Wings of Deception

by Pamela Carron

  “Carman, you may take the tray now.”

  The young man nodded and came over and picked it up. Sheila was sure he had orders not to leave them alone, but after hesitating for a minute he did as she asked. Knowing that he would return quickly she spoke rapidly, “He will be back in just a minute. It is not safe to talk here. Keep the conversation casual and listen to everything I say and read between the lines when he gets back, okay?”

  “Okay, but I am worried about leaving you with that creep!”

  “I know. I think I must have died and went to hell! Thank God you came!”

  “Don’t go thanking Him, you can thank me instead, it will do you more good.” He grinned.

  “This is not funny, Jacks!”

  The man returned quickly, as she predicted and posted himself just inside the doorway. He was openly watching them and Sheila started talking about the books, steadily moving to the farthest part of the room from the door explaining, “This is Morgan’s favorite room Jacks. He has many private meetings in here. Most any Monday evening you can be sure to find him here with several of his friends. It is a good thing that the servants like to have Mondays off.” She laughed, glancing at the door. Carman gave no indication that he was hearing what she was saying but she took no chances. She spoke of the house and everyday things before he sensed a change in her voice. He inserted an “I see,” every once in a while but mostly let her talk.

  “Daddy visits me every Monday evening too. Morgan thinks it is good for me to see him while he has his meetings. Poor daddy, he lives oblivious to the world around him and loves company. He complains that the postman never brings him good letters and that he is always sad after he visits me, bless his heart!”

  Jacks’ was trying to figure out what it was she was trying to say, afraid he would miss something. He smiled and nodded and one would think he was just indulging a most talkative hostess out of politeness.

  “He keeps saying that he can never get a friend’s address or he would write sometimes. He tells me how much he loves me and misses the old days at the office.”

  “I am sure he does too, Sheila.” He finally understood what she was saying and when Carman came across the room to where they were, he had his hand on a card that was in his pocket. It was one that Honey had given him with the clinic’s address and phone number. It was a safe one to use and he knew he would be getting a letter soon from Sheila, explaining all the unanswered questions he still had.

  “Ma’am, Baggett is here with the car. Shall I send Joey here for Mr. Jacks’ bag?” He spoke of the younger man who had come in to get Jacks.

  Jacks answered for Sheila. “No need Carman, it is a small bag and I left it in the entry way this morning. I was not sure I could find my way back up to get it.”

  He laughed. “Tell Baggett I will be right out.”

  Turning to Sheila he took her hand and promised, “I will be back for another visit, Sheila. It was great seeing you again and your new home here. It looks like Morgan is giving you a lot of… attention. Give your father my regards when you see him next time and tell him he is welcome to write anytime and I will be sure to answer. You take care of yourself.” He kissed her cheek and she did his.

  “I will and you do the same. Bye Jacks.”

  “Good-bye.”

  He followed Joey to the entrance where he picked up his bag and went out to the waiting car.

  Sheila felt the paper in her hand and slipped it into her own pocket, relieved. Jacks had understood what she was trying to communicate to him. She felt a burden lifted off her shoulders as she made her way up to her beautiful prison to wait for the dreaded gowns to arrive.

  ELEVEN

  Honey was busy all day Friday and had little time to think about anything other than her work but at one point between appointments, she took Carol’s drawing out and studied it carefully. To most, the picture may seem to be just the doodling of a child, but to her trained eye it spoke volumes. It was the words Carol had whispered in her ear that made no sense to her, for why would Jacks’ feel responsibility for the judge’s murder? She was hoping it held more meaning for him than it did her.

  He said he would only be gone overnight Thursday, so she hoped to hear from him before night, and she did. He called from the airport close to six-thirty, asking if he could see her. Of course he knew he could tell her what he wanted over the phone and as tired as he was, probably should, but he really did want to see her in person. She invited him to her place and said he could share her dinner which she was picking up on her way home from work. She did not mention anything about the drawing she had for him. She felt that when he did see it, he probably would not take it seriously.

  She waited until they finished the meal and they went out on the patio in the warm breezy dusk. The conversation was casual until Jacks explained that he had given a friend of his in New York her work address and if she would watch for it.

  Honey was curious, “I do not understand why you did not have her send it to your work or your home. I mean, I am happy to oblige, but why?”

  “Because no one is watching your every move and mine is under close scrutiny.” He grinned, “And because I still had your card in my pocket with the information needed on it, so I hope it is not a bother for you.”

  She could not ignore his boyish grin but was more interested in what he had said, “Why are you being watched? The people you told me about, the dangerous ones, is it them?”

  Before he could answer her she jumped up and said, “I will be right back, I have something to show you!”

  When she came back, she showed him Carol’s drawing.

  “What is it?”

  “Carol said she drew this for you, look on the back. I wrote exactly what she said to tell you.”

  He turned it over and read the words and frowned.

  “I thought you were going to stop her from doing this stuff! Do you know what this could mean?”

  His tone was steeped with concern and alarm causing Honey to stare at him.

