The Warning

by Michelle E Lowe

  “Jade visited you recently, didn’t she? I need to know what she said.”

  His reason for coming snapped her into focus.

  “Jesus, Nikolai, I can’t tell you over the phone. Where exactly are you?”

  “In the E.R. waiting room. I’m wearing a black hooded jacket.”

  “Oh, wearing that isn’t too inconspicuous,” she said sarcastically.

  “Please, it’s been a long day,” he said grimly.

  “I can’t let you in through the E.R. It’ll draw suspicion. Go out to the east parking garage. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Got it.”

  She ended the call and stood in place for a moment, her heart pounding so hard every beat pulsated inside her head. The phone shook in her trembling hand. She wasn’t afraid of her brother; she knew deep down he hadn’t killed anyone. It wasn’t even the threat of being arrested if she was caught with him that frightened her. She was scared because she didn’t know how to save him.

  Nikolai handed the phone back to the blind man. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” the old man said.

  He moved the phone into the man’s wandering hand. “Enjoy seeing again.”

  “Thanks. I think I will.”

  He went outside to the parking garage and stepped into the elevator. He pressed the only button available. In seconds, a ding rang above him just before the doors slid apart. Jean stood outside. To his relief, she seemed neither irritated nor upset. Instead, she threw herself on him.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she whispered. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

  He hugged her back, and for a moment, he felt safe.

  “I’m sorry I had to come here,” he said, still in her embrace. She pulled away from him. “I won’t be here long. If you’re caught with me, you could be arrested.”

  “Don’t bring too much good news,” she said with a half smile. “We can’t talk here. Anyone can come through and see us. Come on.”

  He followed her down the dim, gloomy hall, walking through what felt like Death Row.

  “I can’t believe you used the name McCoy,” she said over her shoulder.

  “I couldn’t use my own name. I’m just glad you caught onto it.”

  He’d used the name of a character from one of her favorite TV shows. She’d talked incessantly about the handsome actor who’d played Doctor John McCoy. In one of the earlier episodes, McCoy had saved a man who’d been run over by a pink Volkswagen Beetle. It was one of Jean’s favorite episodes because McCoy was vacationing at the beach and been shirtless most of the time.

  She swiped her security card through an automatic lock. When the light turned green, they re-entered the hospital. He kept his head bowed as he followed her through the white luminous hall, coughing and limping. She took him by the arm and pulled him into a room, shutting the door behind them.

  “It’s safe in here,” she said.

  She’d brought him into an examining room. A table covered by a sheet of thin sanitizing paper stood against the wall, a short counter nearby. A sink was on the left side of the room and a small TV was mounted in the upper right corner. The TV was tuned into Channel Eight News. Sakura was reporting live in front of Jade’s apartment building. Nikolai turned up the volume.

  “It’s been on the news all evening,” Jean said, walking up behind him. “The story has overshadowed the report about the bank explosion.”

  He said nothing in return, only listened to what Sakura said.

  “… to the building just behind me, is the very building where Jade Sho, Mayor Hiroshi Sho’s daughter, was allegedly murdered this evening by her boyfriend, Nikolai Crowe. Although Police Chief Howard Osborn has yet to give any comment about the investigation …”

  Jean placed her hand on his back. “It’s going to be all right.”

  Her touch triggered a sudden sharp pain, which spread throughout his back. He let out a hiss and arched away.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Don’t lie to me,” she snapped. “Let me take a look.”

  Before he could stop her, she lifted his jacket and shirt. Her eyes widened at the sight of the dark bruise stretching across his lower back. “What happened?”

  “I fell,” he said mildly.

  “You fell?” she said skeptically. “On what, a pole? It looks like you’ve been struck by something.”

  She lightly touched the discoloration, sending another radiating pain charging up his back. In response, he whipped around to face her. “It’s nothing, all right.”

  “Okay, fine,” she said, throwing up her hands. “Just trying to help.”

  His face softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get pissed.”

  She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know. But that bruise is pretty bad. Your sciatic nerve could be slightly inflamed.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It isn’t.” She went to the counter. “But it’s not life threatening. You need to put some ice on it. The cold will reduce the swelling and soothe your muscles.” She took four ice packs from the drawer of the counter. “Here, put one on now.”

  He took an ice pack and cracked it. It immediately cooled. He pressed it to his back, flinching at its bitter bite.

  She handed him a bottle of extra-strength Ibuprofen. “Take this for the pain. It’ll also serve as an anti-inflammatory.” He took the bottle and popped the cap with his thumb. “How did you know Jade came to my place?”

  “You asked me to fix the virus on your computer. I came by while you were at work and found the voodoo doll on your desk. Jade gave you that, didn’t she?”

  She waved her hand over the faucet sensor and filled a small paper cup with water. “Yes. She brought the doll as a gift. She said if I put it next to my monitor, it would protect the computer against viruses. I thought it was strange, like she knew I had problems with my computer.”

  “Did you ask her how she knew about your computer?”

