Just Another Day: Chapter 4
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DISCLAIMER: Most of these characters are not mine at all, but they are memorable. Thank you, Mr. Marlowe. The others? Yeah, they're mine
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11:51 a.m. West Coast Time on Monday, May 14, 2012, on the outskirts at the northwest perimeter of the Castles Complex in Sausalito, California
Lindy Matthews and Marcus Duncan are making fairly good time, driving recklessly across the relatively calm terrain. Except for a few branches lying around, it is not too badly uneven, as they are still a good three hundred yards from the drop off where the ocean begins to rise into the cliffs. But they are in an ATV and the ride is bumpy, so the duo can be forgiven for not recognizing the initial jolts and rumblings of an earthquake.
After all, the vehicle is loud and not known for a smooth ride.
"Did you feel that?" Duncan asks loudly, over the engine.
"Feel what?" Lindy asks, her eyes steely focused on the terrain in front of her, listening to the instructions Paul Jeffries has been speaking through her earpiece.
"I don't know, but I felt –"
Whatever further words the security man has to say are lost as the ATV is suddenly airborne, a good two to three feet off the ground – quite unexpectedly.
"What the hell!" Lindy exclaims, trying desperately to regain control as the vehicle all but drops from the sky back to the ground.
"Lindy, this is an earthquake," Duncan screams aloud – not in terror but just in volume over the now chaotic scene unfolding before them.
This time, it is Lindy's turn, as whatever response she utters is lost in the confusion and noise. Quickly she is able to control the ATV, and continues pressing onward. After all, earthquake or no earthquake, there is what Paul believes to be a potential arsonist on the property. And whether the man's intentions are simply to create another legendary west coast wildfire for his own pyromanic rationale, or if he has dangerous intentions for the complex behind them, her focus is finding this man.
It doesn't take long, as the duo drive for only another hundred yards or more before their target comes into view. Marcus is the first to see the man and cannot help but bust out in raucous laughter.
Lindy finally sees what her companion is witnessing, and snickers to herself.
"Well, you don't see this every day," she chuckles.
"And that is saying something, given what we have seen," Marcus continues, still laughing.
In front of them is what they can both tell is a fairly tall man, perhaps six-foot-five or six-foot-six. And he is holding on for dear life on the lower branch of a large and sturdy tree he has leapt into to escape the shaking earth. Whether this action is a good idea or not is anyone's guess, but this is the move he has played.
"I guess there really are tree-huggers out here," Lindy chuckles, bringing more laughter to Marcus Duncan.
"Dark, even for you," he manages between chuckles. His chuckles come to a halt as he glances down at the gas can the man has brought with him. The can lies on the ground, bouncing with the movements of the earth below them.
The ATV is now stopped and stable, except for the continued rumbling of the ground beneath them. Now, for the first time, both of the security members from Richard Castle's team consider their position, and it is not a good one. They are in a wooded area, surrounded by clusters of trees and Conzelman Road is another hundred and fifty or so yards to the southwest of them. Just a few yards off of Conzelman Road are the jagged cliffs that drop into the Pacific Ocean.
"Not the best place to be on shaky ground," Marcus tells her, as both hold on to the ATV as the ground continues to shake.
Suddenly, the gradual shaking gives way to a large jolt, which shocks the now-frightened duo. They, however, are on better ground than the unfortunate would-be arsonist, who is shaken from his grip on the large branch, and falls some ten to twelve feet to the ground . . .
And breaks his leg in the process.
"Ooh, that had to hurt," Lindy comments, still clutching on to steering arm of the ATV, while staring at the man's left leg which is clearly in an awkward position.
Just as quickly as it started, it is over.
Lindy and Marcus glance at each other, then at their surroundings, then back to one another. Neither moves for another five or six seconds, and their inactivity is finally interrupted by the painful moans of the intruder lying on the ground.
"My leg," the man cries, writhing in pain.
"Be quiet," Lindy remarks, glancing down at the man as she approaches.
"What my friend means to say," Marcus adds with a chuckle, "is that we would both feel considerably more compassion for you were it not for the gas can lying over there."
Lindy turns back toward Marcus, with a smirk.
"Actually, I meant exactly what I said, Marcus," she laughs, bringing more laughter from her companion.
"But my friend here does make a good point," Lindy continues, turning her attention back to the unfortunate casualty of the earthquake.
"What exactly were you doing out here?" she asks.
"My car broke down, back on the highway," he begins, only to be interrupted by Duncan.
"Uh uh uh," he warns. "My friend and I do not play well with lies and liars. We have no time for that. You're going to walk off the highway road a football field's length into the woods because you've run out of gas?"
"That's the stupidest lie I have heard in far too long," Lindy agrees. "Try again."
"The man stares at the duo for a few seconds, his breathing is heavy and haggard from the pain of the clearly broken leg. Finally, he speaks again.
