Con Game Read online

  Delta loved those days. The days before the good and the bad found their way into her heart. The days when corruption and evil happened only in cartoons. She always rooted for the local rider who rode the black horse, and wore the shiny black chaps and expensive leather boots. That horse would sweat so much, it looked glossy, like someone had painted it with Varathane.

  And the rider. What a rider she was. She could maneuver her horse around those barrels as easily as a race car driver races around a track. She would give her horse one swift kick to start it in motion, and then, with reins firmly grasped in her left hand, her right hand would . . .

  Her right hand. “That’s it!”

  “What?”

  “I think I have it. Let me check with Connie and I’ll be right back. Take us to a payphone, will you?” As soon as one came into view, Delta jumped from the car, and raced over to the payphone. With surprisingly steady hands, she dropped in some coins and waited for Connie to answer.

  “Con, it’s me. I think I’ve got it.” Delta’s chest heaved with excitement. “We’ve been taking the wrong approach here. We’ve been trying to beat that one-horned beast.”

  “Of course we have. That’s the point.”

  “Is the game on?”

  “Yes. Been working all morning, and it feels like I’m never going to break through to the next level. If I didn’t love Eddie so much, I’d put my fist through his monitor.”

  “Well, hang on, because I may have our answer.” Delta could hear Connie typing away at the keyboard. “Is Dori wearing the gloves?”

  “She’s done everything but eat them. And to be perfectly honest, she’s tried that as well.”

  “Hear me out on this, will you? We’ve been approaching the game from Elson’s standpoint. So far, we’ve tried killing everything we run into. That’s not our way, that’s his way.”

  “Yes, but it’s his game.”

  “True. But does he want us to think like him or think like us?” Delta waited for an answer and heard Connie breathing into the phone.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking, Storm.”

  “What if the gloves were used like a cowboy uses gloves? You know, to rope, to catch calves, to—”

  “To ride? Not a bad idea, Del. It’s worth a shot.”

  Delta held her breath while she listened to Connie pounding the keys. Looking at her watch, Delta cringed. It was 9:30. “Con?”

  “I know, I know. It’s almost ten. I’ll give it everything I have. I’ve got to get close to it first. You go back to work, and I’ll beep you the moment I have anything.”

  “Great. I’ll be waiting.” Delta heard her heart pounding in her ears as she hung the phone up. It was a long shot, but then long shots were her standard operating procedure.

  “Well?” Jan asked when Delta returned to the car.

  Delta folded her long legs into the passenger seat. “For some reason, that statue caught my attention. When I was a little girl, my dad and I used to go and watch the barrel racers. I remembered the gloves the riders wore, so I thought—”

  “Maybe that’s what the chauffeur’s gloves were for?”

  Delta nodded. “We’ve been trying to kill the game’s latest monster. I guess that’s what these computer games are all about. Anyway, Connie mentioned some-thing about cowboys the other day, so when I saw the statue, it triggered a memory of mine. Instead of trying to kill the beast, I thought maybe we should try to ride it.”

  Jan cocked her head in question. “Ride it? What kind of animal is it?”

  “It’s a big, hairy, four-legged animal with a horn coming out of the middle of its head. You should see it. It’s horrible looking. Looks kind of like a buffalo.”

  Suddenly, Delta felt her pager vibrate, and she jumped back out of the car to make the call.

  “Yeah?”

  “You were right.” Connie’s voice was filled with excitement. “I’ve managed to get Dori to mount it. And you know what? It really isn’t a beast at all.”

  “What is it?”

  “A unicorn.”

  “A unicorn? Excuse me a minute, Connie. You may be the brain in the family, but even I know that unicorns are beautiful white horses with a golden horn. That beast couldn’t possibly be—”

  “But it is! Megan did the research and found out that your description is how modern man views unicorns. The ancients envisioned them much differently. They saw them as having the head of a horse, a lion’s tail, stag’s legs, and sometimes being quite hairy. It was believed to have been very ferocious and catchable only by putting a virgin before it.”

