From the Blue Page 20

  “I’ll protect you, my prince.” She assured him, rubbing his arm and squeezing his hand. She coaxed him up the ramp to the queue and watched him as he watched a line of cars trundle and click loudly to the top of the hill. She felt him flinch as the cars were released and free-falled into the depths of the tracks.

  Twenty minutes later, the couple was tromping down the inclined ramp that would deposit them back at the front of the ride.

  “That was…intense.” Jaron said animatedly when they both got to the end of the ramp. Even now, another set of cars was clanking and climbing to the top of the hill. “I’ve never ridden anything like that before. I wish to do it again.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve never been on a roller coaster before. That wasn’t even a very good one.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “Heck, no. My aunt took me to Busch Gardens for the first time when I was barely twelve. That was all coasters: fast ones, upside down ones, backwards ones. I rode them all day.”

  She studied him skeptically. His sheer lack of experience in the most mundane things was refreshing, but she wondered if it was just a ruse for her. No matter how hard she scrutinized him, Dylan could see no deception from him. “You are one big mountain of question marks, aren’t you?”

  Jaron took her hand with a wrinkle of confusion the corner of his eyes and, with the most genuine smile she had ever seen on a guy, he said, “You have no idea.”

  They rode the bumper cars and carousel. Dylan had her palm read by a woman that was bedazzled and coiffed and robed in a long, flowing dress. She was promised great fortune and love in her future. They took a selfie in front of the strong man as he lifted a huge barbell over his head. For the coup de grace, she pulled him along until they reached the line for the Ferris Wheel.

  “Is this safe?” Jaron asked her as he craned his neck up into the sky. She laughed at his question, even though his tone was deadly serious.

  “We’ll be fine.” She said and kissed him lightly.

  The kiss was enough to urge him to follow her into the short line. Still, Jaron seemed a bit reticent as they made it to the front and climbed into the swinging bucket that would take them into the air. Dylan could feel his hold on her hand tighten when the gate was locked shut and the circle began to move. She inched closer to him until they seemed to merge into one person.

  After the last couple boarded, the ride began in earnest. The first revolution brought a noticeable ease to the young prince and Dylan was relieved to see him enjoying the ride. Round and round, the giant circle turned, sending the breeze through their hair and carrying their laughter up into the heavens.

  After they disembarked, both of them meandered through the carnival and the crowds. Their arms around each other, they had lost interest in everything, except for one another.

  For an hour, they just walked around, not doing anything, but enjoying each other’s company and taking in the sights. Dylan was laughing at Jaron’s reaction to the hillbilly music that was issuing from one of the tents they passed. He actually had a look of pain etched across his face.

  Her laughter was cut short when someone cut in between them, bumping into both of them. She cried out in shock at the impact. Rubbing her sore arm, she watched as their assailant blended in with the crowd and disappeared from view as quickly as he had appeared. “Damn. Rude much. You OK?”

  Jaron’s expression had turned from one of pained amusement to anger and he looked as though he were going to chase after guy. Forgetting her smarting bruise, she reached out and firmly gripped his arm.

  “Jaron, don’t. It was just an accident.” Her voice pleaded and she could feel the tension build in his muscles. She closed her hand tighter on his bulging bicep as her voice and grip penetrated the angered haze in his expression. His features began to soften slightly.

  “I can’t believe he would run into you like that.” His teeth were still clenched and his voice remained tinged with ire, even though his body had begun to relax.

  “I don’t think he did it on purpose. There’s just a lot of people here, moving around and what not. It’s easy to run into other people.” Her explanation seemed to soothe him further. She felt his muscles start to uncoil and his posture eased even more. Still, she had never seen him react like that before. Although she had seen his mercurial changes in mood, it still unsettled her to see anger flash in his normally jovial eyes.

  Calmer now, Jaron’s breathing evened out and he gazed down into her eyes, his hand coming up to entangle itself in her hair.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle or offend you.”

  “I think it was sweet that you wanted to protect me.” She admitted to him and brought him into a tight embrace in the center of the midway. Lights flashed all around them and the night was filled with bells and whistles. And, in the midst of this hurricane of dissonance, they found an eye of calm in which only the two of them existed.

  Holding on to Jaron and listening to his racing heart in his chest, she opened her eyes and looked out, over towards the row of precarious looking buildings that held the games of chance and luck with large stuffed animals hanging from the rafters. Men were shooting baskets, throwing darts at balloons, tossing baseballs at stacked milk cans, all in the hope that they could prove their masculine prowess by winning their ladies the largest stuffed prize imaginable.

  It was comforting sight to see all those people in love, both young and old, proving their affections in the form of stuffed dinosaurs and elephants. For once, she didn’t look at them as an outsider. She watched them as one of them. She wasn’t jealous of what they had because what she wanted, she already held in her arms.

  “I’m getting hungry.” She said, interrupting their little slice of everything built just for them. “Maybe we should stop for some junk food.”

  “All right.” He agreed, but didn’t move and didn’t let her go. Instead, he brought her even closer, tighter.

  “Yes?” Dylan said coyly when she realized that Jaron wasn’t moving. Her fingers traced designs into his shoulder as she waited for him.

