Never The Same
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The day after the banquet, I was feeling very much like a new man. My head no longer pounded and my stomach felt fine as well. It didn’t hurt to laugh or smile either! I’d been so worried that everyone would think me mad for laughing at all of those silly jokes but they were just having fun with each other during their get-togethers.
They weren’t making any sort of political statement by doing it; it’s what people do in social settings when they don’t know one another too well yet. And if you want to be honest about it, there are plenty of times when we’re not sure how others will react to something we say or do. So why should this time be different?
I spent most of Sunday afternoon working on the book I had started writing before everything went sideways last week. By Monday morning, I had finished typing up my notes from Friday night and Saturday evening into a single document.
There wasn’t anything earth-shattering in them—just some thoughts on what might have happened between Kaelin and his wife and whether he could have killed her without being detected. But then again, maybe it was more than that since she hadn’t shown signs of violence until after she came home late Thursday night.
That meant someone else must’ve known where she lived and come over while she was gone. Maybe even knowing who she really is…
At least now I knew I needed to talk to him sooner rather than later because I couldn’t afford to wait around forever. He may already be dead by now anyway. If he isn’t, I’ll need to find out exactly what he knows and see if he can help me figure things out. Then I can decide what to tell the rest of the team and start putting together an action plan.
It took me another hour or two to format the manuscript properly using Microsoft Word. When I finally saved the file, I decided to print a hard copy to take along with me next weekend. After all, there wouldn’t be anyone here to read it except me.
No sense in taking chances. Besides, I wanted to make sure nothing got lost in translation between my laptop screen and printed pages. Even though I’m pretty good at proofreading stuff myself, I still prefer reading a paper version.
After printing off three copies, including one for David and my father, I put them in a folder marked “Brambleton Book” and stashed them under the bed in our room. Next, I made arrangements to meet with David in the lobby of the hotel at noon to go over some things and discuss what we should do next.
We agreed to leave early enough so we’d arrive back in Brampton around 3:00 p.m., which gave us almost six hours to kill before dinner tonight. Since neither one of us had any idea what to expect, we both thought it best not to show up empty-handed.
David arrived right on schedule and we headed straight downstairs to the restaurant. As soon as we walked through the door, we found ourselves surrounded by a dozen or so men and women dressed in dark suits and dresses.
Most of them carried briefcases and sat down wherever they pleased without waiting to be seated first. Once we spotted the manager standing beside the hostess podium, he led us directly to a table near the front window overlooking the street.
We were immediately greeted by a waitress named Maria who asked for our drink orders. She also told us that dinner would be served shortly and that we could order whatever we liked. In fact, she said we could eat as much as we wanted and pay only for what we ate.
All of this sounded way too good to be true, especially coming from a place called “The Big Apple.” I wondered if perhaps it was because of the name that the food tasted like crap. Or maybe it was simply because none of these people appeared to be locals.
As far as I could tell, every person in the entire place looked like they belonged to some secret society or cult. Each of them seemed to have a different style of dress, hair color, skin tone, etc. Some of them were tall, others short. One woman wore glasses even though she clearly did not need them to see.
Another guy had white hair and a long gray beard. A few of them had tattoos on their arms or faces. None of them talked to each other, let alone to us. Instead, they kept their heads turned away from the rest of the dining area.
When Maria returned with our drinks, she placed menus in front of us and left without saying a word. After looking over the menu, I ordered a steak medium rare, baked potato with sour cream and butter, and steamed broccoli. David chose fried chicken, and mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn on the cob.
Both of us requested iced tea to drink. Surprisingly, everything arrived within minutes of ordering and was delicious. The portions were huge and we both struggled to finish eating. While we waited for dessert, we chatted about what we planned to ask David when we met him.
It didn’t take long before we realized we probably shouldn’t waste time trying to figure out how he fits into all this. What matters now is figuring out why the killer is doing what he’s been doing. And hopefully, David will know something that can help us find out.
While talking, I noticed several of the people sitting nearby staring at us. They weren’t watching us very closely either; more like glancing our way occasionally and then quickly turning away again.
At first, I thought this might have something to do with the book I was carrying but after seeing the same thing happening to everyone else in the restaurant, I began to wonder if it wasn’t just a coincidence. Maybe they were all members of the same group and were simply curious to see who we were. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following us.
I glanced behind me to check and saw a man wearing a black suit and sunglasses walk past our table. He came close enough to look over his shoulder and watch us while pretending to talk to someone on the phone. Then he continued walking until he disappeared into the crowd.
Before I could say anything, however, the waiter brought over our desserts. Our choices were apple pie à la mode or chocolate cheesecake. I went with the former since I knew David preferred the latter. After finishing our meal, we paid the bill and thanked the waitress for her service.
