Excerpt:
“Hey Billy. My name is Dexter. I am Dexter Jenkins. I am your stepbrother.”
Billy said, “I didn’t know that I had a stepbrother.”
Dexter said, “Yeah, Frank is a real piece of work.”
Billy said, “I love my father.”
Dexter said, “Sure. Anyway, come with me.”
Hearthville Serial 4
Book 4 (Title Undecided):
A Paranormal Suspense Gangster Horror
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2019
All Rights Reserved
Chapters
Chapter 15
Quentin Darko sat with Mayor Hollis Bare in an upstairs sitting room. They drank brandy in front of a lit fireplace though it was not really cold enough outside for a fire. Across the hall from the sitting room Myrtle Claven sat watch in the bedroom that had been prepared for Maureen and Bess Bingo. Maureen and Bess lay in bed, side by side, with their eyes wide open.
Bess said, “Mom, I want to be strong for you.”
“Dear, I know.”
“We need to call father. He needs to be told.”
“He is out in the Gulf of Mexico working on the oil platform. I can’t tell him this news by phone. I will need to find some excuse to either fly to him or to have him fly home. I must tell him in person.”
Myrtle said, “I’ve spoken to David Jenkins. I hope that is okay. He owns the business that employs your husband Frank. He is making arrangements to get Frank home.”
“You know, I had Billy at the same time David’s wife Amberline had her baby. Her baby died and she died after childbirth. And David was going to kill himself after losing them. Frank stopped him from killing himself.”
Bess said, “It was in the waiting room that night that I met Dirk Jenkins. He is a strange boy.”
Maureen said, “Honey, we are all strange. That is what makes us normal.”
“So my being normal is what makes me strange. But Billy wasn’t normal. He had such ways. There were times I felt as though I didn’t really know him. That we were not closer was my fault.”
Myrtle Claven smiled. “My children are odd but I do love them.”
Bess said, “I loved Billy. I love Billy. I will always love Billy.”
Maureen spoke to Myrtle. “So are you close to David Jenkins.”
“Not so close but I adored his wife Amberline. My Linda thought of her as an older sister.”
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Maureen asked, “So do you know?”
Myrtle said, “I know.”
Bess asked, “Know what?”
Maureen said, “It is not so important.”
Myrtle said, “It is hard to say what draws people together and drives them apart. Amberline was a wild one. Oversexed. But she could love. She did love. She didn’t mean to hurt the people she hurt.”
Maureen nodded. “I know. Frank and I both went to her funeral. We both cried right along with David. I didn’t hate her.”
Myrtle said, “You are a good woman.”
Quentin and Mayor Hollis listened to the conversation from the bedroom. Quentin said, “Maureen is a good woman. Frank should treat her better.”
Myrtle stepped into the sitting room and closed the door and cast a slight spell to buffer the sound. She whispered, “They have finally closed their eyes. They are resting.”
Mayor Hollis Bare said, “Good.” He cleared his throat. He said, “I don’t know Frank well. How is it that he and Maureen would have a son who is the spawn of Iapetus?
Quentin said, “I don’t know.”
Myrtle said, “Billy Bingo’s death is strange business. The Witches Council will have some explaining to do.”
Mayor Hollis said, “I’ve thought about that. Witches who have their power do not die easily. I would guess the spawn of a god would die even less easily. How could Sam Bigalo target that magical deathray so easily? Was there no force to stop him? “
Quentin said, “But Amerberline died and her baby died. It happens. Sometimes magic pings. And Billy might not have even had any magic to ping.”
Mayor Hollis spoke direct. “Are Amberline and her baby really dead?”
“I don’t know. If she faked her death, she has not contacted me.”
Myrtle said, “Or me.”
Mayor Hollis said, “I know there were those on the Witches Council who wanted her dead and they would have had the power to kill her, and I guess her baby.”
Quentin knew what Mayor Hollis was trying to ask without asking. Quentin said, “I honestly do not know if Amberline’s baby was switched with Maureen’s baby or not. If he is Amberline’s baby, he would have magic power in his own right.”
Myrtle said, “If there was a switching that would make him your nephew.”
Quentin said, “And I did not do enough to protect him!”
Myrtle said, “I didn’t mean to say that. If the Witches Council thought that Billy Bingo was the son of Amberline Darko, they would have killed him.”
Quentin said, “I would not want to hurt Maureen but God I would love to give him a funeral fitting for a Darko. I would like such a huge gathering that it would scare the Witches Council shitless.” Quentin threw his glass into the fireplace. “But we can’t do it.”
***
The ghost of Billy Bingo cuddled up on the foot of the bed where his mom and sister were now sleeping. Billy almost fell asleep when he felt someone poking him. He looked up to see a boy who appeared to be around his age.
“Hey Billy. My name is Dexter. I am Dexter Jenkins. I am your stepbrother.”
Billy said, “I didn’t know that I had a stepbrother.”
Dexter said, “Yeah, Frank is a real piece of work.”
Billy said, “I love my father.”
Dexter said, “Sure. Anyway, come with me.”
“I don’t think so. You could be telling me anything. I am staying right here with my mom and my sister.”
Dexter asked, “You do know that you are dead, don’t you?”
“I guess.”
