Chapter Twenty-Four: All Downhill From Here

          Fred Sullen stared out over the wide yard of the Fantas Estate. He walked back and forth through the bushes on the outer rim of the mansion, mumbling to himself as he thought about his situation with his partner, Greg. The guy was a complete moron, he couldn’t do anything right. He was selfish and stupid and egotistical.

“How does an overweight jerk like that even get on the force, let alone stay on it for so long? Some things in life are just plain mysterious.” Fred kicked a rock at his feet and bit his bottom lip. “Does he have to condescend every time we talk? Does he have to call me ‘rookie’ and ‘kid’ and ‘boy’ and ‘coppling’?” Fred felt like yelling his frustration to the high heavens. He had been in a car with this guy for what seemed like an eternity.

It was so uncomfortable being around Greg, it felt like torture. Fred groaned to himself, he had always envisioned hell as a place with fire and brimstone. Boy, was he wrong. Hell was nowhere near that ugly description. Hell was right there in the undercover cop car.

Fred could almost hear the words of the other cops down at the Aggerton Police Station. They would all be having a hay day with this particular assignment given to him and Greg; he could almost see them all standing by the water cooler, talking a hole through their cheeks and gums about this situation. As a matter-of-fact, he could almost hear their satirical comments echoing inside his skull right now. He could almost see their puny little faces as he walked into the police department. They would be saying things like, “Hey ‘Big F’! How does it feel to be on a stakeout with a prehistoric dinosaur?” or something like, “Hey, Fred! Did Grandpa Greg teach you the ropes while you were out there? Did he show you how to be a big boy cop?”

I am never going to live this down, thought Fred. I will always be the one that Greg Times destroyed. He is going to take me, like a towel, and rub his bad reputation all over me until it stays. I am doomed. I am going to have to transfer my papers to Babington. Fred lifted his hands and ran his stocky fingers through his hair.

“I wish that bloody old cop would just let me do my own thing for once. I wish he would just let me get in a little sleep now and then. Is that too much to ask?”

Fred stopped pacing and looked out over the back yard again. Everything was quiet and still. Dark shadows littered the grass at odd angles. A cool breeze picked up from the Northeast and blew across the treetops and bushes. The smell of the sea floored Fred’s senses and brought to his mind better times. The wonderful sensation was like aromatherapy to his beaten and depressed soul. Fred thought about his days on the beach up in Northern Trenton. He would camp up there for days and weeks on end. In the mornings he would surf until the sun went down and the moon came up. Those were the happiest times of his adult life, or so it seemed. Those were the memories he could get lost in, especially when his companion was being a complete moron.

Fred stationed his feet far apart and spread his hands out wide to keep his balance. He closed his eyes and imagined that he was actually catching a big wave into the white sandy beach. The wind was blowing through his long brown hair and the sea was pressing up against his feet. He could almost feel the board vibrate as it shifted in all directions as it rode the powerful surf. Fred looked up and was going to wave to some hot girls on the shore when a burst of cold water hit him in the face and threw him off balance. He opened his eyes quickly and staggered back. His face was dripping with real moisture. The sudden presence of it caught him off guard. 

“What the heck?!” said Fred as he lifted a hand and wiped himself off. He looked around the yard and noticed that the sprinklers were now on and turning in regular cycles. He walked to a different part of the grass that wasn’t being soaked at the moment. He spat out a wad of spit and tried to relax his shoulders. The cold water on his face had been a cruel way to pull him out of his daydream. I bet those sprinklers are working for Greg Times somehow, thought Fred. I bet he was the one that turned them on and told them to wet me.

Fred was going to head back to the police car when he spotted a shadowy figure staggering across the south wing of the lawn. From the angle at which he was standing, it looked as if the person were injured. Fred smiled at this and got behind a big bush. He waited patiently for the person to get close. This could be our big chance, he thought. This could actually be the guy that will help pull me out of this stagnate hell that I am in right now.

*          *          *

Bob grabbed his knees and hobbled cautiously to the outer lines of the mansion. He was trying to be careful not to attract any more attention to himself. He needed to get away from the Fantas Estate as quickly as possible. All hell had broken loose back in Tom’s bedroom, and no doubt, Mr. Tash would be sending his bodyguards and staff to wipe him out completely. Bob kept looking behind to see if that crazy, gun wielding maniac was following. Luckily for him, the bodyguard wasn’t daring enough to jump out the window and onto the lawn like he was. If Kaplen had followed, there was no telling what could have happened. They would probably both be dead by now.

“Good riddance to you all!” Bob cleared his throat. “You bunch of WOG’s!’”  His chest was pumping and his breathing was heavy. His left hand was bleeding badly and throbbing in pain. I’ll just find a safe place back at the company, thought Bob. I’ll just go back to the company and find a chair and sit down in it and sort through the damages of tonight. They might have the star map in their possession again but now we have a copy of it. They might try and find me, but I have their top secret papers resting in the folds of my jacket. If they try to harm me in any way, these files go straight to the authorities. It will be game over then. It will be the end of the Fantas Estate then. We have the upper-hand in this cheese match.

Bob reached down with his good hand and rubbed his hamstrings for a minute. He had pulled them terribly when he had hit the ground back there. With every stride he took, it felt like someone was stabbing him in the back of the leg with a steak knife. His whole body ached with fatigue and sweat. All he needed right now was a nice hot shower and a deep rest. As a matter-of-fact all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. He had been working on and off like this for a week straight.

Bob cringed and looked down at his bloody hand. There was a weird burning sensation taking place now in between the metacarpals. It felt as if someone had dropped a hot coal into his palm. He held the nasty looking appendage up into the light so that he could get a better view of the gore. There was a big gaping hole just under the joint of the thumb. Bob almost passed out when he saw the wound and brought his hand back down to his side. He didn’t want to look at it anymore.

What the heck am I going to tell the doctor when he sees this thing? What the heck am I going to tell Ruler when he hears about what happened tonight? I am going to be on the hit list of two very powerful people.

He approached the edge of the bushes. He was going to leave when a man in dark clothing jumped out and blocked his mode of escape. He was holding a badge and a gun.

“APD! Freeze, dirt bag!”

