The River Girl and the Jeweled Mask — Part Six

Face to Face with the Power of the Mask

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An ancient African mask has been stolen from a local museum and used in a bank robbery. Convinced the paranormal is at work, Detective Wendell Hughes turns to his illusory sidekick, Cassie. With her help, the thief was identified. Now, Wendell must find him and learn the secret of the jeweled mask.

Wendell didn’t know how Mathew Gordon had stolen the jeweled mask, but he knew why. He had experienced the power of the huaca stones and knew what the mask could do. The question was: why did he wait ten years to steal it?

“Here we go,” Randal said. “There’s nothing about him for two years after the incident in the museum, but eventually he transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville. He graduated with a degree in psychology. I have his driver’s license. Yes, he is five-nine. Went to work as a counselor for the school system. There was a police report filed by a parent claiming Gordon inappropriately touched his daughter. No charges were filed, but he left the school’s employment. He is now a self-employed hypnotherapist in Gainesville. Here’s his yellow pages ad.”

Wendell leaned over to see the image on Randal’s computer screen. The ad offered assistance for weight loss, stop smoking, and sexual gratification.

“I think we’ve found our man,” Randal said.

“Indeed,” Wendell agreed.

Wendell withdrew his phone from his pocket and tapped out a text message to Harry Chowder: Your man is Mathew Gordon. We’ll let you make the arrest. He included the address and driver’s license number. He had expected an immediate response. When no message arrived, he concluded the Jacksonville detectives were conducting their own background research into Gordon.

Finally, his phone rang.

Harry’s voice was on the line. “Okay, you were right all along. You’ve found him. There, I said it. But, how can we arrest him? Other than your brilliant deductive reasoning, what grounds do we have? I can’t see how I can so much as get a warrant to view his credit card charges.”

“Oh, come on, must I do everything for you? Get the make and model of his car and the plate number. Do a wide search of the CCTV around the banks at the times they were robbed. Find his car at both scenes. Use this to get a warrant to view his credit card records. Find when he was in Jacksonville to case the banks, and find him on the bank video those days. This should be enough to bring him in for questioning and to search his home.”

“All right, good ideas. However, I suspect the powers that be will want to talk to you about how you found him, so don’t leave town.”

Wendell left Randal to complete the documentation of their investigation into the museum robbery. At some point, they might file charges, but not until long after the Jacksonville police had their bank robber.

Wendell went home and collected his scuba gear. After loading up his boat, he pointed the prow into the center of the inlet between Vilano Beach and Conch Island. Cassie had drowned in this passage between the inland waterway and the open ocean shortly after it had been dredged. Exiting the inlet, he sped up and angled the boat eastward into the Atlantic Ocean. A mile offshore, he stopped and dropped anchor; the water was less than fifty feet deep.

Greetings, Wendell Hughes. He heard Cassie’s soft voice in his head. This was the spot he always found her. He suspected this was where her body had sunk to the bottom and had been subsequently buried by the shifting sands.

“Good afternoon, Cassie,” he said. “I’ve come to play.” He put on his scuba gear and dropped backwards from the gunnel into the water. Once in the water, the playful, ghostly mermaid immediately began swimming with him.

When the moon rose above the horizon, they climbed into the boat. In the twilight, they lounged on the couches built into the boat’s bow. Other boats passed by them, but none noticed the naked pair.

“Thank you for your help with the investigation,” he said.

Wendell, I am always pleased to help you. He has been arrested?

“He’s not been arrested yet, but we know who he is. It’s only a matter of time now.” He admired the image before him. The contrasting illumination and shadows from the moonlight upon the curves and valleys of her body were a work of art. He sketched out the investigation for her. “Thanks again,” he concluded.

With the moon directly overhead, Wendell piloted the boat back to the St. Augustine. While he had radar and GPS, he needed no navigation aids while Cassie was aboard. She could have guided him through the thickest fog, around all water hazards, and straight to his dock. He was always amazed how she, not being a part of the physical world, knew so much about it. However, it was a clear night and her prowess was not needed. As they approached the City Dock and the boat’s berth, they said their goodbyes and Cassie slipped back into the water.

Having a late dinner at Mama Lopez’s restaurant, he asked Michelle if there were any movies playing that she wanted to see. It took her several minutes to see through the fog of his lame attempt at dating, but realizing his intention, she said, “Yes, Mr. Hughes, I’d love to.”

