Shepperton's Sacrifice, Heir of Drachma, Book Three

Well, here is the next chapter of Shepperton's Sacrifice, Heir of Drachma, Book Three. In this chapter I've brought back our intrepid duo of the twentieth century doings, which somehow intertwines with the fifteenth century - more to come!

 Chapter Two

 

 

Lonnie stepped into her second floor apartment and noticed the smell of stale food. Laying her mail on the table, she moved across her living area to open a window and get some air inside. As she stood at the open window, she noticed that near where she had parked her car, a strange grey sedan was now parking. This sight sent a chill down her spine as she watched.

 

No, this can’t be, she thought, it really can’t be the same car. She continued to watch and noticed a man in dark clothing in the driver’s seat, but could not see well enough to know if it was the same man. Seeing the man still sitting in the driver’s seat and not getting out made her nervous. She went to her phone and dialed Christine’s number.

 

“Oh, hi, Chris. It’s me Lonnie. Where are you right now? Just in your car? Thirty fifth street, yeah, that’s close…  It may be nothing, but I think it may be him. He’s just sitting in the car. Got me worried… Well, I would appreciate that… No, I don’t have any idea.” 

 

She hung up the phone, relieved that Christine would be over. Deciding to go back to watching from her window, she noticed her mail. She hesitated. On top of the pile was an envelope, but it seemed strange. There was just her name, and no address. There was no stamp, and no indication of anything else. It felt strange in her hand, somewhat rough, but she could feel the oldness of the paper. And when she opened it it gave off an aroma which made her cough. It was as if something dead had been released in her hands. She dropped the envelope without reading the note inside.

 

Immediately, she went to the kitchen sink, and washed her hands, as if scrubbing her hands could wipe off the stench. She began to cry.

 

“Oh, Christina, help,” she said quietly between sobs. “Can you come just a bit faster? I need you here.”

 

Then from outside she heard a loud shot, and a crashing sound as the bullet smashed her window. She was instantly paralyzed with dread. This was too much for her, and she slumped down in a kitchen chair, afraid to move or do anything at all.

 

The wailing of a siren shook her from her stupor. The sound was coming closer, she could tell. It offered a slender bit of hope. Shakily she got up, and went over to the other window, in the bathroom, and peered out to see the grey sedan quickly pulling out and heading down the road, with the unmarked police car coming up lights flashing and the siren blaring. The car stopped by her apartment building, and she could see that Christine got out, and came into her building, gun drawn in her right hand, and speaking into a walkie-talkie with her left hand.

 

Her doorbell rang and she opened up her doorway to Christine, who came hurrying up the stairs.

 

“What happened,” Christine asked, “are you all right? I heard the shot as I was coming up the road. I did get his license plate number as he sped away.”

 

“I’m alright physically, but as you can see, my window is shattered, and so are my nerves!”

 

“Hmm, well I can see you’re upset…”

 

“Yeah, a real basket case right now.”

 

“Let me make this call, then you can tell me all about all this.”

 

Christine made the call to her station, asking for back-up, and telling them that they should be on the lookout for a grey Oldsmobile with the Ohio license number OJT 509, and that he was headed north on Lexington. After making her call, she sat down and indicated to Lonnie to do the same.

 

“Okay, I can see that you’re physically alright, but obviously shaken, Lonnie. So, tell me everything that happened, from the time we last spoke together.”

 

Lonnie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “All right, then, I’ll try to do that. After we had the coffee, I just got into my car, and my mind was whirling with all that happened at Amanda’s funeral. I guess that I just got into my car and automatically drove home. To be honest, I didn’t notice whether I was being followed or anything. I just drove here, picked up my mail and came upstairs. I then went to the window and opened it slightly to get some air in here. And then I noticed the car, which was parked just a few spaces behind my own. That’s when I called you. But next I looked at my mail, and here was this envelope with no stamp or anything but my name on it. I opened it but out came this odor like something dead. So, I dropped it – it’s over there.” She indicated with her hand. “I didn’t see what was in there – I just couldn’t look.

 

“I rushed over to the sink and washed my hands, and I decided to go back to the window – no not that one, the one in the bathroom, and that’s when I heard the shot, and saw the car peeling away.”