Bob staggered forward and tripped over a big tree root sticking out of the ground in front of him. Both his legs gave out from under him as he flew forward straight into the chest of the Aggerton cop. They collided into each other and hit the ground in a mass of limbs. 

Fred could feel the air leave his lungs as Bob crashed into his rib cage. Each man struggled to gain control of the situation. After a few moments of wrestling, Fred found a weak spot on Bob’s left hand and used it to his advantage. He grabbed the wound and squeezed as tightly as he possibly could. Bob let out a yell and rolled over onto his side. Hot salty tears were now coming to his eyes. His whole arm was screaming out with pain now. It felt as if a car had run it over.

Fred was holding him at bay now. He turned the man over and put a knee on his back.

“What the heck are you doing!?” yelled Bob between clinched teeth; he was in so much pain right now. “I am innocent! I have done nothing wrong!”  His left ear was now resting in the dirt. He was kicking his legs in protest. He wanted to break free. He wanted to go home. He wanted this crazy night to end.

“I am subduing you for questioning,” stated Fred as he stood up and shifted so his foot was resting on Bob’s back. He brushed himself off and stretched his shoulders. His breath was coming in and out wildly, just like the pistons of an engine.

“I am guilty of nothing,” yelled Bob. “I’ll get my lawyer on you. You had better let me go, or you’ll be sorry! I swear I’ll—”

“Shut it!”

“I am innocent!”

“Well if you’re as innocent as you say you are then you won’t mind me searching your person for any items that might convict you,” Fred bent down over Bob and fumbled through his pants pockets for any incriminating evidence. Bob struggled a little as his pockets were searched.

“You’re a freakin’ moron, you know that? You don’t even know who you are messing with! I have people on my side that could eat you for breakfast. I have people that could make you disappear!”

“Shut it, jail bait!” said Fred as he moved from Bob’s pockets to the inside of his white catering coat. As he did this, Bob go stiff; the cop was sure to find the papers he had taken from the Fantas House, and once he found them, he was sure he was going to pin that evidence on him. He had to be stopped, he had to get away.

Fred was patting around the man’s chest and ribcage when he suddenly jerked away and started for the road. The action was quick, but not quick enough. Fred leapt out and grabbed the man by the collar. He pressed him to the ground and then turned him over. He was going to yell at the idiot when Bob suddenly kicked up at his groin. Fred saw the motion but was too late to react. He doubled over in pain and fell backwards as Bob’s shoe pounded him hard.

Bob smiled and came to his feet.

“Sorry about this, copper.” He chuckled for a bit, Fred looked like he was about to barf. “But it appears that this man is about to leave the station.” Bob was feeling empowered now; he had overcome his enemy. He walked over and kicked the worthless cop square in the forehead. Fred let out a groan as his left eyelid split in two and splattered blood everywhere. His world was spinning in and out, in and out. He puked on the grass.

Bob watched the beaten cop for a minute. He was completely amused at his suffering.

“If this is how tough the APD is, it’s no wonder crime is soaring in Aggerton. You guys are complete pushovers!” He kicked Fred in the ribs but this time not so hard; it was more of a playful gesture. Bob was going to turn and leave the pitiful cop when something hard struck the back of his head. It felt like his whole brain had exploded inside his head. The taste of blood filled his mouth and his vision went black. In seconds he dropped to the ground completely unconscious.

*      *      *

Greg Times stood over Bob and rubbed his knuckles with satisfaction. He looked at the unconscious miscreant with utter triumph and pride. He had done a wonderful job of sneaking up on the lousy, no-good crook. The idiot didn’t even know what had hit him just then; criminals can be so dumb sometimes. Greg chuckled at this and looked over to his partner lying in the cool grass. Dirt and small twigs were now sticking to his face and hair. Blood was trickling down his eye and cheeks and mixing with the dirt. He looked like he was in bad shape. He looked like he had fallen out of the ugly tree.

Ah, rookies, thought Greg. They think that they can break the rules and get away with it. They think that they can do things their way and that everything is going to work out just peachy. I hope Fred learned something from this whole ordeal tonight. I hope he learns that no one is exempt from the rules of the force, not even rookies. I hope he learns that listening to me is one of the best things he could ever do. Greg walked over to Fred and helped him to a seated position. He looked like he was still in a lot of pain. His eyes were rolling all over the place inside his skull. To Greg, he reminded him of a mindless zombie; the only thing missing was the desire for human flesh. 

“I hate it when criminals don’t play fair,” mumbled Fred, he tried to swallow the lump of spit forming in his throat. “I hate it.”

Greg smiled and patted his companion on the back. He was going to be as sympathetic as humanly possible to his friends’ situation.

“Well, Fred, you’re going to have to expect that sort of stuff on the job… criminals don’t play fare, as a matter-of-fact, it’s in their nature to not play fair. They will do anything to get you, that’s why you have to be focused and ready for anything that happens.”

“Shut up, Greg, I don’t need your advice!”

Greg pulled his hand away and looked over to Bob. Fred could be a real hot-headed jerk when it came down to it, he really could. Greg let out a big breath.

“Why was this little dolt trying to get away?”

“I don’t know,” said Fred as he slowly came to a standing position. His head was still spinning from the blow that Bob had given him a few minutes ago. “I was just trying to search him when he went all wild like that.” He held up a hand and rubbed his swollen eye socket. It felt like someone had shoved a massive ping pong ball under his skin. He was beginning to feel sick again. It felt like all the blood in his head had seeped out from his swollen face. He sat back down on the ground and tried to control his breathing. The last thing he wanted to do was puke again.

Greg walked over to the unconscious man and knelt down.

“He would have to be hiding something pretty bad if he fought that hard to get away. Innocent people don’t just fight back like that. Innocent people respect the law.” Greg ran his hands through the unconscious man’s pockets. He patted his sides and arms. When he came to the chest he pulled out the papers and examined them closely in the soft light. His eyes slowly lit up as he read each line of the crinkled documents. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Everything that they needed to convict Mr. Tash of his crimes was all there in black and white. He felt like shouting, he felt like running and dancing. He felt alive!

“What did you find?” asked Fred. He could just make out that Greg was holding something in his hands. “What is that stuff?”

