An Apple for Zoe: Book One ~ The Forsaken

screamed James as he ran for the interview room door. He jerked and pushed on the door. 'Who has the key?'  Cherney ran to the glass and could see a chair shoved up under the doorknob wedging it shut. Through the glass he could feel the intense heat trying to get out. Cherney backed away in shock as he watched Chessman dance around the room burning and flailing his flaming arms like a toy marionette. Clem pressed his disfigured face against the bulletproof glass. His eyes were wild with fear.

'Why the hell isn't the sprinkler system coming on?' shouted Cherney. Shelton ran to the fire alarm and pulled it. The bell began to ring but no water came.

Summers picked up a chair to try and smash through the glass as Clem placed his hand against the glass with the rapidly burning yellow legal paper inside it. Summers dropped the chair as she moved up close to read what the burning paper said. Disintegrating in front of her was the only clue that would tell her why Manson had ordered Clem to kill her. Agent Summers, shook her head as the paper burned away into black ashes. Captain Shelton stood behind Summers watching the bizarre tragedy play out in her very own police headquarters.

'What did the paper say?' said Shelton as she tried to shake Summers into focus. Summers turned to her and whispered. 'It said, 'Because you're family.' '

Chapter Twenty Family

The cool breeze of the Pacific Ocean blew through Thomas James' salt and pepper hair. Driving with the window down the wind was comfortable and relaxing. Summers sat in the front passenger seat of his Crown Victoria. It was a typical generic detective's car for most law enforcement agencies. In San Francisco it was of course becoming politically incorrect to drive one. She was certain before the end of the year everyone would be driving a hybrid.

Summers watched the city as it passed her window. The rows and rows of 19^th century Victorian houses were squeezed together like sardines in a can. It was for lack of a better term, stereotypical.

'It's nothing like Hollywood,' she said to herself as she turned and noticed Inspector James was deep in thought. His driving was deliberate and focused. She wondered what he was thinking about. Was it the chance his captain was taking by letting them take this course of action in the case? Was it the phone call she had made to her field director in Los Angeles that had made this trip possible? Or was it the fact that in less than 20 minutes they would be at the gates of San Quentin Prison arranging an interview with Charles Manson?

'Do you think he really will talk to us?' she asked breaking his intense concentration. James mulled over her question, collecting his thoughts.

'It's anyone's guess, Miss Summers,' he said.

'Ashton.'

'Sorry?'

'Call me Ashton, there's no need to be so formal,' she smiled. James smiled back and nodded his acceptance of her offer. He then drifted back into his focused thinking and began to wonder if Charlie would talk to them.

'You really do have a lot on your mind, don't you?'

'What? Oh I'm sorry, I do yes. Forgive me the last 24 hours have been intense to say the least. I mean, if someone told me last week I would be going to interview Charles Manson, I would have laughed. Now it's no surprise to me at all. I mean it actually seems to be the only thing that does make any sense at the moment.'

Summers sympathized and forced a fake smile. Her thoughts reflected back to the conversation she had with her field director, Paige Collins.

'You have to break the seal on the records Paige. If I was adopted I need to know.'

'Summers, even the bureau has to be careful when we go slipping between the cracks. Getting background information is one thing, but when it involves sealed adoption records that's most likely going to involve a judge.'

'Paige, this guy told us he was ordered to kill me by Charles Manson back in 1972. Do you know how insane that is?'

'I do and I understand Agent Summers. Listen I will handle things on this end. Luckily the L.A. Bureau was involved in the Manson case so I shouldn't have too much trouble getting you some answers. But I need you to listen to me closely Ashton. You need to keep silent about the case your working on here in Hollywood. There have been some new developments. I can't tell you about them right now. But I can confirm the San Francisco case is connected. Whatever you do, do not tell Inspector James anything...at least not yet,' said Collins, ending the call. 

Summers looked back over to James as she remembered her director's orders. She wondered what exactly the new developments were.

'What exactly do you expect to find out from Manson?' asked James. Now it was Summers turn to be snapped back into the present.

'I'm sorry Tom, my mind was wandering.'

'Considering what happened this morning, I'm really not the least bit surprised,' he said.

The two of them sat silently as James made his way through the vast maze of city streets. Each stoplight was either another hill or a one-way street. Both James and Summers wondered about each other and how they came to be here together in this moment. Summers broke the silence once again. 'Tom, what happened to you inside The Aleris?'

James felt his blood chill as he thought about being dragged through the hotel by a dead man. Was it a bad dream? Did I pass out and simply hallucinate? He wondered. But I saw those three men...he tried to shake it from his mind. They were crucified upside down, each one with a letter carved...his thoughts were broken by his car radio.

'Inspector James, call coming in from Captain Shelton are you able to receive?' asked the dispatcher.  James took the handset and clicked an answer. 'James here, yes I'm able to receive, go ahead.'

'Tommy? You there?'

'Yes Cap, I'm here.'

'Something wrong with your cell phone? I've been trying to call you for the last 10 minutes.' James reached into his pocket fumbled around until his found his phone. Looking at it he realized he had it set to silent and then he noticed he had indeed four missed calls. The first three were from Captain Shelton. The last one was a missed call, from Michael Kirkland.

'Cap, I think there is something wrong with my phone.'

'We need to talk, Tommy and not over the police band.'

'Tell her to call my number,' said Summers.

'Agent Summers said to call us on her phone.'

'Okay, I'll call you in two, over.'

James replaced the handset. Summers gave him a puzzled look. What do you think that was about?'

'I don't know, but I think there is something definitely wrong with my phone,' said James as Summers' phone rang. She quickly handed it over directly to James.

'Thomas James here.'

'Tommy, it's Shelton. You're gonna have to cancel your trip to see Charlie.'

'Why? What's wrong?'

'Seems Charlie is in the prison hospital. Another inmate decided to go all Jim Morrison on him and light his fire this morning. He's suffered multiple burns to his face and chest.'

'Is he alive?'

'Last report he was.'

'Cap, this is too much of a coincidence. Clem burns to death in our station right in front of us along with this guy Rolan Chessman and now you're telling me someone tried to burn Charlie too?'

'That's the long and short of it Tommy. Seems like the Devil is working overtime. You better get back here