The vision returned to the present day with Lily still sitting with the odd contraption. He recognized that where the hole in the floor had opened up in his vision, an odd tower stood with a sideways disk mounted on it.
“What plans hath my Master with this odd contraption?!” he asked the iguana in alarm.
I shall show thee.
His eyes blurred as Lily disappeared again, and the chair was now occupied by Timur. After Timur entered a few commands, Abner heard the familiar hum and the ground began to shake again. The same beam of light blasted from the strange tower, only this time it didn’t shoot upwards but instead horizontally toward a dark mirror on the far wall. Timur stood and rushed over to the wall, his sickly green aura surrounding him. He grabbed hold of the edge of the mirror, and with a flash of light he was gone. In his wake, the mirror had transformed into what looked like a swirling whirlpool of water. The strange beam of blue light was swallowed up in the water. Seconds later another beam of light shot out from the portal and connected to another strange tower hanging upside-down from the ceiling.
Thou doth see the portal to Earth that Timur shall create in a few days’ time.
“But…” Abner stammered, “If he doeth this, we shall be at risk of an invasion!”
Yea, verily ‘tis a risk indeed.
He was about to let go of the iguana’s back to end the vision when something unexpected happened. He watched in curiosity as a great dragon stepped through the portal and nearly filled the chamber. It roared in frustration, and began tearing at the walls to find an opening.
Abner’s eyes blurred again and the vision faded into another. There was light streaming in from a massive hole in the ceiling where the dragon had obviously broken out. Moments later, the light was blocked out by a large figure dropping down into the hole. When the light returned, the same dragon had reappeared and Lily sat straddling its saddle.
“We need to find a way to close that portal.” she spoke aloud seemingly to herself.
With her hand pressed against the back of the dragon’s neck, she sat on the saddle in silence as if she were concentrating.
“What do you mean?” she sounded like she was responding to someone, “What’s an Amulet?”
He watched her pat the dragon as if in response to the idea, and then a realization suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks: she was speaking to the dragon.
Abner let go of the iguana’s back in shock. His eyes blurred again as he returned to the present. Lily still sat at the helm of the odd contraption, and he stared at her with awe. He struggled with his thoughts upon having learned this new development.
This changes everything.
“Come!” he grabbed her arm less reluctantly, “We must make haste!”
Abner carefully navigated the way through the chambers of the ancient machine. Despite the damp muskiness of the air, his every breath tasted of freedom. They travelled through the dark in a northwesterly direction for nearly an hour, and finally arrived at the forgotten dock. From there they launched one of the remaining watercrafts.
Though his original intentions had been sinister in nature, now her rescue stemmed from a much nobler cause. With the fast northern current, he knew they would reach the shores to the west of the hidden Village of Udom shortly. He had some family there, and in the solitude of the hidden village he would find some time to properly train his successor.
Chapter Twenty One: Unjust Detainment
And Cain was cast out from the presence of God, and was cursed to dwell in the barren land of Nod, to the south of Eden. And Satan didst appear unto Cain and his followers, and put it into their hearts to form secret oaths and covenants…
– Methuselah 10:3 –
Lieutenant Vanessa Walker had interrogated many suspects in her career, but this one proved to be most difficult. Allan had been so stoic that neither of her colleagues had been able to drag a confession out of him. They had obtained strong evidence against him at the scene of the crime, so she was absolutely certain that they had the right man. His claim of an attempt against his life by the CEO of Motif Global Encryption before being miraculously cured was absurd. Obviously, he was trying to play the insanity card.
The lab results had returned some time ago, and unfortunately they confirmed the blood as his own. This didn’t bother her though. During the scuffle prior to the death of his victim, he must have been dealt a blow to the face causing a severe bloody nose, which would account for the blood down the front of his shirt as well as the pool of his blood found at the scene of the crime. It was his motive that she was having a difficult time deciphering.
She had been watching him through the one-way mirror for the past hour. He appeared to be sleeping. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat jealous as she finished off the rest of her cold coffee. The bottom of the cup was always a little gritty, but she needed the extra surge of energy. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed the manila folder on the desk and stood. This questioning had gone on long enough. She could feel herself getting cranky, and knew she was due home hours ago. Having taken the night shift, she didn’t expect to be asked to stay later for this case. Chief Herbert himself had requested her assistance, so she couldn’t say no. In his words, “I need my best interrogator on this one.”
Tying her dark hair in a bun, she approached the door. She steeled her gaze, and straightened her shoulders. Turning the bolt with a click, she swung open the heavy door. At the table, she watched as Allan slowly lifted his head out of his arms. He looked pale and there were heavy bags under his eyes.
Guilty. Plain as day.
He remained silent as she sat across from him.
“Your story checks.” she stated flatly.
Allan sighed heavily in relief.
“So, remind me again why you were in the park early this morning?”
Allan cleared his throat, “I thought you said my story checks.”
“I did.”
“Then you have no right to detain me.” he stammered.
“Ah, but I didn’t say we were finished with our investigation.” she smiled.
