The Secret Page

by Al Turner

  “Check out the threads on that guy,” Shelby said, referring to the one in the suit. “That’s quite the pimpin’ outfit.”

  “You need to leave,” Stella said curtly from behind them. Her voice made them jump.

  “Some men just arrived at your house, Grandma,” Tripp said.

  “Do you know these people?” Carson asked as she put a hand on the frail little woman’s shoulder. Her grandmother stared and said nothing. Carson looked unsure of what her silence meant.

  Shelby went to search for a back door. He opened it to reveal the junked appliances, and beyond it, a maze of shrubs guarded by gargoyles. The dog was nowhere in sight, but Shelby could hear him announcing the arrival of the strangers. Soon the pit bull stopped barking.

  Shelby motioned for the twins to join him. “I’m sure they’re nice people. We should leave your lovely granny to her guests.”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “We could stay if you wish, Grandma,” Tripp said.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Stella replied. “They’re just neighbors from down the road.”

  Carson looked alarmed. Perhaps she’d also noticed the dog had stopped barking. “Are you sure, Grandma?”

  “Oh dearie, Grandma will be just fine. Now, let’s go out the back since those big dummies are already blocking the stairs,” Stella said, guiding them to the back door where Shelby was. “I’ll make sure King David doesn’t bother you.”

  “Okay,” Carson said.

  Stella opened the back door and commanded her dog to heel. Shelby was the first one out, and he kept a careful watch on the pit bull. It lay obediently with its chin resting on its front paws.

  Tripp said nothing as he hugged his grandma goodbye.

  Carson looked tall next to the woman as she embraced her lightly. “Love ya.”

  As she started to walk off, Stella grabbed her arm and pushed a manila envelope into her hand. “Something for you, dearie,” she said, mischief written on her face. She closed the door.

  ***

  On the front porch, the three men waited. One grew impatient and started to go around the back of the house. A snap of the fingers from the one in the silver-threaded suit, however, stopped him in his tracks and he lined himself up beside the other man.

  The door opened and the bodyguards moved aside to allow their boss to walk up the steps. He had something hidden behind his back as he closed in on Stella and revealed the item once he stood before her.

  Stella’s eyes grew large at the sight. “For me?” she said as she accepted the yellow rose. She had to stand on her toes in order to kiss the young man on the cheek. “A charmer, just like your father.”

  A warm smile formed on his dark, handsome face as she took his arm and escorted him through the door.

  Just before they entered, she turned to the men standing guard. “You two, inside as well,” she snapped.

  They promptly did as they were told.

  POLYHEDRON

  Shelby waited for the door to close, then quietly moved into the driver’s side of the van and fired up the engine. He looked relieved that no one ran out of the house shooting. Carson and Tripp climbed into the boxy vehicle and Shelby maneuvered his way around the sedan. They drove off and kept watch behind them.

  “Odd encounter,” Tripp said.

  “Very,” said Shelby. “I’m just glad to be out of there.”

  As they drove, Carson examined the large envelope her grandmother had handed her. She slid the picture out; something was familiar about it. It took her a moment to realize she had seen this picture of her mom before, only this version hadn’t been cropped to just include her—it was the original.

  Kate Page stood on the far right of the frame beside a young man with sandy-blond hair and eyes eerily similar to Carson’s. Beside him was another man, slightly shorter and with dark hair and eyes—her dad. She assumed the one on the right was her uncle. To his left was another woman who resembled her mom but wasn’t as attractive. Her aunt, she guessed.

  Carson’s eyes widened as she realized what the photo meant. It was proof that her dad was not originally with her mom but her mom’s sister. More importantly—and this supported Carson’s conspiracy theory—her mom and uncle had once been a couple. No wonder the picture had been cropped. She turned it over to find four handwritten names.

  She read them to herself, from left to right: Rebecca, Bradley Jr., Conner, and Kate.

