The Art of Deception Read online

  Chapter Ten

  Twelve days missing

  The spring breeze wafted steadily through the evergreen leaves. Lilies, roses and orchids emitted wonderful aromas as she walked through the park’s nature path. Small birds and butterflies fluttered their gossamer wings as they flew through the evening air. This was Ginger’s favourite time of the year. It always made her feel especially chirpy and hopeful.

  As she walked through the park she couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling that someone was watching her. She could feel the glare that was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She turned around, but saw no one. Her paranoia was really beginning to affect her mood. “Get a grip Ging,” she said to herself as she took out her iPhone. She found her Michael Jackson playlist and clicked on her favourite song “Dirty Diana”. The café where she was meeting Mark, Miguel, and Eddie was just around the corner. The music was beginning to really pick up and she could feel it in her bones. Her legs began to move and she started dancing, completely oblivious to everything around her.

  That’s when he made his move. He grabbed her neck and placed a handkerchief doused with chloroform over her nose and mouth. She didn’t have time to scream because she was knocked out almost instantly.

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  Mark stared impatiently at his watch. It was now 7:30 and he had agreed to meet with his friends at 7. At a time like this, them being late only meant one thing in Mark’s mind, something must be wrong. He was just about to take out his phone to call Miguel when he saw Miguel and Eddie walk through the café’s doors. He waved his hand so that they could spot where he was. They spotted him and walked over. After their customary greetings, Mark asked, “What took you guys so long?”

  “We were caught in some terrible traffic. Where’s Ging? I thought she would’ve been here by now,” said Eddie.

  “Oh, so you’re calling Ging now,” Mark said with a mischievous grin on his face. He could’ve sworn that Eddie started to blush.

  “Yah so? Where is she?”

  While Mark and Eddie were discussing where Ginger could possibly be, Miguel’s phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw Ginger’s name. “Hey guys, she’s calling me.” They stopped talking and waited for him to answer the phone.

  “Hey Ginger. Where are you? We’re all at…”

  “This isn’t Ginger, Miguel. It’s Roger. I need to…”

  “What have you done to her Roger? I swear if you harm even a single strand of hair on her head, I’ll kill you.”

  “She’s fine Miguel. Just relax. I need to see you alone and I knew that if you saw me you’d turn the other way.”

  “You’re damn right about that. After what happened the last time, I’ll never trust you again.”

  “Listen Miguel, I’m rolling with a different crew now. Things are different. I can lead you to your friend’s pretty lady, but I need you to meet me…alone.”

  “So you’re telling me that you know where Karen is and you expect me to come and meet you without Mark? No way, brother.” Mark’s eyes opened in shock.

  “Just do what I say or you may not see Ginger again.”

  “Fine. Text me the details. Remember, if you hurt her I’ll kill you,” Miguel said, before abruptly ending the call.

  Mark and Eddie were looking at him in stunned silence. Mark was the first to speak. “Who was that?”

  “That was my brother who I’ve been trying to locate. He wants me to meet him alone and he claims to know where Karen is.”

  “There’s no way you’re going alone,” Eddie retorted.

  “I have to. I don’t want to risk him harming Ginger.”

  At that moment Miguel’s phone chimed notifying him that a text message had been received. He knew that it was a message with the information he had asked for. He stood and took up his car keys. “Call us the moment you know something and be careful,” Mark said. Miguel nodded and made his way to the car. When he was out of sight, Mark looked at Eddie and said, “You know that we’re going to follow him right?”

  Eddie nodded. “Let’s go before he gets too far ahead. We have to be very careful though. His brother can’t know that we’re there.”

  “I know, Eddie. I’ve just got to find Karen.”

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  After Roger hung up the phone, he looked at Ginger. She glared at him with intense hatred. “Listen red, I’m not going to do anything to you. I just need to talk to Mark and I know that he would need to have a real reason to meet with me.” She quickly checked out her surroundings. They were in a sparsely furnished room with peeling walls and a foul odor emanating from the bathroom. She could hear cars speeding by outside which meant that they were close enough to the freeway. Her hands had been bound with coarse rope and her mouth had been closed with duct tape. She was trying to figure out a way to wriggle free of the rope. She needed a distraction.

