Until Death: Apollo Steel Mysteries, #2

By A.A. Mercer

Apollo Steel is called in to a murder where a death in the family is only the beginning. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.A. Mercer
• Release date: May 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223223238

A.A. Mercer

A. A. Mercer has written mystery, horror and thriller books. he likes to spend his time meeting fans and signing autographs in Tucson Arizona, 

Book preview

To

T.S. And H.S.

1.

In the dark you can almost hide the truth. In the dark you can almost make dreams your reality. As Dan Caraway laid in the dark next to his wife, he could almost pretend everything was fine.

The reality was it wasn’t fine. He needed to stop dreaming and start his day. Cautiously he turned over to look at his reality, his heart, his wife. Softly he reached over and kissed his wife, Barbra. She was laying on her side, with her back facing him, all the way over on her side of the bed. He didn’t want to wake her but just wanted to touch her and she didn’t push him away while she was sleeping.

Ever since they had lost their only child, she had been unrelentingly depressed, and he had been at a loss to figure out what to do. He gently caressed her bare shoulder as it peaked out from the rumpled sheets of their oversized bed.

When she let out a soft sob, he knew she was crying quietly to herself again and didn’t want him to know.

He knew, he always knew.

Why didn’t she let him in? He wondered to himself. Slowly he dragged his hand away and resigned himself that he would never know the answer. She shut him out and kept him at an arm’s length away at all times. Didn’t she know he lost him too? Didn’t she know he wanted, no, needed to be there with her, feel her, touch her and didn’t she love him? He loved her and he was suffering too.  

Slowly, he left their bed to get ready for another day 12-hour day as a security guard downtown. Not a glamorous job, definitely not the job her family thought should be the one her husband would have. They were from money and he definitely was not.

I’m sorry; I don’t really want to go. He said softly.

Barbra turned over slightly, her large green haunted eyes turned to look at him and said, I know. Then almost as an afterthought she whispered, I love you."

I love you too; he said with all the emotion he had in his heart, he added, Please don’t stay here the dark bedroom all day. I really wish you would take a walk in the garden or pull open the curtains to let the light in today."

She nodded, sat up and slowly rose to her feet. She held her head as the headache spiked from behind her temples and shot a lightning bolt of hot fiery pain across her forehead. This was going to be a bad one she thought as the unwelcome pain sizzling through her skull started to make her feel as if the room was spinning and the world was tipping on its axis.

She placed both hands on her head and squeezed, before wearily plopping back down onto the bed, with a soft thump.

Would you get me some aspirin from the kitchen? she asked. With that Dan turned and left.

She had thought she heard him go into the kitchen and open the fridge and she thought to herself that isn’t where I keep them. As she sat at the side of the bed, she decided it hurt too much to fully open her eyes.   She just wanted to get back under the inviting soft covers. She lifted her long lashes and peaked through them just enough to help guide her as she feebly inched across the expansive bed. 

The room felt cold and the early morning light was straining to come in from around the heavy curtains on the windows, was dim and almost gray. It made her wonder, as if in passing, if it had started to rain outside.

Dan? she whispered, before succumbing once again to her dreams. When Dan returned with the glass of ice water and aspirin, he placed them on the whetstone on her bedside table.

Since she was sleeping again and he didn’t want to wake her, he only looked at her one more time before leaving for work.

Sometime later, Barbra was awoken with a start by someone calling her name, but her husband was at work and she was supposed to be alone.

Did she dream it? Why would someone be calling my name? She thought idly, as a cold chill slowly creped its way down her spine.

Instantly she opened her eyes and as she tried to focus on the figure who was standing in her doorway, she realized it wasn’t Dan or her sister.

The figure was someone much shorter, almost childlike.

Her thoughts raced in her mind.  

No.  What? It couldn’t be. It didn’t work? but she dared to hope Did it? did she bring him back?

She vaguely remembered attempting a séance, and thought she saw someone in the dark looking at her. Calling her name. but was it really?

As she lifted her head from the pillow she saw someone in the hallway looking at her.

2.

As Barbara sat straight up in her bed, her mind raced as she tried to remember yesterday at the coffee house, or was she there days ago? She was too tired; her head hurt and couldn’t think straight.

Think! She told herself.

It’s important she told herself. Remember. Her head felt heavy and it was hard to blink. She hadn’t drank and yet felt hungover.

Thinking back, she thought about the last few days. She had tried to get her spirits up by treating herself to a trip to the Coffee Café down the street for a delectable double chocolate cinnamon hot mocha.   She had needed a walk in the sunshine, anything to get out of the house. the house was too dark, and too bright at the same time and why was she so