“Again, that makes sense, but those are too heavy to throw with any real force.”
Rachel gave me a sly smile, turned toward the punching bag that hung across the room, and closed her eyes. In one swift motion, she fired the star. The heavy bag swayed significantly from the force of the impact. I never actually saw the star in the air.
“Wow! I’m impressed.”
She smiled, retrieved the star, and held it out to me. “You try.”
I was skeptical, but accepted her challenge. Taking the star, I planted my feet much like a baseball pitcher, wound up, and threw it. The star hit the bag with a thud and dropped to the floor. The bag moved slightly, then resumed its motionless hanging.
I grabbed my arm. “Ouch! I think I threw my shoulder out.”
Rachel rolled her eyes, retrieved the star, and handed it to me.
“Don’t worry about your shoulder, you’ll survive. I want you to try again, but before you throw this time, let the Spirit take control.” She stepped back to give me space. “Just like the first time you ran up a wall or reached out to sense a Runner in the area.”
I did as she said, taking my stance and closing my eyes. I wound up and fired the star. It smashed into the wall past the punching bag.
Like before, Rachel retrieved the star and handed it back to me. “Again.”
I turned it over a couple times, looking for damage, but it seemed uninjured from my abuse. “Okay.”
I went back into the stance and closed my eyes again. I don’t know how long I stood focusing, but suddenly my muscles exploded with motion, and the star sailed across the room.
This time into the bag, knocking it back, and causing it to sway several times before settling down.
Rachel nodded approvingly. “Not bad!”
In spite of myself, I got a charge out of Rachel being impressed. “That was awesome.”
Rachel picked up the star, this time putting it back in the box, and grabbed her towel. “That’s enough for today. We’ll work with them some more tomorrow.”
I took another look at the stars before she closed the box. “So, they’re effective despite being heavy because the Spirit throws them, not our natural bodies.”
“Exactly.” She headed for the stairs. “But isn’t that how everything should be for a Christian?”
“You mean reliance on the Spirit?”
“Yes, and especially for the Chaser, who needs extra speed, strength, and wisdom.”
I smiled, and answered under my breath. “When you’re right, you’re right!”
*******
After dropping Rachel off and turning down another dinner invitation, I headed over to the hospital. When I got there, Buddy was in good spirits.
“Hi, Jack!”
“Hey, Buddy. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good, considering.”
I laughed. “Where’s Sarah?”
“I told her to leave because I needed some time to myself.”
“You didn’t!”
“Of course I did. Really though, I just wanted her to take a break, get some fresh air, and find out if you and that Rachel have destroyed my house.”
I took Sarah’s normal seat beside Buddy. “Oh, so that’s it! You sent her to check up on me.”
“I refuse to answer on the grounds it may incriminate me.”
I see he has his sense of humor back.
“I guess you’re familiar with the envoy from the Council?”
“Yup. She’s a pretty lady, and tough as nails.”
“Indeed.”
Before Buddy could ask any more questions, Sarah came into the room. She looked refreshed and happy, as if a large weight had been removed from her shoulders. “Hi, Jack. I didn’t know you were going to make it in this afternoon.”
“Well, training finished a little early, so I wanted to stop by.”
I got up and let her have her chair back. After visiting for a little while longer, I said my goodbyes, and left them alone.
As I stepped out of the hospital and into the late afternoon October sun, I dialed Mandy again. As had been the case for several days, it went to voice mail. I waited for the beep, then spoke from my heart.
“Mandy, it’s me again. I miss you…I miss us. Call me so we can move forward. Please…soon…”
chapter 11
I was on my way to pick up Rachel for training the next morning when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Jack, it’s Nate. You were right!”
“Man, I’m glad to hear that. About what exactly?”
Nate laughed. “The Tracy Adams case.”
“Oh, of course. Did the tox screen come back?”
“Yes, and there were no chloramines in the victim’s lungs.”
“I knew it!” I laughed. “What are chloramines?”
“I’m sorry, Jack. I forgot you’re a PI with limited real crime experience.”
“Ouch,” I winced. “That hurts!”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t know what it meant when the coroner told me either. Apparently, chloramines are created when chlorine makes contact with organic matter.”
“I’m still not following, Nate.”
“You know the strong chlorine smell you find at a public pool?”
“Sure.”
“Well, the coroner said what you actually smell are chloramines, not chlorine. The smell’s created when chlorine cleans up human organics.”
“Human organics. You mean like sweat?”
“Yup, and certain other unmentionables.”
It became evident why Nate was so excited. “So she didn’t drown in the pool?”
“Nope. She was dead before she hit the water.”
“Anything else show up in the tox report?”
“Two things. First, her blood contained enough prescription sleep meds to knock out a gorilla. And second, there was no alcohol in her system.”
“The husband has been lying through his teeth.”
“Yup, and I was just issued an arrest warrant. I wanted you to know I was on my way to arrest the guy.”
