The Demand - Chapters 1-4

 

 

Chapter One

 

 

The courtroom was packed and buzzing as the jury was led in for the first day of testimony. The bailiff stood and announced, “All rise! The Harrison County Superior Court of California is in session, the Honorable Kenneth Ray Stroker presiding. This is the case of the State vs. Daniel Mason.” Judge Stroker assumed his position behind the bench and addressed the court.

“Everyone may be seated but the jury. Mr. Dunston, please swear in the jury.” After this was done, the jury was also seated. Judge Stroker continued, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, your duty in this trial will be to look at the facts and evidence that is presented to you and then decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. It is the responsibility of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. This responsibility remains on the prosecution through the trial. The state must prove that these crimes were committed and that the defendant is the person who committed the crimes. If, however, you don’t believe that they have proved that, then reasonable doubt exists and you must find the defendant not guilty.” He went to give them more practical instructions of what the next few days would look like and a warning not to talk to anyone.

Judge Stroker looked at the defense table. Seated there was the defendant, Daniel Mason, and his lawyer, Jeremy Lucas. “The defendant is accused of the murders of Delroy Harper and Tyler Price.” He looked over at the prosecution table. “Mr. Jonas, are you prepared to begin with your opening statement?”

“Thank you, your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I know we met yesterday, but let me introduce myself again. My name is Paxton Jonas and I am representing the state of California in prosecuting Daniel Mason for committing double homicide. We will prove that he lured the two victims into his office for the purpose of executing them in cold blood. We will prove that his fingerprints were on the murder weapon that was found at the scene of the crime, and that he was found minutes after committing these murders hiding only feet from the bodies.”

Daniel Mason watched the jury as the prosecutor continued his remarks. He searched the faces of the jurors, wondering which ones would be truly open minded, or if they would just believe the evidence that was arrayed against him. His stomach tightened as the several glanced his way during the opening statement, as the description of his alleged crimes continued. He wondered if he should smile. Probably not.

From the jury box, Emily Kopf kept one eye on the prosecutor and the other on the defendant. She avoided Daniel’s glance when he looked her way, but she couldn’t help but look at him otherwise as the words of condemnation continued. She could see the family resemblance, and her anger simmered beneath the surface. The payback would be sweet.

In the gallery, Barnett Mason was studying the jury intently when Jeremy Lucas suddenly leapt to his feet and objected to a statement that the prosecutor made. You don’t see an objection to an opening statement often, Barnett thought, and he wished he’d been listening more closely to Jeremy. The attorneys went back and forth with the judge as Barnett caught the gist of the argument and agreed with Jeremy’s objection.

Miles away, Ethan Mason was hiding in a motel room, suffering the effects of the bender of a lifetime, having surrendered violently to his guilt. He slept fitfully, conscious of the trial that was occurring because of him. At one point he awoke and thought, it wasn’t supposed to happen that way, but Daniel did what he did, and it’s not my fault that he’s on trial. Then the nausea returned followed by more dry heaves in the bathroom. He stumbled back to the bed, praying for the relief of sleep.

Over at the police station, Officer Ruby Gardner shuffled papers and tried to concentrate but failed miserably due to her excitement. She had helped escort Daniel Mason to the courtroom and had returned to the station while another officer would wait at the courthouse to guard the prisoner. She pictured the scene and smiled at her good fortune. She glanced at her cell phone and rehearsed in her head the conversation that would soon happen.

Jeremy Lucas listened to the rest of Paxton Jonas’ presentation while at the same time reviewing his notes for his own opening statement. He had waited for this moment since becoming Daniel’s attorney, anxious to begin the trial and defend his client. He tried to push his own doubts in his case aside, conscious that he had no concrete proof of Daniel’s innocence. Daniel had been seemingly caught red handed, as they say. Jeremy’s task was to provide reasonable doubt to the jury, to counter the circumstantial evidence that the prosecution would offer up. He was ready. As Jonas finished up, Jeremy took a deep breath.

Game time.

