The Chase

Molly sat in her favorite chair reading and sipping on a tall glass of cool milk. At the end of the chapter she got up, and placed her book on the arm of the chair. Then locking her fingers together she reached for the ceiling stretching out all of the kinks.

With long legged strides she strolled causally into the kitchen to refill her empty glass. Where had the time gone she wondered on her way? As she passed the large picture window she noticed that night had fallen while she had been lost in her book and she paused now to let down the shade. When the curtain was about half of the way down, she thought she saw a silhouette of someone outside. Instantly her blood ran cold, even though his face was not visible she knew exactly whom it had been. How was this possible she thought he had found her once again? In despair she let go of the string with a large bang the curtain snapped shut sealing her fate. Molly sank to the ground there was no escape. Now the room was almost totally dark except for the reading lamp on the table instinctively she turned her head toward it just in time to watch it go out. The time had come for him to finish what he had started. The cat mouse game they have been playing had finally come to an end. Molly stood and faced the front door when she heard the knob rattle there was no were to run anyway. The lock snapped open with a deafening sound that echoed through the silent room. To frightened to move she waited with eyes and ears open not entirely ready for what was going to happen next. The door slowly crept open and the breath that she had been holding came out with a large rush that was immediately silenced by his huge hand and the cold barrel of a gun in the small of her back. He placed the familiar cloth to her mouth and her whole world went black.

When Molly woke up she was in a damp dark room that she knew all to well. It was the cellar below his hide out, this is the place that he always kept her and he would continue to keep her until he was done with her then let her go. This time however she feared that she was not going home. With nothing else to do Molly took the hairbrush off the table next to her cot and mechanically began to stroke her long black hair. He would be coming to get her soon and she might as well be ready for him. When the sound of the keys rattling in the door finally came Molly had just tied the belt around her long robe that he had given her to wear and she put on her blindfold. The game had begun.

“I hope you found everything to your liking, Molly,” a familiar raspy voice said in her ear.

“It is the same as always,” she said more sarcastically then she meant to; she cringed ready for a slap.

In stead he said “Oh no this time you are wrong. I have prepared something special for you.” She could almost see him smiling at her from behind the blindfold.

“What is it this time? The hallway of mirrors or guess, which person in my past is talking,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“No, no those were only kid games this time it is real. Now enough chitchat it is time to get down to business.”

Molly took a breath and almost said, “I think you have mixed business with pleasure” but something in the way the room fell eerily silent made the words catch in her throat. It was like he had read her mind and was warning her not to ruin his big moment. He grabbed her elbow and led her silently up the stairs roughly he set her down on a stool. He then moved around behind her and for a long moment there was no sound at all and she began to wonder if he was there at all. When almost could not stand the silence anymore he stared to speak his voice was different, there was a spark of boyish excitement in it that sent shivers up her spine. Molly couldn’t believe it he was actually enjoying this.

“For tonight’s performance,” He boomed in his best announcer voice, “The young lady I have selected for my assistant must guess my true identity.”

“Rasputin!” Molly snarled without thinking and was instantly sorry for it when she heard a bullet being dropped into a chamber of a gun and felt the cold barrel of being pressed into the small of her back. Her heart sank into her stomach and she stiffened he had never used a gun before during the game just when he was taking her away.

As if nothing had happened he removed the gun and continued, “The trick is that you only have six guesses. On is already taken, by your snide remark leaving you with five. Every clue I give you brings you closer to the special intermediate prizes. If you guess my identity before five guesses you get the big whammy. You may begin whenever you are ready.”

This was Molly’s cue to do or say something, but she just sat there dumb founded. Before she could say, I don’t know he whispered in her ear.

First clue, when the trap door opens and you fall through, you will find yourself in the past. There you will find a key that will unlock a door to my identity.” Molly closed her eyes, what kind of clue was that? Then as if she had been hypnotized she saw herself on the slide in the park back in her hometown.

“Catch me, catch me,” she screamed as she shot down the slide and into the arms of a man waiting for her at the bottom whit open arms.