Greg turned and smiled. His hands were shaking with excitement; he looked like a kid at Christmas.

“This stuff is what we have been waiting for, Fred, for so long. It’s the evidence we need to convict Mr. Fantas of his illegal trading. It’s all here, I can’t believe it’s all here!”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am serious.” He held up the papers. “It’s all here in black and white. Mr. Fantas signature’s are all over the place.” He looked down at Bob. “We need to contact the station and prepare for the raid of the Fantas Estate.” He threw out a hand and pointed to the Fantas Estate in the distance. “I want this place full of police by morning, I want to have that no-good crook convicted by sundown. I want justice!”

“What was this guy doing with those papers outside the house?” asked Fred with puzzlement. “It doesn’t make sense why he would do that. Why would he send them with this guy? For a man as smart as Tash to do something like this is, well, stupid! There has to be a trap in it all, it can’t be this easy!” He staggered to his feet again and held his sides. The nausea was slowly going away.

Greg shook his head.

“I don’t know, maybe he’s one of Tash’s go-to men, maybe he’s just an errand boy, but whatever he is, we’re going to find out soon. Let’s take him to the station and get what we need.” He grabbed Bob by the shoulders and pulled him up to a seated position. “I want everything to go smoothly for tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because tomorrow we make history!”

Fred hated the drama oozing from his partners lips. Greg always made things sound more exciting than they actually were.

“Give me a hand here.”

Fred walked over and helped Greg haul the unconscious man to the squad car.  

 

Chapter Twenty-Three: Just Missed Me

          Bob put away his cell phone and stared at the star map lying on top of the red satin sheets. A triumphant smile crossed his face. He was no longer in deep trouble with his boss, no longer in danger of being killed and thrown into the sea. He was a free man right now, his perseverance and quick thinking had paid off. I am a genius, thought Bob, an absolute prodigy to the sneaky craft. I think I deserve a raise for being so daring and forthright. Any other man would have cracked under the pressure, but not me, not this man… I was calm, cool and collected the whole time. I saw the prize and seized it like the last slice of apple pie.

Bob chuckled at his own wit. It had all been by blind luck that he had found Tom’s room and the map. Skill and talent had nothing to do with it. He had found the strange star map under Tom’s pillow, but only after making a mess of the luxurious bedroom. He had thrown Mr. Hoffman’s jeans and t-shirt on the ground and had pulled off the fluffy white down comforter. He had mixed up the linins and sheets and checked under the mattress and the bed. For a while it seemed that he wouldn’t find the map, but his determination paid off. A worn corner of a sturdy piece of paper was sticking out from underneath one of the pillows and Bob had seized it brusquely and, at the same time whipped out his phone and dialed his boss. 

The maid, who had fixed the whole room, had to watch painfully as Bob tore apart every piece of the bed; all her labors of the day seemed to fly right out the window. It was enraging to watch, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She felt trapped and helpless as her captor singlehandedly destroyed the beautiful and meticulous work she had put into making the room beautiful. Here she was, leading a complete stranger around the Fantas House in hopes that he wouldn’t kill or hurt her once he got what he wanted. Well, she had lived up to her end of the bargain, and it seemed, that she was getting the shaft.

Bob leaned over the map and examined it more closely. His eyes ran over the bright white dots on the surface of the impenetrable fibers. The whole dark canvas looked like someone had sprinkled a jug of bleach on it. How does anyone read this thing, thought Bob? It looks like it’s been run through the wash a few times. Bob noticed that there was a bigger, brighter white dot in the corner of the map. It was about the size of a small coin and had sharp points coming out of it.

“What the heck is this thing and how is it supposed to get us to the island?” He ran his finger over the big dot. It felt smooth and tough. Bob started to fold it back into the little square that he had found it in, turning to the maid he gave her a sly, almost devilish look. He still needed to take care of her before he left the Fantas House for good. No one could ever know that he was here. No one could ever know that he was the one that had taken the map. The maid was a loose-end that needed to be tied up. He would have to do it quickly.

The maid was in complete shock still. She couldn’t believe how inconsiderate Bob was being right now. The man had totally desecrated the room with which she had spent hours vacuuming and dusting. He was a slob and needed to leave right this instant. She would not stand for uncleanliness. She had done her part; it was time for him to leave.

“Sorry about the mess,” said Bob as he noticed the maid’s indignant expression. “That’s just the collateral that comes with my job. I run into heaps of collaterals and loose ends in this job… as you can very well see, and sometimes…” He pause and thought about his words carefully. “You just can’t avoid getting your hands dirty.” He walked over to her slowly. He was trying to be casual. He didn’t want her to run before it was time, that would make more work for him, and he hated the thought of using up more energy than was necessary. He wanted to play it off like it was cool, and that nothing was going to happen.

The maid watched him approach with disgust. She resisted the urge to run and hide. She wanted to punch the idiot in the face for underestimating her. She hated it when people thought she was stupid and didn’t know what was going on. She hated it when people made prodigious assumptions about who she was as an individual. If this stranger thinks he can walk on me, he has another thing coming, thought the maid. She balled her hands into fists and bit her bottom lip.

Bob didn’t seem to notice her emotional rage as he confronted her; she was hiding it semi-well behind here long black hair and deep brown eyes.

“Is there an easy way out of this place?” Bob looked around the room. His eyes fell on the open balcony in the corner. The doors were open and the wind was blowing gently through the burgundy drapes. In the distance the sound of the birthday party could be heard. People were talking and laughing. The band was playing softly. Bob looked back over to the maid. “Is there a back door or do I have to use the window?”

“Yes. You shouldn’t go back through the house,” said the maid in an attempt to finally be rid of the man. Bob could see the hatred burning in her eyes now. He stopped his approach and tried to sound a little more sympathetic.

“Hey, look, I am sorry about the room, but if you show me a way out of here you won’t have to look at my face again…” He smiled. “I promise you, you won’t even know I was here. You can go back to doing whatever it is that you do around here and just forget about me.” Bob kept his distance. He tried to look friendly. “You see, I can be a reasonable guy… now that I have what I want, no one has to get hurt. We can just go one living our lives.”

