by R J Johnson
She looked at him horrified, “My nephew’s photos were on that!”
“I’m so sorry,” Alex said, trying to sound sympathetic. “I’ll replace the phone, I promise, but, before that, we ought to make sure the whole building doesn’t burn down. Go tell that cop to call it in. He should be able to get the fire department here right quick. I’ll try and do what I can until they get here. Do you have a hose handy?”
Huffing in exasperation, she pointed to the rear of the building. “Around the corner over there should be a hose you can use.”
“Great. I’ll do what I can, ‘til the Calvary gets here,” Alex promised.
Sienna nodded, turned and jogged quickly over to the officer guarding the door to Scott’s apartment. For his part, Alex pretended to move behind the building to grab the hose. Instead he watched her point to the fire and yell at the man to call it in.
Immediately, the cop kicked it into gear, running over to the bush as he reached for his radio hanging off his shoulder.
Alex waited until the officer could no longer see him from the street and moved quickly across the courtyard toward Scott’s apartment.
Inside, the place was a disaster. Someone had come in there and searched the place, who Alex had no idea, but he suspected Kline’s men were the ones responsible.
He’d hoped to have more time to search Scott’s place for clues on where he’d gone to, but with the FBI, Homeland Security and now the Fire Department on the way, the clock was running.
Staring at the various piles of random stuff scattered everywhere, Alex wasn’t sure if his friend’s apartment had been tossed, or if this was just its natural state. Besides, it was hopeless. Even if he had a week to go through everything in his apartment, he wasn’t sure he’d even know what he was looking for.
Something had to have scared Scott enough to steal the stone from him. Scott had told Alex that he was stealing the stone to make something right, but, what?
Alex cursed. He’d been so wrapped up in his own psycho-drama over the last few years, he hadn’t considered what his friend might’ve been going through.
It was then that he saw the broken picture frame. He approached it slowly and turned it over. It was meant to hold two photos, but only one remained. It was of Scott and an attractive redhead, with slightly buck teeth and a huge grin. They were embracing as they stared happily into the camera.
Alex looked at the photo and then the one missing. Glancing around and seeing it nowhere, he could only think of one thing.
Scott was here, he realized. But why?
Flipping the photo back over, he looked at the redhead and Scott. They were clearly in love. Where was she then? He hadn’t mentioned her over the last few days.
Alex moved over to Scott’s laptop, pulling it out from underneath a pile of books. Flipping open the lid, the screen booted up, asking for a password. Alex thought for a minute and typed.
The User Name or Password is incorrect.
Dammit.
He glanced around the apartment looking for clues to what Scott’s password might be. His eyes settled on the Rear Window poster and he grunted.
Alex typed Hitchcock1 and was rewarded with a chime announcing his computer had booted up. Scott’s favorite director by far. When you grew up with a guy for that long, there weren’t many surprises.
Alex clicked open a tab for the internet and opened up Scott’s e-mail. Along with a bunch of spam announcing computer parts sales and game specials, there was one e-mail left unread. Strangely, it was dated less than six months ago.
The e-mail subject read: This is it!
He clicked the e-mail and read it, his mouth dropping open. No wonder Scott had taken the shape shifting stone. He was looking for revenge.
Alex clicked the print button and waited patiently for the sheet to print out.
“The cavalry’s coming…” Sienna said, her voice coming out of nowhere.
Alex whirled around. The woman in the bathrobe was standing there looking accusingly at him. In her hand, she held what looked to be a Taser. Alex opened his hands, palms out.
“I was just checking in on my friend’s apartment…” Alex managed, but she wasn’t buying it.
“Bullshit,” the woman said. “You don’t think I didn’t recognize you? Your face is all over the news…”
“Look, whatever they say I did, I didn’t do.” Alex said, his voice firm. “I’ve been set up by a bunch of very powerful people. All I want right now is to know where my friend is.”
