“I should’ve grabbed another map so I could start fresh,” he complained. “This one is going to be a mess.”
That was such a Jack thing to worry about. I couldn’t help but smile. “I think we’ll muddle through. We don’t need to waste the paper of another map.”
He snorted. “Only you would worry about that.”
Hmm. Apparently we both had our “things” we worried about. We were opposites in some respects, but somehow we fit together. Sure, the fit wasn’t always comfortable, but it was exactly what both of us needed.
“I’ll help.” I settled on the floor next to him and grabbed a ruler. “What did you think about what happened at the church?”
Laura and Casey were on the back patio, drinking iced tea and chatting. If I had to guess, the conversation revolved around Jack and me — especially how much she hated me — but I didn’t care enough to check on them.
“I think Samuel wanted to help but didn’t feel as if he could because he’s the sort of man who wouldn’t forgive himself if he pointed us in the direction of the wrong man. I can’t really blame him. We don’t have a photograph of Liam, so ... it is what it is.”
“Not that part. I agree about Samuel. He’s the open sort and wants to help, even if he doesn’t believe.”
“I’m not so sure he doesn’t believe. In case you didn’t notice, he was very interested in what we were saying ... and he looked to you for answers. The only reason I took control is because I didn’t want you going overboard. If he’s terrified of what we’re telling him, he might not want to get involved.”
“I’m not offended, Jack. I thought I’d probably gone too far when I said it. I believed there was a chance you were angry with me.”
“I’m very rarely angry with you.”
I arched a dubious eyebrow. “Define ‘very rarely’?”
“There are times you do things that frustrate me,” he clarified. “Believe it or not, I have trouble being angry with you because you’re just so cute.” He poked my side. “But when you put yourself in danger I reserve the right to be angry. The other stuff, that’s just details, baby.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “You’re more easygoing than I first thought. I guess that’s because you have a tough exterior. Once you get past that, you’re kind of a Twinkie with a gooey center.”
“That’s always what I want people to think of me.” He was quiet for a moment as he watched me work, and then stirred. “If you weren’t talking about Samuel’s reaction to the demon bomb, what were you referencing at the church?”
“Alexander. He was obviously listening to us on the other side of the door. He’s all kinds of creepy.”
“I think he’s just set in his ways.”
“I think it’s more than that, but it doesn’t matter. Okay, this is what I’ve come up with. The first pentagram has all but one point. The other one is missing two.”
Jack studied the map. “You were right. It’s two pentagrams. He’s working on two pentagrams. That is ... so smart.” He smacked a loud kiss against my cheek. “I always knew you were a genius. We need to map the other two points. We might be able to track Liam at one of those points, but we’ll have to split up to do it.”
“And make sure Rick is aware,” I added as I started adding dashes to find the points. It was at the fifth point of the second pentagram that I stopped. “Look at this, Jack.”
He stared at the map as I pointed. “What am I looking at?”
“It’s a bar downtown. The Down & Dirty.”
He stiffened beside me and raised his chin. “That was the card you found in the Bible.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think that’s the next place he wants to hit?”
“I guess it depends on if there’s someone specific he wants there ... or maybe an apartment across the road.”
“It’s definitely worth a look.” He planted a hard kiss on my mouth and then scrambled to stand. “That’s three points we need to monitor tonight. We’ll take the Down & Dirty. We’ll have the others split up and take the other locations. “I wasn’t joking when I said you were a genius, Charlie. You are amazing.”
I went warm all over. “I am pretty good, huh?”
“The best.”
Twenty-Seven
Jack looked up the Down & Dirty and found that it had a unique reputation.
“That’s a strip club.” I was looking over his shoulder and was horrified by the photos I saw on his computer screen. “I can’t go to a strip club.”
“It’s a strip club for couples,” he corrected. “That makes it a ... different ... experience.”
He was obviously shining me on. “I’m not going to a strip club.” I was adamant. “I just ... wait. If it’s for couples, do they expect me to get up there and strip? I’m not doing that. If other people are stripping, I’ll go.”
He chuckled. “That was a quick turnaround. And, no, you’re not stripping. I think we can both agree on that. I believe some of the women get into the act, but I’ve never been to one of these establishments. I’ve only heard about them.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “No offense, Jack, but you know a lot about these establishments you claim to have never been to.”
“I know people.”
That seemed a lame excuse, but we hardly had time for an argument. “So we have to go as a couple. We won’t have to worry about the others. If something happens, that’s probably best.”
His eyes were thoughtful as he slid them to me. “We need to talk about that. What do you plan to do if we find him?”
The question caught me off guard. “What do you mean?”
“I’m guessing he’s going to need to be taken out, Charlie. It’s not as if he can be rehabilitated. Besides, police officers will have no idea what to do with him.”
“He definitely has to be taken out,” I agreed, rolling my neck as I thought. Part of my mind was on what I was going to wear to the strip club. The other part was trying to unsnarl the busy strands of my brain when it came to potential battle. “I think the only way to free the ghosts is to kill him. I mean ... I’m by no means an expert, but that’s what makes sense to me.”
