Reunion (A Psychological Suspense with Murder, Mystery and the Paranormal)

by Jeff Bennington

  “How about you, Maria?” Lana slapped the table. Maria assumed she did it to generate excitement. “What’s life like in the big city?”

  Before Maria could answer, Lana’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller identification and then popped the phone open.

  “Excuse me one second,” said Lana. “It’s my agent.” She stood up and limped away with her left hand cupped over her ear.

  Maria shifted her position and crossed her legs. She felt slightly insecure around Lana, because of her accomplishments and good looks. She tapped on the table and began to fidget. I could really use a cigarette, she thought. She noticed a No Smoking sign. Damn.

  Lana returned and said, “Sorry about that. You were saying?”

  “Well, to be honest with you, my life is pretty dull.” Maria grinned, making light of her story. “I run a clinic for trauma victims and live in a small apartment right above it; nothing too exciting really. I share the apartment with my friend Connie. I have a cat named Mr. Rutherford and I never go out! So…” Maria clasped her hands together, humbly confessing her reality.

  Lana smiled with eyes wide open. Maria searched for another question.

  “So, does Zoe see her father much?” Maria immediately regretted asking the question. It just slipped out. She felt as uncomfortable as Lana looked. Lana sat there for a brief moment with her jaw sinking like a German U-boat.

  • • •

  At exactly 1:15 p.m. that same day, Deputy Bryan Jacobs pulled up to Kate Tooley’s mailbox. She waited for him, but neglected to wear her usual smile. She looked nervous and anxious. She tried to cover her anxiety by looking busy, afraid that her neighbors would notice her forthcoming action.

  When Bryan’s car came to a complete stop, he smiled, but Kate’s eyes looked down at the ground and she quickly darted around the front of Bryan’s vehicle, opened the passenger door, and slipped in.

  “Drive!” she insisted. She didn’t look at him. She just stared straight ahead.

  “Wha—? What’s going on?”

  “Just drive!”

  “Okay.” He put the car in drive and drove straight ahead.

  “What’s up, Kate?”

  Kate slouched down in the leather seat. Her black bangs hung over her eyes like when she was a teenager. She hadn’t showered since the day before. She crossed her arms.

  “It’s Nick. He’s freaking me out.” She pulled the hair away from her eyes. “He’s getting worse and I don’t know if I can take it anymore. He’s always drunk. He’s always home late! He’s alw—”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second. Just slow down and tell me what’s going on!”

  Occasionally glancing at Bryan, Kate continued. “Okay. First of all, he came home stinking drunk last night, as usual! But even so, he was off.” Kate peered at Bryan to ascertain his reaction.

  He glanced at her, his eyes wrinkled. “Off?”

  “Yes. I mean, there was something different about him. He acted more paranoid than usual. It’s like his panic attacks have stepped up a notch.” Kate shivered and rubbed her arms.

  “What do you mean?” asked Bryan.

  She turned toward Bryan, and gripped her arms to absorb the anxiety. “I’m not sure. All I know is, when he came home last night, he went on and on about seeing David Ray and how he’s coming back from the dead to finish what he started. He trashed the house late last night, for God’s sake! He ran around like a maniac, throwing furniture and…he hit me!” Kate slammed her hand on the dashboard. Her eyes welled up with tears. Her hand recoiled and she sunk into her seat. “He thought I was David. He tried to kill me.”

  Kate uncrossed her arms, covered her face with both hands and began sobbing. Bryan pulled the patrol car over, glanced in his mirror at the empty road and put his right arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. She had never been so vulnerable in his presence before, and he had never held her until that moment. Kate looked up at him with swollen eyes. He started the engine again and drove out of the neighborhood as quickly as possible. She nestled her head into his arm and she felt safe.

  • • •

  Maria’s question hit Lana like a punch in the gut. Her eyes drifted away and memories stirred. She remembered crouching down on the floor of the cafeteria in a panic, her small body folded over and her hands covering her head. After listening to the horrific screams and gunshots, her body quivered in its crumpled state, jerking after each explosion. Her brain worked overtime, unsuccessfully trying to subdue her fears.

