It was a stormy night in Sacred Falls, Maine. Miss Harper Dillard was sitting in the study of her estate after a nice, warm meal. Her chestnut hair, tied in a French braid, rested on her shoulder as she looked through a book with a roaring flame crackling from her fireplace.
The rain pattered against the windows as soft rumbles of thunder coupled with strong winds shook the window frames. Occasional flashes of lightning littered the sky to further illuminate the room.
In the midst of the passing storm, a loud knock on the door echoed across the house. Annoyed at having her story interrupted, she slammed the book shut and made her way to the front door.
She opened the door and was greeted by a tall man in a trench coat, soaked from head to toe. Lightning flashed behind his towering figure as his ominous presence settled in from his haggard breath.
“Good, sir,” Harper greeted with a snap. “It is the middle of the night, and I am nose deep in a good James Patterson novel. This had better be a good reason to bother my peaceful estate.
He removed his cap from his head, placed it on his chest, and bowed slowly. “My apologies for disturbing your humble abode, ma’am, but I have been separated from my camping party and seek shelter from the storm. Could I rest here for the night? I assure you, I can compensate you for your trouble.”
Harper tapped her foot impatiently. “Unless you have a way to give me by the last five minutes of my evening, I feel we are at an impasse.
“I will remain in the lobby if you would rather. Please,” He began to beg. “Just until the storm passes, then I shall be on my way.”
She huffed as she glanced between the stairwell and the intruder in her home. “Against my better judgement…fine. Do not leave the lobby. And, for Heaven’s sake, please leave your dripping coat by the door. The floor has been recently polished, and I would hate to see it ruined so soon.”
The man clapped his hands together and nodded slightly. “You are an angel, Miss…”
She huffed. “I suppose if I’m to let you into my home unannounced, some form of pleasantries would be appropriate. Miss Harper Dillard. I do believe you’ve heard of my father, Donald Dillard of the Maineland Real Estate Company. And you would be?”
A small grin came over his face as he entered and closed the door behind him. “Not that it’s any concern, but…” He turned around and pulled out a pistol. “I am the Night Stalker, and I am holding you ransom!”
She stood unmoving and expressionless as the man laughed maniacally. When he was finished, he raised an eyebrow and violently waved his gun at her. “I said, I am…”
“I heard you the first time!” Harper barked. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”
He stood there agasp as he processed her response. “I…well…” He began to stutter.
“I mean, honestly, show some originality! Stranger in the woods camping during moose mating season and just happens upon a rich estate that, in all honesty, is not too far from town. Now, you want to hold me ransom? For how much, dare I ask?”
“A quarter of a million dollars!” He replied proudly as he attempted to continue his wicked facade.
Harper rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “You have no ambition, do you? Very well, let’s get this over with. I’ll take you to the study and write the note.”
The man attempted to hide his shock as Harper nonchalantly handled the situation like it made no difference. He poked her in the back with his gun as she led him upstairs.
She threw her arms up and turned around. “Now, what are you doing?”
“I…I’m urging you up the stairs with a gun to your back.”
“And?” She replied quickly. “Is that it? No arm tug? No physical show of force? What sort of kidnapper are you if you aren’t going to put some effort into it? Let me show you?”
She ripped the gun out of his hand, placed the barrel against his back, and twisted his arm tight behind his back. “See how tight that feels? Doesn’t the threat feel more real? Now, you try.”
She handed him the gun and turned her back to him. He followed suit, returned the gun to her back, and locked an arm behind her back. “I don’t know what sort of games you are playing here, but you should be taking me more seriously!”
She nodded her head and slightly puckered her lips. “Not bad. A bit more gusto and you might actually give a small child something to worry about.”
Clearly thinking she was absolutely insane, he kept further comments to himself as she directed him to the family office. It was a medium sized room with a large desk, several family portraits around the walls, and an old desktop computer that appears to have hardly seen any attention.
The man shoved her in the room, locked the door behind him, and directed her to the desk. “Now, turn on that computer and start writing. You seem like an intelligent person. Make the ransom sound convincing.”
She scoffed at him and began turning on the computer. The modem came to life as the old hard drive clicked and slowly came to life. She tapped her fingers impatiently as the storm continued to surge.
