Strong Reflection: Book 2 of the Dark Series Trilogy

by Mckoy, Cate

  But the other guy who was even bigger and just as muscled grabbed a hold of the first man’s arm. “Kyle, the most important thing is to get Mack the help she needs.” The man with the green eyes looked at Jared. “This way, follow us to my car.”

  ****

  Kyle was fuming as he rode in the back seat with the stranger who held Ashley so gently in his arms. Her head rested against his chest and his head rested lightly against hers. Kyle was angry but he was also very scared. Ashley had looked at the ‘boy’ as though he were her world. What the hell was going on?

  Trying to hold his temper back, Kyle questioned the boy, “So, how do you know Ashley?”

  The boy flashed his gray eyes at Kyle before he gently stroked Ashley’s cheek. “So, little-one, you’re Ashley.” He rubbed his cheek against hers and then kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry Ashley I’m here.”

  Kyle’s anger grew if that were possible. Who did this little punk think he was, coming in here, first attacking his woman and then pawing all over her and staking some lame claim when it seemed as though he hadn’t even known her name?

  Jack cleared his throat from the driver’s seat. “Uh, are we taking her to the hospital or home.”

  “She hates hospital. I can take care of her at home.” Catlyn answered.

  Catlyn turned in her seat to address the boy. “You’re Jared? Is that right?”

  The boy nodded and held Ashley closer to him. “Well, I am a very good friend of Ashley’s. I’m Catlyn Lyte and this is my fiancé, Jack Gard who just happens to be the Chief of Detectives.”

  The boy nodded his head in acknowledgement of Catlyn’s introductions. He then tipped his head and cut his smoke colored eyes quickly to Kyle, “And the fire-breather?”

  Kyle’s eyes bulged and his anger went up yet another notch at the boy’s description of him and Catlyn’s inability to hide her amusement at said description. She spoke through a choked gasp which was obviously her trying not to laugh, “Uh, this is Assistant Director, FBI, Kyle Strong… and Ashley’s fiancé.”

  The boy turned his head to fully look Kyle in the face. He studied Kyle for a full minute before giving an unimpressed snort.

  “You little punk, who the hell are you?” Kyle exploded.

  Ashley stirred and came awake. Jared held her, shifting her to a sitting position in his lap. Ashley sighed and gripped his face. “Jared! It’s really you!”

  “Yes, little-one. It’s me in the flesh!”

  “Oh, my God! You’re so handsome!” Ashley gushed.

  Jared laughed, touching her face, “And you are super gorgeous, although you might want to lose some weight, getting kinda heavy.”

  “You punk!” Ashley laughingly slapped his shoulder and then pulled him to her for another of those extreme hugs that had Kyle gritting his teeth.

  Kyle fumed even as he noted he and Ashley had used the same word to describe the boy. Kyle was getting close to doing violence.

  “Oh, my appointment is here. Damn, I am late. Kyle, you still sitting in on this meeting?”

  All the occupants in Jack’s SUV had their attention drawn to the waiting car parked in front of Jack’s house. As Jack pulled up Ashley got off Jared’s lap and sat next to him. Kyle frowned as he stared at their joined hands. What the fuck was this? He didn’t know how much more of this loving display he could take.

  Jack stopped the car and they all got out. The other car driver’s door opened and Director Mackenzie stepped up to Jack.

  “I didn’t expect to have to wait for a meeting where the other party had set the time.”

  Jack shook the director’s offered hand. “I do apologize for my lateness—“

  Director Mackenzie was looking at the others, nodding in acknowledgement to them when his eyes were caught by Ashley and Jared holding hands.

  The director’s eyes turned mean as he moved to Mackenzie. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away from my family?”

  All the others became offended at the same time and started speaking all at once.

  “What the fuck is your problem?” Kyle shouted.

  “Are you out of your mind talking to one of my guests like that?” Jack growled.

  Catlyn stared intently switching her watchful gaze between Ashley and the Director. She was about to intervene when Jared spoke, “You old bastard, you did this.” his voice seemed to break and emotions flooded his eyes. “Grandpa, please tell me you didn’t do this?”

  Director Mackenzie ignored them all as he suddenly grabbed the back of Ashley’s head. “I told you little girl, you’re nothing to me! You hear me?! Nothing!” He shook Mackenzie hard for emphasis. “Stay away! Go away! Leave!” He then shoved Ashley to the ground!

  “Hey!” Catlyn yelled!

  The three men all grabbed the director and pushed him away from towering over Ashley.

  Ashley’s expression was as though she were in excruciating physical pain. Tears streamed down her face. Kyle helped her to stand. “Sweetheart, are you ok?”

  She had eyes only for the director. “I-I-I am s-s-sorry! I didn’t know!”

  “Well, now you know, get the hell away! G-g-get a-away!” The director’s voice suddenly became weak and he gripped his arm and then his chest and started to go down!

  Jared went to the old man, catching him just before he hit the ground. “Grandpa! Grandpa!”

  Ashley screamed covering her head with her hands. Hysterically she screamed, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She turned and took off across the front lawn.

