Blind Instinct: A Tess Barrett Thriller

by Michael W. Sherer

  “Enough!” Yoshi barked. “Big waste of time if you no focus.”

  Tess bit her lip, but the tears flowed anyway.

  “I’m sorry! I just can’t do this.”

  “Yes, you can. You choose not to. You think someone who attack you will wait while you daydream all day? You somewhere else today. Waste my time.”

  “I said I was sorry.” Wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her gi, she pulled herself to her feet. “Why are you being so mean?”

  “Yoshi no different today than any other day. You the one who is different. You need to use stones more. They center you.”

  Tess hadn’t even thought about the flat, smooth stones—rose quartz and blue obsidian—Yoshi had given her weeks before. She’d been able to tell them apart not just by their shape and feel, but by the energy they seemed to radiate. Crazy, but the rose quartz always felt warmer and more soothing. The cool blue obsidian seemed to clarify things in her mind and make it easier to put her thoughts into words.

  “I will,” she said hesitantly. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

  Yoshi grunted. “Is boy, I can tell. You need to clear your mind when you are here. Next time you come, you bring ‘Tess.’ Now go.”

  She waited. Normally, Yoshi would point her in the direction of the door. Today, she heard his bare feet softly pad away, probably heading for the small locker room to shower and change. She wanted to scream at him, but she knew it was useless. Raising her leaden arms, she shuffled the opposite way, gently patting the air to ward off any potential collision, sniffling as she went.

  By the time she showered and dressed, Tess had calmed down some. After a final check with her fingers to make sure buttons and zippers were fastened and hair brushed and in place, she headed downstairs. She was still so angry she wanted to hit something—or someone—but she wasn’t sure at whom she should direct all that anger. It melted away the closer she came to the kitchen, replaced once more with thoughts of Tim—his laugh, warm voice and encouraging words. She tried to picture the way he might look now—green eyes more knowing and less naive, the shock of reddish-brown hair maybe a little shorter in front so it didn’t fall over his eyes so much, freckles splattered across his nose faded a bit, face lengthened, jaw squared and shoulders broadened in the year since she’d last seen him.

  “Good morning.”

  Oliver’s voice brought her back to earth. Lucky she hadn’t walked into a wall. Her fingers brushed the kitchen doorframe and she stepped through.

  “Good morning,” she said, her excitement building. “Did you get all the things I asked for?”

  “What things?” Alice said from across the kitchen. “What did she ask you to get?”

  “Just some balloons and stuff,” Tess said, her heart sinking.

  “It was no problem, really,” Oliver said. “I was glad to help.”

  “Balloons…?” Alice said. “What are you up to, Tess?”

  She thrust out her chin. “I’m going to invite Tim to tolo.”

  “Oh, Tess, you know Travis won’t approve,” Alice said.

  “Uncle Travis isn’t here! He can’t tell me what to do if he isn’t even here.”

  “But you know what he’d say if he were,” Alice replied. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”

  “I told Tess I’d talk to Travis,” Oliver said quietly. “I think I can convince him, especially if I offer to go along.”

  Alice heaved a sigh. Tess thought she might say something more, but the distant gong of the doorbell intruded.

  “Odd,” Alice muttered on her way past Tess. “Marcus should have let me know we had a visitor.”

  When Tess could no longer hear Alice’s footsteps in the hall, she faced the center of the room. “You’re sure you got it all? Everything I asked for?”

  “I told you I got it,” Oliver said. “I’m not a complete moron. I made the poster just like you asked. It’s all in the car.”

  “You don’t have to be snippy.”

  “Look, Tess, you hired me to assist you. You wouldn’t keep me around long if I couldn’t follow simple instructions.”

  “I thought you wanted to help me. I thought you were my friend. It’s just a job to you.”

  “I said I’d help and I will. But I don’t have to like it.”

  Tess was still thinking of a reply when she heard two voices approaching, both raised in argument.

  “…she’s been through enough,” Alice was saying as she entered the kitchen.

  “Why don’t we ask her? Good morning, Tess.”

  “General,” she murmured. “What are you doing here so early?”

