by Craig Hurren
Jake said, “Maybe she’s fallen asleep. I’ll go check on her.”
He walked to the bedroom to find her sprawled on the bed, fast asleep. The stress of the day’s events had obviously taken their toll so he didn’t want to wake her but couldn’t help gazing at her beauty for a moment before going back to the kitchen.
“She’s out like a light.” he told them. “Who knows how long it’s been since she slept. I guess I’ll be bunking in with you tonight Alan.”
Chapter 18
Alan awoke from a fitful sleep. He had become very used to sleeping alone and after all his years of solitude, it had been difficult enough to sleep properly in the same bed as Holly, let alone a six foot one military grade killing machine like Jake. An unfamiliar aroma filled his nostrils and he turned to see that Jake had thankfully risen before him so that particular awkwardness had been successfully avoided. He rose to see the big man busily at work in the kitchen and went over to see what he was up to.
“Tik didn’t come today?”
“No. It’s very strange for her – she would normally have one of her exotic delights waiting on the table for me by now.”
“Maybe she wants to give Angie some space. Perhaps she thinks there isn’t room for two women in your life.” Alan smiled broadly.
Jake shot him a glare.
Alan chuckled and continued, “I’m just saying…”
“You talk too much.”
“Oh come on big fella; don’t be shy.” Alan teased. “Now who’s the ‘Grasshopper’?”
“Don’t test me.” Jake said sternly.
Alan was enjoying the turning of the tables but thought better of provoking such a man. He thought it wiser to change the subject and said, “Smells good – what is it?”
“S.O.S.”
“S.O.S? That sounds ominous.”
“It’s an old time military breakfast. It stands for ‘Shit On a Shingle’.”
“Now that really sounds ominous!”
“You’re obviously not familiar with Marine talk. Many years ago, a cook made this breakfast and served it to a Gunnery Sergeant. Being a Gunny, he called it as he saw it and the name stuck but it’s known as S.O.S. for short. It’s just creamed beef on toast with scrambled eggs on top and a side of bacon. Trust me; it tastes a lot better than it looks.”
He dropped a plateful of the slop on the countertop and Alan tentatively took a mouthful. Within two seconds, his apprehension disappeared and his eyes widened in appreciation. “Wow, this is really tasty!”
“The secret’s in the sauce. If you don’t get it right, it not only looks like shit on a shingle but tastes like it too.” he chuckled. “Eat up – we’ve got a big day ahead.”
The two ate their breakfast in silence until Jake suddenly stopped chewing and looked up mesmerized. Alan followed his gaze to see Angie approaching dressed in nothing but one of Jake’s business shirts. Its size made a perfect dress that showed just enough of her shapely, athletic legs to stimulate the imagination. Her raven hair was tousled from sleep and her deep jade green eyes sparkled against her porcelain complexion.
Jake was speechless and Alan followed suit as she approached them. She finally broke the silence, “What’s a girl got to do to get a cup of coffee around here?” She said sleepily; seemingly unaware of the effect her appearance was having on the two men.
Jake managed to close his mouth and turned to start making her a coffee. As he twisted the handle into place and his senses returned, he called out, “Espresso? Cappuccino? Latte?”
“Nothing fancy – just plain black coffee please.” she said plunking herself down on a stool. “I slept like a rock. That’s some bed you’ve got there Jake. I’m sorry to have displaced you but I couldn’t keep my eyes open.”
Jake had to wrestle with all the thoughts in his head as he imagined her body wrapped in his sheets. He shook himself loose to say, “Mi casa es su casa.” then silently admonished himself for saying something so corny and out of character. The machine finished its loud sputtering and Jake turned to hand her the steaming cup. She took it gratefully in both hands and sipped carefully at the hot liquid then looked at Jake and sighed, “That is so good. I’m terrible without my morning coffee.”
