t even bother printing them off.”
“That means
that she uses the computer to write them, not long hand. You think she writes
at work?”
Needless
nodded. “That’s what she said. Why?”
Tim stood up.
“I know who it is.”
Stack stepped
toward Tim. “What? Who?”
“I mean… I know
who it could be. A place you could start.”
“Who?!”
“Her IT guy.”
Tim swallowed hard.
Stack jangled
the change in his pocket. “How do you know?”
“Look, any
decent network, like in an office setting, the Tech Support staff has remote
access to the employees computers from another computer. They do this in case
they need to push out virus protection or system upgrades and if the employee
leaves, they have access to the files. I don’t know what they call them there
but the System Admin or IT person has access to every file on her computer.
Even her ‘secret’ writings. They can access the internet cache to see what
she’s been doing. Most systems even allow the IT person to lock onto a computer
and watch what’s going on WHILE it’s going on.”
Needless’ eyes
nearly leaped out of his skull. “So this guy could sit and watch what she’s
doing on the internet all day… at the same time she’s doing it.”
Tim glanced
back at the computer. “Most of her blogs are time stamped during the day. In
fact the most recent one, just a few hours ago was about an ‘asshole boss’.
She’s sneaking internet time on the company clock and this lurker is watching
the whole time.”
Stack reached
into his jacket pocket and pulled out his emergency deck of cards and began the
one handed shuffling. “He’s in love with her. He’s watched her, he knows her
mind because she blogs everything. He’s read her stories… he wants to be
Anthony Flair.”
Needless eased
down on the edge of Tim’s desk. “Her perfect man. Her hero.”
Stack looked at
Needless in near panic. “We’ve got to be real careful with this. Whoever this
guy is, he’s going to be edgy. He’s watched us skulk the place for a couple of
days now. If he thinks his future with Darlene is threatened, he could snap.”
Stack turned to Tim. “Thanks a million. We owe you!” He and Needless bolted
from the room.
“You owe me
MORE!” Tim shouted after them with a chuckle.
*
Charlie’s phone
rang. Some of the others in the mail room gave him a dirty look as he pulled
the phone to his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Charlie, it’s
Stack. Listen real carefully. We need you to get Darlene Tyler out of that
building ASAP. Needless and I are on our way with back up, but we need you to
get her out without incident.”
“She in
trouble?”
“No. In danger.
One of the computer guys… nevermind. Just get to her and get her out of the
building.”
Charlie stepped
into the elevator, pushed 5 and the doors slid shut. “On my way.”
*
Darlene tapped
her finger on the keyboard. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t write. She was
terrified that if she wrote anything down… it might come true. She wanted to
log in to the board and see if any of her friends were there, but it was too
dangerous now. She glanced at her clock. She closed her eyes and tried to think
of some way to go home. She just wanted to go home.
“Darlene?”
She turned. It was the
new mailroom temp. She didn’t even know his name. He stepped closer to her and
stooped below the cubicle wall.
“Darlene, my
name is Charlie Pickens. I work with Sgt. Forray and Sgt. D’yen. They asked me
to get you out of the building right now. There is reason to think you might be
in danger.”
Darlene leaned
in and whispered. “Danger?”
“It’s someone
here in the office. The police are on their way, so we need to get you out of
here, now.” Charlie took her hand and the two stood up.
Two cubicles
away Gareth Mund stood in their direction. Elisha Nichols, stood by him,
looking up at him.
“So… did I do
something wrong? I just can’t get the CD tray to open. Gareth?” Elisha waited
for a response but none came. “Are you going to be able to fix it?”
Gareth watched
as the two stood up. What was going on? The guy from the mail room? This wasn’t
supposed to happen. Elisha was shocked as Gareth bolted from the cubicle.
It was all very
fast.
Darlene yelped
as Gareth grabbed Charlie from behind. Charlie struggled against his attacker.
“Where you guys
going? Hmmm? Where do you think you’re taking her?” Gareth spat between gritted
teeth.
Charlie tried
to pull away but Gareth was much stronger than Charlie. “We were just going for
a walk. Just going to get some fresh air.”
Darlene backed
up into her computer. Others from the office were now standing, petrified in
their cubicles, watching the two fight.
With a growl
Gareth pushed Charlie away, his hand yanking Charlie’s gun out from underneath
the flannel shirt that concealed it. “Going for a walk? With a gun?“ There was
a collective gasp of terror from the office. Darlene’s eyes grew wide. The
furious IT guy looked at the gun. “What were you going to do to her? Huh? You
going to rape her? Kill her?”
Charlie put out
his hands so Gareth could see them. “Look, the police are on their way. I’m
working with the police and they are on their way here…now… and they asked me
to get Darlene out of the building. For her own safety.”
“The police?”
