The Demon Within

by Robert L. Bryan

  “Open the door, asshole!” Kevin hissed.

  Finn settled into the driver’s seat, but he did not put on his seatbelt or start the engine. Kevin was growing impatient. “Well, do you think we’ll get going anytime soon?”

  Finn turned and looked at Kevin. He wasn’t annoyed at Kevin’s remark. In fact, he hadn’t even heard it. “Something has been bothering me all night,” he said.

  Kevin threw his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, don’t start with me. I didn’t say anything inappropriate to any of those sixteen-year-olds.”

  Finn ignored the comment and continued with his point. “There’s something I need to check across the road.”

  “Where?”

  “Over at the top of that grassy hill, where I told you the entrance to that old tunnel was.”

  “Well, I wish you luck,” Kevin announced. “When are you coming back – tomorrow?”

  “No,” Finn shook his head. “I’m gonna check it out now.”

  “You have to be kidding me,” Kevin bellowed. “You’re wearing a suit.”

  “We’re both wearing suits,” Finn responded.

  “You don’t think I’m going into that tunnel, do you?”

  “Leave you jacket here,” Finn directed. “I need your help.”

  Five minutes later, Finn and Kevin, sans jackets and ties, stood at the bottom of a steep grassy hill on the other side of Union Turnpike. A six-foot chain link fence separated them from the hill.

  Kevin expressed his feelings. “Well, this was a wasted walk. I wish we would have seen the fence before we walked all the way over here.”

  “Not a problem,” Finn stated as he grabbed the fence with both hands and gained a toehold with his right foot.”

  Kevin shook his head vigorously. “I’m not climbing that fence. You’re crazy.”

  “Come on,” Finn grunted as he pushed off the sidewalk with his left foot.” I have a bum knee and this is still easy. Do you want me to tell everyone at the pub that a strapping, athletic fellow like yourself could not even manage to get over a six-foot fence?”

  Finn winced as he landed on the other side of the fence. “See, nothing to it.”

  Kevin muttered some unintelligible comments as he began moving his 6-foot 5-inch uncoordinated frame over the fence. When he reached the top of the fence he seemed to simply roll over without concern for climbing down the other side. There was a loud ripping sound followed by a thud. Kevin lay in the weeds moaning, “My back! I think I broke my back!”

  Finn expressed little sympathy. “Come on, get up and let’s get going.”

  Kevin emitted several different noises as he struggled to his feet. He stretched several times and rotated his torso. “I think I’ll be OK, as if you really care.”

  Finn pointed below Kevin’s waist. “I’m glad you’re OK. Too bad I can’t say the same thing for your pants.”

  Kevin looked down and gasped. The entire inseam on his right leg was split. “Oh my God,” he declared. “I must have caught it on the top of the fence. This is my only suit. You’re gonna pay for this Finbar!”

  “Sure, sure,” Finn chuckled. “Let’s just get going.”

  Finn led the way up the hill, guided by the beam of light from his iPhone flashlight. At the top of the hill Finn faced a solid parkway retaining wall. He turned and scratched his head. “This looks like the view I had of Angelina’s.” Finn moved his light along the wall. About thirty feet to the right, there appeared to be something different about the wall. “I think the entrance is over there,” he exclaimed.

  Kevin was huffing and puffing as he reached the top of the hill. “That’s wonderful,” he gasped. “I’m happy for you.”

  Finn nodded as he got closer to the anomaly in the wall. He was right. His beam was squarely on the missing blocks that provided the entrance to the tunnel. “Over here,” he waved to Kevin.

  Kevin was still trying to catch his breath. “Ok,” he puffed. “You found your stupid tunnel. Now what?”

  Finn smiled. “Now we go in.”

  Kevin placed his hands on his knees and shook his head. “How did I let you talk me into this?”

  Despite a shot of knee pain, Finn nimbly stepped through the opening in the blocks. Kevin, on the other hand, basically fell through the hole and rolled around in the dirt and mud. “Ugh! This is awful in here!”