“No guessing. You are dead. Now look. I’ve come up with this plan and I need your help with it.”
“I don’t know. I feel like my mom and my sister need me to be here with them.”
“Look. I don’t want to scare you. I am doing my best not to do that. But if you stay here you run the risk of being caged by the Witches Council. We need to get you out of here.”
“Where do you want us to go? And by the way, how do I know that you are not leading me into a trap?”
“It is good that you are being cautious. I understand that. But you are in danger here.”
***
Alice stood in the dungeon with Victor. Victor/George had entered his body after he and Alice had arrived in the dungeon.
Alice screamed. “Sabian. If you are listening or watching, don’t you dare try to take him.”
George felt a rumble inside of his head. That was the feeling he sometimes would get when Victor was trying to wake up and take back control. George thought, “Please stay asleep.”
A voice came from Victor’s mouth that wasn’t George and wasn’t Victor. “I must wake. I must wake up. Please help me to wake.”
Alice called to Sam. “Victor has returned to his body. We are in a dungeon. Something weird is happening. A woman’s voice came out of Victor’s mouth.
Sam said, “Get him out of the dungeon. Bring him to where I am and then we will get the hell off this spaceship.”
Alice tried to transport herself and Victor. Her magic pinged. Alice said, “My magic pinged. Sabian, you release us.”
There was laughter.
Sam said, “Okay, let me see if I can unlock the cage.” Sam caused a digital tool to appear that looked something like a tablet computer. He punched in some numbers. “Son of a bitch. I can’t even locate the cage.”
There was more laughter.
Sam said, “I need help.” Sam called to the Legman. “Legman, Alice and Victor are trapped in a cage. Can you locate the cage on this spaceship?”
The Legman said, “I have the coordinates of the spaceship. I am doing a scan. Oh fuck.”
“What?”
“There are five spaceships getting in position to attack me. I’ve got to get back to my smaller realm in the Outlands.”
“Damn. I understand. Get the hell out of there.”
Sam watched on the monitor as the Legman’s spaceship evaded the five ships that had been sent by the Witches Council to either force the Legman back into the Outlands or to arrest him. Sam maneuvered his spaceship away as he hoped to stay out of their crosshairs. So far though, it didn’t seem they were paying much attention to him on Sabian Blackrock’s spaceship.
Alice called out to Sam. “What are you doing Sam? I seriously do not like being stuck in this cage.”
I am thinking.” Sam called to Alice’s husband, Phil Clyde. “Phil I’ve got a problem.”
Phil said, “Man. You killed Billy Bingo. I hate your fucking guts right now.”
Sam said, “Understood. But you love Alice. Sabian Blackrock has her and Victor Duddley caged.”
“You can’t be serious. Sabian Blackrock could not be that crazy.”
“He wants Victor to show him where a time portal is and how to go through it.”
“Who in the hell is Victor Duddley and how would he have that kind of information?”
“I don’t have time to write a book. I need you to get your ass to this spaceship, Sabian Blackrock’s spaceship, and help me to find the cage where Victor and Alice are locked and then help me break them out of it. The Witches Council have five spaceships in this area in pursuit of the Legman.”
“Let me call my mom. She is better in these kind of situation than I am. Also she has access to better tools.”
“Mom, this is Phil. Sabian Blackrock has Alice in a cage.”
Phil’s mom, Miss Clyde laughed. “Good, maybe he will send the bitch back to Malokey.”
“Mom, please do not be that way. You know that I love her.”
“She cheats on you.”
“Well, I cheat on her. That does not mean that we do not love one another. Are you going to help me?”
“Sure. What the hell. So do you have an idea of where we should start searching for the cage.”
Sam said, “I will send you the coordinates of this spaceship. I am fairly certain that the cage is located somewhere here.”
Miss Clyde said, “Excuse me. I don’t want to have anything to do with Sam Bigalo.”
Sam said, “Ruby Clyde. You know that you love me.”
Miss Clyde said, “Sam, at this point anyone who helps you might end up in a cage themselves. I’d just as soon not end up in a cage with my daughter-in-law.”
“I understand but no, there is no reason you should end up in a cage for helping Alice and Victor to free themselves from Sabian Blackrock’s trap. Here are the coordinates of the spaceship.”
Miss Clyde said, “I’ve got them. You do realize there are five spaceships moving in on you. Get your sorry ass into the Outlands.”
“Shit. Those are five different ships from the ones that were after the Legman.”
Miss Clyde said, “Yeah. Fuck. The Witches Council have ten ships on the move. Son of a bitch. Look Sam. God bless my soul but I do love you like a son. You have to go into hypermode and get to the outlands. That is your only chance.”
“That is forbidden.”
“Yeah, well, do you want to be arrested by the Witches Council?”
“Shit. No. Okay. I am on the move. I will contact you when I can.”
Phil said, “Mom. Will you give me backup if I go into the Outlands.”
“Go on. Get to it. I’d think less of you if you didn’t want to help your friend and wife. This is such a fucking mess. And I was going to spend the day on the lake fishing and getting drunk with Gus.”
Phil laughed. “I love you mom.”
“I love you too son. And Sam. Protect your sorry ass because I love you also.”
Sam screamed as he moved to evade the spaceships that were in pursuit of him. “Back at you, I will do my best.”
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