“According to the Suspension Clause of the U.S. Constitution, article one, section nine, clause two, ‘The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.’ Which translates to the fact that you cannot legally detain me without just cause!” he shouted angrily, “Unless of course you suspect me of terrorism!”
“My, my!” she taunted, “Someone knows their legal rights.”
“I should! I happen to be an attorney!”
She ignored him and pulled out a photograph from the manila folder, “Can you identify the object in this picture?”
He recognized it immediately, “Yes, that’s my cell phone. I was wondering what happened to it!”
“This was found at the scene of the crime.”
“Well, obviously it was.” he rolled his eyes, “Considering I was the victim, common sense would dictate that I was there.”
“So you admit to being at the scene of the crime early this morning?” she queried.
“I feel like we’re going in circles.” he rolled his eyes, “Yes, I was there! Are you happy now?”
“Yes, I am.” she smiled, “You’ve just made my job easier.”
Allan sighed in frustration, “What do you want from me? This is getting ridiculous.”
“All right Allan, let’s cut the bull. I don’t know how you pulled it off,” she barked as she pulled a stack of more photographs out of the manila envelope and dumped them onto the table, “but maybe this will jog your memory.”
His eyes went wide in horror as he took in the sight before him. Suddenly, he turned his head and began vomiting violently. Lieutenant Walker’s face fell. She had fully expected him to start blubbering and finally come clean. Murderers don’t typically vomit at the sight of their own victims. She feared she had grossly underestimated her suspect and would need to take it up a notch.
“As I said, your story checks.” she spoke frankly, “Your blood was found twenty feet from the scene of the crime.”
Allan continued to choke.
“So let me see if I’ve got the story right.” she ventured as she turned up her nose to the putrid odor in the confined space, “You received a call from the late Jason Bridger at 4:46 AM this morning. He had stumbled across some dangerous information that could potentially harm one of your clients. You met him shortly after his message, and there was an exchange of angry words. The two of you got in a scuffle, and Jason got the upper hand and bloodied your nose. Your immediate reaction was to plant a bullet in his abdomen followed by another through his chest. He stumbled to the ground, you extracted the information you needed, and then finished him off with a bullet through his brain. Am I missing anything?”
His stomach fully expelled, he continued to dry heave.
She stood menacingly, “Answer the question!”
His breathing slowed as he wiped his mouth on his shoulder.
“I need... to speak...” he paused, gasping for breath, “...to my lawyer.”
Chapter Twenty Two: Late Visitor
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth. Righteous generations flowed from the loins of Seth, and the people didst establish a great Kingdom to the north after the manner of his name…
– Methuselah 10:4 –
Later that evening Allan sat on the lonely bench that also served as his cot. He stared at the filthy sleeves of his orange jumpsuit, wanting nothing more than to take a shower and change into a fresh set of his own clothes. Outside the small window of his cell, he could see the gold and pink hues of the clouds as the sun began to set.
Over and over he replayed the week’s events, and he still couldn’t make any sense out of any of it. By all logic, he should be either dead or mortally wounded from his encounter with Timur two days ago. Instead, he was a suspect of murder.
This is crazy.
He heard a door open, and the guard approached.
“You have a visitor.”
He stood in anticipation as the guard fumbled with his keys.
Thank goodness. I was beginning to worry she hadn’t gotten my message.
The guard slid the jail bars open, and escorted him to the visitation chamber. There were four desks with partitions between each one and bulletproof glass that separated the visitors from the inmates. Only one visitor was present, but it was a blonde-haired woman he didn’t recognize.
His face fell as he realized it wasn’t Lily. The guard escorted him to the seat across from her, and he picked up the phone hanging from the partition.
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” he asked in confusion, “Did I get a state-assigned attorney?”
“No, no. Mr. Young,” she corrected, “I’m not an attorney. My name is Detective Brittany Parker, and I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me.”
Allan shook his head, “Not without my attorney present.”
She raised her hand as if attempting to stop him from hanging up the phone, “My questions have nothing to do with the case. I was just hoping you could clarify something for me.”
Intrigued he nodded, “Depending on what you ask, I might be able to give you an answer.”
She smiled and then held up a cut-out picture of Lily, “Do you recognize this woman?”
“Of course I do! She’s my girlfriend.” his eyes went wide, “Is she in trouble?”
She ignored his question, “What is her name?”
“Lily.” he paused, “What’s this all about?”
A broad smile fell across her lips, “Lily, as in Lillian Thatcher perhaps?”
“Yes...” his eyebrows furrowed, “Why? What’s going on?”
“Has she ever been known by another name?” she asked eagerly, “Such as Jamie?”
“This is ridiculous.” Allan stammered, “Get to the point. What are you getting at?”
“I think she may have been leading a double life, and she was about to leave you.” sensing that he was about to hang up she rushed to a conclusion, “Is that what you two fought about two days ago?”
“What fight?” he stammered, “And what do you mean by a double life?”