  “It’s OK,” Finn consoled. ”You don’t have to go any further.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kevin whined. “I hurt my back, tore up my pants, and rolled in the mud to get in here, and now you’re telling me I don’t have to be here?”

  Finn pointed his light at the walking path. “I only wanted to check out over there.”

  “Where?”

  Finn focused his beam on the vent in the wall adjacent to the walking path. “That’s what I need to see.”

  “What’s so important about that hole in the wall?” Kevin asked.

  “Maybe nothing,” Finn responded. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

  “Done with what?”

  “I’m going into that vent.”

  “OK, Finbar, I’ve humored you up till now, but this is the limit.” Kevin lightly slapped Finn on the cheek. “Snap out of it. Is that creep possessing you with a demon? Why would you do this?”

  “You’ll see in a few minutes,” Finn said as he squared himself in front of the vent. “Just stay here and watch me with your flashlight, in case I run into any problems.”

  “And what am I supposed to do if you have a problem? Go into this hole myself?”

  Finn grit his teeth. “Just stay here and be quiet. “I have to measure a distance.” Finn pressed a few buttons on his iPhone before placing it back in its holder. After a deep breath, he flexed his knee a few times before hopping into the vent. The size of the vent allowed Finn to crawl on hands and knees with his back just rubbing against the top of the vent. Finn could feel the dirt and muck attaching to him as he progressed. He hoped no living creatures had also found a home on his person. Finn’s bad knee was throbbing. He had been crawling for five minutes. Kevin’s voice had become a faint whine. He shone his beam ahead. Finally, he could see the end of the road. About twenty feet further ahead the vent ended. Finn fought through the pain and continued crawling. It wasn’t good enough to see the end of the vent, he had to be there. The reflection on the wall ahead was evidence that Finn was fast- reaching the end of his trip. Finally, he took a deep breath and reached out to push against a wall directly in front of him. There was nowhere else to go. Or was there? Finn swung his head and light up. He gasped. The vent continued up. From what he could tell the vent seemed to rise for about ten feet. Finn had had enough, however. He wasn’t about to attempt a climb up this shaft. Finn had accomplished what he wanted. He had obtained the information and now he couldn’t wait to get out and test his theory. Suddenly, a dose of reality put a damper on his euphoria. There was not enough room for him to turn in the vent. He was going to have to make the return trip by crawling backwards.

  When his feet finally emerged from the hole, Kevin grabbed onto Finn to provide support, but quickly recoiled in horror. “You’re disgusting,” he yelled.

  Finn could care less about his hygiene. He was more concerned with his knee. It almost gave way several times as he walked back and forth on the foot path, flexing the knee every few steps. Finally, he began to feel in control and the throbbing was subsiding.

  “I hope this was worth being covered in shit from head to toe.” Kevin commented.

  Finn headed for the opening in the blocks, “I’ll let you know in a few more minutes.”

  When they both managed to get back over the chain link fence, Finn and Kevin collapsed to the sidewalk, sitting with their backs against the fence, breathing heavily.

  “I hope no cops pass by right now,” Finn stated. “We look like a couple of mopes. They’ll pick us up for something.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Kevin countered. I always look good.”
/>   Finn pulled out his iPhone and tapped the screen. “306-feet,” he said.

  “What?”

  “That’s how long the vent is,” Finn clarified, “306-feet.”

  “So, you crawled a football field – so what?”

  Finn held the fence as he struggled to his feet. “So, let’s just make one more measurement.” Finn began walking along the sidewalk.

  Kevin moaned as he got to his feet. “Where are you going now?”

  Finn did not respond as he kept walking and checking the screen of his phone. About a minute into his walk, Finn stopped abruptly. “This is it – 306-feet.”

  Kevin was just catching up. “So, what did this prove?”

  Finn’s eyes were twinkling. “Look over there.” He nodded to the right.

  Kevin shrugged. “It’s the Storage Wars place – so what?”

  Finn continued, “Didn’t you tell me that the armored car depot where Rory worked was there.”

  “Yeah. So, what?”

  Finn pointed at the facility. “The shaft from that vent comes right up under that building.”

