After getting them in the car, he drove to a road that had a ravine and put the car in park, then Howard told them to get into the driver’s and passenger’s seat and he would let them go home. They were just waking up from the drug and were not very alert. As they got into driver and the passenger’s seat he asked Christopher about the project he had been working on.
Christopher just looked at him and realized he had been watching him and he was the one to be afraid of, as his project would be used for evil instead for good. Christopher realized Howard would kill them if he gave him the formula. The formula was worth their lives as he lied to Howard.
He told Maud he would give the formula to Howard, and then they could go home. Maud knew better and just as Christopher was going to talk to Howard, she took the car out of park and stepped on the gas, the car careened down the ravine. It was very deep and was covered with rocks and trees. Howard was shocked; he never was able to talk to Christopher about the formula. He thought it would be sometime before anyone would ever find them. He knew the drugs had left their system and he wasn’t worried about how they died. The car caught on fire. It was burning, and it cast a light there in the darkness for everyone to see that drove by.
Howard left the scene and walked back to work. It was a long walk, and he was miserable that he couldn’t talk to Christopher about the formula. He couldn’t believe Maud would do that with the car. She didn’t want Howard to have the formula and she knew he was going to kill them anyway. When Howard finally arrived at his work building, he went into Christopher’s office and sat down at his computer. Howard tried all the passwords he knew about.
As Howard was searching Christopher’s computer for the formula, he opened a section that was ultra-classified. When he saw what was on the computer he knew he was not supposed to be there. He also knew the people that were involved would know it was Howard that was digging for information. Information to find out what the formula would do and who was working on it. Before Howard was able to even change screens, there were agents in the office and Howard was taken into custody.
The agent’s men were rough on Howard; they thought he knew a lot about the information or the plans of whatever Christopher was working on. But Howard did not seem to know much, or maybe would just not talk.
Since all the agents could say Howard was in a website he shouldn’t have been in. They let him go home on house arrest. The agents escorted Howard to his home and posted guards to prevent him from leaving.
But Howard had a special way out of his house and he packed a bag. The guards didn’t know he left but when the next shift came they decided to go in and see how Howard was doing. They opened the door but Howard was gone the agents knew that since Howard ran he must know more than he said he did. He was a wanted man now.
The computer program Christopher was working on was highly classified. The security should have been flawless. Howard told the agents Christopher gave him the passwords because he needed Howard’s help. But then he ran. Howard needed a place to hide. He thought eventually things would settle down. He went to his mother’s home, because he was sure he could hide there. She was his mom and didn’t know most of what was going on in the world. She wouldn’t be suspicious about anything he did. He told her he just wanted to get away from a woman that was making his life miserable, and he needed a place to live while he got his life back in shape.
Howard’s mom was not sure about anything Howard did. She was very suspicious about why he was there and what he was doing. When Howard was growing up, he got into lots of trouble. He would find a way out of the predicament; but then he would get into trouble again. She loved him and would always help him if she could, but she didn’t quiet trust him and was suspicious of everything he did.
Eventually, Howard decided his mom was watching him, and that worried him. He decided to leave and find another place to hide. Then he overheard his mom on the phone talking to someone about him. Howard was horrified, and he tore the phone away from her and hit her on the temple. She fell to the ground and when he went to her. He realized she was dead.
Howard panicked didn’t know what he was going to do next. He thought about it and Howard decided could use his mom’s death for his good. He buried her in the garden in the backyard. She was a great gardener and had a nice patch of ground ready to plant. He dug a hole and put his mom in it. Then he made airplane reservations in his mom’s name. He dressed in her clothes to disguise himself. Howard used his mom’s ID and credit cards and left the area. Howard hoped he was out of the area where the authorities would be looking for him. By now Howard had killed three people but it didn’t bother him. He just wanted the money from the sale of the formula.
Maud had grown up with only one sister, Katy and they were very close. When Katy moved to Georgia with a man she was sure she was going to marry it broke Maud and Katy’s heart to be away from each other. But they needed to do what was best for each of them. Katy never did marry the man she was in love with because she found out he was already married.
Once Katy found out the truth she moved to Atlanta and never looked back. She had been hurt she never thought she would date again. Katy lived alone and had a good career by herself. Mostly she was fine being by herself. Then one day she got a call from her brother in law’s employers. Christopher and Maud were dead. Katy was devastated but she needed to be strong for her niece and nephew
Katy went to Maud and Christopher home to take care of Beth and Chris. She sent them back to school, but it didn’t work out. They were very unhappy about their parent’s death they were living like zombies. When the kids got home from school that day she told them she had decided they should all go to Atlanta to live at my house, I need to get back to my job and you need to get out of this house. They started packing. They packed only what they would need in Atlanta and they donated rest of the items to the Salvation Army. They kept all the books that were important to their parents and ones they thought Beth and Chris would read. They put them in boxes and shipped them to Atlanta. When everything was in order they drove to Atlanta and settled into Katy’s home. Katy owned a condo and it had lots of room. Beth and Chris had their own rooms and although things were sad for them they had each other and it made a difference for each of them.
