Bloodstone: Written in Stone

by R. J. Ladon

  Annie batted her eyes at Kevin, then shrugged. “He’s good at what he does. You’re…” she touched Kevin’s cheek, “…nothing but a pretty face, and an amateur, and, well, a girl has needs.” Annie laughed.

  Kevin backed up, bumping into a kid eating at a different table. Even her touch was different, repugnant. What was wrong with him?

  “Look, I think you’ve made him mad,” Tony said. “Let’s go to my car and make out.”

  Annie smiled at Kevin and shrugged. She slipped her arm around Tony’s waist, and the couple left the lunchroom, in total comfort, like they were lovers for years.

  More confused than hungry, Kevin left his food and exited in the opposite direction.

  Kevin sat on the stoop outside the gymnasium, his back to the glass doors. He listened to the dull sound of basketballs striking the floor or bouncing off backboards.

  The unpredictable thuds helped Kevin think. What the hell was going on? He cast a spell for Ruby last night, and things changed. Why don’t I care about Annie, like I did yesterday? I was all but prepared to die for her. I was going to go to her house and make love to her. Kevin shuddered. He didn’t want anything to do with her. She was poison; he could feel it, smell it, taste it. Tony could have her.

  The door behind him swung open quickly, striking the wall. “You’re a hard person to find.”

  Kevin turned; it was Megan. She looked different too. Cleaner, no, that wasn’t right. Clearer. Yes, I can see her more clearly. Like she was hidden in shadow before. Hidden? Kevin closed his eyes and shook his head again. He rubbed his head with his fingers, half expecting to feel bumps and bruises of an injury.

  Megan plopped down on the stoop beside him. “My father wants to see your stone. He says if it is genuine, he would like to buy it. It could be worth millions. I was shocked.”

  Kevin opened his eyes. “Wait a minute. What?” He looked critically at Megan. Her clothing was not lavish or expensive. Nothing fancy, no brand names. Nothing to show off her shape. Nothing beautiful like Annie owned. Nothing like Annie used to flaunt her sexuality. Instead, Megan looked sincere, honest, courageous, and beautiful in her own way. “Your father wants to buy my stone for millions?”

  Megan nodded. A smile plastered on her face. “Yes, can you believe it?”

  “No, actually, I can’t.” Kevin put his face into his hands. He shook his head, trying to clear it. “Does your family have that kind of money?”

  Megan’s smile fell. She stood and backed away from Kevin, pulling on her plain sweatshirt and crossing her arms. “Of course, we don’t.” She stepped on the stoop and opened the door. “The museum is interested. My father would broker the deal.” She walked through the door and let it slam shut behind her.

  “I’m sorry,” Kevin shouted at the closed door. But Megan didn’t hear; she was on the other side of the doors and hurrying away.

  Chapter 20

  M egan ran down the hall, away from Kevin and the thumping basketballs. What was he thinking? Why would he say that? Everyone was acting strange today, including him.

  From the time she walked in the door, people stared at her. At first, she thought she was delusional, but she caught them from the corner of her eyes a few times. It was creepy. Maybe they found out she was at Bonnie’s house when the attack happened.

  Was Bonnie alright? Megan sighed. She hadn’t heard anything, nor would she while at school. She went to the office. Mrs. Renfro was at the counter. Perfect. “I’m leaving early. I can’t concentrate today,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “Little surprise there, with what happened to Bonnie.” Mrs. Renfro leaned forward as if Megan would fill her in on the details.

  “Does everyone know?” Megan placed her laptop on the chest-high counter.

  “Only what was on the news this morning, dear.” Mrs. Renfro smiled. “No one knows everything except Bonnie and, perhaps, you. You were there, weren’t you? You and Bonnie are as thick as thieves.”

  Megan nodded. She let a tear slip down her cheek. “I don’t know how she’s doing. I don’t know if she’ll live. They said they would call, but I haven’t heard anything.” She wrung her hands helplessly.

  “You poor, dear. I bet you’d feel better if you went to see Bonnie.”

  Megan nodded. “But, my father…” her lip trembled.

