Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  Jason stared at the man, a different officer than the one before. Bail? Was the man confused? Jason had no one to call and he didn’t have enough money to make bail.

  He stood, feeling a little leery. He was certain that before he got to freedom, someone would realize their mistake and he’d be dragged back down here to await arraignment.

  Better to skip the bullshit and just stay down in the pit.

  “I didn’t pay bail. There must be some mistake.”

  “It’s been paid for you, and there are instructions. The cab is waiting for you outside and the meter is running. I suggest you light a fire under it, Twinkle Toes.”

  The cop unlocked the door, sliding it open and stepping back so that Jason could walk out of the cell. He was still skeptical, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  Maybe Lilly had bailed him out and the cab was sent to bring him to her. Wouldn’t that be the thing? At least he would know that Lilly believed him. If she believed him, then this entire, hellish nightmare he was trapped in would be bearable.

  There was an officer at the top of the stairs behind a bulletproof window. He slid a large envelope with Jason’s things in it out to him.

  “Please check your belongings,” he said with little enthusiasm.

  Jason went through his wallet and the rest of the contents of the envelope. Everything was there and accounted for. He thanked the officer and headed out the door.

  ***

  As promised, the taxi was waiting for him at the curb. He got into the back and smiled at the man’s reflection in the mirror.

  “Where are we going?” he asked the driver.

  “I’m supposed to drop you off but I’m not supposed to tell you where you’re going. It’s a surprise.”

  “I’m not really into surprises.”

  “I guess you could go back to the jail then. I would think someone who got bailed out would be grateful enough to accept a free ride, but what do I know? I’m just the messenger.”

  “And what’s the message.”

  “Sit down and shut up.”

  “Charming.”

  Jason buckled his seatbelt, sitting back and taking in the waning afternoon as the driver headed for the highway and went south, away from the city.

  Jason watched out the window, watching exit after exit fly by them.

  “We’ve already passed my house,” Jason said, starting to feel nervous.

  The cabby didn’t say a word in response. Instead, he reached forward and turned the radio up. Jason leaned back. His mind was racing. What in the hell was going on?

  They were on the highway, and the newly raised speed limit of seventy meant that there was no way that Jason could jump out. He was along for the ride whether he liked it or not.

  When they hit the 35W south and left Tarrant County, Jason shifted in his seat and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket.

  “Now what would you be doing with that?” the cabby asked, only his eyes visible in the rear view mirror.

  “Just letting my girl know that I’ll be home late.”

  “That better be all you’re doing.”

  “Why? It’s not like I thought to get the license plate and I have no earthly clue where we’re going, so what am I going to tell?”

  “Good. I’m just delivering you. I don’t want any trouble.”

  “How much were you paid to deliver me?”

  “More than I make in a year.”

  “That’s quite a bit of money.”

  “It’s not as much as you think, but yes, it’s a lot.”

  “I don’t suppose I could offer you more to let me out here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then I guess there’s nothing to talk about.”

  Jason quickly swiped “I’m in trouble” on his phone and clicked send before shoving it back in his pocket. He wasn’t sure if Lilly would get the message, or what, if anything, she could do about it. But if anyone could help Jason, it was Lilly.

  “Why are you so nervous?” the cabby asked, suddenly talkative. “Do you have enemies or something?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Well, if you have nothing to worry about, then I wouldn’t worry.”

  “Yeah, that’s not how my week has been going lately. I prefer to stay paranoid.”

  The cabby chuckled softly and Jason had a feeling that the cabby really didn’t have any idea what was going on, but he also didn’t seem to care all that much. Still, Jason’s alarm bells were going off like crazy. People who paid tens of thousands to kidnap someone usually didn’t have good intentions.

  Johnson County came and went, and pretty soon, the roads started to look hauntingly familiar.

  “I feel like there’s no reason to keep our destination a secret anymore. It’s not like I can jump out of the car.”

  “Look, Buddy. I didn’t take this job to chit chat. I’m sure everything will be fine. Why would someone bail you out and get you a cushy cab ride to your destination unless they had good intentions?”

  “You don’t even believe that, do you?”

  The radio volume turned back up and Jason cast his eyes out the window and crossed his arms over his broad chest. A sign caught his eye and he sat up straight.

  “Are we going to South Arlen?” he asked, but he didn’t need an answer.

  He could see that he’d hit it right on the head.

  “I don’t know who you talked to or what they said, but this is a bad idea; for both of us. Whatever they offered to pay you, it’s not enough. Your life is in danger as much as mine is.”

  “Shut up,” the cabby ground out through clenched teeth.

  “You seem like a good man. Whatever it is that you need the money for, there are other ways to get what you need.”

  “I said shut up!”

  He turned the radio up so loud that the music was almost deafening. The cab slowed and turned off the highway, but Jason didn’t have to look at the sign.

  He knew exactly where they were going.

  The ride down the dirt easement that led through the property was bumpy. Even under the loud music, Jason could hear the cabby cursing the wear and tear on his car.

