HEAD GAMES

Chapter Five

The ringing phone jarred Viki from her restless sleep. She switched on the lamp beside her bed and blearily looked at the clock. 4:39. Good news never came at such an early hour.

Immediately, she was awake. She answered the phone before it could ring a third time. It was Gordon Eubanks, the night watchman who’d been with the Banner for over twenty years.

“I’ve got some bad news, Mrs. Carpenter,” he admitted. “There’s been a fire in your office. Not too much got burned, but what the fire didn’t get, the sprinklers did. It’s a pretty big mess.”

Viki groaned inwardly. On top of everything else she was dealing with lately, now she had this to contend with. She hung up the phone after telling Eubanks that she would be right over. Before hopping out of bed to get dressed, she made a quick call to her Editor in Chief, Kevin. He agreed to meet her there.

*****

Viki and Kevin arrived within minutes of each other. They found a barrage of firefighters loitering in the hall. When she was allowed into her office, she was shocked by the destruction. Everything was thoroughly soaked: her books, her furniture, her computer. Everything was ruined. Thankfully, the fire seemed to be contained to her office only.

They were surprised to see Bo standing in front of her desk. His back was turned away, and he was talking to another man. When Viki and her son made their way over, they made another shocking discovery.

Her desk was charred. Everything on it was burned completely. Even her chair was scorched. She stood there surveying the damage with her mouth open.

“Viki, I’d like to introduce you to Ted Lewis. He’s an arson investigator,” Bo stated.

The man, in his early 50’s, held out his hand, which Viki took absently.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t have met under different circumstances, Mrs. Carpenter,” Ted said sympathetically.

“Arson?” Kevin barked.

This snapped Viki out of her trance. She was stunned.

“Someone did this deliberately? But why? I’m not working on anything particularly volatile right now. It makes no sense,” she puzzled.

“Oh, it’s arson alright. That’s why I called Ted,” Bo explained. “I’m not so sure how much this has to do with the Banner and how much is personal.”

“Personal?” Viki was perplexed.

“We found this,” he said, pointing to a framed picture on the floor. It was a photograph of Kevin that she always kept on her desk. It was lying face up, the glass shattered violently as though someone had stomped it.

A shiver ran down Viki’s spine.

“We also have a video surveillance tape. It shows a man wearing a baseball cap and jacket entering your office at 4:17 and leaving two minutes later. Although it’s hard to see his face from the angle of the camera, the scar on his cheek is plainly visible.”

“No,” she said under her breath. Her heart sank. How could he do this to her?

“Todd?” Kevin roared. “He’s back? Since when? That ungrateful son of a bitch! How dare he do this to my mother after everything she’s done for him. I hate to say I told you so, Mom, but I warned you. You always wanted to see the good in him, no matter now many times I told you what a monster he was.”

“Kevin, please.” The last thing she needed to hear right now was gloating.

“There’s something else,” Bo stated. “We found a matchbook by the door. He must’ve dropped it in his hurry to leave. I’ve already sent it to the lab for fingerprints. I should be getting an answer any minute now.”

“An answer?” Kevin ranted. “You already know the answer, Bo. It’s Todd. I knew I should’ve pulled the trigger when I had the chance. He’s hurt too many people in this town. Well, no more. Never again.”

With that, he tore angrily out of his mother’s office. Viki tried feebly to stop him, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was devastated to find out that her beloved brother had turned his vile hatred on her.

She was in such despair, looking at her destroyed office, that she barely heard the police radio. A few seconds later, Bo put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Viki.” He spoke softly. “That was the lab. The results are in. The fingerprints on the matchbook match Todd’s. I’m sorry.”

She felt numb. Without a word, she walked out of the office, knowing not where she was headed.

*****

From across the street he watched the mayhem. He saw Kevin storm from the building in a rage. But he waited, hoping to see if he’d accomplished his goal. After a few minutes, he was rewarded. He saw Viki exit the Banner building with her head bowed. Her shoulders were slumped, and she looked totally defeated. An emotionless smile spread across his face. Only then did he turn to go home.