“I think you should call me Wendell,” he said.

***

The next morning Wendell reported for work and began a day of routine paperwork. However, only an hour into his day, the lieutenant tapped his shoulder.

“Wendell, you have been summoned to the State House.”

“Summoned?”

“Well, the state attorney for the Eighth District has requested you attend a meeting after lunch. The Jacksonville detectives will be picking you up in a few minutes.”

Wendell’s phone chimed and he read the text from Harry: We’re double parked. Get a move on.

“They’re here,” Wendell said to the lieutenant, and snugged his tie.

Stepping out of the police station, Wendell expected to find the pair of detectives in a Ford Crown Victoria, the typical unmarked police car. However, he found them in a State Police van. Inside, he was introduced to Isabel Valdez, the Fourth District State Attorney.

Harry explained, “The bank robberies were committed in the Fourth District while Mathew Gordon lives in the Eighth District. Given the sensitive nature and press coverage of these crimes…” Harry passed Wendell a newspaper with a front page article detailing a third bank robbery with same MO. Wendell read the paper while Harry continued. “We’ve petitioned the parties involved to meet and expedite matters. We are bypassing a lot of the routine paperwork to catch him red handed.”

“Was the teller abused in the same manner?” Wendell asked, pointing to the newspaper headline: Masked Robber Terrorizes City.

“Yes, but we are still keeping that under wraps. I don’t really have much information about this robbery; it was yesterday afternoon.” Harry drew a breath and wet his lips. “We’ve been working around the clock since you and I last spoke. We found video of Gordon’s car three blocks from the first bank robbery five minutes after he left the bank. Again, after the second robbery, we found video of his car four blocks from the bank. We got a warrant and looked at his credit card transactions. There were five times that he was in Jacksonville and we found video of him in the two banks appearing to be casing them on four of these trips. The first trip coincided with your museum robbery.”

“So, what are we doing today?” Wendell asked.

Isabel interrupted, “We are going before the court in Gainesville to get a warrant to search Gordon’s home. The search will be conducted by the Gainesville police, but we’ll be there. They already have his apartment under surveillance, but have not yet seen him.”

They arrived at the Gainesville courthouse after lunch and presented the case to the judge. The other detectives and Isabel did all of the talking. Wendell simply nodded approvingly when the facts of the investigation were stated. After an hour of discussion, the judge signed the search warrant.

The team piled back into the State Police van and they rode across town to the townhouse apartment rented by Mathew Gordon. The police were standing by with the apartment manager who unlocked the door.

After announcing themselves as police, the SWAT team entered the townhouse. A minute later, they reported, “It’s empty. Nobody here.”

The detectives and the forensics team began searching for evidence. Inside they found detailed information about ten banks Gordon had cased. Three were the ones already robbed; presumably he intended to rob the other seven as well. Under a false bottom of his bedroom chest of drawers they found his black hoodie and trousers, and a paper bag with the money.

Harry checked the serial numbers on the bills. “Yep, these came from the first two robberies. And, there is more. I presume this money came from yesterday’s robbery, but I don’t have the serial numbers of those bills yet.”

They did not find the jeweled mask or any clue as to Gordon’s current whereabouts. An all-points-bulletin was issued for his car.

“We’ll get him soon,” Harry said. “I expect he’s heading north on Interstate 75. All in all, it was a great day.” The sun was setting as they brought Wendell back to the St. Augustine police station. “Wendell, let us take you out to dinner. Any place you like. Nothing is too good for you today.”

Wendell smiled. He had let Bailey and Chowder occupy the center ring throughout the day. He had let them take credit for his ideas.

“Thanks, guys, but I’ll have to take a raincheck. I have a date tonight.”

“What!” Bill exclaimed. “You mean to tell me there is a woman out there who is so desperate as to go on a date with you?”

Wendell chuckled. “Actually, I think there are two.” He gave them a mock salute. “Thanks for the ride.”

He checked his watch and walked quickly to his car. He had barely enough time to get home, change clothes, and pick up Michelle.

Hurrying into his house, he pulled off his sport coat and tossed it on the kitchen table. He whipped off his tie and turned. That was when he saw the mask — the jeweled mask.