  He pulled to a stop in the large, bare dirt area in front of the house Jason grew up in. The dust from the easement followed them, completely obscuring the house from view for a moment before the air cleared.

  “This is where you get out,” the cabby said.

  He had parked beside the old well, which was still covered with a heavy concrete lid. Stuffed into the handle made of rebar was a large manila envelope. In large, black ink it said. “Do not open until you get home”.

  The cabby unrolled his window and reached down, pulling the envelope out and tossing it onto the passenger seat.

  “Get out,” he said.

  “I think I’ll stay,” Jason said.

  “Get out!”

  Jason opened the door and stepped out. The cab driver sped away before he had the chance to close the door. The open door bounced around a few times on the rough road before it finally slammed shut.

  Jason turned, looking up the porch and peering into the darkness, trying to make out the hulking figure standing just beyond the doorway. It was no use; the setting sun wasn’t putting out enough light to make it into the house.

  Shrugging, Jason walked up to the porch and stood at the base of the steps.

  “I guess I should thank you for bailing me out.”

  “You definitely should.”

  The man didn’t move, and Jason still couldn’t make out his face.

  “Do I know you?” Jason asked.

  “Doubtful. Tell me, Jason, do you think the cabby will wait until he gets home to open the envelope?”

  “I guess I’ll play along and pretend that this is a totally normal day,” Jason said wryly. “The cabby seemed to be good at following instructions, so I’m going to guess yes.”

  “That’s a shame,” the man in the darkness said. “I was kind of hopin
g he would prove to be impatient.”

  “What are we doing here? Did you kill Tom?”

  “I did kill him. But he deserved it. He was squandering his life away, burying himself in the bottom of a bottle and wasting his good fortune.”

  “Did you kill Leroy?”

  “I did. How far do you think he is right now? I’m sure he’s already on the highway.”

  The man pointed north, back in the direction that Jason had come from. Jason’s gaze followed in the direction he pointed, wondering why he was so fixated on the cab driver. Jason had just turned when there was a loud boom and a fireball shot fifty feet into the air north of where they were.

  Jason ducked reflexively, covering his head even though the explosion had come from the highway and more than a mile north of the onramp. He stood up, looking in shock at the black smoke that billowed into the air.

  “I guess he wasn’t as patient as you gave him credit for. What a shame; I was hoping to take out his entire family.”

  “What have you done?” Jason asked, still staring at the smoke in the distance in silent disbelief.

  “Tied up loose ends, Jason. Just making sure that I have all the time with you that I need.”

  Jason spun around, surprised to see that he’d taken at least ten steps away from the porch when he’d first heard the explosion. His instincts had taken over and he’d moved toward the danger.

  Maybe that was why he was in the position he was in now.

  He took a few steps forward, his anger overwhelming him. That was three lives now, cut short by the faceless man in the shadows of his parents’ house. Jason was done with this situation and all the clandestine bullshit that went along with it.

  “So now that you have me here, what do you want from me?”

  “Everything. Nothing.”

  “Well, that’s nice and clear.”

  “You know me, Jason. There’s no way that you don’t remember me.”

  “Then why are you hiding in the shadows?”

  “I’m not hiding.”

  “Then show yourself.”

  “Why are you in such a hurry? Have a hot date with Lilly?”

  “How do you know her name?”

  “I know a lot of things.”

  “Enough with the games already. Either show yourself or don’t, but do it quickly.”

  He turned away from the porch, taking a few steps in towards the easement before he heard the unmistakable sound of a loaded gun cocking. He stood, frozen in his tracks.

  He put his hands up slowly and turned around.

  The man took one step forward and then another until he was standing out of the shadows and in the waning sunlight. Jason looked at the man in stunned silence.

  “No. There’s no way.”

  There was a click and a sizzling sound, and Jason swore he smelled his own flesh burning as the Taser prongs grabbed hold and filled his body with painful electricity. The last thing that Jason saw before the world went black was himself, squatted down beside him, staring into his eyes as the darkness seeped in.

  ***

  Lilly knocked on the Sergeant’s door, her stomach doing flip flops, hands unsteady but not quite shaking. She’d never been called into the Sergeant’s office before, at least, not like this. They’d just taken Jason away to booking, and she wanted nothing more than to take off work early and go home. She needed some time to think and plan her next move, and she’d hoped to do that before talking to her superior officer.

  She didn’t think he knew anything, but she wanted to be prepared just in case.

  “Come in,” he called, and Lilly walked in, trying to keep her steps light and her face neutral so he wouldn’t suspect anything.

  Her mouth went dry when she saw Adam sitting there, leaning back in his chair with a sly grin on his face.

  Had he told? Thousands of scenarios went through her head in an instant, and she couldn’t find a single one in her favor. It was obvious what was going on; Adam had told about her unfortunate and embarrassing lapse in judgement in hopes of furthering his own career. She was furious and terrified all at once. She would probably lose her job, but what was more terrifying was the possibility that she would lose her ME credentials.

  Then what would she do?

  “So Adam here told me some interesting things about the case,” Sarge began.