“They know all
about you. It’s time to stop now. You’re holding a gun and if you don’t put it
down, things are going to just keep getting worse.”
Gareth looked
at the gun and then at Darlene. He gently took Darlene’s arm and pulled her
closer. She looked at the horrified faces of her coworkers and complied. Gareth
looked defiantly at Charlie. “I’m not going anywhere. You have terrified her
and she needs me to be here.”
Charlie’s mind
raced. In his head he seemed to move in bullet time around the room, finding
the faces of everybody who was still in the office. “All right, but what about
everybody else. You don’t need them here. In fact, they can only pose a threat
at this point. Right? Why don’t you let everybody go?” Gareth looked around at the faces of those
who hadn’t taken shelter under their desks. He looked back at Charlie and
nodded. Charlie nodded back and turned to the office. “Okay! Listen up people.
I need everybody to slowly and calmly make your way to the door and head for
the parking lot. Nothing is going to happen to anybody.”
Slowly
Darlene’s co-workers began to move out of their cubicles and edge their way
toward the door. Once they reached the front door they ran to the stairs and
down. Soon Charlie, Gareth and Darlene were alone in the office. Charlie, put
up his hands again in the universal symbol of ‘we’re all friends here’.
Darlene’s eyes pleaded with him. Help me. Charlie didn’t know what to do next.
“Why don’t you
let her go? She’s scared out of her mind, man.”
Gareth leveled
the gun at Charlie. “Don’t pretend to be concerned now! You brought the gun in
here. You’re the one she’s scared of.” As he finished speaking distant sirens
began to howl. Gareth’s eyes burned into Charlie. His hand wrestled with the
gun, he was shifting it around to find a comfortable way to hold it. Then
he took a deep breath. “You need to leave now.”
“I need to take
her with me.”
“She’s safer
with me. Now get out!”
Charlie looked
at Darlene. His fist clenched. She shook her head. “Just go,” she said.
Shaking,
Charlie turned and moved from the office.
Gareth looked
around and spotted an open office. “The window in there looks down on the
parking lot. Come on, sweetheart.” Quickly they moved into the office and shut
the door. He looked over at Darlene who stood trembling in the corner.
“Everything will be all right. I’ll find a way to get us out of this,” he said.
*
Bandelburg
employees were milling about in the parking lot, looking up at the building as
Stack and Needless stepped from the car.
Needless looked
over at Stack. “I guess it didn’t go as smoothly as we hoped.”
Charlie stepped
out of the building. Stack and Needless ran to him as squad cars began to
descend on the area.
“What
happened?” Stack turned to survey the scene.
“He came out of
nowhere while I was trying to get her out. He took my gun. I managed to talk
him into letting everybody else go… but she’s still up there with him.” Charlie
looked at the ground and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, guys. I
blew it.”
Stack grabbed
him by the shoulders. “Hey! This parking lot is full of people that got out of
there without incident. You did great.”
Needless
nodded. “Yeah. He’s not gonna hurt her. At least not yet.”
Charlie shook
his head. “The guy’s a whack job. He just seemed to be trying to protect her.”
Stack took his
jacket off and checked his gun. “Describe the guy for me.”
“He’s not real
big, but he’s strong AND fast.”
Stack checked
his watch. “Where the hell is Special Weapons?”
Needless
shrugged and looked out at the road. Then his head snapped toward Stack. “Woah.
You’re not going up there.”
“Man, we don’t
have time to wait for some negotiator to build a relationship with him. I know
what he’s thinking. In his mind it’s him and Darlene against the world. He’s
her hero. I’m not as worried about him deliberately killing her as attempting
some stupid rescue and killing them both.” Stack thought back to a night a year
before when he watched another delusional man leap to his death. “And I’m not
going to have some Special Weapons negotiator lull him in to a sense of
security so they can get a clean shot. No. I need to get up there and bring them
both down.”
There was no
convincing him otherwise. Needless turned and watched the Special Weapons van
rumble into the parking lot. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
*
Gareth peeked
out through the blinds at the parking lot below. More cops seemed to be
streaming in. He again bounced the gun in his hand to feel the weight and
stepped away from the window, looking at Darlene who stood in the corner. He moved to her.
“Sweetie. It’s
okay. I promise I will get us out of here. I won’t let anything happen to
you.” He attempted to put his arm
around her and she shrugged it off.
Darlene ran her
fingers through her hair and looked up at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“I love you. I
saw all those things you wrote. It was like I was reading my own words. We have
so much in common, Darlene. We are so much alike. I just wanted to show you
that you were worth it. That someone would do all those things you wanted. I
just love you.”
Darlene shook
her head. “You don’t even know me.”