“I don’t care!” she said. She leaned out to shout for the officer. Before she had the chance, Alex snapped his fingers and flames flew out of the Taser. She cried out in pain, and dropped the weapon.
While Sienna was distracted, Alex took two steps and crossed the room, closing the front door. She whirled, seeing him coming too late and backed herself into a corner.
Trapped, she looked up at him, his arms around her head as if to block any oncoming blows.
“I’ll scream!” she warned, her voice shaking.
“And how much good will that do you?” Alex asked. “You were the one who made Scott soundproof his apartment after all.”
The color drained from her face and Alex could see she was terrified. He sighed, and gently took Sienna by the shoulder.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Alex said, hoping his voice sounded soothing. “I just want…” he stopped himself and shook his head. “No, that’s not right. Scott’s in trouble and I need answers about my best friend.” His eyes pleaded with her and he hoped that his words were reaching her. “And apparently you’re the only one I can ask about him at the moment.”
Sienna regarded him for a moment. Alex looked at her, his eyes eager. He was never so serious about anything in his life.
“How do I know he’s your friend?” Sienna asked hesitantly.
“You don’t…” he replied, hoping at the very least, his face looked trusting enough. “But at the very least, I think you can tell I’m a concerned party.”
She sighed and relented. “Whatever you want to ask, I can’t guarantee I’ll know any answers…”
“I’ll take it,” he said, relieved. He held up the photo of Scott and the redhead, “Do you know this woman?”
She looked at the photo and back at him. “Sure, that’s Molly. She’s the reason I’m still single…”
Alex raised an eyebrow, Sienna sighed.
“Look, I’ve been waiting to find a good time to ask him out. But, he’s been so busy mourning Molly the last few years, I gave up. I’m too old and don’t have the time to help people carry their baggage.”
“Not all crushes make sense,” Alex replied honestly. “Do you know what happened to her?”
“And you’re his best friend?” she asked scornfully. “Don’t you know?”
Alex shrugged, “Indulge me…”
She regarded him for a moment, “He said he met her a few years ago. I guess they graduated MIT together and had gotten jobs in Southern California.”
“How do you know all this?”
She made the universal sign for drinking. “It’s amazing how much you learn about someone when you share a bottle of tequila. I figured him and I could get drinking, he could spill about his ex and then he and I…” she shrugged. “Ya know…”
“But, your advances didn’t work…” Alex guessed.
“She’d been dead for nearly three months by the time I made my move…” she said. “I figured he’d be ready by then.”
“But he wasn’t?”
“He just cried and said it was his fault she was dead,” she said. “It got weird, so I left and never tried again.”
“His fault?”
“She died in some sort of accident at his work…” she said. “He went into it that night, but I didn’t really understand much of it. Too much drinking on the weekends in high school instead of studying science.”
“You’re not alone,” Alex said, thinking about the many occasions when he was lo
st while Scott got talking about his favorite subjects. “What happened to her?”
“Apparently they’d been working together on a project for the DoD,” she began. “Then one night, Molly was at the lab and because of some faulty equipment, there was an explosion and it killed her.”
Alex swallowed. He glanced down at the e-mail he’d printed out and wondered what his friend had stumbled into. There was something incredibly strange about the whole thing.
“Thanks for the help,” Alex said, standing. “But, I’ve got to find Scott before he gets himself killed.”
“Wait,” she said, the panic evident on her face, “what are you going to do with me?”
“The only thing I can do…” Alex said.
He turned and opened the door stepping out into the sunlight, leaving Siobhan behind, staring at him in fear. Alex didn’t look back. He didn’t need to. By the time she got help, he’d be long gone.
Besides, he had his first clue to Scott’s whereabouts. Alex clutched the piece of paper in his hand, thinking about his next move. Whatever happened, he needed to stop Scott before that stone made him do something he regretted.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Johan Decklund was miserable, he rolled over and cried out in pain. Charles’ men had beaten him mercilessly once they brought him to the emptied basement. No posh hotel rooms for him. He was in hell and Halprin was making sure he knew it.
