We last read Chapter 1, in which our protagonist, Beth Harper, pursued a lead for a story by traveling to interview a stranger, Bud Tanner, only to find out he might not be a stranger after all .
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!
"What?" Beth asked.
"Bud Tanner. I know him. A very old acquaintance. I worked with him a long time ago. But your message is the first I've heard his voice in 20 years."
"That's an odd coincidence," she remarked.
"Maybe not a coincidence. Maybe he reached out to you because of your connection to me. We mentioned you in John's obituary, so perhaps he saw it."
John Devor, Stanley's son, had died after stumbling into a secret experiment at Fizzure Technologies, a local company. The same experiment had given Beth amazing powers.
"Stanley, you heard what he said. He reached out to me because I was hard on StarPrime in my story. He probably figures he can trust me."
"Beth, don't take this the wrong way. I'm sure your story is the main reason. Perhaps the only reason. But there may be more to this."
"Fine, Stanley," Beth replied. "What can you tell me about Tanner? He sounded frantic."
"Yes, he did. That's not like him. He's usually a cool customer. Or at least he was, back in the day. Let's see... I remember Bud Tanner being an ordinary guy, but really, really smart. But I wouldn't assume he has anything worthwhile to tell you. He was always secretive. Full of conspiracy theories. He's probably just being paranoid about something."
"So you don't have to worry about me," she said teasingly.
"Probably not. I remember— "
"Stanley," Beth said, cutting him off. "If I had known about your connection, I would have called you to learn all about him. But I can't be late. You heard the tone of his message. If I'm late, he could be gone.
Stanley's grumbled before saying, "Fine. Just promise me you'll leave at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary."
"I promise, Stanley."
"And call me when you're done."
"I will, Stanley," she said, rolling her eyes again. "I've got to go."
Turning off her ignition, she gathered herself with a frustrated shake of the head. She grabbed the large purse on the seat next to her and exited the vehicle, stretching her five foot five inch frame. She took a tentative step away from the car, her grey ankle boots making soft thuds on the pavement, and listened for signs of life. The breeze whistling between darkened buildings was the only other sound as she moved onto the sidewalk.
The stiff breeze cut right through her black cotton top, so she turned back to the car, opening the passenger door and leaning in, her form-fitting jeans accentuating her slender figure. She grabbed a grey blazer and put it on. It didn't feel like a mid-August night, but at least it gave her an excuse to wear some of her clothes.
After locking the car door she moved toward her destination, taking care not to trip over the many cracks and buckles in the concrete. The house's porch looked no better, with gaps in the faded planks and a single bulb on the wall providing the only light. She climbed two steps and turned to her right, ignoring the door in front of her. Her destination, 126B, stood near the far end of the porch.
The building had no call box, so she opened the door and saw a stairway rising in front of her. It ended in a landing with a door to the left. A light bulb at the top of the stairs gave off dim illumination.
Beth tiptoed up the stairs, afraid the floor would give way beneath even her slight frame. After reaching the door and knocking, the sound of footsteps approached. The door opened a few inches, stopped by a security chain, and a middle-aged man peered out at her. His tousled brown hair was sprinkled with gray, and stubble covered his ruddy cheeks and chin. He looked tired. No, not just tired. Exhausted. Dark circles sagged under his eyes and his face tensed with stress.
"Mr. Tanner?" she asked.
His brown eyes studied her as if he were judging her, or perhaps making a decision, before he said, "That's me."
"I'm Beth Harper."
He stared at her, furrowing his brow, but said nothing.
"I'm the writer from Radiance Online," she continued. "You left me a voicemail message?"
"Bad idea. Sorry to waste your time," he said, in the same raspy voice from his message. He shook his head, gave her a rueful look, and closed the door.
Beth's jaw dropped. She rapped on the door again. No answer. She knocked again.
After a moment, the door opened a crack and Tanner looked out. The security chain still extended from the door to the frame.
"Mr. Tanner, what's the problem?"
Tanner frowned, shook his head, and looked away. "Too late," he muttered, seemingly to himself. His shoulders sagged.
"Mr. Tanner, you can talk to me."
He stared at her, pursing his lips. "How can I trust you are who you say you are?"
Beth thought for a moment, reached into her bag, and dug through makeup, some breath mints, her car keys, and a jumble of other odds and ends. Tanner took a cautious step back.
She finally found one of her business cards and her driver's license, and stuck them through the opening. He took them and studied them for a few moments.
Tanner seemed to relax slightly as he studied the cards, his gaze moving from the driver's license back to Beth. They locked eyes for a few moments before Beth spoke.
"You can trust me," she said in a soothing voice.
Tanner bit his cheek and looked down. He stared at the floor for a few moments before nodding. He reached forward, unfastened the latch, and opened the door. He motioned her in, returning her license as she entered but stuffing the business card in his pocket. As she walked in, he shut the door and latched the chain.
Aside from a folding canvas chair against one wall, the place looked uninhabited. She raised an eyebrow without realizing it.
"Not my normal accommodations," Tanner said.
Beth turned to face him but remained quiet, not wanting to spook him.
"Sit down if you'd like," he said, gesturing at the folding chair.
"That's okay. I can stand." She took a step toward one of the two windows looking down on the street below.
"Stay away from the windows!" he hissed as he held out a hand. The tension was back in his voice.
She turned with a raised eyebrow before stepping back from the windows. "Why? What are you afraid of?"
"I don't know what they're capable of, but there's no sense finding out. They've already gone too far."
"They?"
Tanner stared at her, as if considering whether he could trust her. After an uncomfortable silence he spoke.
"Did you hear about the shooting at the Pegasus Club, north of Harrisburg? The people responsible for it are hell-bent on making sure nothing stops the sale of Echo Energy to StarPrime."
Beth had never heard of the Pegasus Club or the shooting, but was familiar with Echo Energy. It was a small power utility whose only worthwhile asset was a nuclear power plant. Or it had been an asset, before aging plants and unfavorable regulation had hastened the industry's decline.
She stood without speaking, imploring with her eyes for Tanner to continue.
"They know everything," Tanner said, his eyes flitting between the window and the door. "They have people everywhere. Even with the authorities. I can't trust anyone. That's why I called you. I figured you would never have written that piece on StarPrime if you were one of them."
Beth fought back a smile. She had been right about Tanner's reasons for contacting her.
"Plus you know Stanley," he said. "He's always been a good man."
Beth's smile vanished. Stanley had been right.
"Mr. Tanner," she began. "I'm lost. Who is this 'they' you keep talking about?"
The conversation went no further. Tanner's head jerked toward the door as the sound of footsteps came up the stairs.
Tanner spun back around to face Beth. "I shouldn't have called you!" he cried in a panicked voice. "Hide in the bathroom! They won't hurt you. They want me to go with them."
Before Beth could comply or even ask questions, the apartment door splintered inward and the security chain ripped from the frame.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s going on? Something’s fishy if Tanner is acting that suspicious. Wonder who just tried to enter the apartment.....?