There was no mention of a tip being necessary. When we got outside, David pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. Within seconds, an older gentleman emerged from the shadows and approached us.
His face was covered by a pair of mirrored aviator shades and he stood well over six feet tall. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I recognized his voice, I wouldn’t have known who he was.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” he said. “My name is Richard. May I please speak with you for a moment?”
***
Richard introduced himself as one of the managers here at The Big Apple. Apparently, he’d overheard my conversation with the waitress earlier. Though he never mentioned the words “murder investigation”, I assumed he meant that’s what we were involved in.
He informed us that there are many things going on inside this establishment that go beyond the normal scope of business. Things such as mind control, drugs, sex slaves, money laundering, blackmail…and murder. That last part caught my attention.
“Murder? But why would anyone want to kill somebody in a restaurant?”
He smiled knowingly. “Because this isn’t really a restaurant. This is a front. We’ve been using this location for years now to hide certain activities from the public eye. Unfortunately, not everybody realizes this yet so sometimes unfortunate incidents occur.”
David nodded. “So, what exactly does happen here?”
“You’ll soon learn. For now, though, I suggest you get back to your hotel room and wait for further instructions. Do not leave the city unless instructed to do so. In addition, don’t attempt to contact any of the police officers investigating these murders.
You’re free to call me anytime day or night should you have questions or concerns. My direct line is 555-555-5555. Just remember, discretion is key. Failure to follow orders may result in termination. Is that understood?”
We both agreed and shook hands with Richard before heading toward the parking lot. As we walked through the dark streets, David asked, “What did you mean when you said ‘discretion is key’? Are we supposed to keep quiet about whatever happens tonight?”
“No, nothing like that. Discreetness is essential. Remember, we need to be able to operate freely without attracting unwanted attention. So, let’s try to avoid drawing too much attention to ourselves. Besides, we still haven’t figured out how to use those damn cameras.”
The next morning, I awoke early and decided to start working on the camera system right away. With the help of some online tutorials, I managed to make significant progress before breakfast. By then, David had already left for work.
Once finished with my project, I took a shower and set off to find him. It didn’t take long to locate his office. After knocking, I waited patiently for several minutes before finally getting up the nerve to enter.
To my surprise, David was seated behind his desk along with two other men whom I’d seen around the building during previous visits. One was a middle-aged white male with short brown hair and glasses.
The second was a young Asian woman with long black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore large round sunglasses despite the fact that she was indoors. Both of them looked up and greeted me with smiles.
“Hello, Mr. Smith,” said the woman. Her accent sounded vaguely British. “How can I assist you today?”
“Hi, I’m looking for David. Can you tell me where he is?”
She pointed to the door across the hall. “That way, please.”
I followed her directions and found myself standing in front of a small conference room. Inside sat four more people—two women and two men. All of them appeared to be in their mid twenties. They all stared at me expectantly but said nothing.
I tried introducing myself again, only to receive the same response. Finally, I gave up and turned to leave. However, before I made it halfway down the hallway, the room suddenly filled with blinding light. A loud buzzing sound echoed throughout the space.
Moments later, I felt something cold against my neck. I instinctively jerked backward, causing the object to fall onto the floor. When I regained my balance, I saw a pair of handcuffs attached to my wrist. Before I could react further, I heard a voice shouting from somewhere nearby.
“Mr. Smith! Please come with us!”
A hand grabbed mine and pulled me toward the exit. At first, I resisted but eventually relented after realizing they weren’t letting go. I was led outside by three of the group while the others remained behind. My captors marched me quickly through the streets until we reached an old warehouse located near the docks.
There, I was forced to kneel in the dirt alongside a man who resembled a bouncer from a nightclub. He held a gun aimed directly at my head. The others stood guard on either side of me. It wasn’t long before another person entered the area. This time, he stepped closer and removed his hat. His face instantly brought back memories from the past few days.
“Ah, Richard,” I muttered under my breath. “It has been far too long.”
His smile widened. “Yes, it certainly has. How are you doing, sir?”
“Not bad. What brings you here?”
Richard examined me carefully. “Are you sure you’re okay? Your eyes seem a bit bloodshot.”
“Just tired,” I replied. “And hungry. And thirsty. Oh, and horny as hell. But otherwise, I’m fine. Why am I here anyway?”
“Well, actually, you’re going to be helping me test our new security systems. That’s if you agree to cooperate, of course.”
My jaw dropped open. “Security systems?! I thought you were just testing surveillance equipment!”
He laughed heartily. “Of course, silly! We’ve also developed a brand new alarm system that will alert us immediately whenever someone enters this warehouse. Unfortunately, we have yet to install it. So, we wanted to see what sort of resistance you might offer.”
“Resistance?!” I exclaimed. “What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull?”
“Oh, relax,” he chuckled. “You’ll enjoy yourself once we get started. Now, do you want to play nice or not?”
