As I Hung up, I listened to my stomach grumble and thought about eating. I opted to shower first, the hot water bringing my body back to life, and carefully washed the blood out of my hair. My head still had a throb to it, but at least it was in the background now.
Getting out, I toweled off and donned my normal outfit. Black khaki Dockers, white t-shirt, and black Reebocks. I also have a black bomber jacket I’d wear when I was on a case. Mandy said I looked like a cross between Fonzie and Johnny Cash. I don’t much care, I just knew more than once, being all in black had helped me stay hidden when I needed to.
Going into the kitchen, I filled a bowl with Raisin Bran, and sniffed the milk. It seemed reasonably fresh, so I poured it over my cereal, and parked myself in front of the TV. The first spoonful was on its way to my mouth when I heard a knock at the door. Dropping the spoon back in the bowl, I went to answer it.
This could be the servant the Lord told me about.
I opened the door to find Buddy Daniels standing on my step, complete with the same white robe, leather belt, and large, wooden cross covering his chest.
I grinned at him. “Yoda!”
Without missing a beat, he looked me up and down, and said, “Fonzie!”
I laughed and invited him in.
“I was just about to have a bowl of cereal, you hungry?”
“No, but thanks.”
I sat down with my bowl, as Buddy stood watching me.
“Buddy, you’re making me nervous; grab a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Buddy pulled the bottom of his robe back and sat in the recliner across from me. Being the sharp private investigator that I am, I suspected his visit was connected to the guest I had the previous night.
“I suppose there’s no point in me asking how you knew where I live.”
“It’s my mission to know everything I can about you. Please do not be disturbed by it.”
“Well, Buddy, I hope you’ll forgive me, but it does disturb me. I don’t know who you are, or why I’m such a fascination to you. Normally, someone who is keeping tabs on someone else is up to no good.”
He didn’t smile, but his eyes remained fixed on me, unflinching. I managed to shovel spoonfuls of cereal into my mouth between questions. He apparently had nothing to hide. The milk on my chin didn’t seem to bother him, either.
“It’s not my intent to cause you any worry, but my position requires me to do such research.”
“Your position?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m a Chaser.”
Again, my spoon stopped halfway to my mouth, dripping milk on my Dockers.
“A what?”
“A Chaser.”
“Are you chasing me?”
“No.”
“Okay, who are you chasing? Wait, ‘Big and Black’?”
“Harbinger, yes. He’s someone that I’m after, but he’s not the only one.”
“Harbinger? Strange name. What’s a Chaser, anyway?”
Up until now, Buddy had sat motionless in the recliner, watching me eat. With my last question, he leaned forward and lowered his voice.
“Did you have a visitor last night?”
“I’m betting you know I did.”
“The visitor told you of a choice, correct?”
“Same answer. Obviously, you know He did.”
“I am here to present you with that choice.”
“You’re the servant I was told about?”
“I am.”
CHAPTER 3
Twenty-four hours ago, I was just an ordinary guy with an ordinary life who tried to live the best he could. A Christian who loved God, and tried to demonstrate it in the way he conducted himself. No one special, or so I thought.
I’d been taught God had a purpose for everyone’s life, and I assumed mine was to pray for others, maybe volunteer at church, or something straightforward like that. I’d never been a hundred percent sure what my particular mission was, but a Chaser?
Buddy kept his eyes on me, waiting for a reaction. So far, he’d been disappointed.
“Okay Buddy, run this at me one more time. What is a Chaser?”
He launched into the explanation for the third time, with no apparent impatience.
“When a person dies, they cross over to the other side and into the presence of God. It’s the time when people see the ‘white light,’ like in those ‘near-death’ stories you hear about. During this time of crossing over, some individuals have the ability to resist the light, and they do. They don’t want to complete the journey, for one reason or another, and decide to run.”
I held up my hand.
“What do you mean by ‘run’?”
“They’re called ‘Runners’ because they try to escape their fate and return to Earth. They seek to resume their life, despite the fact that they are dead, and attempt to circumvent God’s plan.”
“No coming back from the dead for us?”
“Exactly It is not for us to decide if the time of our death is convenient or not.”
“And you chase them?”
“Yes.”
“And return them to the ‘white light’?”
“Correct.”
“And I have to choose whether or not I will become a Chaser?”
“Yes.”
I stood up and carried my bowl to the sink. Buddy’s eyes followed me, but he didn’t move or say anything.
When I returned to the room, I started to laugh; I couldn’t help myself.
Buddy didn’t see the humor. “What are you laughing about?”
“What am I laughing about? Take your pick! All of these stories about Runners trying to escape God’s plan and Chasers setting them straight, or that someone would try to outrun God in the first place. Then there’s the gorilla in all black who tied me to my office chair, and last but not least, you who’s sitting here asking me to fulfill my calling as a Chaser. It’s all so incredible as to be ridiculous!”
“Do not mock the call of God.” He said it quietly, strongly, but without any malice.
