A New Game Read online

  ***

  “I told you I have no idea what happened! Joey was playing in the yard, then suddenly he was gone, and the dog was dead!” Cheryl Afton sat on the couch, hugging Joey’s pillow to her chest.

  Mac estimated her to be in her late twenties, but the worried look on her face made her seem much older. “Is my husband here yet? I called him at work, so he ought to be here by now.”

  “No, Mrs. Afton, he isn’t here yet, but as soon as he arrives, we’ll make sure he comes in.”

  Mac walked into the living room and sat in the chair next to the couch. “My name is Detective Mackey, and I’m here to figure out what happened to your son,” her voice was calm and reassuring.

  “I know you’re tired of repeating yourself, but it’s important that we have every detail. It’s the only way we can find your son and get him home to you,” Mac smiled.

  “I need to get into my house! It’s my son that’s missing…let me go!” The front screen door swung open, and in ran an obviously upset man.

  “Cheryl, where is he? Where’s Joey?” Brian Afton rushed to the couch and grabbed his wife, holding her tightly in his arms.

  “I don’t know; he just vanished. He was in the back yard playing with Rex when I heard Rex whimper and cried out as if he was in pain. I rushed outside to see what had happened, but Joey was gone. Oh, my God, someone killed Rex and took Joey! I tried to find him, but he’s gone!” She sobbed uncontrollably on her husband’s shoulder.

  Mac looked at Brian. “Mr. Afton, I’m going to the backyard and have a look. Your wife needs a few moments to compose herself before she can answer any more questions. I know this is a difficult time for you both, but I promise we will do everything in our power to find your son and bring him home safely.”

  Mac felt horrible. She knew if they did not find the boy soon; it decreased the chance of returning him home unharmed were slim. She walked out to the backyard and over to where the dog was lying.

  “Has anyone figured out what killed the dog?”

  Mac put on a pair of gloves and knelt down for a closer look. “Damn it, what a shame. It sure was a beautiful golden lab.”

  She reached down and stroked his silky coat, “Ouch, what is that?”

  She pulled her hand back and checked her finger for blood. “Can I have a pair of tweezers over here, and an evidence bag?”

  One of the investigators brought the items to her. “Okay, let’s see what we have here.”

  She gently moved the dog’s hair out of the way and found a small tip of something hard sticking out of the dog’s skin. She grasped the tip of the object with her tweezers and slowly pulled it out.

  “What is it?” the investigator asked as he strained to see the small object.

  “Well, I’ll be damned! It looks like the tip of a dart from an air gun. I bet tests will show this is what killed the dog.”

  She carefully placed the tip into the evidence bag, and then tightly sealed it for the trip back to the lab.

  “It must have been some powerful shit to take down a dog of this size so quickly.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than a new terrifying thought came to her. Oh God, did they use the same thing on the boy to keep him from crying out?

  “Detective Mackey, are you okay?” Officer Ed Taylor walked over to see what was going on then leaned down to get a closer look.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Has anyone arranged to have the dog picked up yet? We need to find out what was on that tip I pulled out of him.”

  She handed the tweezers back to the investigator. “Tag this, and add it to the rest of the evidence.”

  “I’ll do that now,” he took the bag and walked away.

  “Are you thinking that he used the same stuff on the kid?” Ed was worried. The idea someone would use a poisonous dart to kill a dog simply to get a child out of the yard without alerting anyone was unsettling.

  Mac had the same feeling. She glanced around the rest of the yard, trying to see if anything was out of place.

  “If the dog was killed first then why didn’t the boy cry out, and alert his mother? She said she heard the dog whimper, and then cry out, but she never said she heard the boy. Was he still in the yard when the dog was killed, but then why didn’t the dog alert the mother of a stranger?” Mac walked to the gate and checked for anything out of place, but everything appeared to be fine.

  She decided to dust the latch for fingerprints, even though she was sure it would be a waste of time. The only prints she found appeared to be old and worn, but she took them regardless. This does not look good at all. I sure hope someone comes forward with some information soon.

  ***

  On the drive back to the station, Mac wondered if they would find the boy. She had gone back into the house to question Mrs. Afton, but she had nothing more to add. “He was only out there for a short time. I don’t understand how this happened!”

  The whole thing gave Mac a bad feeling.

  “That dog ought to have barked if a stranger opened the gate, unless…” a new sense of excitement surged through her. She parked her car and rushed to her desk.

  Chapter 2

  “I did what you said to do. The dog is dead, and I locked the kid in the room, as you wanted. Come on, we had a deal. You said if I got the kid, you would let her go!” Tyrone was beside himself with fear.

  His fourteen-year-old sister was being held as a bargaining tool, and if he did not do everything he was told, she would die a horrible death. “We had a deal; let her go!”

  The voice on the other end of the telephone was calm and measured. “You did get the child, but we’re not finished yet. You need to remember who is in charge in our little deal. Otherwise, we can just end our agreement now, and I will hand your sister over to them. They are willing to pay quite a hefty sum for a young and innocent girl like your sister. I sent them a video, and they have offered $50,000 for her, but I think we can negotiate for more. What do you think?” The voice teased.

