Ch 1 The Scare

The phone rang twice before McCormick rolled over and reached for the receiver.

"Hello?" he said as he squinted at the clock, it was 4 am.

"McCormick." It was a statement, not a question, and the voice was flat, without any kind of emotion.

"Yeah, who's this?" Mark asked.

"Mark McCormick." Another flat statement.

Mark was instantly awake, all his senses on the alert. He stood quickly and glanced out the window.

Click. The dial tone left him with a shiver. Then he thought of the judge and called the main house.

"What?" Hardcastle answered groggily.

Relief flooded through him as he heard the judges voice. "Judge, you okay?"

"McCormick, it's 4 am."

"Is everything okay over there?"

"Other than me being awake at 4 am, sure…. why?"

Mark paused, feeling like he had overreacted, "I...uh...just got a prank phone call, that's all." He paused, not knowing how to continue, then, "I'm gonna go out and walk around the grounds."

"Wait for me out front," Hardcastle answered. It seemed like an over reaction, but he didn't want the kid walking around outside alone.

ooOoo

Five minutes later, Hardcastle carried his shotgun out to meet McCormick. They walked together down to the gate and around the grounds. All was quiet.

ooOoo

"I don't see what the big fright is if all he said was your name. Anybody could have found that out, doesn't mean he's a serial killer or anything," Milt said as he filled a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table after they returned for their tour of the grounds.

"It was the tone of his voice judge, it sounded...dead or something."

"I think your imagination is working double-time McCormick."

Mark frowned and glanced out the window, "I hope so," he whispered.

"Dreams can seem very real..."

"It wasn't a dream judge!" Mark interrupted him loudly.

"Listen kiddo, once I dreamed that my wife did something wrong and I was mad at her for a whole day, even though I knew it was a dream. But it seemed so real, I was actually mad at her. Couldn't it have been like that? It was a dream that scared you, so you feel scared for a day?"

"No judge, it wasn't like that," McCormick told him angrily. "And I'm not scared, just…. trying to be careful!" he stood up, threw down his napkin and stalked out.

The judge stared after him, a look of concern on his face.

Mark entered the Gatehouse and slammed the door, then marched up the steps, determined to get some more sleep before Hardcastle decided it was time to start the day.

The phone rang as he sat down on the bed to take off his shoes. He sighed and picked it up.

"What is it judge?" he asked, certain the judge was trying to rattle his cage.

There was silence at first and Mark felt his heart speed up, "have a nice day Mark," said the dead sounding voice before the line went dead.

ooOoo

A half hour later they sat together in the den.

"Shouldn't we at least let the police know?" Mark asked.

"Well, so far, all it is, is words. And the words aren't even threatening," Hardcastle said. "From their standpoint, there isn't any evidence, nothing to investigate."

"What about my statement? I can describe the voice."

Hardcastle shook his head, "all hearsay, until something happens, they can't help us."

"Great."

"Look, is there anyone who would play a joke on you?"

Mark shook his head, "not one like this."

"Are you sure? Someone you knew in prison? That little girl you were dating over at the college, she have a boy friend? Kids can pull crazy stunts…"

Mark shook his head, "I've gone through everybody I can think of judge. I just don't know.

ooOoo

Hardcastle poured 2 cups of coffee at 8 am and handed one to the ex-con.

"I think you're losin it McCormick. I'll be back tomorrow night, and those calls you got are not an excuse to slack off on the chores. Keep busy and you'll stay out of trouble. Now, I left a list of extra chores on the dining room table, and I expect em to be done. And, if I hear that anyone has been here for any reason McCormick, I'll kick your butt back to San Quentin faster that you can imagine."

Mark leaned back and sighed. "Judge, come on, I'm not going to do anything wrong while you're gone."

"I've got 2 things to say to you about that kiddo."

"Yeah, what?" Mark asked, annoyed. It was unbelievable to him that the judge didn't trust him after they had been working together for the past 4 months.

"Teddy Hollings was living in the Gatehouse for a week, that's number one," and he watched McCormick cringe, "and how about this, 'trust me'", and he did a decent imitation of McCormick's plea, just before he left the jurist alone on the side of the highway.

Silence.

McCormick hesitated and then sighed again. "Come on judge, neither of those things will happen again," he offered uncertainly.

"And I wouldn't leave you alone again this soon either if I didn't have to. Now, all you have to do, is stay here and do your chores. Do you think you can do that for me kiddo?"

Mark swallowed hard and sighed, "yes."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow night."

And then he was gone and McCormick was alone at the estate.