“I’m not... At least, I don’t mean to. There’s so many questions to ask, ramifications to consider, and I don’t know where to start. For instance, what’s the job pay?”
I told you I’m sarcastic when I’m scared.
“There is no pay for this ministry!”
“I’m just kidding, Buddy.”
I returned to my seat and looked him directly in the eyes. What I really needed to know had nothing to do with how it all worked, or what the day-to-day life of a Chaser was like. What really mattered was inside Buddy.
“How long?”
He looked confused.
“How long what?”
“How long have you been doing this?”
His face softened, and his voice became strong, filled with pride.
“Thirty-five years, I’ve served for thirty-five years,” he paused before finishing. “I will serve for life. As will you if you choose this path.”
I could see it in him, but I needed to hear it.
“Are you at peace with the decision you made?”
For the first time since he came through the door, Buddy Daniels smiled. Not just a little smirk, but a wide grin of joy.
“I am.”
*******
I made my way downtown about an hour after Buddy had left. He’d told me to pray about things and seek guidance from the Spirit. I’d wanted to ask a thousand more questions.
“In time,” he’d said while he patted my shoulder. “The decision is not to be made rashly, so we’ll talk soon.”
“What if I decided it’s not for me, and said no? Do you have some sort of mind erasing trick to do on me?”
He’d laughed.
“You mean like in the movie ‘Men in Black’? Flash a ray in your eyes and it’s all gone?”
“Yeah, something like that. You know, keep me from telling anyone about you.”
A grin curled across his lips. “Do you really want to tell people
you were asked to be a Spirit Chaser by an old man in a white robe?”
It’d been my turn to laugh.
“Point taken.”
I parked the Ranchero on the street and made my way up the stairs of my office building, this time without being hit on the head, and let myself into the office. A pile of mail lay on the floor where it had fallen through the slot in the door. I gathered it up, scanned it quickly, deciding it to be the usual junk. I tossed it in the trash and punched the button on the answering machine.
“You have three new messages. Message one: ‘Mr. Carter, this is Libby Samms. I need an update on my husband’s case. Please call me as soon as possible.’”
I made a note to call her later that day. She thought her husband was cheating on her, but I’d found out he was working a second job in order to pay for a surprise anniversary trip. Now I needed to find a way to tell her he wasn’t cheating without spoiling it.
“Message two: ‘Mr. Carter, This is James Dobbs. Please call my office to discuss terms of a contract for your services. ICM has an issue we need to investigate per our last conversation.’”
Intercontinental Machines had someone they suspected of disability insurance fraud, and I’d worked cases for them before.
“Message three: ‘Hi, Jack. It’s me. Just calling to see what’s up. Give me a ring.’”
The last message was Mandy. I picked up the phone and dialed her personal number.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Mandy.”
“Hi, Jack. How’s it going?”
I wanted to tell her everything, to get her take on the decision I had to make, and see what she would do. I knew I couldn’t though.
“Same old thing, you?”
“I managed to wreck another car.”
We laughed. Mandy had a reputation for putting police cars out of commission. Usually she was taking a fugitive down with the front bumper when it happened. Some of the department-issued cars she’d had failed mechanically too, with an almost eerie regularity. No car assigned to her had lasted more than a year. Good thing she’s an excellent detective.
“What happened this time?”
“A guy tried to take off in his car when we went to arrest him. My car happened to get stopped in his way.”
“Funny how it’s always your car in the way.”
“I know. Weird right?”
I remembered my mom’s dinner. “What are you doin’ tonight?”
“Well, I had a date, but he cancelled. Why?”
“His loss. Mom’s cooking me dinner, and she said there’s lots. Want to come?”
“Did she call me ‘that cop lady’ again?”
I laughed.
Even though Mandy had known me since college, she’d only recently met my mother. Mandy had joined the force in Kansas City after graduation, so there was never an opportunity until she transferred to St. Louis a year ago.
“Yes, I think she likes you.”
“The feeling is mutual. Pick you up at home?”
“Sure, sixish?”
“See you then.”
After we hung up, I found myself unable to sit still. I paced the office, trying to sort out my thoughts. Only one thing had my attention now, and it wasn’t an investigation, but a decision.
CHAPTER 4
At six sharp, Mandy rolled up in her bright yellow VW bug. The car was a stark contrast to the unmarked black sedan she drove all day on the job. The sunroof open, she stayed in the car as I locked up, and I was taken aback when I got into the car.
Instead of the usual jeans and a sweatshirt, she was wearing beige khakis and an orange sleeveless blouse. She had her hair pulled up in a bun and wore sandals rather than sneakers.
“Wow, don’t you look nice!”
“Thank you, sir. I decided tonight is the night I do away with the ‘cop lady’ nickname.”
She pulled away from the curb and headed toward Mom’s house. “Well, this should do it. Sooo, what’s the verdict on your department car?”
“Jerry told me it would live to fight another day. I’m using a black-and-white until it’s done.”