“Thanks, Nate. Congrats on the bust.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you. I owe you one.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget. Bye.”
I hung up and looked for a place to pull off the road. A city park came up on my right, and I turned into the parking lot. I shut off the Ranchero and pulled out the newspaper article I had been keeping in my wallet.
It was a story on Tracy Adams, and it was accompanied by a photo. I ran my finger over the photo, reaching out to her in my mind.
“We did it, Tracy. You and me, we made sure he didn’t get away with it.”
I wasn’t expecting an answer, and I didn’t get one, but inside me was a tremendous peace. I’d kept my word. Closing my eyes, I said a prayer of thanks.
*******
For the next week, I met with Rachel every day, working on conditioning and throwing the stars. At the end of each day, we crossed off another box on the calendar. I was getting into superb shape, but the star throwing was not going well.
Rachel shook her head for the umpteenth time. “You’re not letting the Spirit throw it.”
I was missing the target completely, and when I did hit the bag, it hardly moved beyond a shudder. “I’m trying!”
“I know, Jack.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. “It’s just that we’ve only got a couple days left to get this right. These stars can be the advantage you need to defeat Harbinger.”
I sat down on the bench, wiping my face with a towel, and gulped some water. “I know you’re trying to help, but maybe we need to reconsider our plan of attack.”
She looked skeptical. “What do you have in mind?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but let me think on it and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
She stared at me for a long time, then shrugged. “Okay.”
I stood up. “By the way, can I ask you a personal ques
tion?”
“Of course.”
“How many of those tight black workout suits do you own?”
I had caught her by surprise. She looked down at herself, then back at me. “Why? Don’t you like them?”
The look on her face made me break out laughing. “Sure, I think they look great.”
When she realized I was teasing, her lips turned down into a smirk, and she took a swing at me. I jumped back, barely escaping what surely would have left a bruise.
She grabbed her gym bag and marched up the stairs. Still laughing, I opened the door to Buddy’s office and reached in to cross off the date on the calendar.
October eighth, two days to go.
*******
After dropping Rachel at the hotel, I went to see Buddy. He was getting a little better each day, and the doctor was no longer laughing out loud when Buddy asked to go home. It would still likely be at least a few days, though.
Sarah was gone when I arrived. “Hey, Buddy!”
“Hi, Jack. How’s the training going?”
It was always his first question. I sat down next to him.
“Oh, okay I guess. The stars are still giving me fits.”
“I wish I could go with you, Jack.”
I touched his arm. “I know you do, and I appreciate it, but you’re retired.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Really, and who told you that?”
“Let’s just say a little angel told me.”
He crossed his arms across his chest. “I don’t suppose this ‘little angel’ would be named Sarah.”
I laughed. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought,” he stared into my eyes, much like when he was training me, and wanted my full attention. “Do you want to know what I think?”
“You’re going to tell me anyway, right?”
“Yup. Now, I’m not knocking Rachel Tanner, and I can tell she has you in tremendous shape…”
I smirked. “But?”
“…but I always felt you were at your best when you fought with a staff.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I hadn’t considered which weapon I used best.”
“Like I said, it’s just my opinion.”
Sarah came into the room. “Hi, Jack. Did he try getting you to smuggle him out of the hospital?”
“No.”
Sarah laughed. “Well, you’re the first. He been bribing nurses, threatening doctors, and who knows what else.”
“Buddy sounds like he’s feeling much better.”
I let her have my seat, and she rolled her eyes. “If you mean he’s back to being his regular pain in the butt, then yes, he’s much better!”
Buddy scowled as Sarah and I shared a laugh at his expense. I looked at my watch and decided it was time to go. “I’ll see you two later.”
Their response came in stereo. “Bye, Jack.”
*******
On the way home, my thoughts wandered to Mandy. It had been longer than I could remember since I talked to her.
A week? Two weeks? It seems like forever.
I’d continued to leave messages, and she had continued to ignore them. I didn’t know how she was feeling, or what she was going through, and it was killing me.
I pulled into my driveway, went into the house, and fed Bear. When she was done eating, I took her out back, sat on the steps, and watched her run around.
I took out my phone, and instead of calling, I typed out a text message.
I need to talk to you. I am going up against Harbinger the day after tomorrow, and I’m struggling with my training, as well as my courage. I wish I had you to help me make the tough decisions, the ones that could make or break the battle, the ones that could save me. If you feel you can, call me.
I reread the message, then pushed send. A half hour went by, and with no response, I went to bed.
*******
A restless night left me feeling more tired when I got up than when I went to bed. I let Bear out, made coffee, and when to check my phone. There was still no message from Mandy.
I got myself a bowl of cereal, went back into the living room, and turned on the TV. The Today Show was on, and even Al Roker doing his best Daffy Duck impression couldn’t make me smile.
Bear came into the room and lay down next to my feet. I scratched her behind the ears, taking my time with my cereal, not wanting to leave the house.