The maid wasn’t buying his sweet-talk. She was still as mad as fire. Her nails were beginning to dig deep into her palms.

“You are going to pay for this. Mr. Tash will hunt you down and kill you… no one can get away from him.”

“I am pretty sure I can.” Bob patted the chest of his catering coat. “I have a few documents here I found in the boarding office that will have Mr. Tash eating from the palm of my hand. Once he sees what I have, he’ll call off the hounds. He’ll do it or all this information will go to the cops,” said Bob with confidence. “Now, show me the way out of here and we’ll call it a day.” Bob paused and shook his head. “Better yet, just hand over that map thing you were looking at in the hall a few minutes ago, and we both can go our separate ways. You can go back to cleaning rooms for the rest of your adult life, and I can go get that raise that I am in much need of. ”

The maid put her hands over her pockets and shook her head firmly. She was determined not to give Bob a single thing more. The wretched man would need to find his own way out of the house. Plus, giving away her map to this friend would only tell Mr. Tash that she had helped him escape. It would mean death for her. She had to hold her ground now.  

“No I can’t do that…”

Bob was getting fed up.

“Well then, I am afraid you leave me no other choice. I am going to have to kill you.”

He was about to lunge forward when the door to the room swung open and smashed into the wall. The force of it caused some of the paintings to shudder and hit the floor. Bob and the maid turned quickly to see what was going one. Both of their expressions changed as they made eye contact with the large man standing in the threshold. He was wearing black aviator sunglasses and had a red rose resting in his suit coat pocket. Behind him stood another man who Bob recognized immediately; it was Tom, who looked stunned at the scene in front of him.

* * *

Kaplen gave the intruder a stone-hard stare. His jaw muscles were twitching now with excitement and adrenaline. He had not seen action like this in the Fantas House in a long, long time. And now that it was here, he almost couldn’t control himself. He saw Bob only as a sheet of paper set up for target practice. He saw Bob as the most unlucky person on the planet right now. He was going to make this moron suffer. He was going to smear this chump’s blood all over the walls and ceilings. He was going to pull his spine out from his mouth and beat his lifeless corps with it. He was going to see blood and a whole lot of it; at this thought Kaplen’s expression changed. A slight grin crossed his face as madness set in. He liked the thought of gore and carnage.

“Oh, you’re in trouble now,” said the maid. “Kaplen is going to rip you apart!” She was going to walk over to the bodyguard when Bob seized her from behind. The maid struggled and screamed. She tried kicking and clawing at her captor but to no avail. Bob wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close to his body. He began to back up slowly. His heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour. He had gotten caught again. 

“Let her go,” said Kaplen softly.

“No!” yelled Bob. He pressed his cheek up against her hair.

“This is your last chance to let her go.”

Tom stepped out from behind Kaplen. The image of Runt’s death was replaying over and over in his head. Bob was the one that had pushed them off the cliff. He had made their day a living hell.

“Let her go, Bob. It’s over, you’re caught.” He was going to get a little closer when Kaplen’s hand fell over his chest and pushed him back.

“Stay out of this, Mr. Hoffman,” said Kaplen firmly. “Bob, here, is going to have to get through me.”

“You’re in trouble now. Kaplen is going to kill you. It doesn’t matter what information you have, you are never going to leave this house alive,” said the maid through clinched teeth. She was still trying to break free.

Bob was getting sick of hearing her childish voice.

“Shut up, you bloody wog, no one wants to hear from a wog!” He took a few more steps back. He gripped the star map tightly in his left hand and held it behind his back. He needed to find a way out of the house. He needed to escape and get back to his boss.

Kaplen reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out his chrome revolver. He pointed it at Bob and smiled patiently.

“Put down the map, Bob.” He put his finger on the trigger. “Put down the map.”

“Don’t shoot me!” yelled the maid.

“Shut up!” yelled Bob. He was trying to think.

Kaplen fired a round at the feet of Bob and the maid. Both of them jumped and screamed. Bob held even tighter to the maid.

“Are you crazy!?”

“Yep,” said Kaplen. He pointed the gun back at Bob’s head. “Hand over the map, and whatever else you have in your possession.” He held out his free hand in an obvious gesture; he wanted what Bob had stolen from the house and bedroom. “That was a warning shot I gave you. The next one won’t be a warning shot; the next one will the killing shot. The next one will be right between your eyes.”
            “You don’t mean that.”

“Don’t shoot me!” yelled the maid.

“Oh, I mean it,” said Kaplen and the smile from his face disappeared suddenly. He hated it when people didn’t believe him. He was going to make this chump see the error in his ways. “I always mean what I say.”

“You wouldn’t shoot your own worker.”

“Is that a risk you are willing to take?” asked Kaplen slyly. “I am a Fantas, I’ll shoot whatever and whoever I please.”

“Don’t shoot me!” yelled the maid again. Tears were coming to her eyes and running down her cheeks now. She knew Kaplen’s nature. She knew that he rarely lied about things like this. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

Bob was growing uneasy with every protest from the maid. She was acting like Kaplen was really going to shoot the both of them. She was acting like they both were about to die.

“Shut up!” he yelled in the maid’s ear. “Just, shut up and let me think for a minute!” He looked back over to Kaplen. The bodyguard’s expression was still stone-hard. He looked like he meant business.

“The heck with you!” yelled Bob. “I have a boss that will do far worse to me if I don’t get him this map. Far worse!” He started shuffling awkwardly with the maid towards the balcony. His heart was still pounding in his chest and sweat began to bead his forehead.

Kaplen smiled slightly. It was obvious that Bob wasn’t going to go quietly. He had followed Mr. Tash’s rules of engagement; he had done the verbal protocol, now it was time to act. He reached into his suit coat again and pulled out another chrome revolver. He pulled back the hammers of both guns and took aim.

“I can see that you want to make things difficult. You have a nice day!”

“No!” yelled the maid.

Bob’s composure failed him as he saw the madness in Kaplen’s eyes. This man wasn’t kidding when he said he would kill the both of them.

