by K. J. Dahlen
She still had no idea what she was looking for. Was it bigger than a breadbox? Or the size of a box of cereal? Her mother said it was a jar. Did that mean the jar was glass? If so, how had they protected it all these years?
She wanted to scream with frustration. Then out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something. For a moment, all she could do was stare at it. Flipping back in time, she saw this thing in every place they had lived. Sometimes, it was inside the apartment and sometimes, it was outside in the yard.
She turned to Raine standing behind her.
When he saw the look in her eyes he asked, “What is it?”
Cricket turned and pointed at the small birdhouse. It stood at about five feet high, made of wood. She could remember her mother painting it every year. “The birdhouse. I remember it being there, every place we lived at.”
Raine stepped off the deck and walked over to the birdhouse. It was free standing, a metal pole embedded in a small wheel filled with concrete. The house itself was small and made from wood. The colors had faded from being exposed to the elements and the paint not refreshed since Grace died.
He bent over slightly to grab hold of the pole. When he picked it up, he noted the heavy weight of the tire. Lifting it, he carried the whole thing over to the deck and set it down hard. His hand slid up the pole to the bottom of the birdhouse. The birdhouse crumbled into several pieces but the pole and wheel were still intact. He gazed up at Cricket. “Well, it wasn’t in the house.”
“Could it be in the cement?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It could be. We’ll have to break it apart.”
Cricket shrugged. “Then break it apart. We have to find it.”
Raine squatted down and examined the wheel. The cement was pitted and worn. He determined it wouldn’t take a whole lot to break it apart. The years of neglect had taken its toll. He threw the busted birdhouse off to one side and then noticed the pole came apart. Wrestling the pole into two pieces, he used the top piece to hit the cement.
After about ten minutes, the cement finally gave way and broke in half.
Raine looked up at Cricket and nodded. Pulling out a knife, he cut the tire in half. Pulling the hunks of tire and cement apart, they found a small wooden box hidden inside. The dark wood had faded in spots after being buried in the cement for so long but the wood remained in tack.
Cricket knelt beside him and pulled the box out. Sitting down on the deck, she brushed the cement dust and debris off the top of the box. Without looking at Raine, she opened the box. Inside, nestled carefully she saw the small glass jar carefully wrapped in bubblewrap. She lifted it out and set it on the deck. Underneath the jar was an envelope with her name on it. The handwriting was her mother’s. Cricket’s hand shook as she lifted the envelope out of the box. Staring at it for a moment, she turned it over and broke the seal. Bringing the letter out, she began to read aloud,
“My darling Cricket,
I’m sorry this task has fallen to you. I know you will do the right thing. Hopefully, Bane has not found you yet but if he has, time will no doubt be very short.
You must return the jar to its place in his den. Enclosed are directions to his house and instructions as to how to get in and out of the house. Please be careful, if you are caught, he will have no mercy. I pray you will never have to know his rage for it is truly terrifying. It is why I want you to sneak it back into his house. He will most likely kill you if he finds you.
I love you as I loved your father all these years. While I love Cordelia, it was never easy to care for her. She was too much like the bastard I married. You will hear things from Bane about our life together, just remember they are his memories not mine. I would like to forget everything about that part of my life. I only ever loved one man in my lifetime and that was your father.
Forgive me for not being strong enough to return this. I hope someday, you can overlook my faults and remember me with love.
Mom
Cricket turned the page and found directions to another town on a sheet of paper. She looked over at Raine. “Are you ready for another trip?”
“Where are we going this time?”
“Geneva, New York.”
“Why can’t you just call the man and—”
She grabbed his hand. “My mom asked me to do this. She’s dead now. I have to do this for her. It’s about honor, Raine.”
Raine sighed and nodded without a word for a moment. “It’s about a five hour trip from here. We’d better get on the road.” He shook his head. “Deke isn’t going to like this.”
It was midafternoon by the time they reached Geneva. Using the map Grace had left for her, they found Bane’s house. Staring at the imposing structure from a distance, Cricket couldn’t help the shudder of distaste that went through her. Even his house seemed to be surrounded by an aura of evil.
The house itself was built like a fortress. All steel, concrete and glass. It butted up tight against a small hill in the back and if she could believe her mother’s letter part of the house was dug out of the hill. That was where she needed to go to return the jar to Bane’s den.
According to the letter, the hill behind the house was manmade. It looked real but it wasn’t. Her mother had given her a way into the house. It was through a tunnel long forgotten. It went all the way through the hillside and came out in the back. Cricket wasn’t sure if the shaft was still a viable means of getting in and out of the house but there was only one way to find out.
As the afternoon sun shone, she and Raine went to the other side of the hill and began looking for the opening her mother and father had used so long ago. After an hour or so of looking for it, they finally they found it, hidden under a ton of overgrown weeds and debris. The hill may have started out man made but nature had taken its hold and now, it was very real.
