Father's Secret

Mack awoke and it was dark outside. He glanced at the clock to see it was three in the morning. Why did he wake up? He listened to the silence of the house. It was something he was accustom to. Then he heard a noise from downstairs. It sounded like a thump. He slipped out of bed and into his father’s room. The moonlight through the windows gave him enough visibility to find the nightstand without running into anything. He opened the drawer and pulled out a thirty-eight revolver, cocked it, and eased through the doorway. He checked the hallway to see down to the steps to the bottom third of the front door as the street light shined dimly through the little arched windows. He eased down the stairs by walking close to the wall and skipped the fourth step down, knowing it squeaked. He slipped down the hall to the study. The door was wide open but he had closed it per ingrained subconscious habit. He slipped in.

Across the room a person dressed in black and was using a flashlight stuck in their mouth.

He raised the pistol, took, aim and flipped the switch with his free hand. “Stop right there and raise your hands in the air.”

The person looked at him with wide eyes as they spun completely around to throw the book at him like a frisbee. The book splayed open with flapping of pages. Mack calmly side-stepped the book for it to miss him and hit the wall, as he saw a glint of metal in the person’s gloved hand. He fired twice. Their gun went off half raised and they collapsed against the desk and fell over on their back on the floor. He watched them a moment, but they lay unmoving. He stepped over and kicked the small semiautomatic from their hand across the room.

He knelt down, put two fingers on their throat and felt no pulse. He pulled the mask off the face and dropped back on his bottom to stare in shock. He had killed a woman of about thirty with blond hair. He patted her down in search for an ID and pulled a very thin wallet from a pocket.

A Siren coming down the street brought him back to reality. They stopped near his house. He stepped to open the front door and saw red and blue lights flashing on top of the car in front of the house next door. He changed hands and grip on the pistol to the barrel. He stepped out into the opening with his hands raised. “Hello, Officers, over here, please?” he spoke loudly.

Both drew their pistols on sight of him. “Don’t move!” one shouted.

“I am holding the pistol by the barrel, officers. I am not a threat. I will place it on the ground and step away from it. Is that cool with you guys?”

“Move slowly,” one instructed.

He laid the pistol at the edge of the landing and stepped back and placed his hands on his head. “Should I kneel down, officer?”

One officer came up the steps of the stoop with her pistol still aimed at him and grabbed the revolver. Once with it in her possession she lowered her pistol. “Did you do the shooting?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I defend myself against an armed burglar.”

“Turn around.”

Mack obeyed . He guessed the officer wanted to know he was not hiding another weapon in the back of his boxer briefs.

“What is you name sir? “

“Lester Macklin, Officer. How did you get here so fast?”

“We had a call for a possible burglar and then shots fired.”

“Cool. But who is up at three in the morning? Never mind. Please come in. I’ll lead you to the study.”

“Just stand in the hallway, sir. You can put your hands down now.”

“Thank you.” Mack stepped in and stopped against the wall from the study door. “I found this wallet on the person.”

She took the wallet and opened it.

“Sylest Watson. Do you know her?”

In there, officer. “She had a small automatic, probably a thirty-two. I told her to raise her hands above her head. Instead, she spun around and threw the book at me. I side-stepped it, saw her drawing her weapon, and I fired two shots. I kicked her weapon across the room. I think it went under the amour.”

The officer stepped into the room professionally with her pistol leading as she looked about. She stopped in the middle of it and looked at Mack. “Where is the body? “

“In the corner behind the desk where she fell, Ma’am.”

“Are you sure, Sir?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Step in here and point it out to me.”

“Seriously, Officer?” he asked as he stepped into the room and raised his arm to point and discovered the empty space behind the desk.

“It was right there. I felt for a pulse and found none. I pulled off the mask she was wearing, she looked thirtyish with blond hair. I had two solid hits I know for a fact were lethal.”

“Are you sure you shot someone?”

“Yes. I swear she was dead.”

“Ok, Bud, where the body?”

“It was there behind the desk.” Mack stepped over to look closer at the spot. “Look. There is blood smeared on the floor.”

“I sat beside it in a bit of a shock it was a woman. Then I heard your siren. I’m active military and know my shots were lethal.”

“Why did you shoot her?”

“Because she pulled out a pistol.”

“Were you aiming your pistol at her?”

“Yes. From the moment I stepped in the room before I flipped the light on.” Mack crossed the room and dropped into a pushup position to look under the amour. “There, her pistol is, where I kicked it. He reached for it.

“Don’t touch it, sir”

Mack pulled his hand back and shoved himself up from the floor and hopped to his feet.

“She must have went out the back door. Ray. Check it.”