  “There’s no reason for your father to know. I’ll make sure you’re marked present for the rest of your classes.” Mrs. Renfro made a tsking sound, disapproving of Megan’s father. “Now, you go and see your friend, and let me know how she’s doing.”

  “I will. Thank you.” Megan threw a pathetic smile at Mrs. Renfro. She collected her laptop and left out the front doors.

  After driving for thirty minutes, the hospital complex loomed before Megan. Various sized buildings and parking lots intertwined, creating the heart of the hospital. The pristine grounds were covered in trees, sculptures, flowers, benches, and meandering trails. The hospital’s core belief was that healing started with nature. Staff and volunteers guided the sick and injured along the trails while some patients participated in yoga and Tai Chi. Inside were more trees and plants for those who could not leave the buildings.

  Megan found Bonnie’s room on the third floor. A police officer with Timms written on his nametag stood outside Bonnie’s door.

  The officer stopped Megan. “Name?”

  “Megan Petrov.”

  The man looked at a tablet. “I see. Do they know you’re coming?”

  “I don’t know. Probably not.”

  Officer Timms grumbled then knocked on the closed door. “Visitor?” A moment later, the door opened, and Bonnie’s mom peered out.

  “Goodness, Megan. Why didn’t you call?” Mrs. Schumacher beckoned for Megan to enter the room. The officer closed the door after her. Bonnie’s mom took the chair next to the bed.

  “I left school early so I could see Bonnie. I didn’t think to call.” Megan shrugged. Bonnie was in bed, lying on her back. Her legs were in a sling, with a weight attached. Bonnie appeared to be sleeping or drugged. “Is she alright?”

  “Her back is broken, but there was no damage to the spinal cord. She must be quiet and still for a week. Then they’ll x-ray again to determine if surgery is needed, or if she’s healing well on her own.” Mrs. Schumacher moved some hair out of Bonnie’s face. “They sedated her. But it doesn’t matter. She doesn’t move much when she’s awake.” Mrs. Schumacher moved Bonnie’s phone and rested her arm on the table.

  “Oh,” Megan was disappointed. She wanted to talk to her friend.

  “The doctors say the prognosis is good.” Mrs. Schumacher smiled. “I’m glad you were there that night. She could have been in worse shape.”

  “Worse?” Megan frowned. Wasn’t this bad enough? “Is that why there’s an officer outside her door?”

  Bonnie’s mom nodded, sobbing. “They don’t know why she was attacked. They’re afraid there could be another.”

  Megan knew why Bonnie was targeted. Annie. They started digging into Annie’s past. Bonnie must have found something. Megan frowned. Something worth killing for. Her thoughts turned to her father and his paranoia that teetered on the insane. Something in Annie’s life pushed her to that point too. But what?

  Megan went to Bonnie’s side and grasped her hand. She leaned forward and whispered to Bonnie, “I will find Annie’s dirty little secret and take her down.” She stayed in that position for a few minutes hoping Bonnie would respond.

  Megan stood and made for the door.

  “Leaving already? But you’ve just arrived.” Mrs. Schumacher moved to the door as if to block Megan’s escape.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m scared. Scared for my daughter. Scared for my husband. Scared for the future.” Tears streamed unabated down her cheeks. Her hands went to her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

  Megan stood glued to the spot. Her father acted irrationally from time to time, but he never became a sobbing mess. Not like this. Te
ntatively, Megan stepped toward Mrs. Schumacher and placed her arms around the woman she hardly knew.

  Bonnie’s mom leaned into the hug, sobbing even more. Eventually, she ran out of tears. Sniffles filled Megan’s ears.

  How could Annie have this kind of power? The longer Megan stayed, the angrier she became. What started as a harmless game turned very serious. Megan directed Mrs. Schumacher to a reclining chair and settled her in place, covering her with a blanket.

  Megan looked from mother to daughter. How could she help? Nikolai would know. She opened the door to leave only to have the officer stare back.

  “My superiors want you to make a statement.” The officer said.

  “Are you asking me to stay?”

  “Yes.” The man shrugged. “Wait in there.” The officer indicated Bonnie’s room.