  When David Ray pulled the trigger, her body jolted, causing her to shriek in fear.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Noah knelt down beside her and held her in his arms. Lana remembered feeling him shiver while he repeated, “It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.”

  The shooting resumed, however, and David Ray continued hunting through the cafeteria.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  David stopped at several different tables, acknowledging his targets and the clique that they were a part of. Eventually, he made it to Lana’s table.

  High from an adrenalin rush, David jumped on top of the popular group’s table and stomped on it with his heavy black boots and shouted, “How do you like that you stupid-ass preppies? Now who’s the loser, huh? Oh, I see you down there. You’re not so tough now, are you?”

  Lana heard his footsteps above her head and shuddered.

  “Awww! Are the preppies too scared to come after the little weirdo?” She peeked between Noah’s arms. David’s shadow swung around the floor, indicating his movements from above.

  “Are you afraid?” he shouted.

  With spittle ejecting from his mouth, David worked himself into a sweat. Lana wished she hadn’t pulled out of Noah’s cover, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. In a fit of rage, he stomped hard on the table, causing everyone beneath to twitch with fear. David responded by screaming at the top of his lungs, “Well guess what? You better be scared, ‘cause some of you are going to die! Do you hear me?” He threw his arms out and lifted his head back, like a gladiator poised for the final lunging impalement. “I’m going to kill you!”

  David Ray jumped off the table and began shooting the Jennings 9mm. He wasn’t prepared to handle the recoil. Two bullets zipped past Noah and hit Lana. She screamed when the first one hit her left thigh and again when another bullet ripped through her right forearm. The other students near her screamed and cried as well. Some cried in pain from their injuries, others out of fear.

  The burning sensation of the bullet that lodged in her thigh suppressed the pain from the other wound. The bullet that hit her forearm grazed the tissue just enough to clear out a small path devoid of skin and muscle. Though less painful, the wound in her arm bled profusely. The pain and sight of her own blood caused Lana to feel nauseous and dizzy. She began to hyperventilate and her peripheral vision closed in on her. Her eyes gave way to the brownout that preceded her loss of consciousness.

  By the time Lana regained consciousness, David Ray was lying dead on the floor. His body lay less than ten feet away from her in a pool of blood. Somehow the knowledge of his death did not bring relief. The sight of his corpse only increased the trauma and postponed closure.

  Moments later she realized that Noah had torn a strip off his shirt and made a tourniquet to stop the bleeding in her arm. She slumped in pain, coughing from the lingering sulfur in the air. The bullet had smashed her left femur, causing the bone to split and fracture. Like the others, Lana lay in shock on the cafeteria floor, waiting for help.

  Noah sat beside her, keeping pressure on her open wound, weeping while they waited.

  Lana’s head rolled limply as she looked around. She saw dead and injured students everywhere, crying, moaning. To the right, her swollen eyes caught a glimpse of Randy Tooley. His dead body lay in the center of Nick’s lap. Nick was crying, babbling, desperately trying to put Randy’s facial features back together; his blood splashed out, soaking Nick’s hands. Red splotches covered the u
nderside of the table.

  Lana’s head rolled around to the left. She saw Sydney Frey and Alexis Fairchild crumpled on top of each other. Their blood flowed and coalesced, pooling around their remains.

  Lana had difficulty comprehending the magnitude of all that had taken place. Still she had seen enough to join the throng of grieving students and teachers.

  The paramedics arrived after what seemed like hours. The local police and SWAT team blocked all exits until the authorities pronounced the building to be secure and safe for entry. Weeping and wailing and shouts of confusion intermingled with the sounds of police radios and sirens in the distance, while students scrambled to safety.

  As the police escorted the survivors out of the building, they took down names and directed them to a safe zone where they could get medical attention, counseling and an opportunity to write their statements. Some of the students were unaccounted for, so the process of releasing names to the parents was delayed.