“Times up,” His voice brought her back to reality she shuttered how did he do that? One minuet she was in a dream and then she was back here in this horrible place just by the sound of his voice. “Have you a guess?”

“You were my baby sitter, you took me to the park.” She managed to say.

“Very good you are getting closer. Now for your surprise, just close your eyes and listen.” He said as he chuckled to himself contently. When Molly closed her eyes she heard the sound of what sounded like another bullet dropping into the chamber of his revolver. Before she could put out a cry of protest he said in his lowest voice,

“Second clue, when you open up the door with your key, you will find me there waiting there for thee.” Once again Molly closed her eyes and like magic she was taken back to another time and place. This time she was back on her front porch of her first house digging frantically in her purse for her house key. With a cry of triumph she fond it on the bottom and was just about to put it in the lock when the door opened wide from the inside and a tall man was standing there in the shadows.

“Happy birthday honey!” he said and was gone out the back door and through he alleyway the same way in with he had come leaving her on her stoop confused and scared.

“The clock has stopped.” He said in here ear she was jerked back into reality so fast that the force of it nearly knocked her off her stool. She could guess his identity if he would only give her more time in those dream states. Before she could complain about the unfairness of the game his familiar voice came again as a bullet clinked into the chamber.

“Third clue, in this box you find a locket given to you from me. Read the inscription and you will get my description.” Floating away as if on a cloud she returned to her front porch and opened the box the strange man had left for her. She pulled out a small chain with a heart locket attached to it and she watched as it spun in the light. On the back was this inscription.

“My hair is black and my eyes are green if next to you I’d be seen, people would wonder if we came from the same gene.” This time it was not his voice that brought her back but the tears that were forming in she quickly wiped them away before they began to trickle down her face instinctively she reached for her neck were the locket hang. Molly was about to speak when he interrupted her with another bullet filling and empty chamber.

“Last clue, Take off your blind fold and open the locket the secrets that will be told.” Shaking Molly took off her blindfold and the locket slowly she pushed the latch and here eyes fell upon the pictures within.

“Oh my gosh, you are my father!” She squeaked.

“Bingo, You have solved the case.” He said as he dropped in another bullet. He cleared his throat and said, “Now for the big whammy, five chambers in this gun are filled and one is left empty. Which one will it land on alive or dead? That is the question on all of our minds, let’s let the gun decide shall we,” He laughed a deep laugh that was filled with much sorrow and spun the chamber around and slammed it shut. He then held the gun to the back of her head and pulled the trigger.

“Click” Nothing had happened she had gotten the empty chamber.

“You win, now it is my turn,” he said with genuine sorrow. Horrified Molly turned around just in time to see her dad fall to the floor in a bloody mass. She screamed and ran to his side.

“Daddy, please get up!” She knew that here effort was hopeless but she continued shouting at him until she collapsed in exhaustion. Carefully she pulled her father’s bloody head into her lap and stroked it. All the suppressed memories of her childhood came flooding into her mind.

The first thing that she thought about was the trip to the park. She recalled that her father had taken her to the park for her birthday. The next day however he went off to work in the morning and she would never saw him again until her Thirtieth birthday. He was in here house, he wished her a happy birthday and was gone again just as quick as the first time. The box that he had left her for her birthday and contained a small locket and a note that read:

I could not face the humiliation that I would have had to face when you and your mother found out that I had lost my job. I was always playing games with the computers and one day I found out some bad things about the company that they wanted to keep confidential. So to keep me quiet they fired me and told me to get out of town as fast as I could or they would come after my family. Please forgive me I will always come and visit you on your birthdays. Love Dad

Molly remembered that her father was always had there for her birthdays. Mostly he would just give her a flower and then disappear. Fearing for her safety she had once called the police and had him arrested for stalking. He was jailed for some time. When he got out again this bazaar cat and mouse chase had started. Every year for her birthday no matter where she went he would find her, capture her for one day, take her to his home and they would play a silly harmless game then he would return her to her home. This was the last time that he would ever be on time for her birthday. Molly sighed with sadness the chase has finally ended but she had lost the battle of love.