  “So? What happened when you rode it?”

  “I didn’t say I rode it. I said I got on it. As soon as I did, the screen changed.”

  “Another level?”

  “I wish. Another challenge.” Connie sighed heavily. “Every time Dori tried to make it go somewhere, she fell off. But we’re on the right track. I’m sure of it.”

  “What should I be looking for?”

  “Can’t say. How about low-flying ninja weapons?”

  Delta winced. “Not funny. I wish I could do more. I feel so helpless out here.”

  “Helpless? Del, you got us on the unicorn. You’re doing more than your fair share. Right now, it’s my turn. You just be careful out there.”

  “Always.” Waiting to hear the dial tone, Delta bowed her head against the glass. A unicorn, a rider with gloves, and still they had nothing to go on. It was all so maddening. What was worse was feeling him skulking around in the shadows. She could smell his gruesome presence as surely as one smelled a broken sewer line. He was out there, watching, waiting, and getting ready to make his next move.

  And they were not ready.

  Chapter 27

  Six blocks away, the luminescent lights pierced through the darkness and glowed as moonlight glows off a sleeping pond. From the distance, amid the blaring car horns and screeching tires, loud booming voices and thunderous noises could be heard across the cityscape.

  “Damn.”

  Delta opened her tired eyes. “What?”

  “I promised Mariah that I’d take her to the carnival before it ended.”

  Delta sat up and glanced out the window at the crowd of people streaming away from the light show that exploded above the dark city. While Delta personally loved carnies, she had to admit that crime went up when one came to town. The lights and noises and press of bodies made it easy for crime to hide right under everyone’s noses.

  “So, when does it end?”

  “Tonight. Tonight’s the last night. Shoot.”

  Delta felt for Jan. She couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to work full-time and keep track of family activities of three children and a husband. It was all Delta could do to remember to feed the cats. “You were only taking Mariah?”

  “Yeah. It was supposed to be our monthly mother-daughter thing. Originally, when she brought it up, I was glad she wanted to go and not the boys. They love all those rides where your stomach is forced out of your mouth and you don’t regain your equilibrium for a week. Mariah’s idea of a wild ride is the merry-go-round. Thank God for small favors.”

  Delta nodded, falsely implying she understood. She loved wild rides. “Too bad you missed it.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe next time. Their schedule is pretty regular.”

  “Think she’ll notice?”

  Jan smiled. “Unfortunately, yes. Just the other day, her best friend Samantha was telling her how much fun she and her family had there. When Mariah found out there was a dragon on the merry-go-round, she went wild.”

  Delta remembered Mariah’s collection of dragons. “She still collecting dragons? I figured she’d grown out of it.”

  Jan turned and stared at Delta. “You did, did you? And just when, exactly, are you going to stop collecting X-Men comics?”

  Delta grinned sheepishly and turned away. The lights from the carnival cascaded across the sky like an eerie rainbow. The closer they got, the more sounds and smells
lifted themselves to her senses. As her mind rambled about, a picture of a dragon jumped to the front of her brain, sending that spark to her intuition. She remembered Dori slashing her way through some dragons on the way to their current level. Dragons seemed to be the up-and-coming creature of the 21st century. Everyone had them; from crystal shops to toy stores, even Hallmark Cards had a special dragon card line.

  “Dragons, eh?”

  Jan turned again, her eyes narrowing. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  Shrugging, Delta picked up the mike and announced they had a disturbance at the carnival, but would not yet need assistance.

  “Damn it, Stevens! One minute we’re talking dragons, and the next we’re going to the carnival. Has something about our talk triggered another great idea?”

  As the car slowed to a stop, Delta waited for Jan to face her. “It’s one of my hunches. Something in my gut is telling me to pay attention.”

  “Pay attention to what?”

  “I’m not sure. Connie said that she fell off the unicorn every time she tried to ride it somewhere, but that she can sit on it. Where’s one of the best places to find a stationary unicorn?”

  Jan reached for her baton. “On a merry-go-round.”

