Vendetta

After solving two of the most challenging cases of his career, Lieutenant Ed Cassidy finds himself, his wife and young son at the center of a vicious plot to avenge the horrific loss of a loved one. The maniacal chemical engineer, Melanie Taylor, was brutally murdered short of exacting her brand of vengeance, on those she held responsible for killing the object of her affection. Now the deep love and bond known only by close identical twins is the driving force behind the surviving sister’s heinous plans for revenge. She finds a way to add new chemical weapons to the Taylor sister’s arsenal, along with the evil ones developed previously by Melanie. Their wicked collection is at the center of existential threats being imposed on Lieutenant Cassidy’s world, beyond anything he imagined when deciding to join the police force. After years of reflection in sunny Tuscany, Italy, the only rem-edy deemed sufficient to satisfy a deeply devoted sister’s vision of justice, is her contemptuous Vendetta! Frank McRae adds yet another book of intrigue with his new murder mystery thriller ‘Vendetta’. He spent his adolescence and adulthood marveling at the talents of many of his favorite writers, found himself inspired and decided to answer the calls for more from fans of his first hit, ‘Premonitions’, and the hit sequel, ‘Vengeance’. Frank uses his knack for developing unexpected plot twists to bring readers this latest installment, which completes the ‘Black Breath’ trilogy. Through every endeavor in life, from his years in engineering, business ownership, prototype accuracy inspection, and formerly in adherence to strict construction specifications, Frank has engaged in close attention to de-tails. This natural tendency is evident in his writing style and story content. He is a dedicated and supportive family man to his wife, only daughter, and immediate family. He currently spends his days retired in sunny Florida, where he enjoys countless leisure activities with his friends and family while preparing to write his next book. Frank is excited about the opportunity to share this third episode of his acclaimed trilogy of books with you.

VEN

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VENDETTAWhen Vengeance Wasn’t Enough

FRANK McRAE

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VENDETTA

VENDETTA When Vengeance Wasn’t Enough

FRANK MCRAE

Infinity Books Publishing

Infinity Books Publishing

301 High Vista Drive

Davenport, FL 33837 www.frankmcrae.com

C 2019 by Frank McRae All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by Infinity Books Publishing 06/11/2019

ISBN: 978-0-9964507-4-4 (sc) ISBN: 978-0-9964507-5-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 1-7780228191

Certain stock imagery C Fotolia. Thanks to Barbara Doeringer for her wonderful manuscript editing

Thanks to Donna McRae & Kathy Murray for their valued editing assistance

Thanks to Cal Graphics for the excellent cover design

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links

contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer

be valid.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author.

To the Fans of my work

This book is dedicated to everyone that complimented my previous two books and told me they couldn’t

wait for the next one.

Here it is, and Thank You!

Part One

The First Steps

“It's the deep breath before the plunge.”

Lord of the Rings - Gandalf

- 2 -

Preface

“Tumbler Click!”

Monday, November 16th, 2015

The first piece to an elaborate puzzle fell into

place somewhere in the beautiful Tuscany countryside. It was like the first tumbler of an enormous combination lock had just clicked home where it was meant to be.

She took a satisfying sip of wine while focusing on the center of a spectacular garden. Comprised mostly of exotic flowers planted nearly one-half mile from where she was, she reclined in her favorite chaise lounge enjoying her drink.

Immersed in what would be her daily routine for the near future, she remained transfixed on that big patch of flowers which nestled up along the right side of a large olive tree grove. Her intense stare would remain focused on a grouping of flowers at the heart of the garden that formed a big red X. The red X was not only quite large, perfectly formed and easily seen from her distant vantage point; it also held a special significance for her.

It was at precisely 2:59 pm on a gloriously sunny afternoon that everything began taking shape. She was staring at that huge red X, sipping their favorite wine, in the house they had purchased together when clarity of purpose overtook her mind completely! The first of many steps that would continue to emerge over the next few months at precisely 2:59 pm each day, until her plan was for the most part complete.

On this day, however, she had the first brick that would combine with many others ultimately paving

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the road to restitution. She had been unconsciously longing for this recompense over the last two years, and a most intricate series of events began forming with absolute clarity. She was delighted!

At long last the first step was here, and what an explosive step it would be…….... Tumbler Click!

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Chapter 1

‘Ahh, this will do quite nicely,’ …. ‘This will do quite nicely

indeed!’

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2018

The explosion was quite spectacular against the

backdrop of a clear predawn Tuesday morning! Every color of the rainbow was on display in that massive plume of fire that arose suddenly from one of the most thriving enterprises in the western Chicago suburbs. Soon emergency equipment from Elk Grove Village and four surrounding communities would arrive to battle the blaze late into the previously quiet morning.

The factory was now a 150,000 square foot pillar of smoke, fire and roaring heat destined to occupy the early hours of the day for a full range of fire-fighting equipment and personnel.

‘Well, I sure got my money’s worth from that bunch!’ was the dominant thought running behind the only set of eyes currently detached from the chaos playing out on the catastrophic scene. They held an eerie, inappropriate admiration for the disaster.

The irony of this particular Tuesday wasn’t happenstance. It was the day before most planned fireworks displays for the surrounding communities and the big city. Years of planning found this day to be perfect in every way, up to and including the proximity to the national day of celebration. It was a day which always reveled in numerous firework displays, ranging from the casual homeowner, right on up to the impressive city and park district shows. They would begin that evening and continue

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throughout the national holiday tomorrow, but each of them would pale in comparison to this orchestrated spectacle.

*

Thursday, July 5th, 2018 The day continued in the Winnetka police

department as it had begun. It was pretty much a lackluster, hungover version of the day before when all of America was busy partying, boating, overeating at barbeques, and occasionally setting off the remaining fireworks purchased for the holiday.

Today would be a veritable vacuum between the high-level activities of yesterday’s holiday atmosphere and tomorrow’s back-to-normal-speed activities. It would be a day of catching up with paperwork documenting the week’s wrongdoings perpetrated by the holiday’s wrongdoers. Lieutenant Ed Cassidy had just finished his second cup of coffee in an attempt to stay awake through the boring paperwork review when his phone rang. A call placed by his local broker snapped him out of his near trance.

“Ed? Kevin Jordan, how was your holiday?”

“It was great, Kevin. Turns out it was a real break from the usual grind that I’m now back into. How was yours?”

“It was great. I’m sorry if I’m disturbing your grind. Just kidding, our celebration started over the weekend and wrapped up yesterday. We had friends and family over for a great party at our house, with several relatives from out of town. There were no fireworks, I promise. We watched the little ones splash around in the kiddie pool and overate spicy food, but it was all worth it! Look, Ed, the reason I’m calling was regarding the disaster at the Analog Strategies, Inc. plant two days ago. You being the executor of Wendy Weller’s estate is also the reason

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for my call. I’d like to suggest that we act quickly to minimize the impact on her portfolio.”

“Of course, Kevin, that’s much appreciated. I’d completely forgotten that ASI was part of her portfolio. What do you recommend?”

“As you know, the majority of the estate left to his niece, Wendy, by your former partner Bill was invested in ASI stock. I’m expecting it will no doubt take a major hit by the end of the today, this being the first business trading day since the disaster. In fact, the value of the stock has already decreased by nearly half. I recommend selling out of ASI and moving what we can into Diversified Network Components, Inc. It is a manufacturing company similar to ASI that has spread its manufacturing throughout the country and also has several plants in Europe, unlike ASI which was solely located in Elk Grove Village. While I’m sure ASI will rebound, Wendy’s portfolio would be better served long term by this move.”

“As usual, Kevin, Mandy and I trust your judgment. Please proceed with the transaction on Wendy’s behalf. Once again, thank you for your watchful eye and usual quick response.”

“You’re more than welcome, Ed, and I will get right on it for her. Have a great rest of your day,” said Kevin.

‘I am lucky to have a broker looking out for Wendy like he does,’ thought Ed as he reached for the phone to call his wife, Mandy with the news.

Lieutenant Ed Cassidy was promoted a little over three years ago between working the two most prominent cases of his young career in law enforcement. The first had just concluded in a shootout at the Chicago Executive Airport three and one-half years ago which took the life of a cruel and cunning murderer, Mark Shaw. This ended a vicious

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crime spree claiming the lives of six scandalous wives married to local plastic surgeons. It also involved the senseless murder of an FBI technician which Ed had become fast friends with while working on the case.

The second case took an even more substantial toll on Ed when he was forced to pursue a jealous admirer of Mark Shaw, Melanie Taylor. She had secretly been so enamored with Mark, that she took it upon herself to exact her own brand of revenge on anyone involved in taking down the notorious Shaw. The twisted logic and cruel drug formulations concocted by this brilliant chemical engineer/businesswoman were responsible for ending the lives of many excellent, and several not-so-good, professionals. Among this unfortunate group were several of Ed’s best friends. Not the least of which, was his wife Mandy’s predecessor M.E. Connie Bristol and his close friend Inspector Bill Weller. Bill placed himself squarely in Melanie Taylor’s crosshairs having actually fired the shots that stopped Shaw.

It had been a relatively routine four years for Ed once he was nursed back from the influences of a terrible mind-controlling drug used by both Melanie Taylor and Mark Shaw, which was referred to as ‘Black Breath’. This drug was ultimately administered to Ed during the final stages of Melanie’s crime spree in an attempt to capture her last remaining target. Ed was eventually spared her wrath and emerged from the grim four-day experience of being under the ‘Black Breath’ drug’s influence. It took that long for the drug to ‘wear off’ and was an important four days. During that period, Ed was left mindless and utterly susceptible to suggestions from anyone around him. He also could have had his life immediately terminated had he been exposed to a second dose before the first one wore off. The drug took its toll on Ed, leaving him with not only the worse headache of

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his life but also several ‘side effects’ from his ordeal under the influence. While none of them prevented him from effectively performing his duties as Lieutenant, he did share a weird propensity for ‘insights’ lately. He apparently had this in common with his now four-year-old son, Billy. Mandy and Ed named their son after Ed’s fallen-fellow officer, Bill Weller. He had become very close with Bill while working the Shaw case and nearly became estranged from him while working the Taylor case, due to the evil manipulations of Melanie Taylor.

Before the Taylor case, Bill had changed his will naming Ed as the executor of his estate. It was by no means sizeable but was nonetheless intended to help provide for Bill’s niece, Wendy, who had followed him to the Midwest and was currently attending Northwestern Illinois University.

‘On second thought, I’ll wait to discuss this unfortunate portfolio development with Mandy until this evening and with Wendy as soon as possible,’ thought Ed as he changed his mind about the phone call and went back to the mundane task of reviewing the week’s reports.

*

Wednesday, July 4th, 2018 As daylight retired for the day, firework displays

from neighboring suburbs added an on-again, off-again glow to the still smoldering explosion site. An enigmatic figure dressed entirely in black and fitted with night vision goggles sifted through the wreckage of the explosion at the Analog Strategies, Inc. factory from the day before. The fire department’s forensics team had finished their examination of the disaster site for the day, and it was time for a different kind of sifting through the rubble. That search would be successfully concluded in short order.

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‘Ahh, this will do quite nicely,’ thought the crafty examiner. ‘This will do quite nicely indeed!’