  “I am sorry Honey, I didn’t mean to sound so manic. To answer your last question yes, the people watching me are the same ones and this,” He held up the paper, “Is exactly what will make them more dangerous for Carol, her family and you too.”

  The drawings depicted were several evil looking men dressed in dark clothing cowering over a single one with a large knife. The intent was obvious and above it all, there were what looked to be many angels. For an eight year old, it was an incredible drawing. The words on the back were unbelievable, for there was no way the child could know the situation with the judge and he briefly wondered about the man who was supposed to die, that is if you could believe it was going to happen. He was mystified but adamant when he leaned forward. “Honey, there are things going on that I do not understand but I do know that I have chosen to trust you. I don’t know why, but I have. I still cannot answer all your questions just yet, but in time I hope I can confide in you completely. I have to ask you to trust me too. I told you before that I believe in no God and that is true, I don’t. It does not mean I refuse to believe that there are good people and there are evil people in this world. But I have never harmed anyone in my life. I need you to believe that.”

  He looked at Carol’s drawing again and was amazed at how she managed to give the faces such details. Shaking his head he handed it back to Honey.

  “Keep it, but don’t show it to anyone for Carol’s sake.” As an afterthought he added with a wry smile, “I see she did not give me one of the evil faces. I suppose that is a good thing.”

  She took the piece of paper and folded it carefully.

  “What did she mean about you feeling guilty over Judge Langley’s murder or can you tell me that?”

  He thought about it for a minute and decided to share with her. “I was being set up, by these people, to be accused for the murder of the judge. It was an elaborate plan to blackmail me and at the same time eliminate her from the equation.”

  “But wh
y would they want to blackmail you?”

  “Because there are things they want from me that I would not give them otherwise.”

  He fidgeted uneasily in his seat. It would be so easy to tell her everything. She had an aura about her that made him want to confide his greatest secrets.

  “I won’t even ask you what that may be.”

  He nodded and said, “Thanks.” Then he got up making ready to leave and she stood with him.

  “And, thank you for letting me come over and bum dinner.”

  She laughed at him, as she had informed him earlier that it was takeout, she teased, “I worked really hard on it too! Seriously though, any time you need to talk I will listen, just call.”

  He nodded again. “I appreciate you taking the letter for me, will you call when it arrives?”

  “Sure I will.” She walked with him to the door. “Be careful, I know you are not much on prayer but know that I will be praying for you anyway. You know, even if you do not believe it will do any good, it certainly will do no harm.”

  In answer, he waved good-by and climbed into his SUV and headed for the reservoir and his little cabin.

  He remembered what Carol wanted him to know. It was remarkable at how she knew that he did not have anything to do with the murder of Judge Langley. “It wasn’t his fault.” She had said. He wondered if he had been arrested and convicted, if Honey would believe that he was innocent. He had no intentions of taking the fall for something he did not do nor did he intend to let Morgan Belk get away with his outrageous plan.

  He was busy over the weekend catching up on paperwork he picked up from his office. He also began setting his carefully laid plan into motion with a phone call to the Lt Governor, Thomas Crenshaw.

  Tom agreed to meet with him in private. His boat was moored at the South end of the Ross Barnett Reservoir and he would pick Jacks up at a place close to where he lived, late Tuesday evening just before dusk.

  They both were dressed and geared for fishing. When Jacks recognized the boat described to him, he was ready to climb aboard without being conspicuous. Another man handled the boat so that when it came to a place in the water which was desolated to their satisfaction, it was stilled and they proceeded to cast for fish that neither man was interested in.

  Jacks had met Tom on one occasion at a fundraiser for the ACAA and though he remembered, Tom did not. He only knew Jacks through his reputation.

  Jacks sketched the outline of how he was expected to destroy Tom’s career and there was a sharp intake of breath from the man.

  “I see.” Carefully choosing his words, he asked Jacks, “What I don’t understand is why you are telling me all this instead of just following their orders. It would be the easiest way out for you. I know some of what you stand for Jacks, and it is my understanding that when it comes to principles, you can be somewhat ferocious in getting what you want from the courts, especially where children are concerned. I also know that you are an avid atheist and it causes me to question your motives in helping me, instead of hurting me. You do know I’m Catholic?”

  Jacks shrugged his shoulders and reeled his line in with a nice sized bass on the end. He took if off and gently lowered it back into the water before he answered.

  “First of all Tom, your personal beliefs are no concern of mine. And although I despise your holier than thou attitude that comes across in the office you are in, I respect the fact that you do have a clean record. I could not find any dirt on you. I figure that and the bills they want you to push through for them are the reasons you have been targeted.”

  “I can’t just put myself, my reputation, in your hands. How can I know that this is not just part of your plan?”

  “You don’t.”

  “What can I do?”

  “You can go along with me on this until I can figure it out.”

  “Let me think on it a day or two and I will let you know.”

  Jacks nodded, “Good enough...”

  “We can set up another meeting then.”

  Waving at the man fishing at the other end of the boat, he signaled for him to head back.

