by Orson B Wolf
“A map of what?” Edward raised his eyes to Lincoln.
The major nodded gravely. “A map of the communications between the prophet and his people.”
Edward examined the map more closely. In the Green Pines area, the dots were so dense that they had turned into a larger, red spot.
“Check the other page.”
Edward took an additional picture out of the envelope. It was an enlarged satellite image of the city and he immediately recognized the school.
“We suspect that one of the prophet’s most senior advisors is operating from this school, perhaps even the prophet himself.”
Were it not for the major’s dead-serious expression, Edward would have thought he was joking.
“I’ve been looking for him for years, call it a personal agenda if you’d like.” The officer’s eyes narrowed with anger. “I’ve been warning those in charge that the day will come when we’ll need the prophet close to us, on our side. They used to ridicule me. Not anymore.”
Edward found it hard to believe his ears. Could the prophet actually be here, operating from his own school?
The major started to pace back and forth behind the desk. Finally, he stopped in front of the window. “Each time we thought we located him—it turned out to be a false alarm. My superiors were hesitant about tightening the investigation too much so as not to antagonize the prophet, fearing he would stop cooperating with us. But over the course of the past month, they realized there’s no other choice.” He chuckled. “I received the authorization to increase our activity, and a few days ago we were finally on to something.”
“Something else that has to do with the prophet?” Edward didn’t know what to expect anymore.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about the truck accident that took place here in Green Pines a few days ago? It was all over the local news.”
Edward nodded. “I happen to know the homeless woman who was interviewed on TV. They call her “the princess.” She was lucky.”
“That’s the thing, luck had nothing to do with the fact that a woman who hadn’t budged an inch away from her bench for years, suddenly decided to get up and leave a second before a truck wiped out that entire street corner.”
“If it wasn’t luck, what was it?”
“We’ve censored her interview, so the public doesn’t know that someone had deliberately removed her from the junction at the very last moment.”
“Someone actually knew the truck accident was about to happen? But how?” Edward suddenly understood and opened his mouth with amazement. “I see.”
The major nodded gravely. “Why would the prophet intervene to prevent a single local accident?”
Edward raised his eyes and answered softly, “Because he is close by?”
“Because he is close by,” the major echoed his words with a thin smile.
The two men looked at each other for a moment before the officer spoke again, “I assume you now realize exactly why I’m here.”
Edward nodded. “You’re here to catch the prophet.”
47
I’m Sorry
Rachel waited at the bottom of the hill next to the small lake.
The pouring rain forced her to stand in the only place that was still dry: beneath the giant billboard that had promoted the Order of the Prophet’s conference. She was extremely prominent in her white coat against the brown-grayish background of the muddy hill. The billboard towering above her was in the middle of being dismantled, a process which had been abruptly put to a halt due to the rain. A metal ladder was attached to it and large chunks of the billboard sign stubbornly clung to its surface and flapped in the wind.
Rachel’s face and hair were wet and she shifted her weight restlessly from foot to foot next to the billboard’s metal supports.
David rushed to her as fast as he could. He limped up the hill, holding his aching elbow. While making his way to the park, he tried to fully understand the meaning of their telephone conversation. How did she know about grandma’s kidnapping? Was she now cooperating with Jackie?
He reminded himself that their meeting place was on the way to grandma’s house anyway, so he wasn’t wasting precious time. Over the phone, Rachel had sounded… he wasn’t sure. Afraid, maybe?
Max recognized her from afar and rushed forward enthusiastically. David let go of the leash, allowing the large dog to run to her. Max reached Rachel, who bent down and stroked his head, then turned and ran back to David, barking with excitement. The dog ran in circles around David then returned to Rachel, yielding to her caresses once again.
“How are you, handsome?” She patted Max’s neck and flashed a wide smile at him.
David reached her, panting hard. “He’s doing great.”
He noticed that she has been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen as she looked at him with concern.
“What happened to you?” she cried. “You’re covered in blood!” She sent a comforting hand to touch his shoulder, but he recoiled.
“Jackie, that’s what happened to me,” he hissed between clenched teeth. He shivered from the cold in his thin, water-soaked shirt. His elbow was completely numb and each movement resulted with pain.
“I know…” She lowered her eyes while thinking of the right words to say. “Now I know what sort of person he is.”
David wanted to tell her something. Instead, he simply stood in front of her, silent.
She took a deep breath, then began to speak rapidly. “I know that you’re in a hurry. I understand that you’ve somehow humiliated Jackie, that you two are not really friends and never were.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“When I heard about what he and his friends had done, I just couldn’t believe it. I screamed at him, but he just laughed in my face. He said I was just a little girl, and as far as he was concerned, I could just go back to my boyfriend.” She lowered her eyes.
“That’s what he calls you.” She paused, then added quietly, “I also know now that he didn’t have anything to do with my scholarship.”
