“You’re right; we need to keep ourselves strong for Joey. Thank you, Detective Mackey.” Brian knew she was right, besides he needed to stay strong for Cheryl. He looked at Cheryl then took her by the hand and led her out of the room without saying another word.
Mac turned to Rick and gave him a nod toward the door. He smiled and followed them out of the room.
She hated how this case made her feel. , It was so simple in the past. The bad guy committed a crime, she followed the evidence, and then arrested the bad guy, but this was different. She had no idea how to handle this new twist on things. Mac never liked things out of place, but this case was like nothing she had ever dealt with before. She did know one thing for sure; if she did not solve this soon, it looked bad for Joey.
“Come on…focus!” She finished taking a picture of the screen with the email message when she noticed a new email from the same address had popped up in the inbox.
“Crap, what now?” She opened the message.
Hello, Lucinda, I hope you were able to convince the Afton’s to follow my instructions. Do not let time get away from you because you need to prepare for the next move in our game. I hope you are ready because I always look forward to our time together.
Mac quickly brought the camera up to the screen to snap a picture of this latest message, but before she was able to do it, the screen went black. “Damn it! What are you up to Erebus?”
Mac decided she had everything they needed for now and went back out to the others in the living room. “Mr. and Mrs. Afton, I want to thank you for your time and please, contact us if you hear from him again.”
“We’ll let ourselves out,” Rick said, as they stood and walked to the door.
“Detective, you never did tell us why you came here. Do you have anything new to report?” Cheryl asked.
“No, we received the same email, and I was worried that you also had. I’m sorry you’re going through this. I cannot imagine how you must feel. I’ll stay in touch, I promise.”
“Thank you,” Cheryl said softly, as tears formed in the corners of her eyes again.
“Come on Rick, let’s get going.”
Silence filled the car on the drive back to the Department. Mac hated the way this case made her doubt herself, and she did not like that one bit.
After several tense minutes, Mac turned to Rick and said, “I’m hungry. Let’s stop and get some lunch, okay?”
“Sure, I’m hungry myself. Besides, Sharon and the girls have plans to go shopping with her mother this evening. I ought to eat a big lunch so I won’t have to worry about my dinner,” he laughed. The truth was he hated to eat alone when they were away.
Mac laughed at the silly look on Rick’s face because he always managed to make her feel better. “Okay, how about Mexican?”
“Sounds great to me,” he smiled and licked his lips with anticipation.
“Great, I know a place that has the best Fajitas in the area, and salsa that will light your tongue on fire,” she laughed at the excited look on Rick’s face. “It’s only a couple of miles from here.”
***
The waiter greeted them at the door and led them to one of the booths in the back of the restaurant, and away from the large group celebrating a birthday. Mac was glad because she had decided to tell Rick about Erebus.
The waiter had brought their drinks along with the chips and salsa and had taken their order when Mac decided now was a good time to start. “Rick, I have a confession to make. I’ve been receiving communications from the kidnapper for a while now.”
The look on his face was one of complete surprise, “You’ve been what?”
Mac sat up straight and squared her shoulders, “I said I’ve been receiving communications from the kidnapper for a while now. The first time, it happened, was after my little altercation with that asshole who gave me the black eye. I was sore and stiff and thought some exercise before work would help me feel better. I had decided to use the treadmill at the Department when the strangest thing happened. I don’t know how he did it, but a message popped up on the screen of the treadmill that said I was chosen for some sort of game. He called me a Tracker and said I was chosen because of unique skills and traits I have.”
The look on Rick’s face matched the way she felt. “I know it all sounds crazy, but it’s true! He has called me at the office and home. I don’t know how, but he seems to know everything about me, and what I am going to do even before I do! Damn it, Rick, he even sent an email to the Afton’s computer while I sat right there today! I don’t understand what this is all about, but I’m afraid I may be in over my head on this one.” She swirled a tortilla chip in the salsa, ashamed to look him in the eyes.
Rick sat dumbfounded, unsure of how to respond to this turn of events. In all the years, he had known Mac; he had always found her to be the most grounded person he knew. He wanted to believe her, but it all sounded too crazy.
Mac could see the doubt in his eyes, and it broke her heart. She knew he was the only person she could trust with this information, but how would she make him believe her. “Rick, I swear; I’m not making this up! That damn, Erebus!”
“Erebus, did you say Erebus?” Rick felt a sudden surge of excitement rush through his body.
“Yes… why?” Mac looked at Rick, surprised by his comment.
“My brother-in-law is with the Philadelphia Department, and he told me about a strange arrest he went out on one night. He said that he and his partner were called out to the home of one of the detectives from their Department. They said when they got there, they found him in his office at his desk talking about some guy named Erebus. He kept repeating how this Erebus had killed people and then made it look like someone else had done it. I think his name was John Cooper. Yeah, that’s his name. Of course, everyone believed John had to be crazy because he said he had killed Erebus and sent him back to hell, only to learn he had murdered his wife instead. From what my brother-in-law said, John Cooper is locked in a mental hospital for the criminally insane, and will probably be in there the rest of his life. You don’t think this is the same guy, do you?” Rick looked at her nervously.
