by K. H. Pope
A person picks up but does not greet him.
“Ever heard of John Zuller?” Chief Lacey asks.
“No,” the voice says.
“He came by my house, asking questions, and making accusations about the dimension traps.”
“What was his name again?”
“John Zuller,” Chief Lacey repeats.
“How did he find out?”
“He told me he had police reports.”
“How did he get them, Chief?” The voice is agitated. “You got a leak in your department?”
“He said he got them on his own.”
“Where are Boyd and Rossum right now?”
“Boyd is on his way home, and Rossum is at the scene of another accident.”
“I will be speaking to them personally.”
“You have nothing to worry about when it comes to them. I give you my word.”
The uncomfortable silence that follows makes Chief Lacey uneasy. He begins pacing.
Finally, the voice says, “Where is this John Zuller now?”
“Unconscious on my floor.”
“Is he a wizard?”
“Yes, he is.”
“I’ll be there within two hours. I will deal with him.”
Chief Lacey adjusts his tie uncomfortably.
“This better be the last problem I hear about.”
“It will.”
The line goes dead. Chief Lacey looks at the phone and then at John, who is still incapacitated. Chief Lacey grabs his briefcase off the sofa and brings out his computer tablet. He wants to know who this John Zuller is and proof that none of his officers have been leaking police files.
Quickly, he checks the activity logs for the missing persons’ files. Anytime a police officer accesses case files the system is designed to log their IP address from the computer they worked from, time entered, and their shield number. He finds one activity that shows a login from Plain Dealing, Louisiana, earlier that day with no shield number. Chief Lacey knows that someone has hacked the system, and he has surmised that John Zuller is not the only one that knows about the reports. This also means that his officers are not connected with the leak.
He hits the redial button, but this time there’s no answer. He tries once more and gets the same result. Chief Lacey decides to make another call to the police force resident IT guru, Ethan Palmer. The lanky, tall gentleman is going into his modest ranch home when he answers the phone.
“Ethan Palmer,” he politely answers.
“Palmer, this is Chief Lacey.”
The sound of the Chief’s voice brings Ethan to a halt. “How may I assist you, sir?”
“Our computer system has a security breach. I traced it back to Louisiana.”
This has Ethan’s full attention. “Louisiana? Do you know who it is?”
“That’s why I’m calling you. I want you to find out and get back to me, and try not to alarm the hacker.”
“No problem,” Ethan remarks as he closes the door to his house.
“Start in the missing persons’ database first. Then check the entire system. I want better security in place for our case files by the end of the week.”
“The best security is costly,” he remarks.
“Let me worry about that. Just do as I say. I want to know who hacked my system within the hour, Mr. Palmer.”
“And what if I can’t give that information to you by then?”
“Then you’re fired, and I’ll find someone else who can get it to me twice as fast.”
“You’ll have it within half an hour.”
The call is disconnected, and Chief Lacey places the phone back in his pocket. He looks back at John, thinking he’s the wildcard that no one expected in this whole plan. Chief Lacey begins to wonder what will happen if this man is killed or disappears. Who else will come out of the woodwork looking for him? Chief Lacey decides to push that worry aside for now.
CHAPTER 20
A blinding glare from the window in the hallway greets me as I enter Detective Boyd’s trailer from the transfer chamber. I close the door, but it cracks back open again to reveal a tiny bathroom. It’s barely big enough for the toilet. To my right at the end of the hallway is the kitchen and living room. To the left is the bedroom. Everything in Detective Boyd’s home looks cheap, nasty, or broken. A maid wouldn’t be able to rescue this place.
I glance into the bedroom. It’s trashed from one end to the other. The bed is unmade. The faded wall paper is peeling revealing mold underneath. The light fixture in the center of the ceiling is hanging literally by a single wire. I can’t believe a police officer, a detective with a decent salary, lives in a place like this.
After taking in enough of that view, I make my way down the hallway. The burgundy carpet has unknown black smudges, and wet crumpled paper is sticking to the corners where the bottom of the wall connects with the floor. The kitchen is directly to my right when I enter the open space. Dishes are dirty in the sink. The trashcan has a brand new bag, and it’s shockingly empty, considering how nasty everything else is. A broom is leaning in the far right corner with a pile of dust under the bristles. The counter that separates the kitchen from the living room is filthy.
If Detective Boyd truly lives in this dump, he should be absolutely ashamed. It’s horrid and stinks.
Carefully, I walk into the living room. The furniture is probably older than the trailer. There are bills on the tiny table near the door. I go through them one by one. The light bill is due in three days. The water bill was due two days ago. There is a legal notice about a court date. I open that one and read through it quickly. Detective Boyd is being taken back to court for child support and alimony. His ex-wife wants an extra $500 dollars on top of the $1500 she’s already getting. No wonder he’s living in a trailer. He can’t afford to live anywhere else. I toss his bills back on the table.
The minutes continue to tick by, and my patience isn’t getting any better. Where is this guy? I check the cowboy hat shaped clock on the wall, and it’s only been a few minutes. Why does it feel like it’s been forever? I try to decide if I want to go outside and wait for him or just simply sit. There’s only one seat I’ll feel comfortable in, and that’s the plastic covered one next to the small table. It’s wobbly, but it’s better than the fabric sofa.