  “So what made Miguel hate you so much,” she asked.

  “Long story. I kind of bailed on him and mom when they needed me the most.”

  “Well aren’t you a prince.”

  Just when Roger was about to respond, the sounds of screeching tires interrupted his thoughts. Car doors flew open. Roger attempted to quietly peak through the window shades to see what the commotion was about. That’s when the first bullet pierced through the window and connected with the wall closest to the bathroom. Ginger instantly began to wriggle in her chair and release muffled screams from her lungs. “We need to get out of here red,” Roger said. There was now heavy pounding on the door. “Roger you son of a bitch. Open the door. You thought you could get away from me?”

  Horror filled Roger’s eyes and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. How did Ringo find him so easily? In a rush of panic, Roger grabbed the lampstand beside the sole bed in the room and stood behind the door. The door was the only way in and the only way out. Ringo had begun to kick down the door. Roger could hear the muffled sounds of men cursing. There were at least four men out there. Roger knew that he was outnumbered and there was no way that he could fight them off with his injured hand. He looked at Ginger. Ringo had almost completely burst the door down. Roger knew that he stood a better chance if he untied the red-head. She’d at least try to fight to save her own life.

  So, he took his Swiss army knife out of his pocket and cut the ropes that bound her hands. He also tore the duct tape off her mouth and held his finger to his lip. She needed to be quiet. He gave her the gun that was in the holster at his hip. “When he bursts through that door just shoot, ok?” She nodded.

  The door flew open and Ringo and his gang rushed in, guns blazing. Ginger didn’t even have time to fire the gun before she felt coarse and muscular arms grab her. She tried to kick her attacker where she knew it’d hurt, but he pre-empted her attack and used the handle of his gun to knock her unconscious.

  Ringo’s arm was around Roger’s neck in a deadlock position. “I should just kill you now you bastard after what your friends put me through,” he said. Roger could feel himself gasping for air. He couldn’t think of a counter-attack that wouldn’t end up with him severely damaging his arm. Just when Roger thought that he was going to breathe his last breath, Ringo released his grip. “This is too easy. I want to see you suffer. Trey, give me that needle.” One of the men handed Ringo a needle filled with a clear liquid. Before Roger could make an attempt to plead his case, Ringo stuck the needle into Roger’s throat and Roger instantly felt himself fade out of consciousness.

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  Carlton hadn’t been able to sleep since the meeting. He was now lying in his king sized bed next to his wife. Although he really had no use for her, except for public appearances, he didn’t want to see her get hurt. He had increased security at his house, but that still didn’t give him the assurance that they’d be safe. The Society had the means to break through any security barrier.
Carlton had just waged war with them so he knew that it was only a matter of time before they came.

  Carlton got up and walked downstairs into his study. While he was booting up his computer, he heard the shuffling of grass outside the window. Figuring that it was just one of the members of his security team, he ignored the sound and continued to focus on his computer. Once the computer was on, he turned on the surveillance video. In each of the frames he saw one of his security guards lying on the ground, dead. Carlton jumped out of his chair and attempted to open the top drawer of his desk where he kept his gun. It was jammed. Cursing under his breath, he took up the baseball bat that he had next to his collection of autographed baseballs.

  He stepped cautiously into the hallway and walked towards the door. That’s when he saw the man he had hoped never to see again standing in the corner. “Why hello Mr. Rolston. It’s such a pleasure to see you again.”

  “Come anywhere near me and I’ll kill you Ringo!” Carlton shouted.

  Ringo laughed in a sinister tone. “Twiggy,” he shouted, “Bring her in here.” Carlton heard the sound of footsteps coming down the staircase. He looked up and saw a tall, slim man holding a gun in his wife’s back. Her skin was ghastly pale and she was clearly terrified. “L-l-let her go Ringo. She has nothing to do with this.”