“Impossible,” Mack said.

The other officer stepped through the house with his pistol up.

Mack stood in the hallway watching him. The officer returned.

“Well, your back door was wide open. No one around.”

I checked that the house was locked up before I went to bed.”

“Give me a minute.” She turned away and started talking into her radio mike hanging from her shoulder.

“Central, Squad thirty-two, we need detectives and forensics at my location and additional units for a search. We have a shooting, blood on the premises, but no body. The resident is the shooter and claims he checked the body but it had no pulse.”

“Roger thirty-two, dispatching units now.”

The officer turned her attention back to Mack.

“Mind if I get dressed? It is a bit chilly.”

“Yeah, sure Mister, ugh , Macklin.” She appeared to smile in approval as she looked a his naked physical build.

When Mack returned fully dressed, a pair of suited detectives were in the study discussing the case with the officer.”

“Mister Macklin? Detectives Swain and Booker. Shall we go to the kitchen and talk?

Mack turned around and led the way. He grabbed cups. “Coffee, detectives?”

“Sure.”

“Let me make a fresh pot. This is from this afternoon.”

“That would be great.”

Mack rinsed out the pot and put on a fresh one. He sat at the table and looked at the men.

“Have you any ID, Mister Macklin?”

“Sure.” He pulled out his wallet and gave them his military ID.

“First Lieutenant, eh?” Swain commented.”

“Yes,” My father died in a vehicle accident two days ago. I am home on leave to bury him.”

“Two days?”

“Well, it’s four in the morning, call it three days. I don’t see how she got up. She never moved or made a sound. I checked for a pulse and felt none. I can’t say I saw her breathe.”

“What do you do in the army?”

The coffee machine sputtered and Mack fetched the pot and poured them cups. “I’m on a special tactics team. I shot her twice, they were lethal hits.”

“You that good a shot? “

“From a distance of about ten feet? I can put rounds in the circle of a nickel.”

“With that pistol?”

“Repeatedly.” Mack pulled down his eyebrows in a scowl at the man.

“Ok, sir. How about you start from the top and tell us what went down.”

He repeated the entire account to the detective.

“Why did you just sit there? Why not call 911 immediately.”

“I was in shock, officer. I did not expect to see a pretty woman’s face.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know,,, a pimple faced drug addict, I guess. Come to think of it. She wore professional tactical clothes and boots. Not just black jeans and shirt.”

“Did she have on a vest of any kind?” He pulled at the front of his own shirt. “Like a bullet proof vest?”

“No, long sleeves, pull over, turtle neck, black, a belt with pouches.”

They exchanged stares.

“What? I told you I took a look at her. Observing details is a habit of training in my work.”

“That must have been about five minutes. The squad car was but a few blocks away. Think you could help an artist draw her?”

“Not really. I was looking at her from upside down and at an angle. She did have a mole above her, ugh, right eye. Besides you have her wallet

“Was anything taken?”

“I no but I think she was after the safe.”

“A safe? I need you to check it before we leave. There were glasses on the desk, had you been drinking?”

“I had a hardy double shot of bourbon around eight or nine.”

“Hardy?”

“Maybe a triple.”

“Whom with , Sir?”

“Whom?”

“I saw two glasses on the desk.”

“Oh, the other one was for my father. I served him a splash. There are old folks tales that if you leave a splash for the departed, their spirit slips in during the night and takes it. Thus the glass is empty in the morning. Non-believers will just claim it evaporated. I like to think it was his spirit taking a last drink with me.”

“Like a final toast to him?”

“Yeah. The only other time we shared a drink was after I graduated from college and Informed him I went in the service. It seemed appropriate. He would have liked it.”

“Were the two of you very close?”

Mack looked at him a moment. “We understood each other and had a closeness in our own way.”

“What type of work did he do?”

“He was an accountant.”

“Why do you think someone would break in and burglarize his home?

“No idea. I can’t say I ever saw him bring any of his work home with him. He always carried a briefcase and traveled quite a bit.”

“What firm did he work for?”

“Bentley Accounting. I’d have to get the business card off the desk for their address. I’m going at noon for a wake service there for him.”

“Where were you when he died?”

“In the bush.”

“Training exercise?”

“No, I was on an operation.”

“It took you two days to get home?”

“One. It took a day for word to get to me.”

“You don’t recall anyone else it the house?”

“Strongly, no.”

“What do you say it that way?”

“I would have heard them moving or breathing”

“Breathing??”

“I have specialized training. I’m Ranger qualified. We do that sort of thing.”

“Breathing?”

“Listening for it.”