“Crap!” said Bob as he threw the maid to one side and bolted for the balcony at full speed. Kaplen started to laugh as a dozen .44 bullets left the barrels of the guns. Fire and smoke filled the air all around the bodyguard. Paintings and bits wallpaper were blasted into shreds and fell to the floor as hot led tore through them. An uncontrollable surge flashed through Kaplen and caused his brain to shut down and his instincts to kick in. He was no longer human it seemed. He bolted after Bob. His fingers were still alive on the triggers. Screams and chaos broke out all over.

Bob could see his short, pathetic life flash before his eyes as a jolt of pain shot through his left hand. He screamed out wildly as the star map fell to the ground and landed on the floor. Bullets continued to spray passed his body from behind. Pain and discomfort tore through his legs and arms. Bob reached the balcony and leaped with all his might into the still night air. For a minute it seemed like he could fly. It seemed like he would just sail away into the night air, then he hit the ground and tumbled head over heels for what seemed like an eternity. The cool crisp grass crunched softly under his weight. 

Kaplen let one more shot ring out over the night sky. He stood on the balcony and watched as Bob Morgan came to his feet and gimped away as quickly as he could. The smell of the long dark ocean flooded Kaplen’s mind as he turned and walked back into the house. The barrels of his guns were now piping hot and smoking. He was calm and cool. He looked over to Tom who was now lying on the ground with his hands over his head. He looked as if he were taking cover from an earthquake.

“He got away,” stated Kaplen. “What are the odds?” He walked over to Mr. Hoffman and kicked him softly in the side. Tom looked up. His eyes were wide and frantic. He pushed himself up off the ground and brushed himself off.

“What the heck were you thinking?”

Kaplen laughed.

“I was hoping to shoot his legs out from under him. Mr. Tash usually likes to talk to the spies that enter his house illegally. We haul them down to the basement for deep questioning. Once I saw he was going to make it to the balcony, I tried to go for more of a body shot, but it was too late by then.” He looked over to the balcony. “He won’t get far. Aggerton is a little city in Mr. Tash’s book. He has a lot of friends on the inside of everything. That Bob character won’t last a day. I’ll have a hit on him by tomorrow. His body will wash up somewhere up North, in Trenton or somewhere.”

Tom stood up.

“Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?” He looked around the room at all the massive holes in the walls. It looked as if someone had taken a metal ramming rod and jammed it into all the fixtures and paintings. There was a jagged outline of bullets from where Bob was standing all the way to the window. The place was a mess, an absolute mess.

“What if you had missed and hit the girl, Kaplen?” asked Tom.

Kaplen shrugged his shoulders and looked over to the maid. She was now on her hands and knees crying over all the damages done to the bedroom. She looked as if she was about to go into shock. This sight was quite amusing for Kaplen for some reason. He tried to keep from laughing as he explained himself.

“She doesn’t seem to even care about that right now, Mr. Hoffman. She seems more upset about the mess than her life being taken.” Kaplen said as the maid clutched at the smoking burgundy drapes and continued to sob. He ignored her and walked over to the far wall and picked up the star map lying on the ground. He examined it for any damages or frays. It appeared to be in one piece, which surprised Kaplen. He had thought he had hit the thing dead on during the encounter.

“How did your little friend know that we have the map? How did he get in here?”

“What?”

Kaplen turned.

“How did Bob know you were here?”

“I don’t know,” said Tom. “Maybe he just overheard us talking about it somewhere. I don’t know how.”

Kaplen looked incredulously over at Tom. Everything that was coming out of his mouth seemed suspicious and dodgy. It felt as if the man was hiding something from him. The Fantas House was quiet and still before Tom and his friends had shown up. No spies had shown up until they had come.

“How did he survive the fall from the balcony?” asked Tom.

“He rolled when he hit the ground.”

“He rolled?”

“Yes, he rolled.”

“Oh.” Tom shifted on his feet. “That’s amazing.”

“We have to get back to Mr. Tash and tell him the news.” Kaplen placed the star map in his pocket and walked over to the far side of the room. Grabbing the dark nightstand, he tipped it over so that the wooden structure hit the floor with a bang and slid a few feet to the left.

“I can’t believe he survived the jump,” said Tom as he made his way over to where Kaplen stood. “The balcony must be at least thirty feet off the ground.” His stomach began to churn with vertigo as he thought about jumping off a tall building like the Fantas House. It seemed like a suicide mission. “It would have killed any other man.”

Kaplen was on his hands and knees now feeling around the floor for something. He pulled back the red rug and was examining the floorboards. He gripped the baseboard and ran his palm along it.

“Well, at least that Bob character didn’t leave here without a souvenir.” He looked up at Tom and smiled. “I put quite the hole in that pretty little hand of his. That will make it easier to find him in the city later.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for a door.”

Tom bent over and examined the floorboard.

“You’re looking for a door? I can’t see a door.”

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” Kaplen was going to slide his hand further under the rug when his cell phone went off. The young bodyguard sat up and pulled the thing from his pocket. He hit the “talk” button on it and spoke into the receiver.

“Talk to me.” He paused as the person on the other end spoke. “Why, hello sir. It’s nice to speak to you too.”

Tom couldn’t hear the other person on the phone. All he could hear was mumbling; occasionally Kaplen would grunt and give a response. The bodyguard was smiling as he gave his account of what had just happened in Tom’s room. The person on the other end didn’t seem quite as amused as Kaplen was. After a few minutes Kaplen hung up and looked over to Tom.

“That was Mr. Tash. He wanted to know what was taking us so long. So I told him about the delays in the nightmare halls and about Bob. I can say that he wasn’t too happy to hear about Bob. He wants a full blown hit on the man before the night is done. It might take awhile to settle this matter, but mark my words, it will be settled. Mr. Tash always gets what he wants in the end. Always.” Kaplen gripped something under the rug and pulled up on it. The floor around the wall began to crack and move revealing a small wooden passage. “During the construction of this house, they installed emergency exits throughout the whole basement. These tunnels should lead us to Mr. Tash’s office, that is, if we find the right tunnels.”

“Be sure to come back and put more holes in the walls if you can!” screamed the maid angrily from behind. “You’re idiots! I work all day and clean up your messes. I am through with it!”

Kaplen turned and gave her a hard stare.

