The story of Tiresias is apt here.
As the Greek myth tells it, Tiresias became the blind seer of Thebes after accidentally seeing Athena while she was bathing. Angered by his transgression, Athena struck him blind—an act that she would later come to regret. Feeling guilty over what she had done she sought out repentance.
Unable to restore his sight, she instead gave him the power of soothsaying. This would-be gift was not a boon to Tiresias though, far from it, it became his curse. For poor Tiresias had been given the ability to see the future but not the ability to change it.
Of this discord he would lament to Oedipus ‘It is but sorrow to be wise when wisdom profits not.’
A sentiment that as the knife draws nearer, Will can appreciate. For his future, however brief, is laid out before him on the tip of a blade. He can see it coming but like Tiresias is powerless to change it.
As time slows down heightening the clarity of the moment he hears the blast but is unable to place it in his mind. Is this what death is like? Am I dying? Warm blood splashes his face shocking him from his stupor in time to see the confused expression in his attacker’s eyes.
The knife drops from his hand before reaching Will’s neck as a red flower blooms on his chest. Coughing up blood he stumbles sideways clutching at the wound in his chest.
As he does Will sees Jacob standing in the kitchen doorway behind him holding a smoking gun. Time speeds up again in an instant.
Turning around the attacker sees Jacob as well. Will sees his shoulders tense with recognition before he growls “You!” and falls to the floor.
“Are you okay?”
It takes a moment before Will can process the words. When he does he answers Jacob with a simple nod and “Yeah, I think so.”
Slowly breaking through his shock Will wipes the blood from his face saying, “Call 911.”
Jacob shakes his head. “It’s too late for him. I think I got an artery or a lung.”
Cautiously crouching over the man who moments ago held a knife to his throat Will feels for a pulse finding a faint one. His hand once again slick with a stranger’s blood he looks up at Jacob. “He’s still breathing and Mary is unconscious here too. Make the call.”
“Mary?” Jacob questions as he steps into the kitchen to see around the island and for the first time sees Mary laying face down. Racing into the living room, he grabs his cell phone from the coffee table to place the call.
Still kneeling beside his attacker Will hears him mumbling through the blood bubbles forming on his lips. Leaning in closer Will asks, “What’s your name?”
“Eric Ly—” he chokes up more blood in a coughing spasm.
Eric Lydekker, Will remembers the name from the file. “How do you know Jacob?” he asks.
“Works…for…Cummings…one of his…sheep…”
Alexander Cummings—another name from the file. “You’re lying,” Will accuses.
Eric shakes his head forcefully, gritting his teeth tightly before gasping for breath as more blood pours forth from his lips. “Why…would I lie…to you now? What do I…have to…gain? He’s lying to you about…your parents.”
Not wanting to believe what he’s hearing Will asks, “Why would he shoot you if you work together?”
Eric’s eyes bulge with a haunting desperation as he struggles to shake his head. “Not…together now,” he chokes “Been…betrayed…”
His hand whips out grabbing Will’s arm. His hold is strong but fading fast. With the last of his strength he pulls Will closer saying “Caesar shift…five…”
At a complete loss as to what he means by this, Will is about to ask him when he feels Eric’s grip slip from his arm.
Slowly his eyelids close as the last bubble breaks, blood runs out of his mouth and his breathing stops. Instinctively Will rears back from the body.
“Help’s on the way,” Jacob says as he appears above him.
Looking at him Will says, “He’s gone.”
Stepping over the body Jacob puts his cell phone down on the island before kneeling down beside Mary. Setting the gun down as he brushes hair away from her face he feels for a pulse saying, “Who cares? The guy tried to kill you Will. He got what he deserved.”
“He knew you.” The words barely whispered cause Jacob to look over at him. “Who was he?”
“I don’t know Will,” he answers shaking his head.
“Where did you get the gun Jacob?”
“It’s Mary’s. You’re lucky she has one.”
“And that you knew where it was.”
