DESTINY (THE CHASER CHRONICLES Book 3)

by John C. Dalglish

  I caught up with Nate. “Hey, you ready to lose?”

  He snorted. “I was going to ask you the same question.”

  “Very funny. Try not to cry this time, please.”

  Nate laughed. “It’s a wonderful place, this imaginary world you live in, huh?”

  You have no idea!

  *******

  Racquetball was invigorating, and my conditioning paid off in the end, with me squeaking out a one-game victory. Nate stayed to shower, but I needed to continue my workout with Rachel, so I left before my friend.

  Despite taking several water breaks, I never saw Tracy Adams hanging around the courts. I was considering my next move as I came out into the early October sun, when a lone figure standing under a shade tree caught my eye.

  I had seen a couple photos of Mrs. Adams, and I had no doubt this was her, probably waiting for Nate to come out. She looked younger than her thirty-one years, with sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, and an athletic figure.

  I walked over to her, and surprise raced across her face, the same reaction as all Runners when they find out someone can see them.

  There were people around, and I didn’t want to look like a crazy person, so I leaned against the tree while I talked. I didn’t look directly at her, and it looked like I was singing to myself, at least I hoped so.

  “Hello, Tracy Adams.”

  “Who are you, and why can you see me?”

  Always the same question. Oh well, I guess that’s exactly what I would say.

  I decided to play along for a change. “My name is Jack Carter, and I can see you because the Spirit allows me to.”

  “The Holy Spirit?”

  “One and the same.”

  She seemed pretty calm by new Runner standards. “Were you looking for me?”

  “Yup.”

  “Why?”

  “I need to cross you over to the other side. You know…go into the light.”

  Tracy suddenly sounded distraught. “Is God mad at me?”

  She’d caught me off guard. “No, Tracy…” I looked at her and my heart broke. “Not at all. It’s just that God has to enforce the rules of life and death, and you need to be in the right place.”

  Relief swept across her face, and I decided we needed to move this conversation to a more hidden spot.

  “Tracy, follow me over to that clump of trees by the side of the building, and I’ll explain everything.”

  She nodded and fell into step with me. Nate was just coming out of the building, but fortunately, he didn’t see me. When we got out of sight, I turned to her.

  “What you did, running away from the light, is very difficult. It usually requires a huge emotional output. Why did you run?”

  Her anger flared, demonstrating the very emotion that allowed her to run, and she started to pace. “My husband murdered me! I couldn’t let him get away with it.” She paused, the anger on her face ebbing. “I had to do something.”

  I knew it! It makes me so happy when I’m right!

  “What did you think you could do?”

  She restarted her pacing. “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping to tip someone off, maybe reveal some evidence.”

  “How did he kill you? The coroner said your death was an accidental drowning.”

  “That’s what Dave wanted it to look like. The thing is I didn’t drown in the pool, I was drowned in the bathtub!”

  “He moved your body?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? You could have had the same accident in the tub.”

  She stopped pacing and came over to stand in front of me. “I was drugged, but I put up a fight, and some things got knocked around the bathroom. Water was everywhere, and he needed time to clean up. Plus, he could say he was two floors away and asleep.”

  It makes sense, and was actually pretty smart, but how to prove it?

  I looked up to see her staring intently at me. I wasn’t sure if I could prove it was murder, but I would do my best, and I told her so.

  “Tracy, you can’t stay here…”

  “I have to, he has to be caught.”

  “…I understand, and if you’ll do what I tell you, I promise I will find a way to prove it was murder.”

  She looked skeptical. “What do I have to do?”

  “You have to let me cross you over, right now, and trust me to keep my word.”

  Tracy stared at me for a long time, seeming to balance my promise against the idea of running some more. “How do I know you’ll do it?”

  “Do you remember who allows me to see you?”

  “The Holy Spirit?”

  “Yes, and He’s the best reference I can give you.”

  She smiled. “Well, I guess it’ll have to do.”

  I laughed, and took the blessed cross out of my gym bag. “I just need you to take hold of this cross, and you’ll be back to the light.”

  She hesitated, staring at the cross, and then lifting her eyes to mine. “I trust you, Jack Carter. Thank you.”

  She reached out and touched the cross, disappearing with a flash.

  Normally, I like to bask in the feeling of sending someone home, but I had training to do. And now, a promise to keep.

  *******

  Rachel was waiting for me when I arrived at Buddy and Sarah’s house. “About time!”

  “Yeah, sorry I’m late.”

  “What happened?”

  “I found my Runner. Things went better than I expected, and I was able to cross her over.”

  “You’re forgiven.” Rachel wore another black one-piece jazzercise outfit, but this time it was accompanied by pink Nikes and a matching pink scrunchie that held her red hair in a long ponytail.

  I grabbed my stuff and hurried up the walk to where she waited under the front door canopy. “You ready to work?”

  She snickered. “I think the question is whether Jack is ready?”

  I let us in. “Oh, yeah. I’m feeling energized.”

