by JD Dutra
He looked up to see if there were security cameras throughout the park, but couldn’t see any. There was an unusual white mist in the sky that morning, some type of thick white haze that looked nothing like rain clouds. An argument broke out between the FBI folks and the officers, and Nathan thought about the quickest way to verify the old lady’s story.
He went to the local news channel’s website, nothing was there. He then searched for the local hospitals in town, and dialed the first, he was put on hold and when his phone indicated he’d been waiting for more than ten minutes he hung up. He began to walk around, to look for Isabella and the girls and dialed another hospital. This time he was on hold for 20 minutes before he hung up. Now he found the website for the local newspaper and there it was, written in white against a red strip on the front page.
Breaking News: Mystery illness affects staff and patrons at the Arizona State Fair
Nathan read it over and over again until Isabella called.
“Where are you?” She asked.
“Looking for you guys.”
“I think those hotdogs are making the girls sick, we need to go home,” said Isabella with mild concern on her voice. “Meet me at the other exit, we are heading that way.”
Nathan looked around, but no one seemed to be ill or concerned, couples were holding hands, large groups of people of all ages were laughing, eating, chatting, everything looked so normal. When he finally got to his family the girls were feeling weak and nauseated, but they could still walk and seemed normal besides the discomfort.
They made their way home without speaking to one another and when they got there, Isabella went to put the girls in the shower. Nathan went straight to his laptop, to log into the local law enforcement database, to find out what’s going on. He keyed in his CIA credentials, a username and password that worked on all government websites his security clearance allowed for and he was in.
After spending minutes shuffling through different files that were generated that day, he found it. A finger indeed had been found floating around inside the mist tanks. Fingerprint tests were being done on it, to try to locate its owner, and so far no one had been at any hospitals with a missing finger. Every single staff member who had worked under the misters had gotten sick and had to seek medical attention. They were reporting nausea, weakness, pressure and discomfort around the eyes. Tests were being done, but no conclusive results on what might have caused the illness, they were expected to survive.
Nathan read several reports, medical information and testimonials. He saw a picture of the finger itself, it looked pale, it was misshapen, swollen. Another picture was of the tank and the lid, the dried blood dotted the area near the handle. It was the third evidence picture that sank him into his chair and made his heart hammer inside his chest.
The picture was taken by one of the maintenance workers with his phone. On the very center of the picture, there was a desert rock, the ruler against it indicated it was about 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. It weighed a little over a pound. The rock was completely covered in dried blood. A park worker had found this rock and another similar to it, sitting on a handful of sand on top of the lid of the mister’s tank.
“What’s wrong?” Asked Isabella who had just walked into his home office, her arms crossed, demanding an explanation of his behavior earlier.
“Everything…” He said, closing his eyes and leaning back on his chair, as if the weight of the world had dropped on his chest.
Chapter 25
Phoenix Suburbs, Arizona
Saturday, October 24th, 2020
3:00 P.M.
“You were right, Mom, I’m sorry. If only I had listened to you,” Isabella said over the phone, her voice weak from crying for the last several hours.
“I know. Come on home, the house is big enough for us all. The schools here are great, the girls will love it and you can help me with the practice… I could use a new office manager.”
“Anything will do, I can figure things out when I get there. I just need a place to start fresh.”
“Maybe you can finish your degree and make your dad’s dream come true of one day passing on the law office to you,” said Mary, sad that her daughter was so heartbroken, but glad that her marriage was at an end.
Isabella laughed, weakly, “I don’t remember anything anymore, I’d have to start it all from the beginning again, Mom.”
“Come home then, Sweetheart, me and your father can help you and the girls. Do you need me to send you some money for the trip?”
“No, he always gave me plenty so I have more than enough to get there. But then, going forward, I don’t know. Part of me doesn’t even care if he pays child support; I want nothing to do with him. I just want him out of our lives.”
“It was that bad huh?”
“Yes it was.”
“But what did he say exactly.”
“I don’t want to get into it now mom, I’ll tell you everything when I get there,” said Isabella, buying herself time to come up with a better story than the real one. Nathan had thrown in her face that he found out about her second affair and walked out on her, that explained why he was so distant the entire day at the fair. He started confronting her as soon as the girls were out of the shower and in bed watching a movie. He was so enraged and furious, if the girls weren’t at home, she didn’t know what he would have done to her. This was the first time he had made her feel afraid of being with him and now after everything he told her at the restaurant, she didn’t feel safe around him anymore.
“You’re worrying me, please tell me something, Isabella.”
“Well, earlier today we argued for what seemed like an eternity, then he grabbed some of his stuff and left. He didn’t say goodbye to the girls and didn’t take anything from ‘the wall’ of his.”
“He’ll be back then.”
“Yes he will…”
“Did he lay a hand on you?” Her mother’s voice was filled with concern.
“No, he has never done that. But in the future… I just don’t know.”
