IMPOSTER - PART THIRTY TWO

PREVIOUSLY

Delgado sat on the edge of his seat as his eyes followed the moving vehicle below. He's going too fast for this bend of road! What's he doing? Del watched in unexpected horror as the car seemed to skid momentarily and cut sideways across the road in a broad swipe - the front end of the car bumping up into the air and nose-diving into a plummet down the bluff embankment. The automobile rolled over and over in a seeming state of slow-motion as if thrown by a catapult and eventually landing with a final earth-shaking crash at the bottom.
For a minute the lifeless, unrecognizable Lamborghini remained at rest with no movement at all. A flicker of flames ignited and an inferno of fire burst through the car erasing its existence forever.

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"Land this thing!" Delgado shouted at the pilot as he witnessed the remains of the smashed-up car burning vibrantly against the backdrop of the night sky. I know Manning was in that car! There's no way he could have survived that. Stupid, crazy fool! What was he trying to prove? Del shook his head in thought -- wondering how he was going to break the news to Tea. She would be devastated, of course, but in time, maybe her memory of the man who wrecked her life would be forgotten. She'll need lots of support now…I can be there for her like I always have.
The helicopter touched down on the ground at a safe distance from the fiery mass in the field. Del jumped out and stood looking at the crimson and orange flames with his arms folded. Whatever was left of the driver would be so inconsequential that it wasn't worth having his men pick the charred wreckage apart. The case of the missing Sun publisher was at last solved.

John Sykes was on his way out the door when the phone rang. What a night! One problem after another…now this new development about Manning! He answered the phone curtly with the expectation of more bad news to infringe on the solitude of his evening.
"John Sykes. What? That's confirmed? No, leave it alone. He's finished anyway."
Sykes hung up the phone and stared solemnly out the large bay window of his home. So he's really gone. He mused over the idea that Manning's life had been such a strange mixture of great success and failure. I won't make those kinds of mistakes…I have too much I still want to do and so much to gain.

As Sam's face moved closer to hers and just inches from her lips, a realization that she was like a helpless bystander crept over her. You're weak…tell him to leave. You don't need this now…there's Todd.and that Carothers woman to consider…go ahead…stop this!
The voice ringing in her mind faded into the background as she saw him bend his head and lower his lips to hers with a natural ease as if he felt completely at home in doing it. As his mouth touched hers, she was surprised that she didn't feel threatened in any way and that she didn't flinch at his touch. A sweet, satisfying thrill beyond anything she had felt in a long time coursed through her as his lips pressed softly but insistently into hers.

The heat emanating from the burning car blanketed the air, and Delgado backed up as he felt the onslaught of the torrid blaze. He motioned to the helicopter that he was leaving, and took one last look at the evidence of the final curtain of a man's life. I didn't wish this kind of end for you Manning, but you were driving headlong down a path of destruction. I can't forgive you for the hurt you inflicted on my sister either. She loved you…really loved you…
As Del hopped aboard the helicopter whose blades were already in full motion, he once more peered over at the incredible image. A strange sensation came over him as the helicopter rose up into the air, but he chose to ignore it. The machine swooped over the bonfire in a wide circle and then darted back into the night sky -- becoming a smaller and smaller speck in the horizon.
A breeze blew through the tall grasses and fanned the still roaring flames. No sound except for this one penetrated the air. Up above the raging fire scene, on the edge of the bluff, a dense area of brush moved imperceptibly and a human hand dug its fingers into the soft earth - alternately clenching and unclenching the granules of dirt.

Sykes paced around his living room after receiving the information of Todd Manning's demise. He didn't like the idea of having to call Viki Carpenter and confirm her brother's death. It would be simpler and easier to wait until the morning, but he was troubled by what he knew about her reputation as a publisher of a widely read newspaper. She would be furious at his delay and would probably treat him and his department to a scathing editorial. I don't need this now…I need good public opinion for an extended period of time if I'm going to run in the next election. It has to be done anyway - just one of the many unpleasant sides to being Commissioner. He knew he had to have his facts straight in order to make the call. He rapidly keyed in the number to his right-hand man.
"Edwards? Sykes. I need you to get hold of Delgado and have him report to me at the station ASAP. I'm leaving to go down there now."

