Chapter 8


There was no answer the first six or ten times that Barbara tried to call. Roger might have changed his code, in the last two years but, Barbara was trying him on the exact same one he called her with this morning. She knew that it had to be right! She was still swearing about it when she pulled up in front of his estate house. Then she took a good look at the place he had built and began swearing about something else entirely. What did she ever see in this guy?

Barbara stepped out of the car and cautiously approached the front of the house. She noticed that the front door was wide open. There was a light on somewhere in there but, it did not help with seeing what was just right there behind the doors. The only other lights that Barbara could see were in two windows near the top of the central tower that dominated the landscape.Barbara almost shivered when she saw the silhouette of someone walk in front of the right window and stop. She almost jumped when her phone rang.

Barbara did not even bother looking to see who was calling her. She cautiously lifted the phone to her ear and said, in a very subservient sounding voice, “Roger? Are you all right?”

“I’m just fine my dear,” he said in an up beat tone. He continued with, “I’m happy to see that you got my message. You really came.”

“Yes,” Barbara told him. She did her best to control her heavy breathing, “Is what you said true?”

Roger was a little more serious when he replied, “you didn’t believe me this morning Barbara. Why is it that you suddenly do now?”

She kept her focus on the shadow in the high window as she told him, “why don’t you come down. We can talk about it. I’m ready to listen.”

Roger sounded a bit skeptical when he told her, “it might already be too late Barbara.”

“Too late,” she exclaimed! “Damn you Roger! You’re talking about my child here! If you think for one minute that I’m just going to roll over then you can take…”

“Now now,” Roger told her in a calming voice. “Why don’t you come in Barbara. It’s about to rain again. I’m sure you don’t want to discuss this while you’re soaking wet.”

Barbara groaned and told him, “in your dreams buddy boy. Those days are over for good.”

It was a bit surprising to Barbara that all she got in return was laughter. Then she saw the lighted window go out. When it came back on there was no one standing there any longer. Barbara started to panic, “Roger? Roger! Roger!”

The laughter returned and then Roger said, “I just found it funny how you might be more right than you realize. Please dear Barbara, Won’t you join me in the study for some tea?”

Barbara lowered her phone and terminated the call at the same time. She put her phone away and then used her now free hand to pull her weapon out. She charged it, jacking a round into the chamber, and then she walked towards the open front door.

 Barbara turned on the under barrel light as soon as she got into the foyer. She swept from one side to the other looking for anyone or thing. When she lowered her weapon she sighed in deep relief and began feeling a little silly about her paranoia. Then the front door swung shut. The gun went right back up and Barbara side stepped her way right back to the door. She reached down and tried the knob. When it turned and the door opened she once again felt silly. Then she heard Roger’s voice. It sounded gentile and comforting, “it must have been the wind.”

Barbara still did not lower her weapon. She slowly scanned the foyer, the stairs, and every open inner door that she saw. Then she called out, “where are you?”

“I told you dear,” he replied. A set of French double doors opened and quickly got Barbara’s attention right along with the business end of her handgun. She shined the flashlight from side to side but, she saw no one. Roger then told her, “I’m in the study. Won’t you come and have some tea?”

Barbara began taking careful steps in the direction of the double doors. When she got there she checked up, down, around them and then scanned the study itself. Roger then told her, “don’t you think you’re being a little overly paranoid, my dear?”

All Barbara had to say to that was, “where are you Roger?”

“The tea is right there on the coffee table,” he said in that same calm voice. “It’s just like you like it.”

Barbara looked down and saw that it was exactly as Roger had said. She then worked her way over past the couch and reached down to feel the tea pot. It was still hot. That put Barbara on an even higher state of alert. She lashed out in anger now, “I swear to god Roger! If you don’t stop playing these damn games then I’m walking, right now!”

“What games would those be Barbara,” Roger replied.

Barbara took aim at the tea pot and blasted his expensive china into so many pottery shreds, “how about that kind of game?”
Another light came on in the dark study. It was not much of a light but, considering how dark everything else was, it made enough of a shadow for Barbara to realize it was there. She swung around with her weapon at the ready and was surprised to find herself looking at Roger. The only problem was that it was only his face on a video screen. The transmission was obviously coming from somewhere else and, Barbara had no way of know where. It was like the man was standing in front of a blue screen.

He looked happy to see her. Roger even asked her if the reverse was true. He had such an upbeat sound to his voice. Barbara was not satisfied, “what the hell is this? Somebody calls emergency services from here. You call me this morning when I haven’t heard from you in over two years. You tell me somebody is out to kill my daughter and that you know who.”

Roger laughed, and then laughed, and even laughed some more. Then he told Barbara, “I guess you believe me now?”
“I told you that,” Barbara shot back in anger. Then a thought suddenly pushed out her emotions. How was he reacting to her from a video monitor? The only thing that could mean was that there was also a camera in here somewhere. Barbara started letting her eyes roam.

Roger obviously noticed, “I’m everywhere dear Barbara. It’s no use trying to find me when you already have.”