“Oh, Isabella, you don’t need to put up with that. Listen, I knew he would break your heart sooner or later. Those military types,” her mother said the last words with the snarl of someone who knows it all, “Most of them have war trauma and anger issues. Everyone knows they leave their wives at home and find new girlfriends wherever they go. I warned you so many times not to go through with this marriage.”
Good thing my parents never liked Nathan and they don’t talk. It would devastate them if they knew about Chad and Danny.
“I knew this wasn’t going to last,” Mary continued. “I bet he is cheating on you Isabella, I’m sorry to say it. Just know that you deserve better, and you are beautiful and young… you’ll find someone else.”
“I don’t know,” Isabella said, feeling tears swell in her eyes again.
“When will you leave? Your dad will actually be excited. I’m sure this will make him feel better.”
“Is Dad okay? What does he have?”
“The flu I think. There is a weird bug going around here, we even had to close the office yesterday, everyone was sick.”
“Poor Dad. Tell him I love him. The girls came down with something too, but I think its food poisoning. Nathan fed them all kinds of junk at the fair earlier today. Now I don’t feel well either.”
“Make sure you give them plenty of water and rest, they’ll be dehydrated, its still hot down there.”
“I will, Mom,” said Isabella with an edge to her voice, the memories of her mother telling her what to do about everything in her life filled her with anxiety about the future, but anything was better than what was happening now.
“Are you going to tell him you’re moving here?”
“No.”
“Isabella… are you sure you want to take your kids to another country without telling your husband? The Canadian laws are very similar to the US. You’ll be charged with kidnapping and the girls will go straight to him. Is that what
you really want?”
“I’ll tell him I’m going for a visit, then I’ll just stay. I don’t know what else to do Mom. I feel like I don’t know the man I married, I don’t know what he is capable of. I’d rather take the chance.”
“I don’t like that, but it won’t be the first time you’ve gone against my advice.”
“Mom, please…”
“Alright, I love you honey. Please be safe and our prayers will be with you. I have to run, your dad is coughing pretty hard so I better go check on him then I need to work on the garden a little more. Call me later on tonight, maybe your dad will feel good enough to talk.”
“Thanks mom, I will. I can’t wait to see you guys.”
Isabella hung up, and her mind turned towards someone who could help her mom with all her gardening needs.
Chapter 26
Tent City Jail, Phoenix, Arizona
Saturday, October 24th, 2020
5:41 P.M.
Daniel Cross was alone in solitary confinement, thinking about the day before, when Benny was killed in the yard. After the Special Response Team officers broke up the fight, he had spent hours at the infirmary waiting for his turn to be seen, and when he was, the entire visit lasted no more than two minutes. He was given a few over the counter pills for headaches, some water and a new inmate uniform to put on, his old one was stained with dried blood.
Daniel was then escorted to an interrogation room where he was questioned by officers all afternoon. He gave them an earful, told them his entire story from the beginning, from hiring Raymond to Whitey and finally how everything happened that morning, when Bennie was killed. When they asked him about the cigarettes, Danny said that he got them from Whitey on another bet. The officers pressed on, the shank guy was dead so they needed someone who was alive to blame. Daniel had the feeling that they’d want to blame as many people as possible for Benny’s death and he wondered if any time would get added to his sentence because of what happened. He worried about his children so much, it almost made him sick.
After they were done with him, the sun was down and he was sent to solitary. When the heavy metal door was closed behind him, he eyed the concrete bench on one side of the small cell, it had a thin piece of foam over it, and the metal toilet. The space was so small he could almost touch three walls at the same time. The strong fecal odor that came from the metal toilet right next to his bed was something that would take Daniel hours to get used to.
That night he laid on what was meant to be his bed with a lot on his mind - Benny, his children, Isabella, Whitey, the investigation and even Jennifer. The hematoma on his back hurt, but he felt alright. He tried to catch some sleep, thinking a fresh mind and a new day would help him process everything more clearly. The regulated temperature inside the solitary cell and the feeling that he could at least close his eyes and not worry about other inmates helped him fall asleep in minutes. When he woke up, it was sometime in the morning of the next day.
Once he was awake, the solitude of solitary confinement wore off quickly. The realization that he was nothing but a caged animal got to him, and he could hear some inmates in the other solitary cells, screaming, kicking the door or the metal toilet. Among the voices, he thought he heard Whitey but he wasn’t sure. He had to be somewhere near, the solitary confinement cells were all in the same block.
The metal square on the thick iron door opened and Daniel thought dinner was being served. A hard voice of a man came from outside the cell.
“Stand up and put your hands against the wall. We are coming in to cuff you, you got a visitor.”
Daniel smiled and jumped off his bed, got his hands wet, drank some water and splashed some on his face. He wondered if he smelled ok.
Could it be Summer? My lawyer? Isabella?
“Hurry up!”
“I’m ready,” said Daniel, placing his moist palms against the cold white walls and spreading his feet. He was facing the door, and a pair of eyes appeared. They were strange, red, and there was something white or yellow around the lashes.
“Look away from the door!”
