Shadow of Death: Apollo Steel Mysteries

By A.A. Mercer

A killer stalks the night and two detectives are hoping to find them before they strike again. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.A. Mercer
• Release date: Aug 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223938590

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

1.

Home.

She remembered home . She and her brother running through the field behind the house tagging each other and laughing. They had enjoyed playing Hide and Seek and Simon Says and other games in and around the woods. The tall, shady, trees went on for miles.

Behind the forest was a two-way road which went into town and eventually into Tucson and other cities. The light breeze blew through the trees and cut the heat from the late day and made it all seem as if they were the only people on the planet. Until the day of the new neighbors.

The Simmons family had moved to the Sabino Canyon area from Oregon. That’s what Todd had told them, Todd was nineteen and had deep dark eyes. Jennifer and her brother Scott didn’t like him.

Todd was strange. He talked to himself and seemed to watch her and her brother from the house.

My dad was an engineer in Oregon, he lost his job and we move out here. He said as he played with a sharp stick he had picked up.

He didn’t talk about his family; he was an only child.

I don’t have siblings, don’t want any. He said as he slapped the ground with the stick. He glanced up and looked at her brother, then her. As he looked at Scott he curled his upper lip up like a snarl. She saw his front teeth looked broken and sharp. He reached up and touched his teeth, You like what I did? he said with pride.

Wanna touch them? he reached for her hand, she stepped back Scott stepped between them, he was shorter and younger than both but he wasn’t afraid to defend his sister. Todd stared at him and giggled at how much shorter Scott was to him, he liked it.

Jennifer thought he was creepy as he looked at her.

Todd looked toward the house and saw his mom standing on the porch. She had a worried look on her thin face. He gave Jennifer a smile which made her skin crawl. I like you. He said and walked back home.

One early morning Jennifer had gotten up when she heard a sound outside and saw men in uniforms walking across the lawn. Her mom was up and answered the door when a tall police officer knocked, her mom answered quickly, she didn’t want to wake dad. He liked to sleep late.

Police had been coming around asking questions about missing girls. She didn’t know anything and the officer went away.

When they lost their house, her sister offered them the house in northern Arizona. Jen remembered the times they played.    

Jen, Simon says run to the tree, the young boy giggled as Jennifer ran to the tree and waited. She wiped her short black hair away from her eyes as she waited for her younger brother to tell her what to do next.

Run this way! he shouted – she stepped from the tree as her brother fell to his knees in uncontrollable laughter.

Simon didn’t say! Jennifer ran toward him and laughed as he tried to get up and run away but his sister was faster and tickled him into another fit of laughter and ran toward the house.

Her brother, Scott was catching up and was almost in reach Come and get me! Jennifer shouted as Scott ran behind her, I’m going to get you! he yelled just behind her until she stopped short of the wooden stairs leading up to the house.

Suddenly Todd grabbed her arm and a serious look fell across his face. His grip hurt and the look on his face scared her. Let go!

Todd pulled her close, she could feel his breath on her flesh, one strong hand gripped her arm and squeezed and she felt the other hand move up her small body. Don’t fight me. He said in her ear, as he kissed her cheek.  She relaxed her body a little and as she hoped he loosened his grip and she snapped her leg up and struck him between the legs.

His eyes bulged and he fell to the dry grass, she wondered where her brother was and saw something a few yards away.  It was Scott. She ran to him; he was lying on the ground. A big bloody gash covered the back of his head.

You, she heard Todd behind her, he was still clutching himself and trying to get up. His voice was like ice. I’m going to kill you.

She turned around and saw three others, they were police. She watched as they turned him over and the sound of handcuffs sounded loud as they snapped around his wrists.

Someone wrapped a blanket around her as a few others checked on her brother. His eyes stared at her like two round marbles.

She never knew who called for help. She never found out. It took years to find out Todd had killed his parents and there were others in a storm cellar. Young, pretty girls.

In the darkness of the room Jennifer found a smile. It was nice. She reached up to her face and felt the scars, the unseen ones which no one knew about. Not even the doctors who came to her and talked and wrote things down in notebooks. They tried to laugh and tell jokes. She liked to laugh too. At least she did. She remembered laughing, fun, a park somewhere with tall trees and a river. She couldn’t remember much about where it was or if it was real.

The room she was in was comfortable, a bed a small dresser was built-in to the wall and the lights were hidden in the ceiling, she saw it but was told there was nothing there. Her eyes were open and she stared at the ceiling and watched as a small beam of light slowly worked its way across the smooth ceiling and stopped as if it were waiting for something to happen.

Another sound began somewhere in the dark. It was a muffled sound. A small snap. She wanted to get up and look around but the door to her room was locked, the staff didn’t like it when they saw patients wondering around late at night. A flash of light got her attention, it came from outside and rain began pelting the small glass window high above her bed.