 

Christine putt on some gloves which she kept in her purse, and she went over to where the envelope was on the floor. Cautiously she picked it up, and as she opened it further, she noticed the odor. “Phew,” she said, “it really reeks! Now, you just touched the outer envelope, and didn’t touch the paper inside, right?”

 

“Yeah, that’s right, and I have no idea what’s inside.”

 

“Well, that’s good – it’ll help with our fingerprint guys. But I do feel we’ve got to see what’s written inside.”

 

“Be my guest, Chris.”

 

Christine reopened the envelope and carefully pulled out the paper inside, wrinkling her nose as she did so. On the inside was a handwritten note, in a simple declarative script. She read the note, then said, “Oh my, Lonnie, this is true evil….”

 

“Then, I better look….”

 

“I’ll hold it – I’ve got gloves on.”

 

The note said, in its garish simplicity:

 

                        Alonza,

                        Let me tell you by way of my warning shot that you should

                        heed well this threat:

                        I have knowledge of your man which you do not.

                        Your complicity and silence are needed.

                        Be advised that any involvement with the police

                        will be treated as if you do not care for the lives

                        involved. You have been warned.

A.LeGace

 

“Now, if this, along with the bullet, don’t constitute a threat on your life,” Chris almost spat the message out. “And, by now, you can’t help but get us involved. I’ll give this to the crime scene guys for fingerprints. And we’ve put out an APB on the car. My only hope is that we can find him before he gets another chance to do anything more.”

 

“But Chris, the note says that he knows about Charlie – it sure makes me wonder what he knows, and what powers he has.”

 

“If he’s meaning Charlie,” Christine noted. “You know Charlie’s not here…?”

 

“Who else could he be referring to?”

 

“I really can’t say, Lonnie. He’s obviously assuming that you do know, as he specified in the note that it’s your man he’s referring to.”

 

“What could he mean, and what knowledge could he have? This has gotten me spooked.” 

 

“Well, I can tell you, Lonnie, that after our back-up arrives, we’ve got to get you another place to stay. Why don’t we go down to the station, and from there, figure it out. For now, how about getting some of what you’ll need for the next few days. After the CSI folks get here, you can come with me.”

 

Lonnie thought about this, then said, “I’ll need my car, but I’ll follow you down to the police station. Oh, man, this has really gotten to me – and Charlie – what am I to think? There ought to be some way of communicating with him – but I’ve got nothing. Nothing but worry….”

 

Her doorbell rang, and Lonnie jumped at the sound.

 

Christine calmly placed her hand on Lonnie’s arm, and said, “that must be the back-up I asked for. How do I let them in?”

 

“Oh, I got spooked. Here, I’ll let them in.” Lonnie got up and pressed a button on her wall, and said, “come on in. It’s open now.”

 

Somewhat shakily she sat back down, as Christine got up and went to the door to let the two uniformed officers enter.

 

After introductions the two burly men got down to business, with one taking photos, and the other surveying the rooms and getting details from Christine.

 

“Here, Mike, this is the bullet entry point.” the younger one said, indicating with his camera a place on the far wall.

 

“Yep. It sure is.” Then he opened his tool bag and got out some instruments that Lonnie had never seen.

 

“Lonnie, why don’t you go ahead and gather your stuff? We’ll go down to the station and let these men do their thing. And we can reconnect later if we need to.”

 

The trip to the police station was filled with all sorts of questions running around in Lonnie’s head as she tried to wrap her mind around this most evil afternoon. What am I supposed to do and to think? Oh, Charlie, If only I could get in touch with you. Warn you or something – but I don’t even know if what I do is harmful. How can you be gone at this time?

 

When she arrived at the station she got out of her car and looked around nervously, but almost didn’t see that there was something on her passenger seat. She opened the passenger door and stooped down to pick up a small, warm, and most fragrant loaf of bread. What in the world? Who could have left this on my seat? As she walked into the grey police station, clutching her loaf, she heard something so beautiful in the distance, something that sounded like the melody from her time with Charlie, played on a harp. She began to cry quietly as she walked into the station.