The man started pacing the room nervously as he continuously kept poking her in the head with the gun. “Sorry to rush you, sweetheart, but can you type just a smidge faster?”
She glared at him as the computer finally came to the home screen. “The computer literally just finished turning on, Mr. Impatient. Besides, it’d be a whole lot easier if you’d quit pointing that gun at me. You have a nervous twitch and poking me with a painted water gun is less than intimidating.”
The man nearly fumbled his gun from her comment. “Water…excuse me!? What right do you have to…”
“Bad paint job, for starters,” She interrupted. “And there is a wet spot on my back from the nozzle of the gun.”
He slowly lowered the gun as he stood up straight. “If you knew it was fake, why go along with the whole thing?”
She shrugged. “I was annoyed and wanted to read, but your antics had me curious how far you’d take this. I find your performance a bit lackluster, but you get a participation trophy for doing your best.”
He shook his head as he slowly backed away. “You’re insane!” He shouted as he tried to leave. He reached for the handle to discover the lock was broken. “I can’t get out! What is this!?”
Harper leaned back in her office chair and sat with her legs propped up on the desk. “You were determined to get me to write a ransom note. No one told you to lock the door. Honestly, you only have yourself to blame.”
He shook the doors violently as a bright flash of lightning appeared outside the window, followed by a cold breeze on the back of his neck. He turned around, and Harper was right behind him with a blank expression on her face. “Why would you want to leave?” She asked flatly. “We are having so much fun together. Let’s have some more.”
He leaned against the door in terror as he let out a soul-chilling scream. He put his hands over his head as he prepared to meet his end.
“What are you doing?” She asked, annoyed. “I have Scrabble, Life, and I’m pretty good at Monopoly. But be warned, I always play the hat.”
The door suddenly burst open, knocking the man into the room, as another man dressed in a bathrobe and pajamas entered the room. “What is going on in here!?”
Harper smiled. “Daddy, a new friend to play with. First, he wanted to play ransom note, and now I’m offering him to play some board games. He’s a lot of fun.”
The man looked at the intruder with glaring eyes. “Who are you and what is your business here!?”
“To get out! She’s crazy!” He declared as he ran down the stairs and out the door, screaming the entire way.
Harper frowned and sniffled. “New friends never want to stay and play.”
Her father shook his head as he directed her back to the study. “I’ll explain in the morning. Finish your chapter and head off to bed. And please, stop letting strangers into the estate.”
She smiled and hugged him tightly. “Okay, Daddy. You’re the best!” She skipped off to her chair and continued where she left off in her story.
The father shook his head and sighed as he left the room and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and slowly walked away from the room. “Hello, Doctor Marco? Yes, I’m sorry to bother you so late. I wanted to let you know she had another episode.” The father nodded his head as he stopped in front of his bedroom door. “I understand. I’ll pack her back and admit her in the morning. I’ll be honest, I’m only okay with this not because of her health, but for everyone else’s safety.”
As the father tucked himself into bed, Harper reached for a journal instead of her book and began writing. “Another crazy man tried to steal the family fortune. Father, I’m sure thinks I need to be institutionalized, but he is too loose with his money and doesn’t realize it. He just had his 3rd divorce and is already looking for wife number 4.
“Doubtless, he is going to put me away soon. Little does he know that I already have a plan set in motion to take his assets and try and salvage what I can of the Dillard legacy. Hopefully, I won’t need to pretend to be crazy for much longer. I must admit, I’m actually enjoying playing these mind games. Who knows…maybe someday I’ll meet my match. Until then, there’s much to do, and the storm is only getting bigger.
“I’ll write again after the tornado passes. Poor Father. If he weren’t so interested in his own wealth, he would have bothered to check the weather. I suppose that’s what happens when you play a game you don’t understand. Checkmate, Father.”
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About
James is a Christian Fiction writer who puts his faith first and foremost in all his inspiration. After a decade of retail life, he seeks to join the writing world by creating a safe reading selection for teen/young adult readers. He is the author of a 10-book series called the Grace Series and the Fantasy series Clash of Light and Dark.
James follows the teachings of the King James Bible and believes every day is another chance to learn from the Creator and spend every day taking steps closer to becoming more Christ-like.
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