  In due course, the paramedics assessed Lana and lifted her onto a gurney. As she was rolled toward the ambulance, she caught her last glimpse of Noah standing outside the main entrance talking to a police officer, his arms covered in blood—her blood.

  Much later she learned that Noah had called his mother in Liverpool. Mrs. Berkley, terrified, insisted that he get on the next flight to the UK Lana had never seen him again.

  Maria touched Lana’s hand from across the table. “Are…you…okay?” Maria’s touch brought Lana crashing back to reality. Her eyes popped wide open, startled.

  “Oh! Yes, I…I’m fine.” She gasped and put her hand to her chest while she collected herself. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the last time I saw Zoe’s father. He stood outside of the school after the—” Lana paused and turned away. “I’m sorry. Will you excuse me for a just a second. I need to use the restroom.”

  She shot right up and hurried off to the nearest restroom. When she stepped up to a sink, her body thrust forward, releasing a torrent of emotion. The flashback overwhelmed her psyche. She burst into tears, wailing with no regard to those who entered. “Oooooohhh,” she cried. “What am I doing?” The words were inaudible except to her. She grabbed some tissue from a stall and blew her nose. She continued sobbing and thought, why does this hurt so much? Pull yourself together, Lana! That was twenty years ago for crying out loud! What is your problem?

  She rested her shaking hands on the sink and cried until the tears dried up. She splashed some water on her face and tidied up. She returned to the table, red-eyed.

  Maria stood up. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean—”

  “I’m fine. I just needed a minute to collect my thoughts.”

  “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t know that—”

  Lana interrupted, “That Noah is Zoe’s father?” She sniffed and wiped her nose with a napkin.

  Maria leaned toward Lana and touched her hand. “I remember Noah. He was a neat guy. What happened to him anyway?”

  Lana sighed. “He caught the first plane back to England,” she said. “I guess his parents were devastated by the whole incident and demanded that he return home without delay. Of course, with all of my medical issues and Zoe’s premature birth, I was in my own world. Later, when I was home with a newborn, my parents and I decided that it was best to leave well enough alone. I don’t think I could’ve handled any more drama anyway.”

  “I bet.”

  “I had enough on my plate. I didn’t need to try to guilt him into taking care of us. I knew what I was getting into when we, well, you know.” Lana cut herself off. “Anyway, I’ve been married and divorced since then and I’m sure Noah’s happy living his own life now.”

  “I see. So, have you been thinking about him lately, now that all this has started?”

  “Yes,” said Lana. “All the time.”

  9th

  Tanner Khan stood at the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, more than 8,000 feet above sea level.

  It sure is breezy up here, he thought to himself. He lifted his nose and felt the wind rush across his face.

  He took a deep breath, put his favorite straw hat on his head and set his stop watch to 00:00.00. After examining the chasm and contemplating his impending challenge, he bent over and retied his hiking boots.

  This is it. Last chance to get everything right, he thought.

  Even a detail like the tension on his shoelaces would make a difference. As he knelt down, his youthful face looked forward. His intent blue eyes examined the trail that snaked through the red rock.

  He squinted as the sun shone upon the trees clinging to the canyon walls. The sunlight swallowed the shadows inside the canyon, strengthening its brilliance as it dove deeper into the abyss. Tanner studied the vegetation and considered how much time remained before he lost his protective cover. He concluded that he had no more than an hour and a half before the sun would overtake him, leaving him vulnerable to dehydration. One false move or an awkward twist of his ankle could leave him susceptible to failure. Of course, he had prepared to stay at one of the camps at the base of the canyon, but only if strictly necessary.

  He was dressed for both the cooler temperatures offered by the crisp morning air and the extremely hot temperatures at the bottom of the canyon. In the time it would take him to traverse from rim to rim, he could experience a twenty to thirty-degree temperature shift in either direction. He had stowed away a set of breathable, water-resistant pants and jacket in his high-tech backpack. The pack could hold up to three liters of water, two items of clothing, a first-aid kit and enough food for three days. The plastic liner that held the fluid had a rubber hose sticking out the top, near his face. The hose ran up the side of the pack and hung near the front so he could have a sip whenever he got thirsty.