  “You left so quickly after the meeting yesterday I never got a chance to speak with you.”

  “There was nothing to say,” Oliver said, an edge in his voice. “You left her hanging out there like a slab of meat for the wolves to feast on.”

  “Careful, son,” Turnbull said. “You don’t want to pick a fight unless you can finish it.”

  “I’m not looking to fight you, sir. I’m looking out for Tess. She deserves better than what you gave her in that meeting, which was a whole lot of squat.”

  “I admit things could have gone better, but you could have given me a little warning you were going to shanghai the agenda to talk about this app—what was it, Never Bitten? What was that all about?”

  “We didn’t have time to tell you, General,” Tess said. “There’s definitely something wrong with the program. And it may have caused my friend to bring a gun to school.”

  “Who told you there’s something wrong with the software?”

  “We’d rather not say, sir,” Oliver chimed in. “It could—”

  “I’ll warn you again, son. I appreciate your loyalty to Tess, but this doesn’t concern you.”

  “Begging your pardon, sir, but the hell it doesn’t. It became my business the day I started as Tess’s assistant, and has continued through several attempts on her life, and mine, too.”

  Tess jumped in quickly before the fight escalated. “It’s a person we trust, and he thinks the app was sabotaged by someone inside MondoHard.”

  “You should have told me this sooner.” Turnbull finally sounded concerned.

  “Why should we trust you?” Oliver said.

  “Oliver!” Alice said sharply. “Be careful. You’re on thin ice. General Turnbull practically raised James and Travis after their parents died. He’s family.”

  “Thank you, Alice,” Turnbull said quietly, “but we’re getting off point, here. Tess, I still need you—the company needs you. The board wants to reconvene. Cuthbert got wind that Travis may have been abducted and is pushing to replace Travis and cancel the defense contract. We need to stall him.”

  “The board won’t listen to me. You saw what they did.”

  “They have to. You own the shares.”

  “But you told me it’s all still in trust until I’m twenty-one.”

  “We’ll make them take it to court. We need to buy more time to find Travis.”

  “Why don’t you leave her alone?” Oliver said. “You’re just using her.”

  “It’s her company, son,” Turnbull said quietly. “She either fights for it or watches it go down in flames. It’s up to her, not me. I’m just trying to help her save it.”

  Tess felt torn. All she wanted to do was think about what dress to wear to tolo and where she should take Tim to dinner before the dance.

  “Why me?” she said. “Why do I have to save the world? Isn’t that what parents are for? Oh, that’s right; I don’t have any. Oliver, I want to go to school now.”

  “Tess, be reasonable.” Alice sounded shocked. “You haven’t even had breakfast.”

  “I’ll get something at school. Are you coming, Oliver?”

  “Right here,” he said, taking her elbow. He guided her toward the garage.

  “What should I tell the board?” the general called after her.

  “Whatever you want,” she said. “I don’t care.”


  “Tess Barrett!” Alice barked. “Don’t you walk out on General Turnbull.”

  “It’s all right,” the general said. “Let her go. She needs—”

  The door to the garage closed behind them, cutting off the rest of his thought.

  Two minutes later, Oliver accelerated the car smoothly onto the main road outside the gate. Tess leaned back in the plush leather seat and closed her eyes. The view was the same with eyes open or closed—nothing but darkness. But images raced through her brain—fleeting pictures of faces and places that already had faded in the year since her accident; sounds of voices, those of her parents mixed in with Alice’s and the general’s, and explosions and gunfire ripping the night into pieces; whiffs of scents ranging from roses to coconut to horse manure.

  She’d been through so much in the past year, but they still wanted more from her. All she wanted was her old life back. Like that could ever happen. She wanted her mother to be there when she got home from school with a hug, a cheery greeting and a cookie still warm from the oven. She wanted her dad to come home from work and ask her how her day had been. She wanted to see.

  Oliver’s voice intruded on her thoughts. “Are you okay?”

  “Peachy, thanks.” She regretted her tone as soon as the words left her mouth. “Sorry.”

