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Chapter One
Verik Burn’s red slippered feet slowly shuffled forward towards his secret laboratory at the end of the hall. The hem of his black robe was torn and dirty. The gold thread embroidery on the four-inch cuffs had lost its luster. Some threads were torn and hung like tassels.
Verik’s paper-thin-skinned palm molded around the golden skull top of his walking stick under the great weight it bore. The polished brass shock absorption system, he invented, was accidentally pushed to its bottom most position swallowing the onyx cane leaving only the golden tip showing. Verik felt the slight vibrations as the cane locked in place. When his hearing was younger and clearer, he could hear the click of the locking mechanism – but old age had melted it away like snow in the spring sun.
Also, in his more youthful days, Verik could effortlessly push down on the mechanism and lock the cane in place as an attacker drew near. When the attacker was in range, Verik, in a flash, would aim the cane so the strike would land in the middle of the attacker’s forehead. His thumb would push the button he had milled into the side of the skull to release the cane. It would jump out of the mechanism with the force of a battering ram, instantly rendering the attacker unconscious. The days of his youth were now left to fading memories that fell from his mind like the autumn leaves after the first frost.
Verik stopped, waved his free hand in the air to open a door hidden in the wall. He walked through the passage and continued walking. Another wave of his hand and the seam of the door behind him disappeared flawlessly into the rock wall. He waved his hand again and the torches that were dormant in their wall sconces jumped to life shedding light down the hallway.
* * *
Randy Horton closed the lid to his new stainless-steel outdoor grill.
“Should be ready for the meat in five,” he said to his brother Rudy. “Gotta love opening day of football season.”
Rudy was sporting his green “Farve” jersey. He wore green sweatpants with “Green Bay” in yellow running down the side of the pant legs. His ensemble was topped off with a green ball cap with a slightly curved yellow bill and a large yellow “G” on the front. His round horn-rimmed spectacles were almost black in the sunshine.
Rudy was sitting in a green padded chair at the glass topped patio table in the northwest corner of Randy’s ten foot by twelve-foot redwood deck. He had an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips as he concentrated on bouncing a golf ball on a sand wedge.
“Yep,” Rudy said not taking his eyes of the bouncing golf ball.
Rudy wore a blue and orange “Payton” jersey. He wore blue and orange zebra striped running pants. His ball cap was blue with a curved orange bill with a “B” in the front. His wire rimmed glasses too had blackened with the sunlight.
‘What are you up to?”
“Forty”
“Cool,” Randy said. “I’m going to have a beer. You want one?”
“Of course.”
Randy reached for the metal handle on the white wooden screened back door. A white spark of electricity arched from the handle to his hand.
“Son of a bitch,” Randy yelled, he shook his right hand.
“What,” Rudy asked, not breaking his concentration.
“Goddamned door handle shocked me! Hell, I saw the spark.”
“Damn. You have any loose wires around there?”
“Not that I know of,” Randy examined his hand then searched around the door for a loose wire. “Let me try that again.”
Randy cautiously reached for the door handle. He let out a sigh of relief when he grasped the handle.
“That’s better.”
Randy walked the ten feet across the game room and entered the kitchen. He walked to the stainless-steel sink and washed his hands. He inspected them for any burns.
That's good, he said to himself. He dried his hands on the flowered towel hung in the black handle of the stainless-steel refrigerator. Just as Randy opened the refrigerator door he heard “Goddamn it” from the deck.
“The streak is over,” Randy said in a soft voice.
He grabbed two I.P.A.s and put them on the island in the kitchen. He took two short glasses out of the cabinet next to the refrigerator. He filled them with ice.
“Gotta love these ice makers,” he said out loud.
Randy set the glasses next to the beers. He took a bottle of cinnamon schnapps out of the cabinet under the island and filled the glasses. He heard the back door open.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it.”
“You get shocked too?” Randy said with concern.
Rudy entered the kitchen.
“No, I was almost at seventy-five. Damn it.”
Randy let out a small laugh and shook his head.
“Sounds like you need a drink,”
“Sounds like that to me too.”
Both men grabbed the bills of their hats and turned them around before they grabbed a beer with one hand and the red schnapps with the other.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
They both took a swallow of the schnapps and a hearty drink of beer.
“Man, that’s good,” Randy said.
“Yup.”
The brothers stood silent for a few seconds looking at each other. Both wiped the tears away from the corner of their eyes. They gave each other a firm hug and pat on the back. A second or two passed and they let out a quiet mournful sigh.
“Hard to believe it’s been three years,” Randy said, watching the ice cubes swirl with the movement of his glass.