Beth and Chris went back to school in the fall. They spent the summer getting acquainted with Atlanta and accepted is as the place where they would grow up. It was okay. They were adjusting. Having each other to talk to made a big difference and Beth and Chris became very close those years. They had each other. They realized they would spend their life with only each other.
Katy was such a sweetheart to them. She was very patient, and she helped them as much as she could. She had her own life to live but she chose to take care of Beth and Chris anyway. She really loved them, and it wasn’t hard for her to take care of them. Christopher had life insurance which provided expenses, and she sure each was given an allowance each week and they had to make it last. She knew the children had not been taught about finances. Katy told them, there was more money, but if you need more then you come to me and we would talk about it.
In her senior year of high school Beth learned to drive a car and she wanted a car of her own. She went to Katy and they talked about loans and payments and building credit. Neither Beth nor Chris wanted to go to college; they just wanted to be out on their own. They shared their hopes and dreams with each other and then they went to tell Katy. We know you want us to get a college education and have a career and we hope you will not be disappointed in us. They then explained what they wanted to do with their lives. Chris had been offered a job with the Government. Because of Christopher’s reputation and dependability, and because Chris was single the agency thought he would be good for what they needed.
Beth had taken a course in Medical Coding in High School. She just needed to be certified and then she could do a job most people didn’t understand. Beth and Chris were determined to go their own way now they were done with
high school. They thanked Katy for taking them in and caring for them when their parents died. Now it is time for us to take care of ourselves. We do know how as you have taught us very well.
Beth accepted a job offer in Phoenix, Arizona. She was happy to move to the drier climate and get away from the humidity in Atlanta. Her job was in a clinic with several doctors. They were glad to have her, and she made the job a good job with her special skills and her personality.
Chris left Atlanta and went to work in Washington DC to attend the police academy as part of his job with the government. He kept in touch with Beth and Katy. Chris was satisfied that he was on his own after all those years he had to depend on someone else. Stewart met Chris at the academy. They were both big men, Chris was handsome, and Stewart had an interesting face but was nice to look at. Both men were used to winning in anything they set their minds to.
They spent time together when they weren’t in training at the academy and when they started working they were sent out as partners and over the years became great friends. Stewart grew up in Pennsylvania as part of a happy family with his three sisters and four brothers. His mom and dad started out with a small home and over the years they added on to the house as their family grew. There was always something to be done and the children needed to learn to work hard
When ever anyone complained their mom or dad usually told them “there was no free lunch.
When Stewart was just a kid he knew he wanted to be in law enforcement. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a police officer or something else, but he knew from a young age he wanted to help other people with their problems. Stewart grew up knowing his family loved him and he was a friend to many people at school and in the neighborhood.
One of Stewart’s friends introduced him to his uncle, Douglas who worked in law enforcement. Douglas realized Stewart was serious about going into law enforcement he then started teaching Stewart things he needed to know.
For the next two years when Douglas was in town he taught Stewart. Stewart learned martial arts and he learned how to win without hurting anyone.
When Stewart started at the academy Stewart knew many of the moves they were teaching him, but he learned their way and it was better. When they finished at the academy several of the men that were not going to be police officers went to more training. Training that would enhance the agents for more dangerous jobs. Chris said to Stewart, this is what I wanted to do ever since I can remember. I wanted to learn all the things most people didn’t know. I wanted to be able to do those things that would help others.
Chris and Stewart worked together when they were sent out on jobs and it wasn’t long until their bosses knew how well they worked together. The two men worked together for several years and it became that they knew what the other was thinking. They had just come off a job that was kind of rough for even them. They knew they needed some time off. They were not sure what they were going to do yet, but when they got home and listened to Chris’s messages both knew what they were going to do.
Go see Beth and help her if they could or take some time off with her. Now here they were in Chris and Beth’s home where they grew up. They were searching for something; they were not sure what. Both men knew this could be dangerous. Both knew they had to protect Beth. Both men realized the danger came from Chris and Beth’s father, as he must have found the formula he had been searching for. Now they had to piece together all the things that had happened since then.
Chris, Beth and Stewart needed to get away to think what to do next. They were stressed from all of what had happened to them and they realized they were hungry. They locked up the house and went to their motel.
They changed clothes and went to get something to eat. They knew they didn’t want to be seen by the people in this town to know they were strangers; they drove out of town to find a restaurant. Outside of town there was a bar that served food. They ate a very pleasant meal, and spent several hours talking about what they were doing here and what to do next. Stewart wanted to know where the books were.