"I think I will wait for my lawyer," he manages to get out between breaths. His eyes grow fearfully large as Lindy begins smiling.
"Are you a police officer, Marcus?" she asks, glancing back at her partner.
"Uh, that would be a negatory," he smirks, now watching as Lindy turns her attention back to the injured man.
"You must have made some mistake," she whispers, leaning down to his level now. "We are not cops. I really don't think an attorney is what is going to help you right at this moment. The truth, however? That might be a start. Otherwise, my friend and I leave you to fend for yourself here. It's early in the day, the animals don't usually come out until later, so I think you will make it at least until tonight."
In truth, Lindy doesn't know if there are animals out here or not, but her message has clearly been received, from the look on the man's face. Marcus quickly adds fuel to the fire. Literally.
"I disagree, Lindy," he begins. "I mean, it's your call and all . . . but I'd hate to see all this gasoline here go to waste. I say we dump in on our good man here, light a match and call it a day."
"Okay, Okay, just get me out of here, please, before the ground starts shaking again" the man screams.
Lindy stares at the man, then back at the ATV before returning her gaze to the man on the ground.
"Well, you see, that might be a bit of a problem," she begins, pointing back to the vehicle.
"You see that ATV there?," Lindy asks. "It's a two-seater. We weren't planning on bringing a third person. We have no room for you."
"You see," Marcus injects himself into the proceedings, "when surveillance picked you up and we came out here to intercept you, our intentions were to stop you – using maximum force."
"That's how we handle things out here," Lindy agrees.
"And since we had no intention of bringing a dead body back with us – I mean, look around you – there is plenty of space here to bury a body, no questions asked," Marcus continues.
"So, no," Lindy concludes. "Taking you back to the campus is not an option. We don't know your name, we don't know your intentions. We know nothing about you. We don't even know your name. All we know is you have a gas can and a stupid story neither of us believe."
The man is now truly frightened, as he glances from the blonde woman to the black man. He knows the reputation of this place. He was warned that they operate with a take-no-prisoners mentality. He is seeing – and living – that take-no-prisoners mentality now, personally.
"My name is James," he begins, "but that's all I am going to say. If you're going to kill me, then get it over and one with, okay? Nothing is worth this."
Both Lindy and Marcus eye the man suspiciously, as his last two statements are incongruent. They don't belong together. If, as the man says, nothing is worth it, then he should be giving himself up and singing like a canary – not accepting a death sentence.
"Curious," Marcus comments.
"Very," Lindy agrees. "Perhaps we don't kill him yet," she says for his ears, for his benefit. "Perhaps we do figure out a way to get him back for a . . . how would you describe it, Marcus?"
"A proper interrogation," Marcus answers.
"Yes, that's it," she agrees. "A proper interrogation."
Quickly, and fairly roughly, Marcus Duncan easily lifts the taller man off the ground, his screams of pain having no effect on the security man. He drops him unceremoniously across the back of the ATV bench in the back. He more carefully moves the man's leg into position.
Lindy has made her way over to the gas can, retrieving the item in her gloved hands. Carrying the gas can back toward the ATV, she notices the frown on Duncan's face. She has the same concerns. She stops some ten feet from the ATV, and motions Duncan to come toward her.
Once his is next to her, she asks the question that is on her mind, and unknowingly on Duncan's mind as well.
"Why a gas can?" she whispers.
"That's my problem, too," he replies. "We're in April. That's when the fires normally start here in California."
"Because the weather becomes warmer, and drier," Lindy finishes for him. "A simple match, or a firestick would have been so much easier, and less obvious."
Both are aware of the proclivity for fires in California, which typically begin in April and run through October. Yes, typically it is in Southern California, but as recent history suggests, Northern California is far from immune to these breakouts.
"It's overkill," Duncan agrees with a troubled look on his face. "It's almost as if someone wanted us to see this guy . . . "
"James," Lindy completes the sentence for him.
"Yeah, James," he repeats. "It's almost as if he wanted to get caught, Lindy," he continues, whispering.
"But why?" Lindy asks.
"That's what we need to find out," Marcus answers. "And we won't get answers here. We should get back. Before any more ground-shaking occurs."
"Copy that," Lindy agrees as the two begin walking back toward the ATV, ready to make the short trek back to the campus.
In the back bench seat, James begins coughing . . . and continues to cough for a few seconds before stopping. He leans his head back, eyes closed, wincing against the pain in his leg, clenching against his sudden shortness of breath, wincing against the futility of it all.
His actions are not unnoticed by the security duo, who – with a look at each other – agree to stay silent on the matter until they return to the campus.
"Curious," Duncan repeats again, while Lindy Matthews only nods her head in agreement, as she fires up the ATV, and makes a wide turn on the terrain to head back to the campus area, where they can only hope they will get some answers.