Gareth stood up
and looked down at her. “Yes I do. I know everything about you. I know that you
collect spoons from different places. It was a hobby that your grandmother
enjoyed and you took it up when she died. I know that your mood two weeks ago
last Thursday was ‘gloomy’. I know that the competition for the VP position
upsets you. You are such a good person, you hate to compete. I just wanted to
help.”
“You read my
blog? I didn’t even know anybody here knew about it.”
“I’ve memorized
it, Darlene. I’ve watched you type it. Sometimes I sit with my computer locked
on to yours and I watch you work and write. I know the things you want to buy. You
sit and look at them so long. It’s like I’m sharing your eyes. ” Gareth looked
at the gun. Darlene blinked at him. A tear broke free from her eyelash and
spilled down her face. His face went flush as he looked back at her. “Out of
everybody here, you are… stunning… brilliant. Everybody else is like a zombie;
gray and uninteresting. I wanted to get to know you. So I went into your
computer. I was just curious. To see what you were about. I found your
stories.”
Darlene’s heart
sank. “You read my stories?”
“You love him
so much. Flair. You write such pretty things about him.”
“You read my stories?!” Like a little girl
she set her jaw and cried behind pursed lips.
Gareth dropped
to one knee. “It wasn’t like that. You are a great writer. The things you said
were so pretty. I just wanted to be him. I wanted you saying those things about
me.”
Darlene’s voice
became hollow. “He’s not there for you. He’s there for me.”
“I can be there
for you. Like… like helping to get you that job. All you had to do was ask. You
shouldn’t want for anything.”
Darlene clasped
her hand and tangled her hair in her fingers. “This isn’t happening.”
Gareth moved
back to the window and watched as employees ran behind the police barricade to
safety. “This isn’t going the way I planned.” He looked back at Darlene. “I’m
sorry.”
*
Stack held his
gun out at arms length, both hands clinging tight to the barrel. In his ear he
could hear the bustle of the makeshift command post through his earpiece. A few
paces behind him Special Weapons waited near the stairs.
“Needless?”
Stack whispered.
“I’m here
Stack.”
“All right. I’m
almost there. Is Charlie okay?”
“He’s beating
himself up because he left her in there with that guy. He’ll be fine. You be
careful up there buddy. The SWs are right behind you, just say the word.”
Stack moved
through the cubicles toward the closed office door. Stack moved to the closed
door and listened through. Voices. One
man and a woman. Stack put his back to the wall next to the door and slid to
the floor. He took a deep breath.
Inside the
office Gareth was sitting on the desk, staring down at Darlene, who was crying
quietly. He took a breath and stood up and paced again to the window and peered
outside.
“Gareth!” Came
the voice from outside the door. Gareth spun toward the door, the gun out at
arms’ length.
“He’s got a
gun!” Darlene shouted.
“Gareth, my
name is Adam Forray. I’m with the BCPD. Is Miss Tyler safe?”
“Yes.”
Darlene let
loose a yell. “I’m here!”
“Ms. Tyler,
he’s is not going to hurt you. I don’t believe he’d do it. He loves you too
much. Isn’t that right, Gareth?”
Darlene looked
up into the face of the man who was wielding the gun. His eyes seemed to
moisten with tears as she looked up. “That’s right,” he said.
“This has just
gone so far out of control,” Stack yelled. “Gareth, we have to find some way to
end this. For Darlene’s sake.”
Gareth shook
his head. “She’s fine. I’m not going to hurt her. You guys can go.”
Stack smiled to
himself. “It doesn’t work that way. When you have a gun and the door closed
with some one in there who doesn’t want to be… I have to step in. Okay? That’s
how it works.”
Gareth moved to
the window and peered down again. “Why do you need so many? It’s just me.”
“It’s just how
they do things, Gareth. We can stop this right now. Just let her go.”
Darlene looked
up into the sad face of Gareth Mund. He smiled sadly. “I can’t,” he said.
Stack sighed.
“Gareth, there’s only one way things like this ever end. It never ends well.
Look, I understand what you were doing. You found her stuff. Her stories. You
wanted to protect her, help her. That’s the most natural thing in the world.”
“What do you
know about it?”
“I lost the
love of my life to a crook. It didn’t matter how much protection I tried to
give her, it happened all the same. You can’t solve all of her problems. No
matter how much you love her. Deep down you should know that. Anthony Flair
knows that. Doesn’t he?”
Gareth slipped
down into the chair behind the desk. “Flair gets done what needs to get done.”
“Well, think
about what Flair would do now. Here. In that office. Why don’t you ask Darlene
what she’s scared of right now.”
Gareth stood up
and moved to Darlene. “Darlene, what are you scared of now?”
Darlene looked
in his eyes. So much sadness, she thought. “You.”
He dropped to
one knee. “Me? But I just wanted to…” He started sobbing.
Darlene shifted
her weight and looked at the poor man sobbing in front of her. Through her fear
she found herself overcome with pity. She put her hand on his cheek. His breath
stopped for a moment. The warmth of her hand stopped his tears. He raised his
head and looked at her.
