The Road to Lazarus (The First book in the diaries of Lazarus House)

by Patrick T. McAlister

  Meagan looked at him once they had all gone. Marching straight over to Gabriel, she smacked him hard on the back of his head. “What the hell Gabriel! How do I cover your ass for this?” She demanded!! “You don’t” was his calm reply as he rubbed the back of his head. “It was a clean shoot and when the detectives arrive I will say so.”

  She looked over at the biker. He looked like something that should have been a prop in a horror movie more than an actual human being. Gabriel took Ravens hand gently and led her to sit on the couch. Meagan joined both of them. Gabriel began to explain to Raven how he and Meagan knew each other.

  She had dated Michael back when they were young teens. In this area of the city he always knew that she would be one of the first cops on the scene. She was a good cop, fair to all until it was time to not be, he explained. Like Raven she had been involved in a shoot-out that went bad for the others involved.

  Out of the blue, Raven looked at Meagan and asked her, “Are you sleeping with Gabriel?” Both Meagan and Gabriel stifled their laughter at the question. “Oh Wow.” They both replied. “Hell no!! We aren’t.” “Meagan and I are just old friends, we can trust each other. Plus, she tends to keep me out of the Sheriff’s spotlight when I do some of my work in the area.” Looking quickly at Meagan he continued. “I may have just made her job harder but when her boss calls your boss and they realize they both worked with Fred or Dennis at some point in the past, they’ll back off. Besides, they know this is going to get much worse real quick.” Seeing Ravens look of confusion he added “When the media learns that a Motorcycle gang attacked an off duty female officer in her own home. This will be small compared to what will be coming down the line”.

  The detectives, crime lab, and coroner all arrived at once including the Under Sheriff. As soon as he saw Gabriel and Meagan he rolled his eyes smiling. “Gabriel, I see you still don’t play nice with the boys, but the ladies sure think you’re great!” They all laughed briefly.

  Raven looked around her place knowing she would be moving soon. Maybe she could just find another apartment in this complex, she thought briefly. Then, picturing her landlord, she knew that would never happen in a million years. “I need to call a hotel or something then figure out how to secure my place until I can get a u-haul.” she said to the group as she looked around at the disaster area that was her apartment. She stood and walked to the table where she had tossed her phone and keys earlier. As her hand closed around the phone it began to ring. It was Dennis checking in on her.

  Raven assured him she was fine and promised she would call him when she had found a place to settle for the night. He replied, “Please do partner, stick with Gabriel he is a good man. Deputy Goodman is great people as well.” Raven hit the end button on her blackberry, looking back at Gabriel and Meagan. She let out a tired sigh as she began gathering personal items to take with her. Gabriel asked “Any idea where you’re going to stay?” “I have no clue at this point,” was her reply.

  Meagan and Gabriel looked at each another then back at Raven. Meagan spoke softly “Take her to the house Gabriel. It’s the safest place she can be right now. No one knows it is even there.”

  Gabriel walked to where Raven is standing still holding her phone. Quietly he asked “How do you feel about an ocean view?” Her instant reply was a resounding yes!! “Then grab a few things you need, throw some clothes in a bag and get your car ready. I have a place that you can stay indefinitely.”

  Taking a step away from Raven, Gabriel took out his cell and began speaking quietly. As he ended the call he looked across the room at Meagan. ”The crew is on the way” As he looked at Raven he could see things were starting to sink in. She was pale; her hands were beginning to shake. Stepping to her, he gently took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. Speaking firmly but gently he tells her “Once we get where we’re going you will have all the time you need to digest what’s just happened. But right now, you need to get your stuff together, grab some clothes, the movers will be here in ten minutes.” “How do you get a moving crew here in ten minutes?” she asks. He smiles at her with a wink. “Does it really matter? They’re on the way.”

