THE ALTER: A Psychological Crime Thriller by EJ Nesbeth Page B

remembered Ava standing beside his desk at work, her laughing in conversation with Alice at the mayor’s ball, and even her caring look as she stared at him through the eyes of Ryan’s alter.
    The scene changed as a panel debated the significance of the message and why she would appeal to a suspected killer and terrorist. As the speculations continued, Ryan struggled to come to terms with her death. Finally, he broke down.
    “Police have uncovered a video from a dashboard camera that shows Detective Ava Reynolds fleeing her assailant,” the news anchor reported.
    “Ryan…save Merissa,” Ava’s voice came through the television. The video paused. The poor lighting barely revealed her face, but he could see her fear and pain. Ryan ran his fingers across the television screen as if touching her face.
    Something boiled within him and he jumped to his feet. He had no doubt who the assailant was. As much as he needed to end his own life, he ached for vengeance and needed to save Ava’s daughter and the city from the ruthless mayor.
    “It’s all your fault, Ryan. You should have let me kill the mayor. Now Ava is dead. It’s all your fault,” Greg spoke as Ryan’s countenance changed and his deadly alter emerged, angry and determined. This time there was no negotiating. Now he had a job to complete and he ordered Ryan not to interfere. He had a life to take and one to save; an act of vengeance and one of salvation. He straightened his fake beard and hung a pair of reading glasses behind his ears. It was a convincing disguise. The gun he had planned to kill himself with had a new purpose. He stuck it into his waist and covered the handle with his shirt, then marched briskly out of the room.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
    A blonde, curly haired little girl walked out of her aunt’s house under the escort of two police officers. She clutched a small teddy bear as she went, while her protesting aunt followed closely behind hurling questions and insults as she aired her distrust for the system of which the officers were a part. They tried their best to ignore her. They were under orders to take Merissa into safe custody after her mother’s dying words were aired on television. Her angry words and feeble efforts to resist them accomplished little as they placed the toddler into the back of the police car and drove away.
    They entered a stretch of road where they could see the city in the distance obscured by miles of slightly polluted air that gave it a fittingly grim appearance. How peaceful these outskirts appeared.
    “I want my mommy,” the girl said with a sad voice.
    A female officer in the passenger seat was broken-hearted and shook her head. “Poor thing. She doesn’t even know yet,” she whispered to her colleague,
    Suddenly, the sound of screaming tires filled the air as a car swiftly overtook and stopped abruptly, blocking them. The police car rammed into it and came to a halt. The officers quickly alighted with firearms in hand as they moved cautiously towards the offending vehicle. The car door opened slowly and a seemingly shaken senior stepped out with both hands in the air.
    “You shoot old men for fender benders now?” he laughed.
    “Mr. Mayor,” the officers acknowledged in surprise, returning their guns to their holsters.
    The mayor quickly pulled a gun from his waist and fired, hitting both officers. As they fell to the ground, he came over them and fired some more. He opened the back door of the police vehicle and saw the little girl crying and holding tightly to her stuffed toy. After prising it from her arms, he hauled her out and placed her into the back of his car. The terrified toddler screamed as he gutted the toy in a brutal search. The mayor smiled. He pulled out a memory card and looked at it in wonder. Such big troubles over something so small, he thought.
    Without delay, he left the crime scene with tires burning the asphalt, leaving two dead police officers on the road. The frightened little