Alan and Jake looked at each other in disbelief. Her natural beauty was startling and her obviously unabashed manner and lack of pretense clearly showed that she was oblivious to her appearance and accustomed to living alone. She began to emerge from her morning fog and soon the three were chatting like old friends. Her easy unpretentious style put both men at ease and conversation came easily. They continued for a while until she decided to go for a shower. They watched in silence as she disappeared into Jake’s bedroom and Alan said, “Looks like we’ve both found love my friend.”
Jake looked down, his face slightly reddened.
“You’re crazy if you don’t make the most of this opportunity.” Alan said in a big brotherly tone.
Jake was not going to discuss his feelings and changed the subject. “Isn’t it time we got moving?”
Alan checked his watch and sighed as he nodded agreement then the two got ready to leave. Angie reemerged from Jake’s room dressed in her previous night’s clothing and Jake offered to have Tik go and buy her some replacements. She gratefully accepted and Jake phoned Tik then gave Angie his WiFi password so she could continue rendering images from Rothstein’s computer. Soon Angie was wishing the men luck as they collected their equipment and prepared to leave. Once again, she approached Jake and gave him a brief but tender kiss on the lips. Alan shot him and ‘I told you so’ look and they headed down to the garage to embark on their risky mission.
The two sat in silence as Jake drove them through Jersey City toward the I-95 for the forty five mile trip to a semi-rural area outside Princeton, where Gelling had told Alan to meet him. Alex Devlin kept a small estate in the area, to be near his company headquarters when he wasn’t staying at his penthouse in New York City. Gelling told Alan that he had arranged to meet Devlin there on the pretense of discussing a possible problem with his research. That had been enough to ensure Devlin made himself immediately available to meet the professor alone, in the privacy of his provincial New Jersey retreat.
As they glided down the highway, Alan kept glancing over at Jake, knowing the euphoria he must have felt at finally finding the elusive Equilibrium and the promise of things to come with the beautiful Angie. Jake focused straight ahead but could feel Alan’s eyes darting to and away from him. Suddenly, he turned to the detective and in a calm, controlled voice said, “Stop that please.”
Alan replied, “It would be very easy to become distracted right now.”
Jake glared at him and said sternly, “You just worry about your end. I could do this with my eyes closed.”
Twin turbochargers whined as he surged his powerful Audi S8 forward to overtake another vehicle. They continued in silence, and as the distance closed to the gas station where Alan was to meet Gelling, he began going through the plan again in his mind. It was risky at best and he needed to be completely prepared for his part but stay flexible enough to deal with possible contingencies. Jake had coached him through each detail and he was relatively confident he could pull it off but he was still dubious about whether Gelling would follow through with his end of the bargain or not.
The turnoff to the gas station appeared about two miles after they passed Pigeon Swamp and Jake guided the car onto the off ramp, into the station and behind the main building. He gave Alan a serious look and asked, “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Be clear Alan; if something goes wrong, you give me the word and I’ll come in guns blazing. Put your earpiece in for a communications check.”
Alan placed the tiny device at the opening of his ear canal and pressed it in as Jake had shown him in the armory. Jake turned on the base station and the scrambled UHF signal came to life. They used cutting edge technology and with its hidden transmission signal th
e device could only be detected through close visual inspection. The powerful signal had a range of almost a mile and through the button microphone on Alan’s shirt, Jake would hear everything Alan did. The system immediately passed the communications check so Jake extended his hand to Alan and said, “Good luck and good hunting.”
The mission was not even underway yet but Alan felt a small surge of adrenalin flow through his body, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to bristle as the reality of the situation hit home. He steeled himself, gave Jake a nod and turned to walk around the building into the gas station’s store. As he rounded the corner his eyes surreptitiously searched the pump stations and car park for Gelling’s face but it was nowhere to be found. He began to worry that the professor had changed in his mind – after all, it was a huge step for such a man. Alan continued on until he reached the doorway and entered the store. Being conscious not to stand out, he maintained a relaxed posture and focused on appearing as unremarkable as possible. His eyes continued to search for the professor until he saw a lone figure at the rear of the store, near the drinks refrigerators and made his way toward it. As he approached, the man turned toward him and a wave of relief came over the detective. He was glad the professor had come through but then felt a wave of anxiety, knowing the plan would soon be fully in motion and there could be no turning back.