Mac could not believe what she had just heard. He has played his game before, and with another detective! “Rick, it has to be the same guy. You said this guy was from Philadelphia, right?”
“Yes…,” not sure, if he liked the tone of her voice.
“Then that’s where I need to go.” Mac felt a renewed sense of control.
“What? You’re planning on going to Philadelphia?” Rick prayed he had heard her wrong, but he knew better.
Chapter 6
The flight to Philadelphia was exhausting. Mac had never liked to fly, so she was glad to be back on the ground. When she had decided to come to talk with John Cooper about his time with Erebus, she had forgotten how busy it would be to fly this weekend. She had to wait until the 1:23 am flight for an empty seat to Philadelphia, and with a two-hour layover in Chicago; it made for a long flight. All, she wanted to do now, was get her luggage, pick up the rental car, and go to her hotel room for some sleep.
She was surprised to see it had already snowed. There was not a lot, but just enough to make a mess on the roads. Mac never liked the snow. She had always joked that the only good snow was on a Christmas card.
The last time, she had been in it, was when she had gone on a ski weekend to Vail, Colorado. She had been dating Chad Williams, a friend of Rick and Sharon Jameson. He had convinced her that she would have a great time spending her days on the slopes, and nights curled up in front of a roaring fire. Therefore, after weeks of pushing and prodding, he finally convinced her to go, but she immediately learned that she did not want to be his little snow bunny, as he liked to call her.
She had hated the entire weekend. One thing, Mac could not stand, was to feel out of control, and that is exactly how she felt on the slopes. Once they returned home, her relationship with Chad ended.
Mac was glad to be out of the airport,
and on her way to the hotel. It had taken nearly twenty minutes to get her luggage, and another thirty minutes to get her car. She knew the crowds would be horrible because of the Thanksgiving weekend travel, but she had never imagined it would be quite this bad.
She did have to admit that she was glad to have met the young man who sat next to her on the flight. He was a soldier headed home for the holiday. He had told Mac of how he was stationed at Fort Hood and was scheduled to ship out to Afghanistan in a couple of weeks. He told her this would be his third deployment, but he never once seemed upset to be returning.
Mac had always marveled at the dedication of those in the military. They never complained, and always appeared to consider serving as an honor.
“Please, be careful while you’re over there, and thank you for your service,” she had told him.
“I will ma’am, and thank you for your service. It’s reassuring to know there are people like you protecting things here,” he had said with a smile on his face.
***
The shower had felt wonderful, and Mac was glad to be able to relax for a while before she headed to the hospital. She had called and received permission to visit with John Cooper at 2:30 pm, so she wanted to be fresh for their meeting.
The excitement surged through her, as she looked at the clock and realized it was 11:45 am. “Good, it’s time to get dressed and head out to the hospital.”
She had requested to speak with John’s doctor before the visit, so she did not want to be late.
She finished the last of her coffee and was about to leave when the room telephone rang, “Who would be calling me on that phone,” she wondered. “Hello.”
“Hello, Lucinda,” the voice was calm and reserved.
“What do you want, and how did you find me here?” The anger was evident in her voice.
“I told you I know everything about you and what you’re doing, but I must admit I was surprised to learn of your little trip. May I inquire as to what took you to Philadelphia?” He tried to hide his anger.
“To be honest, it’s none of your business.” She loved the way she had caught him off guard.
How interesting, so you don’t know everything, after all, she thought to herself.
This response did not sit well with him. Nothing had prepared him for this turn of events, and he refused not to be in complete control of The Game at all times.
“I’m surprised you would leave at this time. You have so much work left undone.” He fought to hide the anger burning inside him.
“What’s wrong; do you miss me already?” Mac could tell he was not pleased, but it only drove her onward.
“You don’t need to worry, I’m still playing your little game,” her tone was playful.
“In fact, I need to get going because I have an important meeting, and I don’t want to be late. If you call me this evening, I’m sure I’ll have some exciting news to share with you…goodbye.” She hung up the phone while laughing at this new turn of events.
“Let’s see how you handle not being the one in control for a change,” she grabbed her coat and headed for the door.
***
“What are you up to Lucinda,” he said to himself, as he stood holding the phone receiver in his hand. Something like this had never happened before, and to have an opponent stand up to him in this way was both disturbing and exciting.
He pondered why she would go to Philadelphia, as there was no reason, save one. “No, that can’t be it…can it?”
He knew she was intelligent, but how did she find him. “My dear, Lucinda, you truly are full of surprises.”
***
The drive to the hospital took nearly an hour. Mac knew the doctor would try to discourage her from talking to John Cooper, but she knew he held the answers to her questions about Erebus.
“Miss Mackey, the doctor, will see you now,” the nurse announced as she turned and walked down the hall. Mac had to chuckle at the sound one of the nurse’s shoes made with each step. Nothing was worse than a pair of squeaky shoes.