“I am not in the mood right now, Elly. Just pick up what you can of this place and go to bed. Me and Tom, here, need to go. We’ll talk about your punishment later.”

“I don’t care what you do to me,” said the maid. She plopped down on the ground and folded her arms. “You can shut up for all I care.” She wanted vindication more than she wanted anything else in the whole world.

Kaplen ignored her and walked into the open passage. Tom followed his lead and closed the wooden door behind him and in minutes everything was quiet again.

Chapter Twenty-Two Switch-A-Roo

The Tampoovian maid led Bob quickly up a grand spiral staircase. She was mumbling incoherently to herself as she tried to remain calm and every once in awhile she would run her fingers through her long black hair and take in a deep breath. This was something she did often when stressed on the job at the Fantas Estate. The maid had never worked in such a hostile and frightening environment before; rumors of ghosts among the staff, disappearing maids and that was all nothing compared to the rumors of what Mr. Fantas did to servants who didn’t keep the house up to his personal standard. Deportation back to Tampoo was the least of her worries when rumors about torture chambers in the basement were flying around.

Bob didn’t seem to notice the maid’s nervousness because he was encompassed in his own thoughts. He needed to find the star map and bring it back to Ruler before everything was ready for the trip. If he failed, Ruler would hunt him down and kill him. So Bob was riding on the faith that a copy of the map had to be with Lee or Marten. By the end of the night he would be hero or zero. 

 Bob crossed his fingers and said a short pray in his head, though, he wasn’t praying to anything or anyone in particular. He would pray to a rock or a plant if he thought it would help his situation get any better. Bob wasn’t a very religious person when it came down to it. He had grown up in a semi-atheistic home. He only used god when he found it convenient for his purposes. His own father had told him that religion was a hobby for the rich and privileged. He had told him that only people with better paying jobs and capital status got to go worship on weekends. He remembered how his trash hauling father had pointed to a television set in the corner of the room and said “William, you might as well worship that for the rest of your life. At least it gives you answers at times. At least it’s there for you when you need comfort.”

That’s life for you, thought Bob. You need a childhood role model and all you get is a lousy trash pusher for a father… a no good trash pusher. Stupid wog! Bob clinched his fists and tried to think of the task at hand. This whole praying business was not bringing peace to his troubled heart. His whole body was aching with anxiety. He felt more stressed out for even thinking about praying and asking something to solve all his problems. That can’t do anything, thought Bob. All those evangelists on television that say that prayer is a way to escape were full of crap and need to be shot! The world would be a better place without religion! He thought cynically.

Bob rested his hand on the grey stone railing and let out a heavy sigh, his mind still whirling with bitter emotions. He looked up at the massive chandelier on the high ceiling and nearly fell over. He had never really seen something so massive and beautiful before in his entire life. Each piece of shimmering crystal seemed to sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow. It was truly a sight to behold. He forgot about all his troubles for a moment and reached out for the maid. Still looking upward in awe, Bob touched her shoulder and pointed to the ceiling.

“Where did this come from?” His voice was filled with wonder. “It’s incredible!” 

The maid looked up and studied the floating crystals for a minute. They looked like giant icicles hanging from the high ceiling and it felt as if she and her captor had walked into some kind of a snow cave in the mountains.

“Those are from my island. We call them the Wacoo Detrue. They bring good luck and happiness to the owner of them. Mr. Fantas is always looking for good fortune. He likes the magic it brings.” Her accent was still very much present as she talked. She was still switching her D’s and T’s, and Bob found it annoying to listen to; as if a little child were speaking.

Bob whistled his approval at the giant structure. He still couldn’t believe how massive it was.

“This thing must have taken builders months to crafts. I bet it cost a small fortune on your boss’s part.” He pointed to the sharp corners of the chandelier. They were sparkling like moonbeams. “Look how smooth and perfectly cut those edges are… they look amazing!”

“I don’t know how long it took them,” said the maid shortly and she turned to pressed forward up the stairs, her black shoes clicking noisily on the granite steps. “It was here when I was first brought to the estate. It means ‘good luck’. The more of the Wacoo Detrue you have, the more good luck you have.”

“You certainly have a very rich employer!” stated Bob with distaste. “I can’t say that I have ever heard of anyone buying luck before.”

The maid didn’t respond to this comment but reached the top of the stairs and started down a long narrow corridor. She didn’t feel like being too chatty with the man who had threatened her life and was making her betray Mr. Fantas. Not that she had any incredible loyalty to Mr. Fantas, but the things she had heard about his punishment methods were enough to send a chill down her spine. Bob followed quietly as they pass through a series of hallways and rooms. The smell of lilacs and fresh linen were present in every room they passed by, so much so, that Bob thought he was walking in some kind of flowerless garden; the house was fresher than a spring morning. The only thing missing was the sound of the birds singing and the bees buzzing.

“This is quite the place you live in,” said Bob.

“Yes,” said the maid, not really wanting to talk with him more. She stopped and pulled out a piece of paper from her front dress pocket. She examined it for a moment then replaced it back into her dress. Bob guessed that the thing she was holding was some kind of map of the Fantas Estate. He could use the little piece of paper later when the time came for him to vacate the premises. By then, the maid would no longer be needed and he would be well on his way back home, holding the star map and calling his boss about the good news.

They continued down the long hallways of the Fantas house and the maid pulled the piece of paper out a few more times, usually at the end of every hallway and door. Bob found the pattern predictable and agitating.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” asked Bob.       

The maid nodded her head.

“We are close.”

“How close?” asked Bob as he watched her pull out the piece of paper again. He was getting sick of her checking it every other minute. “What does that thing say? Why do you keep looking at it?”

“What thing?”

“That bloody thing you have in your hands.” Bob pointed to the piece of paper in her hands. “Is that a map of this place?”

The maid looked at him with confusion. Bob rolled his eyes with annoyance at her dazed expression. It was obvious that the little islander girl was slow. This is what you get when you hire foreign workers, thought Bob, just blank stares and confusion. He reached out suddenly for the map and tried to take it from the maid. The maid saw the sudden action and pulled it away from Bob before he could grab it. She might have been stupid, but slow was not in her nature. She had the reflexes of a cat. Bob pulled his hands back in and gritted his teeth.