She seemed confused, helpless. David was silent. He examined her face. It seemed that she had finally realized who Jackie really was. But how could she have been with him in the first place? He just couldn’t get it.
She bit her lower lip and raised her eyes. “I’m sorry for what Jackie has done to you.”
David looked into them. They were wide with regret. She was the only one who knew about his grandmother, the only one who realized what he was going through. He needed that comforting empathy. It was hard for him to bear the weight of his worries on his own. And yet, he still felt angry at her.
“I saw you hanging around with him. Are you two good friends?” He could not stop the words from pouring out of his mouth. “I wanted to warn you. Jackie is dangerous, and you don’t even know the half of it. What the hell were you doing with him?” He stopped when he saw the expression on her face. Her chin trembled and she started crying.
He immediately regretted his words. Was she crying because of what he had just said? Maybe there was another reason? Maybe Jackie had hurt her too?
He got closer and hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder. She placed her head on his chest and he, in response, wrapped his arm around her. She sobbed quietly. He wanted to comfort her and didn’t know how.
For a moment, they both embraced, drawing warmth and comfort from each other in the cold, gray world surrounding them.
David closed his eyes, inhaled the intoxicating scent of her hair and just let himself be carried away. Max circled them, happily sniffing their feet and wagging his tail. The rain stopped, the veil of clouds lifted from the sky, and the sun showed its face.
Rachel pushed him away gently and took a step back. “Oh God, I’m just terrible. I don’t have any right to be the one crying with everything that’s going on with you.” She smiled and wiped her eyes as
her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
David took a deep breath and began to feel encouraged, stronger. He knew that they were wasting precious time, and Rachel seemed to be reading his thoughts. “Your grandma is not in her apartment.”
“What?” That surprised him. “So where is she?”
“They’re keeping her in a shed, not far from here. I’ll show you.” She started walking.
“What do you mean, what shed? How did they manage to take her from her apartment all the way here?”
“There is only one of them guarding her. Come on already!” She started to run toward the fence.
David hesitated, but Rachel seemed very convinced, and the thought that he was no longer alone filled him with strength. He remembered the photo the kidnappers had sent him.
In it, grandma was sitting in a room he was unable to recognize. Rachel, who was already some distance down the park, turned and ran back to him. “Come on, there’s no time to lose!” She grabbed Max’s leash.
“That’s all right, you don’t need the leash. Max never runs off,” said David.
“But we need to cross the main road.”
They set out at a quick pace: a boy, a girl, and a dog. Far above them, the tattered remains of the giant billboard sign swayed in the wind. Moses Morse’s piercing eyes silently followed them; only his finger pointed at them under the title declaring: The Prophet.
***
After a minute of brisk walking, Rachel suddenly cried out, “Oh no! Can you give me your phone? My battery is out.”
“Sure.” He handed her the device and typed the password for her.
She immediately called and spoke into the phone, “Hi, I’m running late, but I’ll be home for lunch.” She was breathing hard, struggling to restrain Max. The large dog began to pull on his leash, whining with excitement. “Even Max knows we need to hurry up.” She nervously laughed.
They rushed in the mud toward the fence enclosing the park area. The sound of barking sounded far in front of them and David remembered that was where the SOS Pet Rescue was located.
“Hurry up, will you?” Rachel walked so fast that David found it hard to keep up. She was almost running now.
A row of low buildings was located to their left. “It’s shorter through here.” She panted and he noticed once again that tension tinged her voice.
David couldn’t help but admire Rachel. She looked so worried. It was important for her to rescue his grandmother, a woman she didn’t even know. Instead of being in her warm house, she was here with him, out in the rain. It seemed like a dream.
His heart widened when he stole a glance at the unattainable girl from school. He fantasized how he would introduce Rachel to his grandmother as his girlfriend. He was certain grandma would instantly like her. He stole another glance and felt himself falling in love all over again.
“Listen, I really appreciate the way you’re helping me out.”
She didn’t answer.
They reached a row of simple apartment buildings. Max began to howl and tug hard on his leash.
“He must be smelling grandma!” David felt excitement welling in him and hastened his pace. He knew that nothing would stop him now.
Rachel had said that only one of them was guarding grandma. That didn’t matter. Even twenty guards wouldn’t stop him. He would do anything to get his grandmother back home safely.
He suddenly recalled that he hadn’t updated the prophet’s people about the latest developments.
The security teams must’ve been following his instructions, surrounding his grandmother’s apartment building. He had to update them as soon as possible that the previous information was false and that they had to come here instead.
“Give me the phone,” he stated.
It seemed that Rachel couldn’t hear him and hurtled on. She was literally being dragged by Max. Her face looked hard and determined.
They reached the end of the concrete building and took a sharp turn. An inner court was revealed, completely enclosed by the row of buildings. Max turned left, still pulling Rachel hard. She held onto the leash as best she could so the dog would not get loose.