They stare at each other in silence for a minute until Jacob cracks a wry grin asking “What are you trying to say Will?”
“This guy’s from Chimera. He knew about the file.” Will looks right at him asking, “How did he find us here?”
Hearing Mary start to stir and feeling the bump on her head, Jacob answers “I don’t know Will. They do have resources you know.”
“He said that you’re lying to me about my parents.”
With a laugh that sounds both nervous and forced Jacob replies “And you believe him over me? The guy just got finished trying to kill you.”
“Why would he lie to me when he knew he was dying anyway?”
“Why would I?” Jacob asks, “For chrissakes Will you’re not making much sense here.”
“Maybe not,” he concedes “But you know what doesn’t make sense to me?” Jacob waits for Will to elaborate. “You said that my mom told you that she couldn’t go for help as fast as you could. But my mom was a long distance runner.”
The unspoken accusation hangs between them for several moments before Will voices it “Why couldn’t she go faster than you?”
“Will,” Jacob begins to answer when Will lunges forward grabbing the gun from off the floor and training it on him. Startled by this Jacob asks “What are you doing Will?”
Pulling the hammer back he shouts “Whose side are you really on Jacob?”
“Yours,” Jacob raises his hands saying, “Christ Will, what’s gotten into you? I just saved your life! If I wasn’t on your side why would I do that?”
“He knew you,” Will’s breathing heavily as he says, “He said you work for Cummings and that you betrayed him.”
“You’re being very paranoid here Will. You’re grasping at straws that aren’t there.” Keeping his hands up Jacob pleads with him, “Think about this for a minute okay? The police and ambulance are on their way here right now. What’s it going to look like if they get here and you’re holding a gun on me?”
“Why’d you kill him?” Will asks, “You could’ve just shot him in the leg but you shot to kill. Why?”
“Have you ever shot a gun before Will? I wanted to make sure I hit him so I aimed for the largest part of him. If I shot at his leg I might’ve missed and you’d be dead. You’ve got to calm down Will. You’re seeing things that aren’t there.
“I don’t work for Cummings. Put the gun down and let’s talk. Don’t let your paranoia control you. I’m on your side.”
“Tell me what happened to my parents.”
“Come on Will.”
Placing the gun against Jacob’s head Will screams at him “TELL ME THE TRUTH! What really happened to them?”
His voice catching in his throat Jacob hiccups “I’ve told you already. Jesus, Will.”
“Ungh,” Mary moans as she starts to wake up, drawing their attention.
“Mary,” Jacob whispers close to her ear “Don’t try to move, you might have a concussion. Help is on the way.” He says this last sentence while staring directly at Will.
The point is taken. Slowly Will lowers the gun before setting it down on the kitchen island counter. Shaking his head he apologizes “I’m sorry Jacob, when he knew you and he said you were lying I just…I guess I’m a little on edge.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jacob replies “No harm done.”
While Jacob tends to Mary, Will eyes his phone on the counter. I have to know. Scooping t
he phone up he wanders away from the carnage of the kitchen scene hoping to erase his lingering doubts.
Holding his thumb over the redial button he hesitates. With a backward glance at Jacob he presses it and raises the phone to his ear.
After four rings a man’s voice answers. “Cummings.”
Help’s on the way…I don’t work for Cummings…I’m on your side…
“Hello?” Cummings asks, “Who’s this?”
His heart stops as he stares at the phone in his hand. Omigod! That day in the bar…he was drunk…it was a confession!
‘You need to let this go Will…You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into…Drop this before you find something you don’t want to find…I’m not innocent.’
Spinning around he’s hit with a backhanded uppercut square under his jaw. The blow sends him falling backwards out of the kitchen doorway. Once again he feels warm blood on his skin though this time his pain tells him that it’s his.
Lying on the ground he can hear the faint sound of a voice speaking over the phone as it clatters across the kitchen tiles.