The jewels embedded in the black mahogany mask glowed as they reflected the room lights. Following the spirals of iridescent jewels, his eyes were drawn to the eyeholes. However, they were not the black pits he had seen in the photograph snapped by the bank’s surveillance camera. He saw the eyes as Paula Pierce had said she saw them. These weren’t human eyes; they were a demon’s glowing red eyes.

His ears were filled with a chanting. Something like what monks sounded like. It was in an Arabic language. The whole thing made him dizzy. Yet, he was rooted in place.

The room began to spin around him, the bile in his stomach rose, but he could not tear his eyes away from the mask. Slowly, he floated upward. After a moment, he realized it was his consciousness which was floating. His body was still grounded. Having an out of body experience, he floated above the kitchen table looking down on his body and the man wearing the mask. He presumed this was Mathew Gordon.

While he watched, his physical form drew his service revolver from his waistband holster. He pressed the pistol’s barrel to his temple. His physical body cocked back the hammer.

Oh, God, no! But, he could not make a sound.

“Ah, Wendell Hughes, you are not so powerful now,” Mathew said. “I’ve been watching, waiting for this moment.”

Who are you? While it was Mathew speaking, Wendell presumed he was really hearing the words of some demon from the afterlife.

The voice laughed, and said, “The ghost of Christmas future, your worst nightmare, the one whose name cannot be spoken… I remember you from Iraq. You killed me there. And now I am standing over your grave. This night, your soul will join me.”

During the Gulf War Wendell had killed three Iraqi soldiers. He could remember each one in agonizing detail, but he could not recall any specific one having acted in a demonic manner.

A soft buzzing filled his ears. He was suddenly warm and comfortable. He felt Cassie’s gentle touch on his mind. She was there in the room. He couldn’t see her; the moon had not yet risen high enough to illuminate the kitchen, but she was there.

His consciousness drifted back down and merged with his body. Regaining control of his arm, he willed the hand holding the revolver to turn it away from his head and point it toward Mathew. He was not in full control of his body, but he could sense the mask no longer possessed his mind. The demon was being overpowered by Cassie. She controlled the mask.

Filling with fresh confidence, Wendell decided to address the demon as though they were old rivals. “Kill me? Not today. You have underestimated me yet again. Now, I control the mask. The mask now imprisons your soul.”

Of course, it was Cassie who used the huacu stones in the mask to hold the demon captive. As she pushed the spirit back to the afterlife, the eyeholes of the mask darkened into the familiar black pools. The sight of it no longer disturbed Wendell. He placed the gun on the table. Wendell recalled Cassie’s words, “What was once good is now evil.” Wendell knew the demon had been controlling Mathew and pushed him into committing the crimes.

“Mathew Gordon, it is a shame you let greed turn you to the dark side.” The quip from Star Wars never seemed to be more appropriate. “It was not your hypnotic skill which gave you power over others, it was the power of the mask’s demon. But, the tables have turned. The mask is now your prison. It controls you as you had sought to control others.” Wendell watched Mathew helplessly stand in the center of the room. “Tell me, how did you steal the mask?”

In an entranced voice, Mathew said, “I had this dream. One day I was putting a patient under hypnosis, and my own mind turned to the mask. I remembered how powerful it felt for the brief moments I wore it. The power literally blew my mind. I was crazy for a long time, but it wore off. But, that day a month ago, I knew I needed the mask.

“I went to the museum and simply moved the mask to a dark place under one of the tables. Later during the afternoon rain, after all the police had come and gone, I returned and concealed it under a rain poncho. It was easy.”

“And there you were, you had rubbed the magic lamp and possessed all the power of its genie. What did you do? You used it for petty thefts and to peek at women in their underwear. But then, you have always been a pervert, eh?”

Mathew didn’t answer.

“You are going to prison now. Do you know what they do to perverts in prison?” When Mathew still didn’t speak, Wendell snapped, “Tell me!”

“They, uh, they abuse them.”

“Indeed they do. And, they will really get a kick out abusing you. One day you will get out of jail, but you will still be on the sexual predator watch list. Everywhere you go, you must register with the police.”

Wendell waited for a long moment before continuing.

“However, I will show you some mercy. The women you abused do not want to testify in court; they do not want to tell the world what you did. We will let you escape the sexual abuse charges if you confess to the bank robberies. No one need know what a pervert you are, and the women will not have to reveal to the public what you did to them.”

Mathew took a long moment to consider this option. “Yes, I will do that. I will confess.”