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

TWELVE WEEKS EARLIER

 

Daniel Mason was tired. He had flown into Los Angeles the previous evening for an early morning meeting. The meeting had lasted over the lunch hour and the lack of food had resulted in a splitting headache that had him in a sour mood. He looked out the window of the gate area of the airport, regretting that he still had an hour and a half flight and a two-hour drive ahead of him. When his cell phone began to ring, he was sorely tempted to ignore whoever was on the other end. Glancing over at it on the seat next to him, he recognized the number. His Uncle Barnett rarely called his cell phone so Daniel was somewhat concerned as he answered the call.

“Hi, Uncle Barnett.”

“Danny, where are you?” Except for his late mother, only his uncle called him Danny.

“What’s wrong?”

“Have you heard from Ethan?”

“No. What’s wrong?”

“He was supposed to meet with the auditor today and he didn’t show up. Ginny just called and the auditor is at the office waiting for Ethan. I thought the audit wasn’t until next week,” added Barnett. Ginny worked under Ethan as the firm’s accountant.

“It was, but I moved it up so we could get it done before I met with Ager Cultura to review the prospectus. I thought a clean bill of health would help move things along. It’s been years since we had a thorough external audit.”

“Did Ethan know you moved it up?”

“Sure,” said Daniel. “I told him right after I spoke with the auditor.”

“You’re sure he understood?”

“Yes,” said Daniel, starting to get annoyed. “He said he would be in San Francisco yesterday and drive back last night. He called me while I was checking into the hotel in Los Angeles and said that he was on the road.”

“How far out are you?”

“I’m still in Los Angeles. Maybe Ginny can get the auditor started.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t know why not. She knows more about our financial records than Ethan does. I’ll call her.”

“Ok. I hope she knows where he’s at. Thanks, talk to you later.”

Without the opportunity to even say goodbye, Daniel hung up. Miffed at Ethan, his older brother, Daniel swore under his breath. Ethan had always been impulsive, with three broken marriages under his belt. He was loud, brash and irritating. He was reckless in his work as the comptroller for their family business, but even more irresponsible in his personal life. He could be endearing and frustrating.

Daniel’s thoughts were interrupted by another phone call, this time from the office. It was Barbara, his assistant. He answered, “Hi. I know.”

“Daniel?”

Who else would answer this phone? he thought. “Barbara. Yes, it’s me.”

“Do you know where Ethan is?”

“I don’t, and I already know about the auditor. Is Ginny there?”

“The auditor left, Daniel. He waited, then got a phone call and left. I don’t know why, he just said he would be back when Ethan was here and he left.”

“Did you tell him Ethan wasn’t there?”

“No, of course not.”

“How did he know Ethan wasn’t there?”

“I don’t know, he just left.”

“Barbara. Is Ginny there?”

“No, she hasn’t come back from lunch yet.”

“Have her call me when she gets back. And I need the number of the auditor.”

“Now?” asked Barbara.

“Yes, now. I’ll wait.”

“Where is it?”

“You should have it in an email from the accounting firm.” Daniel swore under his breath again while fumbling around for a pen and something to write on. Barbara was annoying to work with but she was a holdover from when his father ran the firm and she had been there for decades. A distant rumor was that Barbara and his father had once had a brief affair, and she had taken a leave of absence for a while when it was over. Family legend held that a huge fight occurred between his parents when Sam hired her back, and after that their marriage was never the same. Daniel hated having her work there but he had tried not to make too many changes in the short time he had been in charge. But her departure will be coming sooner, not later, he thought. She finally found the number and read it to him. He wrote it down, thanked her, reminded her to have Ginny call him, and then hung up.

The deal to represent Ager Cultura, a large food provider based in Fresno, would be the lifeline that the firm needed to continue operations. A year earlier, Daniel had returned to the small town of Sheridan to run the firm when his father’s diminishing health led to his retirement, with his death expected in the not too distant future. Since Daniel’s arrival, every day had brought surprises about the state of the company, some good, but mostly bad. They were teetering on the brink of insolvency, and unless things turned around quickly, the great firm of Barnaby and Mason would soon be out of business.