  “You bastard, if you let anything happen to her I’ll…” Tyrone felt the rage bubbling inside him to a dangerous point.

  “You’ll what? You seem to forget you have no control in this little endeavor. You will do as told, or your sister will find herself the star in a movie made for degenerates. It’s quite sickening to know someone would find pleasure in watching a young girl raped and murdered, but who am I to question someone’s desires?”

  He relished the torturous effect this had on this particular piece in the game.

  “Oh God, please don’t do that to her! She has never done anything wrong. I’m the one who has screwed up, not her!” Tyrone pleaded with the caller, as the vision of his sweet Jenni appeared in his mind.

  He enjoyed the weakness and pain in Tyrone’s voice, and it was those traits, which made him a perfect piece in the game. “That’s better. You need to remember she’s involved because of your choices. How many people have you hurt in your pursuit of power and unearned wealth? You didn’t seem to care about the family you destroyed six months ago when you and your friends drove by their house and shot through the window. You killed the father and a nine-month-old child, did you not? You also never minded forcing children to sell your drugs to their friends, and never once thought of how it may affect their lives. None of that ever mattered to a big tough guy like you, did it? Okay, then tell me something; why should I care what happens to your sister? I would suggest you stop making demands and remember your place in our little game.”

  “All right, just don’t hurt her. I’ll do whatever you want,” Tyrone knew he had better be careful, or he would never see Jenni again.

  “That’s better. I thought you’d see things my way. As a matter of fact, I do have something else for you to do.”

  ***

  It was late by the time Mac returned to the station. She had walked around the neighborhood, but there were no leads on the missing boy.

  I do not understand. It has been hours since the boy vanished, and no ransom call. I
f this were a kidnapping for money, there would have been some sort of contact by now, Mac thought.

  The strange thing about this case was that the family was not your typical wealthy target for a kidnapping. They had a beautiful home in one of the nicer neighborhoods, but it was far from a million dollar mansion. The father worked for one of the large banks downtown, and the mother stayed at home with the child. These people don’t have the kind of money a kidnapper would demand.

  She sat at her desk and began to write her report when her telephone rang, “Detective Mackey.”

  “Ah, Detective Lucinda Mackey, it’s such a pleasure to speak finally with you.”

  “Who is this?” Mac suddenly had an uneasy feeling come over her.

  “I’m the one who has kept you busy today. I’m also the one who made my introductions to you earlier at your workout, as well as the one who has all the answers for your new case.”

  He paused a moment to let this all sink in before he continued. “I know everyone calls you Mac, but I believe a lovely woman such as yourself should use the beautiful name given to you at birth. For this reason, I will call you Lucinda.”

  Mac felt the anger growing inside her at the sound of this taunting voice, “Who are you, and what do you want?”

  “My name is not important at this time. I only meant to tell you how impressed I am with the way you handled the family of the missing boy. I know you must be curious what killed the dog, and I’m sure you have already submitted the dart tip to the lab for testing, correct?” he paused to wait for her response.

  “How do you know about the dart? There is no way you can know it, unless…” a chill moved over Mac.

  “Unless what, Lucinda?”

  “It’s you! You’re the one who took the boy, aren’t you? Where is he? What do you want?” the questions flew from her lips.

  “He’s just fine; for now. He is quite a pleasant little boy…” but Mac cut him off before he could continue.

  “You bastard, you need to return him to his family, now! I do not know what kind of game you are playing, but if he’s hurt in any way, I will hunt you down myself. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Oh Lucinda, I love the passion in your voice. I can see you will be an exciting opponent in the game.” He closed his eyes and envisioned the anger on her beautiful face.

  “Opponent…game… what are you talking about?” Mac dreaded the direction this conversation was going.

  “My dear, you have been chosen to be the next Tracker in The Game. It’s quite an honor, as only the finest are chosen. I do hope you will live up to my expectations, but I have no doubt that you will. I have decided to take this game in a new direction as you have unique traits and skills. I want you to remember to keep your eyes, and mind open for things are not always, as they appear. Until we speak tomorrow again,” the call ended.

  “What was all that about?” Mac sat dumbfounded while holding the telephone receiver firmly in her hand.

  Game, tracker…What did he mean by all of that? I was chosen to play, and I have special skills? She cringed as a strange new fear gripped her body.

  “Hey Mac, are you okay?” Detective Rick Jameson walked to his desk and then sat down to do some paperwork.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. It was some idiot pretending to know information on the kidnapping. Damn people, don’t they understand it’s nothing to joke about?” Mac tried to smile, but something in the caller’s voice set her nerves on edge.

  Mac knew that she had to be careful not to scare him away, so she decided to play his game until she could learn more about this mysterious caller and his game.

  “It’s getting late, and I’m starving. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mac grabbed her keys and stood to leave.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. You know I am always here for you if you need help, right? It’s not as if I would love something different to do other than all this crap,” Rick groaned as he placed the stack of paperwork in front of him.

  “No, it looks like you have plenty to keep you busy for a while. I need to get something to eat and clear my head. I’ll be okay tomorrow.”