Mac was thankful the doctor had agreed to meet with her on such short notice, especially since it was Thanksgiving Day. She had stressed the importance of the meeting and that she was on a limited time schedule, so had he graciously agreed to meet with her and allow her to speak with John.
The nurse stopped at a large door and motioned for her to enter the room, pulling Mac out of her thoughts. “Thank you,” Mac said before she walked into the room.
“Ah, good afternoon, Miss Mackey, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,” Dr. Jenkins smiled, as he motioned for her to sit in the chair across from his desk.
Mac walked to the offered chair and took a deep breath before she spoke. “First of all, I would like to thank you for meeting with me today. I’m sorry for taking you away from your family, but it’s vital that I speak with Mr. Cooper, as soon as possible.”
Dr. Jenkins smiled, “I must admit I was relieved to have an excuse to leave. My sister flew in for the weekend with her new boyfriend. I was growing rather bored with the talk of all his investments and business deals.” He chuckled at the vision of his poor wife when he had left her alone to entertain the family gathering.
“I love spending time with family, but I also love it when they go back home,” he grinned. “Now, what may I help you with today?”
Mac had heard many people say that over the years, but she knew they would change their minds if they had to go through the holidays with no family.
“As I told you on the telephone, I need to speak with Mr. John Cooper. I believe he has information that will help me with a case I’m currently investigating. A young boy has been kidnaped, and I think Mr. Cooper can lead me to the one responsible; a man who refers to himself as Erebus.”
The words hit Dr. Jenkins with such force that he had to catch his breath. “Erebus, how do you know of that? Miss Mackey, Erebus is the name Mr. Cooper has given to his imagined adversary. Erebus is no more real than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. He is merely a product of Mr. Cooper’s deep seeded psychosis. He created Erebus as an excuse for his drinking brought on due to his guilt over the death of his partner.”
“No, Dr. Jenkins, Erebus is real. He has been calling me, but even worse, he’s holding a small boy for ransom. I spoke to him only an hour ago. I don’t have time to waste because if I don’t stop him soon, that little boy will die!” Mac looked Dr. Jenkins directly in the eyes.
The look on his face changed from one of relaxed indifference to complete shock and horror. “I don’t know what to say. How could I have known?”
Mac could see he had a difficult time coming to terms with this new development. “Doctor, I know this comes as a shock, but I don’t have time to waste.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll take you to him now.” He stood and walked toward the door.
***
Mac and John Cooper sat across from each other for several moments before he finally spoke. “I don’t know who you are. Why are you here?”
Mac knew that she had to careful when choosing her words. The last thing, she wanted, was to frighten him. “Mr. Cooper, I’m not quite sure how to start. I’m a Detective from Houston Texas, and I’m currently working a case I think you may be able to help me with.” She paused a moment and then continued, “I’m working on a kidnapping, and I believe you may have had previous dealings with the kidnapper.”
John sat quietly with his arms folded across his chest, not sure, the direction she was going with this.
“I need your help to get a little boy home safely to his family. Do you think you can do that?” she looked at him, trying to get an idea of what he was thinking.
When he still did not respond, Mac pushed onward. “Mr. Cooper, I know you’ve gone through a terrible ordeal and I’m sure you would rather forget all about it, but I desperately need your help to save this little boy.”
John sat quietly for several moments before he finally spoke, “Detective Mackey, I don’t see how
I can be of any help. I’ve never been to Texas and besides, I’ve been living here for the past year.”
Mac knew she had to take things slowly because the last thing, she wanted, was to upset him.
“I know why you’re here, Mr. Cooper. You had a run-in with a mutual friend,” she steadied herself for his response.
“Mutual friend, who can we both possibly know?” he asked with his interest now piqued.
“Erebus,” was the only word she said.
“What did you say?” he questioned, not sure if he had heard her correctly.
“I said Erebus. He keeps been calling me, just like he did you.” Mac watched his expression change from one of indifference to one of complete shock.
“He’s been calling you?” He could feel a chill in the room now. “You’ve been chosen to be the new Tracker in his game, haven’t you?” John responded while trying to hide the anger growing inside him.
Mac took a deep breath. “Yes. He told me I was chosen because of my unique traits,” she paused a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. “Do you know what he meant by that?”
John lowered his head and sat in silence. He closed his eyes and thought back to his time with Erebus. He knew what he wanted to say, but he also knew he needed to be honest with her. He slowly lifted his head and looked at her again.
“I used to be a happy man. I was married to a wonderful woman, I had a career I was proud of; I had everything you could ever ask for in life. I had worked extremely hard to become the kind of man Kathy could be proud of, but I couldn’t keep my demons at bay.” He paused a moment to push his shame aside before he continued.
“The first time, I heard from Erebus, was on the night of our twelfth wedding anniversary. Kathy and I had gone out to celebrate when I received the first call. At first, I thought it was all a joke, but I soon learned that it wasn’t. He really does have a way of getting under your skin, doesn’t he?”
He looked at Mac and smiled before he continued. “He knows everything about you. Where you are, where you’re going. Hell, he even knew what I would do before I did.”
A New Game Page 7