  She handed him the paper cup. “Yeah, but all she said was that I ought to call you to repair it. She smiled when I told her you were coming by the next day. I took the doll and put it where she told me to—right next to the monitor.”

  He gave her a perplexed look. He’d given Jade the doll when they’d first started dating. It was just a stupid souvenir he’d bought in New Orleans years ago. It had absolutely nothing to do with computers. She never even had it on her own desk. He didn’t understand it. He threw two tablets into his mouth and washed them down. “Is that all she wanted? To give you the doll?”

  “No.”

  “What did she say?”

  She was silent a moment, as if gathering her thoughts about the day when Jade had visited. “She was crying and shaking. I thought she was having a mental breakdown.”

  “Because we broke up?”

  “Not just that. She … she seemed scared. Scared for her life.”

  “Why?”

  Jean shook her head. “She wouldn’t say.”

  “Why did she come to you and not me?”

  “I asked her the same thing and she said …” Jean stopped herself.

  “What?” he pressed. “What did she say?”

  Her grim expression shot icy chills through him. “She said she’d most likely not be around to tell you.”

  His mouth dropped. “What did she mean by that? Did she know something bad was going to happen to her?”

  “I don’t know. I tried asking her, but she wouldn’t say. It was like she was crying out for help but couldn’t bring herself to ask.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me she came over?”

  “She made me promise not to. She was very upset and said she needed to talk to someone. I wish I’d told you sooner. Maybe things would have been different.”

  He rubbed his arm as if the pain in his back had migrated up to it. “Why couldn’t she just come to me? I could have protected her.”

/>   And he would have, with every ounce of energy in him. He’d loved her more than he’d ever loved anyone else. He’d once confessed to Jean that he’d wanted to marry Jade, a commitment he’d never considered with anyone else before.

  “I think you were the one she was protecting, little brother.”

  He raised his head. “Why? What would I need protection from?”

  Her vacant expression told him she had no answer. “She kept saying, ‘I have a secret in my bedroom closet.’ She must have said it four or five times. It made no sense, and I couldn’t get her to explain it.”

  “She repeated it?”

  “Yes.”

  He lowered his head in thought before turning to the TV. The screen now showed his mug shot and a twenty thousand dollar reward. It occurred to him that Jade was sending him a message.

  “I didn’t kill her,” he said softly. “I’ve been set up, and I’m going to find out why.”

  “Here.”

  He turned as she handed over her hospital phone.

  “Take this; I have two of them. The phones are registered to the hospital, not to me, so no one will think to trace any calls or eavesdrop on our conversation.”

  He took the phone and logged the number of her other phone into it, then put it into his pants pocket.

  “Take this, too,” she said, handing over three hundred and forty dollars in cash. “It isn’t much, but it’ll be safer than credit cards.”

  He shoved the money into his back pocket. “Thanks again. I’ll call you when I find out something.”

  “Nikolai,” she called to him when he opened the door. He looked back and saw the concern in her eyes. “Be careful.”

  He smiled and brought the hood over his head. “I’ll do my best.”

  With nothing more to say, he turned and left the room, clipping someone on the shoulder as he walked out.

  “Sorry,” he said, going past with no more than a glance.

  “No problem,” the man said.

  He limped down the hall, heading for the door where he and Jean had previously entered the hospital. He kept his head bowed, not making eye contact with anyone.

  Behind him, the man he’d bumped into said, “Doctor Crowe?”

  “Yes?”

  Nikolai kept going, already forgetting the man, until he heard his own name.

  “Nikolai Crowe!”

  The man was eyeing him from down the hall. He immediately assumed he was an officer. “Oh shit,” he said before he took off running.

  The man gave chase. Doctors, nurses, and patients cleared the way as Nikolai flew past them. He skipped the door he and Jean had entered earlier, having no time to get inside the elevator before the man would catch up to him. Instead, he went to the next exit and slammed against the door to the stairwell.

  He thundered down the stairs. The man pursuing him ordered him to stop with the echoing sound of his footsteps rushing after him. Nikolai turned sharply at the switchback, thinking that if he could reach the bottom, he could disappear.

  He only needed to reach the door.

  He made another sharp turn to find himself in view of the door leading from the stairwell. He could hear the man closing in on him.

  The back heel of his boot slipped out from under him. He fell backwards, slamming against the concrete steps. His back exploded with fresh pain when he landed at the bottom, but adrenaline didn’t allow him to stay on the ground. He pulled himself to his feet and opened the door.

  He limped across the ramp of the parking garage to a concrete column. The burning pain in his lower back prevented him from going any faster than a walk. When he reached the column, he hid behind it. A second later, the man kicked the door open and stepped into the dim yellow light with a gun in his hand. Five cars were parked nearby, limiting any potential hiding places. The ramp leading to the city street was in view but remained a good distance away. If he headed for it, the man would spot him.

  He held his breath, afraid the slightest noise he made would be heard. The pain in his back was so intense it caused him to perspire. It took every ounce of willpower to remain against the pillar. He listened to the footsteps heading away from him. Looking to the next column, he calculated how many steps it would take for him to reach it. If he was right, and the man was heading in the opposite direction, he could leap-frog from one column to the next until he reached the exit and could vanish into the street.