  When the boat pulled up to let Jacks off, he stood watching as they sped away into the fast approaching darkness.

  TWELVE

  Sheila waited anxiously for Monday evening. Her letter was written and ready for her father to post first thing on Tuesday. She knew he would say nothing to anyone. She spent the days after Jacks departure putting everything she could remember about Morgan’s highly secretive sect she had learned in the past months. For the most part, he kept her secluded from his activities but there had been occasions when she had glimpsed into the underworld in which he was royalty.

  The Monday night gatherings were guarded carefully from outsiders and she was not allowed to be downstairs when they were being held, nor did she have any desire to be. But during one such meeting she could hear what sounded like a chanting, not distinct enough to understand but the creepy feeling it gave her sent her to her knees in prayer.

  When Monday did finally arrive, she paced the floor until her father was brought into her rooms. She sent the maid or as she preferred to call her, the jailer, to fetch some snacks and threw herself into her father’s arms.

  “Daddy, I am so glad to see you! How is everything at home?”

  Smiling for his benefit, she pulled him over to an overstuffed sofa and sat with him. Her heart hurt for him, knowing that he blamed himself for her dilemma, just as much as she felt responsible for his.

  “Don’t you worry none about you old daddy sweetheart, it is you I am worried about. Is he treating you good, cause if he is not…”

  “I am fine really, Morgan tries to be nice in a weird way, but Daddy, listen to me. I have something I need you to do, a letter I need you to mail first thing in the morning. Overnight. You remember Jacks, my old boss?”

  “Sure I do. Sheila, this is not something that you can get in trouble is it?”

  “Daddy, we are both in a world of trouble now and Jacks can help us. Please, just say you will mail the letter for me…for us.”

  “You know I will, but I don’t want you doing anything that is going to get you hurt.”

  “I won’t Daddy. I love you!”

  “I love you too.”

  She laid her head on his chest and he held her, smoothing back her hair just as he did when she was a little girl. She felt comforted and he felt sadness, for he knew he would not be the hero who would save her.

  John Herbert was not young any more. He was about to turn seventy-seven. His wife conceived Sheila when she was going through the change and John already thought of himself as old then. Childless up until that time, they were happy to at last have a little girl of their own. They had brought Sheila up in a Godly home; teaching her good Christian values and watching her grow into a beautiful Christian woman. His sweet wife died before Sheila’s twentieth birthday and now it was just the two of them and now he felt he had let her down.

  When there was a hit and run, with a dead victim and his car was impounded, he had no idea what was going on. He tried to tell the police that he had not left his home in two days but they did not listen and he found himself facing arrest. Before that could happen he was visited by two men who claimed to be detectives but when he asked for identification they laughed. He was told that all the evidence against him would go away if his daughter married Morgan Belk.

  At first, he thought it was all a joke but when Sheila came to him and told him she was going to marry and why, he knew it was no joke. He begged her not to, and to go with him to the police. She refused and told him that it was they who falsified the evidence against him. Still, he would rather die than see his only child become the wife of such a man.

  He was having no part of it until Morgan hinted to him that things would go bad not only for him but for his daughter as well, so with a sad heart, he watched as Sheila gave up dreams of spending her life with a true soul mate, for a man who had given his own soul to the d
evil. He never stopped praying for God to intervene and never gave up on his faith that He would.

  When he left that night, neither father or daughter could know that it was the last time they would ever see each other. Tuesday morning after John put the letter in the mail, he collapsed on the sidewalk with a massive heart attack and died before he reached the hospital.

  It was Wednesday when the letter arrived, carefully addressed to Honey but she knew the contents were meant for Jacks. She signed for it and immediately called his cell phone. It went straight to voice mail so she just said that the letter he was waiting for had arrived and she would keep it safe until he could pick it up.

  When he got the message at a later time, he told Tina that he would be out for the rest of the afternoon and headed for Philadelphia. Not wanting to take a chance on being seen at Honey’s clinic he called her on the way and asked that she meet him at the Golden Moon, a casino on the Choctaw Reservation right outside of Philadelphia.

  “Where will you be?” She asked and he replied with a question. “Do you play Blackjack?”

  “No, I never enjoyed losing my money.” When she visited the resort it was usually to meet friends for a meal.”

  “I will be sitting at a Blackjack table and when you see me, make it look like an accidental meeting. Speak, but don’t linger. Go to the restrooms that are behind the escalators. There are phone booths just before you get to them. Pretend to use a phone and scribble on the back of the envelope as if you are writing a number or something. Leave it lying there and go into the lady’s room. I will be close behind you and pick it up. It is not safe to be seen with me right now. I think I am being followed so do not try to talk with me again. I will call you later.”

  “Okay, I can do that, but who is following you? Never mind, you can tell me that later too.”

  “Bye then, I will see you in a few minutes.”

  “I am leaving now Jacks, bye.”

  She placed the letter into her purse and telling Betty that she was going to lunch, headed for the parking lot. She was intrigued by the covert activity and a little apprehensive.