A Trace of Revenge

by Lyle Howard

  “Captain’s insignias…royal blue…4 bars and a shield…Coast Guard,” Toby whispered to Lauren. “Okay, now my mind has officially been blown.”

  “I don’t know what this means,” Matt sounded suddenly confused. “All I can see is white…vapor…like a thick cloud or maybe fog that’s swirling all around.”

  Lauren shook her writing hand to relieve a cramp. She was already on her third page of notes, nearly transcribing Matt’s monologue word for word.

  Toby couldn’t help but ask. “Can you make out a ship in the fog? What type? What size?”But clearly, there would be no response from Matt. He was somewhere else. A place only he had been invited to.

  “The vapor is thinning out, but now there is only darkness. The mask is tumbling slowly, maybe falling, slowly downward. Time passes. Not for long though; hours, maybe days, I can’t tell. Someone else touches the mask, but the impression I’m getting is that it’s very dark. I sense cold too, but I don’t know why. This is something new. I’ve never experienced the sensation of temperature change before.”

  Lauren looked up from her notes to see Toby staring across at the teenager wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

  “The mask is in the bag, and now… it’s out of the bag and warmer too. Someone else is holding it. Not the same person who was wearing it. The officer who wore it was much older. This person doesn’t put it on, but the feeling I get is that the hands are definitely younger, stronger, and male.”

  “Probably Ensign Simms,” Toby whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

  Lauren jotted it down with a question mark.

  Matt rocked quietly back and forth in his chair. His breathing was normalizing. He seemed to be calming down. It was another long moment before he spoke. “Doctor Bilston is the last to handle it before I did. I shook his hand. I can tell it’s him,” Matt smiled.

  The teenager took one more deep breath and let his head relax. He reached out and took hold of Simone’s hand. “How did I do?” He signed to her.

  Not knowing exactly what the police were looking for, she shrugged. “Ask them,” she gestured across the table.

  Toby strained to lean forward but eventually built up enough momentum to shift his weight. He took the mask from Matt and secured it back in the water-tight pouch. He signed slowly, his hands were visibly trembling. “Detective King will tell you from experience that I am not caught speechless very often, but I’ve got to say that if I hadn’t witnessed this in person, I would have never believed it. Whatever this thing is you have, it is extraordinary. I fully realize why you would want your anonymity, but do you have the slightest understanding of the thousands of cold cases you could help solve? All the closure you could give to inconsolable families? All of the fugitives you could help bring to justice?”

  Matt’s eyes were narrow and his glare palpable. “Was I wrong to trust you, Dr. Bilston?”

  Toby shook his head as Lauren closed her notepad and slipped it back into her coat pocket. “Of course you can trust me, Matthew. Why would I tell anyone? How could I tell anyone?” Toby signed. “Nothing you’ve told us here can be used in a court of law. As far as the law is concerned, all of this is pure conjecture. It’s mumbo-jumbo... a magic trick. Did you expect me to walk you into a courtroom to testify dressed like a swami with a turban and cape? It would have the same effect on a jury. There is no way to prove your visions are the truth.”

  Matt frowned. “So you don’t believe me then?”

  Toby reached across the table and patted the teen’s knee. “Are you kidding me? Hell yes, I believe you! Whatever this power is you’ve been granted is a miracle not to be squandered or regarded indifferently. Everything you said only confirms what the detective and I have begun to piece together. Can I use your revelation as actual proof or evidence? Absolutely not. But taken at their face value, I’ve got to tell you, I don’t know about detective King, but I almost peed in my pants.”

  Simone giggled. “I know the feeling. Spooky, right?”

  Toby nodded and signed back to her. “Perfect description…scary.”

  “So what now?” Matt signed and spoke. “Does this guy wearing the gas mask have something to do with the death of my parents?”

  Lauren clicked her pen closed and slipped it into the same pocket as her notepad. She spoke succinctly so that Toby could interpret. “All I can tell you since this is an ongoing investigation is that we seem to have two and now perhaps three cases that parallel each other. The death of your parents is chronologically the oldest and, therefore, the coldest, but their similarities are too obvious to dismiss as mere coincidences. Like Doctor Bilston said, there is nothing you’ve revealed today that we can use as definitive proof, but it has gone a long way to reassure us that we are on the right track. Personally,” she admitted, “I would never hesitate to consult with you again on some of my cases…if you would allow me to.”

  Simone was grinning as she squeezed Matt’s hand gently.

  Matt nodded his approval.

  “Perhaps the three of us could get together sometime, and you could teach me some signs. It’s a beautiful language, and I don’t want Doctor Bilston to think he’s special.”

  Matt looked at Simone, and they both nodded. Simone signed, “We would like that.”

  Lauren and Toby stood up, Lauren about a minute faster than her mentor. “That’s great,” she said, once Toby had regained his equilibrium and could sign for her. “Perhaps until we meet again we could stay in touch by texting?”

  Simone tugged on Matt’s sleeve and turned her back to Lauren and Toby. Matt turned so he could read her proposal and shrugged. “Whatever you want. I like them too. Ask her,” he signed back.

