Erika (14 page)

“I will, Frank. Thanks, you’ve made me feel better.”

“You know, getting married sounds great to me. I would, but I can’t decide which one to say the vows with. I deeply love all my ladies.”

“That’s easy, Frank. Marry every one of them. Make all five happy. A romantic like you could do it.”

Frank laughed. “I sure like your style, little lady. Hey, if Gordon doesn’t treat you right, let me know and I’ll change my mind about killing him.”

“You got yourself a deal, Frank.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Breakfast at Shanna’s favorite restaurant was without talk until Templeton broke the silence.

“You’re wasting delicious food.”

Shanna gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about Hawk. Templeton, what are we going to do? We’ve got to help him. But I don’t know how.”

Templeton finished his coffee. “I’m assuming from the conversation we overheard last night Dr. Tyler might not know as much as we do.”

“I’m sure you’re right. According to what Hawk has told me he’s been fooling Dr. Tyler for years by not telling him certain things about his dreams. We now know he wants to keep his fantasy, his Erika.”

“Yes, he does. I wonder whether he’s consciously holding back important information, or whether his other self is subconsciously making him do so to avoid being exposed. It’s seems obvious to me the other self must want to remain active and stay with Hawk.”

“Are you saying Hawk could have more than one personality? Wouldn’t Dr. Tyler know if he did?”

“I would certainly think so, but then possibly not. Maybe he would only know if Hawk allowed his Erika personality to appear for him to see and hear. Hawk is extremely clever and lord, how he does need help.”

“That’s why we must tell Dr. Tyler what we discovered.”

“Yes, but will he be discreet?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Shanna, I can take the heat. But I certainly don’t want you to suffer any more than you already have. We broke a ton of laws last night. For instance, using illegal bugging devices, indecent exposure, resisting arrest, stealing police garments and weapons, not to mention my standing by and allowing it all to happen without lifting so much as a finger to uphold the law.”

“You also allowed Frank, an ex-con to handle a weapon.”

“Yes. You’re beginning to see my point. Believe me we committed other crimes, too. Captain Luskovitch would crucify us and he’d be grinning all the while.”

“Why did you allow so much to happen? I’m glad you did.”

Templeton grinned. “So am I. However, that is a good question. Well, something wasn’t right. To begin with Luskovitch was fracturing his ass in an attempt to keep something quiet. He lied about your phoning me at the station. That caused me to want to know what was going down. Lastly, when you’re dealing with Frank things happen you can’t always control. The lovable guy got us out of a ticklish situation with the police who were stationed there for the specific purpose of keeping people from seeing Hawk. Obviously O’Brien wants zero publicity and Luskovitch is helping him keep a cap on everything.”

“Well the cap’s off, thanks to us.”

“Right, and if we’re discovered we’re in for a real tea social, Shanna.”

“Good. I may get to carry out my threat and tear Mr. I Am Important O’Brien’s head off. So what are we afraid of? Let’s get started.”

Templeton laughed. “Okay, so let’s give Dr. Tyler’s office a call to see if he’s going to be in later this afternoon. I rather doubt he’ll be with Hawk all day.”

* * * *

“Do get comfortable.” Dr. Tyler was overly cordial. “I’ll mix the drinks.”

“I’d prefer a soft drink, like last time,” said Shanna.

Dr. Tyler smiled as he scooped ice into tall crystal glasses. “It’s nice seeing you two, but you obviously didn’t come just to visit. Which of you will tell me why you’re here?”

Templeton began. “We have acquired some information which could cause a great deal of trouble for Shanna and me if the authorities knew how we acquired it. It’s information which could possibly help Hawk.”

Dr. Tyler handed him a Jack Daniels and gave Shanna her drink. “In others words you acquired the information by illegal means which could get you arrested and possibly in trouble with O’Brien as well.”

Templeton raised his glass in salute. “It’s obvious why O’Brien picked you to work with Hawk.”

Dr. Tyler saluted back. “You’re waiting for me to say something about discretion.” He paused while Templeton nodded. “The only assurance I can give you is to say if you bent the law to do good without causing harm to anyone then what you tell me will not be repeated. However, if you broke the law and caused harm I’ll inform the police.”

“Well spoken,” replied Templeton. “Only you wouldn’t have to inform the police. I would.”

“I know,” said Tyler. “Now that we’ve cleared the air, what do you have?”

“After you left Hawk last night the Erika doll spoke to him.”

Dr. Tyler showed surprise by arching his right eyebrow. “I won’t ask how you happen to know I saw Hawkins, Miss Mason. It’s obvious. You say the doll talked? If you tell me she’s real I might ask you to stretch out on my couch.”

“It does sound that way,” said Templeton. “Hear us out. We heard her talk.”

“In a way she’s real,” continued Shanna. “At least to Hawk she is. When she talks her voice and Hawk’s are the same. Erika is Hawk and Hawk is Erika.”

Dr. Tyler sipped his drink. “Do you have a tape of what you heard?”

“No,” answered Shanna.

“Are you certain this other voice was Hawk’s?”

“Absolutely,” said Shanna. “Who else could it be? Can you tell us anything about Hawk’s mind?”

“In reality you’re asking about his sanity. How unusual is it for a twenty three year old to pack around a doll, talk to it using his voice and then have the doll talk back to him? In a way it’s a form of puppetry in that the doll’s voice is Hawkins having a conversation with Hawkins. Children do that very same thing. I’ll reserve my judgment and say no more until I have absolute proof about everything concerning Hawkins. However, the information you gave me does put a different spin on his problem.”

“Do you know when Hawk will be released to go home?” Shanna asked.

“Yes. In two days. I suggest you call on him. I’m sure he’ll have some real choice lies to tell you.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hawk arrived at Inessa Mansion. Digby answered the door chimes.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Digby. Who are you?”