Daniel punched in the phone number of the auditor, which rang several times before going to voicemail. He left his message, which was a generic apology and a request for a return call. He called Ethan’s phone and got no answer. He left a voicemail, speaking over the overhead boarding announcement for his flight to Sacramento. Soon he was on the plane, reluctantly turning off his phone. Neither party he had left messages for called him back.

 

Ethan Mason looked at the clock, calculating the timing of Daniel’s flight from Los Angeles to Sacramento. His little brother would be on the ground in an hour or so. Ethan needed to time this right, knowing that Daniel still had a drive ahead of him before getting back to Sheridan.

He was alone in a motel room right off the interstate in Auburn. He had checked in last light night after driving from San Francisco. His meeting had gone well, but neither the people he met with nor the reason for the meeting was as Daniel thought.

Ethan listened to Daniel’s voicemail immediately after Daniel had left it and deleted it right away. Ethan would call him in about two hours, after Daniel had cleared the airport and was on his way north. Ethan knew the news about the auditor would reach Daniel somehow and took delight in the thought that he would spend the flight worrying about it.

Ethan’s phone rang again. He recognized the number, but still let it go to voicemail. After it did, he listened to the message, which was five seconds of silence. He punched the call button to return it, and was warmed by the voice on the other end.

“Ethan.”

“Are you ready?”

“I will be. Are you sure you still want to do this?”

“Sure. I didn’t do all this planning to back out at the last minute. Are you chickening out on me?”

“Of course not! I’m just making sure. I told you before, this seems like a drastic step. But, hey, it’s your choice.”

“Damn straight it is. Just keep an eye on things okay? Make sure it goes off as planned,” said Ethan.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m looking forward to the paycheck.”

“And you should. Easiest hundred grand you’ll ever make.”

“Just make sure things are lined up on your end. I’m putting a lot on the line here.”

“We’re all set. I’ll call Daniel in a couple of hours to make sure. He should be there as planned. I gotta go. Bye”

“Ok, bye.”

“Bye.” Ethan hung up with a satisfied smile, that soon turned into a slight frown. This would be either the smartest thing he had ever done, or the dumbest thing he would ever do. Ethan Mason had worked for Barnaby and Mason his entire adult life, sweeping the flooring after classes when he was in high school and interning during the summers while he was at Creighton. After he received his accounting degree, he joined the firm full time, working directly with his father, eventually becoming comptroller.

He glanced at his watch. His guests would be here soon.

 

Daniel was glad to finally be on the ground and winding his way north with a two-hour drive ahead of him to his home town of Sheridan, California. The flight from John Wayne to Sacramento had lasted just over an hour. The firm had its own aging plane sitting in a hangar at the tiny Sheridan airfield but he preferred the solitude of the drive. It gave him time to think and plan. Besides, it was much cheaper to drive than fly, and the firm needed to save every penny it could. The airplane needed to be sold.

He had called Ethan’s phone from the airport, walking out to his car. He had again got voicemail, leaving a pointed message. He had also not gotten a call back from the auditor, which he thought was strange. As the time approached five o’clock and the end of business hours, he knew that the conversation with the auditor would have to wait until morning. With Ethan, however, he would keep trying until he finally got in touch with him.

The sky darkening as the sun dipped below the horizon, Daniel was just starting to enjoy the drive when his phone rang. He glanced at it sitting on the seat next to him, recognizing the number as Ethan’s. He quickly picked it up. “Ethan.”

“Hey, you called?”

Daniel didn’t know what to say for a second. Could Ethan have really forgotten the meeting? “Yeah, I called. Any idea why I might have called?”

“Well, duh, you left a message telling me why you called, something about the audit.”

“Damn right it was the audit. Why weren’t you there?”

“I needed to talk care of some more stuff in San Francisco, so I pushed it back.”

“Why would you push it back? We agreed we needed this for Ager Cultura.”

“No, you agreed we needed this for Ager Cultura. I think it’s a waste of money that we don’t have.”