“Good. Your crime was benign in many respects. You didn’t use a weapon, and all the money has been recovered. The courts will be fairly lenient on you, I’m sure. But, there is one more thing you must do.”

Mathew paused, and said, “What?”

“You must keep the true power of the jeweled mask a secret. Its power was never meant for you. Confess to stealing the mask because of its unusual appearance. You used it as a hypnotist uses a flashy pendulum. It was merely an instrument to focus your victim’s eyes, nothing more. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I’ve ingrained these suggestions into your mind now. You cannot waver from them.” Wendell swallowed. “Now, remove the mask.”

Mathew set the mask on the table. Wendell pulled Mathew’s hands behind his back and handcuffed him. Wendell read Mathew his rights and arrested him for the theft of the mask.

“Remember,” Wendell said, “you came here to confess and turn yourself in. Nothing else happened here tonight.”

“Uh, yeah, but… But, what did happen?”

Wendell chuckled. “Nothing. Like I said, nothing else happened.” He used his mobile phone to call for a patrol car. “I’ve apprehended the Ripley’s museum bandit.” The Jacksonville bank robberies were not within his jurisdiction, but he called Harry. “Hey, once again, I’m doing your job. I’ve just arrested Mathew Gordon for the Ripley’s museum theft of the jeweled mask. We’ll hold him, but won’t charge him until after you pick ’em up.” He relayed the details of Mathew’s agreement to confess.

Glancing out the patio door he saw the moonlight bathing the dock. Cassie, in all her natural glory, was standing there watching him.

“Thank you,” he said.

You’re welcome, her soft voice floated through his mind although they were a hundred yards apart

If she were alive — really alive — he’d take her in his arms and show her his appreciation.

“Who was that demon?” he asked.

He was an ancient spirit who died in Babylon a thousand years ago.

“He inhabited one of the soldiers I killed during the war?”

Yes, when you killed the soldier, the demon was sent back to the afterlife.

“He was trapped until Mathew put on the mask?”

Yes, this provided a new human to possess.

There were more questions he wanted to ask. However, he had work to do. “I’ll see you again, by moonlight.”

She smiled. Yes, you will. She turned and stepped into the water.

Then he called Michelle. He apologized and told her about arresting the Jacksonville bank robber to explain why he needed a raincheck.

“That’s pretty exciting,” she said. “I’ll wait for you. Come over for a beer when you can. I’ve got a six pack of Elephant Beer. We’ll do the movie another time.”

***

A month later, Wendell pulled his car into the stream of traffic on Highway One heading north into St. Augustine. Stopping at a red light, his eyes were drawn to a billboard’s gigantic image of the jeweled mask. The attached text identified the mask as the one used by Jacksonville’s Hypnotist Bank Robber.

Dr. Jamison had agreed to drop the theft charges for the promise that the mask would be returned to him promptly. It was evidence in the bank robbery cases, but after Mathew confessed there was no reason for the police to keep it. The magical jeweled mask had become the centerpiece of the museum’s presentation.

Included in the billboard’s message was a reference to the four people who had worn the mask and died.

Wendell was perhaps the only person who knew the truth. The most recent death was the Jacksonville police property clerk. An autopsy of the man revealed he had died from a burst aneurysm in his brain; however, he had been found lying on the floor clutching the mask. Others presumed he had held it to his face, and the mask had killed him. Wendell knew this was exactly what had happened; the mask had sucked out his life essence. This incident ensured the mask would remain securely locked in its display case. Hopefully no one would ever attempt to wear it again.

From Cassie he learned about the demon. That first time, Mathew had only worn the mask briefly — too briefly for the demon to fully possess him. But the demon had continued to influence him. Eventually, the demon guided Mathew back to the museum to steal the mask and gain full control of his body. Upon learning Wendell’s involvement, the demon launched the plan to kill him and drag his soul to the afterlife. Fortunately, Cassie had been there and sent the demon away.

As for Mathew, he was enjoying his time in prison. With the notoriety of being able to take over men’s minds by merely looking into their eyes, prisoners and guards alike gave him a wide berth. No one dared to look at his face. He wasn’t simply an imprisoned celebrity or gangster royalty, he was a god. Wendell would have to watch Mathew closely when he was released two years hence.

Believe it or not.

THE END

Copyright ©2023 by S. M. Revolinski All Rights Reserved

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