Every half hour, bright klieg lights would come on as heavy rock music blasted at full volume. Each time as he was just about to drift off, the music and lights would come back on keeping him in a constant state of wakefulness. After only a few hours of the treatment he was miserable and ready to die.
Lights blinked on again and he groaned. He moved to put his hands over his ears, but this time, instead of Metallica, a door opened and light poured in from the hallway. Johan reached out a hand, hoping to shield his eyes from the light coming from the hallway. A silhouette of a man outlined by the bright light was all he could see.
“Please…” Johan’s voice cracked, “I’m so thirsty… please help me…”
Ari stepped forward into his holding room and Johan scrambled up, moving to grab anything that might resemble a weapon. He stood, his eyes blazing with hate. Unable to summon any spit, Johan focused every bit of negative energy he had on the man who’d betrayed him.
“There, there…” his voice sounded soothing, almost as if he cared. “Don’t be like that…”
“Fuck off Ari,” Johan growled.
Ari withdrew a large hunting knife and moved forward, inch by inch, approaching Johan with a sly smile. Johan backed away, until he found he had no further to go. He was trapped.
“You’ll be a lot of fun to kill, you know that?” Ari whispered.
Johan looked at his former bodyguard in shock. He always felt as if he’d treated Ari fairly. It wasn’t as if he had anything against the man. “Ari, what…?”
“Shut up!” Ari said, slapping Johan across the cheek. Johan felt the blow stinging the side of his face, and fell. His hand shot up, clutching at his cheekbone and felt a thin gash where Ari had sliced him open. Ari felt the blood pouring down his face and stumbled back, clutching at it.
“And that is just the beginning,” Ari promised.
“What did I do to you Ari?” Johan asked his former head of security. He dabbed at the wound on his cheek, feeling at the wound gingerly. It wasn’t deep and would likely stop bleeding soon. Ari hadn’t wanted to hurt him, just scare him.
Ari scoffed at the question. He shook his head and retreated back to the edge of the doorway, leaning on the frame. “My company hired me for one simple reason...”
“Protect the pipeline…” Johan said, venom in his voice. “That’s what we get for going with the lowest bidder.”
“Now, you think it’s really as simple as that?” Ari asked. “I didn’t sell out, I bought in. We are all just parts of a larger organism. Easily replaceable the second my patrons think I no longer serve any use to them. The man I answer to wanted your company’s project to fail. I ensured that.”
“Then why keep me like this?” Johan asked, disgusted. “Just kill me and be done with it.”
“What fun would that be?” Ari asked menacingly.
Johan cocked his head at this. But, before Ari could explain, the door squeaked loudly on its hinges as the heavy metal door swung open. The man who’d killed the militants who had attacked his camp stepped into the room and looked over Johan and Ari with a critical eye.
The same bothersome thought of who this man was came back to the forefront. He knew this man from somewhere, but who was he? Johan used his considerable intellect to try and think of where he could possibly know this man from, but he was still coming up empty.
“Is our guest ready?” Charles asked Ari. He nodded.
“Excellent!” Charles cried out clapping his hands. The man approached Johan closely, and leaned in, sniffing him as he did so. He nodded in satisfaction and grabbed Johan by the shoulders, clutching him tight. Johan cringed and withdrew back, hoping to avoid being struck by the strange man examining him.
Ari smiled broadly, “You have no idea how long I’ve been aching to get back out there with you.”
“That’s what I like to hear Ari,” Charles said, smiling broadly. He leaned down and pulled Johan roughly to his feet. Too weak to offer anything but token resistance, he allowed himself to be dragged down the hallway toward a door, leading outside. Ari moved in front of them and opened up the door to help escort the pair of them through.