  Catlyn was on the phone with 911 but called out to Kyle when he started to follow Ashley. “No Kyle, give her some time. Besides we might need you here.”

  Jack was giving the old man CPR, counting out the chest compressions. Kyle didn’t give a damn about the director lying on the ground but he loved Ashley. He was about to ignore Catlyn and go after the woman he loved when he saw the anguished look on young Jared’s face. He looked longingly towards Ashley who was quickly disappearing in the distance she ran so fast. But Jared also looked at the director on the ground with just as much pain and yearning.

  It was then Kyle knew he’d learn more about Ashley by staying near the boy. He was about to get all the answers to his 20 questions and find out more than he ever knew about Ashley in the next few hours than all the information he’d gather knowing her for years. Kyle stayed put.

  Chapter 13

  Kyle sat in one of the reclining chairs in Jack’s media room. Jared sat a level down and across from Kyle. Catlyn sat next to Kyle reassuring him once again that Ashley would return. It had been hours since Ashley had taken off across the grass, leaving him in the strange grasp of limbo and worry. Jack came from the rear of the room where he had been setting up what they were about to watch.

  When the ambulance had come to get Director Mackenzie Kyle had wanted to go look for Ashley. Catlyn had convinced him to give her more time and to help them out here. Catlyn had gone with Jared to the hospital with the director. Jack and Kyle had stayed at the house and with Jared’s permission had gone through the files Director Mackenzie had brought with him. There were in-depth files on the white supremacist group W.H.A.M. The director had identified and tracked several members. Detailed a list of crimes that went back decades including the murders of the Director’s wife and son.

  W.H.A.M.’s mission seemed to be to prevent any diluting or mixing of white blood. They maintained pure blooded anglo-saxons. If there was any perceived threat to their members W.H.A.M. took care of it usually in an illegal manner. They specifically targeted opposing groups like the Rainbow Coalition and PUSH. W.H.A.M didn’t like anyone in and of power with opposing ideologies. Although they attacked existing groups and services whose purpose was to unite and support minorities, it appeared they got a special thrill out of destroying groups that were in their infancy, not yet established hence the attack on the Director’s family.

  David Mackenzie had been the newly appointed director of a new branch of the FBI. A
branch which was designed specifically to help, support, defend and advance minorities. W.H.A.M couldn’t allow a powerful section of the government to gain strength and grow and be solely committed to minorities.

  Kyle and Jack read the reports regarding the murders of the Director’s wife and son, Mary Mackenzie, David Mackenzie and 12 others all linked to the new FBI department known as the HCD. Each murder had been committed on the eve of the HCD’s first day as a fully operational department. Needless to say the department didn’t get up and running until almost 2 years later.

  Among the list of murders were the names Linda, Ariel and Ashley Mackenzie, David Mackenzie’s family. At this obvious discrepancy, Jack and Kyle went looking through other files to find the death certificates of the Mackenzie family. The search did yield death certificates for all 4 and the adoption papers for the twins, making them David Mackenzie’s legal daughters. Also found was another thick file of just photos. The people in the photos were identified as the Mackenzie family, David, Linda, and their twin daughters Ariel and Ashley.

  The photos depicted a white man who was obviously in love with a black woman. In several they looked lovingly into each other’s eyes. It was also obvious in some the twins were identical. Mirrored twins, impossible to tell them apart, pictures of the twins ranged from about the age of 6 months to age 11 or 12, checking the death certificate Kyle knew it was age 11. He gasped when he came to pictures of the girls in cheerleader outfits. Although there were two photos one with the name Ariel and the other with the name Ashley it looked like a duplicate of the same photo, the same girl, to Kyle they looked like photos of Ashley. Although she was a child in them it was very easily seen that this child had grown into the beautiful woman who was his fiancée.

  She had the same dazzling almost black eyes, sweet smile and, yes, even in the woman that same look of innocence was still there. Kyle had poured over the photos of the Mackenzie family, taking it all in, Christmases, camping trips, vacations, all kinds of holidays and school and sporting events, there were some from a gymnastic event another from a karate event and some from cheerleading at football. There were pictures of the twins winning awards and celebrations at local restaurants. In the pictures just before the murders it was very evident that Linda Mackenzie was pregnant, by the looks of half a dozen photos she was very close to her due date.

  The most confusing pictures of all were the pictures that included David’s father, Director Mackenzie. In each photo the senior David looked lovingly at the twins, hugging them and kissing them on their cheeks, smiling proudly with a twin on each knee. It couldn’t be made more obvious that the man in the photos was totally smitten with his adopted granddaughters. What the hell had happened with this family?

  Jack sat down as the screen came to life, sitting next to Catlyn. The lights dimmed as a message across the screen announced this was evidence in the Mackenzie Family home invasion murders June 17, 1992. A voice also stated:

  The following is a compilation of video letters to David John Mackenzie, Sr. from his son’s family. They sent a letter once a week. Other than having the video files linked for streaming purposes the content has not been altered and is graphic.

  The first scene showed a family of four sitting on a sofa. The man had his arm around his wife in the middle of the sofa the twins were at the end, one next to David and one next to Linda. All were smiling as they looked into the camera.