  “Bring her to me Twiggy,” Ringo said. Tears began to stream down her face.

  “Carlton, what’s going on?” she asked.

  “Shut up lady before I put a bullet in your spine,” Twiggy said. She was now standing in front of Ringo. He took out a sharp, pointed knife and jabbed it into her stomach. “No!” Carlton shouted as he rushed to catch her in his arms. She started gasping for air and blood began to ooze from her mouth. Very shortly she was no longer breathing and lay lifeless in Carlton’s arms. Carlton got up and charged at Ringo, “You bastard! Y-y-you…”

  Ringo firmly held Carlton’s arm and wagged his finger. “C’mon now lover boy. There’s nothing you can do to me. Now, Twiggy here is going to take you to the car. I don’t want to have to kill you so it’s best you just cooperate.” Carlton glared at him. He knew that Ringo was right. “Let’s go Twiggy,” Carlton said.

  Chapter Eleven

  Twelve days missing

  Miguel felt like he had been driving for hours. He looked at the time on the dashboard. It was 8:01pm. It had only been about 25 minutes. “Time really stands still when danger is on the horizon,” he muttered to himself. The radio DJ was now playing “Sweet Lady” by Tyrese. Miguel quickly switched the radio off. He couldn’t be reminded of his wife right now. He had to focus.

  The GPS guide told him that his destination was on the next right turn. He turned onto a street that was lined with low income houses. Some of the homes were abandoned and had graffiti along the walls. Young boys were sitting on the sidewalk drinking beer and smoking. The scene reminded him of his childhood. There was nothing about it that he missed.

  According to the GPS, his destination was the third house on the street. The yard was fenced and there were no lights on inside. Something seemed off. He parked the car and shut off the ignition. He looked through the passenger window at the dark house. There was no sign of movement and the place was just too quiet. He opened the glove compartment of his car and took out his licensed pistol. Placing it in the waist of his jeans, he opened the car door and walked towards the fence that surrounded the yard.

  He noticed that there was a small box on the porch. “Lord, I don’t want to die from a bomb. Not today,” he whispered to himself. Thinking about his next move, he leaned against his car and took out his phone. He tapped his recent call list and dialed Ginger’s number. It rang unanswered. He cursed under his breath and clenched his fists. “I am going to kill that boy,” he said as he opened the gate and walked towards the porch. As he walked up the porch steps, he noticed that the box was neatly wrapped with gift paper and had his name written at the top. He stooped down and gently opened the box. A poorly scrawled note was inside that read, “Portrise Building. I have all three of them. Let the games begin.” It was signed by Ringo.

  Miguel instantly felt his heart begin to race. Beads of perspiration dripped down his face. He took out his phone and dialed Mark’s number. “Mark, meet me at the Portrise Building now,” he said and then hung up the phone. He ran to his car and sped down the street, hoping that he wasn’t too late.

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  The Portrise Building was a brick fortress built in the early 1800s. It spanned 20 acres and sat on the edge of a rocky cliff. The city’s historical society had declared it a historical monument and, therefore, sought to preserve its design. Legend stated that King Portrise had clandestine meetings with his rival, King Ferdinand of the Pallises, at this fortress hoping that he would have been able to make a deal to gain a portion of his wealth. At one of these meetings, King Ferdinand’s men assassinated King Portrise and laid siege on Granston City, killing thousands of people. It was rumored that the souls of these innocent victims roamed the halls of the fortress, seeking vengeance for what King Portrise had allowed to happen.

  Mark’s heart palpitated vigorously as he approached the building. Miguel was leaning against his car waiting for him to approach. After Mark parked the car and he and Eddie got out, Miguel rushed over to them. “We need a plan. We can’t just go in there wide-eyed and defenseless,” he said in a panicked voice as he began pacing.

  “First you need to calm down,” Eddie said, “It makes no sense to panic now. If we panic we’ll only make stupid mistakes.”

  “I’ve got a wife and kid man. I can’t die today. I just can’t,” he replied.