  Each of his hands gripped a spring-loaded hiking pole as he prepared to take his first step down the long and grueling trail. He had never been more ready. It was his second attempt at breaking the world record for hiking from rim to rim across the Kaibab Trail. He had missed the mark by less than a minute the last time he tried. Although disappointed, Tanner had been through worse and had learned to be persistent in all his endeavors. He turned to look at his entourage. They quietly waited for his next command.

  To officially break the record, Guinness officials required Tanner to have a team of witnesses, and in this case, video footage from start to finish. The only person fit enough to video the trek was his business partner and best friend, Mike Townsend. He too had trained for this event, but Tanner wanted the glory.

  With white sunblock on his nose, Tanner shouted, “Everyone ready?”

  The crowd of witnesses replied with a jumble of “Yeahs!” and “Woo-hoos!” The team’s communication guru clicked on his two-way radio and requested a status report from the team on the other side.

  “North Rim, are you ready?”

  “Ten-four! We’re all clear!”

  “Are your watches set to zero?”

  “Ten-four!”

  “Okay, then. On the count of three, we’ll start the clock. Copy?”

  “Copy!”

  Tanner nodded in approval. The witnesses crossed their fingers or held each other out of sheer nervousness and excitement. The crowd of supporters counted down in unison with the guru.

  “Three, two, one, go!” Click. The stopwatches began counting and Tanner blasted down the sandy slope. At 6:00 a.m. the sun cast fresh lines of pink and orange across the southern sky. He absorbed its energizing power like a solar panel.

  Tanner didn’t waste any time or movement. He calculated and accounted for every stride. He had trained his muscles to deploy every ounce of energy they could muster. Step by step, his form for walking down the steep grade differentiated from the climb up. He instructed his lungs to breathe slower and deeper during the ascent, because his body required more oxygen. He planned to optimize every calorie to give him the energy required to go the distance. Determined to beat the record, Tann
er knew that technical preparation was just as important as his physical and mental condition.

  His pace was right on target. He descended a trail that wrapped around the red crag for approximately eight miles and ended with a taxing fourteen-mile climb that meandered up the majestic cliffs of the North Rim. He marveled at the astounding view. The canyon had a knack for taking its visitors’ breath away, even though the hike took a physical toll that equated to running a marathon. Yet he could not run if he wanted to. The rules required that he keep one foot on the ground at all times. The time to beat: 10 hours, 37 minutes, 11.01 seconds.

  • • •

  In Crescent Falls, Kate held on to Bryan while they drove out of town. She leaned close with both hands clasping his bicep. Bryan had never seen her so scared. Although glad to help, he felt somewhat nervous about the implications. He had clearly expressed his interest in Kate, but never imagined their relationship becoming more than it had.

  He pulled into an abandoned quarry just outside of town. Dust swirled into the air as his vehicle came to a stop. He shut off the engine and turned toward Kate.

  He looked her over. Hair in shambles, face discolored, makeup smeared—this can’t be good, he thought.

  He put his right arm over the adjoining seat and gently stroked the back of her head. He noticed a bruise around her left eye. That infuriated him, but he remained calm.

  “What do you want to do, Kate?” The question implied his knowledge of domestic issues. His eyes squinted with concern. Kate looked away, apparently considering his question. She bit her upper lip, wiped her eyes and sighed. After a moment of silence, she turned back.

  “I just want to be safe. I want to be safe and not worry, or listen to the same old crap!” She wiped her tears with her sleeve. “I don’t know what I want, Bryan. I just know I don’t want that. Not any more.”

  “All right. It’s okay now,” he said. “You’re safe. You’re safe with me.”

  Kate looked at Bryan with trusting eyes. She didn’t say anything. She just nodded her head.