- 10 -

CHAPTER 2

“This is me switching off my serious ‘Mommy’ default

setting….”

Thursday, July 5th, 2018

It turned out to be a fun afternoon. Not only was

the perfect patsy for her purposes identified but it was so much fun being wined and dined in anticipation of a phony major-banquet-hall booking. The Chicago Marriott O'Hare had everything one could imagine in the way of amenities, and they were not bashful about lavishing them on a potentially valuable client.

Upon concluding the sidebar with her scheduling secretary, Karen Vieira, the cordial Marriot host returned with her to address their future client, “Miss Fairchild, we have confirmed the availability of the date for your seminar next year. I assure you we can quite comfortably accommodate 1,100 attendees with 5 event rooms and 20 breakout rooms. It will be our pleasure. To summarize our meeting today, we will add your hors d’oeuvres, soup, salad, dinner and dessert options as well as the ‘Top Shelf Bar’ decision to your reservation. We also look forward to meeting with your event planner to finalize the table and room decorations in two months. Is there anything else we can assist you with to make your event spectacular?” she asked.

“I do believe that about covers it for now. However, I would like one last tour of the rooms before leaving, if I may.”

“Of course, of course, you may. Karen, would you please escort Miss Fairchild through the facilities and answer any final questions she might have?”

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“I’d be delighted. Shall we, Miss Fairchild?”

With that arranged, Karen embarked on a tour through the banquet facilities that would be anything but memorable. In fact, she would not remember a thing past the first five minutes of the excursion. That was how long it took ‘Miss Fairchild’ to get her alone and gain control of her new minion.

“Karen, I selected a new perfume this afternoon, and I was wondering if you’d give me your opinion of its fragrance. Now, I’m counting on you to be absolutely impartial here. Please be honest and tell me what you really think.”

“Certainly, Miss Fairchild, I’d be delighted. When it comes to fragrances, I fancy myself quite the discerning sampler.”

Karen’s enthusiastic sampling of a non-existent scent would prove initially unfortunate and ultimately fatal. The absence of any fragrance would never be noticed once a very powerful mind controlling drug overtook her consciousness as a result of her deep sniff of the ‘perfume’ produced from Miss Fairchild’s purse. Almost immediately, an all too familiar blank stare replaced the previously hopeful look on her face.

“Ah, the sweet, blank stare of acquiescence,” uttered Karen’s charge. “Now, Karen, this is really important. I know you are about at the end of your shift here at the beautiful Marriott Hotel and when you leave, I want you to go straight to the address on this paper. I will meet you there and give you a simple task to accomplish this afternoon. I do need you to finish out your shift as you usually would and react to everyone around you exactly as you would typically do. Then we’ll meet a little later and have some fun, ok?”

“It will be my pleasure, Miss Fairchild,” said the now compliant tour guide as she studied the

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prescribed destination. It looks like no more than a twenty-minute ride from here so I’ll see you within the hour then,” she said.

“Great. I’m livin’ for the moment, hun!”

* “Mandy, I couldn’t be more proud of you! You’ve

been Cook County’s Chief Medical Examiner for less than four years, and tonight you’ll be presented with the Midwest Public Health Impact Award,” said Ed Cassidy to his blushing wife.

“Yes, it is quite an honor, and I’m humbled, truly humbled at being selected. I just hope I don’t lose it on the podium when I give my acceptance speech.”

“Lindsey should be here any minute. I’d better finish getting ready. I’ve got to look my best tonight if I’m going to escort one of the best medical examiners ever in Chicago. We don’t want to be late for your big event!”

“Billy has really taken to her. We’re lucky to have Lindsey so readily at our disposal as we do,” said Mandy.

* On the way to the awards event, Ed couldn’t help

but notice that Mandy had a worried look on her face. Feeling that it was not just about acceptance speech nerves, he decided to test the waters.

“Well, with the little guy in good hands, are you ready for a fun night out? Should be great food and I’m always amazed at the praise heaped on my honey by her peers!”

“Yes, I’m famished. Here’s hoping I can keep my mind on the evening,” said Mandy.

With that comment, his suspicion was confirmed.“You noticed the look in Billy’s eyes when we left, too, didn’t you? I don’t think it was a ‘troubled’ look. It was more like confusion this time, I think.”

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* It was approximately a half hour after Billy’s

parents left for the evening when Lindsey noticed Billy slip into somewhat of a trance and repeat the same word with increasing emphasis, “Empee, EMpee, EM-PEE!!”

“What’s ‘Empee,’ Billy? Is it a cartoon or a new toy?” asked Lindsey becoming quite concerned. She had never witnessed one of these trances. Although Billy was prone to them, they had only been manifested in front of his parents up to this point. They came when he was alone with his mother occasionally, but more often when he was with his dad.

“Empee, Empee, Empee,” Billy repeated in a low monotone voice as he continued to stare at a point near the top of the wall next to them. This time he had a much more serious look on his face that troubled his sitter.

“Billy, are you OK? Do you want your snack? Oh look, your little truck is empty. Do you want me to help you fill it up again?” she asked.

Billy let go of his visual hold on the upper wall, sighed in frustration, went to Lindsey, sat on her lap placing his head on her shoulder and became unusually quiet.

“Are you OK, buddy?” she asked him again as she tried comforting him by stroking his hair.

Billy just sat there obviously contemplating something. Then he gave her a big hug and cuddled with her as if he was frightened by something.

Lindsey hugged him back and switched on one of his favorite movies. They spent a quiet night together until Billy eventually fell asleep. She put him to bed, and as she turned to leave him, he began whispering something in his sleep. She moved in closer to listen

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and heard him whispering in a very soft, slow, sleepy voice, “empee….. empee….. empee.”

* “Don’t let me down, Karen. Here, take this and do

EXACTLY as I instructed, OK?”

“No problem, Miss Fairchild. I’ll have it in place well before the first guests are due to arrive.”

“Perfect! Karen, you’re the best. I’ll pick you up at 10:30 at the park we discussed. We’ll have lots of fun then, OK?”

“I’m excited, Miss Fairchild! I can’t wait!”

Those optimistic words would be the last ones Karen would speak.

‘This will be SWEET!!’ she thought. ‘The perfect next step in avenging the painful injustice I’ve had to endure. Avenging …. hmmm. I like the sound of that, “The Avenger!” Oh well, for now, it’s time to change. I’ll catch up with Karen later. I think I’m up for a date with my new plus one, Rick, and a great meal. It’ll help me tolerate her boring acceptance speech. I can’t wait to see the expression on his face when they arrive at their table!’

* “Ed, let’s not dwell on it for now. This is me

switching off my serious ‘Mommy’ default setting and settling back into my casual, ‘I’m all about a fun evening with my hubby’ mode.”

“That suits you well. Not to worry you but I have a bit of bad news, I’m afraid. I don’t mean for it to put a damper on the evening, but I think you should know. I got a call today from Kevin. Do you remember the big fire in Elk Grove on Tuesday?” he asked.

“Yes, and thank God nobody was hurt. I saw an interview with the night watchman on TV while at work today. Luckily, he was out in the parking lot

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watching some local fireworks displays in between rounds when the explosion happened.”

“Yes, that was fortunate. What Kevin called about was to remind me that Wendy’s portfolio was heavily invested in ASI. It was their factory that exploded. As usual, he was all over it, and I agreed to his recommendation to sell and move the proceeds to a similar company that is more diversified.

“This new company has manufacturing facilities in numerous locations so a disaster like the one on Tuesday won’t have that kind of impact on her holdings in the future. The downside is this is going to sting. A lot, I’m afraid!

“It would have been much worse, however, if he didn’t act as quickly as he did. Please don’t worry about this. We’ve done about all we can for her. I just felt you needed to know and I’ll discuss this all with her soon.

“Ah, we’re here. Let’s put all that crap aside for a few hours and have a great evening, Mrs. Medical Honoree!”

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CHAPTER 3

…she didn’t know about…. a new formula Mel had been

working on...

Thursday, July 5th, 2018

The grand ballroom at the Marriot was adorned

professionally, yet festive. It featured breathtaking floral arrays which complimented the room’s stunning décor appointments. One couldn’t help but pause and admire the scene upon entering the room. Ed and Mandy were no exception as the maître d’ allowed them to take in the view before showing them Mandy’s reserved seating close to the podium.

Ed couldn’t have been more proud, once again marveling at his wife’s beauty as he held her chair out for her. She began discussing the exciting evening ahead with several of her colleagues as they also took their seats and Ed settled in next to her. While listening in on the conversation between Mandy and the others, his foot caught on an object beneath the table which he instantly recognized as odd and entirely unexpected. He was successful in drawing the object close enough to reach down and coyly pick it up for a look without anyone else at the table noticing.

He snuck several peeks at the object and saw that it was a flat chunk of metal that appeared to be part of a machine and totally out of place in this elegant setting. This was clearly debris from a fire that had sharp, tattered and burnt edges with several inscriptions on it. One set of writing was barely legible through the burnt label but clear enough for him to read, ‘Analog Strategies, Inc..’ Right next to the company name on the piece of metal was a hand-

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written lettering, put there using a black marker which read, ‘EMP’ preceded by a big red ‘X’.

Ed managed to stop his eyes, widening in shock, just in time to avoid being noticed by anyone else at his table. The look, however, didn’t go entirely unnoticed by all those in attendance. Several tables away, a keen observer had been watching the happy couple from the time they entered the room and was now thrilled at the brief glimpse of surprise that passed ever so quickly but had registered on Ed’s face nonetheless.

* ‘Oh, yeah! He found my little gift! Karen Vieira,

you’re a doll! Too bad I won’t be able to use you again after tonight. Well, maybe I’ll think of something for you to do over the next four days. Who knows?’

* Ed did his best to hide the preoccupation that

overtook him after his unpleasant discovery. It was clearly a piece of debris taken from Tuesday’s factory explosion and planted here for him to find. This couldn’t be good. Something this deliberate had a bad stink all over it. He managed to sneak the piece of metal under his dinner jacket and belt at his back without anyone noticing during Mandy’s speech. He was determined not to ruin Mandy’s evening by sharing his discovery. Tomorrow would be soon enough to start deciphering its meaning. Tonight would remain Mandy’s night.

*

Once she got all that she came for at the awards dinner, Marcie instructed her mindless date to drive to a place that was very nostalgic to her ‘team’. A team now diminished to a membership of three, that being her, her driver and the mindless slave waiting for her on a damp park bench. Two past members, more accurately, two passed-on members, had a

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history at Elder Lane Park in Winnetka. It was a quiet place at that time of night, and for once her ‘team’ had no more of a sinister objective than to pick up another of her drugged minions.

“Hello, Karen! Lovely night, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, Miss Fairchild. Is it now time for our fun to begin?” Karen asked from her slightly damp park bench. She had no idea what that might be. A distant promise registered in what was left of her memory and that was only because it came to her in what could loosely be called a command. Karen was interested in nothing but instructions from Marcie since earlier that day.

“Let’s retire for the evening ‘team’, shall we? It’s been a beautiful evening indeed. You two have lived up to my expectations quite nicely. In fact, I may have something extraordinary in store for you both!”