Jack hesitated a moment before barreling forward. “Should we call Harley? She might be helpful. She was with the zombies.”
That was true. Unfortunately, a relationship with Harley came with strings. “Do you want to owe her more than dinner? We can’t ask for her help. She appeared out of nowhere and volunteered it in New Orleans.”
Jack cocked his head, contemplating, and then shook it. “No. I don’t want to owe her more than I already do. Dinner will be painful enough.”
Actually, I was looking forward to dinner. I thought it had the potential to be amusing ... and then some. “I think we have to do it ourselves.”
“Right.” He moved to the gun case he kept in the closet and removed it. He was always prepared but didn’t feel the need to always be armed, which was something I admired about him. He kept the case locked so nobody could get at his weapon, and when he removed the revolver my heart gave a little lurch. “Can he be shot?”
He was asking questions I couldn’t answer. “I’m sure he can be. Whether the bullets will do him any harm is up for debate. I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Yeah, well ... .” He heaved out a sigh. “I’ll be careful. I very much doubt a strip club will let me in armed, so I’ll keep it in the rental.”
“And I’m always armed,” I reminded him.
“You are,” he agreed. “The thing is, I don’t want this always falling on you. This is bound to be a busy place and if someone sees ... .”
He didn’t have to finish. It was his worst fear. I don’t know what terrified him in the dark corners of his mind before I came into his life, but I understood I had taken the reins of that particular stagecoach at this point. He was convinced if someone found out what I could do they would take me. It was a fear I always lived with but vowed not to let take me over
. He was going to have to unclench a bit.
“I appreciate that, Jack, but in this particular case I don’t see that we have many options. He can’t live. Women are dying. We need to try to lure him away from the bar.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“Me. I’m his type. If he sees me alone, he’ll give chase.”
Jack growled. “You’re not using yourself as bait.”
“What other choice do we have?”
“We’ll think of something.”
“Jack.” Exasperation took me over.
“We’ll think of something,” he repeated. “I’m not okay putting you in danger. I believe you’re strong and capable. I would never say otherwise. But you can’t get me to be okay with you purposely putting yourself in danger. I won’t let that happen.”
It was a step too far, but he would have to get used to it before the end of the night. For now, though, I would cede to his need for order. “We’ll figure something out,” I agreed. “I need to decide what to wear. What does one wear to a strip club?”
His smile was back. “I’ll leave that up to you. I suggest dressing so you don’t stand out, though. The last thing we want to do is draw attention to ourselves.”
That made sense ... but sounded like zero fun.
JACK WAS STILL SHAKING HIS HEAD about my choice of outfits when we parked around the corner from the bar.
“I don’t understand how you managed to find leather pants,” he complained.
“They’re vinyl,” I corrected. “I found them at one of the shops by the hotel. They have shark teeth on the butt and urge you to take a bite out of Folly Beach. I thought they would be perfect for a strip club.”
Jack’s expression told me I might’ve guessed wrong on that front. “I don’t think you wearing leather — er, vinyl — pants will help us fly under the radar. Everybody will be looking at your butt.”
“Are you going to be looking at my butt?”
“I always look at your butt. I just make sure you’re not looking at my butt at the time because I figure if our pervert tendencies overlap the world will end.”
I choked on a laugh. I was beyond amused. “That is ... funny. It’s also likely true.”
“It’s definitely true,” he agreed. “Just ... stick close to me once we’re inside, okay? It’s important that we’re not separated.”
“I have no intention of being separated from you.”
“That means you have to lay off the liquids because I can’t go into the restroom with you.”
“That’s never going to be a thing no matter how comfortable we get with one another. You’ve been warned.”
“So noted.”
Jack kept close once we were on the sidewalk. He’d agonized when it came to deciding where we should park. Ultimately he chose a spot that was a decent way from the bar simply because he thought there was a chance Liam would recognize the rental. It was a trade-off. He wouldn’t be close to his weapon, but we’d be unobtrusive. I knew he was nervous about it, but there was nothing more we could do.
“I hate to admit it — and I might deny it later if I have to get into a fight to protect your honor — but the shark teeth on your butt are ridiculously hot,” he admitted as he stood behind me on the sidewalk. “I mean ... so freaking hot. It should be outlawed.”
I cast a look over my shoulder and grinned. “Oh, you’re so sweet. I ... .” I frowned when a shadow emerged from the darkness behind us. “Get out of the way!” I shoved Jack as hard as I could and stepped in front of him, coming face to face with Liam. “Don’t touch him.” There was venom in my tone. “I’ll rip you apart if you touch him.”
Liam merely sighed. “I have no intention of hurting him. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I’m here to help you.”
That sounded unlikely. “How are you going to help us?”
Jack was back in the thick of things within seconds. “What the hell, Charlie?” he complained, incredulous. “That is not working as a team. We talked about this.”
“We’ll have to argue about that later,” I shot back. “For now, we have a different problem.”
Jack recovered quickly. “Oh, right.” He pinned Liam with a dark look. “We’re here to end your life, demon. How do you want it to go?”