“I thought you were on board. Why are you just now against the audit?” asked Daniel.

“Look, I’ve got some ideas, can we go over them tonight at the office? I have a meeting before you get back with some guys.”

“Who? What guys?”

“Just someone I owe a couple of bucks to. What time will you be there?”

“Why tonight? We can meet in the morning.”

Ethan’s voice started to show some strain. “I just want to hit the ground running. What do you think, 7:30?”

Daniel gave in. “Yeah, between 7:30 and 8. I’ll go right to the office. Where are you?”

“In the car, little Bro. See you there. Bye”

Ethan ended the call and turned around, facing the two men standing behind him. He smiled and said, “We’re good to go.”

 

 

 

Chapter Three

 

Daniel and Ethan had never been close, in spite of sharing the same bedroom for some of their growing up years. Ethan was three years older than Daniel, and six years older than their other brother, Adam. Adam had left Sheridan right after high school, taking his guitar with him. He had headed straight for New York, diving right into the music scene. Over the years he would appear occasionally out of nowhere to reconnect with his family.

The last time Adam and Daniel had spoken had been a few months earlier. They had argued, and had not spoken since. Adam had been seeking funding for a European tour and felt that the family business should help provide it. Their father had always steadfastly refused to “pour money down a black hole” whenever Adam needed money for his career. When Daniel assumed leadership of the company, Adam saw it as an opportunity to finally get the funding he “needed” to get his career on track, since brother should help brother. Daniel saw otherwise and turned down his request, causing Adam to demand his share of the family business. That discussion ended badly, with Adam shouting at his brother and hanging up abruptly. Soon afterward, Adam left for Europe. Where the money had come from to fund the tour, Daniel did not know, and did not care.

Daniel was therefore surprised, but yet not, when his phone rang again, with Adam’s number displaying on the screen. He swore softly and ignored it. The last thing he needed right now was a conversation with his whiny brother when he had this auditing mess to take care of. He replayed his conversation with Ethan in his head while the voicemail notification arrived. Daniel looked around at the shadowed countryside as the highway left the flat central valley, heading into the rolling hills of northern California.

He had fond memories of growing up in Sheridan, living an adventurous childhood where he and his friends would spend hours roaming their small town on their bicycles, playing endless games of football or baseball. The harsh winters were just a part of life to be endured on the path back to summer. Only when he had left Sheridan for college had he realized that snow was not a necessary part of life. You could actually live somewhere where snow could be visited for a day of skiing and then abandoned.

He suddenly longed for the sand and the warm sun, turning down the car’s heater which had been running full blast since leaving the airport in Sacramento. There had been a threat of snow, but they had not had anything other than flurries, which was not so unusual in early December. It would still be partial daylight in San Diego right now, he thought wistfully. It would be so nice to be able to leave the office early for a run on the beach, but he was instead driving through trees which had been picked clean by the harvest, bordered by bare wind-swept fields. That run would not have included having to deal with his brothers, which was one reason he had gone south in the first place.

The other reason he had gone south was more important. He had left because of his father, whom he despised. They had always had a rocky relationship, but as Daniel grew into adulthood, he grew to realize that his father was a liar, a cheater, and a philanderer. He recognized Ethan to be the same, taking all his father’s bad qualities and amplifying them. When Ethan joined the family company, Daniel decided he wanted no part of it and left the area to make a complete break. He had finished college and headed south, making his home and finding a career in San Diego. He never married, preferring the bachelor life, but expecting one day to be ready to settle down.

It took an unexpectedly desperate call from his father, Sam, to persuade him to return to Sheridan. His father’s faltering health had caused him to reach out to Daniel, after Sam realized that the firm would never survive if Ethan were placed in charge. Sam and Uncle Barnett had tag teamed Daniel, each giving him all the good reasons to come back. They were co-owners of the family firm. Barnett was older than Sam, but Sam was in charge, with Barnett content to schmooze clients with steak dinners and afternoons at the country club. Barnett’s own lifestyle and weight had finally caught up with him, and after his second heart attack, Barnett had reduced his day to day responsibilities, content to be more of an advisor to Daniel, who had reluctantly agreed to return.