She instructed Rick, her date for the evening, to drive them both to a place she would never reveal to a living soul. At least not one that was still capable of independent thought, that is. Her two companions in the car were not members of that group currently, and during their ride back to a secluded country hideaway, her mind began to run wild with all of the possibilities that were open to her. That remote facility now served as her base of operations. There were so many options at her disposal in using these two zombies to wreak havoc on Lieutenant Cassidy that she was having trouble deciding on which one was best.

“I guess we’ll all just chill out for the night. I’m in the mood for some wine and …. who knows, maybe some inspiration will come to my sister’s ‘Avenger’ once we all crash back at her place!”

It had only been a short while since she returned back to the states. Tonight she would put the minions

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to bed and give her sister’s former base of operations a thorough exploration. A melancholy feeling had come over her, and those usually made her feel like she was communing with her dead sister. Inevitably some sort of inspiration would come to her during such times. She had no doubt that tonight would be one of them!

*

Friday, July 6th, 2018 It wasn’t about superstition. It was more about

creating a setting that was as similar to the one Marcie enjoyed back in Tuscany when most of her inspirations came to her at precisely 2:59 pm each afternoon. Those were her most precious moments when transcendental insights would reveal themselves to her. She could only contribute them to the fact that her dead sister Melanie was reaching out to her. The closeness to Mel was unmistakable during those times. She had the chaise lounge chair and several other items shipped back to her hideaway in an attempt to recreate that setting. The small landscaping crew hired to recreate a garden at the end of the property had been given a generous helping of Mel’s ‘Instant Venom’ mixture injected into the lavish luncheon she prepared. They were more than willing to partake in her generous reward for building the perfect floral recreation which was about the right distance away from her vantage point at the rear screened-in porch. She even had the direction correctly mimicked. Rick was ‘enlisted’ to assist her in disposing of the horribly twisted bodies left behind by Mel’s life-ending drug.

Following her sister’s M.O. of leaving no witnesses or trails behind, she had carefully selected the three-man crew from known illegal immigrants and after their demise, flew three other illegals back to Mexico, who were only too glad to take her up on the free

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airfare, while using the names of the gardening crew for the boarding passes.

Rick, being a rather stout lad, proved to be a worthy gravedigger, which went well with his new found obedience for the Avenger’s every instruction for him. It was during this time that Rick’s itinerary would have worn out most stout laborers, but he had an advantage. He didn’t know he was exhausted and working with sore, overworked muscles.

Rick’s large stature was necessary as the somewhat shallow graves he dug for her needed to be on the broad side to accommodate the wild spread of limbs her victims usually wound up sporting after succumbing to Mel’s ‘Venom’ drug.

She would take no real pleasure in watching the gruesome end to those whom she administered the drug. It just happened to be the swiftest means to the desired end. Her sister had developed three versions of this sinister drug, each having a different delay before becoming effective. The effect of the drug was to totally incapacitate the victim, leaving them unfortunately alert enough to be aware of the overpowering symptoms. The end would come mercifully in no more than five minutes after the drug began inflicting its violent demise. First, the victim would lose command of their limbs as they fell to the floor, unable to support their weight. Then the spasms would come in an ever-increasing intensity causing arms and legs to flail uncontrollably. They would be aware of their body losing control of bodily functions until they locked up in a most violent, near back-breaking seizure that marked the end of life.

There was the ‘Instant Venom’ version which brought on the symptoms in a mere fifteen minutes, the ‘Medium Venom’ version which took over in approximately four hours and finally ‘Tomorrow’s

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Venom’ which delayed at least twenty hours before dispensing its death dance on the unfortunate victim.

Marcie, aka ‘The Avenger’ was aware of these three drugs developed by her sister who had been a brilliant chemical engineer, but she didn’t know about the evil intentions behind a new formula Mel had been working on just before her untimely death.

Marcie held a bitter grudge against Alejandro Mendez, the Colombian drug lord that brutally ended her sister’s life. In Cartagena, Colombia, he was called ‘el Mensajero Negro del Diablo' which translated to ‘The Devil's Black Messenger.' The local people that knew of him whispered this name in fear anytime they referred to him.

He was as important a target for Marcie as Ed Cassidy was and she vowed that both would experience her wrath before long!

The plans for both men had crystallized in her mind during the past few years. They were responsible, along with several sips of her favorite wine, for the smile that slowly emerged on her face.

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CHAPTER 4

That was when she made a most stunning discovery!

Friday, July 6th, 2018

They were peaceful dreams, usually. Unlike

today, the dreams generally came to Billy during his afternoon nap. He would slowly become aware of being in his daddy’s office with his ‘friend’ sitting on daddy’s desk, facing him. Typically he was smiling. He never talked. He just kept smiling. He would get impressions, ideas or what might be categorized as ‘messages’ from this tall blonde haired man sitting on the corner of daddy’s desk. Daddy was always working in the background, seemingly unaware that the two of them were in the room with him, but that’s ok. Billy liked this man. He always got a good feeling from being in daddy’s office, looking at this man, spending time with this man, smiling with this man, and today was no different.

One day he swore he heard the man tell him his name, but his lips never moved! He was sure of it. The tall blonde man said, “My name is Bill.” He heard him, but his lips never moved! He knows he heard him because he ‘talked’ funny like his Aunt Louise. Mommy said Aunt Louise was from Tecksas and everybody from Tecksas talked funny. Bill talked funny just like Aunt Louise. That’s how he knew he heard Bill talk to him, but his lips never moved!

Big Bill was a funny man. Billy didn’t know how he knew this, but he enjoyed the ‘time’ he spent with Big Bill. He always had a smile on his face that was infectious and Little Billy was always glad to join him with a smile of his own. But today was a bit different. Billy could tell that Big Bill was trying to get a

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‘message’ to him. He just knew it, but he wasn’t getting it yet. He needed to ‘try’ harder because he was sure Big Bill wanted to tell him something.

There it was! Now he knew what Big Bill was trying to ‘tell’ him! There was that huge smile on Big Bill’s face again that made Billy feel so good. Just then Big Bill started to suddenly get smaller and smaller as he was moving away from him. Big Bill was moving away from him and yet was still sitting on the desk with daddy working in the background. Daddy was getting smaller and moving away too, but he was still sitting at his desk. Big Bill, daddy, and in fact the whole room was getting smaller and moving away from him. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until he could hardly see them anymore because they were all really tiny and then they were gone entirely!

Blinking his eyes from straining so hard to see daddy and Big Bill, he realized he was now looking at mommy’s face. He always liked that look on mommy’s face! She had that look on her face that said, ‘she loved him so much.’ Then he knew what was happening, he had been dreaming, and now he was waking up.

* She loved sneaking into his room and watching him

sleep. His face was angelic. It displayed that perfectly innocent, childlike purity that could only be a gift from God. She could stand there for hours if her schedule would permit it, but somehow he always seemed to sense that she was there watching. Her glimpse of his handsome little face, lost in that sleepy abyss, would never last more than a minute. His ‘I just woke up’ sleepy face brought that proud mommy smile from her as he began to blink and rub the sleep from his eyes. She absolutely loved watching him go from sleeping to waking up for the start of his day. Today, however, she would add a little concern to her

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joy as she noticed a smile on his face just before he woke up. He never did this in the morning. She sometimes observed him doing this just before waking up from his afternoon nap. Inevitably, what followed the smile was some ‘observation’ or ‘strange insight’ that Billy was prone to getting during nap time.

Billy hiked himself up onto his elbows, and her concerns were confirmed when he said, “Mommy, what’s a Midwest Public Health Impact Award?”

* “You’re kidding me! Under the table at the

Marriot? Under the table at YOUR seat at the Marriot? That fancy event room had to be set up for over 1,100 people, and you kicked it by YOUR seat? No odds to consider here, but who’s message can it be? What is it supposed to mean? You’ve been thinking about it all night. What have you come up with?” Jake asked.

“All great questions and I wish I had a good answer for even one of them, but I don’t,” said Ed.

“The only thing I can relate those letters to won’t leave any better feeling in the pit of your stomach than it did mine.”

Jake offered an explanation that settled Ed down, “Well to me it looks like part of a metal wall plaque or sign. Probably part of an ‘employee’ reference of some sort.”

Ed welcomed his theory, “You’re probably right Jake. I guess I shouldn’t think the worst right out of the gate.”

“It’s a plausible theory, but it still doesn’t explain why it was obviously intended to be found by you!”

* ‘I don’t understand it. OK, given the new location

and all, is geography really that important Mel? The garden is nearly perfect, the landscapers did a

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spectacular job of arranging the plants to replicate the grove in Italy before they all expired. Simultaneously that is. So sad. And here’s me, fresh out of, “I’m sorry I drugged you” balloons! Anyway, the distance and direction are all nearly identical. I’m sitting in the same chaise, drinking the same wine from the same glass at the same time on the same day of the week. Hell, don’t I get any style points here? I miss you, sis. Talk to me please!’

Marcie was not feeling any sisterly love despite recreating the environment to match her setting in Tuscany to perfection. Not that she needed any additional inspiration or facets to add to her extensive plans. She simply missed the feeling of linking up with her sister and was really hoping to reconnect with her again the same way she did so many times in Italy.

After several hours had passed, she accepted the fact that it simply wasn’t in the cards. Not for today anyway. She would continue to try, but for now, it would have to be the team Marcie show minus one member’s inspirations.

Rick and Karen were mentally on planet ‘Can’t-Wait-For-Your-Next-Command’ awaiting their return to earth instructions from the only person that meant squat in their new world of compliance. Marcie decided to spend the rest of the morning getting better acquainted with her new digs, the same digs that left her feeling alone and out of touch with her deceased twin sister.

It was time to satisfy her curiosity about the panic room where Mel spent so much time. It was at the core of the house on the lower level. The door to it was well disguised as a paneled wall that matched the rest of the large family room. She tripped the door mechanism, watched the lights go on automatically and then entered. Looking around, she was amazed at

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the incredible organization and efficiency of the room’s layout.

It was designed to support both of them for a month with food, drink, and enough entertainment to stave off the boredom of being isolated from the world for that long. On one side of the sleeping area was Melanie’s make-up facility. Past the end of the make-up facility was the computer/mini office area and next to that the toilet facilities. The computer system had a multi-camera security system attached to it that monitored every corner, inside and out, of the house. The sole purpose of this was to assist an escape in case they should need to be confined for any length of time. The system was so extensive that she could tell if there was anybody, anywhere in the house to ensure a safe exit. On the other side of the sleeping area was her chemistry lab. It could double as a kitchen for extended stays with a storage alcove just behind that. The storage alcove held the food, chemistry materials, and other miscellaneous supplies.

The panic room also had a large laundry/miscellaneous room that led to an escape tunnel which ran underground across the rear half acre of property. It ran under the elaborate garden Marcie had built to replicate the one in Tuscany and emptied into a small grove of trees and bushes, entirely concealed from the road. It made the ideal disposal route from the panic room lab directly to the killing field that Rick was so ably populating across the street.

After checking the new storeroom supplies she had Rick bring in, she began poking around in the chemistry area. She didn’t have the chemistry background her sister had, but curiosity was a constant companion that always served her well.