“I know what
you tried to do. I know why you tried to do it,” she said, her body still
trembling.
“I love you.”
Darlene smiled
as much as she could. “I know. Thank you. But I need you to save me one more
time.”
“I have to get
you out of here.” Gareth stood and helped Darlene to her feet. “Officer! She’s
coming out. Once I know she is safe I will come out. Is that okay?”
Stack let go of
his breath and smiled. “That’s fine.”
A few tense
moments later the door opened and Darlene stepped out. As she stepped out her
eyes met Stack’s. He pointed to the Special Weapons officers near the door. She
walk swiftly and then broke into a run, hurtling herself at the officers.
“Gareth. She is
with some officers now. She’s safe. I’ve kept my end of the bargain. So, if you
would please…”
Stack’s words
were cut off by a gunblast. He readied his weapon and kicked in the door.
Gareth Mund was
seated in the chair, his head lulled back.
Blood was dumping out of the self-inflicted wound. Stack sighed as
Special Weapons spilled into the room, guns at the ready.
The weight of
his gun pulled his arm down into a defeated swing. Stack blinked sadly. “Shit.”
*
Big City Eyes
had been quiet all morning. Charlie and Smiles were both busy wrapping up
cases. Emily had finally gotten caught up on sending out the notices to the
deadbeats. She’d even had a chance to walk down and get a coffee to go from
Tuck. As lunch approached she found
herself hunting around the web for nothing in particular. She soon became aware
that Charlie was standing near her desk, staring at Smiles’ door.
She watched him
for a moment. Charlie clenched his fist and moved back into his office. Emily
looked back at the computer. Again Charlie stepped out of his office, his eyes
locked on Smiles’ door. This time he made it to the middle of Emily’s desk. She
simply stared at him. As before Charlie sighed in frustration and moved back
toward his door. This time he stopped and turned around and marched to the
boss’ door.
Emily watched
as he opened it and stepped inside.
“Got a minute?”
Charlie closed the door behind him.
A little over a
half an hour later Emily was standing, lifting her purse to her shoulder. She
was looking forward to trying that new Goblin bistro down the street for lunch.
She turned as Smiles’ door opened and the two exited. Smiles patted Charlie on
the back and Charlie grinned and moved back to his office.
“Emily,” Smiles
said, lighting a cigarette. She looked at him. “When you get back from lunch I
want you to call Steve Conroy. I need some legal papers drawn up.”
Emily gave him
her usual thumbs up and walked out, headed for a steaming bowl of black noodles
and sweet cave grass.
*
Darlene sat on
the front stoop of her two-flat, sipping a mug of tea and looking up at the
dusting of snow that had fallen in the high mountains. It had been a week since
they let her go. The incident, as they called it, brought to light some of the
things she did on company time and on the company computer. While they made
clear that they didn’t blame her for Gareth’s unstable condition or the events,
she had still broken the company’s Acceptable Use policy. They let her go,
which she always thought was funny. “Let”. They MADE her go.
A job’s a job,
she thought. She did feel a pang. All her files were gone. Anthony Flair was
gone. She told herself again, as she did a million times, that she HAD to get a
computer. She sighed and looked up again at the mountains. The sun was sinking
into the bay and throwing pinks and oranges onto the wisps of snow.
“Miss Tyler?”
The voice came from slightly below her on the sidewalk.
Darlene took a
long blink and looked down to see the source of the voice. “Sgt. D’yen. What
brings you out tonight?”
Needless moved
up the steps and sat down. “Just following up I guess. I heard what happened.
I’m sorry.”
Darlene
shrugged. “I knew what I was doing. I just got caught. It just sucks that…
after all that, I get the boot. So, thanks for looking in on me. I’ll be fine.
”
Needless
reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a CD. “We got this from Gareth’s
computer. He had copies of all your document files to his hard-drive. I didn’t
know if you had copies or…” His voice
trailed off for a moment. “I just…”
Needless cleared his throat. “Uh… I write poetry.” Darlene raised an
eyebrow. “Not much. Just a little here and there. It was my mom, she got me
started. Nobody ever reads it. In fact you’re the only other person who knows.
It’s like a little secret, you know. Just for me. So…” He
held the CD out to her.
Darlene took
the CD and chuckled. “My hero.”
The two sat
quietly watching traffic on the street. Some simple winter company. After a while they chatted about life and
work. Soon the first stars of the evening pulsed slowly to life from behind the
mountains and gazed down on the snow peaks and lights of Big City. The winter
companions checked their watches and smiled. They shook hands and walked back
to their lives. It had been nice. Some simple winter company.
The End
Go To: BRICKWORK
© 2004 Eric Schwartz and Amy Manabat
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