“Hello Linus; I’m glad you came.”
The professor, obviously nervous, answered, “I owe it to Helen Benson and her family. I did some digging of my own and found some very disturbing, fully rendered hallucination scenarios on Eric Rothstein’s computer. There is only one person who could have ordered such things. Devlin must pay for his crimes.”
“I’m glad you have seen the truth for yourself. I know it’s a lot to accept and I appreciate your help.” Alan said sincerely.
Gelling’s eyes watered slightly as he said, “Devlin can rot in hell for all I care. I will always have to live with the fact that it was my invention that killed Helen. It was intended to help people and I was blind to its sinister potential until now. You must think me quite naïve.”
“Not naïve professor – idealistic and driven, yes but you were only doing what you thought was right. You can’t blame yourself for Devlin’s deeds.”
Gelling pulled some keys from his pocket and handed them to Alan. “You drive detective - I need to focus and load the device.”
Alan followed Gelling out of the store to his rented car parked a few paces away from the entrance. Gelling walked to the passenger side and Alan pressed the key’s remote unlock button. The pair got into the car and drove out of the gas station toward Princeton. As Gelling gave Alan directions to the estate, he pulled a small aluminum case slightly bigger than a cigarette pack from his jacket pocket. He opened the case to reveal the small pistol-shaped SSCH delivery device and loaded a tiny, round capsule into its chamber then closed the device and pressed a button on the side. The machine made a quiet click as it pierced the outer capsule to release the pre-programmed SSCH, and it was ready. Alan had seen a blurred image of the device on security footage from the elevator at Helen’s building but was surprised at just how small it was in real life. He turned back to the road and continued toward their destination. The road was sided by verdant grass shoulders and neatly trimmed hedges. The area was obviously well moneyed and it was apparent not only in the sparsely distributed estates themselves but in the quality of road maintenance and landscaping. Gelling said, “This is it, just ahead on the right. Pull up to the gate and enter the security code.”
Alan did as instructed. The twelve foot tall gate was cast iron; large and ornate but obviously built to withstand most intrusions. It was framed by two stout and heavy pillars with security cameras mounted on top and the whole property was surrounded by a solid ten foot wall. The security pad was located at the driver’s side to allow access without leaving the car. Gelling told him the pass code and Alan rolled down his window then pressed the corresponding digits. There was a loud clunk then a quiet electronic hum as the gate slowly swung open. The detective bristled as the lens of one security camera focused on them and panned to follow as they entered.
“Don’t be concerned, it’s fully robotic – he probably isn’t even looking.” Gelling said, intercepting Alan’s thoughts.
“What about security staff?” Alan asked.
“Devlin doesn’t trust his thugs with such sensitive matters as Project Hallucineers so I’m sure he will have sent them away for our meeting. He is expecting me at precisely this time so our path will be clear.”
Alan shrugged and drove through the gate toward the main house. Chunky grey gravel crunched beneath the tires as their car slowly made its way up the long driveway leading to a large circular close in front of the house. Detached from the house stood a four car garage and diagonally behind that, a large swimming pool separated the main house from a two bedroom guesthouse.
“He won’t allow the maid in the house while he’s here so she stays in the guesthouse until he leaves – we should have complete privacy. We just need to make sure he’s not near his gun cabinet when he realizes what’s going on. We may have to physically subdue him until he goes to sleep.”
“How long does that take?” Alan asked nervously.
“It depends on the individual but anywhere from five to twenty minutes, depending on their stress levels at the time.”
“That’s a long time to have to subdue someone!”
“We can use your handcuffs if necessary.”
Alan was slightly disconcerted at Gelling’s level of awareness in the circumstances. Obviously his genius extended well past the fields of science and business. He parked the car in front of the large Georgian style building and they walked to the heavy oak double front doors together. Gelling pressed the button on the intercom at the door and Devlin responded, “Linus?”