As Raine uncovered the hidden door, Cricket took a moment to reread her mother’s letter. The words sounded off in her head as if she could hear her mother reading them to her. Her soft voice carried by the wind blowing softly. For a moment, Cricket felt tears forming but she wouldn’t let them fall. She had a job to do and no time left to chicken out. If she were going to return the jar, she needed to do it now before she lost her nerve.
Raine opened the door enough to let her pass through it.
The rusty hinges squealed loudly and she looked around to see if anyone had heard them.
Raine chuckled. “There’s no one around for miles, you know that right?”
Cricket nodded. “I’ve never done this sort of thing before, and I don’t really want to do it now.”
Raine laid his hand on her arm. “Then why do it? Why do you have to take it back? Can’t you just call him and tell him you have it and let him come and get the damn thing?”
Cricket shook her head. “Mom asked me to return it to its rightful place. I told you before. Right or wrong, I have to do this for her.” Shrugging, she told him, “I have to do it alone too. You have to stay here.”
“And if he catches you inside his house?”
“Let’s hope he doesn’t.” Cricket quickly pulled him into an embrace and kissed him wildly for a moment then stepped away.
Raine touched his lips with his fingertips reverently as if he were praying. His eyes look troubled.
“I mean it Raine, you gotta stay here,” Cricket pleaded.
He sighed as he shook his head with disgust and moved over to a stand of trees nearby, then sat down to wait.
With tears in her eyes, she nodded her thanks to him and disappeared into the tunnel.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cricket finally found the room she was after. The tunnel had been dark and damp. Following the directions her mother had given her had been hard for her to do in the dark. If she’d taken one wrong step, she would have been caught but so far, luck was with her.
At last, she found herself in front of a heavy wooden door. Pulling it open was a struggle but finally,
the door budged enough for her to slip through. Then she found her way blocked by a heavy tarp like tapestry.
Stepping out from behind it and into the middle of the room, she looked around, half expecting Bane or one of his thugs to jump out of the shadows at her. The office itself was huge. There was a large wooden desk in the middle facing the fireplace. Along one entire wall were ceiling to floor bookshelves filled with books. In another corner was a small bar. She could make out bottles and glasses. Next to the tapestry where she stood was a small chair and table. The entire room was cast in shadows due to receded can lights in the ceiling.
Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed and she heard seven bells. Knowing it was getting late in the day, she hurried over to the fireplace and ran her hand along the mantle. There in the center, she found a circular divet. Reaching inside her backpack, she lifted out the small bundle. Unwrapping the small apothecary jar, she held it up to the faint light coming from the background lighting in the ceiling. There was just enough light to see where you were going without being too much to waste power when no one was home.
Inside the jar was a multitude of diamonds, rubies and emeralds. She sucked her breath in. She could see them clearly when she unwrapped the jar. The jar was filled to the top and the top was sealed. As she gazed at the jewels, Cricket shook her head. All of this was over money. Bane would have killed innocent people just to get the jewels back.
God how I hate this man.
She placed the jar on the mantle and quickly hid in the shadows of the room near the tapestry when she heard soft footsteps coming down the hall. She didn’t know who was coming but she did not want to be caught. She ducked down so the shadows and furniture would hide her.
The door opened and footsteps walked to the fireplace. Someone gasped loudly.
Peeking over the top of the small chair she was hiding behind she saw the person standing at the hearth.
It was Bane himself. “So, Miss Cricket you either lied about not knowing what I was looking for all this time or you knew in your heart I really would kill to get this back. I don’t know and I don’t really care what the reason is but I am glad to have this back,” he murmured. Taking the jar over to the desk, he reached inside the drawer and pulled out a knife. Breaking the seal, he opened the jar and poured out the gemstones on top of the blotter.
Then Cricket saw something else fall out. Among the gems was a key. A very old key.
Bane lifted the key and held it up in his fingers. Then he grasped the key tightly in his hand. He sat there at the desk with his eyes closed for a moment. Leaning back, he began to talk, “Let me explain the dynamics of my…our family to you, so I know you will finally understand the truth.”
Cricket placed her hands over her mouth. He knows I’m here? Her heart pounded loudly in her chest with fear.
“Grace was my wife, not Orrin’s. She was never married to Orrin because I never gave her, her freedom. Back then, I was just making a name for myself, working for the New York Families or anyone who could afford to pay my price. I traveled all over the world, until I became the best hitman ever. At some point in your life, a person just knows what they want to do with their lives, for me that realization came early. I knew by the time I was fourteen that I wanted to kill. Some people may not understand that statement but for me, it just made sense. There was some kind of rage deep inside me. I couldn’t feel emotions like other people. It used to bother me when I was growing up but by the time I was fourteen, I simply didn’t care. My grandfather saw this trait in me and he encouraged it. He knew this rage intimately for he suffered from it as well. When I knew what I wanted in life, it became easier to shut down any emotions I had left. I worked hard to master the weapons I would use but I also studied the human body. I became very well versed in how the human body worked in order to know when and where to strike with my choice of weapons. My grandfather trained me in the use of many weapons, some of them dated back hundreds of years. He had a grand collection of weapons, both old and new.”
