Grunting, Daniel scampered to his feet and brushed off his pants. He looked down at Lawson and offered him a hand. Lawson huffed and slapped his hand away.
"Suit yourself," Daniel jabbed and stepped to the side.
As he did, his foot hit something and he stumbled then looked down at the ground. Lawson's gun was sticking up out of the mud. It was like an act of divine intervention, an answer to all his problems and all he had to do was reach out and claim it.
He knelt and wrapped his fingers around the cold metal. As he did the sheriff slowly got to his feet. He watched as Daniel embraced the weapon like a long-lost love. His heart raced and panic gripped him around the neck like a noose.
Daniel raised his head and their eyes met. Any words or pleas for help got clogged in Lawson's throat. Instead he trembled and glared at him with a blank face.
"Here," Daniel said and took a step forward.
Lawson gasped and stumbled backwards. Daniel snickered and held the gun out toward the sheriff.
"Take the damn thing," he said.
Lawson looked at him skeptically. He slowly extended his hand then snatched gun and shuffled to the side. Fidgeting, he shoved the pistol into his holster and buttoned it closed.
He eyed Daniel for a minute and ground his teeth. “Get in your car and get the hell out of here!” he said dismissively.
Daniel didn’t need to be told twice. He jumped into the driver’s seat and cranked up his car. Revving the engine, he pulled back onto the road and floored it. It wasn’t until he was miles away that he really had a chance to think about what had just occurred.
Lawson had completely lost it. Daniel was sure he would’ve tried to kill him if it hadn't been for the semi-truck. Whether he was the murderer or not, Lawson was a problem and sooner or later Daniel was going to have to fix it.
By the time Daniel made it home it was past nine o’clock. He was sure Monica was going crazy. He hadn’t called all day and she was leaving for New York soon.
Daniel’s house sat far off the road cascaded in shadows by the lumbering oak trees. It looked uncharacteristically dark under the full moon. Daniel felt a cold, eerie chill run up his spine as he made his way to the door.
He stepped into the foyer and was immediately consumed by the darkness. All the lights were out and the house was dead quiet. Pocket wasn't even there to greet him at the door.
Daniel turned the lock then cautiously walked down the hall in silence. Like a ghost he slipped through the shadows and stopped in the living room. Sighing, he rubbed his face and glanced around.
“Monica?” he whispered.
His voice trailed off into the black abyss and disappeared. He waited for a response that never came. He called again and waited a little longer. Standing in silence, he strained his ears, but there was nothing.
He scratched his head then turned and headed down the dark hallway towards his room. By this point alarm bells were going off in his head and he was ready for a fight. He tiptoed quietly, his hands ready to strike at any moment.
“Daniel, where have you been?” a soft voice suddenly groaned from behind him.
LIGHTS OUT
Daniel turned around to find Monica standing a few feet away. She was dressed in a silver nightgown gripping a butcher’s knife tightly in her right hand. Her face was unreadable, but the tip of the knife glowed even in the darkness.
“Holy shit!” Daniel exclaimed and leapt to the side.
Monica giggled and lowered the knife a little. She glided towards Daniel, her face blank and emotionless. The moon beamed through the skylight giving her an almost angelic look as she floated across the tile.
Daniel narrowed his eyes and stared into Monica’s stoic face. She glared back at him, her gaze unrelenting.
She held the knife tightly at her side; the blade reflected the moonlight like a mirror. Daniel took a step forward and she flinched and brought the knife a little higher. He tilted his head at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Monica?” Daniel muttered.
“Daniel?” she responded.
He stared at her fiercely and bit his lower lip. He moved to the side of the hallway and she did the same. She raised the knife pointed it at him, the wooden handle gripped tightly in her hand. A sinister grin was etched across her face.
Moving out of the moonlight she stepped towards Daniel and paused. Daniel took a half step backwards and then rushed forward and grabbed her by the wrists. Monica struggled for a moment then smiled and they both broke out into laughter.