“What do you want,” Barbara demanded. This time she was more speaking to the room than the monitor.
The image on the monitor began to zoom in on Roger’s eyes as they narrowed. He then told her, “you’ve always known what I wanted Barbara. Deep down, somewhere in the well of your soul, you always realized my darkest desires.”

“I’m leaving Roger,” Barbara was not bluffing either. This was all turning out to be some kind of elaborate ruse. What did she need this dickhead for anyway? Barbara was completely confident that she could figure out her own problems. Roger had always been a little borderline but, it was becoming apparent, that in the years since they had split up he had completely crossed that border.

As she walked for the front door she heard Roger’s voice once more. This time it seemed to be coming from everywhere, “I guess it’s time we tried another game.”

It did not deter Barbara in the least. She kept right on walking for the front door. What was he going to do? She was armed and, on his best of days, he was a first class wimp with an adverse dislike for firearms. If somebody was going to try and kill her, it would not be Roger, and not with a gun. Barbara even stopped at the front door and waived the pistol around over her head as she called out, “and I’ve got the gun Roger.”

He laughed at that and then mocked her with, “and I’ve got the gun Roger.” Then his voice grew serious, “and I’ve got so many things that are so much more frightening.”

“Yeah,” Barbara was unimpressed, “well good luck with that.”

When she turned the handle to the front door it felt like it had been glued in place. Barbara grew angry when she shook it more and more violently. Then she growled, “ok ass hole! Unlock the front door!”

“I think I’ve got a really scary sound for you,” Roger told her.

Barbara somehow doubted it. She crossed her arms and then in a facetious tone she replied, “take your best shot if it means you’ll open the front door.”

The next voice was not Roger’s. Barbara panicked when she heard it too. Unlike Roger’s voice, this one sounded very real and was coming from a definitive direction. Barbara judged that it was somewhere up stairs and it was none other than Shannon’s. After the teenager’s scream she yelled out, “MOMMY! HELLP!”

Barbara tried to control herself as she shouted out in anger, “this is some kind of trick Roger! Shannon’s at home!”
After another cry from the teenager turned into a fit of crying, Roger’s voice returned, “are you so sure of that Barbara? Tell me, was anyone watching her when you rushed out in such a hurry? Where’s the rest of your merry band of Rangers at? Weren’t they a little busy?”

“You son of a…” Barbara raised her weapon and wanted to shoot. She controlled herself though. Roger had left her nothing to shoot at and it was very lucky for him. Barbara ran up the stairs and began yelling, “I’m coming baby!”

Shannon responded with, “Mom? Is that you? Hurry! Please!”

Now Barbara knew this was real. She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked in both directions. The hallways looked to be endless and twisted in both directions. Barbara called out, “Shannon! Baby! Keep calling to Mommy sweetheart! I’m coming but I have to find you first!”

Shannon screamed again and this time she added, “help me! He’s going to kill me!”

Barbara was in full panic now. She still could not tell where the cries were coming from. She just picked the hallway on her right and began trying to force open doors. Barbara found that kicks and shoulder did her no good. The doors did not even so much as budge. “What the hell are these things made of?”

Half way down the hall, Barbara heard her child. This time it was loud and clear and coming from behind one particular door. Shannon began crying in a panic as Barbara beat away on the door. When it finally flew open she was not even sure exactly why. All Barbara knew was that she was rolling across the floor. By the time she got up the door had closed behind her. That was the least of Barbara’s worries now. She saw Shannon!

The teen was standing across the darkened room, wearing shorts and a t-shirt that struck Barbara as just wrong. It took her a second to figure out why. As Shannon waived at her mother, with a smile on her face, suddenly Barbara figured out exactly what the problem was. Shannon had out grown those clothes years ago. She also looked a lot younger. Barbara suddenly realized that the image she was seeing was not really her daughter. It was from a video clip that Roger had shot while Barbara was still dating him.

Barbara called out again, “Roger you fucked up little twit!”

Then the image of Shannon did something that was not in the video clip. She put her hands on her knees, bent slightly forward, and began laughing in a taunting way. She told her mother, “fooled you!”

Barbara raised her weapon and put a bullet in the image of her own child. The almost transparent glass sheet, that had been positioned on the far side of the room, shattered all over the floor. Barbara got back to her feet and tried the door. It was pretty much exactly what she thought, locked.

Roger’s voice returned by saying, “well you broke my mirror so now I guess it’s time to try the smoke.”

Barbara backed away from the door and raised her weapon. She reached the center of the room and just kept circling. Even if Roger did not come out and attack she thought that, just maybe, she could blind him by taking out his cameras. The only problem with that was how small those damn things were. She gave up on the idea when her one cough began to turn into many. Barbara tried to cover her mouth with her shirt and she began pumping rounds into the door. They ripped away at the wood paneling but did not even make a dent in the metal that was the real door underneath.

Barbara got down on the floor, low to the ground, in hopes of escaping whatever kind of gas cloud was being pumped in the room. She had no idea what it was since her only indication of trouble was her constant coughing. All the while she had to endure Roger’s constant laughing and singing. It was the last thing she heard when the world went dark.