“Must be weird being a detective and pulling up in a patrol car?”
“Yeah, I get a few smirks from the other detectives, but they also know I’m the one who nailed the creep.”
We were on Kings Highway, and the wind whipping through the sunroof made talking difficult. I reached up and slid the roof most of the way closed so we could have a conversation without shouting. Mandy gave me a funny look.
“Speaking of weird, I have something I’ve been thinking about, and I’d like your take on it.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“We both believe we’re going to heaven when we die, right?” She nodded. “But have you ever thought about what the few moments after death will contain?”
She glanced at me with a grin.
“That’s out of blue. What’s up?”
“Just something I’ve been thinking about.”
Her expression grew stern as she considered her answer.
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it. Mostly, when I see one of those shows with people describing the white light, and the peace they feel. I guess that’s what I hope will happen.”
“I guess the white light makes sense. We know God is light.”
She snorted.
“Sure, but some people go to hell. I wouldn’t think there’d be any white light down that path.”
I thought about that for a minute.
“Well, we know we’re all going to stand before God to be judged, so maybe the darkness light comes after that.”
“Makes sense, I guess.”
Mandy turned down my mom’s street, and slowed the car to a stop in front of the house. She turned the engine off and looked sideways at me. I had one more question.
“What if during those few moments when you cross over, you decide you don’t want to go yet? You think we can change our path, make a run for it?”
I could see her detective mind take over.
“What’s this all about?”
Time to change the subject. Detective Myers was too smart for me to tangle with, and I’d already decided she wasn’t getting the full story, at least not yet.
“No big deal, just some weird thoughts I’ve been having.”
Her green eyes focused in on me, and I suddenly felt like a suspect.
“You gonna die on me or something?”
That caught me off guard and I started to laugh.
“No, no. Nothing like that.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Mom at the door. Exit stage left.
“Come on, let’s go. Mom’s waiting.”
Mandy looked up and broke into a smile, seemingly distracted. I knew it would only be temporary.
Mom was holding the screen door open for us. “Mandy, you look adorable!”
Mandy gave me a quick ‘I told you so’ look as we went through the front door. No more ‘cop lady.’
*******
Dinner consisted of one of my favorites, Mom’s lasagna. For dessert, homemade cheesecake. It’s a wonder I ever left home.
After dinner, we were sitting in the living room having coffee when Mandy proved she’d only been temporarily distracted from our conversation in the car.
“Mrs. Carter…”
“Annie, please. You make me feel so old calling me Mrs. Carter.”
“Sorry… Annie, Jack asked me a very interesting question on the way over here.”
Oh, no. She isn’t gonna do what I think she’s gonna do, is she?
“Really? What was that?”
They were both looking at me now.
“He asked me if I thought people could change their path after they die.”
Mom eyed me suspiciously.
“Change their path how, Jack?”
Oh, crap. She did exactly what I thought she was gonna do.
“I don’t know, like when you’re crossing over to the other side, what if you’re
not ready to go?”
His mother smiled.
“Jack, you know the Bible says nothing about us having control over such things.”
“Yeah, I know. I was just thinking about the white light and all that stuff.”
My mom chuckled, but Mandy was studying me with a serious expression. I needed a distraction and fast.
“Mandy, did you tell Mom about the latest mishap with your department car?”
Mandy glared at me, but proceeded to tell the story as I got myself another cup of coffee. I should’ve kept my mouth shut on the way over here, but too late; I’ll have to avoid any more questions on the drive home.
*******
It turned out I didn’t have to stonewall Mandy on the way home. She spent the fifteen-minute drive going on about the dinner.
“You’re so lucky. My mom, when she cooked, specialized in boxed macaroni and cheese. That lasagna was unbelievable! I love going over there, so ask me anytime.”
The way Mandy looked tonight, I might be asking her to have dinner at my mom’s house every other day. Of course, I’d seen her dressed up before, but I never grew tired of it.
“I’m certainly blessed to be her son, and I’m glad you had a good time.”
She parked in front of my house. I got out and came around next to her car window.
“Talk to you tomorrow?”
She put the car in reverse and started to back up.
“Probably. Goodnight.”
I waved and turned toward the door. As I put the key in the lock, I heard a noise to my right. Out of the shadows stepped Harbinger, his gray eyes glowing in the darkness. I backed away from the door, but didn’t run. The guttural noise of his voice made me recoil a little as he inched closer.
“Did you receive your calling?”
“What, no blow to the back of the head this time?”
He took another step closer.
“Did you receive your calling?”
“You seemed to know more about this than I do. Why don’t you tell me?”
Despite my obvious insolence, he seemed unfazed.
“I know the Chaser who seeks to mentor you. I am going to destroy him, and if you follow his lead, I will destroy you as well.”
“The way I understand it, you’ve been trying to ‘destroy’ him for nearly thirty years. If you’re so sure you can kill him, what’s taking so long?”
CROSSOVER (THE CHASER CHRONICLES Book 1) Page 2