“What the hell are you doing?” Daniel chuckled as he let her go.
“The power went out and my husband was nowhere to be found," she replied and smiled back at him.
“Yeah, well he can be a bit of an ass sometimes.”
“I know, but he also has a nice ass,” Monica grinned.
You’ll never believe the night I’ve had. Aside from my wife trying to stab me with a butcher knife,” Daniel said as he slowly took the knife away from Monica.
"Just wanted to show you I've been paying attention and learning to defend myself."
"This night can't get much worse anyway."
“Tell me all about it, but go fix the power first.
“Yes ma’am.”
Daniel saluted her and headed off into the darkness. Stumbling around like a mole, he made his way to the garage. He felt his way to the far wall and pulled open the fuse box.
The main breaker for the house had been thrown. Sighing, Daniel flipped it back and the whole house lit up. Daniel could hear the television blaring and Pocket barking from inside.
After closing the garage, he headed back in where he found Monica sitting on the couch. She’d already grabbed her laptop and was busy scrolling through it.
“Well done,” she said as he walked into the room. “Now tell me about your night.”
Daniel sat down beside her and dove into his account of everything that had occurred. When he finished, Monica stared at him with her mouth wide open.
“Monica, you okay?” Daniel waved his hand in her face and she blinked. “Monica!”
She blinked again then shook her head. Daniel grabbed her shoulders and she suddenly stood up. She slung the pillows off the couch and flailed her arms in the air.
“That son of a bitch! We’ve had him over for dinner. I can’t believe he’d do that to you,” she screamed, pounding her fist against the sofa.
Daniel had become accustomed to Monica’s violent outbursts since her pregnancy and he knew it was best if he let her vent. He leaned back on the couch and eyed her cautiously as she continued.
“That bastard needs to be fired. You call the judge tomorrow,” Monica said as she started to pace the floor.
She walked back and forth, steaming rising from her head. Daniel tried to hide a grin as Monica shook her finger in the air and mumbled random curse words.
“I’ll file a complaint,” Daniel said halfheartedly. “First thing tomorrow…I’ll file a complaint.” He honestly had no intention of reporting anyone, but resolving things his own way.
“You better. And the next time that asshole calls I have a thing or two to say to him,” Monica continued. “I’m just so furious! It’s one thing to harass Victor. God knows he deserves it, but you? That incompetent prick should know better.”
Monica went on ranting for another thirty minutes before she finally started to calm down. When she turned back to Daniel he’d fallen asleep on the couch.
Smiling, Monica grabbed a blanket from the closet. She kissed him on the head and laid the blanket over him. She stared at him for a moment then headed to the bedroom and left him there sleeping.
NEW YORK NEW YORK
“That’s the second time that asshole tried to shoot you,” Tom laughed. “The man I knew would’ve been digging already.”
Daniel grinned and Victor looked up at him nervously as he twiddled his fingers. Daniel had just finished telling them about his encounter with Lawson and Victor was certain it was onl
y a matter of time before the sheriff came for him.
“You know, we can always disappear that worthless prick. Toss his body in the damn river,” Tom suggested without a hint of humor on his face.
Daniel seemed to be considering Tom for a moment then waved him off. It might have been a good idea, but PJ’s noisy bar room was the last place to discuss it. Daniel’s natural paranoia had him imagining secret microphones in the bra of every waitress.
“I gotta get out of here, Monica’s leaving soon,” Daniel said as he sat an empty glass down onto the table.
“You’re…you’re leaving?” Victor mumbled.
Tom laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry big guy, you’re in good hands.”
"I’ll see you tomorrow at the office, Vic. Tom, stay out of trouble,” Daniel said and jabbed his index finger at him before heading for the door.
Victor cringed at the thought of heading back to the office. Since Sherri's murder he'd been on edge and being back in that building was the last thing he wanted to do. A cold chill crawled up his spine and he buried his face back into his mug of beer.
