The Outcry Read online

The Outcry

  Jasmine Long

  Copyright 2013 Jasmine Long

  The Outcry

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  About the author

  The Outcry

  Chapter One

  It was a fine morning when Lukas Bailey went outside to get his mail. He walked to his mailbox where he found a parcel addressed to him. After collecting the morning paper on the front lawn, he strolled back to his front door. Still dressed in pajamas and slippers, but eager to see what was on the disc sent to him, he hurriedly played the audio on his CD player. A disguised voice spoke, however he did not know whether it was a man or woman, but still continued to listen.

  “I have proof that you have been trafficking drugs to Emily Marcus who is actually a runaway psych patient. Are you sleeping with her Lukas? You were not able to find decent women on your own now were you Lukas.” The tape abruptly ends.

  “Honey, what are listening to?” Rosa, Lukas’ wife came into his study wearing an apron over her stonewashed jeans and white scoop neck t-shirt. She was of Hispanic descent and her accent was eminent. Lukas hurriedly turned off the CD player.

  “Oh, just work stuff honey. That Riley doesn’t know when to give a guy like me a break,” faking a giggle.

  “You look a bit pale, are you okay?” Rosa stepped inside his study and her expression was that of worry.

  “Yes, yes darling,” he said and walked toward her and kissed her full lips.

  “I must get ready for a meeting soon. I’m sorry, but I won’t be in all day,” he lied.

  “I will make it up to you, I promise.”

  “You are always working too hard.” She smiled then kissed him again and left him in his study.

  Lukas was a middle-aged, handsome man, a good person, and respected by his community. Who could have sent him such a CD? He knew that if all that trash on the CD came out in public, his life would be over.

  Three months earlier:

  “Hey Ma’am!!” Lukas was yelling as he ran after a woman who had forgotten her purse in the diner. The cold air in the winter season was bad for the arthritis in his legs and he had difficulty keeping up with the young woman who dashed away into an alley and disappeared. He began to feel exhausted and bent forward to catch his breath. He cursed, then straightened up and looked at the purse in his hand. Oh it couldn’t hurt he thought. He opened the purse and found a few oddments and an identity card that had a photo of the young woman that showed her details: Emily Marcus,28 years old and a home address.

  Later that evening Lukas went for a drive in search of the address displayed on the woman’s identity card. He drove around for what seemed like an eternity and cursed the fact that he was so bad with directions. Finally he found what seemed to be the correct place. He parked his gray car off the street, got out and walked over to the entrance of a mid-sized old building. He rang 308 but nobody answered. He stood there thinking and then rang the buzzer again, but still nothing. Now sitting on the steps that led to the front door of the building, an old man approached him.

  “What are you doing out here son? You don’t look like the type that would hang around this part of town.” The white-haired man’s voice was shaky and he looked frail.

  “No sir, I came to return someone’s purse, she forgot it in the diner a few miles away,” standing up getting ready to go.

  “What be her name son? Maybe I can help you.”

  “Emily Marcus.”

  “Oh right, her. You be careful of that one son. I have heard that the cops are out looking for her and she has been seen with many men out on the street.”

  The old man looked tired so Lukas offered to help him to his apartment, but he insisted that he could manage by himself.

  The drive home was tiresome. Lukas was tired of the day’s happenings. When he got home Rosa was already asleep in bed/ He kissed her on the cheek, careful not to wake her and then snuggled up beside her in bed.

  Chapter Two

  There she was again at the same diner; Lukas decided that he was not going to spook her this time so instead waited outside for her. As she came walking out the door he took the liberty and started talking to her.

  “Here, you forgot this at the diner yesterday.” He handed her handbag over to her. “Why did you run away when I tried to give it back to you?” He measured the pace of their steps as they walked.

  “It is none of your business Mr.” She looked upset, worried and kept turning around as if she was checking to see if they were being followed.

  “Please call me Lukas,” he said politely trying to take her hand, but she ignored him and started walking faster.

  “Why are you running?”

  “Just leave me alone! You’ll only get hurt!” She started running again. This time Lukas kept up with her watching her disappear into a doorway through the same alley from the previous time. He followed her behind the alley and saw her talking to a man who slapped her and then quickly walked away. She knelt to the floor and started crying.

  Lukas waited until she came out and then followed her to her apartment. He could not get in without somebody opening for him so he pretended to have lost his keys and an old woman opened the entrance door for him. He knocked on Emily’s apartment door but she only opened it halfway, still hooked on the safety chain.

  “Please I need to talk to you.”

  “Just go away!” She was crying.

  “Please, I didn’t come here to upset you Emily. Open the door.”