“You know who I am. Cut out the bullshit. Where’s Connors?”

Digby sneered. “Connors is dead.”

Hawk managed to ask, “My God. Tell me how?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Of course I don’t. What has happened here?”

“Connors died of a heart attack brought on by packing you out of the woods. Matilda couldn’t stand her husband dying without her, so she went with him.”

Shoving Digby aside, Hawk barged into the mansion’s hallway. He stopped to look back. “You’re fired, you sonofabitch. I won’t have anybody as thoughtless as you on my staff.”

“I was leaving today, anyway,” said Digby. “Your father is somewhere in the mansion. He wants to see you.”

“How come you’re still here? I told you to get out. Take your unwashed stench with you.”

Hawk bolted for the tapestry room. His father would be in the library smoking one of his smelly Cuban cigars.
Well, he can just stay there. I don’t need him. I have Erika.

Once in the tapestry room Hawk dropped his luggage case on a Chippendale table, snapped the locks open and tenderly reached inside for Erika. He put her to his check to whisper endearingly, “Erika, my love, we’re home.”

Erika appeared behind him. “I’m here, Hawk.”

As he turned to face her she slipped into his arms. They kissed as lovers through the ages have, passionately, with all the love in the universe combined to make the moment totally exquisite.

They parted. Hawk frowned.

“Darling, what’s wrong?”

He sighed. “Erika, your shooting me caused the deaths of Connors and Matilda. They were my friends. I cherished them. To me they weren’t just servants. They were somebody I could talk to freely, listen to their adventures in life, hear their positively delightful way of speaking. They’re gone. Now I have only you.”

“Aren’t I enough, Hawk?”

Hawk smiled. “Yes, you are.”

Erika laughed. “Hawk, sometimes you are so silly. Dying is nothing. It’s simply going somewhere else, like going from one room to the next.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s similar to what I’m doing. I’m sort of in two rooms. Besides being here in your arms and also in my doll self, I’m elsewhere and almost able to move all the way over to here.”

“When will you be completely mine, to where you’ll always be by my side?”

“I’m not sure.”

“It has to be soon. I’m about to go crazy waiting for you to stop being part of a doll. I want you to be a whole woman.”

“It will be soon. You look so tired, Hawk. Let’s take a nap. It’s been ages since I slept in your bedroom.”

* * * *

Erika screamed.

“Erika! What is it?” Mortal fear tore away the happiness Hawk felt.

“Somebody has me, Hawk! Somebody has me!”

Erika’s doll self was in the tapestry room!

“Run, Hawk! Get me back! Run!”

Naked, Hawk ran for the tapestry room with Erika directly behind him. He wasn’t prepared for who he met. Nor was the person who was there prepared to meet a naked Hawk.

“Father—”

“Hawkins. Put on your clothes.”

“Give me my Erika, father!”

O’Brien held the Erika doll in his left hand as he puffed on a Cuban. “Now, you listen to me, Hawkins. You and I are going to end this silly obsession with this doll once and for all. I’m going to burn it in your mother’s kiln. You’re going to become the son I have always wanted and needed.”

“Needed, father? What have you ever needed besides money?”

“I’ve always needed your mother and you. Two terrible things have happened to me in my life. I lost my wife and my son to a murderous moron with a gun. You’ve been a stranger to me ever since.”

“Through your fault alone, father. All I ever had of you was a picture in a frame. You were always gone, either on business, or with that hooker. Remember her? Now give me Erika.”

“Not a chance, Hawkins. She’s to be destroyed.”

“Hawk, you’ve got to get me away from your father. If he destroys my doll image I’ll disappear from this world. We’ll be apart forever!”

“Give me Erika, now.” Hawk charged at his father.

Two muscle types came from nowhere to grab him.

“Take him to his room. I’ll deal with him later,” O’Brien commanded.

To no avail Hawk struggled. The muscle types kicked him several times before tossing him in to his room and locking the door. Erika was with him.

“You’ve got to do something, Hawk. We can’t be apart. We can’t.”

Hawk’s mind raced. “Father didn’t see you standing next to me. If you’re invisible to everybody except me—can you pass through the door?”

“Yes, of course I can.”

“Good. Go to the gun room. Bring as many weapons as you can pack. Don’t worry about bullets. The guns are loaded. Hurry now. I’ll get dressed in the meantime.”

“We don’t have time, Hawk. He’s going to burn me.”

“We have the time, if he hasn’t started the kiln yet. Now hurry.”

Erika disappeared. Hawk dressed in military clothes and heavy boots. His mind raced. He had to save Erika. But how could he? Erika would bring his weapons to the door. She could then shoot at the door to blow it open. Yes, that would work.

“Hawk, I can’t pick up anything. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

She stood before him looking frantic and, oh God, she was faded out something awful. His mind flipped over to remember the weapon in his clothes closet, inside a suitcase. In seconds he held a stainless steel Colt .44 Magnum Revolver. He pointed it at the door and squeezed the trigger. One shot was all it took to be free. He faced Erika. Her legs were invisible.

“Hawk, you must hurry! Something’s happening to me.”

Hawk ran for the kiln room. A near invisible Erika followed him. Arriving there he crashed the door open and screamed as his father dumped a dustpan of porcelain into the kiln.

Erika.

“Hawk, help me. Do something!”

“I can’t. I’m too late.”

“You must. Help me.”

Only an outline of Erika remained. Hawk screamed. “Go to the tapestry room, Erika. Hide in the tapestry. Run Erika!”

She took six staggering steps and fell. “Hawk,” she whispered. “Help me. Help me, my love. Help—”

She was gone.

So was Hawk’s mind. He looked at the guards standing by his father. The Magnum roared death twice. The guards died.