Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 22:26:32 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Mirror - part 12 Message-ID: Quantum Leap Mirror of Deception by Katherine Freymuth and Gary Marsh Copyright 1998 Part 12 "Cathy?" Al called out as he centered his house, surprised to find the door unlocked. He had made Cathy promise to keep the door locked in case her ex-husband found her. It was unnecessary, he knew, but it made him feel better knowing Cathy was safe behind locked doors. "Cathy?" he called again, getting no response. He slowly walked to the bedroom door and opened it. There, sitting cross- legged on the bed with her back to the door, was the person from whom he sought. He slowly approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She promptly shrugged the hand off, shaking violently. Al frowned in concern, walking around the bed so that he could see Cathy's face. Her head hung down so that her auburn hair covered most of her face. He gently pushed her hair back to reveal a startling sight. "Oh, my gawd," he whispered as he sat in front of her on the bed. "What happened?" he demanded softly. "Who did this?" Cathy raised her head slowly and looked at Al with tear- filled eyes. "I left something at the hotel," she told him quietly. "He found me." Al's eyes flared with hatred. "Your ex-husband," he said knowingly. Cathy didn't answer but just lowered her head. Al lifted it with his hand. "This isn't the first time he's done this to you, is it?" Cathy shook her head. "A slap here and there but never like this." Al looked at her firmly. "Did you call the police?" Cathy hesitated. "I don't want an international incident, Al," she said gently. "I'm not a United States citizen. Mark is. We met in the United States and moved to England before we married." Al took a breath. "How convenient for him," he muttered sarcastically. "Cathy, you can't let him get away with this, even if it takes a little longer because of your nationality." "I said no, Al. No police." She began to shake. "You don't know him, Al. He won't ever stop, especially if the police get involved." Al exhaled. "Then we'll just have to teach him a lesson." He took a breath. "Cathy, if you point him out to me, I'll make sure he never bothers you or anyone else ever again." "Hey, Len!" Len, a twenty-eight year old man, turned around in mid- step to look at the person who had spoken his name. "Spook, what's up?" Len greeted as his friend approached him. Spook had a wide grin on his face as he lifted a small satchel into Len's view. "Guess what's in here," Spook told him. Len frowned. He suddenly had a bad feeling. "What?" "Two hundred fifty thousand dollars," whispered Spook. Len frowned. "You're kiddin', right?" Spook shook his head. "Nah, man! Take a look!" He opened the satchel to let Len take a peek. Len looked at the money and then at his friend. "Did you steal it?" he asked with suspicion. Spook smiled. "Nah. Earned it." "Doing what?" "What I do best," Spook told him with a laugh as he closed the satchel. Len exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Ah, man, Spook! I told you to get out of that racket! What if the police catch you?" "I've got that covered this time," he said as he reached into his jeans pocket and took out a folded paper. He opened it and presented it to Len. "Take a look at that." Len snatched it from Spook and read it quickly. "Wait a minute. Someone hired you to beat themselves up?" Spook laughed slightly. "Yeah. Wild, ain't it? She kept asking for more too." Len looked at him with surprise. "It was a woman?" Spook smiled widely. "Yeah. Ain't that nuts? And get this: she's giving me two hundred fifty thousand more tonight." Len frowned strongly. "Spook, listen to me. Take the money you have and walk away. Don't get the other quarter million. Trust me, you don't want to get it." Spook frowned at him. "What the hell are you talking about, Len?" "What I'm talking about it that this woman had to be crazy to have herself beaten up. She's got to have ulterior motives and that makes the whole thing dangerous. And you're caught in between whatever she's planning now. You already have a quarter of a million. Take it and bolt. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing." "You want me to throw away two fifty grand?" Spook asked in astonishment. "No way, Jose! Five hundred grand is better than two fifty." Len exhaled. "Just be careful. Okay?" Spook waved him off. "No problem. Don't I always?" He gave his friend a smile. "Listen, I'd better get going. I'll see ya'round," he said as he turned and walked the way he came. "Yeah," Len said quietly. "See ya." Spook didn't hear Len's last words. He continued to walk towards the spot where he would receive the rest of his payment. He was shocked and frightened when he was suddenly forced into a nearby alley and slammed into the side of the building he had passed. "All right, Mark," his assailant told him. "You and I are going to have a little chat." Spook stared wide-eyed at the man who pinned him by the shoulders. "Mark?" he questioned in confusion. "Listen, you've got the wrong guy." The man punched him hard in the stomach, causing the younger man to double-over in pain. "You think you can do whatever the hell you want to Cathy and get away with it?" Al bellowed at his victim. He forced Spook against the wall again before giving him a hard punch to the jaw. "Let me go, man! I didn't do anything!" Al pointed towards Cathy. "So you're saying she did that to herself?" Spook looked in the direction Al pointed with wide eyes of realization. "She... she hired me to do that!" Al gave him a sarcastic smile. "Really," he commented. He gave Spook another right-cross. "Wrong answer, Mark! Try again!" Cathy struggled to keep a smile from her face as she watched. "My name's not Mark! It's Aaron! They call me Spook!" Al ignored his words, putting another punch into Spook's stomach. He continued beating the man until the latter couldn't possibly defend himself, if he had ever had the chance. He continued to beat him until he was black and blue throughout his face. He continued to beat him until he was limp between Al's hand and the wall. He was about to deliver another terrible punch when he really noticed the damage he had done to Spook. He released the pressure of his hand on Spook's shoulder and watched as the man collapsed to the ground like a rag doll. Al felt an odd sense of satisfaction as he watched Aaron, a.k.a. Spook, fall. He hated himself for what he had done and yet his heart was racing with excitement. He had enjoyed the whole incident, had enjoyed beating Aaron. It scared him. Cathy came up slowly from behind Al and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked at the motionless Aaron before them and her heart began to pound. She slowly passed Al and knelt down by the body. With increasing hope, she reached down and checked Aaron's pulse. "Oh, my gawd!" she exclaimed with genuine shock. She looked into Al's eyes. "Al, he's dead."