HEAD GAMES

Chapter Six

He was taking a big chance going out in public so soon after his last round of tormenting. But he needed to verify some information.

He was parked across the street from the crowded park. It took him a few moments to find the child for whom he was searching: Starr. He spotted her wearing her bright pink coat, playing with another little girl in the snow. He smiled knowingly, appreciative of the fact that Starr’s nanny was so regimented.

He jotted down a few notes, then tossed the notepad into the passenger seat on top of the morning edition of the Sun. He put his key in the Porsche’s ignition.

*****

Officer Roy Hodges was headed home after working the late shift. He was new to the Llanview Police Department, having graduated from the police academy only five months earlier. He was looking forward to jumping into a hot shower then sinking into bed.

The LPD had been searching tirelessly for three days to find Todd Manning. Other cases had fallen by the wayside in an effort to capture public enemy number one. All leads had come up empty so far.

Rounding the corner two blocks away from his apartment, Officer Hodges hit pay dirt. He spotted a black Porsche with tinted windows parked across from the local park, heavily populated with sledding children. He drove by slowly, trying to determine if the vehicle was occupied. He parked around the corner, retaining a good view of the suspect. He was barely able to keep the excitement out of his voice as he reported that a car matching the description of Todd Manning’s was parked in his neighborhood.

Hodges was commanded to stay put; he was to wait until backup arrived. Manning was considered extremely dangerous and cunning.

But before the additional officers could make it to the scene, the Porsche pulled away. The rookie cursed the driver, then reported the activity. He was ordered to keep the sports car in sight at all times, but not to tip his hand. The police wanted to catch Manning off guard.

The news that Todd’s car had been spotted quickly reached the Commissioner, who was discussing strategies with Sykes. The two of them were instantly on the move, heading toward the garage and out to the Porsche’s last location.

Hodges, meanwhile, was having a hard time concentrating. He was so looking forward to his first big arrest. They didn’t come any bigger than Todd Manning, the man who had been plaguing the town for years. This time, when they sent him to prison, he would stay there for good.

The young officer wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing and almost lost the Porsche around a corner. He knew he would never live it down if he let Llanview’s most notorious criminal slip through his fingers. A quick moment of panic subsided as he once again had the car in his sight. He radioed headquarters consistently, keeping them abreast of the offender’s location. He was surprised to find the car heading into the heart of a horribly run down neighborhood.

*****

Quietly, four squad cars and three unmarked cars pulled up and parked a safe distance from the house. Hodges had been watching the home for just a few minutes before the cavalry arrived. Bo and Sykes quickly made their way over to him.

“What did you see?” the Commissioner asked.

“Manning went inside about three minutes ago, Sir.”

“You sure it was him?” Bo inquired.

“Absolutely. He had long brown hair. I’m positive it was him.”

“Was he alone?”

“Yes, Sir. He was in the car alone, and I haven’t seen any movement inside the house.”

“Could you tell if he was armed?” Sykes questioned.

“No, he had on a heavy jacket. It was hard to tell if he had a weapon.”

“All right, men,” Bo whispered into his radio. “Let’s take this nice and easy. We don’t want him getting away from us this time.”

He directed several men to circle around the back of the house, while others flanked the sides. The remaining officers joined Bo and Sykes as they crept up to the front porch.

Peeking in the large plate glass window, they were able to see their suspect through an opening in the shabby curtains. Although his back was to them, it was obvious that it was Manning. He was scanning a copy of the Sun, his long hair hanging around his shoulders.

Bo gave a count of three over his radio, then all hell broke loose. Sykes kicked in the door. Within seconds the house was filled with police officers.

“Freeze, Manning,” Sykes screamed. “Put your hands in the air.”

More than a dozen guns were pointed at his back. His only choices were to cooperate or die. He weighed his options before making his move.

to be comtinued