  “Crossing someone over always made me feel recharged too,” She followed me into the house. “By the way, Buddy has some interesting neighbors.”

  I laughed. “I gather you’re referring to the ones over the back fence?”

  “Yeah. A cemetery is unique for a Chaser.”

  “Buddy says they’re the quietest people he has around him.”

  “Sure, dead quiet!”

  I laughed, but her joke reminded me of the last time I heard it. Mandy had said the exact same thing the first time she visited here.

  I miss her so much.

  We went down to the gym and spent the next several hours working on fitness and sensing the Spirit, but quit just before dinner time rolled around. Rachel toweled herself off as I sat drinking a bottle of water. “You got plans for dinner?”

  I looked up. She appeared ready to go out on the town, despite the spandex suit and ponytail. “No, but I need to do some research. I was just going to grab a burger on the way to my office.”

  “Oh, okay.” She sat down next to me on the bench. “I haven’t seen your office, so why don’t I pick up some food and meet you there?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I fished a business card out of my wallet. “The address is on the card, along with a little map that’s printed on the back.”

  She turned the card over. “Okay. Do you like chicken?”

  “Sure, whatever you want.”

  “Good, because what I want right now is to spend some more time with you.” She stood and headed up the stairs.

  *******

  I arrived at the office and immediately turned on my computer. There had to be some way to determine if a victim drowned in a tub or a pool.

  Aren’t questions like this the reason Google was invented?

  I did a search for a tap water vs. pool water comparison. It turned out chlorine is something you find in both kinds of water.

  Crap!

  I was in over my head when it came to forensics. I decided to call Nate. We had talked about the case in vague te
rms, earlier in the day, during a break in racquetball. I hadn’t pushed, because I didn’t know all the facts, but I’d talked with Tracy Adams since. I dialed.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Nate. Jack again.”

  “You call to gloat?”

  I laughed. “Certainly not! I barely escaped with a victory.”

  “What’s up then?”

  “It’s the Adams drowning case. I can’t seem to let it go.”

  “Wow, it’s really stuck in your craw, isn’t it?”

  That was an understatement. “Yeah, something just doesn’t feel right.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. What about the wine glass, did it have the wife’s fingerprints?”

  There was a long hesitation. “Well, I’m at home and don’t have the file here, but I’m not sure. What are you suggesting?”

  “I guess I’m just fishing. Did the toxicology report show alcohol in her system?”

  “I don’t know. The tox screen isn’t back yet.”

  Rachel came through the door, a KFC bag in her hand and a bottle of wine under her arm.

  “I gotta go, Nate. Sorry to bug you, it’s one of those private eye things.”

  “I understand. You PIs have too much time on your hands, that’s the problem.” He hesitated. “Seriously though, Jack. I’ll give everything a thorough going over at the station tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Nate. Bye.”

  While I’d been talking to Nate, Rachel had been laying out chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, and two wine glasses. She twisted the top off the wine and poured. “Sorry about the cheap wine. I didn’t know if you had a corkscrew.”

  “Everything looks awesome.”

  We prayed and dug in. I was starving, but she kept pace, filling her plate and glass as often as I did. When we were done eating, I leaned back in my chair, while she got up and stood over by the window.

  She turned, sitting on the window ledge, and seemed unsure of herself for the first time since I’d met her. I could sense a question lingering on her lips.

  “What is it? There’s something you want to say, I can tell.”

  Rachel smiled, looking at the floor, seemingly embarrassed at being caught. “Jack…is there a woman in your life?”

  My surprise must have been written in neon across my forehead. She immediately turned away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t pry. It’s none of my business.”

  “No…it’s okay. In fact, I’m quite flattered…”

  Rachel smiled at the compliment. “You don’t have to say anything.”

  “I don’t mind. The answer is a resounding yes and no.”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed out loud. “You should be a politician!”

  “That’s what my mother told me.” I sat forward in my chair, looking into her eyes and feeling the heat from across the room. “There’s a girl I’ve loved for many years, but never told her. I finally confessed recently and it turned out she feels the same way, but there’s a problem.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “No, it’s not anything you’ve done. Her name is Mandy, and I tried to tell her about the ministry, but it didn’t go well.”

  “She didn’t believe you?”

  “Can you blame her?”

  Rachel laughed, a kind of sad laugh, which I hadn’t heard from her before now. “No, I guess not.”

  “Actually, I think she believes me, or at least trusts me, but I think the whole spiritual world thing was too much for her. She’s a detective and she has enough bad guys in her world. So finding out there’s a whole other evil in the spirit world was just too much for her to deal with, I think.”

  “She’ll come around, Jack. You’re worth it.”

  “Thanks, Rachel. What about you?”

  “Me? I was married once, but he couldn’t handle the ministry, either.”

  “What happened?”

  “He left me, turning his back on the promise he’d made, and he was taken.”

  “Oh Rachel…I’m sorry.”

  “I appreciate that.” Rachel stood up, downed the last of her wine, and started for the door. “Pick me up at nine tomorrow?”