  Carson was so absorbed in the picture that she was hardly aware Tripp had spoken. She returned to reality when he nudged her. “What?”

  “I said it would have been nice had our plan actually worked out,” Tripp said. “At least I took some interesting pictures on my phone in Grandma’s so-called meditation room.”

  “That’s nice,” Carson finally said, her mind still elsewhere.

  Shelby said, “Next time, we go with my plan and encyclopedia boy back there learns some better stalling tactics.”

  “Why?” asked Carson as she put down the manila envelope. “My plan worked just fine.”

  From her shorts pocket she produced an object wrapped in old newspaper, several layers of aged packing tape around it.

  Shelby hesitantly accepted the crudely wrapped gift. “Is this it?”

  “The only thing hidden in a compartment behind an old china cabinet,” Carson said with pride.

  “You little shit,” said Shelby. “I thought we did all that for nothing.”

  “Sorry, I was distracted by this,” she said as she handed the envelope to Tripp.

  Tripp inspected the photo but didn’t seem to find it as interesting as Carson had. “How did you know which china cabinet to search?”

  “I’m just that good,” Carson said. She turned her attention to a river they were crossing over. Several kayakers were about to pass under the bridge they were traveling on. She wished she were with them instead of riding in the smelly van.

  “You mean you were lucky,” Shelby said as he checked his phone for a new GPS route.

  “I don’t believe in luck,” Carson said. “Only destiny.”

  “Whatever,” Shelby said with a laugh. He punched in a new route while he drove. “Nice work.”

  Tripp leaned in between the two front seats. “Sir, I believe you agreed to let me see the object we retrieved.”

  “Did I? Okay, but hand it back after your superior brain is done analyzing it,” Shelby said and handed it to him.

  Tripp eagerly accepted the wrapped treasure. As he removed years of old tape and newspaper, a round object emerged. When it was completely unwrapped, he held it up to the light. The sun’s rays danced off its surface, reflecting different colors, as he turned it in his hand.

  “Definitely a polyhedron,” he said. “Not translucent, at least as far as I can tell. Then again, the reflective properties could offset any perceivable light that might refract through it. It’s some type of polished crystal.”

  “How does it work with the device we found?” Carson asked.

  “Any hypothesis would require the support of further investigation.”

  “Just saying, ‘I don’t know,’ would be a lot quicker, ya geek.”

  Shelby laughed. “Okay, geek, hand it back and settle in. Back to Denton we go.”

  “Denton?” Carson said.

  “Yeah, I’m going to drop you kiddos off wherever you left your Jeep. I’ll escort you back to Florida, where Pops will arrange for you to join your parents.”

  “And if I decide I’m not going back to Florida just yet?”

  “Look, you get kudos for your spirit. I wish I worked with more folks like you. However, I wasn’t given a vote. So, if you give me any crap, I’ll stick you in a box and ship you back home via FedEx.”

  Carson started to protest but suddenly stopped. “Okay, you win. Drop us off and we’ll tuck tail and run for safety.”

  Shelby swore under his breath. “If you get yourselves killed, I’m leaving the country.”

  DOWN UNDER
/>   Ryder held the binoculars to his eyes, watching the green muscle car drive up and stop. From about a hundred yards away, he saw the two men exit and begin searching the area. Soon they would find the cave entrance. He and his team were resigned to waiting behind the sparse layer of oak trees, until they were ready to move in.

  Sure enough, the men, one Asian, the other Hispanic, found the slope in the earth and walked down and disappeared into it. They weren’t who Ryder had hoped they would be. He glanced around as he pressed a button on his earpiece mic. “On me, move in slowly.”

  Eleven men in woodland camo and Kevlar vests, armed with bullpup assault rifles, emerged from their cover and formed a broad semicircle as they moved toward the cavern entrance. They held their preselected positions and awaited further orders. Ryder, the only member wearing a boonie hat, wasn’t crazy about his team being in the open, but they needed to be closer to make their move.