I sighed deeply and closed my mouth. “Fine. Just don’t kill me.”
“Good boy.”
Richard motioned for one of his guards to approach. The man approached and handed him a briefcase containing a variety of electronic devices. Richard opened the case and began placing various items inside a metal box sitting on top of his desk.
Once everything was in place, he picked up a remote control unit and pressed its button. Immediately, a series of flashing lights and sounds erupted throughout the warehouse. Within seconds, the entire interior lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
As soon as the initial excitement subsided, I noticed that there was now a blue haze covering the walls and ceiling. Although I couldn’t see anything clearly, I did notice that the color pattern changed every few seconds. Occasionally, a red dot would appear on the wall and slowly rotate around.
Whenever this happened, everyone froze in place. Then, when the dot disappeared, so too did anyone still present within range.
After about ten minutes of playing with the controls, Richard finally stopped. He then walked over to me and whispered into my ear. “Okay, let’s start things off easy. You know how most alarms work, right?”
“Yeah… I think so.”
“In other words, they make noise and flash lights to warn intruders away. Well, ours does exactly the opposite. Instead of warning them, it makes the building disappear.”
My eyes grew wide. “Seriously?!”
“Very seriously. In fact, I dare say it is even better than your typical burglar alarm. If you ever try to break in, you won’t stand a chance. Not unless you possess some kind of supernatural ability.”
I shook my head. “No such luck.”
“Then why bother wasting time breaking into a place where no one can find you?”
Before I could respond, the glowing dots reappeared along both sides of the room. One moment they were there; the next, they vanished. A second later, all four men screamed out in unison. They fell to their knees and clutched their heads in agony.
After several moments passed, they regained consciousness and sat up straight. Their faces were pale and sweaty. Several beads of sweat rolled down each of their foreheads.
“Holy shit!” I gasped. “That’s amazing! Where’d you learn something like that?”
“We didn’t invent it ourselves,” Richard explained. “The idea came from a company called ‘Rise Above Security.’ It specializes in developing advanced technology designed specifically for law enforcement agencies. Apparently, they’ve had quite an impact on the industry since they first appeared on the scene two years ago.”
“So, who owns them?”
“A guy named George Matherson. He founded the business after serving twenty-five years behind bars for murder. Apparently, he used to be a cop before getting convicted. Anyway, he spent those last five years working closely with another convict by the name of Ray Boggs. Together, they developed the very same type of technology we use today.”
“Wow! Sounds pretty cool.”
“Indeed it is. However, as impressive as it may sound, it doesn’t come cheap. Fortunately, Rise Above offers special discounts to government organizations. This means that we got it at almost half price. Of course, we only paid cash upfront, which raised some eyebrows among our accountants. Especially considering that we never intended to pay any money back.”
“But you did, though, right?”
“Yes, yes we did,” he replied. “And that brings us to the reason why you’re here tonight. To help us test these new security systems, of course.”
“Testing? What kind of tests are we talking about?”
“Simple ones, really. For example, we need to determine whether the alarm works properly when triggered remotely. And, more importantly, we must ensure that anyone attempting to disable it has absolutely zero chance of succeeding. In addition, we should probably run through a few different scenarios to see how well it handles multiple simultaneous attacks.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Where do I begin?”
“Well, if you prefer, you can simply wait until someone actually tries to enter the premises. But I’m guessing that might take a while. So instead, I suggest starting with a simple test. Simply walk across the room and touch the wall.
When you reach the far side, press the button again to deactivate the system. That will trigger the alarm, and hopefully, scare whoever is currently outside away long enough for us to complete what needs to be done.”
“Gotcha.”
As I made my way toward the door, I heard him chuckle. “Oh, don’t worry. The whole thing isn’t rigged or anything. We just want to see how quickly people react to the unexpected. Speaking of which…”
He paused, turned to face me, and asked: “Are you ready?”
It took me a minute to realize that he meant the test. I nodded and continued walking forward, making sure not to look directly at the wall. As soon as I reached its edge, I pressed the button. Immediately, everything went dark. Then, about thirty seconds later, the lights returned.
“You okay?” Richard asked.
“Sure am,” I responded. “What was that supposed to prove?”
Richard smiled. “Nothing much, really. Just wanted to show you that the system worked perfectly. Now, let’s get this party started. Go ahead and open the doors.”
Although I couldn’t hear the opening of the lock, I knew they had because the doors slid apart without any resistance. At the same time, the inside light switched on automatically. Once they were fully opened, the interior became visible once again. All that remained now was to make sure the main entrance wasn’t locked.
After checking the handle, I confirmed that it hadn’t been tampered with. Satisfied, I stepped over the threshold and entered the building. The instant I crossed the threshold, the alarm sounded.
The End