  Kevin frowned and shook his head. “You’re not trying to tell me that….”

  Finn cut him off. “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he exclaimed. “No one could figure out how Rory got that money out, and Rory swears he didn’t do it, right?”

  “Yeah, but….”

  “Don’t give me any buts,” Finn continued. “If that shaft went into the vault, someone could have taken the money through the shaft and vent and then escaped through the tunnel and into Alley Pond Park. They wouldn’t even have to come out on the street until they were over a mile away.”

  Kevin shook his head again. “You’re watching too many movies, Finbar.”

  “No, think about it,” Finn continued. “It’s really not that difficult. Once you’re out of the vent, you’re into the tunnel, and once you clear the tunnel you just follow the trail through the clearing and…..” Finn’s voice trailed off. He put his hand over his mouth. He looked toward the storage facility and then to the tunnel entrance. His voice took on a new sense of urgency. “Son of a bitch!” he muttered. “Quick, what date was the depot robbery?”

  Kevin shrugged. “What do I look like – a calendar?”

  Finn shook his head as he began furiously tapping the screen of his phone. “The robbery was on April 10th.” His furious tapping continued. “The Demon Murders were on April 9th.”

  “So, your brilliant theory is shot to hell,” Kevin blurted. “The crimes weren’t even on the same day.

  Finn wagged his finger at Kevin. “Listen, the date of the robbery was listed on the day after the murders because that’s when the missing money was discovered.”

  Kevin gazed at Finn with a blank stare.

  “Don’t you see?” Finn implored. “That money could have been taken the night before, and during their escape the perps ran right into the ritual in the clearing.”

  “So, they killed everyone for the fun of it,” Kevin commented.

  “No, moron. They ran right into witnesses who had to be silenced.”

  “I realize you’re the greatest detective since Sherlock Holmes,” Kevin rolled his eyes. “But don’t you think the NYPD would have figured this all out if it was a possibility?

  “Maybe,” Finn responded, “but maybe not. It wouldn’t be natural to connect that clearing in Alley Pond Park with the location of the depot. It’s a mile away. And up until Ma and Pa Kettle came on the scene, no one except possibly for some druggies and graffiti artists, knew about the existence of that tunnel.”

  “You’re dreaming, Finbar.”

  Maybe I am. But maybe Chris Mills is not a murderer or a crazy person possessed by demons.” Finn re-evaluated his statement. “Well, who knows? I’ll call Detective Taggart. But I’m not going to mention this to Rory tomorrow.”

  Chapter 14: The Agony of Defeat

  May 25th

  Two months earlier, Finn would never have thought it possible that visiting Sing Sing Prison would become a routine activity – but it had. He knew exactly where to park, and he greeted the friendly correction officer at the outer gate by name. The search process had also become second nature. There was one unique aspect about this day’s visit that Finn wasn’t happy about. During previous visits Finn had the distinct displeasure of meeting Rory’s friend Nick, the only regular visitor to Rory besides Finn and Kevin. For some unknown reason, Nick didn’t like Finn and Kevin and whenever they would pass when coming or going from a visit, Nick would always make some snide remark. Nick’s anti-public relations campaign had succeeded in motivating Finn to dislike him as much as Nick appeared to dislike Finn and Kevin.

  On face value this day’s visit was part of the normal routine. Finn and Kevin had completed the registration and search and were seated in the waiting room. In a few moments the buzzer would sound and they would walk through the heavy steel door and into the visiting room. This visit, however, was far from routine. Sitting in the waiting room opposite Finn was the surly looking Nick. They all arrived at the same time and were going to be let in to visit Rory at the same time. Neither Finn or Kevin had said a word to Nick, and Nick communicated only via a non-verbal sneer.

  Everyone at the table sat knee deep in silence. Inmates and relatives at surrounding tables conversed and laughed, trying to forget their bleak reality, but the rhythmic tapping of Finn’s fingers was the only indication of life from Rory and his visitors.

  Rory scanned his friends at the table and smiled. “What’s the matter? Did someone die?”