  I smiled. “Not one minute after!”

  She laughed, the same sad laugh, and disappeared through the door.

  chapter 10

  The next morning, I woke up with Mandy on my mind, which was not unusual. But my feelings had changed. The talk with Rachel had scared me.

  What if Mandy does join me in the ministry, then changes her mind like Rachel’s husband, and she’s taken? I could lose her forever.

  At the same time, I couldn’t imagine moving forward without her. And then there was Rachel.

  What if Mandy doesn’t believe, doesn’t go with me, what then? Rachel is amazing, and already part of the ministry. Could I ever feel the same about her as I do about Mandy?

  I rubbed at my temples, forced myself out of bed, and tried to stop torturing myself. There was only thing to do right now, focus on training and preparing for Harbinger.

  If you don’t take care of him, neither Mandy nor Rachel will be your problem.

  I got dressed and left to pick up Rachel. Bear insisted on tagging along, which I didn’t mind.

  I can see why some people prefer pets as companions. Less stress!

  *******

  I called the hospital on the way to pick up Rachel. Sarah answered the room phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Sarah. It’s Jack.”

  “Hi, Jack. How’s the training going?”

  “Good, I think. How’s Buddy coming along?”

  “Well, he started asking the doctor if he could go home. Does that tell you anything?”

  I laughed. “What did the doctor say?”

  “He laughed out loud, and left the room. I could hear him laughing down the hall.”

  “Too funny! I guess there’s no chance Buddy will be going home any time soon?”

  “Nope. At least, not until his skull heals up some and his strength returns.”

  “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m fine, Jack. I’ve got Buddy right where I want him, sitting next to me, holding my hand.”

  “Great. Tell him I’ll be by to see him soon.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  As soon as I hung up, my phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Jack? It’s me, Nate.”

  “Hi, Nate. Any news?”

  “Actually, yes. The only prints they found on the wine glass belonged to the husband.”

  “No kidding!”

  “That’s right. I don’t know how I missed it, so I’m glad you said something.”

  It helps to have the dead victim to tip you off!

  “Like I said, something was bugging me.”

  “There’s more. I found a patrolman’s interview with a neighbor, in which the officer mentioned Tracy Adam’s husband said she liked to dangle her legs in the pool. The neighbor’s statement negated the husband’s.”

  “What did the neighbor say?”

  “That Mrs. Adams would always go inside before dark, even at her own pool parties, because she hated mosquitoes.”

  “Wow, that’s wild!”

  “I wanted to go talk to the husband, but the lieutenant wants to wait on the tox report before going any further.”

  I was just pulling up at the Ramada, and Rachel was again outside waiting. Bear’s tail began to wag furiously when she saw Rachel.

  “I need to go, Nate. Keep me up to speed, will you?”

  “Sure thing, Bye.”

  I hung up and got out of the Ranchero, followed by Bear. The big dog jumped into the back of the vehicle, then waited for Rachel to come over and pet her. After Bear had received sufficient attention, Rachel threw her gym bag in the back with the dog and climbed in the car, and we headed for our workout.

  *******

  We arrived at Buddy’s a short time later. Nothing was said about our conv
ersation last night, and Rachel didn’t appear to show any sign of being uncomfortable.

  I wish I could say the same thing.

  Nevertheless, once training began, any nervousness on my part was quickly gone. After nearly two hours, we took a break. Rachel went to her gym bag, opened it, and lifted out a box. It was the size of a shoebox, completely covered in purple velvet, and appeared to be heavy as she carried it toward me.

  “What you got there?”

  She laid it on the bench next to me. “Open it.”

  “It’s not my birthday.”

  “Good, because it’s not a present. They’re on loan.”

  The box had a very old latch on the front, and I had to remove a pin and lift a clasp before raising the lid. The inside was lined with the same purple velvet, and nestled among the fabric were three stars.

  “Interesting.”

  She stood there, arms crossed, watching me. “They’re throwing stars.”

  I lifted one out of the box. It weighed easily two, maybe three pounds. “Wow, somebody would have to be strong to throw these with any force.”

  “They’re heavy for a reason.”

  I hefted it a couple times, then turned it over in my hand, inspecting both sides carefully. I was familiar with throwing stars, every one of them meant to cut someone like a knife when it hit them. These were unlike any I had seen.

  For starters, these were shaped like a Star of David, with the arms of the star hollow. On the end of each arm, rather than a razor sharp point, was a solid, round ball about the size of a standard marble.

  “Aren’t throwing stars usually sharp?”

  “Yes, but as with the weight, there’s a reason for the round points.”

  I laid the star back in the box. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s special about these, and why are you loaning them to me?”

  Rachel took one of the stars, holding it up for me to see. “These balls on the end, they’re meant to keep you from killing a Runner. A sharp edge could kill them if thrown the right way and cost you the chance to cross them over.”

  I nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “The weight of the star is meant to deal a concussive blow to the Runner, stunning them or even knocking them out. This gives you a tactical advantage to move over to them and use your sword.”