Heirs of Cain (40 page)
Authors: Tom Wallace
Cardinal.
Cain’s thoughts drifted to his men, magnificent warriors, soldiers who had operated in a dark and bloody world most Americans never knew existed. Men who had done the dirtiest deeds, known the blackest evil. Men who fought a secret war, answering to no one, responsible only to each other.
So many were dead now. Cardinal, Rafe, Deke, Moon, Seneca, Lucas. All history. And Snake. It was only a matter of time before he took his final breath. Cain wanted to cry, to let his tears wash away the blood and grief. But he couldn’t. Pity and tears are for the weak. And weakness leads to failure, failure to the grave.
Michael Collins could cry; he had that luxury. Cain didn’t.
The killing never ends, does it, my boy? It just goes on and on
.
You nailed that one, Lucas
.
Wars continue to flourish, the need for killers ever present. Blood flows like a river, the wounded cry out, the dead number in the thousands, and the innocent are forever caught in the middle. The combatants change with the swiftness of the seasons, but the hate and greed and lust for power never cease. If history’s cruel lessons have taught us anything, it is this: those better angels Lincoln spoke of have long since flown away.
Cain, and those like him, will never lack for employment. Men in power will see to that. From their high places, their dark rooms, they will send out the call:
assassins wanted
.
And men like Cain will emerge from the shadows.
Always.
Cain opened the letter he had taken from Lucas’s desk and read it again. It was, he knew, his father’s confession. Not until this moment, not until he had digested his father’s words, did Cain realize how heavy was the burden of guilt his father carried deep in his soul. Cain saw this not in the many questions his father asked, but rather in the words unwritten. What had been omitted said more than what was on the page. Richard Collins felt trepidation, questioned his son’s “deeds,” even asked if his own flesh and blood was a monster. Those questions, Cain knew, were little more than diversionary tactics. Richard Collins was a soldier; as such, while he may not have understood Cain, he did understand the necessity for Cain’s existence. He could live with his son being an assassin.
What he couldn’t live with, however, and what lay at the heart of his guilt, was his failure to make a greater attempt to bridge the vast chasm between father and son. For Richard Collins, that failure to connect was a far greater sin than any committed by his son. Killing could be forgiven, but distance between father and son could not.
Cain recalled something he overheard during a long-ago conversation between his father and Lucas. “Call him Mickey,” Lucas suggested. “Do it one time, Richard, only once. Who knows? Maybe that’s all it will take to bring the wall crashing down.”
Not once did his father ever call him Mickey.
Cain folded the letter, rose from the bench, and walked back to his house. Kate Marshall sat on the steps, a manila folder in her hands. Her eyes were red and puffy.
“Is it over?” she asked as he sat beside her.
“Yes.”
“Will you tell me what it was about?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Cain was silent.
“Don’t you think I have a right to know, Michael?”
“Let it go, Kate.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that.”
“Why should I?”
“It’s my world, Kate. You don’t belong in it.”
“Don’t I have a say in that?”
“No.”
“I love you, Michael. Maybe more than I’ve ever loved anybody. And I want a future for us, a life together. But …” She opened the folder and removed the letters and photos. “Please, Michael, tell me the truth. That’s all I ask. Do that, and I’ll deal with wherever it takes me. Wherever it takes us.”
“The truth?”
“Yes, the truth. All of it.”
“The truth can be tricky.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Leave it alone, Kate. Close that folder; forget about what you’ve read; forget about me—about us.”
Kate began to cry. She laid the folder down, stood, and faced Cain. “Forget?” she said, wiping her eyes. “Why should I forget? And why is it wrong to want to know about you? About your life?”
“Because my life is off-limits.”
“To me?”
“To everyone.”
“Why?”
“Because there are rules.”
“Rules? That’s your answer? Whose rules? Please, Michael, tell me what this was all about?”
“Retribution.”
“What does that mean?”
“Debts were paid. Old markers collected.”
“You aren’t going to be straightforward with me, are you?”
“You wanted the truth—there it is.”
Kate pointed to the folder. “Okay, Michael, answer this. Who is Cain? Simple question. Please answer.”
Silence.
“One last time, Michael. Who is Cain?”
Silence.
Choking back a sob, Kate handed the folder to Cain, turned, walked to her car, and got in. She started the motor, backed out of the driveway, and drove off into the night.