  The thee visitors chuckled as they moved uncomfortably in their chairs. “What’s up, bro?” Nick murmured.

  Kevin was more animated with a high five. “What’s happening?”

  Finn extended his hand for a traditional handshake. “Good seeing you again, Rory.”

  The conversation that slowly began to build was dominated by Nick, and focused on his alpha male presence at a Queens biker bar. “You know how I roll, bro. I ain’t gonna take that shit from no one. So, I told Donny that he better tell his boy that people don’t screw with me or they get their face stomped. That’s just reality, bro.”

  Finn took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he couldn’t help but think Nick’s entire macho speech was a warning to him.

  Nick had momentarily run out of manly tales, so Kevin took the opportunity to jump in. “Hey, Rory, Finn has some good news, don’t you, Finn?”

  Finn snapped to attention. “What?”

  “Yeah,” Kevin continued. “Tell Rory what you found.”

  As usual, Finn was aghast at his friend’s judgement, or lack of it. He had not planned on telling Rory anything about his discovery because he hadn’t even talked to Detective Taggart yet, and he had no idea if his discovery would change anything. He did not want to get Rory’s hopes up only to ultimately have him suffer a big letdown. He also had no desire to share anything, even a weather forecast, with that asshole, Nick. But, as usual, Kevin had pushed him off the cliff and now he was going to have to land as softly as possible.

  “It’s not really a big deal,” Finn began.

  “What?” Rory smiled

  “Well, it’s just that I stumbled onto this really old horse path in Alley Pond Park.”

  “Horse path? Sounds like horse shit!” Nick laughed at his own joke.

  Finn tried to ignore the comment and continued. “This horse path becomes an old underground tunnel that runs under the parkways and ends near Union Turnpike.”

  Rory’s eyes expressed confusion.

  “Near the end of the tunnel,” Finn explained, “there is a vent in the wall, and this vent extends a little over three hundred feet.”

  Rory shrugged, “So?”

  Finn returned the shrug. “It’s just that the vent comes up under the location where the armored car depot used to be.”

  “What exactly are you saying?” Rory asked.

  Finn shook his
head. “It’s probably nothing. It’s just that this could have been a way that the money could have disappeared out of the depot without anyone knowing.”

  Rory sat up straight and his eyes widened.” “Oh my God, Finn, do you think…”

  Finn raised both hands and shook his head. “Don’t go overboard with this, Rory. Like I said, it’s probably nothing.”

  When the trio of visitors said their goodbyes, Finn had no intention of addressing Nick with a farewell. Finn passed through the heavy steel door and intended to proceed through the waiting room without stopping. As he reached the waiting room door, his exit was delayed by a voice from behind.

  “Hey, you!”

  Finn wheeled about to find Nick’s thick index finger several inched from his face.

  “What’s wrong with you, man?” Nick wagged his finger menacingly. “Don’t you think this dude has enough problems without you playing detective and getting his hopes up.”

  In reality, Finn wanted no part of a problem with Nick. If he had cultivated his tattooed biker look to intimidate, then his efforts were a resounding success – at least on Finn. Despite his reservations, however, even Finn had a breaking point.

  “What’s your problem, man?” Finn stood his ground and attempted his best icy glare.

  “Wassup, bro?” Nick countered. “Come get some, dude. I’ll smash your face.”

  Before any further exchange, verbal or physical, Kevin stepped between the two antagonists. “OK, boys, I think that’s enough or we’ll all end up in an empty cell.” Kevin pulled Finn by the arm to the opposite side of the waiting room and pushed him down in a chair.

  Nick continued through the waiting room door, but hesitated before exiting the room. “I’ll be looking for you.” He pointed a menacing finger again at Finn and then he was gone.

  Finn slapped his hands on his thighs. “What the hell was that all about?”

  “I don’t know,” Kevin shrugged. “Some people just hate for no reason. Maybe you just have a face that guy doesn’t like.”

  “Oh, that’s brilliant,” Finn exclaimed.

  “Well,” Kevin continued, “maybe you shouldn’t have brought up the tunnel to Rory.”