  The young man with his arms around her said nothing. He only swept her up in his gaze and held her there with his eyes. For the longest few moments she had ever experienced, they stood, motionless, as the crowd parted around them like a river around a rock.

  Slowly, he finally bent his head down. Jaron’s lips met Dylan’s. Her eyes closed. Fireworks exploded on the insides of her lids. She pressed her body against his, not concerned if they were moving away from a PG rating and into a definite PG-13.

  Their mouths lingered on each other’s like they were tasting the sweetest, most delectable chocolate ever. Bare skin on skin heated them with neglected passion. They shared of each other as their breath became one. Seconds were an eternity that would never end, yet end too abruptly.

  Jaron didn’t know what made him look up from the kiss.

  Maybe it was some sixth sense. Maybe the Old Gods were warning him or the Fates were portending a glimpse into his future. Most likely, it was just unfortunate timing, but what he saw sent a shiver of mixed feelings through his body.

  There, across the way, maybe 30 yards away, stood his brother, looking right back at him.

  Chapter 19 – In Retro

  “Hey, boss. They’ve parked and gotten out of the car. They seem to be headed to the carnival over there. What do you want me to do?” Angelo asked from beside him. Mark Fitzsimmons thought it over for a moment and decided.

  He slipped the car into an empty space between a mini-van and truck. “I’m going extra-vehicle.”

  “You sure? We have ground agents ready to go. You don’t need to go in.” Angelo said and watched as Mark grabbed a baseball cap from the back seat and slid a pair of shades over his eyes. Next, he brought a briefcase up to the front and rummaged around its contents for a moment before closing it and returning it to the back. On his fingertip was a small, rectangular electronic device.

  “Yes, Angelo, I’m sure.
Send the agents in as planned. While I’m gone, get into their car. Pull prints and run them if you find any. Bug it, too. I want to hear what they’re saying.”

  “We’re not grabbing them?” his partner asked.

  “No. Surveillance only.” He answered sternly. “These kids are not the masterminds behind this, but I’m certain the boy is related to them in some way. He’s going to lead us straight to whoever’s behind this.”

  Mark turned and saw the doubtful, hesitant look on his partner’s expression. “Listen. I’m going in because something about all this just doesn’t add up. I need to observe them, maybe get a hint as to their connection. I need to understand.”

  The conviction in Mark’s voice quieted any objections, not that he expected any. He adjusted his Bluetooth in his ear and tapped the knob on the side, opening a channel through to the identical piece that Angelo wore. He tested it successfully and checked in with the van and additional agents on the same channel. He barked a few instructions and then got out of the car, hurrying towards the front of the fair. With their faces firmly planted in his mind, he strode quickly towards the crowds and noise, hoping to catch up to them before the place got too populated.

  After fifteen minutes of searching and a silent thanks to his parents for his height, he located them.

  Discretely, Agent Fitzsimmons followed the couple around for the better part of an hour, biding his time. He’d caught a glimpse of the other two agents that were mixed in with the crowd, but commended them mentally for their ability to remain concealed, even from him. By the time that hour had passed, he realized that this was exactly what it seemed: a date. He’d been hoping for a clandestine meeting or maybe a run-in with the other suspect. Instead, he watched them as they rode rides, played darts, ate cotton candy and the like. They stole kisses from each other when they thought no one was looking. The girl was obviously smitten with the boy as she continually stared at him. The boy, on the other hand, acted like he had never been to a carnival before, gawking at everything.

  In his ear, he heard the constant babble of updates from his partner and Agent Cooper in the surveillance van. The Corolla had been searched with three sets of clear prints being run through the FBI and local databases as they spoke. From some reason, Mark was relatively certain that he knew who two of those belonged to and he was sure that the boy’s prints wouldn’t be registered at all. But, at least, they would have them on file.

  He continued watching them as they climbed into two bumper cars, the boy’s gangly limbs barely fitting. Leaning against the railing, he watched as they drove around, smacking their cars into each other’s and laughing loudly. It reminded Mark of his first date with Bonnie Del Marco his freshmen year of high school.

  What the hell is going on here? He couldn’t help but wondering as he casually sipped his soda. The boy had been at that house. He was involved somehow. He knew something, even if it appeared he didn’t. Why would he take time out to go on a date? And the longer he watched them, the more he was certain that the girl was completely in the dark. What has this girl gotten mixed up in?

  As he mulled this over, the ride had stopped and both of them were exiting, hand in hand. He had hoped that some observation would help him to get a sense of who these kids were, what and how they were connected to these grisly murders. Instead, he felt like a peeping tom.

  Keeping a dozen people in between himself and them, he followed them to the monstrous Ferris Wheel. The boy was helping the girl into the rocking bucket at the end of an inclined ramp. He nonchalantly got in line for a pretzel at the nearby vendor, while keeping an eye out for the ride to stop.

  The Friday night crowds gave the agent a perfect cover as he watched the Ferris Wheel spin around and around, finally slowing and eventually letting off its passengers. He had found it incredibly simple to keep tabs on the pair without being noticed by them or anyone else.