The man made a frown and nodded several times. “Breathing. Well, thank you, sir. The forensic team should be done by now. We will get out of your hair and let you take care of your business.”

“Have them photograph the blood smear on the wall and by my back door, Detective.”

“What smear?” The man looked at Mack and at the back door.

“I’m trained in observation also, Detective Swain. I believe there is one in the hallway, opposite of the study.”

“I’ll look into that. Check your safe now, just to make sure you weren’t robbed.”

Mack followed him to the study and he paused in the hall. “There is a blood smear here.”

“You have a good eye, Lieutenant.” He stepped into the study. You guys finished in here?”

“Yes detective.”

“Good there is a blood smear in the hall on the right and back door frame you need to check out.”

“Did you find where the burglar’s bullet went?” Mack asked.

They all looked at him.

“Lay back the rug in front of the desk.”

They move back chairs before the desk and rolled up the rug. “I be buggered. Didn’t know we had a stray shot.”

“She tried to get one off at me.”

The guy knelt down, set a number tag by it and took a picture. He grabbed a tool from his kit and extracted the bullet. “Thirty-two. I’m sure ballistics will match the pistol.”

Mack nodded. He stepped over, pulled out two books and lifted the secret lever detectable only by a finger hold in the dark wood at the back of the shelf. A click sounded and the cabinet door popped open on the lower portion.

He looked at Swain and saw him take a step back in respect for his privacy. Mack knelt and dialed in the combination and opened it. He pulled out papers and a small box. “Let’s see, a small stash of a hundred in cash, Deed to the property, other stuff and mothers ring.” He noticed a small black pouch in the back. “I feel I can say nothing missing, sir.”

“Hump, I guess she didn’t find the safe.” Swain turned sideways. “We will let you get on with your day, Lieutenant Macklin. Sorry for your loss.”

“Have a better day, detective.”

“Better day? I have a shooting by an expert marksman that swears he had two kill shots, but no body. I’ll be canvasing the neighborhood all day.”

Mack watched them leave and returned to the safe to examine the pouch. He found several large diamonds of many carrots each in it. He put them back in the safe and closed it all up.

He followed the forensic guy out and stood in the doorway a moment.

A woman in her late twenties crossed the street towards him. She wore a scarf hiding her hair and a long black overcoat. He stood and they exchanged looks for a moment. She glanced over at the detectives getting into their car and mounted the steps to stop one short of him.

“Mister Macklin, I know you have had a bad night, but I need a word with you, please.”

“Who are you?”

“I worked with your father.”

“Why would you be here at an ungodly hour like this?”

“Your father was not an accountant. May we step inside and talk, Lieutenant?”

He move to put his back to the open door and casually waved a hand for her to proceed. “You pick one hell of an hour for a meeting. Coffee?”

He followed her as she walked straight through the house to the kitchen and took a seat at the table. He got a fresh cup and served her. She didn’t speak until he took a seat opposite her.

“I need to tell you something about your father that you didn’t know.”

“Enlighten me.”

“He worked for a secret agency.”

His stare showed he didn’t believe her. She spoke for practically an hour and answered a few precise questions he had.

“Your story answers some questions about peculiar injuries he experienced when I was growing up. Specifically, during some of his business trips. It all makes sense to me now, but I’m not quite convinced he was a secret agent as you say.”

“We are pressed for time, Sir. I can take you down to our office and show you.”

“Why? He is deceased.”

“He was part of an operation and was killed in action. He had something very valuable that we need, but they were not found in his possession or in his car.”

“Could have they been stolen after the wreck?”

“No, his backup team was on the scene and the perpetrators escaped before they could have taken them. He was going to a meeting to set up the exchange. We think he had secured them here in the house.”

“What is this valuable item?”

She paused a moment. “About thirty million in fine cut diamonds.”

“What are they for?”

She stared at him for a long moment. “I really can’t say.”

“You addressed me as Lieutenant when you first approached me. What do you know about me?”

She proceeded to tell him his history starting in college and named every one of his missions he had conducted as he listened in amazement.

“How the hell do you know all that?”

“We sort of don’t work for the government and do things official agencies can’t. We have been discussing recruiting you. I’m your case officer.”

“I’m still obligated to the Army for another year.”

“We can have you reassigned.”

“Hmmm, thirty million? He was trying to buy a classified high explosive.” He chose not to use the term: ‘Nuke’.

Her eyes unconsciously twitched, then she squinted at him. “You are a sharp as your father. Are they here?”

“Yes.”

She made a great sigh of relief.

“Well, let’s go to your office to convince me and I’ll turn them over. They are safe. Only I know where they are.”

“On behalf of the government I thank you. Unofficially, that is.”

They laughed and left the house.

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