  The coroner and the guys from the crime lab had gathered everything they needed over the last couple of hours. The bodies were on the gurneys, ready for transport to the morgue. The evidence, bagged and tagged, was now being put into containers and sealed with evidence tape. The final step was the CSI in charge having the detective sign off on the chain of evidence form. As everyone began leaving the apartment the detective came over to the group and let them know he had what he needed. He handed his card to both Raven and Gabriel. Gabriel reached in his pocket and gave his to the Detective. As he crossed the threshold he saw four men in the hallway with sheets of plywood and moving equipment.

  In under a half hour the crew had secured the apartment and had all of her furniture and personal belongings loaded on the truck. Standing in the empty apartment a single tear slid down Raven’s cheek. It was all so overwhelming. Gabriel wiped it away with the softest touch she had ever felt. “Are you ready to follow me?” She said “yes” as she looked around at yet another closed chapter in her life.

  Gabriel spoke briefly with the head of the crew as they shook hands. They knew where to go and would be there as quickly as traffic permitted. Gabriel told the crew leader he will have the transfer truck parked with the keys in it so they can offload as soon as they arrive. Turning, he hugged Meagan and thanked her for keeping the wolves at bay. Then he turned to Raven, takes a few of her bags and motions her toward the elevator. Down in the parking garage they load her things into the trunk of her Mustang. Closing the trunk with a bang he looked at her and grinned. “Try to keep up!!” He swung his leg over the seat of his Ducati and brought the bike to life. Spinning the bike around to face the exit she pulls in right behind him. Into the night they go.

  Chapter 12

  As the shoot-out was happening Michael was driving to a hidden compound out in the depths of Big Tujunga Canyon. He pulled up to an abandoned mobile home that sat in the middle of what appears to be an old ranchers homestead. Getting off his bike he dashed into the trailer quickly entering a code into a keypad hidden underneath the false stovetop and jogs back to his bike. This facility had been a project he and his brothers had built on the property donated by his Father – in – laws old partner. The retired detective and his wife had moved to Colorado leaving the property to the boys as a way to help them with what they were going to be doing. They had dug over 80 feet down and then back into the mountain another three- hundred yards and buried total of fourteen shipping containers. The entrance to the place looks just like a patch of the surrounding mountains until the code is entered in the keypad. Then as the thirty foot doors open it looks more like a cave dwelling for the Anasazi Indians. Michael walked between the containers to the one where his truck was parked. Turning on the lights, he looked at his old 1978 Ford F150 flair side 4x4. It is nothing special on the outside, painted in flat black primer with old school “Dukes of Hazard” style rims with a set of thirty five inch tires attached. To most people it looks like heap of junk, long overdue for the scrap yard. To him it is one of his favorite vehicles.

  He walks to the bed of the truck and hits a hidden actuator button. The hydraulics comes to life raising the bed of the truck. An armored shell rises silently. When it reaches the correct height he places his hand on a biometric reader. The top opens exposing an arsenal of weapons including, submachine guns, pistols and 1000 rounds of ammo for each. Below the first level is a set of special family heirloom weapons that had long ago been replaced by the modern firearm. To Michael they were just what he would need for this mission.

  He reached underneath and takes out a knife. Looking over the thick forged steel fourteen inch blade he smiles, appreciating the honed razors edge. The handle is meticulously carved from the jaw bone of an ass! Next to it is a tomahawk that had been given to him from his great grandfather. Once he is satisfie
d that he has everything he needs for the mission he lowers the hidden weapons locker and turns his attention to the truck itself.

  Opening the hood he looks at the most powerful motor Ford ever built for street vehicles. This motor once sat in a Ford GT race car. It is a 490 cubic inch motor, with turbo charger and fuel injection system. He had been given the motor as payment for helping out one of his former racing buddies. The Allison transmission connecting the motor to the drive train was almost bullet proof; he also had it custom built by another friend. He climbed in and fired the beast up. Roaring to life, the truck sounds like an angry beast as the power escapes through the dual “flow-master” exhaust system. He puts it in gear and drives to the mobile home. As he engages the security system he takes one more look around the property before he gets in his truck and starts driving.