  Reluctantly the key chain came off and the door was opened for him. She sat on her bed in a small apartment with only one couch, a table, a tiny kitchenette, and bathroom. The place smelt stale.

  “I want to help you,” Lukas explained in a soft voice and sat down beside her.

  “Now, I don’t know who you are running from or what you are into, but you need help. I want to help you,” wiping the tears off her cheeks.

  “You’re a good man, but you will ruin your life getting involved with mine,” she said with a sniff.

  “No I won’t, let me help you.”

  Chapter Three

  Present Day:

  Residing at the beach apartment, Emily was getting clean from drugs and only took medication that Lukas had provided her. He had helped her get through her drug addiction pushing her to break ties with the people that she had been involved with before. He came to check up on how she was doing every day. She knew he was married but she loved him and hoped that he could love her in return some day. She had seen a picture of his wife before; he carried a photo of her in his wallet.

  The sun was hot and she sat on the balcony sipping the lemonade that she had prepared earlier. There was a knock on the door that brought her out of the daydream that she had been having.

  “Hey Lukas.” They greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek and he then told her what had happened and his face began to go pale.

  “Does that mean they are coming back for me? They know who you are and what you did for me. You are not a criminal Lukas.” She tried to reassure him but the reality of the matter was that the medication he had gotten her was illegal and stolen from a lab which he used to be employed at. He desperately wanted to help her get her life back on track, she had so much potential and he was not going to see her throw it all away.

  That evening he could not sleep. Rosa could tell that something was on his mind, but she never pried and always took his word and respected his privacy.

  Another package was delivered to his mail, this time the voice demanded a large sum of money or else the person would tell Rosa about the entire ordeal. Lukas did not want to get Rosa involved because the people t
hat Emily dealt with were very dangerous. He also did not want her to find out that he had spent some of their savings to rent a beach apartment out of town. If Rosa got involved she would find out about the drugs and theft. He already had to pay a large sum of money to keep it all covered up.

  He drew the last of their savings and arranged to drop it off where the person said he would be. He waited with the phone by his side because he was told that he would be called anytime.

  “Lukas, I know something is bothering you, do you want to talk about it?” Rosa’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. She found him in his study as usual; this was his place he would go to get away from everything to do his work. The place he called his sanctuary.

  “It’s nothing honey, don’t worry about it.” His voice was sad and unconvincing.

  “Please tell me, I promise not to judge.” She so understood everything about him, which is why he loved her.

  He told her everything. She just sat there wide-eyed not saying a word finally blinking when his cell phone suddenly rang.

  “Yes, no, it’s all there. I counted it three times! Yes, I- You can’t do anything anymore… but…” The phone clicked off.

  Rosa turned her gaze to him and wanted to know whom it was.

  “It’s Thomas. He is the one behind it all and now he threatens to go to the police if I don’t give him another 50 000.”

  “And the woman, where is she?”

  “I sent her on a plane out of town to lay low; those people might be after her again.”

  “What are we going to do Lukas?” Her voice trembled. “All that we had is gone now.” She started to cry.

  “I’m sorry Rosa. I’m so sorry.” His heart was aching for her and he knew that all of this was his fault.

  Chapter Four

  At the meeting point, Rosa and Lukas had told the police what was happening because Thomas was unstable and had a history of run-ins with the authorities. Then suddenly Rosa saw a man walking out from the shadow hiding his face. Rosa shrieked when she saw Thomas point a gun straight at Lukas.

  “You stole my woman Lukas and I won’t forgive you for that! You always thought you were better than me!” He pulled the hammer of the gun back.

  “Thomas!” Rosa shouted in panic.

  A single shot was fired and Thomas fell to the floor on his back, he was shot dead by a bullet to his head. The police came out from where they had been keeping an eye on the three of them. They confirmed that Thomas was dead and called it in. Another officer cuffed Lukas and explained his rights. Rosa tried to talk to them to make them stop.

  “Theft and illegal distribution of drugs, he has to do the time ma’am. Maybe the judge will shave off some years for good behaviour if he is lucky.”

  Rosa looked at Lukas and touched his face with her hand, tears were running nonstop down her flushed cheeks.

  “I love you and I will be waiting for you to come home,” she said with trembling lips.

  “I love you he said in return as she painfully watched them put him in the police car and drive away.

  ###

  About the aurthor

  Jasmine Long enjoys reading and has a collection of flash fiction stories. She writes both romance and whodunits. She also loves horror, fantasy and science fiction genres. Inspired by nature, she takes the liberty to capture the moment with every opportunity that comes her way through photography.