If John really thinks I want to deal with places like this, chasing people’s stories and lies, and whatever else that might come with being a private investigator, he’s way wrong. Wandering the planet and looking at statues might be boring, but it’s far safer than what I’m trying to do now.
Another thirty minutes go by at a snail’s pace, and I’m ready to leave. I bring out my cell phone and call John. He doesn’t pick up. I stop the call and try again. As I’m dialing, I begin to hear scratching. There’s a window in the front door, and I see a shadow with a hand pressed against the glazed glass. The feeling I always have tells me that whoever is behind that door is not good for my health.
Just as I get on my feet, the trailer catches on fire. Every wall is ablaze. I duck to the floor trying to figure a way out, but it does no good. The fire is the worst I’ve ever felt, blinding and painful, more so than what I felt when I fell from Heaven. Someone is kindling it. My skin is beginning to bubble, and my muscles are burning.
The only way out is to get to the bathroom. I have to create an entry to the transfer chamber. I crawl down the short hallway, and I reach for the bathroom door. The metal singes the palm of my hand, but I don’t dare let go. Quickly, I say the spell, and I try to pull it open. It’s stuck, and the top part of the door is on fire. With one more pull, I manage to get it cracked open, enough to see the white transfer chamber, but not enough for me to enter. Before I can do anything more, the blazing ceiling fall down on me and the agonizing pain fades to nothing.
CHAPTER 21
Immense pain brings me back from the darkness. Someone is literally peeling something off my back. I can’t see what it is, but it hurts beyond measure. I�
�m trying to fight whoever is doing this, but I don’t have control over my limbs. I can’t see who it is, either. That’s all I can do is scream at the top of my burned lungs. How I wish death would come, but I know it’ll never come, at least not this day. This goes on for what feels like more than an hour. I faint when my body can’t take the pain anymore.
After an unknown amount of time in the comforting darkness, I begin my return to painful reality. If I could stay where I was, I would without hesitation. Unfortunately, I don’t have any say so. I blink and turn to the left, focusing on the windows covered with heavy velvet drapes. The wallpaper speaks of high expense and elegance. An oval mirror framed in gold is hanging on the wall near the French doors to what I figure is the balcony or a patio, and the antique pieces of furniture is perfectly placed against the walls. I might be in a room fit for a princess, but that doesn’t mean whoever has me is going to treat me like one.
The last time I was awake I couldn’t pick up my arms. Now, they move easily, but they still hurt. My skin is disgusting with charred and bubbled areas. I want to touch one of them, but I’m too horrified by it.
I try to sit up in bed, but I can’t lift my own weight. My arms are shaking, and my muscles are burning from the attempt. The strain tires me out, and I simply lay back. For someone who’s doomed to live until the end of time, I sure wish I didn’t have to deal with the extra consequences.
It’s not long before the door opens, and in walks Ammon. I’m not really surprised to see him, but I am relieved to be in his house and not being held against my will. Defending myself might prove to be impossible, since I’m not at my full strength.
Ammon picks up a chair and places it next to my bed. He looks debonair as always, but this time he’s not wearing some crazy outfit. Maybe, he’s tired of being a showoff.
“You’re wearing a regular suit,” I remark in a hoarse voice. “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion,” he remarks as he pulls at his lapel. “Just trying to be sensible.”
“Since when?”
He proudly answers, “Since I’ve become a senator.”
“Well, you look handsome.”
“Thank you, Alice. How do you feel?”
“I’m hurting a little, but I’m alive...thanks to you.”
“Actually, you can thank Priscilla. She pulled you from the burning trailer.”
“Really?”
“And she nursed you back to health.”
“How did she know I was in trouble?”
“The transfer chamber has an alarm that alerts me and Priscilla if there’s a problem.”
“She really did save me, huh?”
“Yes, she did. She has a heart of gold, just like you.”
“Well, I don’t know if I have a heart of gold, but she definitely proved to have one. Will you thank her for me?”
“You can do that when you see her. Right now, I was hoping you and I could talk about what happened in Texas.”
“I really can’t tell you anything for certain.” I clear my throat. It burns, but I can speak more clearly. “I was waiting in the trailer for a police officer. I was going to question him about his reports on Vanessa Brenlich.”
“Who is Vanessa Brenlich?”
At first, I can’t figure out why Ammon doesn’t know about the girl in the picture. I showed it to him. As a matter of fact, he was the first one who saw her, but then I remember I found out her name after I left his house.
“Vanessa Brenlich is the girl in the dimension trap.”
“Was this police officer’s name Matthew Boyd?”
“Yes, how do you know?”
“Did you get a chance to speak to him?”
“No, the trailer was set on fire before he came home. Honestly, I think it was him who did it.”
“Detective Boyd is not capable of setting fires like that,” Ammon reveals.
“How do you know him?”
“He’s a wizard, Alice.”