Emerging outside, Johan was stunned. He wasn’t anywhere near the Iran/Turkey border. He was surrounded by lush green hills, and mountains that seemed to stretch onto forever in the sky. Unless he missed his guess, Johan figured he was in Switzerland, near the Alps. They must have put him on a jet after sedating him for the ride.
Ari looked around and breathed the night air deep into his lungs. He turned and nodded to his host deferentially.
“Mr. Halprin,” Ari said, “It’s a true honor being out here with you and your party. It’s just as beautiful as you said.”
“Hard to believe unless you see it with your own eyes isn’t it?” Charles Halprin, returned his mercenary’s smile and nodded. “Simply incredible…”
Johan’s eyes went wide when he heard Halprin’s name. He was the owner of the rival firm who had bid on the same project as his company. Suddenly everything about the attack fell into place. This was just about money.
But if that was true, why was he still alive? He was just another liability.
Unless the plan wasn’t for him to remain alive.
Charles Halprin turned and looked at Johan. “So then, have you figured out why you’re up here yet?”
“Fuck you Halprin…” Johan croaked out. No one ever accused Johan of being a brave man, but, if he truly was about to die, he was going to least die on his feet, cursing the man who’d killed him.
“Not exactly what I had in mind…” he said chuckling. He nodded to Ari who withdrew something from his belt. It was the large hunting knife he’d cut Johan’s cheek with. Johan winced, and cowered when he saw the glint of light on the steel.
“Go on,” Charles urged, “take it…”
Johan stared at the knife. It was a survival knife packed with every gizmo and extras any boy scout might need for a camping trip.
He took it and clumsily flipped the blade over in his hand, menacing the men surrounding him. They chuckled, and jeered at his pathetic attempt to cut them. They backed off, but, their hands stayed close to their assault rifles.
“What is this Halprin?” he hissed, menacing Ari and the rest of Halprin’s team with the blade.
“This is your fair shake,” he announced, pleased with himself. “We get so few in life, I figure you deserve at least a fighting chance.”
“Fighting chance at what?” Johan demanded.
“Why, for your life of course…” he said, a Cheshire cat smile spreading acro
ss his face. He motioned to the huge mountains ahead of them. “As you may or may not remember from your geography classes, France is just on the other side of that mountain.”
“So what?” Johan asked. There was a catch coming. The man just hadn’t dropped it yet.
“So, if you make it there, you’ll be a free man. Free to turn me into the authorities. Free to pursue your interests…” he leaned forward, “free to live and make love to your wife once again.”
He spat in Charles’ face. “You may be rich, but she‘s worth a hundred of you.”
He grinned and motioned to one of his men who handed him an assault rifle. “That may be Mr. Decklund, but I’m here now.” He hefted the rifle, testing its weight. “And you have twenty-four hours.”
He stared at him. Johan felt as if there was a joke he didn’t get.
“I don’t understand…” he said.
He pointed the barrel at the peak ahead and then back at his temple. He became very still as he felt the cold steel barrel press against his head.
“You have one hour,” he said quietly. “And then I will be after you.”
“You’re going to hunt me?” Johan cried out in horror.
“Over time, I’ve found it necessary to pursue my happiness in different ways than most people. When you have all the money in the world, and every earthly pleasure at your fingertips, the champagne server and glitter turn your life into a gilded cage. I exercise these demons through my hunts. Dangerous hunts, with people who truly understand the nature of the world that surrounds us.”
“And that is?” Johan asked, hardly believing what he was hearing.
“That the world is cruel, and apex predators need to keep their wits sharp, or else they risk being taken out by another, cleverer animal. Take what happened to your company as an example. Your bosses grew complacent and now, they will pay for it.
“You’re insane Halprin,” Johan spat at the man.
“Possibly,” Halprin admitted. “But, truly, there is no more dangerous game than man,” he pushed him with the rifle barrel. “The clock started when you stepped outside. Fifty seven minutes remain of your head start Mr. Decklund. Do you really wish to continue wasting that time with me?”