Ionshaker (Part I) by Felix Timothy (best short novels txt) 📕

started pleading his case.
Hitler cut short the contractor’s defense by raising his index finger; a clear cue to hush up immediately. Next, the cold old man handed him an oversized brown envelope.
“Open,” Hitler ordered.
Like a little boy who’d been handed a gift, the contractor instantly ripped the envelope seal and pulled out photos of a man.
“h,” Hitler began, “Now he calls himself Trey Woodley, former UC, presumed dead but now he’s back from the grave. He needs to be put to rest – this time for real.”
“Understood.”
“You better,” Hitler said then turning away from him he asked, “By the way, did you do the little English homework I gave you?”
“Yes sir,” he answered quickly.
“And?”
“Defenestration means throwing someone out of a window.”
Hitler grinned then turned to him with a serious face and said, “Pray that next time we meet, you don’t experience that first-hand.”

Immediately Hitler said that, the tinted window rolled up and the Hummer blasted away. The contractor had been spared this time, but he knew it was the last time. It meant one thing, if he had to avoid being defenestrated by Hitler; he had to defenestrate Robin Ironside soon. Only one obstacle was in his way – this third party Aaron Schakowsky a.k.a Trey Woodley. He had to take care of the third party as well.


17


The hideout was a ramshackle garage of an old deserted house. Trey finished up a brief meeting with Dr. Jared Cook, the scary looking associate of his who had whisked Robin from the hospital. Afterwards, he walked over to Robin and Audrey huddling on the couch.
“I know that look. What’s wrong?” Robin said warily.
“I have to leave Robin,” Trey said softly.
Robin instantly grabbed his arm and said, “You can’t Trey.”
“You won’t be alone. Dr. Richards will be here with you.”
“You know how he scares me, you can’t be serious Trey,” she whispered.
“I know it’s a little scary…”
“No Trey, clearly you don’t have any idea,” she furiously interjected him.
Trey sighed, looked down, then raised his head to gently implore her, “But I have to, please understand I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t important.”
“You promised Trey, you promised you wouldn’t leave us…” She pleaded softly with a touching feminine voice taking both of his hands.
“I’m not abandoning you and Audrey. I promise...”
“We don’t need promises, we need you,” Robin snapped, letting go of his hands as she turned to hug Audrey who was close to tears. Trey exhaled deeply without anything further to add.
“Why now Trey?” She asked after a while.
Robin couldn’t understand why after sneaking her from the hospital, he suddenly wanted out. On his part, he tried concocting a reasonable explanation, but there was no way around it. He had to tell them.
“Brooke was shot…”
He couldn’t continue. It was still too bitter.
“Oh my God! What?” Utterly surprised, she let go of Audrey to turn to Trey sympathetically and ask, “Why? Was it the same people who tried to kill me? Did they go after her to get to you?”
“I don’t know, but I have to go back to find out and put an end to it. And also to arrange for her funeral.”
She pulled him and hugged him telling him over his shoulder, “I’m truly sorry Trey. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll be back, I promise. You gotta trust me,” he said reassuringly pulling out of the hug to look into her eyes.”
“I trust you. I know you’ll come back for us,” she said nodding her head repeatedly.

* * *

Eight hours after Robin’s disappearance from the hospital, Trey was dreading returning to his house. He pictured white markings on the floor where his slain wife had laid, blood spatters around the house, broken furniture and broken glass. He decided he couldn’t face it in the dark, so he spent the night in his dark-green Ford until a honking truck rudely woke him up. After waking up, he zipped up his red hoodie and glanced at the watch on the dash. It was 6:23am. He started the car.

* * *
Rendell was just several yards away from his gate when he saw Trey’s dark-green Ford roll up.
“Who are you trying to impress?” Trey said, getting out of the car.
“Can’t I just be doing this for myself?” Rendell answered, wearing a jogging outfit and trying to catch his breath. Trey let him calm down.
“Sorry for your loss Trey,” Rendell said next when he’d calmed down.
“Suspects?” Trey asked after a while ignoring Rendell’s sympathies.
“You were the only suspect, and since they let you go, I haven’t heard any developments. They still got nothing.”
“Take me to her. I can’t do it on my own. I tried to...”
Rendell turned his attention to the road.
“You gotta take me,” Trey continued to plead.
“I don’t know man,” Rendell said turning to him.
“What do you mean you don’t know? You’re the only one I…”
“There is no body,” Rendell said uneasily.
“What – what are you saying?” Trey made a step towards Rendell.
“She… uh…she was cremated.”
“What!” Trey made another step closer with dark veins starting to show on his face. Rendell remained quiet.
“Who did it?” Trey asked softly, but with malice in his eyes.
“It’s complicated...” Rendell tried to explain but was immediately interjected with Trey angrily grabbing Rendell’s sweatshirt pulling him close and demanding, “Then uncomplicate it for me. Who burned my wife?”
“I did,” Rendell admitted as his facial muscles tightened, expecting to be bashed in the face. But to his surprise, Trey let go of him, trying to come to terms with his betrayer.
Trey couldn’t believe it. He turned and began walking to his car with his hands placed on his head, utterly floored by his friend’s betrayal. His head was about to explode. It was too much to take in.