Sam Mason was now in an extended care facility, wasting away. Once the lion of the Mason family, he was now bedridden and mentally fading. Daniel had been shocked upon his return to see his father’s condition, and regardless of how he thought about his father, he was grieved to view him in that state. Daniel was able to forge an uneasy truce with himself and put his feelings aside, visiting his father every few days.   

Daniel glanced over at this phone, shook his head and sighed. Against his better judgement, he picked it up and started the voicemail message.

“Daniel, it’s Adam. I know, I said some things, but something has come up. I’m back in New York. I really need to talk to you. It’s about money. Call me, man…”

Daniel resisted the urge to throw the phone against the window as his mind started swirling with the likely meaning of the message. The uneasy peace he had made in his own mind with his little brother had now been broken. At least when he knew that Adam was going to be in Europe for a year he could put off thinking about their quarrel.

Daniel decided to go slow. If he had learned anything from the previous ordeal with Adam, it was that what he did next would decide how this went. He needed to think this through rather than just return the call. His biggest mistake during the previous money discussion fiasco was not telling Barnett about it and getting his advice. Barnett had helped guide the boys through their teenage years without any of them killing the other and was proving to be a good sounding board.

Daniel kept one eye on the road and called his uncle. “Hello,” came the answer on the other end.

“Uncle Barnett, it’s Daniel.”

“What ‘ya find out?” Barnett sensed the trouble.

“I talked to Ethan. He was still in San Francisco.”

“Why?”

“He said he had some things to finish up so he pushed back the audit.”

“Do you believe him?” asked Barnett.

“Shouldn’t I?”

There was pause on the other end. “This between you and me, Daniel. You know that we thought you were a better choice than Ethan to run the company, but there was another reason that I wanted you to come back and take charge. I don’t trust Ethan.”

Daniel was taken aback. “Because why?” Not that I trust him either, he thought.

“Your dad and I had been going around and around about some of the financial moves he was making. I thought they were questionable but Sam insisted all was good. I want this audit probably worse than you do.”

“I don’t understand. Why haven’t you told me this before?”

“Because I didn’t want to tilt your view of how Ethan was doing until you got your feet under you. Then when you proposed an external audit, I thought I would just wait and see what happened.”

“Does Ethan know how you feel?” asked Daniel.

“I don’t think so. Sam and I kept our conversations private. At least we tried to. So, what else did he say?”

“Ethan and I are meeting tonight to talk about it at the office.”

“Do you want me there?”

“No, but I’ll fill you in.” Daniel paused, then went ahead, “I got a call from Adam.”

“How’s he doing?”

“I don’t know. I let it go to voicemail and haven’t called him back yet.”

“What’d he say?”

“He’s in New York.”

“And you’re concerned because he’s supposed to still be in Europe.”

Daniel hesitated. “I know I should have told you this before, Barnett, but it is probably about money. I’m sure still wants money.”

Barnett snorted, “I already figured that.”  

“Really.”

Barnett finished off a beer. “Yep. First, he tried it with your dad. Sam would say no, and Adam would go off halfcocked and we wouldn’t see him for a while. I imagine that when you took over, he felt like he had a better chance.”

“That’s exactly what he thought. Then after I turned him down he wanted his share of the firm in cash. I told him this wasn’t a pie you could split up like that.”

“Well, call him back and see what he wants. If you want, I can talk some sense into him. I’ll stop by the office tomorrow and see how it went.”

“Ok, sounds good. Bye.”

“Mmm, bye.”

Just what I need, thought Daniel. If one screwed up brother wasn’t enough.

 

 

 

Chapter Four

 

Daniel hung up and tried to concentrate on the road. His mind raced as he thought about the implications of what Barnett had said concerning Ethan. Questions. Suspicious actions. What would the audit find? Anything illegal? Why hadn’t Dad done anything?

