The Art of Deception Read online

  “What do you mean?” asked Ginger as she furrowed her brow.

  Mark explained to her everything that had happened and the link between Linda’s death and Karen’s disappearance. Ginger was a fiery and witty woman filled with abounding energy. So, when Mark finished his explanation, she sprung out of the chair and exclaimed, “Let’s get to work!” Although frightened by her sudden outburst, Mark smiled and nodded. “Yes Ging, let’s get to work.”

  Chapter Five

  Six days missing

  Miguel sat at his workstation in his home office and cracked his knuckles. He leaned back in his chair and looked through the French doors that led into the backyard. His wife was playing with their beautiful three year old daughter, Jada. Every time he saw that little girl smile his heart melted. She was the light of his life and his wife, Toya, was the glue that held him together. His wife began tickling Jada and she started giggling uncontrollably. The sound of her laughter caused a smile to form on his lips before he turned his attention to his computer screen. As soon as he was finished looking for the information Mark had asked for, he would go outside and join his family.

  Miguel doubted that a woman like Linda Walker would have a criminal record, but hacking into the police database was always where he began his background checks. He hacked into the database and typed in her name. As he figured, the only information available there pertained to her murder. The next place to check was the database of the university she had been attending, Columbia University. Again, there was nothing incriminating. However, there was one bit of information that grabbed his attention. She was the President of the Political Science Association and a strong advocate for the rights of the disadvantaged. Miguel figured that it was through this association that she met Carlton Rolston.

  As soon as he was going to check the connection between Rolston and the Political Science Association, the power went down. The Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) chipped in, but Miguel couldn’t do anymore investigating because the internet connection was down. Cursing under his breath he got up and began to walk towards the basement where the breaker was kept. He hoped that a fuse hadn’t been blown. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure shifting. “Toya, I’m going to check the blasted breaker,” he said. He opened the door that led to the basement stairs and that’s when he heard his wife’s shrill cry. Fear gripped his heart as he groped through the darkness towards the steps that led to their bedroom. Then he heard his daughter crying. Loud, uncontrollable sobs.

  He bolted up the stairs, not caring about whether or not he fell and the fact that he had no weapon in his hand. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw the silhouette of a tall, muscular man with a small head standing at the end of the corridor. “Hello Mr. Copeland,” the stranger said.

  “W-w-what do you want? W-w-where’s my family?”

  The stranger beckoned him to come closer. He was wearing a black skull cap mask, black leather pants, and a black muscle shirt. The mask hid his facial features, but Miguel could tell by the muscles he saw that the man was much stronger than him. Miguel approached cautiously as the man opened the door that led to the master bedroom. The stranger walked inside and when Miguel arrived at the entrance, his face mirrored the horrific scene before him. His wife had been stabbed in the chest and blood was spewing from her mouth as she tried to hold on to her life. His daughter was huddled in a corner, crying in fits of fear. Miguel rushed over to his wife, took off his shirt and used it to apply pressure to her wound. The stranger stood over them holding a knife in his right hand. “Mr. Carter, this is your warning. Stop looking into the Linda Walker case or you’ll be next.” As soon as the stranger said this, he stepped back and jumped through the bedroom window.

  Miguel instantly took out his cellphone and dialed 9-1-1. Toya started to drift in and out of consciousness. The operator came on the phone and he frantically explained the situation. Within minutes an ambulance was at the house. The commotion caused the entire neighborhood to converge outside his doorstep. He handed Jada to Juanita who lived across the street from them and was their closest family friend. “Will she be ok?” Juanita asked, terror ringing through her voice. Miguel sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I really don’t know Nita. It doesn’t look good.” Juanita gave him a hug and whispered, “Be strong,” in his ears.

  Miguel jumped into the back of the ambulance and soon he and Toya were being rushed to Granston General Hospital. Toya’s pulse was very weak and Miguel prayed that she would make it through alive. “Come on baby, stay with me,” he pleaded.

  “Her BP is dropping,” shouted one of the paramedics.

  Shortly after, they heard the dreaded sound of a flat line. The paramedics got into motion and began doing emergency CPR. Tears formed in Miguel’s eyes. He couldn’t lose this gorgeous woman who he built his life with. After three chest compressions, her heart began to beat again and Miguel breathed a sigh of relief. One of the paramedics used the back of his hand to wipe his forehead. “This one looks like a fighter,” he said. Miguel smiled as he began to reminisce on the last time Toya had a near death experience.

  Despite both being healthy and fertile, he and Toya had challenges getting pregnant. After their first three years of marriage, at the point when they were ready to give up, Toya realized that she had missed her period. Miguel instantly drove to the drug store and picked up every brand of pregnancy test. Toya laughed when she saw him walking through the door with two shopping bags full of pregnancy tests. “You didn’t need to get so many you know,” she said.

  “Well, I just wanted to be on the safe side.”

  “I think I’m going to use the three best ones. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

  After an hour she came out of the bathroom smiling from ear to ear. “We did it baby!”

  “Are you serious?” Miguel screamed as he lifted her into his arms.

