We last read The Prologue, in which Xavier Wheldon, CEO of an energy company, fought through a group of protestors with his bodyguard, Jake Rockford, to advance a deal for the purchase of a nuclear power plant. This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Thanks for reading!
Silence hung over the moonlit streets, but Beth Harper didn't mistake the quiet for serenity. This section of Harrisburg might feel like a ghost town, but danger could lurk behind any corner. The decrepit buildings, with their broken shutters and faded paint, contrasted with the young woman's beauty and vitality.
The petite woman brushed her long blonde hair back over one shoulder as she scanned the surrounding street from the driver's seat of her car. As her blue eyes darted between the many potholes illuminated by her headlights and the numbers on the ramshackle houses, her phone rang in her bag. She pulled the bag onto her lap and dug around for the device. Her bag was a mess, and she didn't find the phone before the ringing ended.
Beth turned her attention back to the drive, making a left turn and counting the numbers until she saw 126 Hayes Street. It looked like a strong breeze could reduce the place to rubble. The tangle of electrical wires running to the house from a nearby pole seemed to hold the building up. Worn shutters hung from the windows at crooked angles, and a sagging wooden porch looked ready to collapse. Two doors stood at opposite ends of the building. The word "126B-C," barely visible in the dim light of the porch, was written on a plastic sign stuck with duct tape to the door to the right. Only three windows still held glass in their panes, with the others boarded up. A solitary tree grew in the patch of scraggly grass between the sidewalk and the curb. Its branches hung bare and reached pleadingly toward the night sky, as if seeking escape from the desolate surroundings.
Cars lined the street, but it didn't look like many would start. None of the vehicles were recent models, and most badly needed paint and serious body work.
She found a spot along the curb three houses down from her destination and pulled in behind a sedan missing three of its tires and resting askew on the pavement. The clock on the dash of her Volvo told her it was 10:55 p.m. Taking her bag, she pulled out her phone and viewed the notifications on the screen. The missed call was from Stanley Devor, father of her late boyfriend, who had died ten months earlier. She tapped a notification to play his voicemail message.
"Beth, it's Stanley. Call me when you get this, please. Our flight is late, so there's a change of plans."
Beth glanced down at her watch. She could spare a minute or two. She tapped the number on the screen to return Stanley's call. He answered on the third ring.
"Hello, Angel," the booming voice on the other end replied. Beth grinned. The voice conjured images of a large, imposing man in the prime of his life, but the reality was quite different. Stanley Devor was a thin man in his early sixties, with a craggy, lined face and wiry gray hair pointing out in every direction.
"Have you landed yet?" she asked.
Stanley had been across the country in Orange County, California. Something to do with his private investigation business, she remembered. He was with Ethan Moore, her friend and his newest employee.
"That's why I'm calling," Stanley replied. "Our flight had some mechanical issues, so we're now taking the redeye back. I've already told Mrs. Devor. Instead of breakfast tomorrow, does dinner work?
"Uh, sure," Beth replied, thinking over her plans for the next day. "I've got a witness interview for a story, but that's all I have between now and then."
"Interview? What kind of interview? When is it?" Stanley asked, his voice wary.
Beth immediately recognized the protective tone of his voice. She found his concern both endearing and annoying, since he knew of her capabilities.
"Just an interview with a guy who left me a voicemail message on a possible lead for a story. That's all. I'm there now."
"Beth!" Stanley exclaimed, the exasperation evident in his voice. "You're meeting someone in the dark of night based on a voicemail message? It might be dangerous."
"Stanley, I can take care of myself, as you well know."
"Yes, when you have a chance to ..." he said, and his voice trailed off. Ethan must be with him.
"To transform and become Sapphire Angel?" she said softy, finishing his sentence for him.
"Yes, that. What kind of lead did this guy say he had?"
"He message said it involved one of my past stories, which was why he called me and not somebody else."
"The story about the bunnies at the senior citizen center?"
"No," Beth replied with a wince as her face flushed red. "Good grief. One of my serious ones."
"Ah, the one about the gun dealers and the gun lobby."
"No, the other serious one."
"Oh, the one about StarPrime, and its shady billing practices? Where you talked to the whistleblower?"
"Yes, that one. The caller said he had something to tell me about StarPrime."
"What exactly? Did he give you any details? Better yet, do you still have the voicemail message, so you can send it to me?"
"I'll tell you what, Stanley," she answered, rolling her eyes. "How about I play it for you, if you promise not to fret? Then I really have to go."
Stanley was silent for a few moments, but finally said, "Fine, I promise."
Beth leaned over to the passenger seat, retrieving her iPad. She opened her email program and found the mail message containing the voicemail attachment. She tapped it as she held her phone to the iPad. A raspy male voice came over the iPad's speakers.
"Hi, my name is Bud Tanner," the voice said, trembling as if the man were nervous. "I need to see you. Badly. Tomorrow. 11 p.m. It's urgent. All I can say is it involves something really bad with StarPrime. Please, Ms. Harper. 126B Hayes Street in Harrisburg. Please be there. After that it may be too late."
The message ended. Stanley was silent, causing Beth to think she had lost the call.
"Stanley?"
"I'm here," he said. His voice was quiet.
"What's wrong?"
"Beth, I know that man."
Thanks for reading! A new chapter is published every Monday and Thursday. If you’re reading this on the website and enjoyed it, please hit the like button or leave a comment — or, better yet, sign up to get future chapters delivered to you via email. Every bit of feedback helps me figure out what people like, and motivates me to keep going. If you’re reading via email, feel free to reply and drop me a line. Thanks!
Power Play — Chapter 1
Ahhh, it feels so good to see all these characters again from the last novel! I'm curious how Stanley knows Bud, though, and why Bud seems so apprehensive and nervous on the call. Let's keep going!