Secrets Ch. 02

Teresa went on. "Jack Burke was a really good fuck in bed, but that's all he was to me. He was in love with your wife Melina, and she was in love with him but had to settle for you after Jack was framed for rape. It was easy enough to help him win Melina away from you, and I was happy for him, and her. And I was going to leave it at that, and let you just be bankrupt, miserable and alone. And then... you actually showed up at my Police Headquarters, being interviewed for a job."

"It was bad enough having to work for that godforsaken Police Force." Teresa continued. "The corruption, listening to that sanctimonious bastard Ikea preaching the fucking Gospel all day, having to work with Ikea's dingleberry Geiger. That smarmy do-gooder Captain Angela Harlan, who acted like she couldn't be corrupted, trying to get me fired when I was doing a good job."

Teresa went on, ranting: "Cindy and I yelled at each other just to let off steam; we were both miserable working there. But Chief Griswold, he was worth working for. And then YOUR GODDAMNED NEPHEW KILLED THEM!" Teresa's face was filled with the ugliness of unappeasable hatred. Then she said with unnerving calmness: "And on top of that, there you were."

"If they had hired you," Teresa said, "I might've quit on the spot. Or I might've bided my time and taken the right opportunity to kill you, if Ikea didn't beat me to it. But they didn't, and I thought I was rid of you again when Admiral Cordell had the FBI and CIA go after you. They almost killed you, but Governor Val Jared sent the SBI in to rescue you by the hairs of your chinny-chin-chin."

"No complaints from here about that." I said.

"And I'll be finishing what the FBI and CIA started." Teresa said.

"So why send me, of all people, to find McGinty's Materials?" I asked, to get her talking again.

Teresa replied: "Jack Burke was using his daddy's corporate empire to climb the ladder of political success, and he was going to take me with him... I'm going to be Director of the SBI, and this State's local LEOs will toe the line when I hold jurisdiction over them... but he had two small problems: Bundy McGinty, and Shane O'Brady."

"They had pursued Jack Burke for a long time." Teresa said. "And they amassed a considerable amount of blackmail materials on a great many politicians and important people in the State in the process. Jack couldn't run for Governor with that hanging over his head, so I went to work. People loyal to me set up the gas explosion in Pottsville, and O'Brady was taken out, as well as do-gooder Jared. You found the name of Tony Long the other day, so my people eliminated him. The ambush didn't kill him, but it took only one man disguised as an orderly to take a trip to the hospital and inject him with potassium chloride to stop his heart, so he was efficiently eliminated."

"And you were selected, Mr. Troy," Teresa said, "because you really do have some smarts about finding things out, but you're as dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to being aware of your surroundings. It was soooo easy for me to send my friend Gloria Searles to seduce you in Midtown. She's been a CIA psychiatrist for several years now, one of Admiral Cordell's best finds. It was also easy to get others in the TCPD to suggest to the Chief to bring you up as a P.I. to look for the Materials. But then a problem came up: Jimmy 'Coffin' Cerone."

Teresa said "Cerone is one hell of an evil man, but he's an old school mobster: he keeps his word. And he even treated you to lunch. If you'd found those materials, and then figured out that he was your best chance to live, and you gave him the Materials, then it was over for Jack... and for me. And you might've had a great career as one of Cerone's most trusted associates, especially in his legitimate businesses. No, Mr. Troy, we could not have that, now could we?"

"You...you're the Shadow Hand!" I said, my voice a whisper. "You're the 'Moriarty' that's been behind all the criminal activity, the One Ring that in the darkness binds them all..."

"Nowwww you're starting to get it." Teresa said with a wicked smile. "And unfortunately for you, Mr. Troy... with you, it's personal for me. I have devoted nearly all of the considerable power that I've amassed to one single, focused purpose... your destruction. That much power brought against such a puny object is not unlike a triphammer crushing a nut... but the nut is utterly, completely crushed all the same. And so will you be, Mr. Donald Troy."

"Are you behind what's happening to Apple Grove?" I asked.