Rudy was looking at the ceiling. He blew out a sigh. A tear was moving from the corner of his eye towards his ear.
“I know.”
“To Annie and Mary,” Randy said, he raised his glass.
“To Mary and Annie.”
They finished both drinks.
“Damn,” Randy said, he shook his head.
“I know,” Rudy said as his shoulders shivered.
“Think we’ll drink the next one a little slower,” Randy said with a smile.
“Agreed.”
* * *
Annie and Mary Horton stood in front of the sixty-five-inch large screen “Family entertainment investment,” as Randy put it, when he and his brother brought it into the house.
“Hey,” the two men said in unison.
The two women laughed as they saw their husbands spring to the edge of their matching tan leather recliners.
“Now that we’ve got your attention,” Annie said laughingly. “Everything is laid out on the kitchen table. Backup is in the fridge.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Randy said, blowing Annie a kiss.
“We’re going to leave before the gang gets here.”
“You know everyone will miss seeing you.”
“We’ll be back before the game is over.”
“Try not to get too drunk Rudy,” Mary said staring at her husband.
Rudy looked at Randy and shrugged.
“Whatever do you mean, sweetie,”
Mary slowly shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“And try not to eat all of the deviled eggs,” Mary said to Rudy.
“But they’re so good.”
“I’m glad you like them, but the air quality in the bedroom gets quite toxic after you fall asleep.”
All four of them broke out in a raucous laughter.
“I cannot be held responsible for the passing of gas while asleep,” Rudy said, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
“Makes the dog growl every time you fart.”
The laughter got louder.
“Stupid dog.”
“Stop it man,” Randy laughed out. “I’m going to piss my pants.”
Mary walked up to Rudy and gave him a kiss.
“Love you, Hun,”
“Love you too,” Rudy said, then gave her a pat on the bottom.
Annie kissed Randy.
“Love you Babe,”
“Love, right back”
The women walked towards the door.
“Smoke will be coming off those cards,” Randy chuckled, he wiped laughter tears from the corner of his eyes.
“You bet,” Annie said.
“Bye boys,” the women said in unison.
* * *
“Randy!” Jim Feltz yelled from the back door.
“Randy!” he yelled again.
“What,” Randy yelled back. “Playing a game here.”
He held up two horseshoes.
“The cops are here,” Jim was still yelling.
“What?”
“The cops are here.”
“Oh bullshit.”
“No shit dude, they’re asking for you.”
Randy sighed and turned to his slightly inebriated opponent, Jack Smert.
“Guess I’ll have to call a time out, man.”
“Sounds like you should. I need a beer anyway,” Jack said. “You know what they say, ‘It ain't a party till the cops show up.’ Guess we're having a party.”
“Who in the hell would call the cops, all my neighbors are here.”
Randy dropped the red horseshoes and walked to the backdoor.
“What the hell are you guys doing in the front, man?” Randy asked Jim while slowly shaking his head in disbelief.
“Wasn’t me, man,” Jim said innocently.
“Right,” Randy said, not hiding his sarcasm.
When Randy reached the front door, he saw two officers standing on the front porch.
Wanting to keep an eye on his brother, Rudy had quietly followed Randy through the house. He knew Randy had “a little trouble” dealing with authorities. He held the front door slightly open with his foot just in case he was needed to defuse a situation.
“Randy Horton,” the tall thin officer politely asked.
“Yes sir,” Randy said calmly. “How can I help you.”
“Is there a quieter place we can have this conversation?”
“This will be fine, officer.”
“Please be calm Randy,” Rudy said quietly out loud, he watched for Randy balling up his fist.
“Well sir, I don't know quite how to put this.”
“I’m listening.’
“There has been an accident… and sir, it involved Annie Horton and Mary Horton.”
The young officer paused for a moment.
“They did not survive.”
Randy stood in silence. Rudy rushed out of the house.
“What did you say?” he was almost yelling.
The officer drew back a step.
“May I ask who you are sir.”
“I’m his brother and Mary’s husband.”
“I’m sorry to tell you your wife did not survive the accident.”
Rudy quickly turned to Randy. His brother had tears flowing down his cheeks.
* * *
“Randy.”
“Randy.”
“What.” Randy said as he came out of his haze. He saw the concern in Rudy’s blue eyes.
“You alright?” Rudy asked. He saw Randy blink his eyes.
“Yea, just kind of spaced out there a bit.”
“I guess so, damn.”
“I just...”
“Me too.”
The two men turned their hats around and walked out to the deck.