  Oliver was quiet the rest of the way to school, which was fine with Tess. She had plenty on her mind. When he parked, though, he broke his silence.

  “We’re pretty early. Did you want to get something to eat?”

  She nodded. “Yes, please.”

  She got out of the car and waited for him. When he took her hand and put it on his shoulder, she voiced a question that had nagged her on the ride to school.

  “You’ll still help me, won’t you?”

  “Sure. It’s what friends do.”

  She couldn’t help a half-smile. “Smart-ass.”

  The morning dragged on forever. The more Tess wished lunch period would come quickly, the longer her classes seemed to last. Finally, the bell signaled the end of her agonizing wait.

  In the crowded commons, Oliver found them seats at a table and went to get them a bite to eat. A minute or two later he put something on the table in front of her.

  “Turkey sandwich,” he said. “And your friend is here.”

  “He is?” Her head whipped one way and the other as if she could actually look around and see him. “Go tell him to wait. No, tell him I have a surprise for him. Then you can get it out of the car. It’s in the car, right?”

  “Yes, it’s in the car. I’ll tell what’s-his-face to come over. Back in a bit.”

  Tess bit back a retort and squirmed in her seat. Moments later, she sensed a nearby presence and stopped fidgeting.

  “Tess? It’s Tim. I heard you have something to show me?”

  All of a sudden, Tess could hardly breathe. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her ears burned as she strained to get enough oxygen into her lungs.

  She squeaked his name. “Tim!” Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Yes, I do. Have something to show you. Well, I don’t have it, exactly. It’s in the car. Oliver’s getting it.”

  The words came in a rush, and her whole face was on fire.

  “Are you okay?” Tim said. “You look like you’ve got a fever or something.”

  “I’m fine. I’m just… it’s warm in here, that’s all.”

  As usual, the sheer volume of conversations combined to create a dull roar in the cavernous room, and she and Tim had to raise their voices to hear one another. Tess felt sure the people around her were staring and listening in.

  “So,” Tim said, sounding awkward, “can you give me a hint? No, wait. You said Oliver was getting it? I think I know what it is. OMG, Tess, you didn’t.”

  Fear suddenly gripped her. “Oliver’s back?”

  Of course Oliver was back. Tess could hear murmurs and catcalls spread from the table outward like ripples in a pond.

  “You don’t like them?” she said, her stomach dropping through the floor.

  And then Oliver was at the table. “These are for you, Tim.”

  “Oh, gee, um, thanks.”

  Now the murmurs turned to hoots and laughter. Tess imagined the poster Oliver had made: “TIM, TOLO? TESS.” Her face felt as if it was on fire.

  “I’m sorry, Tess,” Tim said. “I had no idea you… I mean I didn’t know you could…”

  Tears stung her eyes, but Tess wouldn’t let them see her cry. Not here, not now.

  “What? You didn’t think I could dance? Because I’m blind?”

  Tim started in again, less hesitant this time. “No, it’s not that. I never thought you’d go. You’ve been such a hermit the past year. I really am sorry, Tess. Katie already asked me if I’d go to the dance with her, and I said yes. But thank you for thinking of me. And thanks for the balloons. They’re… nice.”

  Nice? That’s it? Tess tried to tune out the laughter, the rude comments, but she was mortified. She’d just made a complete fool of herself.

  Oliver leaned in and murmured in her ear. “Come on, Tess. Let me get you out of here.”

  Wordlessly, she pushed her chair back and stood. Oliver took her hand in his. Instead of letting her put it on his shoulder, he held it tight and led her through a door outside. Laughter echoed behind them until the door cut it off with a metallic clank as it slammed shut. Tess walked to the car in stunned silence. How could she have been so stupid? She hadn’t even broached the subject of tolo with Tim, never asked if he was going or even interested in going.

  Oliver didn’t let go of her hand until he opened the car door for her. Now that she noticed, it seemed odd but had been strangely comforting.

  He slid into the driver’s seat. “Tess, I—”

  “Don’t say a word. Not one word.”

  “I was just going to ask if there was somewhere in particular you wanted to go. Me? I’d be thinking about going for ice cream after something like that.”