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A tear began forming in her eye as she took in the entirety of the panic room, and her attention focused on the chemistry area. She missed her sister and continued to be amazed at her brilliance and the formulas she found when she opened Mel’s notebook. She saw the three complex ‘Venom’ formulas there, and that’s when she lost it. Her back was against a wall. Marcie picked up the book, pressed it to her chest and allowed her back to slide down the wall. She wound up sitting there in a sad heap with the back of her shirt riding up, and her exposed skin chilled against the cold, painted-concrete wall. She could almost see Mel’s ghostly outline in the chemistry area. She imagined her sister spending long hours in this very room developing the drugs that were the cornerstone of the best plan of vengeance she had ever known.

‘That damned Alejandro! I promise you, Mel, you will be avenged,’ and at that, she broke down and allowed herself to feel the full weight of losing her sister one last time. She would not allow herself to be distracted by her significant loss again. Sitting there, she swore that from now on that painful memory would only serve as a motivator.

That’s when a startling discovery happened for the first time. It came about as Marcie’s eyes glided along an open page in Mel’s chemistry book that called her like the Sirens of Greek Mythology. That was when she made a most stunning discovery!

- 29 -

CHAPTER 5

She hid her concern … from him and let the pride show

through on her face.

Friday, July 6th, 2018

Both men remained suspicious of the ominous

piece of metal debris that lay on the desk in front of them like a book begging to be read. They starred at it hoping for the best, and quietly fearing the worst. The ‘EMP’ lettering was near the charred end of the explosion artifact so it was plausible that other letters may have followed the big red X and the ‘EMP’ letters. It was entirely conceivable that this could be the remains of an ‘Employee’ sign, but the big red X was clearly added over the charred remains. It was obviously painted on after the blast and before those three letters that endured.

Words weren’t necessary. They looked at each other and knew what the other man was thinking, but neither wanted to vocalize the more sinister explanation for those three letters. They silently let it go, for now, leaving the ‘Employee’ explanation as to the only one either was willing to consider. For now!

“My little gift has a date with the forensics lab this afternoon to confirm it came from the ASI factory disaster. Let’s wait for their report before we speculate any further,” Ed concluded.

He was secretly hoping that follow up interviews with ASI employees would reveal a familiarity with the sign. His fingers were crossed, thinking that one of them would be able to identify it as the sign to a lunchroom, locker room or some other ‘Employee’ area or entrance.

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This lowered the tension in the room several notches. For now!

* The deep hurt over losing her sister was not as

easily dismissed as she would have liked. It may have been possible before reading the lab notebook left behind by her sister’s sudden demise. Fighting back the tears once more, Marcie chose to replace her feelings of deep sorrow with those of sincere admiration.

‘You were more brilliant than I ever realized, sis! You never mentioned these new formulas I see here. If what I’m reading actually has a chance of working…I don’t know what to think! The possibilities are truly endless. This takes your ‘Venom’ formulas to a whole new level. I guess I’m not really surprised at the untapped potential of your deviant mind. WOW!’

She read on, and her admiration once again slipped into tears. She uncovered the research her sister was involved in, and the plans she noted in the book, written with evident pride, to surprise Marcie with the introduction of the new formulas.

Melanie Taylor was designing a chemical combination intending to blend the ‘Venom’ formulas with the Black Breath drug in the hopes of maximizing the bad qualities of both to a new heinous end. Her notes revealed to Marcie that Melanie had hoped to use the delaying effects of the ‘Venom’ drug formula so that the Black Breath drug would kick in at a later time. Then there were additional formulas aimed at having the ‘Venom’ drug effects delayed, to kick in during the Black Breath ‘cool off’ period. The local authorities were well aware of the four-day fatal period for the Black Breath drug to dissipate. They were accustomed to incubating the victims for that period to avoid the fatal consequences of a second dose if administered before the first one wore off. Mel’s

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second intended twist would circumvent that by bringing a painful end to victims obviously under the influence of the Black Breath drug. It was this one that Marcie was most interested in.

‘Sinister sis, REALLY SINISTER!’ she thought as the admiration returned.

‘What a tool to add to the old bag of tricks! Looks like you were pretty close to completing the formulations.’

She made immediate plans to finish her sister’s work. This was a weapon her arsenal could definitely use! The wheels of her equally sinister mind were spinning like hands on a clock ticking through hours in a matter of seconds. She vowed she would honor her sister by seeing this new formula through to completion. When it was perfected, it would be used exclusively for two very special people. The two people she hated passionately!

Now she needed a careful reconstruction of her schedule. This made it a whole new ballgame! She got up from the panic room floor with new vigor. Specific wheels needed to be put into motion but other new ones now required to be carefully integrated.

“Rick, Karen, get down here, NOW!” It was time to increase the payroll, so to speak, and the list of new parolees she compiled would come in handy at last.

* “Billy, how did you know about the award Mommy

received last night? I know you were sleeping when we got home, so did daddy talk to you about it before we went to dinner?”

Billy never quite knew how to explain to his mother about the ‘dreams’ he had that frequently revealed things to him. Mandy could see he was going through another one of these struggles by the delay in his answer.

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“It was just a very real dream, I guess mom. Is it right? Did you get that reward I dreamed about?”

“Yes, honey, I did. You continue to amaze me with your ‘dreams’. Please don’t ever be bashful or ashamed to talk to me about them, OK?”

“I promise, mommy.”

“Billy, last night when daddy and I got back from our dinner, I came into your room to kiss you goodnight, and you were whispering something in your sleep. You kept saying ‘empee, empee, empee’ over and over again. Do you know what ‘empee’ is?”

Crocodile tears formed instantly in Billy’s eyes and sprinted down both cheeks. Mandy wasn’t sure what nerve she had just hit.

“It’s ok, honey. What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to make you sad. Can you tell me about it?”

“I remember thinking that last night when Lindsey was here. I’m not sure what it means, but my ‘friend’ kept telling me that over and over again and I got scared thinking about it again. He was really mad, and it made me want to ask him about it, but I don’t know how. I’m afraid because it seemed really important to him and I don’t know how to ask about it. He just kept saying it over and over again, and then I started saying it over and over again. It scares me when I don’t know what things mean that I didn’t think of myself. I don’t know why I think these things. I wish I didn’t.

“It’s just that sometimes they are there and I can’t really explain them so well. Sometimes they are just there when I wake up, and I know them somehow. I don’t know. They’re just there. Is that OK, mommy, because when I get scared, it doesn’t feel so OK?”

“Yes sweetie, that’s OK. That’s just fine. You know you can always talk to mommy about what you hear or think, don’t you? I’m sure we’ll figure out what

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‘empee’ means but for now don’t worry about it. Can you do that for me?”

“I guess so.”

“Let’s get up for breakfast, and I’ll show you the award you asked me about. I’m sure daddy will be just thrilled that you know, even if I didn’t need to tell you,” she said with mixed emotions of a proud but confused mother. She hid her concern for his ability to ‘dream’ of things, and let the pride show through on her face. She kissed him with one of those slow, loving, motherly kisses and they went off to get cleaned up for breakfast.

* Marcie chose Megan ‘The Needle’ Jersac for her

newly planned ‘recruiting’ activities. Megan earned the moniker of ‘The Needle’ because, over the last ten years of her life on the road to nowhere, she showed a willingness to inject any drug she could get her hands on into any discrete place on her body. Six different such inclinations landed her in intensive care, due to either impure or poorly measured doses of various drugs. She made the perfect candidate for Marcie’s purposes. Being a runaway girl who was always in trouble with the law, Megan had long ago changed her name after abandoning her family. She then crossed the country in search of adventure. Could she be more perfect?

Marcie needed someone that she could coerce into working with her mindless minions. Someone who was not totally susceptible to suggestions as the ‘under the influence’ ones were. There were times when she needed a person capable of independent thought that could think through a fluid situation. ‘The Needle’ was just right. Once she found out how pure the cocaine was that Marcie offered her in unlimited free supply, she could only say, “Sign me UP!”

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There were always generous amounts of cocaine waiting for her when she returned as the ultimate reward for a job well done. For stealth of purpose, she spruced Megan up quite nicely, and she always went out clean, both of face and vein.

Through this liaison of convenience, the team of Megan and Rick managed to change not-so-willing volunteers into willing ones, forming a nearly endless supply of human lab rats. She had Megan target mostly indigents from neighboring suburbs, but no drug addicts! The test results needed to be reliable, so she mandated drug-free subjects. They were brought to her not always entirely unnoticed by the authorities.

While her efforts were focused, they were not entirely restricted to research and experimentation. She did have a master plan which had been refined over the last several years that she was eager to execute.

* “Hey, Kevin, how are you?” asked a slightly

suspicious Ed Cassidy. It was unusual to receive two calls in less than a week from his financial advisor.

“I must admit I’ve been better, Ed. I’m afraid I have some more bad news for you.”

- 35 -

CHAPTER 6

Her smile seemed to harbor a subtle hint of gratitude….

Saturday, July 7th, 2018

Upon seeing the news report that evening,

Kevin’s phone call to Ed early yesterday morning hit home all the more.

There was another scene of mass confusion, with emergency equipment scattered across the screen. Firefighters were scurrying throughout the area, battling the intense smoke billowing from the explosion site. It appeared to be ever increasing in size and density. The flames were visually extinguished by all the smoke. The battle lasted over two hours, as brave firemen eventually contained the blaze and reduced it to the second smoldering disaster that week.

Kevin had been just a bit embarrassed on the call and felt a professional responsibility for Ed’s new loss. Tomorrow’s Software Today, Inc. was one of the most promising companies he had seen in quite some time, and he felt comfortable recommending this investment to several clients, as all of TST’s financial data and trends were so strong.

TST was now the second in a wild set of circumstances that would impact his client portfolios severely. The recent ASI disaster affected not only Ed’s former partner, Bill Weller’s niece but also the portfolio of his wife, Mandy and Ed’s parents as well. The sad trio would join twenty other of his clients affected by this disaster.

Coincidence or unfortunate? Ed decided to reserve judgment for now. Once again, Kevin’s swift reaction

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to the disaster minimized the damage as much as could be expected. He refused to let this latest bit of bad news derail his plans for a special weekend with his family. After briefly entertaining visions of another piece of charred debris surfacing from this tragedy, he managed to push those nagging feelings of impending doom far enough back to allow his mind to focus on vacation details. His whole outlook began to brighten, as the weight lifted from the load of daily professional burdens he carried.

It was a new day, and soon they would be feeling the moist Florida sun on their faces as they kicked off their four-day mini vacation. Mandy’s professional schedule frequently ran contrary to his own, which usually failed to provide any suitable one-week or longer openings to get away. So they had long ago decided to grab as many windows of vacation opportunity as they could, as often as they could. Mandy was now an expert at quickly packing, and the rush of sudden getaways always added to the excitement for all three of them. Ed decided to divorce himself from these latest developments until Wednesday morning. Saturday thru Tuesday would belong to the Cassidy family.