  ***

  Beyond the line of trees where Ryder and his team had left their vehicles, another figure watched and waited from some brush. A military cap hid most of his blond hair, while a balaclava shrouded the lower part of his face. From behind yellow shooting glasses, he counted heads and identified the team leader. Hunched down in a patch baked golden by the Texas sun, he blended in well into his surroundings. He took particular interest in the sniper, who seemed chummy with the leader.

  After the group of soldiers for hire moved out, the masked man glided across the terrain and hid between two black SUVs. The mercenary never saw or heard his stalker, nor did he have time to react as the hand slipped around his face and covered his mouth. A thin blade entered the side of his neck.

  As the life left his victim, the man dragged him through the brush until he reached the edge of the open field. As if for some predetermined purpose, he left the body there.

  He took the variable-scoped AR-15 off his shoulder and switched to the magnified setting. Peering through it, he surveyed the area around the cavern and made a mental note of where Ryder’s team had set up.

  ***

  Daniel and Joe walked down the slope into the earth. The path they took started as rock and dirt but became a man-made stone walkway as they approached the cavern entrance. The walkway was in disrepair but still useful; what used to be more hospitable was now overgrown. Reaching the entrance, they were met with a solid wall erected to seal it off. In the center of the wall was a narrow steel door. It should have been locked, but someone had taken bolt cutters to the thick chain that once secured it.

  The door’s rusted hinges creaked as Joe carefully opened it. He turned on his flashlight as he entered the unknown.

  Daniel grabbed his arm. “You sure about this, Joe?”

  “Really, dude? You were the one who insisted we do this, even after Tripp called and warned us that bad people may be looking for the same thing we are.”

  “I know,” Daniel said as he released Joe’s arm. “It’s just that I’ve heard about strange species of spiders that live in caves.”

  Joe paused and looked surprised. “Spiders are the least of our worries, buddy. Let’s find this underworld server room and then get the hell out of here.”

  “That part excites me. I just hope no undesirables are lying in wait.” Daniel’s words echoed through the narrow passageway.

  “If there are, your chatter is sure to announce our arrival,” Joe whispered.

  They continued on the journey downward, passing a salamander creeping along the wet wall. Its red gills and lack of eyes gave Daniel the shivers. “Tripp wouldn’t have done well down here,” he whispered.

  “He afraid of critters too?”

  “No, enclosed spaces.”

  Steps had been carved years before to aid whoever had last used the cavern. They traveled down a spiral passage, their lights guiding their path. The sound of dripping water bounced off the walls. Joe paused to study their texture as they descended deeper; there was something strange, even unique, about their patterns and color.

  Daniel went around the bend while Joe checked out the area around him. Daniel’s light was a flickering glow as he moved ahead of and below Joe.

  The slope in the cavern floor leveled off and Daniel noticed the remnants of a man-made wall in an open chamber. Stalactites tapered from above, while stalagmites rose up along the perimeter. As he approached the wall, Daniel wondered what had ripped most of it away. He had a feeling of déjà vu; he had seen this place somewhere before. Yet it was somehow different.

  As he stepped forward, Daniel kept his light on the wall and could sense the emptiness beyond the ruined structure. He took his phone out and replayed the recording of the video from the briefcase. He fast-forwarded until he found the section he was searching for.

  Comparing it to the area around him, he finally reached a conclusion. Yes, it was the same place, but a chill ran down him. He stood where something terrible had happened years before.

  Daniel took another step forward to get a look around the wall. After another step, there was no longer a floor beneath his feet. He lost his balance and fell forward. The light tumbled from his hand as he hung in the air. Below him, the light bounced around and plopped into a previously unseen pool of water below him. The light cast an eerie glow as it sunk and then flickered out.

  At first, Daniel wasn’t sure why he had not followed the flashlight into the depths below, but then he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He heard Joe grunt from behind him as the man—who had obviously caught him before he could go over—pulled him back to level ground.