“We are close,” she said firmly. “Right this way.” She walked over to a door and opened it up. Bob shook his head with frustration and anger. He felt like screaming at the ignorant little wog of a worker. He followed the maid closely into another massive hallway with dark wooden doors. Each wooden door seemed to have a peculiar design engraved upon its surface. In the distance Bob could see other people and workers vacuuming and cleaning. Their suited, clean cut appearance was quite intimidating. Bob didn’t expect there to be so many of them. It felt like he was in some kind of expensive hotel. Why were there so many people here? Thought Bob. I hate people! It looks like an over-funded orphanage in here.

“This is where the guests of Mr. Tash sleep,” said the maid as she walked down the massive hall. She motioned to all the doors around them and waved to a few people. “We are all guest of Mr. Tash. He gives us housing for our services. We are his family… or at least that is what he says we are.”

“Are we close?” asked Bob impatiently ignoring the maids irritating chatter.

“We are.”

Bob was growing more and more excited. He often got this way when his goals were in sight. He reached over and turned the maid around.

“Where are Marten and Lee’s rooms? Are they around here? Are they in their rooms?”

“Yes… and no.” The maid looked down at Bob’s hand in protest. His long, white fingers were digging into her smooth skin making her feel uncomfortable. “If they are staying here then they should be somewhere in these halls.”

“Take me to them,” demanded Bob. He looked around at all the doors mounted in the walls. There must have been a hundred or so of them. Each one was big and each one had a massive brass doorknob. “Which room is theirs? Are they close to us now?” He could almost taste the copy of the star map. It was behind one of these doors in here… it was close. 

The maid reached into one of her dress pockets and fumbled around it for a moment.

“Let me see.” She pulled out a scrawny piece of paper and read it under her breath. She looked up and studied the doors. The Fantas estate was so big, it usually took a maid about four years to memorize everything.

“What is that?” asked Bob as he pulled her in closer. He looked around the room to see if anyone was watching them. No one seemed to notice or even care that he was in the hall right now with the maid. Everyone just kept to their work. He eased his grip on her arm a little and whispered quietly to her. “What are you looking at? Let me see it.”

The maid pulled back.

“It’s just the guest list for this hallway; it’s not all that big. Mr. Tash doesn’t have many people who come to visit him.”

“Who’s on the list?” asked Bob demandingly as he leaned in. “Give me that.” He pulled the piece of paper from her hand and read the names in his head. His jaw dropped as he came to the last name on the list. He looked at the maid and gave her a strange look. He pointed to the last name.

“Is this man here? Have you seen him?”

The maid looked over at the piece of paper.

“Yes.” She pointed down the hall. “He’s in room 156. I just finished cleaning his room a few minutes before I started on the boarding office. He is a very nice man... very happy and warm.”

Bob just about lost his cool with at her words. He didn’t like it when people played games with him. He pulled the maid in close and spoke in a harsh tone.

“Don’t mess with me, you worthless wog! Did you see this man today?” Bob’s voice was filled with spiteful desperation.

The maid grimaced and nodded her head.

“Yes, he was here,” she said trying to wiggle her arm free of his grip. “Let go of me!”

Bob let go of her and stepped back. He straightened out his white catering vest and cracked his neck. Excitement rose in his chest and his voice began to rise.

“Take me there! I want to look at this man’s room.”

“What is the matter?” asked the maid. “You don’t like this man?”

“No, I don’t like this man!” yelled Bob mockingly. His voice bounded off the walls like an avalanche. Some of the butlers and maids looked up from their work and stared at the two of them.

“Why not?” asked the maid.

“I killed this man this morning!”

The maid looked stunned.

“You killed this man?”

“Yes, I killed him,” said Bob. “I need you to take me to his room. I need to get something from him.”

“What do you need from him?”

Bob was getting fed up with all her probing questions. He wanted her to just shut up and take him to the room. Why do woman feel the need to ask so many dumb questions, thought Bob. Why do they feel the need to pry into other people’s business? Doesn’t she know that she’s in deep enough as it is? Why does she want to go deeper? He threw his arm around the maid and started hurrying her down the hall.

“I need only one thing from you,” said Bob firmly. “And that is for you to take me to this man’s room and not ask any more questions. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good,” said Bob. “Now which one of these doors is his?”

The maid led Bob a little ways down the wide hall. They eventually stopped in front of room 156.

“This is it,” said the maid as she opened the door. “This is where Mr. Hoffman sleeps.”

Bob smiled menacingly and entered the dark room. The maid followed him and turned on the lights. Bob stood in the middle of the room and looked at all the furnishings and strange painting on the walls. In the far corner rested an extravagant queen sized bed with red satin sheets. On top of the clean satin rested Tom’s tattered jeans. Bob started to laugh uncontrollably, as if seeing some distorted joke behind the whole feel of the room. His voice got gradually louder and louder. He turned and looked over to the maid. His eyes were alive with purpose.

“This is the place I need to be.”

The maid nodded.

Bob turned back to the bed. His mind was swimming in an ocean of thoughts. He wanted to know how Tom had escaped the taxi cab, how he wound up here in this big house and why the Fantas’s were talking with Scar Co and its representatives. Something was up, and Bob was going to get to the bottom of it if it killed him.

*          *          *

Mr. Ruler opened his eyes slowly and stared at his dark bedroom ceiling. His head was throbbing like the percussion section in a high school band. The pain killers and sleeping pills he had taken only managed to put him into an offset sleep. Every hour felt like he was walking underwater. Every second felt like he was trapped inside his head. His own mind was rolling in and out of consciousness like massive gears on a water wheel. He could hear every loud ticking of the clock on the nightstand. He could hear the blood in his head rushing passed his ears like the going out of the tide and his heartbeat was thumping painfully inside his rib cage. Sweat was now building on his forehead and splotching his neck and back.

It felt like insanity was knocking at his door. His brain couldn’t stop thinking about the future. He couldn’t stop thinking about Bob’s horrible mistake and the future of Shark Inc or about Mr. Edmonds and what he was going to do to him once he found out that the star map was somewhere at the bottom of Aggerton Bay. There was so much responsibility hanging over his head. It felt like someone had put a thousand pound block on his chest.