  Mark glanced at the time on his cell phone, remembering the fair would be closing soon. He was pretty sure that they had the girl covered. But it was the boy they had been after. With deft precision, he thumbed the small transmitter from his pocket and waited as the cars came to a stop. With predatory eyes, he watched them exit.

  “Initiating contact.”

  Between his thumb and forefinger, he pulled the tiny transmitter from his pocket. He maneuvered to intercept the two lovebirds as they dodged the off-loading riders and moved off towards their next destination. He lowered the cap on his forehead and closed the distance between them.

  With years of training and experience behind him, he moved between the currents of the crowd. Lights strobed around him. The sounds of the crowd pulsated through him, yet he allowed none of that distract him. He kept his eyes on his targets with single-minded purpose as they sauntered through the same mob.

  They stopped in the midst of the crowds and Mark closed the gap even quicker.

  Closer and closer he came.

  His nerves tingled with anticipation. The next few seconds were crucial.

  Contact!

  He walked in between them, grazing both of them roughly. His finger deftly brushed the inside of the boy’s pants pocket, depositing the tiny transmitter. Muttering an apology, he hurried off, leaving the surprised and rattled pair in his wake.

  Without looking back for pursuit, Mark weaved his way through the densest parts of the crowd before angling to the right. He took up position in between two of the ramshackle buildings and watched.

  Neither of them had taken up the chase.

  “Success.” He whispered out loud.

  “Signal achieved.” Cooper’s voice resounded in his ear.

  Mark Fitzsimmons watched them from the shadows fifty feet from where they stood. He glared at the young man and watched him. One way or another he was going to find out what he was up to and how he was connected to all of this.

  Chapter 20 – In A Mirror Darkly

  No! It can’t be!

  It was only a fleeting glimpse and then the figure disappeared behind a wave of families crossing between them. Brief though it may be, Jaron knew who he had seen. Sure, he had changed over the past two years. His hair was longer. A dark scar ran down his temple. His eyes looked deeper, almost haunted under the uneven lights of the midway, but Jaron would never forget that lopsided smirk of his.

  No matter how he may appear different, he could never forget his brother.

  The crowd parted suddenly for an instant and the vision was gone like a ghost.

  Jaron scanned the crowd frantically, craning his neck to see over and past the streaming people. He searched each face he saw, growing tenser and more certain with each passing second. He knew he’d seen him. It hadn’t been his imagination, although Julien’s presence here made no sense. No one in his family had seen nor heard from his older sibling in over a year.

  What could he be doing here?

  Before he could contemplate the answer, he heard Dylan cry out beside him.

  “Ow! Jaron, you’re squeezing my arm.” she exclaimed sharply.

  Startled from his search, he reflexively released her and glanced down into her face. He heard her ask, “What’s wrong?”, but didn’t answer. Her voice seemed far away, muted as if they were both underwater. As much as he felt for her, his attention was solely on the wisp of his brother he thought he saw. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he knew for sure.

  Instead of offering her an explanation, he released her and began to wade through the stream of people, leaving Dylan behind rubbing her sore arm. Without a second thought, she took off after him, completely confused by his actions.

  Jaron came to a stop a few dozen yards from the front of a long trailer that was painted black and covered in dark shadows and silence that were out of place in this world filled with lights, color and sound. Stark white letters announced he had arrived at the Hall of Mirrors and the façade was decorated with dull, faded pictures of dementedly shaped people. It only took a second for Dylan to catch up to him, who had remained ho
t on his heels.

  “Jaron! What the hell?” she exclaimed uncertainly. Her hand reached out to grab his arm. “What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t answer her frantic questions, but continued to look out over the crowd.

  There! He saw the back of his brother’s head for an instant before the face turned and grinned at him as if he knew he was being watched.

  “Stay here.” He commanded the girl beside him and ran off, shrugging from her grip.

  The young prince took off at a fast clip, dodging through the dense mob of people as fast as their movements allowed. Halfway across, he paused and looked out over the bobbing heads to get his bearings.

  There, at the top of the ramp that led up to the entrance of the Hall of Mirrors, stood his brother. One leg was propped up on the steel bar railing casually. His arms crossed over his chest, tempting his brother, goading him as he had when they were growing up.

  He met his brother’s eyes briefly across the space. There was a glint in them. He could see from it clearly even this far away, a glint he recognized from their childhood. It was the same smug look that Julien would get whenever they were playing a game and he knew he was going to win.

  His brother waggled his fingers at him in a mocking, taunting wave and stepped over the dangling chain and into the black rectangle of a doorway. He disappeared from sight and into the dark, closed attraction.

  Jaron ran through the thinning crowd, collecting annoyed grunts and surprised exclamations along the way. He ignored them, taking the ramp in two long steps before vaulting over the railing to land on the main platform gracefully and silently.

  He ducked underneath the thin chain nimbly and walked through the darkened threshold. Almost immediately, the bright lights and raucous merriment of the midway dimmed, only to die completely a few more steps in. He was engulfed in a darkness so total that even his sharp vision could not penetrate it. Seeing nothing ahead of him, he paused.