  Lilly fought the urge to give Adam a death glare; it wouldn’t help her case any, and she wanted to keep a level head so she could think. She was going to have to do some fancy talking to get herself out of this mess.

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean,” she said.

  She gave herself a mental pat on the back. She sounded calm, she sounded in control and she sounded innocent of any breech of protocol.

  “Pretty interesting if I do say so myself. It seems pretty early on that Jason Hathaway was discounted as a viable suspect and we cut him loose. But it turned out you had other plans for Hathaway and you stayed on him.”

  Lilly opened her mouth to say something, but Sarge held up his hand.

  “So you went behind your partner’s back to see Hathaway; against my orders to stick with Adam until you were completely trained and ready and against Adam’s instinct as a seasoned detective.”

  “Sir, I—”

  “I’m not done. I should have fired you, or at the very least written you up. But I didn’t know any of this until Adam came to tell me.” He gave Adam a withering look. “And I should write his ass up for letting it go on without telling his superior officer.”

  Lilly took a chance and looked at Adam, shocked that he was grinning. Was he serious? Was this it, was she getting fired and Adam was happy about it?

  Adam winked at her and Lilly saw red. What was she missing here?

  “So it turns out that the rookie was right, that there was something about Hathaway worth giving a second and third look. “

  Lilly blushed furiously, but Sarge didn’t seem to notice.

  “At any rate, I just wanted to apologize to you Lilly.”

  Lilly looked up, jolted out of her thoughts by his words. What? Apologize?

  “I didn’t think you could do it, and I thought it would take you a few weeks to go crawling back to your old job, if that. I didn’t think you were cut out for detective work and it looks like I was wrong. Congratulations on bagging the bad guy and knowing better, while the rest of us were hoodwinked by Hathaway’s charm. When you’re done with your paperwork for the arrest, you can take the rest of the day off with pay. You’ve earned it.”

  Sarge was smiling at her, as was Adam. Lilly didn’t know what to say.

  “Thank you, Sarge,” she managed, giving Adam a look and shaking Sarge’s hand before quickly exiting the room.

  “She’s an odd one, isn’t she?” she heard Sarge ask as she walked out and the door eased shut behind her.

  She didn’t hear Adam’s answer and she didn’t care to. She’d gotten lucky and she knew it.

  Gathering her things and shoving her report into the file folder for the case, Lilly pulled her bag onto her shoulder and started down the hall to the parking garage.

  “Lilly, wait,” Adam called from behind her.

  She kept walking, pushing through the exit door and hurrying through the garage to her car. She could hear Adam’s footsteps picking up the pace behind her, but she didn’t even bother to slow down.

  “Lilly, come on,” Adam said, and she felt his hand on her elbow.

  She spun around, eyes flashing with anger.

  “You could have warned me!” she seethed. “What if I had gone in there thinking that you’d turned me in and opened my mouth? Then what? I would lose everything.”

  “I’m sorry, Lilly. I didn’t want to tell him anything. But we were going over notes and the job, and he asked me why we appeared to be working the case separately and I had to say something. What did you want me to say?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted you to have my back. You could have said anything else and it wo
uld have been better. Why not say that we decided to split up?”

  “Because I couldn’t, Lilly. Not without risking my job.”

  “What do you mean, ‘risking your job’? What does any of this have to do with you?”

  “Sarge told me to keep an eye on you from day one. I’m supposed to report anything you do that’s not perfect. He wanted an excuse to fire you, and letting you run with the investigation and letting you out of my sight was exactly what he told me not to do. I ignored him, Lilly. Because I believed in you.”

  He took a step closer and lowered his voice.

  “Even when you slept with him, I wasn’t going to say a thing to Sarge. You didn’t do anything the way I would, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not a good detective. Everyone is sitting around with their thumbs up their asses, just waiting for you to fail. Except me Lilly. I hope you realize that. When he called me in and gave me hell for letting you run off on your own, I had to tell him something. So I told him the truth. You’re a good detective and a great partner. And we wouldn’t be where we are with the case without the work you put into it.”

  Lilly was shocked.

  “You tease me more than anyone else. I don’t know how I was supposed to know—”

  “What, that I don’t think you have to be a man to be a good detective? Lilly, you’re a phenomenal detective and you see things that none of us consider. People in the precinct, they don’t think you’re a screw up. They’re threatened by you. No one sees things the way you do, and even as a rookie, you’re like a seasoned veteran at this. I tease you because I tease everyone. You want to be one of the guys and I respect that. I think you’re awesome, but I didn’t want to make it personal. And I didn’t want anyone to think that I was on your side.”

  “Why not? What’s so bad about being on my side?”

  “Because if they thought that, you would have a new partner by now. Because there are a lot of detectives that want you gone so we can go back to being a boy’s club.”

  “Oh.”

  Adam shoved her playfully.

  “You gotta trust your partner,” he said. “I’ve got your back and I know you’ve got mine.”

  “Thanks, Adam. I’m sorry that I jumped on you.”