He Knew All Their Secrets

Episode 2 and recap from the first episode of this mini-series “He Knew All Their Secrets”

“If anyone can give just cause why these two shall not be joined as husband and wife, you must speak now or forever hold your …” before she could finish her statement a loud crash and scraping sound came from the back of the assembly hall. Then hand clap, clap, clapping was heard from the back row. The people turned in vexed unison to see the disturbing disruptor …

The wedding coordinator and his male guest immediately entered the aisle walking quickly towards the advancing man. They were holding up their hands and asking questions using muted voices, at first attempts to get answers.

Eliora’s son quickly ushered his mother and Sam toward the band section that had a closed door. Sam and Eliora both objected with questions and stubborn wills, but the young man had no answers nor patience. His only concern was for his mother’s protection. He spoke quickly while rushing them both to safety. “I don’t know who or what right now, Mom, you will have to sit tight till we know something. Sam, stay with my mom. Don’t let anyone in this door until you know for certain who is at it. You understand?” He asked and rushed out of the room before Sam could answer or Liora could ask more questions.

Once he had secured the couple inside the room, he rushed back into the hall to assess the commotion.

The man continued to walk quickly toward the front of the hall while the two men approached him.

He wore a Skeletor face mask and a dark hoodie pulled closely around his face. He held a large white bag, which he extended out in front of him, and his free hand in his pants pocket. As he began removing his hand from his pocket exposing the gun, both men stopped their advance and ducked for cover one on each side of the aisle.

A rumbling sounded around the room as guests began to hit the floor. No one spoke as the man continued moving toward the altar. The officiant had sat down with the band members while members of the processions had vanished, securing themselves into several hiding spaces in the huge room.

The man stopped suddenly as he began laughing loudly. His speech was muffled as he spoke through the mask. He continued to laugh and talk with no one daring move to inquire about his needs. He pushed the mask up away from his mouth but did not reveal his face fully. He continued to laugh uncontrollably. Holding the gun above his head as he waved it around the room pointing it in different directions.

“Where is she?” he asked. Where are they, Daniel?” I saw you rush them into a room back there. Bring ‘em out and no one will be harmed.” He ordered, speaking to Eliora’s son. “Go get them or I’ll shoot this boy here on this bench”. Pointing the gun down at the wedding coordinator’s guest.

The young man on the bench screamed and pretended to faint, falling backward onto the floor between the benches. The room was hushed quiet.

Daniel walked slowly towards the man. “I’ll have to say this much, Paul, you got big balls coming here today, on my mother’s wedding day too. With all this noise. How many times are you going to mess up things in our lives?”

Daniel was escalating his voice and scowling his face as he advanced toward the man with the gun. Walking a few feet closer to him, he slapped him across the face. The man dropped the gun and snatched off his mask. He cowered to the floor, threw down the bag, and attempted to move past Daniel.

Daniel caught hold of the man, wrapped his arm around his neck, and held him in a headlock. He beat the man’s head a few times with a clenched fist before fully releasing him, he slung the man to the floor, dropped to his knees on top of him, and continued to strike the man about the head with both fists. The odor of alcohol reeked from the man’s bloody mouth and nostrils.

Daniel’s wife screamed several times for him to stop striking the man, fearing he may severely hurt or even kill him in his justified anger.

“Why did you come here today with this noise, Paul?” Why?” he howled after landing another full-fisted blow to Paul’s jaw. He waited for Paul to retaliate.

The disrupting man had come in hot and ready then put down and almost out; “like a cigarette in the rain”, Daniel thought, as he stood and straightened his shirt underneath his jacket. His anger was expressed by his deep frowns, he did not look around as he walked quickly toward the room where Eliora and Sam were waiting.

The wedding coordinator picked up the gun and the mystery bag and looked inside suspecting a bomb to be inside. He was highly relieved to see a variety of pictures, newspaper clippings, and odd trinkets. Ruffling through the bag, he was further relieved to find no threatening paraphernalia in it. He passed the bag to Daniel’s wife, now standing over the beaten man on the floor.

Paul, the disruptor, lay sprawled out on the floor, bleeding from the nose and mouth. He moaned as if in pain then sat up.” Someone, someone, call me an ambulance,” he said, patting his palm against a bruised and swollen jaw.

As the guests began to stand and ask questions the noise of people talking complaining and a few women weeping, the wedding coordinator began to take charge directing people back to their seats, promising he would explain, all in due time.

“Hello, is this 911? Oh, we need the police to come over here to Hollisville Court. No need for guns or anything… we just need a policeman and an ambulance, please,” the wedding coordinator articulated eloquently. He placed Paul’s loaded gun which he had retrieved from the floor, into his jacket pocket and then hurried back down the aisle to safety.

The assembly hall — went live — with confused angry guests talking and moving about. Questions, so many questions. It had been a terrorizing moment and no one had any answers yet.

To be continued… Episode 3