My mouth dropped open as I slid him a sidelong look. “And people think I say stupid things.”
Instead of reacting with anger or threats, Liam merely shook his head. “I’m not a demon. We need to talk.”
“About you not being a demon?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’m definitely not a demon, We’re looking for the same thing. I ... can we please sit down and talk? I promise I won’t do whatever it is you think I’m going to do if you promise to not kill me. I really do think we can help each other.”
Jack didn’t look convinced. “Fine.” He gestured toward a small outdoor patio for a restaurant that was closed. The picnic tables in front of it remained in place. “We can talk over there. If you move on Charlie, ... .” The threat was more inventive because he didn’t finish it.
“I don’t want to move on Charlie. I promise.”
“Then let’s talk.”
ONCE WE WERE SITUATED AT ONE of the tables — Jack and me on one side and Liam on the other — conversation ground to a halt. It appeared none of us knew how to proceed. Finally, Jack took control.
“If you’re not a demon, what are you?” he boldly asked.
“A man,” Liam replied. “I’m just a man.”
“You’re obviously more than that,” I pressed. “You know things. You’re here. You don’t really exist.”
“I exist. I’m just not who I said I was. Although ... I didn’t really lie all that much to you when we first crossed paths. Most of it was true.”
“You can’t live on Drum Island,” I shot back.
He chuckled hollowly. “No, and I didn’t realize that when I told the lie. That was pointed out to me by a local the same day I met you two. I need you to know that I didn’t zero in on you because I wanted to hurt you, Charlie. I wanted to protect you. I realized right away that you would be an enticing target for the incubus.”
“How do you know what it is?” Jack asked, his hands resting on the table. It was clear he was ready to spring into action should Liam make a move. That was starting to seem unlikely. I wasn’t always the best judge of character — I wanted to see the best in people — but something about Liam’s demeanor told me he was telling the truth.
“I conducted a lot of research on the topic,” he replied. “You see ... my sister Elizabeth was one of the first victims in Boston. That was more than a year ago. Even though the medical examiner told me she likely died of natural causes — even though they couldn’t narrow the reason down — I knew that wasn’t right.
“Liz was ... healthy,” he explained, his voice plaintive. “She took care of herself, went to the doctor regularly, and if there was something wrong she would’ve known. She wasn’t the sort of person who just dies in her sleep.”
“I hate to break it to you, but people die in their sleep all the time,” Jack pointed out. “Still, I’m sorry for your loss. You had to have more than an assumption when you embarked on this journey, though. That couldn’t have been enough.”
“We were twins,” Liam explained. “Liam and Liz. That’s my real first name. My last name is Peterson.”
Jack removed his phone from his pocket and started typing. After a few moments he nodded. “Here she is. Elizabeth Peterson. She was your sister?”
“She was,” Liam confirmed, nodding. “She was also my best friend. We were unbelievably tight. I was rocked by her death. I wouldn’t believe what the medical examiner told me and I was determined to find a different answer.
“I started following the obituary reports and noticed a trend consisting of young women who looked a lot like my sister dying in their sleep,” he continued. “I started tracking and realized what I was dealing with after a lot of research. Even
then I wasn’t sure I could trust my instincts. Not until I found him on the streets of Boston one night. I was chasing one of his pentagrams and lucked out.”
I slid a glance to Jack. “We were right about the pentagrams.”
“You were right,” he corrected, his gaze never leaving Liam’s face. “You’re saying that you’ve seen this creature. Do you know who it is?”
“That’s the thing. He can change his looks. I didn’t realize that at first. I found this guy named Travis Jones. He was a real man. The incubus killed him and took over his identity. I fought him and thought I won — Travis’s body was even discovered by the police a few days later even though I ran that night because I didn’t want to be arrested — and I thought it was over.”
Sympathy washed over me. “When did you realize he’d simply changed cities?”
“It wasn’t that easy for me,” Liam replied. “When the police discovered his body, he’d been dead for months. That’s what the media reports said. I thought there must’ve been a mistake. I mean … how was that even possible? I thought maybe the demon reanimated a corpse or something ... and then I heard what was happening in Atlantic City.
“I set up a Google alert to track unexplained deaths of women and then hand sorted them. A lot started coming in from Atlantic City. That’s when I knew that I hadn’t really killed him despite the knife I’d plunged into his chest. He’d simply moved on and changed his identity.
“I loved my sister. I mean ... she was important to me. I made a promise to catch her killer. So I picked up stakes and followed. I got close again in Atlantic City, when he was going by the name Jerry Trawley. Then again in Virginia Beach when he was Mark Tremblay. I’ve been in Charleston for two weeks. I’m always behind because I have to wait for the death reports before I can move.
“Once I’m in a city, I follow the pentagram points,” he explained. “I figure that’s what you were doing last night. But when I first saw you, I thought maybe Jack was the incubus. You’re the creature’s type, Charlie. That’s why I attached myself to you that day at the bar. That’s why I followed you the day you kayaked out on the water … although I panicked when I thought you saw me and took off. I was trying to protect you from the start.”
[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse Page 26