She stared at him for a long minute. The confusion and concern on his face was very telling.
“You really don’t know, do you?” she concluded.
“Know what?” he was starting to get impatient, “I feel like we’re talking in circles.”
What is she not telling me?!
“I hate to be the one to tell you this...” she sighed heavily as she reached into her pocket, “but here’s a copy of the letter she left for you.”
She unfolded the copy of the letter she had scanned in the Evidence Room and pressed it up against the glass partition. She watched his eyes as he read the letter. His face betrayed multiple emotions that escalated from alarm, to confusion, to denial, to pain, to shock, and then back to confusion again.
“What?!” he stammered as tears formed in his eyes, “Where did you get this?”
“Lily left this for you.” she then admitted, “I found it on the floor of your living room.”
“What were you doing in my house?” he panicked.
“The District Attorney’s office issued a search warrant.”
He sighed heavily as a tear escaped down his cheek, “Where’s Lily? I need to talk some sense into her.”
“That’s actually the reason I came to see you.” she treaded softly, “I was hopeful that you might be able to shed some light on that mystery.”
“What do you mean?” Allan wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
“Well,” she paused uneasily, “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Three nights ago.”
“Would you say you parted on good terms?” one of her eyebrows raised in query.
This is an absolute waste of time.
“Considering she avoided my marriage proposal then night before this mess, I’d have to say no.” he rolled his eyes in annoyance, “What are you trying to accomplish, exactly? If you’re trying to extract some type of motive, don’t bother.”
“Excuse me?” her eyes lit up in anticipation.
“I know what you’re doing, but it won’t work.” he made a gesture to hang up the phone, “Please, just stop.”
She waived her hand frantically as he almost hung up the receiver.
He let out a sigh and pulled the receiver back to his ear, “WHAT?!”
“Please, Mister Young. I’m almost done.” she spoke quickly, “You mentioned something about a motive just now. I’m confused. A motive for what, exactly?”
“You guys clearly think I killed Jason.” he started to get extremely agitated, “I didn’t.”
This lady is getting on my nerves.
“No, no Mister Young. I told you I wasn’t here about that.” her eyes lit up in understanding, “So are you sure you haven’t seen Lily since that night?”
“No, I haven’t.” his eyes betrayed concern, “Why? What are you not telling me?”
She stared at him for a long minute before determining he was being honest.
“There’s no easy way to say this...” she fidgeted uneasily, “When I went to search your home, it was in shambles. Books had been thrown off the shelves, there was a lot of broken glass... The place was an absolute mess.”
Utter confusion registered on Allan’s face, “But why would Lily do that?”
“I don’t think she did.” she paused, “I think someone else may have been in your home.”
“Are you saying there was a burglary?” his eyes went wild, “Does Lily know?”
She let out a deep sigh, “There was also a pool of blood in the living room.”
“WHAT?!” he shrieked.
Suddenly the guard tapped Allan on the shoulder, “Wrap it up. Visiting hours are over.”
Detective Parker continued quickly, “After running a DNA analysis
, I was able to confirm the blood belonged to your girlfriend.”
Allan stared at her in shock. He had no words to express.
“Which leads me to why I’m here.” she then held up the first page of the profile she had printed off earlier, “After I confirmed Lily’s DNA match, I ran the test again and got this match instead. Most importantly, it seems that all traces of a Lillian Thatcher have been erased. Do you have any idea why someone would do that?”
The guard tapped Allan on the shoulder again, “Time’s up buddy. Let’s go.”
His eyes were wide with shock as he stammered, “I... I have to go.”
“Please, I just need one more minute of your time...” her voice trailed off as the guard roughly yanked him to his feet and the receiver fell from his grasp and hit the desk with a thud.
“I said your time is up!” the guard bellowed as he shoved him forward.
Allan’s mind raced frantically as they passed through the door and down a hallway.
Where’s Lily? Is she okay?!
The guard ushered him back into his cell and pointed to a folded orange jumpsuit sitting on the hammock, “You missed your bathing time slot, so I’ll request a new one for you. It probably won’t be for a few hours, but you are welcome to change your clothes.”
The cell door slammed shut, and Allan was left alone. Panic and rage built up inside him as he felt utterly helpless. He knew Lily was in trouble, but he had no way to help her.
“LET ME OUT OF HERE!” he shrieked at the top of his lungs as he shook the bars of the cell door, “I’M INNOCENT!”
Tears streamed down his cheeks as his mind envisioned Timur in his home, tearing it apart. The memory of the pistol and the spinning bullets returned at full force, causing him to hyperventilate. He feared that after he escaped from the makeshift dungeon, Timur must have retaliated against Lily.
He slumped onto his hammock, and moaned while cradling his head in his hands. His panic and anxiety reaching a peak, the silver light began to escape from his eyelids again. As his mind processed the possibility that Lily could be dead, his eyes flew open in rage. In a flash of brilliant silver light, a loud explosion echoed as the walls around him crumbled into ash.
Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman (The Fifth Horseman Series Book 1) Page 9