  With no other option, he decided to take the risk. He breathed deeply and took his first step to the next column.

  “Hold it right there, Crowe,” the man ordered.

  He slowly turned to see the barrel of a Glock G17 9mm aimed at him.

  “Let me see your hands.”

  He raised them. “I didn’t kill her,” he said softly.

  “Just take it easy,” the man said, moving in. “Up against the column.”

  Nikolai turned and placed his hands on the cold concrete.

  “Paying a visit to your sister?”

  “Look, you caught me, all right?” he said irritably. “Just leave her out of this.”

  The man holstered his weapon and brought out his handcuffs. He pulled one of Nikolai’s hands behind his back where the previous cuff still gripped his wrists. “How did you break these?”

  “I’m Houdini reincarnated,” he answered sarcastically.

  Ignoring his wise lip, the man clamped his other wrist and began searching him. He discovered the phone, ice packs, money, and bottle of Ibuprofen.

  “Watch it!” he complained when the officer’s hand came near his back. “I’ve already been hit there by Mason. I don’t need you making it worse.”

  “What?”

  The man lifted his jacket and shirt and then uttered a hiss.

  “We’ll have someone take a look at this when we reach the station,” the man said, turning him around.

  “I didn’t kill her.”

  “Don’t tell it to me. I’m not the judge and jury.” Grabbing him by the arm, his expression became perplexed. “Where are the marks on your face?”

  Nikolai returned the puzzled expression. “What marks?”

  The man stared at him as if trying to find something that wasn’t there. Then Nikolai spied something behind him, which prompted the man to turn around.

  Ebenezer stood behind him. The officer tried drawing his gun, but Ebenezer yanked it out of his hand and tossed it away. Before the officer could take any other action, Eb lifted him from the ground and held by his belt and the nape of his neck.

  “No, Eb,” Nikolai exclaimed, “don’t kill him!”

  Ebenezer threw the man through the air, where he crashed onto the hood of a nearby parked car.

  “Christ! Is he dead?”

  Ebenezer snorted. “I didn’t throw him that hard.”

  Nikolai shot him an astounded look. “Didn’t throw him that hard? You just launched him twelve feet.”

  “Would you rather I allowed him to take you in?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not complaining.”

  Rousing, the officer let out a low, painful moan.

  Ebenezer took Nikolai by the wrists, breaking the chain to the handcuffs. “We have to go.”

  He looked at the two pairs of cuffs on both wrists. “I’m going to create some lame fashion statement with these.”

  He rushed over to the officer and searched his pockets. He found the property the man had seized and stuffed it back inside his own pockets. As he turned to leave, he felt a grip on his arm.

  “I will find you again.”

  “Why don’t you find the real killer?” he said, shaking off the man’s grip.

  Before the officer could gather the strength to get up, Nikolai picked the gun off the ground and vanished.

  “You followed me?” he asked Ebenezer when they reached the street.

  “I knew you were lying. You’re not too good at it, you know?”

  “Oh,” he said, throwing the gun into a trash can.

  “Shouldn’t you
keep the gun?”

  “We can’t keep a cop’s gun. They have GPS tracking. Besides, I’ve never fired one. I’d probably shoot myself before I shot anyone else.” He threw the officer’s cell phone into a sidewalk drainage sewer. When they rounded the corner of the hospital parking garage, he noticed a jumbo screen on one of the buildings unveiling his mug shot.

  “Damn it,” he said, lifting his hood over his head. “They’ve raised the reward to fifty grand.”

  “It’ll only go higher,” Ebenezer warned.

  “I know,” he said despairingly. “I know.”

  Chapter 10

  The sound of the couple trying to escape from their cords reached the other room.

  “I think the kids are restless,” the Replica said to the female lying beside him.

  “Yes. They’re frightened of us.”

  “I know. It’s only natural. I’ll see to them.”

  “No,” she said. “I’ll do it. I think they’re less afraid of me.”

  She got up from the bed and left the room, stepping into the darkness of the hall. At the corner, she headed for the master bedroom, only to stop and turn when feeling that someone else was near her. Twenty shoved a dagger into her throat, then held her by the back of the head, cracking her skull. The blade tore across her neck, nearly separating the head from her shoulders. Thick blood gurgled from her mouth as her body went slack. Twenty released her, dropping her body to the floor, where her limbs twitched before they fell motionless.

  Twenty admired his kill as Fifteen came up behind him. “Take care of the other one,” he ordered over his shoulder.

  The female Replica silently approached the guest room. Twenty stepped over the corpse and reached for the doorknob of the master bedroom. He opened it to find a couple tied to the bed. When the sensor lights came on, they began mumbling incoherently.

  “I’m no policeman,” he said, approaching them. He lowered the man’s gag.

  “Who are you? Please, don’t hurt us.”

  “Did they tell you who they were?”

  “Yes. Are you one of them, too?”

  Twenty said nothing, but left the bedroom. Behind him, the man cried out. “Hey! Untie us!”