Daniel pondered these things as he drove quickly down the deserted highway. He decided to have some fun and blow off some of his frustrations by accelerating his sports car past the century mark. He knew the parts of the road where driveways were and would slow down before getting there, then rev it up again. He made great time and was back in Sheridan a good half hour quicker than normal.

The calls from his brothers continued to bother him as he drove toward the center of town, passing Miller’s Garage, where he had worked while in high school. It had been empty for several years, closing the year after old man Miller died. He left the garage to his son, Johnny, who had some skill as a mechanic, had less skill with people and had no skill at all in running a business. In less than a year, Johnny managed to run off all the customers who stayed with him out of loyalty to his father. After closing the business, the garage had sat empty because Johnny was content to live on his meager inheritance and was too lazy to sell it.  He proceeded to let the property decline out of neglect.

If the garage had been in a city or larger town, it would have become a hangout for the junkies and the homeless. Sheridan was too small to have visible homeless, and the junkies shot up at home to keep from being recognized as such. It was too close to Sheridan’s still healthy downtown to be used as a drinking spot for the high school kids, and thus escaped the vandalism so common among similar properties on the outskirts of town.

Daniel rolled down the window to dissipate the heat in the car and to take in the early winter chill. He drove past the now empty family home, which was still for sale and likely always would be. It was a large two-story house that had been built in the early 1900’s by Daniel’s great grandfather. It had been passed down through the generations and now was on the market since none of the three brothers wanted it. Ethan had a much nicer house outside of town and Adam was always somewhere on the road. Daniel had long ago seen himself raising a family there someday, but rented an apartment upon his return to Sheridan.

Daniel pulled over and gazed at the house in the dark. It was painted white, with a black asphalt shingle roof. Daniel could still remember the summer he and his brothers had spent scraping and repainting the house. Ethan must have been in high school then, with Adam still in grade school trying to keep up his end. The following summer they helped replaced the roof and the boys had been proud of the work that they had done.

While the house was certainly showing its age, it still was in good shape, at least structurally. The interior décor had not changed in a half century. It had cracked linoleum in the kitchen and bathrooms, and scarred hardwood floors elsewhere, although the bedrooms had received carpeting at some point. There were four fireplaces, two downstairs and two upstairs, none of which worked, having been sealed off for some reason years ago. Daniel could remember his mother speculating that it had been done when the forced air heat was added, replacing the coal furnace. They probably didn’t anticipate that one day people would want fireplaces for ambiance.

There were two kitchens, one upstairs and one downstairs with a tight, dark spiral staircase built into the wall joining them. The boys had considered the upstairs kitchen one to be theirs, and much time was spent fighting over who had eaten whose food from the small refrigerator.

The unfinished basement was used only for storage and was dominated by the old coal furnace. The piles of coal that had once surrounded the furnace had been replaced by piles of boxes and furniture that hadn’t been touched in years. The basement and everything in it was filthy with the coal dust that still seemed to float in the air.

Daniel drove on with a sense of longing for those summer days when the brothers had played hard and fought harder. The neighborhood football games had often ended with a late hit, followed by the injured party’s brother retaliating against the hitter. Brother stood up for brother, unless it was brother was beating the crap out of his other brother.

He drove to the town square, passing the courthouse and the businesses that were closed for the night. He pulled into the parking lot of the offices of Barnaby and Mason, seeing Ethan’s Ford Explorer parked in his customary spot by the side door. No other vehicles were in the lot. Things were as they should be, but his heart began to pound as a strange as an unexpected anxiety built up inside him. He parked the car and sat for a moment in the quiet evening, trying to settle himself. He rolled the windows up, got out, locked the car and entered the building.

Inside the office, Ethan was walking down the hallway when he heard the door opening. He ducked into a side office just in time, hiding behind a fake ficus tree as Daniel walked past. He silently made for the outside door and jumped in his car. “He must have made really good time,” he muttered to himself.