* ‘I’ve been looking forward to this reunion for quite a

while actually!’ The Avenger had donned her original mentor’s stealthy DNA proof outfit. It consisted of a bodysuit, gloves, head mask and booties, all black and all using elastic bands to keep DNA from escaping each component. It had been several years since he was last terrorized, so Doctor Blake Falkland had become somewhat lazy in his daily security procedures. She recently observed him coming home and leaving for work without bothering with the alarm. Thus Marcie had no trouble gaining access using her lock picking skills. She added a bit of the

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Black Breath drug to his toothpaste the day before and was now perched nearby to execute her plan. After an extended period of quiet, she peeked into his bathroom and found him standing there lost for both words and motion staring straight ahead at his bathroom mirror, with toothpaste drool running down the front of his chest.

As she pulled up alongside him, he noticed her and glanced at her reflection in the mirror while displaying no emotion on his face whatsoever. The fact that there was a strange woman in his bathroom as he was getting dressed didn’t register on his drugged brain.

“Oh, Blakey, my dear! You have been working out, haven’t you? Did you never hear the expression, ‘When one gazes too long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back?’ You will never know how deep of an abyss you just stared into, buddy! I’m afraid what’s just befallen you is about to become a necessary evil and I, like most deviates who commit evil, am convinced this one is necessary. Get dressed. We’re going for a little ride, Doc.”

* When they got to their hotel room, they

immediately dove into priority number one, a swim in the pool. Basking in the hot sun melted the worries of all the personal and professional issues they just left behind. Both Ed and Mandy appreciated how well these small slices of sanity offset the stressful rigors of their professions.

They were both proud and amazed at how fast and well Billy learned to swim. He progressed rapidly since learning at an early age and loved chasing Ed in the pool. Ed realized that it wouldn’t be much longer until Billy would be able to catch him in a straight-away swim. His firm, smooth strokes continued to amaze Mandy as she let the sun and soothing music

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relax her at poolside. She wished that a few of the lovely palm trees could be taken home along with the tan in progress.

* It was highly unusual for housekeeping to visit a

room thoroughly prepped for the next hotel occupant. Today would be one of those exceptions.

* It was about an hour past the point where Ed and

Billy’s fingers began to resemble a prune that Mandy decided it was time for lunch.

They left the pool totally relaxed, more than slightly pink from sun exposure on their winter-paled skin, and headed for their room. It was located near the end of the second-floor corridor, three places down from the stairwell entrance. Ed was the only one to notice the blank look on the housekeeper’s face as she pushed her cart past them at a languid pace. It was absent any acknowledgment of or greeting to any of them.

‘Ok, I realize housekeeping isn’t the most exciting job in the world, but that stare…..,’ he thought.

‘Maybe she’s dealing with a serious personal problem and is mentally distracted.’

As he opened the door to their room, Mandy chased Billy into the bathroom to get changed, tickling him all the way. It was just before Ed entered the hotel room himself, that he noticed the housekeeper reached the end of the hall, but she didn’t stop pushing the cart as it hit the wall. Instead, she kept moving her feet as if the cart would go further.

He decided to call the front desk to get her help, but that thought fled quickly from his mind as he closed the door and noticed yet another chunk of burnt debris hanging on the inside of his door. The cold, uncomfortable chill that ran down his spine

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totally erased the bizarre scene he just witnessed in the hallway involving the housekeeper.

Like the debris he discovered under the table at the Marriot, this one also had the letters “EMP” on it preceded by a big red X!

The second piece of nearly identical debris appearing out of nowhere, this time with a very suspicious housekeeper right outside his hotel room door was extremely unsettling!

Not a coincidence! No way! That nagging feeling of impending doom he felt back in Winnetka before leaving for Florida when he briefly had a vision of yet another bit of debris, all came flooding back to his mind.

He hid it under the bed and rushed out to the housekeeper in the hall who was still trying to push her cart through that end wall.

Walking up to her, he grabbed both shoulders and turned her in his direction only to find a very familiar blank stare on her face as she now tried pushing him back like he had taken the cart’s place! This look had become one he was now very familiar with, after the last two cases he recently cleared. It was the look of a ‘Black Breath’ drug victim!

Knowing she would instantly comply, Ed told her, “You can stop pushing your cart now and come with me.” He paused and added, “Please give me your best smile and relax.”

She promptly complied with his suggestions. He witnessed a very pleasing smile come over her that revealed a beautiful face. All the previously present tension melted away, and she looked very relieved. Her smile seemed to harbor a subtle hint of gratitude as she welcomed his guidance down to the reception desk.

*

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She had just narrowly escaped being noticed by the Cassidy family. Waiting in the stairwell for the housekeeper to complete her assignment, “The Needle” heard them returning to their room. Why were they using the stairway instead of the elevator? She had quickly scurried up a half flight of stairs to avoid detection and now this!

Megan didn’t expect Ed to return to the corridor so quickly! She thought she had enough time to remove the afflicted housekeeper; NOT! At least she was able to retreat into the stairwell and close the door silently once she heard the lock on Ed’s room click open. Small consolation!

There was no getting around it, this was bad! It was awful, indeed! Marcie isn’t going to like this development at all! She had no choice once Ed bolted from his room to examine the housekeeper but to sneak quietly from the building and return to Winnetka to face her boss. It would be a meeting she’d much rather avoid than attend.

* After alerting the local police department about his

suspicions regarding the housekeeper, Ed placed a quick call to Jake giving him a heads up. “Not good, boss, not good at all! While we’re on the subject, I just received confirmation from the forensics team regarding the foot rest you brought back from the Marriot. It was definitely taken from the ASI wreckage days before, not that we had any doubt.”

“This new item is particularly disturbing, Jake. It appears to be the upper half of a 3-ring binder taken from the TST explosion. Like the other piece taken from the crime scene, this one also has a big red X on it followed by the letters “EMP” scribed in black magic marker. It is obviously related to the other ‘EMP’ item, but finding it here in Florida, in our hotel room while my family was enjoying the pool, has stink all

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over it, Jake. If instincts serve, it feels like something big is just starting!

“I’m going up to our room to discreetly inform Mandy what I’ve found. I’m just hoping we can finish our mini-vacation in peace and can shake this god-awful feeling of doom.”

- 42 -

CHAPTER 7

That one glance between them might as well have been an

entire conversation.

Saturday, July 7th, 2018

After a quiet and slightly rushed dinner, Ed

and Mandy were finally able to calm Billy’s excitement down enough from the day’s activities. All the sun and exercise in the pool now took hold of him and allowed a peaceful slumber to commence. At this point, Mandy could no longer contain the concern for her family and hit Ed with a barrage of questions.

“What does this mean, Ed? Are we safe here? Should we cut things short and go home? How would we explain that to Billy?”

“Let’s stay and be extra alert for now. I’ve got Jake coming down discreetly to watch the hotel area. He won’t be contacting us in person. I think we’ll be alright. The message has been delivered, and it had its shock value, which I’m sure was the intent. Billy deserves a break as much as we do, so let’s ride it out until Tuesday, as planned.

“I have a meeting set up in the morning with the local police and Jake will follow up with them once he gets here later tomorrow. After that, I hope we can focus on Billy and enjoy the rest of our stay.”

They both looked up as Billy came out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes and holding his stuffed Eeyore toy, which was his usual bedtime companion.

“Daddy, my friend said we should “Head out like a fetus! What’s a fetus?”

*

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The Avenger was just beginning to enjoy a relaxing evening after the successful execution of several critical aspects of her overall game plan. Besides her earlier reunion with Blake, she also ‘recruited’ two new members to team Marcie, a very well-respected local journalist and her incredibly talented, close associate. She had done her research well, as usual, and discovered the perfect players needed to further her plot. They not only possessed the required talents but also were rumored to have romantic inclinations between them. This fun fact provided a plausible cover story for their disappearance. The prospect of them taking off on a romantic getaway or even eloping was not a stretch among their closest friends. Their family would be a slightly more difficult sell, but that could easily be remedied by feeding a well-crafted story back to their editor and family as well.

Marcie’s otherwise perfect evening was spoiled by the news Megan brought back from Florida. “The Needle” was right in her advanced assessment of Marcie’s reaction to the mishaps on her trip. The Avenger did not suffer sour news well. Her responses were predictably both forceful and swift.

“This was supposed to be a simple task, one that even you should have been able to handle, but NO. Not only did you NOT retrieve the drugged housekeeper but you were nearly seen by Cassidy!

“I’m afraid our little employment arrangement needs a swift ending at this point. I see no way around it! I’ve given you everything you needed to succeed, but your pathetic drug-dulled brain seems not to be up to even the most slam-dunk assignments. This is bad, Megan, this is very bad indeed!”

“Please, Marcie, I know it wasn’t perfect, but at least the message was successfully received. My slightly hampered brain was up enough to get the job done even though it wasn’t exactly a perfect

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execution. There are always times when you have to adjust to conditions, and there was no way to anticipate the Cassidy family walking up the stairs like they did, but I adjusted. I made your plan work in the end. Please give me another chance, Marcie. I won’t make another mistake, I promise,” pleaded Megan.

“THAT’S NOT ENOUGH,” screamed Marcie. “The Taylor sisters don’t make mistakes, even the slightest ones. They will always lead to disaster. That’s why mistakes can’t be tolerated. I, like my sister and her predecessor before her, have always prided in perfect execution, no exceptions. Despite no mistakes being made by either of them, they fell victim to unfortunate circumstances that can happen if you only blink wrong. I just can’t have this kind of screw up surfacing unsolicited right in the middle of my well thought out plans.”

“I know if you give me one more chance I won’t let you down again, I promise. Please, Marcie, won’t you give me just one more chance to prove myself to you?”

“I really have to think about this a while, Megan. This is most disturbing to me. Why don’t you retire for the night and let me think about it? I’m really struggling with this!”

“Thank you so much, Marcie. Please reconsider. You won’t be sorry. You have my word. It will never happen again, promise.”

“Let’s discuss this further in the morning. Your usual reward is on your nightstand.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Really, you won’t be sorry. I’ll never let you down again!”

‘You can say that again. Once is too much. Besides, the two of us ending up BFF’s wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. I should have never trusted a junkie to be sharp on an assignment. Why did I ever deviate from

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our usual Taylor sister protocol? Lesson learned. From now on, hands on!’ Marcie didn’t have a forgiving bone in her body. This was an extremely high stakes game she was playing with significant rewards and huge risks. She couldn’t tolerate mistakes, not from herself and especially not from subordinates.

* Ed and Mandy looked at each other, and their

mutually sustained glances spoke volumes! Billy would never come up with a phrase like that. In fact, only one person they were both acquainted with would, and he was no longer with them. BILL WELLER!

That one glance between them might as well have been an entire conversation. Billy’s parents now knew with utter certainty who his ‘friend’ was. Somehow Billy must be connecting with Ed’s deceased former partner.

“That’s a long story, Billy. Come here by mommy.”

“Billy, did your friend say anything else to you?” Ed was relieved and concerned at Billy’s comment.

“He doesn’t really say anything, daddy. I just know what he wants to tell me, somehow. I mean, his lips don’t move, and I don’t hear any sounds. I just know it,” said Billy as he was both sure and confused at the same time.

“We’ve all had a hectic day, honey, so let’s just concentrate on getting back to sleep so we can have the energy to enjoy tomorrow. We have a great day planned! It’s going to be a big surprise,” promised Mandy.

“Ok, mommy. I just hope my friend wants to get some rest too!”