  “You really have to be more careful, dude,” Joe said.

  Daniel collected himself and grabbed Joe in a bear hug. “Thanks, Uncle Joe!” His voice bounced around the massive chamber.

  “No problem, and it’s just Joe. Knock off the uncle crap.” Joe freed himself from Daniel’s embrace and shined his light downward. He whistled at what he saw. “What the hell happened here?”

  “It’s a crater.” Daniel spoke in a low voice to minimize the echo. “This must be the final results of what happened in that video we watched.”

  Joe moved his light around and noticed something odd when the beam tracked across the center of the crater. “Do you see that?”

  “Do it again.”

  As he did, they watched the beam refract near the center of the crater and then vanish. “What the hell?”

  “There’s something there, a distortion of some type. I wish Tripp would hurry and get here. He’s good at making hypotheses about the unknown.” Daniel pulled out his cell phone and recorded the strange effect of Joe’s flashlight beam striking the spot.

  “You can show it to him later,” Joe said with a chuckle.

  “Why the laugh?” Daniel asked.

  “You two seem an odd couple. When we first met, I thought you and Tripp might have been an item—that is, until I saw the way you looked at Carson.”

  “We’ve always been good friends,” Daniel said, avoiding the subject of Carson. “He’s upset with me right now.”

  “Oh? For what?” Joe asked while his light still danced around the distortion.

  “He learned I was paid by my uncle to watch over him and his sister,” Daniel said.

  Joe stopped and turned his light on Daniel. “You were paid by your uncle? The one who died?”

  “Yes,” Daniel said, shielding his eyes from Joe’s flashlight. “My uncle was very good friends with Pops. He felt it was his duty to help protect Pops’s family.”

  Joe shook his head in disbelief. “So you became friends with Tripp because you were paid to? I guess I’d be pissed too, dude.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” Daniel said defensively. “Years ago, I was paid to stay close and watch over them, not be friends. Friendship was something that just happened. I tried explaining that to Tripp.”

  “What about your family? I mean, aside from your Uncle Fumi, where are your folks at?”

  “My father died years ago when I was very young. My mother lives in one
of my uncle’s penthouses in Hong Kong. I go see her every now and then. Aside from her and my uncle Fumi, the Pages are really my only family.”

  Joe lowered his light and gazed at him, as if recognizing something familiar. “Man, we have such a dysfunctional family.”

  Daniel laughed. “At least we have a family.”

  “True,” Joe said, sounding impressed. “When I first met Jack, he told me some things about our dad. I’m sure there’s more, but he probably shared more than he had to. He avoided talking about our brother’s death, at least in the beginning. As we discussed my own pain around my mother’s death, he eventually opened up a bit. Definitely some unresolved issues there.”

  “Maybe it’s just survivor’s guilt.”

  “There seems to be more to it,” Joe said. “How much were my two brothers alike?”

  “They were polar opposites, according to Mrs. Page. I once asked her questions about Conner. I was, you know, curious.”

  “What did you learn?”

  “She described him as very smart and bold,” Daniel said. “She spoke of him very fondly.”

  “Uh-oh. Sounds like she liked the guy,” Joe said. “I get the impression Jack and Kate’s relationship is a complicated one.”

  “Want to hear something really strange?” Daniel asked. “Carson once told me that her mom wanted to name Tripp after his dead uncle.”

  “No shit? She wanted to call him Conner Jr.?”

  “I guess,” Daniel said and giggled. “Isn’t that weird?”

  “That and your laugh. How did Jack feel about it?”

  “I guess it didn’t go over so well with him. So we now have Bradley Jack Page III, known as just Tripp. Tripp won’t talk about it, but Carson, as you’ve seen, says what she thinks.”

  “I noticed. What did she think?”

  “She figures her mom was banging her uncle before he died.”

  Surprised, Joe laughed. “That’s weird.” He started back in the other direction.