"Oh yesss." Teresa hissed. "For purely practical reasons, of course, but with the added benefit of destroying your hometown. The reason is simple: I found out that a large aquifer is sitting under the ground, enough water to support industry for over a century. BigAgraFoods is moving in to take over the farms, and my people, including the FBI, moved in to eradicate the town. The companies buying up all the houses and the businesses... belong to me. Do you realize how much income I will derive from literally owning a small town? A whole county, even? A place where the Police and all the businesses belong to me?"

"Why buy my land at such a premium?" I asked.

"You didn't know that there was competition for that land." said Teresa. "Someone else wanted that property, and forced me to raise my bid. But that's okay... I'll be getting that money back from your brokerage. A Will & Testament will unexpectedly turn up after you're found dead, leaving everything you own to your beloved wife Melina... a will you unfortunately forgot to change after the divorce."

I'd had no will at all; she must have made a forgery, I thought to myself.

"So, enough about me." Teresa said. "It's time for you to start talking... and telling me where McGinty's Materials are. Where are they?"

"They were in a box in my apartment.' I said. "But that box was empty when I got home from dinner. So I don't know who has them."

"You lie." said Teresa.

"I put the jump drives in my safe deposit box." I said. "That's the whole truth. So either kill me or let me go, but that's all I have to give you."

"I can see that this is going to take some time." said Teresa. "Not that I mind, I'm going to enjoy every minute of your pain, every scream I force out of you." I felt her hand slide under my waist and to my back.

"AAAUUUGGGH!" I screamed as searing pain ripped through my spine, emanating from the spot on my back that had been broken.

"One more time... where... are... the papers?" Teresa snarled.

"I told you!" I gasped. "The papers are gone, the jump drives are in the safe deposit---- AAAUGGGHHH!" Whatever it was that she was pressing into my back, it hurt!

"Listen, fool." Teresa said. "When you were walking out the front door of the bank, we were walking in the back door with a warrant and a drill. You put an empty bag into the safe deposit box. So where did you put the jump drives?"

"In the safe deposit box." I said.

"You damned liar!" Teresa yelled. I screamed as more pain was applied to my back. The ringing in my ears started up again.

"Where are McGinty's Materials?" I heard her voice, though sounding like it was from far away.

"In the safe deposit box." I said. My ears started ringing again, the noise much louder. A virtual reality mask was put over my eyes, and lights began flashing. Closing my eyes did not help. I felt something being injected into my arm...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When I woke up, the VR mask was no longer over my eyes. I felt very cold and very weak. I tried to raise my head, and I saw that I was in what looked like a small O.R. room. It looked strangely familiar to me.

I felt something even more strange... like something was reaching into my mind. I did not resist it; indeed, I went out to reach it.

"Hi, Daddy."

I looked over to see my daughter Carole standing by the side of the metal table I was on.

"Hi, Fussbudget." I said. Was this a mental trick? I wondered to myself.

"Where are we, Daddy?" Carole asked.

"Under the Hospital." I said, somehow knowing. "We're underneath University Hospital."

"Okay, Daddy." Carole said. "I'll tell them." And then my daughter walked away and out of my sight.

"Carole! Come back!" I cried out, or thought I was crying out, trying to hold on to the last of my sanity.

"Oh shit!" I heard a voice say. "He's coming out of it!" I thought I saw Teresa flitting through the room, then the binaural tones turned up to an almost deafening pitch. I was seeing lights again, and feeling like I was floating in space. Was this an LSD trip? I wondered. Then I heard Teresa's voice again:

"Where are McGinty's Materials?!" she hissed.

"In the safe deposit box." I said, or thought I said. I was feeling sick, nauseated, totally unable to focus on anything. I felt pain in my chest, and I couldn't catch my breath. The binaural tones got even louder, then faded... and I realized they were fading because I was tuning out...

"Where are the materials?" I heard a woman's voice say. "For your family's sake, tell ussssss..."

I was trying to remember something... a little girl... who was she?... was she in danger?...

"Where are McGinty's Materials?" the voice hissed, right into my ears. The psychedelic lights were swirling in a circle, orbiting an incredibly bright Light in the middle. As the pain in my chest increased, I felt drawn to that Light, and I realized what it meant... it was over...

"Where are McGinty's Materials?" the voice hissed, then the binaural tones got even louder. The Light began growing larger and larger...

"Under the cell tower. They're under... the cell tower..." I gasped as the Light descended upon me, enveloping me completely...

To be continued?