  “Hey Dad. We just got back from camping. It was an experience as usual with the girls.”

  “That’s because Ariel was being such a sissy again. Eeww, bugs, worms, dirt, yuck cold,” the twin who was obviously Ashley mimicked her sister, rolling her eyes.

  Ariel answered back, “If God had wanted me to be a boy he would have made me one.”

  “Dad, she called me a boy.” Ashley said.

  “Did not!”

  “Girls please. Sorry Dad,” The woman spoke with a very pleasantly soothing voice. “They are still complete opposites in personalities as you can see. We hope you’re taking care of yourself and eating properly. We miss you so much.” The woman rubbed her protruding stomach, “Jared, misses you too. He misses your signing to him.”

  At the mention of the baby’s name Kyle, Catlyn and Jack all turned to look at Jared sitting across from them. His eyes were glued to the screen.

  “Hey Pop-pop, me and Ashley have been taking turns singing to the little bugger.” Ariel leaned over her mother’s stomach crooning, “Isn’t that right Jared?”

  Although the twins were identical and couldn’t be distinguished apart when they wore the same clothes and hairstyle, Kyle realized very quickly, the girls didn’t wear much of the same clothes or hairstyles. Ashley was a bit of tomboy, sporting a lot of jeans and sportswear and braids. Ariel was a prissy little miss, very girly, wore skirts, blouses and sun dresses and she straightened her hair and wore a high ponytail. There were a couple of clips in which both girls wore the exact same thing, either a cheerleader’s outfit or karate clothes with a belt tied at the waist. In all the clips either all of the family members talked to the director together or they took turns.

  The scene up next the twins were alone:

  “Hi Pop-pop, Daddy and Mommy said we should open our birthday gifts you sent in front of you since you can’t make our party this year. Thank you for sending them early.” The twin speaking was obviously Ashley because she had on a Karate outfit. The other twin sitting on the sofa wore a pink sundress with roses. Ashley opened the gift that had been sitting on her lap. A piercing happy scream sounded from the screen. “Oh, Pop-pop, I love you, I love them. It’s just what I wanted! Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Ashley blew kisses as she stood and then showed off what she could do with her gift. She had received authentic Chinese throwing stars and what looked like ivory handled nun-chucks.

  The other twin, Ariel, sighed, “Oh, no, Pop-pop, now she is going to have me doing the stupid Mackenzie Strikes, all 20 of them!” Ariel groaned for emphasis.

  Ashley’s eyes lit up. ”Yes let’s show Pop-pop.” She stood up going to the end of the sofa.

  Ariel comically looked into the camera, “See what you did?” Even though she complained, one could tell, she loved her twin and was willing to do what she wanted. “I’ll be right back.” Ariel said.

  While Ariel was out of the room, Ashley did some impressive Karate moves for an 11 year old. She also did a one-handed handstand. She then picked up her nun-chucks and began expertly swinging it.

  Ariel returned dressed identically as her twin. She silently approached her sister. But Ashley was aware of Ariel’s approach, turning quickly, she said, “Ariel, 9.”

  The twins went into fight mode. Their moves were identical. In some frames of the clip they appeared as though they were a single person with their reflection. Each twin took a turn calling out different numbers which seemed to correspond with specific martial arts moves and the counter moves for the strike. All 20 moves and counter moves were known as the Mackenzie Strikes. It appeared the twins knew each very well. Only daily practice could wrought such precision and skill.

  When they finished the twins faced the camera and it was impossible to tell who was who. Then one spoke. “Oh, yuck, I am sweaty like a boy!”

  It was clear Ariel had spoken. “I am going to open my gift and then take a shower, yuck.” She opened her package and did exactly what her sister had done, screamed, smiled and blew kisses. She had received a makeup case with starter makeup for her coloring and diamond studs.

  Ariel was on her way out when Ashley stopped her, “Wait, we have to sing that song for Pop-pop that Nana says he loves.”

  The girls stood close together as they sung a cappella. They were incredible! Astounding really, towards the end one of the twins did a big finish, using fancy runs.

  Ashley rolled her eyes and said, “I hate when you do that Whitney-Mariah thing with your voice.”

  Ariel stuck out her tongue. “Now we’re even.” The twin then blew another kiss, �
��Bye Pop-pop, love you, thank you for my gifts.”

  With a final wave Ariel skipped out of the room. Ashley gave love and a final wave.

  The next clip was labeled as ‘The Night of the Murders June 17, 1992’. Kyle saw Jared tense, gripping the armrests. Catlyn and Jack seemed to hold their breaths. Kyle’s heart began to thump harder.

  The scene opened with Linda Mackenzie on the sofa crocheting what looked like baby booties. David Mackenzie was just setting a big bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, sitting next to his wife. The twins came running in with the normal exuberance of active and happy 11 year olds. One twin sported a frizzy afro, a tank-top, jeans and sneakers, Ashley. Ariel’s hair was straightened, shiny and flowing free to the top of her shoulders and was wearing a simple white sundress with matching flat sandals.

  Ariel rounded the sofa sitting down next to her mom patting her mom’s stomach she greeted her unborn brother, “Hey Jared!”