  Delta looked at her watch; 10:15. Already fifteen minutes into the killing hours.

  “Delta, you don’t really think he would do anything at a carnival, do you?”

  Gazing out into the crowd, Delta shrugged. “Frankly, Jan, I think this S.O.B. is crazy enough to try anything.”

  Chapter 28

  Rolling her window further down, Delta smelled the scent of buttered popcorn as it wafted into the car. Her gut rang loudly, waving red flags right in front of her brain. There was danger here for sure. Whether or not it was Elson, she did not know.

  Leaning out the window, Delta asked a mime which way to the merry-go-round. The mime grinned, tipped his hat, and pointed north.

  “Of all the people who could have given us directions, and you ask a mime?”

  Delta ignored the remark and peered through the crowd ahead of them. There were two yellow poles limiting all but emergency vehicles, and a teenage couple sat atop one of them. The young girl admired the stuffed teddy she’d won for her boyfriend.

  They pulled into between the two yellow poles .

  “Let’s go.” In an instant, she and Jan were out of the car and threading their way through the thickening crowd. Delta looked over at Jan and saw her slip her baton into the holder.

  “You won’t need that,” Delta said coldly.

  “Why not?”

  Without breaking stride, Delta answered, “Because if he’s in here, I’m taking him out.”

  “Del, this isn’t the Wild West. We can’t just—”

  “No, Jan, it isn’t. It’s sometime in the distant past, and I’m chasing after dragons and following the paths of dwarves. Don’t tell me I can’t whack him. He’s after my best friend, Jan, my best friend. Someone who’s there for me when my life’s in danger.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “He’s harassed her and is following me all over town. I’m going to call Connie first to see if she has anything for me. Then, if I get to him before he gets to me, he’s finished. The end. I’m taking that sick piece of shit out for good.” Delta turned left to make her way to the information booth, showed her badge to the young man at the makeshift desk, and then phoned Connie to apprise her of the situation.

  When Delta hung up, she turned back to find Jan standing with her hands on her hips. “Damn you, Delta. Sometimes you forget who’s on your side.”

  “Look, Jan, I’m sorry if I come off like a maniac, but I’m a little pressed for time. I think he’s here and there’s no time to lose.”

  “No, Delta, we’re a little pressed for time. You’re not working alone, you know. I’m your partner. I want to help Connie as much as you do. But I can’t if you won’t let me.”

  “I’m sorry, Jan.”

  “Stop being sorry, Delta, and just tell me what I can do to help.”

  “Get us to the merry-go-round.”

  Jan smiled. “It’s easy for a shrimp like me to get through these crowds. So, pay attention and watch a master at work.” Pushing through the crowd, Jan nearly lost Delta on the first turn.

  The air, which had smelled of popcorn earlier, now hung heavily with the odor of sweaty bodies, stale hot dogs, and sticky cotton candy. The smells lingered and mixed together, creating a stifling effect that was hard to breathe in.

  The noise was incredible as well, and the clanging and grinding gears sounded like an out-of-tune orchestra. Children were screaming from being dropped off the edge of one ride or “looped-de-looped” on another. Bells rang, shots from the arcade popped, and the constant hum of motors acted as the background music, tying it all together.

  About a hundred yards away, at the far end of the carnival strip, Delta saw the merry-go-round, and she could hear the pipe organ accompaniment grinding like a rusting clock. Delta was experiencing sensory overload in every way imaginable. Perhaps for children, she thought, that was the ultimate appeal of a carnival.. Like a drug, the carnival sights, smells, sounds, and experiences overdosed her senses. All except for the one she lived by.

  Her gut.

  And right now, amid the beeping, buzzing, humming, grinding, and screaming that clattered about her eardrums, Delta sensed his presence. She felt him watching her as they slowly pushed through the crowd and made their way to the spinning ride. Wherever he was and whatever he was doing, he knew she was there.

  And he was waiting.

  “He’s here,” Delta said to Jan, as they were about fifty yards from the merry-go-round.