Daniel sighed and looked towards the metal toilet. Sounds of the latch being pulled and other locks turning filled the air and Daniel could tell the door had been opened as inmates started howling and screaming. Two people walked in and Daniel felt his hands being pulled off the wall and clamped behind his back.
There was an officer behind him, holding the cuffs that bound his wrists together, putting pressure on his flesh but Daniel knew better than to complain. The officer that walked in front of him was Captain Bryant from the Special Response Team. He was a tall, African American man in tactical clothes, he always carried a shotgun and a scowl on his face.
As they walked down the hall, Daniel smelled something so strange and putrid, a disturbing stench with a sweetness to it, like the smell of Bennie’s blood but a lot stronger and worse. His gag reflexes shrunk his stomach in a jolt and he felt his stomach acid burn the back of his throat. He held his breath and turned to look at the officer behind him, his sickened face was twisted in disgust, he had smelled it too. Daniel took a closer look at the redness in the officer’s eyes and a yellow secretion around them, as if they were infected with something.
“I think the smell is coming from cell 47,” said the Special Response Team’s Captain.
“Another dead one. When it rains, it pours… “ Said the officer behind Daniel. “That’s the eighth one today and we’re short staffed, almost everyone is out sick. I’m letting you know right now, Captain, I am feeling it too, I’m not gonna come in tomorrow.”
The Captain in front stared back at the officer, reminding him to keep his mouth shut about the amount of officers on staff at Tent City Jail.
Before going through the door that led into the visitation room, Daniel’s wrists were freed and he rubbed the red marks on them slightly. He walked in, and to his surprise, the person awaiting him looked vaguely familiar but Daniel couldn’t remember how or if they had met before. He saw a man behind the iron fence, his dark hair had a little gray in it, and his eyes were dark, piercing, with a slight edge of intimidation in them. Daniel sat down and the metal door closed behind him. The two men stared at one another in silence for what seemed like an eternity.
“Are we going to stare at one another all day or are you going to tell me who you are?” Asked Daniel, wondering if the man was with one of the government agencies tossing his house.
“I just wanted to take a good look at your face,” said the man who sat across from Daniel, turning his head slowly from one side or another, as if analyzing him. “You kind of look like Chad.”
“Who is Chad?”
“You don’t know who Chad is?” The man smiled. “You’ll have the opportunity to meet him soon.”
“I don’t know of any Chads. Is that it? Are we done?” Asked Daniel. He was annoyed, fed up and not in the mood for intimidation games. When the man didn’t respond, he yelled “Guards! We are done here.”
Seconds went by in silence, no one came.
“I decide when we are done… Danny.”
The mentioning of his nickname froze him in place.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Nathan Greene.”
Daniel’s heart sank to his stomach and his mind immediately became an entanglement of thoughts. He held Nathan’s gaze as if they were playing a game of chicken.
“Does the last name sound familiar?”
Daniel didn’t know what to say.
“You should research the women you sleep around with Danny. Sometimes the fun isn’t worth it,” Nathan said casually, like an acquaintance giving friendly advice. “Whatever good time you and my wife had behind my back, no matter how good it was, it won’t be enough for the price you’re about to pay.”
“She never mentioned she was married in the beginning, it only came up… later,” said Daniel, “She isn’t happy with you, you need to let her go.”
“I agree, I need to let her go, an
d I will,” said Nathan, nodding slowly. “She certainly won’t be coming to you though. The next 24 hours will be very hard for you, Danny.”
Daniel’s pulse quickened as the time when Isabella told him her husband worked for the government flashed in his mind. Nathan looked at him, his eyes filled with controlled hatred and something else.
“She did say you’re an unstable man, but why don’t you just accept things as they are and move on? You lost her,” said Daniel.
“Maybe I am an unstable man, but one with a lot of power. Men like me just don’t accept things and move on Danny.” Nathan’s voice in the visitation cell sounded like a thunder filling the emptiness of the desert, “Men like me never lose.”
“What do you want from me?”
Nathan laughed and said nothing.
“Oh I’m done here,” said Daniel, standing up and walking to the door. He was just about to bang on it and call the guards when Nathan spoke again.
“Our friend Whitey will show you what I want from you.”
Daniel rested his fist on the door and then turned to look at Nathan, wondering what he meant by bringing Whitey into the conversation.
How did he know about Whitey?
“I made my investigations as to what you’ve been doing here Danny and learned all about Whitey. Now, as per my request, he is being released back into the tents… and so are you.”
“If you did your research, you’ll know why I’m in solitary. I can take care of Whitey.”
“Maybe you can, but he won’t be alone. Too many of them want you dead for what you did. You’re a marked man. You’re a jail rat. A dirty, weak, and pathetic rat.”
For a moment fear hit Daniel and then he began to tremble with anger, he was so fed up with being treated like an animal.
“If you’ve got so much say around here why don’t you get me out of here and I can show you how much of a rat I am?” Daniel hissed through clenched teeth.
Nathan simply chuckled, amused.
“You wouldn’t last 30 seconds with me, but with Whitey… you’ll last as long as he can. I hope that every second that he is inside of you, feels like an eternity.”