  She couldn’t quite force a smile, but she appreciated the attempt to lighten her mood.

  “Sure. What the heck.”

  He patted her knee. “Atta girl.”

  As they pulled out of the lot, Tess’s phone chirped. She fished it out of her jeans.

  “Hello?”

  A garbled voice answered hollowly. “If you want to see your uncle alive again, quit the MondoHard board.”

  Tess went cold with fear. “Who is this?”

  “This is your only warning. Turn in a formal letter of resignation by Monday morning, or Travis Barrett is a dead man.”

  Chapter 25

  Travis had lost all sense of time. Day and night did not exist in the tunnel. There was only darkness, unrelenting, disabling stygian gloom. Only three events gave any signal of passing time: bats left the cave at dusk and returned sometime before dawn; and his jailers brought him food and water after the bats came back to roost and before they left to forage. In between, he no longer could judge how many minutes or hours ticked by. Exhaustion slowly filled his limbs like a rising tide that would eventually drown him. His only recourse was to swing the iron spike blindly in the dark and hope the rock and steel bars gave way before he did.

  He worked until he was exhausted, chipping away at the wall, stopping occasionally to brush the rock chips and the dust that accumulated evenly over the dirt floor. When he was too tired to swing the spike with any force he tried to sleep, crouched and huddled against a wooden brace to keep the cold rock walls from sucking the heat out of his body. He managed only an hour or so at a time until the cold forced him to move again, so his muscles generated warmth and directed it to his core.

  They’d almost caught him at one point. He thought the dim flickering on the tunnel walls was a hallucination until he realized it must be feeding time. He crab-walked away from the bat gate and hid the spike under some rocks near the slide at the back of the tunnel. But the hulking silhouette behind the light that eventually stop
ped just beyond the bars of his prison said nothing, merely aimed the flashlight beam at the locked gate and gave it a pull to test it before shoving the usual water bottle and sandwich sack under the bottom bar. Travis knew the man must have heard the sounds of his pounding, but apparently the guard felt confident Travis had no way to get out. He shined the light at Travis, running it cursorily from Travis’s head to his toes before turning away and disappearing the way he’d come.

  Now Travis stopped for a moment to catch his breath and consider how long he’d been imprisoned. Three sandwiches, three bottles of water—three days. They’d grabbed him on Tuesday, so this must be Friday. And his last meal had been delivered hours before by his reckoning. His stomach growled with hunger, reminding him of just how many hours. He shook himself wearily. He’d been in worse spots. At least no one was shooting at him, as had occasionally been the case in Afghanistan. During his second winter there, he’d been caught in the crossfire of a skirmish between Taliban militants and fighters in a local tribe that wanted no part of either the Taliban’s oppressive rule or the Karzai government’s interference. Both sides had mistaken him for the enemy, so after beating a hasty retreat, he’d found a small cave in which to hole up for the night until the fighting stopped.

  Heaving a sigh, he gripped the bar closest to the anchor rod and pulled as hard as he could, grunting with the effort. Muscles straining until they burned, he was about to give up when he felt the metal give slightly. He relaxed and breathed deeply, feeding his muscles the oxygen they craved. He took one more breath, held it and pulled again, digging in his heels and putting his weight into the exertion. He thought the tendons in his neck would pop, but he kept pulling, and suddenly the metal gave again with a small groan. Drawing on the last of his reserves, Travis pulled harder and the weakened metal slowly gave way. With a screeching sound like fingernails on a blackboard the bent anchor rod fought for a grip in the rock. But as Travis gave a final tug the anchor came loose letting Travis bend the entire grate back on the door hinges.

  Travis sank to the floor and sat clutching his knees, breathing heavily. For several minutes he couldn’t move, but he knew if he didn’t they would find him frozen there. Feeling around with his hands, his fingers grasped the cold iron spike. He rolled over onto one knee and put the spike in his pants pocket. After slowly getting to his feet, carefully stretching knees and back that ached from the strain, he made his way to the back of the tunnel where he’d left the last of the water. The sandwich was long gone. He pocketed the bottle and went back to the grate.