Come on, Jack. You’ve got to shake out of it. There’s a battle to be won, and this is no time for a pity party.
I was startled by the ringing of my phone. I leapt toward it as if it was a hand grenade about to go off unless I reached it in time. The ringing stopped as soon as it started, and I realized it was my text message tone.
Mandy’s picture filled the screen, and my heart started to pound. I pressed the little yellow-and-white envelope, and message opened up.
I’m sorry I’m not there for you, but I’m still figuring things out. The only advice I can give you is this: As long as the Holy Spirit is there with you, trust Him. Whatever way He tells you to fight, follow Him. Right now, you need to trust yourself and His power.
I read the message again, and then again. It wasn’t news that Mandy believed in the Holy Spirit, but the spirit chasing world was still not in her message, nor whether she believed I was actually facing a Runner. I longed to talk to her, but I was glad for her advice.
She’s right. Use the weapon you’re most comfortable with, and let the Spirit do the fighting.
I grabbed Bear by the ears, kissed her muzzle, and jumped up. My heart soared as I prepared for the last day of training.
I’ll take Mandy’s advice. No stars, no guns, no Tasers! Definitely, no Tasers! Just me, the Spirit, and a staff.
chapter 12
I picked Rachel up like usual, Bear in the back seat, and drove to Buddy’s. We didn’t talk much, which was unusual, and she seemed troubled. Finally, she asked the question bothering her. “So, what did you decide?”
“Decide?”
“Yeah, about the plan of attack. I get the feeling you have a different idea than what we’ve been training for.”
Rachel was not unlike Mandy in that nothing got by her. I stole a glance at her and found green eyes focused intently on me. “Actually, I’ve decided to change a part of my attack.”
“Okay. What part?”
This time, I didn’t look at her. Rachel could be intimidating at times, and I was about to scrap the gift she’d brought me, which meant she might be angry. “The stars.”
There was a long silence, and I had to look over to make sure she hadn’t jumped from the car. “You still with me?”
“Of course, but I don’t agree. What do you intend to use as a weapon?”
We pulled up in Buddy’s driveway, and I got out of the Ranchero, then looked back in through the window. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
I ruffled Bear’s fur. “Stay girl!”
We went inside and down to the training room. I turned on the lights, and then did a circle, trying to locate the weapons I knew were there somewhere. Buddy and I hadn’t used them since our early days of training, but he hadn’t got rid of them, I was sure.
“Ah-ha! There they are.”
Leaning against the wall, and covered by a towel, were two galvanized pipes with taped-up handles. I picked one up and hefted it a time or two. Rachel was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a look of bewilderment on her face. “Pipes? You’re going to fight Harbinger with pipes?”
“I am.” I tossed her the one I was holding and grabbed the other. “This is my best weapon.”
I swished the pipe back and forth, the only thing missing from my demonstration was the sound of a light saber. I provided that myself.
“VVVUUMMMM! VVVUUMMMM!”
Rachel Tanner’s face cracked open into a huge smile. “You’re nuts!”
I bowed at the waist. “Thank you.”
Suddenly, I was under at
tack. Her red hair flashed toward me, a scream exited her lips, and her pipe-staff swung at me.
Without thinking, I ducked, rotated, and blocked her swing. I retaliated with my own, which landed on her thigh, drawing a wince, but not slowing her down. She renewed her attack by spinning several times, then jumping toward me, the staff aimed for my knees.
I leapt into the air, waited for the swing of the staff to unbalance her, then landed a blow on the other thigh. This time she stopped against the far wall, sizing me up, and planning her next charge.
Neither of us was out of breath, but the intensity of the battle exposed a fire in her eyes, and left me wondering what I had unleashed on myself.
Before she could attack again, I closed my eyes, and called on the Holy Spirit to take control. I sensed more than heard Rachel coming.
Almost without opening my eyes, I sidestepped her charge, the staff pointed at me like a medieval knight’s lance. Although her movements were lightning quick, I easily moved behind her as she went by, and placed my staff across her chest, grabbing both sides and pulling her back against me.
She squirmed, but I had her pinned, and she knew it. Her hair brushed my face, a sweet smell filling my nostrils, so I rubbed in my victory. “I like your shampoo.”
Rachel stopped fighting and broke out into laughter. I released her and she turned to face me. She was still close, and I could feel her breath on my face. She leaned in and kissed me. I was caught by surprise, and the adrenaline of the moment took over. I kissed her back.
Jack! You’re opening a door you won’t be able to close.
I pulled myself away, turning my back, and walking to the bench across the room. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I shouldn’t have done that.”
She came over and sat beside me. “You didn’t, Jack. I did, and I don’t regret it.”
Putting her hand under my chin, she raised my face, and stared into my eyes. “I get it, Jack. Your heart is with someone else, but I don’t want you to have any doubt, I have feelings for you.”
DESTINY (THE CHASER CHRONICLES Book 3) Page 7