Cricket kept her hands over her mouth and listened to this madman talk.
He inhaled deeply and when he exhaled, he continued with his story, “I saw your mother for the first time in Chicago when she was sixteen and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I know she was the first woman I ever felt anything close to real feelings for. I can’t say I ever felt real love for her but I did feel something. It was probably the closest thing I could feel.” He shrugged. “I never let the fact that she didn’t feel the same way for me bother me too much. I brought her home with me without giving her a choice. We were married and even though I knew she feared me, she became my wife. I really tried to show some kind of emotion toward her but I knew I couldn’t. I did feel lust though. I wanted her in my life and in my bed. I went on to become the best assassin in the world. I was gone a lot back in those days. Shortly after we were married, she told me she was pregnant with my child.” He paused and looked down at the key in his hand.
Cricket held still, a man like this being a father? She shuddered.
“I may not have been the most understanding person I could have been. I wasn’t ready to start a family at the time. I had to go to Europe the next day for two weeks on a delicate job. We argued the night before I left. That was the only time in our marriage she stood up to me. She was very angry with me and she never even said goodbye when I left. When I returned fifteen days later, she was gone. She had escaped my guards and had vanished. I couldn’t find her and believe me, I searched for her. From one coast to the other, I searched for her. I finally found her ten months after she disappeared. I had called her parents and told them if she didn’t return to me, I would kill her entire family. I found her sitting on a beach in Malibu three days later. She called and gave me an address. When I asked her why she left, she wouldn’t tell me.”
She continued to stay in the shadows and didn’t say a word as he recalled the past. Tears of pain for her mother rolled down her cheeks.
“In that ten months without her, I had changed. I became more focused on my work. As hard as I did try to show my feelings, I feared I didn’t do a very good job. I had lost touch with any sort of human feeling I ever had, except for the lust I felt for Grace. I still had that, but for her that wasn’t enough.” He got up and started to pace as he continued, “I watched her struggle for over a year to adjust to the way things were. I thought she knew I cared for her as much as I honestly could care for anyone. Then I came home early from a business trip. I was supposed to be gone a week and I came home on the third day.” Bane stopped speaking for a moment and sat down in his chair.
Cricket knew her mother and she could understand Grace not wanting to be with a killer, a man who had no feelings.
He seemed lost in the past, then he spoke again, “I walked into my bedroom and was stunned by what I found. Grace was there with my brother Orrin. They were so caught up in their passion neither of them heard me come in.” His fingers tightened on the arms of the chair he was sitting in. “You have to understand that Orrin and I were as different as day and night. While I loved death and all its glory, Orrin was a pupil of making things blow up. His brain was wired to figure out how to destroy things, not people. His brain was also wired to break into anything that can be locked. Whether it’s a room, a safe or a locked box.” He ran his hands down his face as if he were washing away the memories.
Cricket knew what happened next. It was horrible and her mom’s voice had broken when she spoke of it later.
“Anyway, getting back to the day I found them together, the emotions I felt that day were very real. The rage that I could control all the time up until then exploded. I tore him out of her embrace and literally beat the hell out of him. I wanted to kill him and I certainly did my best to achieve that goal. Then I went after her. She betrayed me in the worst way a woman can betray a man. She told me then that she tried to love me but she told me there was nothing for her to love. That I was more o
f a robot than a man. That this was the first and only time they had given into to their feelings for one another but I didn’t know if I could believe her lies. I took out my rage on her as any feelings I had left died in her betrayal. I used and abused her and for the first time, I truly didn’t care. I got no joy from the union that day and when I was finished, I turned my back and walked out of that bedroom.”
She listened to his words but she could never understand what he felt. She did have a better understanding of how Cordy had felt all these years but she still couldn’t understand what had made them both the way they were.
Bane leaned his head on the back of his chair and closed his eyes. “I knew I had to leave or I would have killed them both. I got on a plane and didn’t return for three days. I had calmed down by then and could think rationally. That rationality lasted until I found the two of them were gone. They had run off together. Grace left me a note. She said she couldn’t live this kind of life anymore. She couldn’t stay with a man that was more monster than real man. With Orrin, she could at least feel something akin to love. That what she’d felt for him in the short amount of time they were together was more than she felt for me in the four years we’d been together. She begged me not to try and find them because if I did, she would rather plunge a knife in her heart than have to come back here.” Bane opened his eyes. “Orrin also left me a message. He told me they had left something for me in the safe my grandfather left me. The safe was one of the first safes ever made here in the states. It was an old bank safe and it meant a great deal to our grandfather, so in turn it meant a great deal to me. Orrin wrote to me that he finally figured out the combination. He said he’d found some very interesting items in there. My grandfather told me that while he never figured out the combination, he had a key. I never told Orrin about the key but he found it. Then he was clever enough to find the combination. I knew if anyone could open the safe, it would be him. He told me in his note that the key had been so close the whole time and we never knew it. The key had been hidden all along in Grandfather’s jar of gemstones.” Bane’s eyes went to the small glass jar of diamonds, rubies and emeralds.