He turned back with the urgency of a psyched up bull ready for a fatal bull fight. He had such a venomous rage, it was like he was overtaken by a mysterious force. He wanted to grab Rendell with all his strength, hoist the fifty seven year-old betrayer off the ground and repeatedly bang him into the gate. He so wanted to hurt him. But he knew it wouldn’t bring his wife back.
“How could you do this to me, Rendell?” He asked weakly.
“Believe me when I tell you, I didn’t wanna do it – but she insisted.”
“She insisted? How when she was dead?” Trey yelled bitterly. Rendell wasn’t making any sense.
“Yes. It’s in her will.”
“Her will?” Trey ran his fingers through his hair.
“Yes.”
“She asked you to cremate her?” Trey asked confusedly. Maybe he hadn’t known his own wife that well.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I asked her but she wouldn’t tell me. Let’s go to the office, I’ll show it to you. She left a will and a tape,” Rendell said softly.
“What about me – the husband? Did you think of how this would hurt me?”
“I tried to tell you over the phone but you cut me short,” Rendell shrug his shoulders.
“That’s your excuse – that I cut you short?” He asked with a serious face.
“What do you want me to say? I was an attorney for both of you, and she came to me as a client, not as the wife of my friend. Did you expect me to turn her down?” Rendell raised his voice.
“Yes Rendell,” Trey insisted with a much louder tone, then continued, “As my trusted friend I expected you’d turn her down just this once,” Trey said, accentuating each word.
“Would it have sounded any better if it came from a different attorney? Is that what you’re telling me? How many times have you asked me to keep stuff from her?” Rendell asked rhetorically. It was time to talk facts.
“A tape?” Trey asked after a brief pause.
“Yes, for you Trey. Let’s go to the office.”

As he stepped into the car, questions raced through his head. How could she have had such a will? How could she have had such a wish? How could she have kept it from him? She’d been on his case blaming him of being withdrawn and secretive, whereas she’d been sitting on some kind of dark secret.

But he also knew he wasn’t so clean either. Though he was overcome with rage and emotion about losing his wife’s body, he hated the vivid revelation that their marriage was a sham. Why had they gotten married in the first place? He wondered because ever since he got married to Brooke he had kept stuff from her including his real name: Aaron Schakowsky. Suddenly, he hated himself as much as he hated her.
“You know what Rendell, I don’t care.”
Trey started the car and drove off.


18


“Detective Brett Dawson, do you have any leads on the kidnapping?” A reporter from a bunch of other news people that had surrounded his car shouted the question.
“Yes. We have reason to believe that a man by the name of Trey Woodley is responsible for yesterday’s kidnapping, and we’re appealing to any person with information on his whereabouts to come forward. In line with that, we’re issuing a cash reward of $10,000 to anyone who’ll help us capture Trey Woodley. That’ll be all for now, thank you.”
He smiled to the cameras making his way into the building. As soon as he appeared in the large open office, Nicole grabbed his arm and whisked him off.
“Why am I sensing you’re kidnapping me?” Brett asked, Nicole still tightly gripping his arm.
“You mean the way Trey kidnapped Robin?”
“Oh, so that’s what this is about. Are you trying to teach me some kind of a lesson here?”
“A ten grand for Trey, seriously Brett?” Nicole suddenly stopped to frown at him.
“Why not?” Brett stopped then continued, “Anderson approved it and we all know he kidnapped…”
“Took Ironside,” Nicole quickly corrected him.
“Are you his lawyer now?”
They resumed walking.
“Do I have to be for you to believe he’s a good guy?”
“And how sure are you he didn’t kidnap her?” He looked at her.
“Think about it. Robin’s car was tampered with so that she could die in an accident, meaning the people who want Ironside dead have no reason to keep her alive – but kidnapping her is keeping her alive.”
“But how are you even sure she’s still alive? She could be dead for all I know.”
“You’re not listening to me. The people who tried to kill her in a car crash would have just shot her dead or administered some lethal injection at the hospital. They had