  The proceeding months were challenging for Toya. There were several complications associated with the pregnancy. At one point, the doctors even thought that she would lose the child. Even in the delivery room it wasn’t the baby that the doctors were concerned about, it was Toya. Her blood pressure was dangerously high so the doctors chose to do an emergency C-Section. As soon as Jada was out of Toya’s womb, Toya began hemorrhaging badly and the doctors worked feverishly to stop the bleeding. Even then, Toya was a fighter – she made a full recovery, and they had been able to raise their precious daughter together for the past three years.

  That experience proved to Miguel that his wife was a fighter. He knew that she would pull through this. She had to. When they arrived at the hospital, the paramedics wheeled Toya into the emergency room. The doctor on duty was briefed on the situation and she was immediately wheeled into surgery. A nurse approached Miguel with her hands held up. “Mr. Copeland, I’m sorry but you can’t go in there. You have to wait out here.” Miguel nodded and took a seat in one of the hard, uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room. He pulled out his phone and pressed the speed dial button for Mark. “Hey, what’s up bro?” asked Mark when he answered.

  “Toya is in the hospital. I need you down here.”

  “I’m on my way. Which hospital?”

  “Granston General. We’re in the emergency ward.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Miguel hung up the phone and began pacing. He knew that his wife was a strong woman, but he was still uneasy about the uncertainty of her pulling through this. How did that stranger know that he was investigating Linda’s case? He ensured that he covered his tracks when he was doing his hacking and he hadn’t told anyone that he was helping Mark get information. When he found out how this man knew what was going on, he was going to find him and make him suffer for what he had done to his family. That was a guarantee.

  Miguel sat and held his head in his hands. “Miguel, what happened?” Mark asked frantically as he rushed into the waiting room. “Two words. Linda Walker.” Miguel then explained the details of what had transpired to him. When h
e was finished, Mark stared at him in complete disbelief. “Clearly we’re dealing with some really dangerous people. I’m so sorry to have brought you into this, bro.”

  “Listen Mark, we are both always there for each other. Through hell and high water. We just have to be more discreet about what we do. I need to figure out how they found out that I was doing some digging. Plus, they have to pay for doing this to Toya.”

  Mark stood and gave Miguel a brotherly hug. They tapped each other’s backs and indirectly re-established their commitment to be there for each other no matter what. Neither of them would ever break that code. “Here’s what I’m going to do Miguel. I’m going to ask Eddie to help us do some digging.”

  “Why do you think they won’t go after Eddie too?”

  “I’m not saying they won’t go after him, but he’s better able to protect himself. He’s a detective.”

  “Thanks for making me feel like I can’t protect my family.”

  “C’mon Miguel. You know I didn’t mean it like that. He’s just in a better place to deal with all of this. He also would have legal access to more information than either of us could get.”

  “Fine. You have a point.”

  Two hours passed and no one had come to tell Miguel what was happening. Miguel began pacing the room again. At least she wasn’t dead. Mark sat and watched his friend pace the room. He understood how he was feeling, though he would have felt much better if Karen was in the hospital instead of being missing for six days. He sighed as he rested his chin on the back of his hands. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a man in a white coat walking briskly to where he and Miguel were situated.

  “Mr. Copeland?” he asked.

  “Yes. Do you have any information about my wife?” Miguel replied.

  “Your wife is a strong woman. She made it through the surgery, but we discovered that she has a rare clotting disorder. She lost a lot of blood so we have to keep her in the ICU for a few more days.”

  Miguel breathed a sigh of relief then said, “How come the doctors didn’t realize that she had this disorder when she was hemorrhaging during her C-Section three years ago?”

  “That’s a good question. It’s a hereditary condition, but it requires specific types of tests to identify it. In that type of emergency, the doctors probably didn’t have a chance to get those tests done. Since your wife pulled through they probably thought there was no reason to run the test.”

  “That doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ll take your word for it. Can I see her?”

  “Sure. She’s in room 21.”

  He and Mark made their way to Toya’s room. She was resting peacefully, her long dark hair framing her face. Miguel moved to her side and kissed her hand. She slowly opened her eyes and shuffled in the bed. “Hey you,” she said with a smile on her face.

  “Hey beautiful. You had me really worried.”

  “You know I wouldn’t leave you and Jada. Not going anywhere anytime soon.”

  Miguel smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips. Mark cleared his throat. “Hey Toya.”

  She turned to face him. “Hey Marki boy. Thanks for taking care of my sugar plum for me.”

  “Of course. Who can resist your sugar plum,” Mark said with a sly smile on his face.

  Miguel cringed. Just as he was about to make a witty comeback, two police officers walked in. “Good afternoon Mrs. Copeland,” one of them said while nodding to Miguel and Mark, “My name is Officer Hendricks and this is Officer Campbell. We heard that you made it through your surgery and we just wanted to ask you a few questions about what happened.” Toya nodded. “Can you describe your attacker?”

  “The only thing that I can tell you is that he was muscular, about 6 feet tall and had a small head. He wore a mask so I couldn’t see his face and he had on gloves.”

