Ward's Castle

HENDRIX

“Mr. Mason,logistics is waiting for you. I’m not supposed to share this, but apparently the semi-conductor shipment will be two months late.”

“Mr. Mason, Marketing wants a word. They’ve secured the agreement for Shinn Wall to be the brand ambassador.”

“Mr. Mason, Petra Young from ADAM Institute is holding. She is reaching out again to see if you would speak at this year’s commencement.”

“Check and see if we can pay the port fee for some of their other shipments to see if that will speed up delivery for us. For Marketing, I don’t think Shinn Wall is the right move for us. Saw that he got into an online fight with some random account. We don’t need that energy. Tell Ms. Young I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t give public speeches. Colin, this contract needs revising. These liability clauses don’t favor us at all.” My assistant hurries forward and grabs the contract I hold up. The other members of my staff leave after getting my instruction. I turn my attention to the next contract.

Someone clears their throat.

I lift my head and see Trey Park, the head of my security, standing at attention. He’s been out of the Army for a decade but still has all the bearing of a captain of a hundred troops. To be honest, he scares me sometimes. I toss my pen aside. “What can I do for you, Captain Park?”

“Sir, we have a situation downstairs.”

“That sounds ominous. What kind of situation?”

“One that requires your attention, sir. I wouldn’t come up here personally if I didn’t think it was important.”

“Fair enough.” Colin comes over with my suit coat before I even ask. A good assistant is worth their weight in gold. I shrug the suit coat on, adjust my cuffs, and give a nod for Captain Park to lead the way.

In the elevator, he reminds me, “The Captain is unnecessary, sir.”

“Sir?”

Captain Park falls silent and then says, “Right” as the doors open.

“Glad we understand each other.” Titles are unnecessary, but we both would be uncomfortable not using them even though we wish the other would stop. The main reason Captain Park has lasted so long in my employ is that we both are cut from the same cloth. We don’t like over-friendly people and believe a barrier should be kept between us and the rest of the world at all times. Intimacy is overrated. I like my own company, and others are extraneous.

He leads me down the basement halls past the kitchens, past storage, and to the heating and cooling center. I arch an eyebrow. These sort of maintenance issues should be left to the maintenance staff, and Park knows it.

The expression on his face grows uncomfortable, but he pushes the door open resolutely and gestures for me to enter.

I look over my shoulder at Colin, who shrugs. He doesn’t know what is going on either. Inside the darkened maintenance room, I allow my eyes to adjust to the dim light and my ears to accustom themselves to the whirring of fans and engines. Park again takes the lead. We wind around two large, and loud, HVAC units until we hit a corner. Park stops and steps aside.

I walk forward with the vague thought that this would be a good space to kill someone and hope that I don’t find a dead body on the premises. That’s never good for business. I stop abruptly.

There is a body down here. Two of them, to be precise, but they aren’t dead. At least not yet. A girl of an indeterminate age stares up at me with a mixture of fear and bravado. Her chin is high, but her eyes are quavering. In her arms lies the second body. A small child is cradled against her chest. From the looks of the blanket underneath them and the dirt on their faces, this isn’t their first day in this hideaway.

“How long?” I ask Park.

“She won’t say.”

“Security footage?”

“Unclear. We think she may have snuck in with a food delivery two days ago, but it could have also been a hospitality delivery three days ago.”

“No one heard anything?” I think of the noise and realize that’s a dumb question. “Forget it. Did you call the police?”

“No. I wasn’t sure if you wanted that kind of attention.”

“I don’t.” The police means news reports and questionable publicity. I hate that. I crouch down so that I’m at eye level with the girl. “Name,” I order.

She presses her lips tight. So it’s going to be that way, is it? I hold up my hand to gesture for Colin, and the girl flinches away. Disgust curdles in my gut. Someone’s abused this girl.

“Yes, Mr. Mason?” Colin hovers close.

“Get Doc Sallaway up to my office ASAP.” Quick as lightning, I reach out and snatch the small child or maybe a baby. The girl launches herself at me, but I’m too fast for her. I slide away and rise. The kid starts crying, realizing that I’m not her…friend, mother, sister? It’s hard to say. This young girl in front of me looks far too young to be a mother. “You’re on my property, so you belong to me now. Both of you do. Pick up your things. We’re going upstairs to talk and figure out what to do with you. Captain Park, I won’t need your services any further.”

“Are you certain, sir?”

“Yes. Colin and I will handle it from here.” I walk away holding the child in my arms, knowing that wherever this young, fragile being goes so does the other young, fragile thing. Two days? Three days? They have to be starved. “Colin, food right after Doc Sallaway.”

Colin nods to me, his phone already to his ear.

Without looking behind me, I say, “Come now. No arguments. You can devise a way to murder me later. You’ll be a more formidable opponent when your stomach isn’t growling.”

“You don’t own me,” says the girl.

“You’re wrong. I do.”