As Daniel walked through the hallway back to his office, he compared the layout of their old building to the modern suite of offices that he had visited earlier that day. In Los Angeles, most of the support staff were in cubicles arranged in a large central open area that was ringed by offices of the partners and senior associates. At Barnaby and Mason, the offices were arranged in such a way that each had a secretarial station guarding the door. These days there were fewer occupied offices and still fewer secretaries, who were now called administrative assistants.

The silence was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Four shots rang out in groups of two as Daniel ducked behind one of the workstations. He heard the sounds of bodies hitting the floor followed by the sound of running feet. Daniel could smell the gunpowder, while the shots rang in the air. He sensed, rather than saw the figure running past him, the steps echoing behind. The back door opened with a bang and slammed.

     Daniel remained hidden as the air began to clear and silence hung heavily. He could hear a faint groaning, but was afraid to move to see who it was. Minutes passed as the groaning stopped occasionally, and then began again.

     Ethan was driving away from the office, not knowing where to go now. The surveillance camera he had counted on to prove his alibi had now caught him leaving after Daniel had arrived. He had planned to be at the café when the shooting occurred, but now was concerned with being seen leaving. He turned down a dark side street and headed for the highway.

     Daniel’s brain finally clicked in and the adrenaline switched gears. He was certain that Ethan had finally run out of luck and wanted to run right back out, but the groaning kept him there. Daniel eased around the desks to where the shots had come from and now could see a body on the ground partially hidden by a large cabinet. Trying to remain hidden in case the gunman was still there, Daniel ducked behind the cabinet and carefully moved his head to where he could see the body.  

     The sirens grew louder and closer as relief flooded through Daniel when he could tell that the body was not Ethan’s. He kept moving his eyes, searching for a threat, when he noticed a second body farther on next to a large copier. He was torn between trying to see the body, while not exposing himself in case the gunman was still there. The door burst open and cries of “Everybody freeze! Police!” reverberated through the office. Flashlight beams roamed the office area as the officers remained in a defensive position, wary of incoming fire. When no shots came their way, nor was any threat evident, they began their entry in the office interior, each covering the other as they went.

     “I’m over here, don’t shoot!” Daniel shouted as he put up his hands. Two weapons pointed his way and two flashlights fell on him.

     “Don’t move! Put down your weapons!” came the command.

     “I don’t have any weapons! The shots came from over there!”

     “On the floor!” Daniel complied quickly as one officer covered him and another came up behind him. “Hands behind your head!”

     Daniel did as he was told and said, “There are bodies over there, I think one might be my brother!”

     One officer, whom Daniel recognized, flashed his light over the bodies, approached them carefully and checked for a pulse. He quickly radioed for an ambulance. “This one’s alive, barely. This one’s dead.” The dead one was the one that Daniel had seen was not Ethan. The officer applied pressure on the live one to the neighboring wounds with a single handkerchief.

     “Can I see him?”

     “You just stay right there. Matter of fact, let’s cuff him,” he said to the other officer.

     “I’m Daniel Mason, Sam Mason’s son.

     “I know who you are. I recognized you from the accident this summer.”  

     Sirens began again in the distance. “Just sit right there until we get this guy stable. Anybody else here with you?”

     “I don’t know.” After cuffing Daniel, the officer made a quick inspection of the other offices and found no one else.

     Daniel explained, “I came in by myself, heard the shooting and tried to get out. I was working my way around the desks when I saw the bodies. Can I see the victim? I think it might be my brother.”

     “You can see him when the paramedics take him out. Just wait.”

     The sirens had gradually reached the office and lights flashed through the windows as the ambulance pulled up. The other officer had opened the side door for them so they could come in. He led them to the two bodies, where they took over for Officer Gerard. Soon they had him strapped to a spinal board, with an IV started and his wounds dressed. When they began to move him, Daniel saw his face for the first time and felt relief.

     It was not Ethan. “Officer,” Daniel asked, “is there a Ford Explorer in the parking lot.”

     “No,” Mike answered, “just a little sports car.” And with that, Daniel’s teeth began to chatter as the adrenaline left, and the fear began.

 

 

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