“Why is it so interesting? Leo’s earned what he’s achieved academically and professionally.”
“Well given the history of this mansion and its grounds it’s just odd that he’d be awarded a scholarship. Then there are the two checks from differing partners and neither of them coming from this estate I understand. Did Leonard ever tell you what the scholarship criteria were and the awarding factors for the winning candidate?”
“It’s a ‘green’ scholarship and the candidates were to detail how they fit into a green future. Why are you so interested in his scholarship and financial status? Leo’s only working for one company.”
“A green company, these grounds couldn’t be any further from green and which company are you referring to New Wave or Mrs. Sullivan?”
Surprise showed on her face, and then tightened.
“If Leo is such a good friend why don’t you ask him? I don’t know anything about this Mrs. Sullivan you just mentioned.”
“I feel the need to caution you, if you are involved with him take care you are not included in his plans. It could be hazardous for you.” Stratus pointed at the scratches on her face. “It looks like you took quite a spill already.”
“I’m no sissy. And if you’re implying he’s crooked you just wore out your welcome. I’ll be sure I pass along that his so-called friend stopped by.”
“He’ll be interested to know I did, I’m sure. I don’t know that he’s crooked. Perhaps merely naïve.”
Sarafina let out a long sarcastic exaggerated yawn, putting her fist to her mouth, then pointed to the squirrel that moved down onto the table, only a few feet away
“That guy sure is interested in what you are saying, tell it to him.”
She climbed into the hammock ignoring Stratus, neglecting to give a goodbye of any kind, and pulled the covers over herself. Stratus looked back to the attentive squirrel, and annoyed by the encounter with Sarafina, this rodent only irritated him more.
Stratus descended the stairs, but quickly turned around, pretending to lunge, as if to strike at the squirrel. Expecting it to run Stratus was surprised that the squirrel remained motionless and not intimidated. Willy watched the encounter from the other side of the front window, his tail puffed, he hissed in irritation.
Stratus could tell Willy disliked the squirrel but growled in Stratus direction instead. Stratus slowly reached for his pocket then took a few steps closer toward the rodent.
He pulled out his phone and retrieved it in camera mode. Just as he raised the phone, the squirrel let out a screech of panic and disappeared into the trees before Stratus could photograph it.
Sarafina’s voice came from the blankets as she lay motionless, relaxing, “Stratus for future reference, none of Leo’s friends call him Leonard. And seeing as you aren’t one, don’t trespass here again.”
Ignoring her comment, Stratus sarcastically yelled from a distance near the maze, “Don’t you worry, Sarafina.”
It was time to see what Halaby was all about. This place looked dead but had an eerie feel, it felt like it had more secrets than answers.
* * *
Sarafina turned and peeked through the blanket. She watched the windy scene before her when movement in the trees drew her attention. The squirrel hopped from branch to branch in the direction of the maze. He descended a large trunk near the maze and climbed the hedge wall. The squirrel poked his head in scurrying among the leaves and disappearing into the maze wall.
The rodent seemed to be fixated on Stratus. It was odd that it followed in a direction that led toward the mansion. Oh well. If Stratus is wandering the grounds, it’s not my problem. If he doesn’t come back by the cottage, it isn’t any of my concern.
She rolled onto her back engulfed in the blanket and enjoyed the breeze. Sarafina could not shake the feeling that eyes watched her too. The place was so quiet when she first arrived here, now it felt targeted. Stratus was no friend of Leo’s, but what did he want exactly. Fifteen minutes passed since her encounter with Stratus, she had just drifted back asleep; when a loud crack filled the mansion grounds and jolted her awake.
She threw the covers from her face and looked toward the maze.
“What the hell was that?!”
Chapter 50
Stratus checked over his shoulder and made sure Sarafina did not see him turn into the maze. He began to explore, impressed with the detail. As a child, his parents had a maze at their residence but nothing to this extent.
The plush grass and the tall hedges were groomed to perfection. He loved such precision and the maze seemed never ending. He had to admit that after the first few turns he had no idea which direction he was headed or how to get back out.
He kept moving in the direction he felt the mansion would be, stopping to notice several statues of what he assumed were founders. He could not shake the feeling something was following him. He had no reason to believe it was Sarafina but he did hear scurrying and what appeared to be rustling in the hedges. It’s probably just the wind.
He found one sculpture that caught his attention. It was Mr. Halaby himself the financial banker. Odd that this one lay in a bit of disrepair, dingy and noticeably aged. Untrimmed grass grew up the sides of the pedestal. He wondered if this was deliberate, perhaps a testament of their lack of appreciation for the man. Then again, the maze was large, so this area could have been less traveled or simply overlooked.
Stratus crossed the threshold of another path to his left and something big and shiny caught his eyes. From far away it looked like a large cylinder with a gear at the base. He walked toward it and part way down the walkway he saw a recessed nook with a gargoyle like sculpture.
The statue was clearly a different style and the face fearsome and aggressive. His attention stayed on the cylinder; he turned and moved on, eager to be clear of the gargoyle.