As her car was swallowed up by the darkness, Cain scooped up the folder and stood on the steps. The hint of a smile crossed his lips. Kate’s last words echoed in his head.
“Who is Cain?”
I am
.
One More Moment
Check it out! There is a new section on the Medallion Press Web site called “One More Moment.” Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and just been crushed that it’s over? Aching to know if the star-crossed lovers ever got married? Had kids? With this new section of our Web site, you won’t have to wonder anymore! “One More Moment” provides an extension of your favorite book so you can discover what happens after the story.
Dub Walker, expert in evidence evaluation, crime scene analysis, and criminal psychology, has seen everything throughout his career—over a hundred cases of foul play and countless bloody remains of victims of rape, torture, and unthinkable mutilation. He’s sure he’s seen it all … until now.
When Dub’s close friend Sheriff Mike Savage falls victim to a brutal serial killer terrorizing the county, he is dragged into the investigation. The killer—at times calm, cold, and calculating and at others maniacal and out of control—is like no other Dub has encountered. With widely divergent personalities, the killer taunts, threatens, and outmaneuvers Dub at every turn.
While hunting this maniacal predator, Dub uncovers a deadly conspiracy—one driven by unrestrained greed and corruption. Will he be able to stop the conspirators—and the killer—in their bloody tracks?
ISBN# 978-160542134-6
Hardcover / Thriller
US $24.95 / CDN $27.95
AVAILABLE NOW
The Road Through Wonderland
is Dawn Schiller’s chilling account of the childhood that molded her so perfectly to fall for the seduction of “the king of porn,” John Holmes, and the bizarre twist of fate that brought them together. With painstaking honesty, Dawn uncovers the truth of her relationship with John, her father figure-turned-forbidden lover who hid her away from his porn movie world and welcomed her into his family along with his wife.
Within these pages, Dawn reveals the perilous road John led her down—from drugs and addiction to beatings, arrests, forced prostitution, and being sold to the drug underworld. Surviving the horrific Wonderland murders, this young innocent entered protective custody, ran from the FBI, endured a heart-wrenching escape from John, and ultimately turned him in to the police.
This is the true story of one of the most infamous of public figures and a young girl’s struggle to survive unthinkable abuse. Readers will be left shaken but clutching to real hope at the end of this dark journey on
The Road Through Wonderland
.
Also check out the movie Wonderland (Lions Gate Entertainment, 2003) for a look into the past of Dawn Schiller and the Wonderland Murders.
ISBN# 978-160542083-7
Trade Paperback / Autobiography
US $15.95 / CDN $17.95
AUGUST 2010
www.dawn-schiller.com
In one moment, with no explanation, six billion humans fall unconscious. For three minutes, minds collide with truths hidden beyond the physical realm.
During those decisive minutes, every conceivable accident transpires. People reawaken to a world that has changed, drastically and horrifically, with decimated populations and gutted social order. And no one seems to remember the truth that has been revealed.
But Laura remembers—most of it, anyway. Yet even she doesn’t know why all post-Blackout births are mutations, and what is so wrong with some of the survivors.
ISBN# 978-160542103-2
Mass Market Paperback / Horror
US $7.95 / CDN $8.95
AVAILABLE NOW
In every hardened cop’s worst dreams there lurks a nightmare waiting to become reality. Captain Mace has encountered his. When a string of raped and dismembered corpses appears throughout New York, the investigation draws Mace into an interactive plot that plays like a horror movie. Taking the lead role in this chilling story may be the challenge of his career, testing his skills and his stamina, but even a superhero would find the series of terrifying crime scenarios daunting.
Unlike anything Mace has experienced, every blood-spattered scene filled with body parts and partially eaten human remains looks like an animal’s dining room strewn with rotting leftovers. Only Satanic legends and tales from the dark side of spiritual oblivion resemble the mayhem this beast has created in his frenzy. In the wake of each attack is the haunting premonition of another murdering onslaught.
As Mace follows this crimson trail of madness, he must accept the inevitable conclusion. Whoever—or whatever—is responsible for this terror does not intend to stop, and it’s up to him to put an end to the chaotic reign of a perpetrator whom, until now, he’s met only in the annals of mythology. The mere mention of the word would send New York into a panic:
werewolf
.
ISBN# 978-160542099-8
Mass Market Paperback / Horror
US $7.95 / CDN $8.95
JUNE 2010
www.slimeguy.com