Standing over him Jacob holds the gun in his right hand, regularly rapping it against his thigh. “You just couldn’t let it go could you? So what can I do now Will, when you’re right, you’re right.”
His eyesight blurring around the edges from the pounding in his head, Will croaks “Why?”
“Why?” Jacob scoffs, “Are you actually asking me that? Why do you think Will? I’ve never had a lot of friends in this town, even before your parents died. They were my only friends here Will and after they…well, what did I have left to lose?
“This town has treated me like a leper for fifteen long years. You think I don’t see the way parents clutch their children’s hands a little tighter when they pass me on the street?
“I see it. And I hear the whispers amongst them too about what a monster I am. I’m a murderer they say. And murderers…well they don’t get invited to parties Will—they get shunned.
“You ask me why, I say why not? What have I really got to lose?”
“What about Mary? What about me? What have we done to you?”
“I like Mary; she’s always been good to me. And I’m going to call for help for her, I am. But first you and I need to come to an understanding.”
“She needs help now.”
“And I need to get to another appointment,” Jacob glibly replies “So work with me here.”
“Not going to happen Jacob,” Will spits up a glob of blood saying, “He was right wasn’t he? You’ve been lying to me about what happened to my parents since the word go. You work for the people responsible for murdering them.”
The rapping of the gun becomes increasingly agitated. “You just don’t get it do you Will? All these years, all your letters, all your questions, you never understood.
“What happened to your parents wasn’t murder; it was an accident. If anyone is to blame it’s not the people I work for, it’s Arthur Wellesley. He’s the one who infected them.”
“What was that fiction you sold the FBI—you never knew any names?”
Ignoring the comment Jacob continues, “And I tried to keep your parents away from him. But your mother was too stupid to listen while your father was too weak to make her. We all have to take responsibility for our actions Will, your parents included.”
“How can you work for the people, who framed you for murder—who made you the monster you loath so much?”
Jacob laughs under his breath as he smiles sickeningly at Will. “You really don’t get it do you? I was never framed Will, it was all part of the plan.”
Blinking in disbelief, Will can barely comprehend what he’s hearing. All the lies, all the deceptions, how could I not see it? “What really happened to my parents out there?” he pleads “You owe me that much Jacob. The truth—for once.”
Nodding Jacob replies, “Yeah, okay. Sure, why not right? It’s not like the knowledge is going to help you any now. You want to know what really happened out there, I’ll tell you.
“Wellesley stumbled right into our campsite. I recognized right away that he was sick, and knew that it was bad. I told your parents to stay clear of him, but they wouldn’t listen to me. Maggie said he needed their help and Bobby always did whatever Maggie wanted.
“Before I knew it, a tactical recovery team from Chimera showed up for Wellesley and took your parents too. They had been exposed and had to go into quarantine.”
“But you didn’t?” Will seethes under his breath.
“But I didn’t,” Jacob explains “I had stayed clear and wasn’t infected. After the team stripped the campsite I went to ‘get help’ armed with the story of a sick stranger. You know what I learned that day Will?
“I learned that if you want to hide something the best place to do it is right out in the open. People never see what’s right in front of them.
“I was telling the truth about the sick stranger but people’s mistrusting attitudes naturally led them to believe that I was lying.”
Will just glares at him. His eyes are no more than slits in his face that radiate hatred and contempt towards their target.
Puckering his lips slightly Jacob nods before continuing “Yeah, that’s just the way everyone looked at me Will. And in their rush to demonize me they fictionalized my account of the stranger, serving to insulate Chimera from any potential inquiry.
“Of course, no one really came to visit me that night so long ago—there was no need. I knew that I wouldn’t be convicted, not with Chimera looking out for me.”
Shaking his head he whispers “You have no idea the power that they wield.” Seeing Will fuming, Jacob leers at him adding, “But then, I was innocent anyway. And once I was let go, I just stopped talking about the stranger and people just…forgot all about it.”