  He has a long drive ahead of him. He heads out to 29 Palms to start hunting the first of his prey. He estimates at least three hours of California freeway ahead of him. After that there would be time for stalking his first target until it was time to strike. As he drives he considers what he will do to the Patriarch of the family--The one responsible for calling war down on his family. “Smite him with the jawbone of the ass” he says with a chuckle. That seemed to him like poetic justice on several levels. His smile grew into a mixture of pure menacing and downright warriors’ joy. Turning on the radio, he settled into the drive down the 210 freeway.

  Chapter 13

  Back home, Fred was pulling into his driveway after finishing another counseling session. His neighborhood was void of street lights but the full moon shed some light. As he left the vehicle he heard a movement. Instantly uneasy, the sound was out of place. He had lived in the same home for forty-one years now. He knew all the people, all the sounds, all the smells, as well as he knew the inside of his own home.

  As he stepped onto the front walk he tripped the motion sensor and the floodlights blazed to life. Instantly he spotted the three gunmen. Momentarily blinded by the floodlights Fred had just enough time to take cover as they began shooting from the safety of his neighbors’ retaining wall. These guys were using some serious firepower.

  As he watched from his cover he realized how undisciplined they were with their weapons. He rolled onto his side and pulled his Kimber .45 leveling the sites he took aim at the chest of one of the shooters and fired two rounds. The dude dropped like a rock.

  Camouflaged by the huge banana plants just outside his living room window he rolls a couple feet to his left just as the remaining gunmen adjust their aim to fire where he had been when their buddy dropped. Fred rose to one knee behind a huge leaf from the tree and sighted again. Four shots later the other two lay dead. In the moments after concussive shock wave of the weapons died out, Fred hears what sounds like every cop in the county heading down the street. He walked over to the three dead men and thanks the Lord for saving him. He quickly dialed Gabriel to tell him the news. The call goes straight to voicemail. Hanging up he calls Michael. He briefly gave him a situation report. Michael asks him “How are you doing?” “I am shaking a little bit from the adrenaline rush!!” he tells him with his voice slightly higher than normal. Michael laughs, “That rush has a way of saving our asses Pops.” Fred ended the call as he always did with him, with a heartfelt “I love you.” He knew better to tell Michael to “Be careful.” He knew he would do whatever it took to get his point across.

  Going back over the years Fred has known the men he wondered if their parents had known what they were doing when they had given the boys their names. Gabriel and Michael are two of Gods most powerful angels in Scripture. To Fred they had the same heart when it came to dealing with the evil in the world. Gabriel is the softer and more sophisticated between the two men. This fact often came with an onslaught of teasing from his older brother and even Fred. Michael, well, Michael just had this way about him. A meekness and love of making others laugh until they cried. And then there was his “other side.” The side that sat in a truck hauling ass down the freeway, the side you would never really wanted to piss off.

  Fred came back to the present to deal with the twenty or so cops that had arrived on the scene. His wife Denise opened the door to see the carnage. Most of the cops were amazed at her calmness, but Fred could see the tension in the way she held her body, the fear in her eyes. This was not the first time something like this had happened. She had seen something very similar before at this same house. Calling out she asks him if she should make coffee. He tells her “that will be great!” His look telling her that he was fine. She knew from experience he would be talking for quite a while.

  As he turned back to the gathered group on the lawn he saw Meagan get out of her squad car and walk up to him. She gave him a big hug. “Fred, what is it tonight, I just left Gabriel and Raven. It seems they had the same type of ambush over at her place.” Fred shrugs his shoulders, “Guess it must be the full moon?” Then it registered what Meagan had said. “Wait, did you say Raven was ambushed as well?” Meagan sat down on the porch steps and gave Fred a brief run-down of what had happened and where Gabriel was taking her, assuring him it was “someplace safe.” Fred smiled, as he nodded his head at the unspoken hint she had just given him. .

  While Meagan sat explaining everything to him, Gabriel was leading Raven down Decker canyon to the one place he hoped would let her become herself. Raven, following him closely, was thinking he was insane as he drove his bike like the posted speed limit was just a suggestion. As they made their way through the canyon Gabriel turned down the east side of Mulholland and picked up a small canyon road she had never seen.