*

Sunday, July 8th, 2018

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After getting up early and briefing the Lake Buena Vista police department, he wanted to get back to his family quickly knowing Jake would be meeting with the local authorities later and remain to answer further questions. For now, Ed rushed back to the hotel, eager to arrive before Billy woke up to maintain an air of stability for his young son.

The LBV police couldn’t believe their ears once Jake arrived and had entirely plausible answers to all their predictably great questions. It was almost as if they hoped they could trip him up to make this situation all fade away, but it wasn’t going to happen. Jake was much too well versed with the nasty drug and its effects on victims.

They agreed to contact the housekeeper’s family, and hold her for the suggested four-day observation period. Jake left her in good hands, confident that she would be adequately taken care of until she came out of her mind control trance. He headed out to surveil the Cassidy hotel complex.

* “RICK! Get in here. I have a chore for you,

sweetie!”

Megan was now in need of one of his extra-wide burial sites after partaking in Marcie’s ‘reward.’ She found it necessary to augment the usual ‘incentive’ with her sister’s Instant Venom formula, which she administered after Megan succumbed to her otherwise blissful slumber. In Marcie’s eyes, this was the only outcome imaginable for her botched services in Florida.

Marcie’s last glance at “The Needle” carried the fleeting thought, ‘Yeah, Megan, didn’t REALLY need to think too hard on this one. Enjoy your eternal “Dirt Nap Burger”!’

*

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Ed could occasionally spot Jake as he shadowed the Cassidy mini-vacation. Thankfully, they were able to enjoy the remaining activities planned before leaving for home to unwind this new mystery developing before them in unwelcome fashion.

*

Tuesday, July 10th, 2018 The Chicago Tribune headline read, “Two Tribune

Employees Missing” and went on to describe details of “..the award-winning journalist, Alexis Ries, and her close associate, Steve Garner. The pair have been missing for two days and is described as unreachable by employer and family. Concern for the missing couple is escalating.”

Setting her paper down she turned to the article’s two subjects and asked, “Well you two, are you ready for another busy day of indoctrination?” It was time for her skilled brainwashing and her well-crafted story explaining their disappearance to do their respective jobs.

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CHAPTER 8

Unfolding the bloody note was as gruesome as the message it

contained.

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

Ed waited in the car while Mandy walked Billy

up to the front door of the Greeley Elementary School, where the students are greeted by the principal each morning before classes.

“Billy! Boy, did you ever get a great tan! How was your vacation, young man?” he asked.

“It was great, Mr. McConnell. We went swimming, saw Mickey Mouse and ate lots of ice cream!”

He put his arm around Billy’s shoulder and started walking into the school as he threw an understanding smile back to Mandy.

“Well, I’m sure your classmates can’t wait to hear all about it. Let’s go tell them and don’t leave anything out, ok?”

Mandy smiled back and mouthed a silent ‘Thank you,’ then turned back to her waiting husband. They were both anxious to get back to work.

* “I’ll write the articles with the same enthusiasm

and investigative angles that I normally would, to keep them convincing and credible!”

“Excellent, Lexi! Very good! Now, remember what I said about remaining impartial, no matter what the article subjects are. Nothing shocks a great investigative journalist like you, now does it?”

“I’ve got it, Marcie. Just like you said, nothing shocks me; I’ve seen it all, and this is just routine.”

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“Precisely! Now I need you and Steve to hang loose here a while because I have some vital errands to run this afternoon.

“Great news. This afternoon we are going to have a visitor joining us!”

* It was a hectic morning for Ed, returning to his

office to brief the team of professionals. They gathered to review the latest debris discoveries.

He met the new Chicago office FBI tech, Gary Fritz, at a conference last summer that he usually would have attended with Gary’s predecessor, Roger Pensky. Roger was one of the previous victims of the horrendous crime spree perpetrated by Melanie Taylor several years ago. Both Ed and Gary were crushed by the demise of Roger, as he was such a brilliant technician. Gary endeavored to fill the rather large hole in the department left by Roger’s absence.

“Guys, I’ll be with you in a couple minutes,” Ed told the small group, as he went in to talk with two distressed friends of his.

“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, Ed. I can only imagine what your day must be like today, just having returned from vacation and all.”

“It’s quite alright, Jennifer. Please sit down,” he said fully realizing that they had no idea just how bad his day actually was.

“It’s simply not like her, Ed… to up and disappear like this. You know her; she’s more responsible than that, not to mention more considerate than to leave us hanging like this!”

“I know this must sound quite trite, but PLEASE believe me when I tell you we’re doing everything we can to find her and we WILL find her, trust me.”

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“Thank you, Ed, and we won’t take any more of your time. We just wanted to stop in to see if you had any updates as of yet,” said Dennis, Lexi’s distraught father.

“My team just got me up to speed this morning, and we have put every resource we have on the case. We’re working closely with all the relevant Chicago agencies to get this resolved for you.”

Jennifer said, “Thanks again, Ed, and I won’t insult you by asking you to keep us informed of any progress.”

“You’ll hear from us soon, I’m sure,” he said as he escorted the worried parents out.

* His meeting with Jake, Gary, Mandy, and several

others wound up taking the rest of the afternoon, once all concerns were explored.

The two pieces of rubble and the startling housekeeper discovery produced an uncountable number of scenarios.

Ed liked Roger’s replacement at the FBI due to two characteristics, both of which reminded him of his cherished and now deceased partners. Gary had the technical expertise which was right up there with Roger’s, and also had the southern Texas drawl and the quaint colloquialisms that Bill Weller brought to their conversations. Bill often provided some much-needed relief from all the tension that frequently built up while working the last two cases. Ed missed that quality in Bill as much as anything. Gary Fritz was holding Ed’s latest find and told the group, “Like the first one, this sign had the letters ‘EMP’ added to the debris after the explosion. We’re thinkin’ it must have been colder than day-old penguin shit by then, so someone must have thrust it into the smoldering debris somewhere else on site to make it look like the

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letterin’ was there before the explosion. Paint takes weeks to dry completely, and our tests showed that the letterin’ on both pieces of debris was still outgassin’. This indicated an incomplete cure and therefore a recent paint job. Also, as with the first one, this ‘un clearly had the red X painted on after the explosion, and no attempt was made to mask that fact. So far, it’s a bit like climbing up to a hayloft looking for cotton, or in Yankee terms…we got nothin’.”

As they all discussed these and other facts and planned for the worse, Ed was constantly distracted by the missing person’s report on Alexis Ries and Steve Garner. Was it related or a separate incident? If he didn’t know Alexis and her parents as well as he did, he would be considering the possible romantic element much more than he was. She was much too responsible for taking off with some guy like this without talking to her parents. There it was again, that nagging tug in his gut that said, ‘Somehow these things are all related!’

* “There’s Lindsey, now,” said Miss Larsen as she led

Billy by the hand to greet her.

“Hi, Miss Larsen. How was Billy’s first day back?”

“Well, we are all jealous of all the fun he had in Florida. I think some other parents will be hard pressed not to take some of his classmates there this summer,” she replied.

“I think you’re right. Say goodbye, Billy. I can’t wait for you to tell me all about your trip, too!”

With that, she began walking Billy the three short blocks home. Today, however, she took a different route, and Billy noticed right away.

“How come we’re going this way, Lindsey?” Billy suddenly had a terrible feeling about their trip home.

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“I wanted it to be a surprise, but your mom and dad asked me to take you for ice cream on the way home today. They have the best ice cream near my aunt’s house, and she is going to pick us up and take us there!” she replied with enthusiasm to keep his anxiety manageable.

“Look, Billy, there she is. Better start thinking about what flavor and how many scoops you want,” she said, as he got into the car. But none of her encouragements had an impact on that dark feeling of his.

Marcie underestimated Billy’s ‘perception abilities’ and had her hands full keeping him cooperative until she was able to get him to eat his ice cream. He soon became quite complacent once the drug kicked in on him. A mild sedative was all that was necessary here, unlike the Black Breath drug she administered to Lindsey. After all, she wasn’t a monster! She just had goals, accompanied by a small dash of scruples! Billy’s future well-being would depend entirely on his father’s responses to her various, soon to be forthcoming, demands!

* Ed and Mandy’s day went from bad to worse once

they walked in their front door to an unusually quiet and empty house.

“Billy! Lindsey! Where are you guys? Are you hiding on us?”

They started out playfully hoping for the best but quickly lost all composure when they got to Billy’s room. There, sitting on the bed, was their babysitter with a significant amount of blood along the left side of the pretty white blouse she was wearing which was delicately trimmed in pink. Her matching pink slacks were equally stained in plasma, which was emanating from Lindsey’s left armpit area. She had a blank stare

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which found her looking straight ahead, not noticing the two of them entering the room. Some of the blood pouring out of Lindsey was staining a note folded into an origami shape that was pinned to her chest.

She was busy carrying out the last command she got from the Avenger, which was to sit there on Billy’s bed and scratch deeper and deeper under her left arm. She had no choice, and the quick glance Ed gave to Mandy confirmed it. Neither of the parents was strangers to that stare and odd behavior. The fact that Lindsey could sit there and inflict that degree of harm to her body while showing absolutely no emotion or acknowledgment of pain could only mean one thing. The Black Breath drug threat was once again front and center in Winnetka! This was eerily similar to finding FBI agent Zack Jamanski years ago in the Shaw case sitting there having been cruelly instructed to keep digging into his face by the evil Mark Shaw.

This fact reared its ugly head and tears began to find their way down each parent’s cheek, confirming their worst fears. Billy was now a victim and somehow involved!

After issuing the commands to get Lindsey to stop mutilating herself, Mandy’s instincts kicked in long enough to apply a compress to her wound. Ed was already calling for an ambulance, as their hands met at the bloodstained origami note pinned to their babysitter. Both parents reached for it simultaneously, then locked eyes as their hands met at the letter. They were reluctant to read it but knew they must.

Unfolding the bloody note was as gruesome as the short and ghastly message it contained. It was as quick as it was horrible. As the grieving parents read it, unwilling to accept the words, they desperately reached out to each other for comfort, as hopelessness

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overtook their efforts to process the painful communication.

The message contained on the note, comprised of pasted letters taken from numerous magazines, was:

‘$20 Million on your front porch by

tomorrow 4pm or Billy starts losing limbs’

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CHAPTER 9

…an envelope that knocked all the air out of his chest and

buckled his knees.

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

Linsey’s injury had progressed to a dire state

before Ed was able to curtail her destructive activity. The doctors reported that she had sustained ligament damage and would require surgery to correct it. Ed briefed the doctors on the cause of her condition, and Lindsey was slated to the standard four-day isolation period, prescribed for any Black Breath-drugged person after surgery. During a brief conference between the members of the surgical team, they decided to go with Ed’s suggestion of not using the customary anesthetics during the operations for two reasons. First, they had no data suggesting that there wouldn’t be an adverse reaction between the anesthetic and the Black Breath drug. They had never heard of it let alone had a chance to study any effects of drug interactions. Secondly, since Linsey was utterly oblivious to pain, the mere suggestion from the doctor that she wouldn’t feel the surgery was sufficient pain management for the entire operation.

Before his late afternoon meeting with the team, he arrived at his office, only to find a cup of coffee sitting on his desk waiting for him. The now very suspicious Lieutenant sent it directly to Mandy’s lab to check for drugs. Ultimately, none were found.