“And my parents?” Will chokes the words out “What about them? You know, your so-called only friends.”
“I am sorry about what happened to your parents Will, but I did everything I could for them. Once they became infected, what could I do? They died of their infection and then had two bullets put in their heads to further protect Chimera.”
Seeing that Jacob is through talking, Will takes several deep breaths trying to process everything that he’s just heard. Finally he says in a low and menacing voice, “I can’t believe I never saw it before.
“How naïve I’ve been—of course you were in on it all along. That’s why you changed your story after the fact; that’s why you printed that phony letter in your paper; that’s why you never moved away.
“Even after I saw the Sheriff’s file I didn’t see it—maybe I didn’t want to see it. But it was staring me right in the face. He was on the take so why did I think you were any different?”
“Yeah well, if you had trusted me with that file we might not be here now.” He raises the gun pointing it at Will’s chest. “It’s a shame you know. You finally have your answers and they’ll do you no good.”
The knock on the door surprises them both. Will takes advantage of Jacob’s momentary lapse by rushing him and grabbing for the gun.
He pushes him all the way back into the kitchen slamming his lower back into the island. With both hands he reaches for the gun as Jacob struggles to keep it away from him.
In the scuffle Jacob’s finger flexes on the trigger and the gun kicks as it goes off. The percussion of the shot at such close range deafens Will, who loses control in the struggle.
Just as the front door is busted down Jacob raises his knees while leaning back on the island and pushes Will away.
Taking aim with the gun he’s stopped by a booming voice “DROP THE GUN!”
Following the sound he sees Clark Starling standing in a shooter’s stance in the living room. His revolver is aimed right at his head.
“Come on Jacob,” Clark calmly says, “Put the gun down.”
Looking from Clark to Will to the body of Eric to Mary behind him, Jacob shakes his head. �
�I’m sorry,” he repeats “I’m sorry.”
“NO!” Clark screams as he sees Jacob twitch his finger on the trigger. The blast sends a fiery projectile right into Jacob’s leg as Clark squeezes his own trigger.
Dropping the gun Jacob collapses to the tile floor clutching at his leg.
Lowering his weapon Clark looks at Will asking, “Sullivan, what the hell’s going on here?”
“How did you get here?” Will asks, “He never called 911.”
“A neighbor heard a gunshot and called. When I got here I heard a shot and broke the door down. What’s going on?”
“A long story,” Will says as he moves to stand up.
“Don’t move,” Clark snaps “I need to know what’s going on here first.”
Lying back on the living room carpet Will says, “First Mary needs help.”
Reaching for his two-way radio Clark calls it in. “This is Deputy Starling; I need an ambulance and back-up to 27 Catherine Street. I’ve got two people hurt and one dead. An officer involved shooting in one of the injuries.”
Moments later his radio squawks to life “Copy that Clark; paramedics are on their way. Back-up’s going to be awhile.”
“Damn it Dodson,” Clark growls into his radio “I’ve got one body here, one person shot in the leg, and one more person with unknown injuries. Send me some goddamn back-up now!”
“We’re stretched thin here Clark,” Dodson explains “The Sheriff broke El Said out of custody. All available personnel are preparing to go after them—FBI’s orders.”
Confused Clark asks, “Why would Walt break someone out of his own jail?”
“Long story.”
“Yeah,” Clark eyes Will as he replies “That seems to be going around. Do you know where he took him?”
“An anonymous tip just came in that he was seen heading towards Crater Lake.”
“That’s not far from here,” Clark replies “Send someone over here to cover for me and I’ll join the operation.”
“Copy that Clark,” Dodson responds “I’ll do my best to try and rustle up someone to cover for you. Hold tight.”
Several blocks away on Cobblestone Place, Mayor Donald Lincoln is nursing a stiff drink as well as his injuries. He watches the rain beyond his office window as it changes to wet snow. He can see the dark underbellies of the clouds overhead are pregnant with snowflakes.
Stillness Page 33