  “Stop being a sissy, Miguel. You’ve got more balls than this. Now focus so that we can come up with a plan,” Mark said.

  Miguel sat on one of the large stones near to where the vehicles were parked. “We have to go in together. Who knows how many people they have in there? This place is huge though, how’re…” Before Miguel could finish his sentence, he noticed lights flickering in the distance. Mark and Eddie noticed that he had paused, so they too turned their attention to what he was seeing. Before any of them could begin to question what they were seeing, a bullet whizzed through the air and connected with the wall behind them. “Run!” screamed Eddie. They sprang into action and began speeding towards the fortress’ entrance. They could now hear a barrage of bullets.

  When they got to the fortress’ entrance, Eddie hid behind the wall, took out his pistol and fired some random shots. It was impossible for them to see where the shots were coming from because it was pitch black. “We need to find a good vantage point,” Eddie said.

  “Holy mother of Jesus, we’re going to die,” Miguel whispered as he crouched in a corner and began to say the Hail Mary.

  Mark shook his head and turned to Eddie. “He’s clearly not going to be of any help. Since this is a fortress, there should be some safe vantage points on the upper level.”

  “Good. How do we get up there?” Eddie asked as he took out his cell phone.

  “Who’re you calling at a time like this?” asked Mark.

  “I’m calling for backup. We can’t…”

  “There’re some stairs over there,” Miguel shouted, “Those could lead us to the place that Mark is talking about.”

  Mark turned to Eddie and nodded. The air outside had become unusually still. The terrifying sounds of bullets had now been replaced by an eerie silence. “We need to move now. They’re going to find their way in here soon. We need to have an advantage,” Eddie said.

  Miguel needed no further persuasion; he leapt to his feet and bolted towards the staircase. Mark and Eddie followed suit. The staircase was uncomfortably narrow and winding with no form of light to guide their footsteps. Mark was claustrophobic, and he felt panic rising through his veins. His breathing was labored and he felt his muscles tensing. “Miguel. Stop. How much further up do you think we have to go?” Eddie asked.

  “I se
e an opening coming up. Just a few more steps,” he replied.

  “We need to get Mark out of here. I’m going to lead him up. Be careful when you get to the top.”

  Eddie guided Mark up the remainder of the steps. When they got to the opening, Mark fell to his knees gasping for air. Miguel and Eddie were so focused on getting him to calm down that they didn’t notice the man at the end of the hallway. He was wearing a dark hoodie that shrouded his face. His feet made no sound as he crept up behind them. Just as he took out his knife to stab Eddie, Miguel looked up and saw him. Without hesitating, he took out his pistol and fired one clean shot straight through the heart. Relief shone through Eddie’s eyes as he mouthed the words “thank you” to Miguel.

  Mark seemed to have been startled into calming down. His breathing normalized and he was on his feet and ready to move again. The trio began running down the hallway and stopped at a door that led to another set of staircases. “Mark, can you handle this again?” Eddie asked.

  “Do I have a choice?” he asked as he stood at the entrance. Without waiting for a response, he began to make his way up as quickly as he possible could. Miguel and Eddie followed closely behind him. When they got to the top of the staircase, they were greeted by the calming glow of the full moon that was piercing the night sky. “We’re on the roof,” Mark said. “We can see everything on the perimeter from here.”

  “That is true, but everything on the perimeter can also see us,” Miguel said.

  “He’s right, but at least the fortress was built like a castle so we have these wall protrusions that we can hide behind with gaps in between,” Eddie responded.

  They crouched behind the wall, breathless. “Do you think that Karen is here or was this just a trap?” Mark asked.

  “I dunno, bro. All I know is that we need to figure this shit out before we get killed,” Mark responded.

  In the shadows of one of the far corners of the roof, another man was lurking. Adrenaline pulsated through his veins and he was ready to attack. “I want him alive,” she had said to him, “I don’t care about the other two.” Her wish was his command, but he wanted to be sure that everything went perfectly. The journalist had to make it out alive.