There were big metal bars on the window which she thought were pretty for some reason, she didn’t know why they were. They just made her feel safe. 

She smelled the smoke and wondered why someone would want to barbeque in the rain. Then the lights outside her door came on and she saw someone run past her door, then someone else. She turned her body to the door and watched several others run from the hall and down to where she smelled something cooking.

She got up and went to the locked door and watched two nurses walk quickly past her door, and then a patient in yellow pajamas was led by another nurse.

Hey, am I invited to the cookout? Someone in a dark blue uniform with a patch that read: Green Hills Hospital Security on the shoulder stopped and looked at her. He was tall and she liked his smile.

Hi. She said as he smiled. But he had a worried look on his young face.

I’m sorry, he said as he continued onward. She could hear him say something in a radio attached to his shoulder. She tried to see where everyone was going but the window wouldn’t let her see very much.

She tapped on the door as she watched the guards run around, suddenly an alarm screamed above and she covered her ears with her hands. No! it hurt and didn’t know why no one wanted her to go to the BBQ. I’ll behave I promise. Black smoke drifted above the doorway and she could smell something burning.

It smelled like plastic and hot metal it scared her, she didn’t want to wake Sharon, she would be angry.

I wanna go home. She said as she went to her bed and tried hiding under her blankets, if she wasn’t going to be let out then she’ll just sleep. But the alarms were giving her a headache. Someone opened the door and she felt rough hands grab her up and start carrying her out of the room. Please. She clamped her eyes shut and hoped it was just another dream.

Someone very strong and smelled like leather and something else she didn’t recognize held her close and led her from her bed. He wrapped her up in her blanket as they moved from the bed.

I’ve got you.  She looked at him and couldn’t see his face under the firefighter helmet. She smiled and imagined he was smiling too. Did I miss the barbeque?

He laughed a little and set her down on a bench. An orderly wrapped another blanket around her narrow shoulders. It felt good and expected someone to offer her food, but she didn’t see anyone else eating or see where the food was, but she could smell something burning. 

I’m cold. She said and someone took a blanket and started wrapping it around her legs. She smiled, the air felt good even though it was a little cold and wet.

She watched as the nurses and orderlies checked on the other patients and watched the blue and red lights from the big firetruck.

The fire was out and the hospital staff was checking the other patients and making a head count. She saw the other nurses and other patients standing in the rain. The workers tried to keep them dry and happy.

Most of the others sat or stood where they were as the staff checked armbands and compared them to the list on a clipboard she noticed that she no longer had her name band. It wasn’t on her wrist anymore. She got up and started to walk around.

She saw Jennifer near a car and she waved her over. Come on hurry. She said as she waved her over.

The wet pavement was she was sitting felt cold as she walked toward the parking lot nearby. The shadows seemed to swallow all the light nearby.

Where are, we going? she said, she tilted her head as she walked.

Just out, around. It’s been awhile since we went for a walk.

Jennifer followed her friend toward the street, mud squished between her bare toes. My feet are cold. Jennifer held her hand and led her in silence into the street. A car sat nearby, a big black SUV. I like those things. Jennifer said as they got closer.

Thunder rolled across the dark sky as the hospital staff hurried the patients back inside the hospital. As they did two paramedics came out with a gurney, covered in a heavy blanket. Rain began to cover the blanket. Nurse Rosa didn’t want to see who was under the blanket but had to find out. She looked at the medic and he slowly uncovered the top, only she and the medic could see who it was. The face was partially burned. One eye was open looking at nothing. 

One casualty, found her near the source of the fire. Another nurse walked to the gurney and looked at the face. It was badly burned as was the rest of the body. Nurse Rosa turned away and walked with the rest of the staff leading a few patients back into the hospital. She hid her tears from them as she walked to the breakroom.

The only person we haven’t accounted for is Jennifer North, this might be her.  The paramedics rolled the gurney away as tears flowed and questions were asked.

The morning was quiet, the rain had stopped and they could hear birds outside. It seemed like another ordinary day. A dark sedan pulled up into the driveway and a tall man got out. He adjusted his suit tie and gave the building a slow glance. He needed to inspect the scene and had brought some help. Two others got out of the car and looked at the building.

Howard White rubbed his eyes as he listened to what had happened last night. We had a fire in one of the rooms the patient had stuffed blankets and sheets inside the air ducts in his room and set the place on fire. Paul Greenfield was the administrator for the hospital and was wanting to know a few things himself. He could see Howard was getting angry but he hadn’t heard the worst of it. Howard was usually a nice guy and tried to get along with everyone but when he heard about this his head hurt.

How did he get matches to do this? Howard asked, he tried his best to keep himself from getting angry.  "I uh, we