He heard a rustling behind him and turned around to catch the culprit. Stratus’ hand rested on his pistol inside his pocket, he glanced down and saw the source, the squirrel. It sat facing him, eyes staring and nose sniffing in the wind. Stratus finished pulling out his gun and aimed it at the rodent. He cocked the hammer and the click sent the squirrel dashing out of sight quicker than he could blink. Standing with a cocked weapon pointed at nothing but thin air, Stratus carefully put the gun’s safety back on and put it away.
With the nuisance gone, he turned around to nothing but a dead end. He did a double take, rubbing his eyes in confusion. He walked to the end of the path where he swore he saw a metal cylinder, inspecting the hedge and grass for any disturbance. Stratus was not one to question himself. He knew what he saw. He could not think of why this large cylinder in the garden would be of importance.
He recalled his research as he walked back to where he thought he had parked. The house’s rumored uses came to mind, but the connection was foolish as the company had dissolved and any remaining members were unlikely to exist. Although the mansion was in immaculate condition, including its grounds, and Halaby Estate had offered a ‘green’ scholarship. Someone must be home. The question is, who?
He zigged and zagged the maze and swore he saw the same spot twice. Just when he was going to pull the maze up on satellite view on his phone to find the exit. He noticed an opening and proceeded to it. Expecting to see the front façade of the massive mansion, he was irritated to see Leonard’s cottage instead.
Stratus decided to skip the treasure hunt and just walk down the main drive and knock on the front door. He walked the long drive, observing the stark atmosphere and swore the place was unoccupied if he did not know better.
He rapped on the front door and stepped back. To his right stood a statue identical to the one in the garden of the gargoyle-like creature. Silence ensued after his knock and the eerie silent nature of the property returned.
He started to have a similar vibe between the Sullivan house and Halaby. He only had a small glimpse of the property at the Sullivan house but the two were shrouded in secrecy. It was possibly just
the isolated nature of such aristocratic opulence. After all, there was not a house within earshot of either, as that is how many such people preferred to live.
The common theme between them was Leo. He had a gut feeling now they were tied together somehow. If Halaby was like anything he had investigated lately, the house was not likely to give up its secrets without force or a threat, or both. Big money often buys big secrecy, and both were a part of this club.
Status knocked once more out of habit and turned around to return to his Porsche. He did not know what he would have to present in a few days if things did not fall from the sky for him. Stratus had hunches, suspicions, and gut feelings all day long but what he was running low on was confirmation of these suspicions.
When he was about fifty feet away from the mansion, he heard a faint humming noise that caused him to turn to locate it. The upper windows reflected the early morning sun and he squinted seeing movement in the upper window. He saw what he thought was a figure standing there, void of shape in the low light within.
Small blue orbs glowed, seeming suspended, starring at him. The stare seemed like a standoff and Stratus fought the sun for a better angle.
Unsure of the figures intentions Stratus drew his weapon, not out of panic but to be prepared. He also wanted to send a message. He needed this mansion to come alive and show him something he could use. He pulled out his weapon and aimed the barrel at the figure. The orbs remained motionless. The eyes stared for another ten seconds and then dimmed as curtains fell covering the window.
Shielding his eyes with his other hand, Stratus thought he saw a glimmer from the statue by the door, blue just as the one upstairs. He saw light dancing off the statue; it was just a reflection after all. This quelled his irrational notion that the statue was animated. He put away his weapon and stood facing the home as if to say he would not back down. Eventually lack of movement caused him to return to his car.
Stratus’s senses were still heightened from the short encounter and when he rounded the corner to his car, he spotted a squirrel out of his peripheral vision. It sat several branches up in a tree, following Stratus movements closely. Stratus made sure the rodent was not aware he had spotted him and proceeded to his car door.
Despite the odd occurrences of a few minutes ago and the strangeness in the maze, he was not quite sure what drove him to his next line of thought. He knew the reason he was here to investigate, he would not put anything past them, and something was strange about this squirrel.
As he arrived at his car, he used it as a barrier to inconspicuously draw his weapon. The silver-plated pistol glinted in the sun and he hoped that he did not tip off the squirrel. I only have one chance at this. If I miss, it would disappear.
He knew from the maze earlier the squirrel was lightning fast. If Stratus’s hunch was right, this squirrel might be a reconnaissance unit, but if it were for security, he would be in trouble with just a pistol.
He quietly cocked the hammer back, took a deep breath and turned as if to enter his vehicle. As he did, he raised the weapon to a two-handed shooting platform and fired three shots in quick succession, confident at least one of them found their mark. The squirrel scurried and flailed vigorously, jumping from branch to branch.
He worried his shots had not stopped its movement but as it neared the bottom branches bodily fluid squirted from its hind quarters. Its movement became clumsy like it was intoxicated, and its missteps caused it to bounce from branch to branch like a pinball, falling to the ground with a thud.
The squirrel had fallen close to the car, near the front of the vehicle. Stratus ws unable to see the body. Am I losing it? I think I just killed a perfectly happy squirrel. Discharging a firearm on private property, and for all he knew killing a protected species could get him several citations.
Improvise was his middle name but his instincts may have let him down this time. The gunshots were loud, and he needed to leave as soon as he could, but not before he verified his suspicions. Either way he would have to take the dead creature with him. He could not have a bullet-ridden squirrel traced back to him with ballistics.