“Lew, the Tribune editor, is on line one for you,” said his secretary.

“This is Lieutenant Cassidy. How can I help you?”

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“Lieutenant, we have some good news for you about Alexis Ries. She contacted us this afternoon saying she is responding to a source that is expected to provide otherwise unattainable information about a breaking story. Her informant has one condition. That being, until the story is complete, there must be only one-way communication between her and us. This will be to convey the article contents. We won’t be able to reach her. She has apparently agreed to these terms and will be operating in compliance to ensure the source’s insights. At this point, we are not at all sure what the story is about, but we trust her instincts, and we’ll keep you informed of any developments.”

“We’re not liking this at all here, Andy. I guess neither of us has a choice. Mark my words, Mr. Butler, you are walking an ultra-thin edge of obstruction, and I won’t tolerate you holding back anything that might further this investigation,” Ed warned. He had no choice but to add this conversation to their growing pile of concerns.

* “Billy’s ransom note had no fingerprints on it other

than yours, as expected. I think those ugly pasted letters puts us in the middle of a shit show similar to the last two you ‘all had to deal with, Ed,” said Gary.

Jake added, “I guess we have some relief on the Ries missing person, but Billy! Obviously, 20 million dollars is a prohibitively high demand, especially for a window that’s less than 24 hours.”

“Not to mention the ‘front porch’ demand. Unrealistic seems to be the intention here. What’s the point? Someone help me out here ‘cus I’m about as lost as last year’s Easter egg,” lamented Gary.

“We have to place something on the porch. But I agree, the terms are utterly silly, which is what has

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Mandy and I so worried. It’s like this whole thing is supposed to fail.”

The state police detective, Paul Kumiega, outlined their only logical course of action. “We’ll have people set up in a one and two block perimeter around your house with a drone in the air. We’ll get the biggest briefcase we can find, and you can set it on the porch. But I agree with you Ed; unfortunately, this feels like an exercise in futility.”

* Ed called Mandy after the team broke up their

meeting. “I don’t think I’m being overly sensitive here, Mandy. Despite this one hitting so close to home, I can’t shake off these impressions. I keep seeing Melanie Taylor’s face. It’s incredibly distracting, but it won’t go away! I really don’t need this right now while we’re facing such a ridiculous situation.”

After briefing Mandy on the meeting, Ed hung his head in despair, not knowing where to begin the search for his missing son.

Neither the team meeting nor his conversation with Mandy was missed by a focused spectator, poised in the perfect observation spot. The high powered listening device was now being folded up and stored in its protective case, after once again doing its job admirably.

‘Well, that’s interesting! Thinking of my twin sister, are you? This has a ton of potential!’

*

Thursday, July 12th, 2018 “Lieutenant, I think you’re going to want to see this

one,” said desk sergeant John Tattersall, as Ed arrived. This was a day he wasn’t looking forward to. “We just had a report of vandalism on an ATM machine. Here is the video leading up to it.”

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Ed froze as he watched, what appeared to be Melanie Taylor walking up to the ATM machine in full view of the camera, and not attempting to hide her identity. She then pulled a hammer out of her purse and smashed the camera, ending the video. Her gorgeous face was unmarked in sharp contrast to the last time he saw her. That image of Melanie hanging upside down, pinned to the wall with over fifty cuts to her body and that pool of blood beneath her slashed wrists would never leave his mind’s eye. How could this be? Jake walked into his office in enough time to see her face before the camera damage and joined Ed’s look of stunned disbelief. Both men noted the time and date stamp, indicating this recording was made earlier today.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! This can’t be! We both saw the life run out of her as she hung upside down, all cut up on that wall. She was in the morgue drawer for two days before the body was removed. There is simply no way in hell she’s still alive. Jake, run the background information on Melanie Taylor again to search for relatives.”

“On it!”

Just then, a floral delivery arrived which added to Ed’s Déjà vu. It was the spitting image of the bouquet Sandra Falkland received during the Mark Shaw case. The only thing different was the origin of the flowers since the Shaw’s Floral Creations shop had shut down long ago after the death of Bobby Shaw.

Now he knew he was being played. He didn’t want to, but he sent the flowers to Mandy for a thorough search of drugs on the petals. Somehow he knew nothing would turn up, but he was unfortunately compelled to put Mandy through the motions. He hated putting her in this position, with Billy’s abduction being so fresh for both of them.

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Ed’s hectic day barely allowed him time to focus on much of anything. He decided he would arrive home well before the ransom note’s 4pm deadline. But time got away from him. The distractions of the day caused him to leave work with less than an hour and a half to spare. After starting his car and backing out of his parking space, he noticed something in his visor as he pulled forward to begin his ride home.

It was a key dangling there, waiting to be discovered, and a chill ran down his spine as he recognized it as belonging to his home gun cabinet. He made it home in record time, with lights and sirens blazing. He was focused on getting to that gun lockup. There he found an envelope, with a message on it that knocked all the air out of his chest and buckled his knees. Inside was an article written by Alexis Ries, with a picture and a bloody shirt sleeve that he instantly recognized as the one Billy wore to school yesterday. There was also a lock of hair looking just like Billy’s. The picture showed Billy’s bloody shirt sleeve with his left hand severed and placed several inches from the end of the sleeve.

“God no! OH, GOD NO!!” Ed cried out as only a tormented, loving father could. Tears ran swiftly down his cheeks as he clutched the bloody shirt sleeve to his face searching for a scent of his son.

Unfortunately, Mandy walked in before he could shield her from any of the envelope’s contents. He reached out to catch her as her knees hit the floor. Mandy let out a blood-curdling scream that could be heard by the team set up on the one-block perimeter.

The note on the envelope read, ‘I don’t care what is in that oversized suitcase on your front porch. We both know it isn’t my $20 million. Cops poised at one and two block intervals, complete with drones. Really? Ed, this is all a bit much, don’t you think? What else did you expect? I’ll be in touch with further

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instructions. Hopefully, I now have your attention. Let’s raise a glass to a much higher level of cooperation on our next go around. It would surely be in little Billy’s best interests going forward!’

It wouldn’t be until much later that the detail contained in the note before Ed’s arrival would hit home with Jake.

After carefully setting aside the note and trying to control their grief, they read the article together through tear-flooded eyes, which contained a vast amount of relevant content.

DATELINE WINNETKA – Billy Cassidy, the son of Winnetka’s Police Lieutenant Ed Cassidy, turned up missing yesterday after being picked up by his babysitter, Lindsey Harden, at approximately 2 pm from the Greeley Elementary School. The Cassidy’s sitter has been employed for the past two years and isn’t considered a suspect, as she was discovered in the home after she had apparently been drugged. The sitter’s condition is listed as stable after successfully undergoing several surgeries, to repair the damage she suffered from a severe, self-inflicted wound to her left arm. Lieutenant Cassidy has reportedly received a ransom note, the details of which are being withheld. The Winnetka police Lieutenant and his wife, medical examiner, Amanda Cassidy, received alarming evidence today, suggesting some harm has come to their four-year-old son. As of the writing of this article, the Cassidys have not been available for comment.

Part Two

Laying The Traps

“Your treachery has already cost many lives.”

Lord of the Rings - Gandalf

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CHAPTER 10

When the chaos finally began to subside, Ed counted fifteen

drugged and five dead.

Thursday, July 12th, 2018

Mandy had left for her lab with the bloody

shirt sleeve and lock of hair before Jake and Gary arrived at the Cassidy home. She kept DNA data for all family members stored in her lab due to the potentially dangerous environment she and her husband found themselves immersed in each day. She hoped beyond hope that they might never be needed for identification purposes such as this.

She narrowly avoided three accidents on her very-focused return trip to work. The dire facts of her son’s situation found her analytical mind struggling with her maternal instincts for focus. She couldn’t help but weigh the odds of survival, other factors and possibly non-factors involving her son. She had no idea how the severing of Billy’s hand was accomplished and by whom. What was his current mental condition? Was he in pain? Was he conscious? Was he at least sufficiently sedated? WHERE in the hell WAS HE?

The science she knew so well must be employed to confirm Billy’s blood on the shirt sleeve. That was step one. There was little doubt in her mind that the hair which was of minor concern was Billy’s. She struggled with what step two was to be, as tears once again blurred her vision, nearly causing a collision in the police parking lot.

Her maternal instincts had already conducted the tests and reached a conclusion that her professional resolve insisted on confirming. In her heart of hearts,

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she knew what would be found, yet she held out the slimmest glimmer of hope to the contrary.

* Jake arrived at Ed’s house at the same time as

Gary, and neither looked forward to unraveling a case as sensitive and close to home as this one, involving their good friend.

They met at the front door, exchanged a backward glance, then cautiously entered the door left slightly open by Mandy’s swift exodus.

Ed was sitting in a near-mindless heap on the couch with the envelope and its remaining contents in his lap. He was burning a hole in the carpet with his blank stare. Jake couldn’t remember seeing his otherwise strong leader this helpless.

“Ed, we’re so sorry. We have no words,” was all Jake could think to say. He sat next to Ed and slowly placed his arm around him in what he knew was a feeble attempt to comfort his distraught friend. Everything felt so awkward. The hug, the evidence, Ed’s vulnerability, the lack of a credible direction to proceed… all of it!

Gary tried to remain on point and helpful stating, “Ed, I’ve never been so committed to finding someone as I am right now. We will bring all our combined resources together, and we will find Billy!” Gary knew it sounded good, but as the three of them occupied that living room in the numb silence, none of them had a clue as to what was first. They usually would interview, or interrogate if necessary, the last person to have seen Billy, but with Lindsey under the influence of the Black Breath drug, their best possible lead was a mindless dead end. His words rang hollow as all three men sat silently and realized the fact that when they did find Billy, he might not be alive.

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After revealing the contents of the envelope, the long pause was broken by Jake. “Ed, I hate to say it, but a couple things jump right out here.

“Our original suspicions appear to be sad but true. The ransom note wasn’t realistic at all. It was, for whatever reason, all a show, a backdrop for the perp’s intended purpose, which was this moment of shock.”

Gary managed to maintain a less personal and more analytical outlook saying, “I agree with Jake. Ed, the contents of this note were written before the facts of how this was going to play out were even available. This is all an obvious job of staging a situation.”

“I’m sure you guys are right. Sorry, but as much as I want to contribute, my mind is just numb from that picture! I’ve never had this kind of trouble focusing on the facts in front of my face. I’m so sorry!”

“Nothing to be sorry about on your side. It’s to be expected, Ed,” said Gary. He gave a glance to Jake, in which an entire conversation was transmitted and received soundlessly by both friends. Several near specific phrases were communicated in that meaningful glance; ‘We have to take the lead.’ ‘Our friend is in no shape for rational thought.’ ‘As much as this pisses us off, we have to be there for him.’

“Let me get you something to drink, Ed. We all have to take a deep breath, then we will hit this hard. How’s Mandy?”

Ed told them, “She left before you two got here to analyze the blood on the shirt sleeve. I’m expecting to hear from her shortly. I can’t imagine what she’s going through mentally right now. I would have seen to her safe trip myself but at the time she left, it was so sudden, and I was in shock myself, I guess. The thought of driving her didn’t’ even occur to me then. That’s how much that picture had me blown away.”

