Wings of Deception (47 page)

“Goodbye.”

It was all Dwight needed to be convinced that he had no choice but to try and find his fiancé and friends himself. He made arrangements for an assistant to take over his duties with the church and Gem to be cared for by Jean while he was gone.

He made the trip to New York and settled in at the same hotel as before because it was the one familiar place he knew. He had no idea where he would start but
getting in touch with Purcell seemed the best way to begin. He was shocked to find that the detective had been murdered in his own home.

The news was devastating to him
,
as he knew not where to turn
now
. He tried to remember everything he had heard concerning the people who was on the roof the night Jacks was stabbed.

The stone house was uppermost in his mind and he decided to find it. Jacks felt sure it was close to the ocean
going
north
,
so he took his rental car and started up the main highway leading up the coast. He drove for the hour Jacks thought it took and began looking for roads to the left
,
as Jacks had seemed positive they took a left off the main road. He turned on every one he came to, driving even longer than Jacks had indicated.

Darkness came and caused him to give up the search but he was determined to
try again the next day. He went back to the hotel and looked closer at an area map he had
purchased
, studying the entire thing before he went to bed and tried to get some sleep.

The next morning he was up before daylight and this time he went further before he started checking the various roads that were to the left. At noon he was disheartened and hungry so finding a small roadside tavern he pulled in hoping to find something to eat. He was in luck for it was also a grill and offered a variety of quick meals. Ordering a sandwich and chips, he pulled out his map and looked at it thinking,
God, I have been down every road there is and have no idea where else to go.

“Looking for something?” The voice came from an older man who stood at Dwight’s table.

“Yes, I am. A house made of entire stone, ever see one around here?” Dwight asked without much
enthusiasm.

He watched the man rub his chin as if
thinking
and was surprised when he responded with, “You know, there is one close by
here
that is stone. Got a stone wall surrounding the whole place, yes sir it does.”

Dwight’s face lit up at the man’s words and excitedly he offered, “Please, sit with me. Can I get you something to eat, a drink, anything?”

The man pulled out a chair and said, “Just ate, but I’ll have a beer.”

The waitress heard him and brought one for him.

“Here you go Leon, now don’t you go getting drunk on my shift again, you hear?” She laughed as she
left them and Dwight asked him, “Do you know where this place
is?”

“Let me see that map.” He pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on and Dwight handed him the map.

“Nice map you got. Here, see where this crook is in the main road there?” He pointed his finger to a place on the map and Dwight bent over the table to see
better
.
“That road?
Why, it…well, I guess you could say it is to the left. How far down the road is it? Do you know?”

“Can’t say that I
do,
a good mile or two. Only reason I remember the house is because I was run off the place one time.”

“What do you mean, run off?”

“The old man who owns it
ain’t
fond of trespassers and some of the best hunting is over in
them
woods. Never went back after two men chased me out.
Never wanted to neither.
You got business there? Cause
ifin
you don’t, I’d thank twice fore I’d be going.”

Dwight nodded eager to get back on the road. Leaving his food almost untouched he put money on the table to cover the expense and patted Leon on the shoulder.

“Thank you Leon, you have been the best thing to happen to me today!”

“Glad to be of help Mister.”

Dwight almost did a dance to his car, he was so happy. He had passed the very road several times. Heading back to where it was he followed the road as the map depicted and it was actually a veer to the right of the main road and then there was a sharp left that went under a bridge. So that is why no one was able to find the place. Thank God for Leon!

In less than two miles he spotted the stone wall and followed it to the black wrought iron gates, Jacks had so aptly described. Now what?
He was wondering how he would get inside such a fortress when the gates opened on their own. Chilled by a feeling of darkness that fell over him, he tried not to let it deter him and drove through them before they closed. He continued down the drive until the house came into view and stopped the car.
Lord, I can’t do this without you. I sure hope you are coming with me.
His wry humor fell flat as he made himself drive up closer to the house.

He took a deep breath, thinking about the woman he loved and his friends as he stepped up to the door and taking the iron ring in his
hand,
he slammed it down making a loud knock. When no one answered, he pushed on the door and it swung open to his horror.

He walked into the large entry, covering his face with his arm so the stench was not so bad. Two bodies lay side by side and he recognized them both from the night on the roof.
He pulled out his cell and getting 911 on the line, he gave them the
directions
and
with fear for what else he might discover, he went into every room. Finding nothing by the time he came to the stairs, he prayed hard as he ventured down them.
Please do not let me find them dead! Please!

There seemed to be no end to the stairs but he kept going until he finally reached a large room. Seeing nothing of interest in it, he opened the doors one by one, searching each for some sign of the missing three. There was nothing. He was both disappointed and relieved for at least they could still be alive.

Going back up the stairs he heard a siren and by the time he made it to the upper side of the house, the place was crawling with people.

When asked if he knew the dead men, Dwight just shook his head and said no. After many questions, they allowed him to leave. He went back to the hotel disheartened because now he was back to nothing. He had no idea where else to look and no one to help him. One thing he was sure of, that the two bodies found
,
may be dead but the force that had controlled them was very much still alive.