David raised his eyes and suddenly realized why Max was going wild. His mouth opened with surprise.
A small brown dog was tied to an iron pole beside one of the buildings, desperately whining.
“Buffy!” Rachel cried with excitement and ran to her, still being dragged by Max.
“What the…” David slowed his pace and tried to understand what was going on.
A heavyset teen David didn’t recognize emerged from behind the wall closest to where Buffy was tied. He nodded at Rachel sternly and she handed him Max’s leash.
The large dog happily ran to Buffy, but abruptly stopped when the unfamiliar teen pulled him back hard. Max looked confused. He wasn’t accustomed to being held by a stranger.
Rachel immediately sat on the wet earth and held Buffy between her arms. She cried against her fur and allowed the dog to lick her face.
David heard a voice from behind him. “What a coincidence, what are you doing here?”
He quickly turned around and found Jackie standing right in front of him, grinning. Two other boys stood beside him. “No…” David muttered.
“Oh yes.” Jackie tried to wear a serious expression on his face, but could not contain himself and burst out laughing.
David looked at Rachel again. He couldn’t believe his eyes. She raised her face. It was washed with tears.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “They took Buffy. They said they’d kill… drown her unless I cooperated.” She sobbed. “I didn’t have a choice. Jackie promised he only wants to talk to you.”
David felt weak. The world started spinning around him. The tiredness, the pain, the cold—all threatened to overwhelm him.
He heard loud barking, raised his eyes and saw Max going wild, still restrained by the overgrown youth holding his leash.
Rachel was still sitting on the ground, hugging Buffy and crying bitterly.
“Enough with the tears, little girl,” Jackie hissed disgustedly.
He approached her menacingly and held out his hand with anticipation. David was horrified to see her lowering her head and handing his phone to Jackie.
Jackie held it and looked at David triumphantly. He glanced down at Rachel and the smile vanished from his face. “Go on, take your damn mouse and get out of here.”
“Promise me you won’t hurt him,” she muttered and rose to her feet, still hugging Buffy.
“Sure, sure,” said Jackie, wrapped his arm around David’s shoulder and chuckled. “We’re just gonna talk to him a little.” Then he added impatiently, “Are you still here?”
David looked at Rachel as she rose to her feet and walked away, kissing Buffy and whispering comforting words in her ear. Fatigue overcame him and he collapsed to his knees.
Jackie clucked his tongue. “Your girlfriend sold your ass for a dog. How pathetic can you get?”
He towered over David and did not try to hide his satisfaction.
David took a deep breath and strained himself to get up back on his feet. “Where’s my grandma? Where did you take her?”
Jackie didn’t answer. He looked over David’s shoulder and nodded. “Say good night.”
The hard blow on the back of David’s head hurled him forward. He fell into the mud and tried to keep his eyes open.
He could hear Max barking but it felt like it was from far away and then the world around him turned to darkness.
48
Third Floor, No Elevator
Edna stared at Thomas. That was what the others called him.
A few minutes earlier, he had removed the duct tape from her mouth. He had done it with a single pull. It had hurt and her head rocked back and forth painfully. Could it be that he had actual
ly smiled when she groaned with pain? She found it hard to believe.
Now she sighed with relief. After hours in which she had sat with her hands and feet tied to the heavy chair and her mouth gagged, she didn’t know how much more of it she would be able to take.
In recent years, she had found it increasingly difficult to breathe through her nose. One of her sinuses was blocked, and she needed an operation to fix it. When she said that to Thomas, the boy laughed, as if she had just told him the funniest joke. The two others immediately echoed him, emitting nervous, groveling laughter. Dear God, they were nothing but children.
They had broken into her apartment early in the morning.
She was standing in the kitchen making coffee when the sound of something smashing filled the air and three youths appeared before her. They pushed her against the wall, upturning the kitchen table.
She was in complete shock for the first few seconds, unable to believe teenagers were able to act so violently. Then, once that initial shock had passed, she began to scream and cry.
She tried to plead with them, “Don’t you have a grandmother of your own? Would you have done something like that to her?”
They didn’t answer, and did not look into her eyes while performing their task. Their movements were determined and efficient, as they bound her hands behind her back. One of them, the scrawny boy with the pimples, was scared of her cats. His face was full of disgust as he stomped his feet and scattered them in every direction.
She hoped with all her heart that they had not run outside. She never had the chance to shout and activate the burglary app. It had all happened so quickly. And anyway, it probably wouldn’t have worked a second time. Two of them—the blond and the bony one with the acne—were already familiar with it from the day before. They knew she was alone in the building.
They tied her hands and shoved a rag in her mouth. To make sure she would not be able to spit it out, they wrapped her mouth with thick duct tape. She had no chance to resist. A fragile elderly woman faced with three sturdy teens.