  “They’re sleeping. I’ll sit out here.” Megan sat in a chair relatively close to the officer. The small table next to the chair had some magazines on it. She picked one and riffled through the pages. After a few minutes, a blonde woman in a brown pencil skirt approached.

  “Megan Petrov?”

  Megan nodded.

  The woman pointed to a man in jeans and a button-up shirt. “This is Detective Karter Stanton, and I’m Detective Leanna Wayne.” The man lifted his jaw to Megan.

  “No offense, lady, but weird things have been going on. I’ll need to see your ID.” Megan closed the magazine and leaned back in the chair. Artem and Nikolai taught Megan her rights from a very early age. At any other time, she would deny the detectives any conversation until she had a lawyer present, but she was curious, and they seemed lax.

  The detectives displayed their badges.

  “What can I do for you?” Megan asked.

  “We need you to make a statement about the events that occurred last night,” Detective Wayne said.

  Megan held up her finger. “One minute, please.” She entered Bonnie’s room and picked up her friend’s phone, returning to the hallway. “Okay, where did you want to talk?”

  “At the station,” the woman said.

  “Am I being charged with a crime?” Megan asked.

  “No,” Detective Stanton unwrapped a piece of gum and popped it in his mouth. His partner frowned at him.

  “Then here will be fine. I want to be nearby if Bonnie needs me.”

  The detectives agreed. “Where?”

  Megan remembered passing an alcove on her way to see Bonnie. She led the detectives there. The doorway opened into a sitting area set inside a corner of the building. The windows were tinted, but the trees and park-like setting were beautiful. The room itself was small, with clusters of barrel chairs and ferns scattered in groups. Megan chose a chair that faced the entrance, opened Bonnie's phone, activated a recording program, and set it on a small table.

  The detectives watched her. “What’s that for?”

  “Miranda rights apply to you too.” Megan smiled and pressed record. “I don’t like being misquoted.”

  “Clearly, you have a better assessment of your rights than the average citizen,” Detective Wayne stated.

  Megan offered nothing and waited for their questions.

  The detectives sat in the chairs opposite Megan. “Can you describe the events that occurred last night between the hours of three and six in the afternoon?” Detective Stanton looked at Megan expectantly.

  “Without counsel to advise me? No.” Megan shook her head.

  “Look, all we’re trying to do is understand the timeline of the events.” The woman smiled sweetly. “Don’t you want the person who attacked your friend to come to justice?”

  Megan frowned. “This line of questioning is open-ended. Either ask me a direct question, or I am leaving.”

  The woman frowned in return. “How did the man on the sidewalk die?”

  “I am not a pathologist. That’s a question your coroner should answer.” Megan shrugged.

  The detectives looked at each other, expressions unreadable. From behind them, a figure entered the room from the hallway. It was the man from the Honda Civic. Megan stiffened.

  “Excuse me, Detectives. Officer Timms told me you were interviewing Megan Petrov.” The man looked from the detectives to Megan and winked. “This is ill-advised.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Detective Wayne stood and stepped closer to him. Detective Stanton was slower to get to his feet.

  The man pulled his badge and gave it to them. “Johnny Conner.”

  Detective Wayne studied the badge then shoved it into Johnny’s chest. “AKG? I’ve heard stories about you guys taking over investigations.” She shook her head as if uncertain. “Is that what you’re doing here? You’ve no right.”

  “You’ll find that it’s you that’s lacking rights. Megan here is under the protection of the United States Asylum laws. You will have to go through the right channels to interview her. Which, I suspect you haven’t. That means anything you gathered today is inadmissible.” Johnny put his badge away. “Second, you have no case. The bodies you had in the freezer were reported missing, among other anomalies.”

  Detective Wayne frowned. “That’s right. Now I remember the stories. Seems that weird brings AKG out of the woodwork. Like cockroaches.” Her lip curled, and she punched Stanton’s arm. “Damn it, Stanton, you need to back me up.”

  Detective Stanton grabbed his arm. “Hey. What do you want me to do?”