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Jake wanted to bring his boss a hard shot of whiskey, but he knew it would be refused. To keep his head as clear and on task as possible, he brought a glass of ice water. They began to bounce ideas off each other and slowly formulate a systematic method forward when the phone call came from Mandy.

“Ed, it’s definitely his blood and his hair. It’s Billy’s blood on the sleeve. I’ve never felt this helpless. Ed, we must find our sweet little boy! Who could possibly be this heartless, picking on an innocent child?”

“Mandy, please come home and be careful driving. There is nothing more you can do there. The three of us are working on this here.” And now thinking a bit more clearly, he added, “Would you like for me to arrange an escort home for you?”

“No, Ed, I’m fine to drive, but I just can’t think past the tests I just ran! I don’t know what to do beyond these tests. I’m utterly numb right now. I don’t know what to do!”

*

Just over a block away, Mandy was observed pulling back into her driveway after the entire conversation inside the house was overheard. ‘Well, the Cassidy family has enough to think about for a while. At least until they get hit with step two on one of my favorite days of the year!’

*

Friday, July 13th, 2018 No one slept a wink that night. Both Ed and Mandy

remained awake and totally fixated on finding Billy the following morning. They both laid in bed staring silently at the ceiling above all night as if some answer could be found there, in the dark, among the irregular shapes of their textured ceiling. Their shared silence on the ride into the Winnetka police department on the following morning deepened their

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confusion, sorrow, and despair. What they weren’t prepared for was the pandemonium that awaited them once they arrived.

The station was in a state of utter chaos. Ed couldn’t take it all in for quite some time. Victims were lying on the floor, officers wandering around mindlessly, and amid it all was Sargent Tattersall, scurrying around from body to body, trying to initiate the scene’s first bit of order.

Ed and Mandy quickly joined Jake, who had also just arrived, and took Tattersall’s choppy verbal clues. The entire office was suffering from being dosed either once or sadly in several cases, twice, by the Black Breath drug!

It was officer Hank Wozniack’s birthday, and he was now one of the double dose victims lying awkwardly on the floor. Apparently, Hank received a dose of the drug and was instructed to bring donuts and coffee laced with Black Breath to the office for his birthday. According to Tattersall, his instructions also included a birthday toast.

“34 years today I achieve. This station I know I never will leave.

No donuts or coffee need anyone get.

Today’s my most memorable birthday yet! SALUTE!!”

After his sad recital, he stood there with his coffee cup held high and kept instructing everyone to, “Eat, drink, help me celebrate my birthday!” He had previously been commanded to enthusiastically continue inviting the others he ceremoniously gathered in the office to eat and drink. Fortunately, not all of them had the opportunity to follow his instructions completely before Tattersall interdicted. Next, he obediently waited for most in the room to get

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either a bite of donut, a sip of coffee or both as encouraged.

After several repetitions of his enticement to snack, he had observed his fellow workers participating in the birthday bounty he brought in. True to his instructions, he followed their participation with a big gulp of hot coffee, which held a dually sadistic intent. He never got the chance to feel the burn as the hot coffee scalded his throat. The second dose of Black Breath it contained cut that experience mercifully short as he dropped limply to the floor. That was when Tattersall was able to realize what was happening and threw the phone down before finally joining them, frantically trying to take it all in. As overwhelming as the scene was, he quickly and correctly analyzed the situation as a significant Black Breath event. As Ed, Mandy, and Jake arrived, he was ordering everyone to stop eating and drinking. But for several officers, his life-saving instructions came too late.

When the chaos finally began to subside, Ed counted fifteen drugged and five dead, including officer Wozniack.

He and Mandy didn’t need all this today on top of Billy’s situation. Mercy was not a friend to Ed and Mandy that morning. Once the bedlam was contained and all the drugged personnel that survived the morning were quarantined, the refreshments brought in by Officer Wozniack were sent to Mandy’s lab for obligatory testing.

The situation in Winnetka had escalated so quickly since that fateful night at Mandy’s award ceremony. The pieces of debris found, the very evident abuse of the horrible Black Breath drug, both here and in Florida, Billy’s kidnapping, the office attack, and several other odd circumstances all had the

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department temporarily floundering in disarray. There were simply too many priorities to prioritize!

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CHAPTER 11

Tattersall poked his head in to say, “I think you two should

see this!”

Friday, July 13th, 2018

Years of planning were all beginning to fall

right into place! ‘What a day, WHAT A DAY!!’ Now if she could only nail down the exact percentages she was desperately searching for, all would be just perfect. The self-stylized Avenger was experiencing significant progress on the notes she found for her sister’s intended new formulas. Thus far they had come at a horrific cost to the local indigents, as the exact correct mixture still hadn’t been discovered. The effect would be fantastic if she could only get the complex formula right.

Rick’s physique was improving almost daily due to his successful execution of the victim disposal duties wrought upon him by Marcie. He was quite an efficient and dutiful little soldier and discharged his numerous assignments without complaint.

Her recent successful ‘drug trials’ almost overcame her disappointment at not being able to recreate the desired effect from her replication of the breathtaking Tuscany villa and landscaping. All of which were designed to reestablish that much-desired link to her sister. Something tugged at the back of her mind that she just couldn’t put a finger on regarding that whole issue. Like her sister before her, she was able to multitask. Despite the complexities of executing her very elaborate plan, she was always churning that one shortcoming over, around and thru several combinations of scenarios, in an attempt to reconnect with her sister here as she was able to do in Italy.

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The solution would come to her, she just knew it. But for the moment, the missing key to it all remained elusive.

* Ed scarcely had time to consider turning the article

over to the Chicago Tribune’s Editor, Andy Butler, when Andy called to confirm the facts describing Billy’s abduction. Ed had no grounds to accuse him of any wrongdoing or obstruction since the article was sent to both men simultaneously, and the Tribune editor called in good faith before publishing it. His grief left him a moment to consider one incomprehensible thought. He wondered if the Tribune reporter, Alexis Ries, was actually working a source off the grid as her editor believed, or might she be somehow entangled in this mess as well?

Regardless, Lieutenant Cassidy dreaded the exact details of his and Mandy’s anguish being put out there for the world to see. It was at that moment he realized he hadn’t started a ‘crime board’ and reluctantly began gathering items. He knew that starting this gruesome task was his best method of finding Billy. The article, the discussions of intimate details with his team, and hanging all the facts out for everyone to see on a board, all tore at Ed’s emotions. He was determined not to be left out of this investigation, as would typically be the case when one was so close to it. This caused him to deepened his resolve in adhering to the crime-solving techniques that served him so well in the past, despite how exposed his raw emotions would become.

The irony of the Friday the 13th date didn’t escape Ed. Having closed his office door for some temporary privacy and isolation from the morning bedlam, he sat down at his desk and began to visualize the start of his requisite crime board. That’s when he achieved total tranquility, at least for the moment, and slipped

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into a trance. The room seemed to expand to a point where all the space outside his office was too far away to consider relevant. His hands fell outside the arms on his chair and hung limp and motionless at his side as his head fell back to rest on his high-backed chair. The corner of his desk suddenly became the center of his universe, and he was unable to remove his eyes from that one spot at the front left, worn corner of it. Then it happened!

How could it be? Caught up in the moment, he lost track of time. Time, the morning chaos, his sorrow, and confusion; none of it existed at this moment! As if he vaporized out of thin air, first the outline, then the full, living-color-3D view of his former partner sitting on that worn corner of his desk, had gradually appeared and now consumed his entire line of sight. Despite being too bizarre to believe what he was now seeing clearly, he somehow didn’t doubt it. He began to accept this vision as a warm calm came over him so subtly, that he never noticed the welcome change in his previously tormented disposition. Bill Weller was just sitting there with that old familiar country-boy smile on his face. The warm feeling of well-being Ed used to get in the presence of that wholehearted-infectious smile, consumed him, and a similar smile washed over his face to join Bill’s as it frequently did with his son.

Bill’s smile dwarfed the absurdity of his presence amid Ed’s hectic morning. It was so welcome that logic didn’t enter into the moment. He just wanted to bask in the old familiar comfort of his former partner’s presence. That’s when he noticed that Bill’s smile had turned into concern and he was saying something. His lips were moving, but Ed heard nothing. He noticed Bill was watching the window past Ed’s desk, so he turned to look. What he saw shook him out of his trance and back to reality. Just

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past the glass window was Melanie Taylor’s face watching them both! He was sure of it. It couldn’t be, and yet there she was!

That face dumped all the old feelings of dread on him and as it slowly dissipated like a mist twisting in a gentle breeze, the trance that held him dispersed from the room. It was as sure as if a grenade exploded, shattering everything from the walls of his office shocking him back to reality.

At that point, Jake entered the room, and the two of them started speaking in unison, “I JUST REALIZED HOW SHE GOT THE CONTENTS OF THE NOTE!”

It was odd that both men assumed the perp was a ‘she’ at that moment. The shocking video of Melanie Taylor at the ATM brought back many old, uncomfortable, but undeniable facts of their previous case. It involved the Black Breath drug, and a host of other things, including a very high powered microphone. Once trained on the outside window of a room, it picked up subtle vibrations from the window pane and amplified them to reveal the conversations taking place inside.

After that joint statement, they also reverted back to the practice of not speaking anything of strategic value in a room with exterior windows.

It took their entire walk to the interior conference room for Ed to shake the ‘Bill sighting’ from his mind’s eye. He decided not to share that experience with Jake.

Inside the room with the door closed, Ed spoke first, “This is all starting to wear too many earmarks of our last case, Jake, including feeling lost at the onset as we were back then.”

“I wasn’t there at the beginning of that mess, but I can only imagine it feeling just like this to start with.”

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Finally, back to his usual calm state, Tattersall poked his head in to say, “I think you two should see this!”

The TV monitor in the outer office was engulfed in a scene of massive flames and fire equipment. There had been yet another explosion destroying the manufacturing plant for the Wireless Smartphone Components Company. This time the explosion took the lives of an estimated one hundred and twenty employees during a typical workday.

“Massive casualties are expected from the unbelievable explosion at the Wireless Smartphone Components factory located in south suburban Oak Lawn. Firefighters have been battling the huge blaze for two hours, and finally, have it contained. Just a half hour ago it was threatening to spread to two nearby facilities, but that threat has now officially been eliminated, according to fire department officials on the scene. Current speculation for the fire’s origin is centering on a gas leak.”

Ed commented, “What next? Talk about a Friday the 13th to remember!”

“This isn’t all, Lew,” said Tattersall. “We just got word that a board member luncheon held at the Chicago Marriot O’Hare has become a crime scene. All of its executive members are apparently the victim of food poisoning. I don’t have all the details yet, but I wouldn’t want to be a stockholder in that company! Chicago PD is on the scene there.”

Tattersall’s observation was followed immediately by Ed’s secretary informing him that Kevin Jordan was on the line for him. Could this morning get any more chaotic? Ed found himself longing for the 14th of July in the worst way.

To read the exciting conclusion to:

VENDETTA When Vengeance Wasn’t Enough

Book 3 of the

Black Breath Trilogy

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frankmcrae.com

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‘Black Breath Trilogy’

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