  Simone turned to Lauren and signed slowly so that Toby wouldn’t miss a word. “Would you be interested in going with us to the big exhibition baseball game on Saturday? We have an extra ticket since Matt’s father doesn’t want to go. The seats aren’t great, but we would love for you to join us. It would be your first immersion into our world.”

  Lauren looked at Toby. She spoke between her teeth. “This is Peter Mason’s event?”

  Toby eyed the detective perceptively and winked.

  Lauren turned back to the teens. “You know what? I would love to go to the ballgame with you. If you give me the ticket, I can meet you there. I might miss a few innings, but as soon as my shift ends, I’ll be there. I’ve never been to a professional baseball game.”

  Simone looked at Toby and signed. “We would love you to join us too, but we only have one ticket to spare.”

  “That’s very nice of you,” Toby signed. “I’m not into most sports, but suddenly I find myself very interested in going to this game. I think I can use some of my police connections to acquire a pair of seats for my son Ben and I. He’ll need special accommodations for his wheelchair. Maybe we can all meet up for a hot dog between innings…my treat. I’ll stay in touch with Detective King.”

  Simone raised her opened palms into the air, signing “awesome.”

  Toby took the neoprene bag and slid it back into his briefcase. Outside the rain was starting to subside.

  “Say goodbye to your grandfather for us,” Lauren said, opening the front door.

  Toby looked back at Matt who had his arm around his girlfriend and smiled. “I hope to see you at the ballpark,” he signed. “I’m sure it will be a game to remember.”

  Take me out to the ball game,

  Take me out with the crowd;

  Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,

  I don’t care if I never get back.

  Let me root, root, root for the home team,

  If they don’t win, it’s a shame.

  For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,

  at the old ball game.

  -Norworth and Von Tilzer, 1908

  33

  It was ideal weather in which to play a baseball game.
The hometown Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp were facing off against the draftees of Peter Mason’s yet unnamed team. Today was to be the day of the big reveal, and the fans were eager with anticipation. A slew of names had been proposed from the logical to the absurd, but in less than an hour, the City of Jacksonville would finally learn the identity of their new franchise.

  A front that had stalled over the largest city in Florida had now moved out over the Atlantic, bringing clear skies and pleasant Fall temperatures. The smell of freshly roasted peanuts and hot popcorn filled the air for blocks around The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Vendors filled the streets, hawking their pennants and buttons. A banner, painted in the Jumbo Shrimps’ red, white and blue colors, stretched across the front of the ballpark welcoming the fans to a new era in Major League Baseball for the city. Some children carried pennants, showing the minor leagues’ team logo, while others carried blank white pennants given away as a promotional stunt for the nameless new franchise.

  The ballpark was alive with the sounds, smells, and pageantry of America’s greatest pastime. The atmosphere harkened back to a bygone era when any person, regardless of age, was filled with the excitement of a child. Fans had been gathering outside the box office since early in the morning to buy the remaining five hundred tickets that were still available for sale.

  The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville was built with six thousand stadium-style chairs that could accommodate more than eleven thousand fans, the highest capacity in all of Double-A baseball. First opened in two thousand and three with a throwback brick facade, it replaced the nearly sixty-year-old Wolfson Park as part of the Better Jacksonville Plan.

  The Baseball Grounds featured twelve modern luxury skyboxes, four skydecks for panoramic viewing, and a state-of-the-art video scoreboard in left field. Some of the park’s unique features were a kid’s playground, and the “knuckle,” a distinctive 9-foot-high mound for casual seating at the left field corner. Whether Peter Mason would demolish the facility as part of his new park’s construction was still in question. Ardent fans were hoping it would remain and continue to function as a minor league park for the new expansion team’s farm system, but most modern ballparks were being developed as city centers that included nearby shopping and trendy eateries that would make the baseball experience take on more of an all-inclusive community feel.

  The parking lots had filled in the three hours before game time, and fans had to pay as much as twenty dollars to park within walking distance of the stadium. The local residents near the ballpark were making money hand over fist allowing cars to park on their property for twenty dollars a pop. The minor league Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp had never stirred up this much interest. Major League Baseball along with the thriving Jaguars football team would revitalize the neighborhood year-round, and boost the city’s status as a tourist destination. Peter Mason was being treated like a knight in shining armor who could do no wrong.

  A few short minutes after the box office windows opened, the exhibition game was sold out. People had to resort to splitting up their groups, but gladly did for the opportunity to get inside. It would be another hour before the gates would open, but outside the walls, a variety of local bands took to temporary stages celebrating the event. Local food trucks lined the streets, creating international dishes that filled the air with tempting aromas drawing in hungry fans.

  People of all ages gathered at the entrances, listening to the public address system announce the statistics for the players the unnamed team had recruited. When all was in readiness and the gates were finally opened to the public, the fans swarmed the entrances, receiving free programs as each of their tickets were scanned and the contents of any bags and purses were checked for contraband.

  Peter Mason looked down at the crowd from high up in his skybox and waved appreciatively to the fans as they filed in. He was succeeding where others had tried and failed. He was bringing the city back together again. Mason knew the way this crowd felt about him. He felt invincible.