  “Do you have any idea why someone would want to attack you,” Miguel shifted nervously in his seat.

  “I have no idea. I don’t have any enemies as far as I know.”

  “What about you Mr. Copeland?” asked Officer Campbell.

  “I have no idea officer. All I know is that I want whoever did this to be punished.”

  “We’re going to work assiduously to ensure that happens Mr. Copeland.”

  With that said, the officers left. “Honey, I’m going to speak with Mark outside for a minute. I’ll be right back.” She smiled and nodded.

  They stepped outside and Miguel closed the door behind him. “Marki-boy, we’ve stepped on some dangerous territory. Are you really ready to fight with the devil?”

  “As long as it helps me find Karen and helps you avenge this terrible act, I’m all in.”

  Miguel nodded. “I’m going to go back inside. You need to call Eddie and work out a plan to help us find this maniac. Call me when you have one.”

  They knocked fists and Mark made his way through the waiting room and out of the hospital.

  ___________________________________________________________________

  Carlton Rolston was almost sure that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. After his scare with the stranger on the sidewalk, he decided to hire a bodyguard. For extra protection he bought a pistol, a silver semi-automatic pistol with his initials engraved on it. He hardly slept. He felt as though he had lost control of his life especially with the list of directives that The Society had left on his desk.

  He had heard that plans were in place for Linda’s funeral. Of course he couldn’t attend because his presence would raise too many questions. He thought about going and observing from a distance. That thought quickly left his mind when he thought about how the Society would react. Beads of perspiration formed along his brow. He needed to pull himself together before things really spiraled out of control.

  He began to reflect on how simple his life had been before he became Mayor. He came from a wealthy background and was always the cocky rich kid. To him, however, what was more important than wealth was power and position. So, he ran for almost every leadership position he could find during his high school years. He became Student Council President, editor for the school’s magazine, and Debate Club President. However, it’s nearly impossible to have wealth and power without having to make some personal sacrifices. His cockiness and absorption in his leadership positions caused him to lose the girl he loved.

  After graduating with an average record, his parents got him into Harvard to study business. It was his father’s dream for him to take over the family business, but Carlton had other plans. He wanted to become President of the United States - leader of the free world. That for him was the ultimate position of power. So, he began his journey by running for mayor. His wealth helped him to bribe some voters and win the seat. His unconscionable actions caused him to gain the attention of the Society. Since the first day he set foot in the mayor’s office he had been the Society’s pawn. He bore with it because he hoped that over time he would have been able to work his way up the ranks in the Society. It was becoming quite clear that he was very wrong.

  Wealth, he realized, meant nothing to the members of the Society. So there was no one to bribe or manipulate to get what he wanted. It still puzzled him though that Ms. Stanford had made it so far in the organization. He had vowed to himself that he would find out more about her. So, he called his friend at the police station. “Hey Orlando. Quick favor. I need you to check out a woman named Angella Stanford for me.”

  “Rolston, I can’t just drop everything to do your bidding you know.”

  “C’mon Lando. I’m sure that it won’t take you very long.”

  Orlando sighed. “Fine. I’ll call you back when I’m done.”

  Carlton watched the hands on the clock move as each second passed. Ten minutes became fifteen minutes then twenty minutes. At the thirty minute mark, the phone rang. Carlton picked it up on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “Rolston, are you sure that the name you gave me was correct?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Well, there�
�s no record of any such person in our records or the city’s records. As far as we know, she doesn’t exist. No Social Security number. No driver’s license. Nothing.”

  “Interesting. Thanks Lando.”

  Carlton drummed his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. Angella Stanford didn’t exist. It was time to find out who this woman really was. Carlton rose from his seat, opened the door and signaled to the bodyguard. “C’mon Ralph. We’ve got some dirt to dig up.”

  Chapter Six

  Seven days missing

  Eduardo stared at the blank computer screen. He couldn’t shake off this terrible feeling that something wasn’t right about the Linda Walker case. What would a terrifying, beady eyed man want to do with a woman like Linda? Better yet, how did she become the Mayor’s mistress? Just as he was about to take out her case file and peer through the documents and pictures again, he noticed Mark walking towards him. Following closely on his heels was the most attractive red-head he had ever seen. He switched his gaze back to his friend and gave him his infamous charming smile. “Mark, you look like hell. What’re you doing here?”

  “Why thank you Eddie, you’re too kind,” he said sarcastically. “I’m here with a pertinent question…why haven’t any composite sketches of the man I described to you been put up all over the city? Don’t you want to catch this guy? He has the love of my….”

  “Calm down, Mark,” said the redhead.

  “I agree with your lovely friend. What’s your name?”

  “Ginger, but you can call me Ging,” she said extending her hand.

  He shook her hand firmly and asked, “So since my lovely friend won’t tell me what he’s really here for, can you probably tell me?”

  “I want an answer to my question first Eddie,” Mark said with hurt in his eyes.

  Eddie shook his head and sighed heavily. “The description you gave us was vague to say the least. The man was lurking in the shadows so it was difficult for you to fully make out his features. The sketch wasn’t enough for us to go on.”