Daniel got home a little after five and immediately started packing Monica’s things into the car. She casually pranced around the house in a sundress, telling him which bags should go where. Daniel rolled his eyes in annoyance and couldn't help but to think Sandra was to blame for all of this.
“Hey, simmer down, Madonna. You’re not famous…yet,” Daniel said as Monica grabbed one of her Gucci bags.
“The keyword is yet, Daniel. Besides I thought you wanted a rich and famous sugar mama."
“Just get in the car,” he laughed and opened the door.
The trip to the airport was quick and uneventful. As they pulled up to the unloading area Sandra flagged them down from the curb. She was flailing her hands in the air like a drunk cheerleader.
Daniel sighed then shook his head. “Should I just hit her with the car now? I'm sure those tickets are refundable.”
Monica slapped him on the arm and giggled. "Be nice."
Before the car could stop Sandra ran to the door and yanked it open. Daniel glared at her and swallowed back the string of expletives that nearly jumped off his tongue.
“Monica, Monica, I can’t wait to get to the big apple.”
“She knows you can’t actually eat it, right?” Daniel whispered from across the seat.
Monica gave him a scolding look and rolled her eyes. She stepped out of the car and the two of them began to giggle with excitement.
“I can’t wait either, Sandra. I’m so excited!” Monica said, grabbing Sandra’s hands.
Daniel stepped out of the car and opened the trunk. Grumbling, he grabbed her bags out of and rolled them over to the curbside check-in. Monica and Sandra stood to the side still deep in discussion about the different shops they should visit while in New York.
“I’ll meet you at security,” Daniel said as he hopped back into the car.
Monica didn't respond.
"Monica!" Daniel said with a little more bravado. "Security, meet me there."
Monica nodded and gave him a little wave. Daniel scrunched up his face then clenched his jaw before pulling off.
The garage was the exact opposite of the one down by his office. It was full of light and looked like a cleaning crew went through it twice a day. Even the air had a fresher, cleaner quality to it.
Daniel quickly parked and walked across the garage to the elevator. He took it down to the 2nd floor then ran inside to find Monica. When he got to security check-in, she was nowhere to be found.
“That woman never listens,” Daniel mumbled.
He scanned the airport looking for a pregnant little lady in a sundress. He knew she had to be close, they didn't have long before their flight was set to depart.
"Sandra!" he groaned under his breath as he romped around the airport.
After ten minutes of looking for her he stumbled upon a donut shop. And like a bad joke he could Sandra’s silhouette through the window. Wiping his face, he took a deep breath and stormed inside.
“Funny, this looks nothing like security.”
Monica bit her lip and gave a bashful shrug as he walked up behind them. Sandra stuffed another donut into her mouth then walked towards Daniel with her arms wide open.
“Daniel, you know we’ve got to feed the little one. You don’t want her flying off with an empty belly,” she grabbed Daniel and hugged him.
“You’re gonna miss your flight,” Daniel gasped as he wiggled out of Sandra’s embrace then walked out.
Sandra puckered her lips and reached for another donut. She turned to Monica and giggled as she bit a chunk out of it. Smiling, Monica grabbed her bags and hurried after Daniel.
When they caught up with him he was waiting at the security gate looking agitated. Monica slid next to him and rubbed his shoulders.
“Don’t worry, hun. I’ll leave her in New York,” Monica whispered in his ear.
Daniel smiled and patted her hand. “Have fun, but don’t let it go to your head… any more than it already has.”
“Yeah, I’ll try. By the way, if Lawson shows his face do me a favor and hit him in it.”
They both laughed and Daniel pulled her in close and squeezed.
“Careful you’ll hurt the baby,” she giggled.
“Okay, okay some of us are ready to go,” Sandra griped.
Daniel shot her a dirty look and whispered in Monica’s ear, “Seriously, you really need to leave her.”