  The asphalt became loose sand and gravel but he never slowed his bike. He just let the ass end slide around. She watched him ride; noticing in her head lights that even through the dust he was kicking up he had one hell of a great back side as he expertly handled the machine. Soon they hit concrete again and Gabriel put the brakes on, slowly coming to a stop in front of an iron gate. Raven couldn’t see what was beyond the gate. He waved her through telling her “he was going to check things out.” He pointed out the road in front of her instructing her to “just follow the road,” his voice assuring her that she couldn’t miss the place.

  The driveway began to descend at quite a rapid pitch. She let her head lights guide her as she slowly traveled down, finally entering a tunnel that gradually flattened out over the mile or so she traveled. Coming out of the tunnel the sight took her breath away. She stopped in an ornate and elaborate courtyard. Bathed in the light of the moon, it seemed almost surreal. Stepping out of her car she just stood leaning against the door. She could hear the waves crashing as if they were pounding the walls of the courtyard themselves. While she waited for Gabriel to arrive she soaked in the moonlit view and the ocean calmness that seemed to ease into her every muscle. Faintly she could hear the sound of his bike in the distance. Closing her eyes, she tried to lose herself in the rhythm of the sea. Imagining each wave that rolled in had no other purpose than to take the stress and fear of the night’s horror away. She started to breathe in time with the rhythm of the ocean sounds, calming her even further. Vaguely she wondered where she was exactly.

  The sound of the bike getting closer brought her back to reality before she could question further. Killing the engine as he pulled up Gabriel got off the bike. “Your stuff has all been put inside.” he tells her. “You can stay here as long as you need to.” “My stuff is already here, already inside? How did you get my stuff in there already? We drove straight here. I don’t understand.” She asked in a rush. Gabriel just smiled at her. He stepped closer, looking into her eyes. Looking up at him her legs felt as if they were going to give out from under her. He pulled her into his strong embrace. Leaning her head back slightly she asks “Is this what safety feels like?” The smile he was flashing erased the question from her mind. “Let us go inside.” he said pulling her toward the house. “You can answer that after you spend a little time here and have gotten accustomed to it all.
Right now, all you have to think about is getting a good night of sleep.”

  As she followed Gabriel through the side door, the motion sensor triggered the lights to come on. She stopped and just looked around in awe. This was easily the biggest house she had ever seen! Her eyes followed the pool in front of her. Only about four feet wide it ran from the end of the lawn some 200 hundred feet to the far side of the living room. It looked as if the pool emptied into the Pacific Ocean itself.

  Gabriel showed her around, taking her out the front door into a much bigger courtyard. As she walked to the edge she felt the mist of crashing waves kiss her flesh, sending a shiver through her. The light was dim and she couldn’t really see very much but if what she had seen so far was any indication, she knew there was way more here.

  They walked back into the house and Gabriel showed Raven to her room. “Take a look around, I’ll grab your stuff from the car.” he said. She turned and looked at him. Before she could speak he said “Don’t worry, you really are safe here. I’ll be right back”.

  As he left the room she began looking around. The room was bigger than her whole old West Hills house! Looking around she saw that her furniture had been staged as it had been at her apartment. She chuckled softly as she looked around. The huge room, made it look as if she had almost no furniture. The only thing that wasn’t hers was the bed. In the back corner of the room stood a four poster bed looking like it came straight from the early 19th century. The wood was dark and rich and she could tell, even from a distance, that it wasn’t a copy. She walked over to look at the ornate carvings in the wood, marveling at the sheer size and beauty of the bed.

  Leaning against the footboard of the bed, everything seemed to crash in on her at once. Everything that had happened, everything she had been told. Everything she had seen today. She felt something give way deep inside and the tears began to fall again. She didn’t try to stop them; she didn’t think she could anyway. Deep sobs tore from her throat as the tears fell.