The multi-paned picture window of the penthouse was highlighted with spots of light hitting the glass which looked like bits of gleaming porcelain as a woman looked through it to the beckoning outside world - her face a mask of troubled emotions. i>I'm waiting, Del! You promised to find him and I can't stand not knowing… Her eyes seemed to lock onto the multitude of glowing lights of the city and she remembered back to the time when she had stood in the same place behind her husband - trying to close up the huge gulf between them and offer him any part of herself that he would accept. So much has happened between us, Todd…we've gone through so many trials, but I wouldn't trade them for some quiet life with another man.

The long fingers of the dirt-stained hand seemed to push harder against the surface of the ground and another slight sound - a muffled gasp for air - accompanied the physical movement. A harsh cough tore into the eerie silence and the arm of the hand stretched out tenuously as if reaching for some unknown entity. Tea…don't go…don't…
With a sudden start, the eyes of a man whose hair and clothes were mottled with dirt and dust, opened - his dark pupils attempting to adjust to the light from behind a grainy veil. It worked…I'm still here. Cautiously he remained silent as he listened to the sounds around him and raised his head a fraction of an inch to help him do this. The small effort he had made weakened him and his head collapsed again in the dirt. A stream of images rushed back into his mind and he tried to remember again just what had happened.
That one pivotal moment in time when he had decided to imperil his own life and take the ultimate risk zoomed forward in his consciousness. He had released the gas and slammed the car into a low gear - simultaneously pulling the wheel hard to the left. In a split second he saw what he had to aim for -- opening the door of the car enough for his body to push out of it with full force. Rolling over and over the way as he had been instructed long ago in football, his body screaming with pain, he landed in a thicket of brush unconscious and completely oblivious to the fate of his car. The decision had been his. It might have meant his death, but he had counted on his calculations.

A delicious warmth crept over her as she felt his arms enclosing her against his chest. More sensations pored through her as she found herself responding to the kiss in a way she imagined as utterly shameless. What will you think? That I'm some desperate, middle-aged woman probably. Or maybe you won't...maybe you're who I think you are...
Before he had entered her home, Sam knew in some strange way that he would not leave until something happened. He hadn't known what he would do, but something had caused him to venture out into the night to return that earring. Maybe it had been Susie. She had inadvertently verified a fact that he already suspected but didn't have the courage to admit to himself. Viki Carpenter was no longer someone he could call simply a friend. Susie had kissed him, but he hadn't wanted a kiss from her - or any other woman he had been known to see socially. No, he had wanted a kiss from Viki, and it had been on his mind most of the evening.
He sighed within himself as his lips traveled over hers. This is right…so right. There was a mystery about her, which he had only just discovered - making him feel even more elated that he was getting closer to her. No one has ever really figured you out, have they?
A phone ringing in the room broke the spell Viki seemed to be under, and she tried to recover as she released herself from him. His eyes still held hers as if by magnetic force as she moved hurriedly to answer the phone.
"Hello…yes, this is she. Now? What is it? Nonsense! Coming over here won't change anything, I…I want to know now."

What I wouldn't give for a little TLC right now, Delgado. You would be very angry with me for doing what I did, but I had to. I know…you always say that I have to think before I act, but guess what? There was no time…only time enough to figure out that that helicopter had me dead to rights and I would have been hauled in and sent off to Statesville for good this time. Every part of me is a mess, but now no one will ever come looking for me again.
A succession of sounds paralyzed him causing him to lie perfectly still. Sirens! What did it mean? Do they think I'm still alive?

Instinctively Sam moved toward Viki as she held the phone. He watched as her eyes looked over at him suddenly - almost pleading with him silently to come closer. Hanging up the phone, her lower lip trembled and a look of incredible melancholy passed over her face which made him automatically reach out to her.
"Oh, Sam>…he's dead!" she burst out and felt his arms encircle her once again as she stumbled blindly into him.

The heavy knock at the door sent Tea running and she opened it - her eyes vivid and expectant as she saw the powerful-looking man standing before her. Breathless with her rush to get there, she looked up at him with an expression of relief. "Thank God, Del! I was really getting worried...why didn't you just call me! I've been half out of my mind and…"
Del's eyes were transmitting some secret that she didn't think she wanted to know. "Okay, what is it? Don't play games, Del…you…"
He never said a word, but she had always been able to read her big brother. His complete, unnerving silence and the dark, hurt look behind his eyes as he stood there said it all, and in mid sentence she saw her world turn upside down as she slumped like a ragdoll to the floor and from somewhere far away heard the echo of her own voice screaming, "No!! ...No!!...Todd!!"

~ TO BE CONTINUED ~