Gelling answered, “Yes, it’s me.” The door buzzed open and the professor turned to Alan before they entered, whispering, “When he confronts you, keep his attention for as long as you can while I get behind him.”
“I’ll do my best but don’t waste any time.”
Alan drew his Glock and followed Gelling in and down a wide hallway toward the cavernous living area. Alex Devlin was seated at a huge antique desk with his back toward them, typing at a computer terminal. Without turning, he spoke, “Come in Linus; I’ll just be a minute.”
As they approached, Alan began to assess the room in his peripheral vision until he suddenly froze in his footsteps as the muzzle of a gun pressed into the small of his back. The assailant’s approach had been undetectable and Alan instantly knew the futility in trying to overcome such an obviously well trained mercenary from such a position. The blood drained from his face as he raised his hands in surrender.
Gelling reached out a trembling hand to take Alan’s gun. Devlin continued typing calmly and said, “Welcome to the lion’s den Mr. Beach.” Then he got up from his desk, turned to face them and continued, “I’ll take it from here Linus. I know this was very difficult for you but I can assure you it is absolutely necessary for the security of Project Hallucineers. Take the car and go back to Blue Sky. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
Gelling, shaking nervously, asked, “What will you do with him?”
Devlin shot the professor a stern glare and repeated, “I’ll be in touch tomorrow. Now go!”
Gelling looked apologetically at Alan and said, “I’m sorry detective but my work is too important.” Before handing the Glock to Devlin’s thug and turning to leave.
Devlin ordered Beach to slowly take out his handcuffs. Alan did as he was told and Devlin told him to sit on a large sofa behind a massive cast iron coffee table with a glass top. “Cuff your hands through the ironwork of the table and don’t try anything or this man will not hesitate to shoot you.”
Again, Alan obeyed.
“Now lean forward.”
As Alan complied, Devlin drew an SSCH device from his pocket and pushed it
against the back of the detective’s neck. The instrument emitted a quiet click and Alan winced slightly then jerked back with a horrified look on his face.
Devlin lowered his weapon and relaxed, turning to look out through the huge sliding glass doors overlooking his property.
“What have you done to me?!” Alan asked; his voice full of dread.
“All in good time Detective but first I want to have a little chat. Stay calm; I don’t want you falling asleep just yet. As long as you keep your pulse down, you’ll remain awake for up to twenty minutes - long enough to satisfy your curiosity. ”
Alan’s face took on the look of a beaten man. Devlin gave him a sympathetic smile and continued, “I must say that I’m impressed by your tenacity and dedication. I even admire your idealism and sense of justice…” then his smile changed to a menacing glare. “…but your bleeding heart attitude disgusts me. On balance, I think you deserve an explanation and I deserve the pleasure of watching the look on your face as you discover the truth.”
Devlin grinned with satisfaction at his captive’s obvious fear as Alan shrunk in his seat. “You have caused me a great deal of inconvenience. I find it quite surprising that one insignificant policeman could be such a fly in the ointment.”
Defiant, Alan said sarcastically, “Glad I could help.”
“Your witticisms don’t amuse me detective. Are you sure you want to waste your final minutes on futile gestures of defiance?”
Alan looked up at the tall, slender man and saw single-minded evil in his deeply set brown eyes. His sheer presence was intimidating and Alan could clearly see why he was such a feared and respected business mogul. His hair was a distinguished salt and pepper, silver at the temples, and his long face had high cheek bones and a strong jaw line surrounding thin, angry lips. Still defiant, Alan said, “It’s your dime. How the hell did you convince a guy like Professor Gelling to participate in premeditated murder?”
Devlin’s cruel mouth creased to form an evil grin. “Are you really so naïve? Linus is nothing more than my pet genius – he has no idea that I used his invention to kill. If he knew the truth about Helen Benson and the others, he would be horrified, and I may well have had to silence him too. No; Rothstein is my only inside man at Blue Sky and the only one I need since he controls the content of the hallucination scenarios. Gelling is all about the science and saving people – rather misguided altruism – but I have to respect his scientific prowess.”