Chris and Beth remembered they kept most of them and then they donated the rest of them to the local library. Most of the furniture was donated to the Salvation Army. Stewart asked the two about the books that were donated. We believe the formula was hidden in the house. Both Beth and Chris started thinking about all the furniture and all the items that were in the house they grew up in.
Most were of no consequence to anyone, they were just part of a normal home. As Beth and Chris were thinking about that time they remembered how sad they were to leave the only home they knew. Katy had taken care of most of the details and they didn’t pay much attention to what was done
Now Katy was gone and there was no one to ask. Then Chris told them about the apparition he saw when they were at the house, Chris told them what he thought it was Eric trying to tell them to search and area they don’t yet know about. All of them thought about all the things that happened to them in the last few days. They were very excited about solving the mystery. Beth said she was tired and needed to get some sleep. They went to the motel to rest and to relax start over in the morning.
They each went to their own rooms and went to bed, but none of them could sleep. Very early in the morning each of them got up and decided to go back to the house and maybe while they were there they would think of what was to do next.
Beth got up and put on the same clothes she had wore when they went to the house the day before. As she got dressed she could hear someone next door doing the same thing. When she opened her door, there stood Stewart all ready to begin the day. Beth asked him into her room and offered him a chair. She told him if they were both ready to go to the house, they might as well wait for Chris.
While they were talking about the house, the apparition and what it all meant they realized they were thinking the same things. Beth told Stewart, you are saying the same thing I am thinking. You answer my questions before I asked them. We are on the same wavelength.
“What is going on?” Stewart said to Beth, “I have known for a while we were to be together.” He continued, “I just didn’t want to say it until we got this mystery figured out.”
Beth thought about it for a minute and then said” you are a very special person and I have known that but now isn’t a good time to even think of us. With that she was very quiet and decided to get ready to wake up Chris. Right then he knocked on her door. She was standing up to go and get him and told them both, “let’s go! I need to get this figured out and go back to can back to work and my life.”
When they got to the house they were very quiet. They didn’t know where to start or what to do. They went into the house as Chris picked the lock and they entered the kitchen. Everything looked the same. Nothing had changed that they could think of. They decided to go upstairs. Chris told them, do not panic as I told you what I saw yesterday and this could be from him or her or whatever was what I saw. As they climbed the stairs they wondered if it was going to be the same.
They were not scared but concerned that whatever was going on was very dangerous. As they entered the hallway they knew that it would not be the same. The trio went into the first bedroom off the hallway. It was the master bedroom. There was a bathroom next to it. They looked around but didn’t see anything to stir their curiosity. Then they went into the next bedroom and it was the same. An empty room that would have been a bedroom to Beth. That is where she spent most of her life. It looked wonderful when her mom decorated it, but now it was just an empty room.
Chris went into the room that had been his and nothing looked different. It was just an empty room; It didn’t mean a lot to him like it did to Beth. He had spent most of his life in that room, but he was okay seeing it again. The next room had been a guest room. It used to have a bed in it and Maud decorated it. Although they never had any guests, the next door was the opening to the attic. The attic was not a place Beth wanted to go when she was a child. She was not exactly afraid, but she just didn’t w
ant to be there by herself.
Chris and Stewart wanted to see the attic now. Beth wasn’t happy but went with them anyway. They climbed the stairs and opened the door. Nothing was there. No surprises. Just an empty attic. As they stood there looking around and realized there was a light in the corner that shouldn’t have been there? Before they could react in anyway the light moved. It went to a rafter that was part of the attic. The light was on the rafter.
Finally, Chris moved to go the light. Beth whispered, don’t go there. Please stay here.
But Chris went anyway just like he didn’t hear her. He put his hand on the rafter and just stood there looking at the light. When he looked at the rafter and he realized there was a cut in the wood. The rafter had been cut and put back the same way it was taken out. Just a small cut, nothing anyone would ever see if they didn’t know it was there.
Stewart went to Chris. Both stood very still just looking at the light. The light was as tall as them and silvery and moved around like it couldn’t stand still. A light that was not a light but a stream of incredible movements of many lights all rolled into one. It was awesome; more incredible was that the light didn’t move but was on the rafter.
Both men knew the light was showing them something. Beth finally went to the rafter also. She wasn’t scared anymore, just curious. She knew the light was there to help them. How she knew that she wasn’t sure, Beth said in a whisper it wants to show us something. It must be where the light is. Chris put his hand on the rafter where it had been cut and it opened like it had been on a spring. There was a burlap sack in the hiding place. Chris took the sack and in it was a bunch of letters. Letters that had not been mailed. Christopher had written to Maud and the letters had been saved.
It must have been after they were married, and it didn’t make much sense for him to write at that time. After they took the sack of letters out, Chris moved the rafter back and it went back into place. It looked like it had never been opened.
Light in the Shadows Page 5