  “How do you know?”

  “I can feel him. There’s something evil, something profane about him that makes me know he’s here. It’s in my gut. I can’t really explain it, but I know he’s here.”

  “You’ve felt this before, haven’t you?”

  Delta nodded, eyes trying to see through the crowd. “And it hasn’t been wrong yet.”

  Jan stopped and grabbed Delta’s arm. “Plan?”

  “Let’s take either side and try to pinch him to the west. Keep him away from the bulk of the crowd. You call back-up on your way over to the other side and have them set a net around the carnival. With any luck, maybe we can run him into a snare.”

  “Del, if we set a net and you’re wrong—”

  “I’m not wrong. Trust me on this, Jan. He’s here and he knows we are, too.”

  Jan looked at Delta and nodded. “You’re sure.”

  “I’m positive. I’d bet my life on it.”

  They were now close enough to discern the people on the merry-go-round and the mounts they were riding. As the crowd parted and Delta got a clear view of the merry-go-round, every nerve in her body tingled and she froze before she could take two more steps.

  First, an alligator, several horses, and a toad circled by. Up and down, up and down, the animals came and went. Then, she saw it. The golden horn first, as it rounded the corner behind the dragon. As soon as the horn was in sight, Delta felt everything slow way, way down, as she waited for the rest of the mythical creature to round the corner as well.

  But the animal didn’t catch her immediate attention. No, it was a black gloved hand wrapped around the brass pole running up the center of the unicorn’s neck. The left glove firmly grasped the pole, but the right glove was waving through the air in animated conversation. Before Delta could see anything else, the rump of the unicorn disappeared.

  “That’s him!” Delta yelled, pulling her .357 from its holster. Still keeping her eyes trained on the merry-go-round, Delta waited for the gold horn to come back around.

  The crowd, seeing Delta whip her gun out, scattered in every direction, as others turned to see what it was that had this cop’s attention.

  As the beast and the rider rode up and down before them for a second time, Delta’s peripheral vision took ov
er, enabling her to see the whole picture. When she did, her blood ran cold and a gasp stuck in the middle of her throat. For the first time, Delta saw the reason his right hand gesticulated wildly; he was having a conversation with a little girl who rode the hippo next to him.

  “Oh my God,” Jan murmured, pulling out her radio.

  But already, Delta was frantically making her way to the merry-go-round. If Jan had followed behind her, she didn’t know, and she did not feel as though she could lose the seconds in turning to find out.

  The fourth time Elson circled around, he was close to the little girl but was looking out into the sea of people moving away from the gun-wielding cop. When Delta finally pushed beyond the edge of the crowd, she looked up in time to see a slow, vicious grin slime across his face as his eyes locked onto hers. Those eyes, for that fraction of a second, were taunting, ridiculing—the eyes of a madman, of one who enjoyed the pain he had caused; one who, for all of his purported genius, could not be reasoned with. The man with those eyes had stared at her once before, when he turned and threw a star at her. She would never forget the rage and insanity of those eyes, and even now, they held the same look about them.

  As he and his mount disappeared, Delta pulled the reins of her frantic emotions, and both they and she skidded to an abrupt halt. As she stopped, Jan rammed into the back of her.

  “What are you doing?” Jan asked, as Delta lowered to one knee and aimed her .357 toward the merry-go-round.

  “I’m gonna blast his ass off that horse.”

  Jan grabbed Delta’s shoulder. “No you’re not! You don’t even know if that’s him.”

  Delta felt the drops of sweat form on her lip. “It’s him. Believe me, Jan, I know what I’m doing.” Taking aim, Delta regripped her revolver.

  “Delta, don’t. That’s a tough shot, and you know it.”

  Delta did not respond. Too many people had died already because of this maniac. Left up to her, this psycho would never kill again.

  And right now, it was her call to make.

  Holding the revolver with both hands, Delta raised it a little and ignored the shouts coming from the anxious crowd. Some people lay flat on the ground, while others watched, mesmerized by the action.