“I am going to be sick,” mumbled Ruler. He grabbed his bed sheets and sat up quickly. A profound uneasiness settled over his grief-stricken frame and caused him to look around the room frantically. It felt like there was someone there. It felt like there was someone watching him from the darkening shadows of the room. Ruler could hear footfalls from all over the place. It sound like the whole Aggerton City kickball team was jogging around his living room and the sound was coming from the bathroom and the den. There was someone inside his house.

“Who’s there!” yelled Ruler. “Show yourself to me!”

The noise stopped. The only thing that could be heard was the ugly honking of car horns on the streets far below the pent house. Ruler stood up and walked over to his dark dresser and fumbled through his clothes. He pulled out his hand gun and held the cold steel to his forehead. He moaned as he tried to keep his balance. The world around him was spinning like a bloody merry-go-round. He wanted it to stop so he could get off and throw up. That’s the last time I take pain killers with sleeping pills, thought Ruler.   

Ruler took a deep breath in an attempt to control his labored breathing. This felt like a nightmare come true. Ruler could still hear the footsteps of someone walking around his apartment. It must have been a very large person from the sound that was being made; as if a giant had walked into his home.

“Big ‘J’!” yelled Mr. Ruler. His words sounded slurred into an incomprehensible mess. “Big ‘J’! That had better not be you! I’ll kill you for this! You no-good waste of flesh! You good-for-nothing piece of garbage! You… you… you idiot!” Ruler staggered over to his bedroom doors and peered out into the hallway. The whole place was dark and deserted. A slight draft could be felt coming from somewhere in the building. This puzzled Ruler. Did I leave a window open? Did a bird get inside? It was slightly common for birds to fly into an apartment window and wreak havoc, but what kind of bird makes banging noises?

Ruler held his gun up and walked cautiously to the balcony at the other end of the hallway. He threw open the doors and stepped out into the open air. A cool breeze washed over his body and sent shivers down his spine. His skin began to prickle and tighten. It was a weird thing to experience. It felt as if he was wearing a rubber suit.

Ruler rubbed his cold skin for a second, walked over to the railing and peered down at the street below. He was thirty stories up. The pent house hotel was a very tall building in Aggerton. Ruler had often thought about what it would be like to just jump off the building and hit the hard pavement below. He wondered what it would feel like to have every bone in the human body shatter into small pieces. Would he still be alive after the impact or would he lie on the ground in agonizing pain for a few minutes before death set in? With all that was going on in his life, suicide seemed like a healthy alternative. It seemed like a better way out.

Ruler shifted his gaze from the traitorous streets to the cool night sky. The stars could be seen shimmering slightly through the smoggy atmosphere. Most of the smog in the city came from the sewers; at least that’s what Ruler thought. The sewer vents on the streets were always pumping out gas and dark clouds into the air. It would be logical to think that most of the pollution came from the sewers. Humans like to live in their own filth, thought Ruler. They like the smell of their own carbon footprint. The city was a big example of that in more ways than one.

“Pathetic,” mumbled Ruler to the people on the street below. “You’re all pathetic.” He turned from the balcony and headed back inside. His moment of thought on the small balcony had caused him to forget about the previous footfalls he had heard in the house. He sat back down on his bed and stared at the far wall. He was gradually getting tired again. He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. He was about to slip back into slumber when the phone by his bed screamed out its ring.

Ruler yelled loudly and threw his gun across the room. The semi-automatic smashed into the wall and discharged a bullet into the roof. Plaster fell from the ceiling and landed on the floor. Ruler came to his feet and started patting his sides and stomach. He didn’t know what the heck was going on, but his whole body was alert and ready for a fight. He was about to go check the house when the phone rang out again. Ruler turned to the thing and gave it a distasteful look. I should have unplugged that thing, he thought. The last thing I need is more bad news about the trip. He walked over to the black phone and picked it up off the receiver.

“Who the hell is this!?” barked Ruler. “Do you know what time it is!” He shifted his gaze to the little wooden clock on his night stand. His eyes were so blurry that he couldn’t make out what time it was… he gave up trying and focused his attention back on the phone. A smooth voice spoke up from the other end. It sounded confidant and laid back, as if a salesman had found his number.

“Hello, boss. This is Bob.”

“What do you want, Bob? Did you find the star map? You had better have found it, or so help me…”

Bob chuckled.

“Yes, sir, I did find it. It’s right here in front of me.”

“You did!?” said Ruler with excitement. “Where are you?”

“I’m in South Bay.”

Ruler was surprised by this.

“You’re in South Bay? What are you doing in the rich sticks of Aggerton?”

“Finding the star map like you wanted me to, that is what I am doing here,” said Bob. “I found out where Marten and Lee had gone off to and stole the star map back from them. I have it right here in my hands. It’s a weird looking thing. It has a lot of white pointy dots.”

“Great!” said Ruler. “Just great! Everything is working out after all! I won’t have to cancel the trip.”

“I’ll send you a digitalized copy… are you near your fax machine?”

“No,” said Ruler as he ran to his study. “Give me just a minute.” He threw open the doors and ran over to his desk. He turned on the fax machine and hit the green “go” button on top of it. The thing began to warm up.

“Give me a minute, Bob. I want to put some color paper into the machine… I want to see what the whole thing looks like.” Ruler turned on his desktop light and fumbled through his drawers. He found the special type of Conex Revised colored paper and slipped it into the tray and closed it up again.

“Are you ready?” asked Bob.

“Yes, send it!”

“Okay, I’ll send you the front and back… give me a minute.”

The phone went dead suddenly. Ruler dropped the receiver on this desk and waited patiently for the fax to light up. He pulled out his black swivel chair and sat down in it. After a few minutes of waiting a loud beep was heard. The fax machine turned on and started scanning papers slowly. When it was done faxing Ruler grabbed the sheets of paper out of the tray and examined them closely. A wicked smiled crossed his face as he ran his fingers over the glossy pages. The images were perfect! They had a copy of the map now and soon they would have the real thing.

“Bob, you did it,” whispered Ruler under his breath. “You actually did it.”