I try to sit up again, but it’s still difficult. This time Ammon helps me.
Once I’m comfortable, I ask, “Is he the one responsible for putting Vanessa in the dimension trap?”
“No, the only talent he has is changing objects into different things, and he has to be touching it for the object to change.”
“I still need to talk to him about Vanessa. If he’s not responsible, he might know who is. He might be covering up the truth.”
“Alice, I’m sorry to tell you this, but he’s dead.”
I ask with disappointment, “How?”
“A car accident.”
“That’s just great. A coyote hit his car, right?”
“How did you know?”
“There are a lot of dead people because of coyotes around Dumas,” I comment. “Did John get any information from Chief Lacey?”
Ammon clears his throat and says, “That’s another issue I have to tell you about.”
“Another issue?”
“John is missing.”
“Missing?”
“I’ve been calling his cell phone for eight days, and I have someone looking into his disappearance.”
“Eight days!” My heart sinks to my stomach. “You have to speak to Chief Lacey. John went to see him.”
“He’s already been questioned.”
I’m just baffled. “You questioned him already? How do you know about him?”
“John used the transfer chamber to get into Chief Lacey’s house the same day you were burned at Detective Boyd’s trailer. Unfortunately, John hasn’t used the chamber any time after that.”
I’m just in shock. Ammon sits on the bed and touches my hand to get my attention.
“Alice, did John tell you if he planned on going somewhere after talking to Chief Lacey?”
“No. Have you been looking for him, Ammon?”
“Yes, like I said before, I have someone looking for him, one of my best men.”
“I have to get back there.”
Ammon stops me as I try to push the covers off. “You’re not fully healed yet,” he says.
“It has been eight days since you’ve last heard from him!”
“Yes-”
“And that means I’ve been here just as long. I have to get back. I have to find him, Ammon.”
“Alice, you can’t even lift yourself out of bed.”
The tears pool in my eyes, and I can’t stop them. I’m so angry with myself. Why didn’t I let him kiss me? Why didn’t I open up more?
“If something has happened to him,” I sob. “I don’t know what I’ll do. He’s involved in this because of me.”
“I sent John to help you, Alice. His disappearance is not your fault.”
“Chief Lacey has done something to him. Go to the Magi, Ammon.”
“Like I said before, he’s already been questioned. Chief Lacey said he didn’t see John. He didn’t know the man at all.”
“He is lying.”
“There’s no proof that he’s lying.”
“Did John use the transfer chamber to leave his house?”
“I told you he didn’t, Alice. Obviously, John used the front door, but still, I can’t accuse another wizard of anything without proof, especially something as serious as what we’re talking about.”
“Talk to the Magi. Go to the President, Ammon.”
“Levying accusations to the Magi Elite President about another wizard or witch or any being requires evidence, Alice, and he’s really not the proper person to be handling this. There is a chain of command that must be followed.”
“So, why would John use the transfer chamber and not leave the same way? He didn’t have a car or a bicycle at Chief Lacey’s house. I’m telling you, Ammon. Chief Lacey is responsible for John’s disappearance, and more than likely, he put Vanessa in the dimension trap, along with all those other people.”
“Other people?” Ammon is surprised to hear this, and he stares at me. “There are other people in dimension traps?”
&n
bsp; “I’m not really sure if they’re in dimension traps, but there are fifty people that are missing from Dumas and the other surrounding towns in Texas since January 2004.”
“Sa-”
“Ammon, Detective Boyd and Chief Lacey were sloppy in their investigations behind all those people that were missing. Both of them concluded that those people ran off to family or friends. Then they closed the cases. I may not know much about police reports and investigations, but I know half ass work when I see it.”
“Have you spoken to any of those families to confirm that those people are still missing?”
“I didn’t have a chance. I ran into problems at Boyd’s trailer...as you can obviously see.”
“The bottom line is that I need proof, Alice.”
“What kind? What about Vanessa’s picture?”
“Did you see the officers put her in the trap?”
“You know I didn’t.”
Ammon sighs and says, “I can’t go to the Magi Elite with only your accusations. With you history, they won’t accept it.”
I’m utterly aggravated to the point of pure exhaustion. I remark, “I am so tired of you and the Magi Elite. All that bureaucratic bullshit is enough to drive me completely insane.”
“Alice, there are rules. There are procedures.”
“Damn the rules! Damn your Magi!”
He stands with heavy shoulders.
I say as I shake my head in disgust, “I’ll fix this myself. I’m done asking. I’m done talking to you about it. As soon as I’m well, I’m out of here.”
“Alice, I’ll go speak to President Oliver. I will get him to look into Chief Lacey.”
“Whatever, Ammon.” I turn away. “You didn’t want to help last time. Don’t change now. Please, don’t.”
He slowly walks out, leaving me alone to stew over the madness. I want so badly out of this bed. Then I can return to Texas and get back on the trail of freeing Vanessa, the other people, and finding John.
The very second I can walk, I will not slow down for a minute. Every bit of energy I have will be set on getting answers. Whoever is responsible better look out. I’m coming, and I will not stop until this matter is fully resolved.