It was the next morning that Detective Cranford found him at the hotel. The detective
stepped into Dwight’s room without being invited to do so. He had called to make sure he was still in town and felt he had to share what he knew but if anyone saw him, he would be just another dead man.

Pushing the door closed he apologized, “
Sorry but I am taking a huge risk by being here and cannot afford to be spotted talking with you. Purcell is dead and it is because he was overheard telling you that he was still pursuing this thing you are mixed up in on his own. I am here to warn you. Go back where you came from and forget all this, if you want to live!”

Dwight had backed up from the man thinking him mad. Now he looked worriedly at him and said sadly, “I can’t do that. Those girls and Jacks, they are my friends and I will not abandon them. Tell me what you know, I beg you!”

Cranford shook his head, “You are as good as dead then and I won’t help you get there. You will have to do it on your own. Just remember I did warn you though.” He turned back to the door nervously but hesitated and looked back at Dwight with pity. “Jacks
’
has a friend, Sang-mi over in Little Korea, easy to find
,
just look for Sang
-
mi’s
K
itchen. She might help you.
But
God help you
,
if they get you too. Good-bye.”

He was gone just as quickly as he had appeared and left Dwight dazed. The reason Purcell was dead was because he wanted to keep working on this case. Cranford was right, God help him! In spite of the warning, he looked up the place called Sang-mi’s Kitchen in the phone book and jotting down the address he pulled out his map of the city and located it. It was not far from where he was and it took him longer to park than to drive the distance.

He prayed that Cranford was right and Sang-mi could help him but when he went in and asked for her, he was doubtful that the
woman
who came out
,
had any intentions of doing so.

“You are Jacks friend, Sang-mi?”

“Jacks
is
Sang-mi’s friend, yes.”

“He is my friend also. He is missing and I am trying to find him and two women who are also missing. Can you help
me.
”

Her eyes grew beady and untrusting and she was shaking her head no.” But the words which came out of her mouth contradicted
her actions
. “Sang-mi being watched, you must leave. They knew you would come to Sang-mi. It is not safe.”

“You do not understand
,
they all may die if I do not find them!”

Again, she shook her head no, replying, “Go now, Sang-mi will find you. Do not come here. Now go!”

He started to leave and looked back as she looked very hard at him
,
as if she disliked him immensely.

“That went well.” He told himself when he was back in the car. “What do I do now? Wait a minute! She said she would find me, so does that mean she will help me? If someone was watching her it could mean that she would be in danger if she talks to me. Okay, Dwight, now you are talking to yourself and that’s not a good thing.” He concentrated on the traffic and would wait until he got back to the hotel to try to figure everything out.

But it was not to be
,
for when he got to his room there was a
young Korean
boy sitting on the bed in his room waiting for him. He held a package in his arms and when the door opened he stood.

“How did you get in here and who are you?” Dwight was alarmed to find him there.

“Sang-mi say give this you and follow her words, then destroy!” The boy shoved the package at Dwight and went to the door.

“Wait!”

The boy hesitated.

“Uh, tell Sang-mi thanks for me.”

“Sang-mi not
do
this for you. She
do
it for the man with the
mark. I must go now.”

He slipped out of the room and disappeared. Dwight still holding the paper package went over to the desk and sat down. Carefully he opened it to find a small vial of amber liquid that was wrapped in a piece of writing paper. He laid the vial down and read the words written in careful English. When he finished reading he looked around for an ashtray which held a
book
of matches. Taking one he struck it and held it to the paper and let it burn dropping it into the ashtray. When it was finished, he took it and flushed the ashes down the toilet and rinsed the tray. Without giving it further thought, he
plugged the tub and started running water. Then he went back to the desk and took the vial and brought it back to the bath and poured a small amount into the water. When this was done, he stripped his clothing off and immersed himself into the tub of water, making sure his entire body was covered as the note had instructed. When he knew that every inch was covered, he got out and placed his clothes into the same water and left them while he went back into the room and looked into the mirror. He saw nothing.

He went back for his clothes and discovered he could not see them either. He felt them though and wrung them out and put them back on. This was blowing his very mind! But there was not much time and he had to move fast, if he was to help Jacks and the two women.

Sang=mi’s note included the plans certain people had of joining
Asa
that very night and they would have one extra passenger this trip. He put the vial under the water long enough for it to become as he was, invisible, then he slipped it into his pocket. After that, he also placed his pocketbook with money in it under the same water obtaining the same results. All the while, he kept shaking his head in amazement for this was certainly
the weirdest thing he had ever witnessed.

With everything he would need, he left the hotel room and decided to test himself on the clerk. He walked over to the check in where she sat talking on her cell. After standing there a few minutes, he was convinced she had not seen him at all. Crazy!

Feeling very confident after that, Dwight walked out and having looked at his map at the place Sang-mi told him to go, he took off in the direction of where it was at. When a truck stopped at a stop light he hopped on the back and rode almost the whole way but when the truck started to turn, he hopped off nearly breaking his neck. He continued on walking the rest of the way
.
He had plenty of time according to Sang-mi’s note. He wondered how on Earth she knew what she knew and what the vial contained that could magically make him disappear as it had done.