As he got closer, he expected to find a bloodied lifeless corpse but instead he saw it still struggling. Stratus locked the gun on the animal once again in preparation. Its back end dragged on the ground as dark liquid continued to drain out. It struggled on its front feet to go after Stratus; it’s now piercing blue eyes never leaving him for a second.
It dragged itself toward Stratus with surprising speed despite its injuries and when Stratus leveled his gun, it opened its mouth exposing sharp teeth dripping liquid and screeching so loudly it turned into a scream.
Stratus fired a round as it belted out its warning call. The shot hit the animal in the head, silencing it immediately. Its front limbs slowly came to a halt as if it had run low on power. Stratus walked over to look at it closely. He saw what he believed was metal peeking through its bullet wound, its open mouth exposing razor sharp rows of metallic teeth. The carcass could tell him volumes. I knew my instincts were correct
He put the gun away and crouched to pick up the creature, as he did foam oozed out of the wounds and mouth. The strange foam quickly covered the creature and Stratus resisted swiping it up due to the unknown substance.
He bent closer and felt heat radiating from it, then with a low poof, the mound of foam exploded, leaving only a substance of sand-like consistency that scattered in a one-yard radius covering his feet. The windy morning made quick work of the substance and the light sand blew away in whirls as Stratus watched his evidence carried away in the wind.
He stood, took out his phone and snapped a couple of pictures of the sandy residue, then turned and ran to his Porsche. He backed out and rolled slowly by to view the house one last time. A quick glance revealed all appeared normal, stark and quiet. No blue eyes stared at him from the window.
As he headed down the narrow road to the archway, the view of the house played in his mind. He jammed on the brakes, coming to a stop inches away from bars blocking his departure.
He did not like to be on the defensive and was not about to back down now. His motto was the best offense is a good offense. He panned the area near the exit and then the rearview mirror as he shifted into reverse; the gargoyle creature by the front door was no longer there.
Stratus looked up and noticed the bars lowering and shifted into first gear. Ha, they were scared to face me, the creature must be for surveillance only. He pulled through the gate and zoomed away.
Stratus placed his phone in the cup holder and scanned the area. So, did an entity unknown to him. Just before destruction of the squirrel, BOT 111, had transferred itself via Bluetooth to Stratus phone. The screen lit up and went into settings, GPS and setup coordinates to transfer to a remote server. It also setup all email, text, and call history to forward. Stratus did not see the screen flipping through the settings while he backed up and surveyed his options.
Once it had set everything up the bot beamed a signal and the bars that covered the archway descended into the ground. His phone went black then returned to the home screen. Stratus was now the one being watched, and his every move would be known. His intensions and whom he worked for would be discovered and the Sullivan’s would know his next move. Mr. Sullivan would be prepared.
Chapter 51
The Butler closed comms with Mrs. Sullivan and turned to Fox Three.
“Not the first time you’ve seen a body, soldier,” the Butler said. “I know he was one of us but just like you, he knew the inherent risks when he joined.”
Fox Three continued to walk toward Fox Two’s corpse. He was not going soft he just knew how experienced he was, next to the Phantom nobody compared to Fox Two. Fox Three knelt beside the body and closed his eyelids out of respect. “What kind of assailant would have been able to break his arms and fire two rounds?” the guard asked. “The wounds are excessive, indicating a close-range attack. Is this hollow point ammo? We should search the area.”
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br /> “What is this a vigil?” The Butler said. “You’re not a coroner. We’re here to bury this man plain and simple, get a move on. We’ll get the degenerate responsible for this, but now it is time for containment.”
Fox Three ignored him and continued his search. He rolled Fox Two on one side and collected a casing covered in blood. He rolled him onto his other side to check for the other missing casing. Grasping the man’s bulletproof vest, his hand caught on metal, slicing his palm. He quickly pulled his hand back, searched the vest and found a round that had been absorbed. He found a third casing on the ground.
“Sir, we have three rounds here.”
The Butler quickly looked over to Fox Three in surprise.
“It looks like one hit his vest. Why in the hell did he remove his vest allowing the assailant to put two more rounds in him?” Fox Three said, letting the body fall. He rubbed over the casings to determine the caliber.
He whipped his head to look at the Butler, “We have two shooters!”
“What? Nonsense only two shots were fired!”
“There’s two rounds in him, and one in the vest, and the casings don’t match. You did say you were some distance away when the firing began. You must have missed the other shot. You said it was hard to make out the figure.”
“Our intruder, Stratus, could have done this if it was three shots.”
“Very unlikely there’s three rounds fired. Two individuals were involved, and you say Stratus was gone before you heard two distinct shots. The two that killed him were the same caliber. Whatever you saw finished him off.”
The Butler raised his hands in irritation, “Are you a forensic expert?”
“No. But the…”
“Then shut the fuck up! Give me the casings I’ll take them to Mrs. Sullivan. Stop wasting time and get this body away from the gate. We have a present from Mr. Sullivan. Anything caught in the woods will be met with deadly force and I wouldn’t trust it to make a distinction between you and an outsider.”
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