Monica grinned and headed through the security checkpoint with Sandra. Daniel waved and watched the doors on the tram close. With a hum it zipped down the tracks and disappeared around the corner. Daniel watched for a minute longer and then headed back to the parking garage.
Feeling a bit out of place, he drove the stretch of highway back to his house in a somber mood. It’d been years since he’d had to sleep alone. Monica was normally at his side or at the very least roaming the house.
By the time he made it home all he could think to do was crawl into bed and crash. So much had gone on in such a short period he’d hardly had time to digest it all. His head swarmed with crazy thoughts and shadowy images and now with an empty house sleep was his best remedy.
“Danny! Danny, wake up,” Tom said urgently, his face only a few inches away.
Daniel sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Where the hell are we?”
“Laos, but don’t tell command that. Come on we gotta get going.” Tom grabbed his bags and walked out of the tent. Daniel shook his head trying to wake up as a horde of mosquitoes swarmed in.
“I hate the fucking jungle,” Daniel spat, erupting from the tent swatting at bugs.
He knelt next to Tom who was looking through a pair of binoculars down into the valley.
“The LZ is over there,” Tom pointed.
“That shit is crawling with Charlie,” Daniel sighed. “Leave it to the suits to put a bird down in the middle of a fucking ant mound.”
Tom shook his head and tossed the binoculars back into his bag. They both finished packing the tent up then stealthily slipped into the foliage. They moved deliberately through the thick jungle vegetation, heading closer to the clearing.
Suddenly, the wind-ripping shriek of gunfire exploded from behind them, tearing through the trees. Daniel quickly dove to the ground and reached for his rifle. He looked to the side as Tom met him with a stupid grin on his face.
“Fucking VC, they’d follow you to hell if it meant they could get a clean shot,” Tom screamed.
More gunfire peppered the trees and the familiar buzz of a Huey wacked at the air. Daniel and Tom stayed low and crawled through the tangled limbs of the jungle floor as bullets whizzed by their heads.
“We gotta get the fuck outta here!” Daniel yelled.
Tom laughed and started to reply, but was interrupted by a loud hiss.
“Was that a fucking stinger? Where the fuck did they get that from?”
The air was
cracked by another hiss and then a loud explosion. Daniel looked ahead as burning shards of the helicopter fell to the ground. Some of the crew were blown out and their charred remains littered the jungle.
Sirens erupted from the distance, signaling a full attack by the VC. Daniel rolled over and covered his ears.
“Turn that off, Monica,” he yelled. “Monica!”
Daniel jumped up out of bed and knocked the alarm clock off the nightstand. He rubbed his face and looked around at his empty room. Pocket snored loudly in the corner, intermittently kicking his leg.
It was already five o’clock in the evening. Daniel had almost slept the entire day away. He looked around the room, his eyes still adjusting to the rays that beamed through the window. His mind still fighting against the constant flashbacks that haunted him nightly.
A red light flicked on the answering machine and he reached across the nightstand and hit play.
“Daniel, Daniel this is Ned. I was just calling because you’ve missed your last two appointments. I know digging into the past can be painful, but I really think we are getting somewhere. Especially dealing with that incident back in college. Call me so we can reschedule.”
Daniel sighed and hit the delete button. He rubbed his eyes then sat up. Stretching across the bed, he grabbed a piece of paper and then the phone from the nightstand.
It’d been almost twenty-four hours since he’d spoken to Monica. He missed her call when her plane touched down and he was sure she wouldn’t let him forget it.
Yawning, he jabbed the numbers on the phone. Bringing the receiver to his ear he waited as it rung again and again. After several rings the phone disconnected. Daniel tried calling her again, but after the third time he gave up.
“Guess I missed you,” Daniel mumbled.
Groaning, he rolled out of bed and started to get dressed. He was in a hurry to get to the office, although his body didn't seem that concerned with his plans. The police had finally concluded their investigation and Daniel could finally reopen. But the voice in the back of his head told him to give it another week.
When the Night Calls Page 11