  Detective Wayne rolled her eyes. “Nevermind.” She pointed at Johnny. “We’re not going to take the back seat on this one. I don’t care if AKG is international. We’re going straight to the top.”

  “Sorry, detectives, only doing my job.”

  Detective Wayne flipped him off. “So are we.” She left the waiting area with detective Stanton following in her wake.

  Megan sat rooted to her chair. She slipped the phone off the table and put it in her pocket while the recording app still ran.

  Johnny turned and dug into his pocket, withdrawing an envelope. He tossed it on the table. “Nice trick, but next time make sure they are silver or, better yet, jade.” He nodded, then left the room.

  Megan snatched the envelope, opening it. The two needles from her jacket were inside.

  Chapter 21

  M egan drove back to Avalon, stopping at Nikolai’s gym. She pulled into the parking lot to see one car. Nikolai ought to be alone. She entered the building and stepped up to the empty front desk.

  A few moments later, Nikolai emerged from one of the many doors that lined the waiting room. “Megan, you’re not scheduled today.”

  “I’m not here for training. I need the name of a good hacker. Someone I can trust.”

  “Megan, Megan,” Nikolai shook his head and placed his arms around her. “You know I trust all my contacts. That trust can be extended to you. I would never let any harm come to you.” He kissed her forehead then led her through the door he emerged from.

  Nikolai had a small apartment within the gym. In the first section was a wall of cabinets. From one, he pulled out a cell phone. Inside were ten or more, waiting to be used. She assumed they were burner phones.

  Nikolai punched in a number from memory. “It’s me, Nik. I have a favor to ask. I see. No, it is for a dear friend. Okay.” He handed the phone to Megan.

  Megan placed the phone to her ear. “Hello,” she said tentatively.

  “No need for pleasantries. Tell me what you need.” The voice was American and female, probably from the northwest region.

  “I need the background of Annie Brown, Avalon, Wisconsin. She’s eighteen, give or take. Be careful.”

  “I always am. I’ll give my findings to Nikolai.” She hung up.

  Megan handed the phone back. “Now what?”

  “Now, we wait.” He put the phone back in the cabinet and waved Megan into his apartment. “Come sit, tell me what’s happening.”

  Megan sat on the purple loveseat facing the small television. Nikolai sat in the wooden rocker, leaning forward, expectant. She sighed
. He trusted her. She could be honest with him, even if her father would get involved in one way or another. “Remember the other day when I asked you about removing a threat at the school?”

  Nikolai frowned with concentration. “Um, yes. I suggested an accident. Did I not?”

  Megan nodded. “And research.” She shook her head. “Bonnie was attacked last night. And all we did was research.”

  “You are certain it was the ‘threat’?”

  “Yes, the attacker gave a verbal message, giving a name to the threat.”

  Nikolai leaned back in the rocker, pushing himself back and forth by lifting and dropping his toes. “It’s never wise to trust information from an attacker when it is freely given.”

  “I agree, but I believe he thought we were going to die.”

  “Is there anyone else who knows you were researching this threat?”

  “Me, Bonnie, and you.”

  “Where was this research done?”

  Megan frowned as she made a realization. “Bonnie’s home or the library. Both would have pointed back to her address.”

  “Instances like these are why I leave the research to others. Then there is no trail back to me.” Nikolai steepled his fingers.

  “There was no reason to think we were in danger. The threat goes to high school with us.”

  “You go to that school.” Nikolai pointed out. “Technically, you are just as dangerous, maybe even more so than this threat of yours. If you can be trained, so can others.” He looked at her down his nose.

  Megan understood. She had become complacent and trusting of her place in school. “This is America,” she protested. “It’s supposed to be safe here.”

  “Is it?” Nikolai folded his arms. “You’ve gotten soft. You were unprepared. You had a friend who was a burden in a time of crisis. You didn’t consider the threat to be real. It was just a game to you.” Nikolai shook his head, disappointed. “We’ve taught you better than that.”

  Nikolai was right. She failed Bonnie. A tear ran down her cheek. “This is bigger than one threat.” Megan looked at him. “I killed a man, and Bonnie’s dad killed the other. But the bodies are missing from the morgue.”