  Mac had always liked Rick. He was married to a wonderful woman and had three of the most adorable daughters she had ever seen. Whenever they would come to the station with their mother, they would always make sure to come to her desk, and give her a hug. Not having any family of her own was lonely at times, and those little girls always knew how to make Mac smile.

  “Hey, before you leave, the girls have wanted to know when you are going to come for dinner again. Maybe you can clear your busy calendar, and come over for some of Sharon’s good home cooking?” Rick knew Mac was not the domestic type, so she always looked forward to a home cooked meal.

  “Oh, that sounds wonderful. Tell them when things calm down I would love to, but only if Sharon makes some of her delicious roast beef and mashed potatoes,” Mac licked her lips playfully.

  “Oh yeah, what are the girls into these days? Christmas will be here before we realize it, and I want to get them something special.”

  Rick laughed at the silly grin on her face. “Yeah, I think the girls like you better than Santa Claus. You spoil them, Mac.”

  “Hey, it’s my right to spoil them if I want to. Those girls mean the world to me, and I want them to have whatever they want. I want you to tell them that I will come for a visit as soon as possible, and we will play in the tree house again. I’m out of here, good night.”

  “Goodnight,” Rick looked down at the stack paperwork on his desk. “She’s right, it is late, and there is no sense in starting on this crap now.”

  He put the paperwork back into the basket and gathered his things to leave.

  Sharon and the girls will be thrilled to know Mac is coming for dinner soon. He walked to the door and then stepped out into the evening air.

  ***

  He was amazed at how small and barren the apartment was. There were none of the typical female decorations, such as pastel colors, pictures, or bric-a-brac. A single chair and ottoman sat next to the window, with a small end table placed next to the chair.

  He noticed only a few items were on the end table, the remote for the television, a book, and a small lamp. He also noticed a flat screen television hung on the wall across from the chair, and a small dinette table with only two chairs sat in the small kitchenette.

  As he looked around, he felt a sense of emptiness from the sparse décor and knew he had chosen the perfect opponent for the game.

  He then walked into the bedroom and found the same barren decor. There was a full-sized bed with one end table, a dresser that sat by the closet door and a small cedar chest sat at the foot of the bed. He walked to the bedside table and noticed a picture in a small frame that was faded and worn.

  “What do we have here?” He lifted the picture for a better look.

  “Ah, this must be the younger brother.” He examined the happy faces in the picture and smiled. “You were lovely even then.”

  ***

  The Houston area traffic was always a pain at the end of the workday, so Mac was relieved to pull in the driveway of her apartment complex. She drove up to the security gate, entered the code, and then waited for the gate to open, but nothing happened.

  “What the hell? Come on, I don’t need this crap tonight!” She re-entered the code, and again nothing.

  “Damn it, okay one more time!” She entered the code a third time, and this time the gate slowly opened.

  “Thank you, it’s about damn time!” She pulled through and drove to her parking space.

  Mac was glad to be home, but as she unlocked her front door, a strange sense of uneasiness came over her, as though she was not alone.

  ***

  The alarm on his cell phone had alerted him to her return when she entered the code in the security gate panel. He had finished preparing her apartment for the next step in the game by the time the alarm had sounded, thus giving him plenty of time to disappear out the side doo
r. It pleased him how things were progressing, and he gleefully anticipated this next move in The Game.

  ***

  Mac opened the door and slowly stepped inside with the strangest feeling of her growing stronger by the moment. She walked to her bedroom and emptied her pockets into the bowl placed on the dresser. She took off her shoes and then set her holster and gun on the bedside table.

  As she turned to go back to the living room, she paused a moment, as the strange feeling became even stronger.

  “Something’s not right,” she mumbled to herself.

  “And why do I feel this way?” She took one last look around the room, but everything appeared to be in its proper place.

  How strange, she thought to herself.

  Mac was tired, more than she had been in a long time, and this new case of the missing boy bothered her. How can someone get him out of the yard, and kill the dog without alerting anyone?

  She pulled the leftover pizza out of the refrigerator and put a piece on a paper plate, then put it in the microwave oven. “Damn it, I hate cases like this!”

  Once she had started the timer, she got a cold beer out of the refrigerator. She knew something had to give soon for there to be a good outcome, and it made her sick to think what may have happened to the boy.

  Beep! Beep! Beep! The buzzer sounded to let her know the pizza was ready. She pulled the plate from the microwave oven and sat at her kitchen table for another lonely meal.

  Mac opened her beer and took a long swallow. What was that phone call about today?

  She hated when people attempted to insert themselves in a case …but surely; that was not what was going on here.

  She knew it had to be because the thought that he was telling the truth was too horrible to imagine.

  She had taken the last bite of pizza when her cell phone rang, “Hello.”

  “Good evening, Lucinda,” the voice was soft and pleasant.

  “How did you get this phone number?”

  “My dear, there is nothing about you I don’t already know. You see, I know how your father left when your brother was quite young. I know how your mother began to drink, and how she would sell her body to pay the bills while she left you alone to care for your brother. I know how she remarried, and how your stepfather would beat her when he drank, which was most of the time. I know how you were forced to grow up far too soon and how you blame yourself for the death of your brother in the car…,” Mac cut him off before he could continue.