  Eight blocks from the ballpark, Simone’s father was arguing with a homeowner over the price of parking on his front lawn. The man, who spoke very little English (but knew the words ten dollars very well) motioned for him to either pull in or move on. The cars on the lawn were packed in so tightly that everyone had to unload in the street. The man who owned the house was trying to fill every square inch of his property with automobiles. Everyone in the car except Matt and Simone could hear the noise from half a mile away, but even they could feel the anticipation and excitement in the air.

  Everyone wore broad smiles as they made their way to the ballpark. Simone’s father had said that the seats were way out in right field, but no one cared. As long as they were inside, it was good enough for them. They crossed through backyards making sure they didn’t trample bushes and flowerbeds like others fans had done before them. A few residents of the neighborhood were shooing away the unwanted intruders from their yards. Their lawns were littered with beer cans and empty fried chicken buckets, and they were tired of cleaning up the mess. Every silver lining had its cloud.

  What was once considered a run-down part of town had been rejuvenated and was alive with energy. When Matt and the entourage finally came face to face with the ballpark, they all stood silently in awe. Most could hear the pipe organ music coming from inside, but Matt and Simone felt the vibrations and were delighted to take it all in with their eyes. The colors and smells flooded their senses with beautiful sensations. Matt had to buy a hat. He ran across the street to a street vendor that had set up shop beneath a pop-up beach shelter. He urged Simone to follow him, signing to her asking if she wanted a hat, but she shook her head. Matt bought her a matching one anyway. He put the change back into his pocket and reached for the binoculars that Simone had been holding for him. Slipping the glasses over the brim of his cap, he tucked the strap into the collar of the green army jacket his grandfather had given him. Simone smiled as she put on her hat. It was the little things that Matt always did that made her feel so content. She only asked for friendship, but Matt gave her so much more. She slipped her arm through his as they ran back across the busy street to rejoin her family.

  By now everyone was equipped with either a hat, pennant, or button. Sound didn’t seem to matter here; they all shared the universal sense of excitement. Simone’s younger brother had his hat tilted to the side and strutted around like he owned the city. Her little sister didn’t want to wear anything red, white, or blue since she was wearing green and yellow, so she put her button in her purse. She was the fashionista of the family. Even Simone’s father had bought himself a hat and pin for his wife, who’d chosen to skip the game and spend the day shopping instead.

  Each held his or her own ticket as they pushed their way through the silver turnstiles. Matt studied the ballpark diagram on the wall and quickly realized they still had a long walk to their seats. An usher who saw Simone signing was kind enough to point the way to their section. As they plodded up the inclined walkway towards their reserved seating, light filtered through the tunnel leading out to the field. Matt tried to look out onto the field whenever he passed an opening, but they were usually too full of fans blocking his view.

  It was an arduous climb to the seats, which were on the top deck and about as far out into right as you could get. His seat was on the aisle right next to the railing. The right field foul pole was so close he could almost reach out and touch it. Matt smiled at the excitement he was witnessing, and he wished his grandfather had reconsidered joining them. It would have been nice to have him here, but even more than that, there were so many fathers and sons enjoying the day together that it made Matt take a deep breath and struggle not to dwell on the opportunity he had lost.

  ***

  Across the field, Toby Bilston wheeled his son Benjamin out of the tunnel and into a designated handicapped section. Thank goodness for elevators. They were so high above the field, Benjamin was almost afraid
to look over the railing. Even at this height, the aroma of the freshly cut outfield grass filled his nostrils. “Nice seats,” Ben said sarcastically as Toby locked the brakes on his son’s chair and stepped around him.

  “What do you want for free? This is what you get for twenty years on the force.” Toby mused as he unwrapped the aluminum foil from a hot dog for his son.

  “You know dad,” Benjamin complained, as he took a bite. “I’m used to mom’s cooking, but these hot dogs are actually worse! I never would have believed it.”

  Toby smirked as he watched his son down his food. “I wouldn’t say anything to her,” he advised. “It’s one of her few flaws.”

  His son acknowledged that truth with a slightly twitching nod.

  Toby remained standing at the rail and looked down over at the crowd. He couldn’t believe how many people could fit into the redesigned ballpark. When he used to work in the lab, Toby would duck out every once in a while to watch the Jumbo Shrimp play if it was a slow afternoon. If the team drew a crowd of two thousand fans, it was a big day for them. Now everyone was wearing the team colors; the ballpark was an ocean of red, white and blue. He stared at the big screen in left field as the minor league players took batting practice.

  The new team wouldn’t take the field until the ballpark filled to capacity. The secrecy surrounding their name and colors had been tenacious, but today was supposed to be the big reveal. The uniforms were rumored to be something special. Speculation around the name had gone from the bizarre to the boring. Toby put his money on something nautical, since Mason owned a cruise line.

  Toby turned his focus to the V.I.P. boxes above them. He caught a glimpse of Peter Mason and some of his associates sitting next to the Mayor.

  “Isn’t this place something?” Ben asked. “I’ve never seen this much enthusiasm, even at a Jaguars’ game.”