Together in Darkness

by Sloan McBride

  Someone coughed. Jake opened his eyes. A tall man with dark hair, dark eyes, and looking rather rumpled stared at him, assessing him. “Who are you?"

  "I might ask you the same thing,” Jake countered.

  "I'm Nick Brody, Allison's brother."

  He could see the resemblance now in the man who stood before him and the young boy from the newspaper article. “I'm sorry, Mr. Brody. My name is Jake Austin. I'm with the FBI here on this case."

  Nick looked at him suspiciously. “Do federal officers make it a habit of keeping vigil at bedsides during investigations?"

  Jake shifted uncomfortably but refused to look away. He met Nick's steady gaze with one of his own. “No, not generally."

  "Then what are you doing here?"

  How much should he tell Allison's brother. I'm the reason your sister is in a coma. I'm the one the killer is really after. He damned well wouldn't apologize for being here. “I dropped in to check on her progress."

  "I appreciate your kindness, Agent Austin.” Jake shook the hand Nick Brody offered. “I haven't spoken with the doctor yet to get a current update."

  "She's the same. There was a spike in her readings earlier today, but nothing since."

  The look on Nick Brody's face was almost comical. He cocked his head slightly. “You're speaking with her doctor, as well?"

  Jake lifted his shoulders in a restless shrug and shifted again. He felt like a school boy in the principal's office. “I like to keep tabs on all parts of the investigation."

  Nick nodded. “I see."

  "Well, I'll let you be with your sister, Mr. Brody.” Jake started out the door casting one last glance at the bed.

  "She knows you're here. She senses it."

  Somewhat surprised by that, Jake turned around. “Excuse me?"

  Nick chuckled. “Yeah, something happened. I could tell when I walked in."

  Confusion warred with logic and the need to know more. “In my head she spoke to me. I think.” How could that be possible? “Maybe it was just my imagination."

  Nick whistled. “When we were kids she used to try to reach out to me with her mind, but it was hit and miss. Amazing.” Nick glanced at Allison and then back to Jake. “Exactly what kind of relationship do you have with my sister?"

  "So ... you think she could have been talking to me?"

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “How much do you know about her abilities?"

  "She tells me that she can see things through the killer's eyes. Allison hasn't exactly explained that much about herself.” He didn't go into the fact that he took a trip to Salem to find more information about psychic abilities.

  "Understandable. People were not generally comfortable around Allison when we were growing up. She could sense things and she knew stuff. That made people nervous. You still didn't answer my question."

  "We're ... she's helping us with the investigation."

  "I know, she told me that."

  "We've been working closely together on this case."

  "And you kidnapped her a few days ago.” Jake's mouth almost dropped open. “She called to let me know because I'd have ripped this town apart to find her."

  "You're close.” It wasn't a question.

  "Yes, very."

  Jake nodded. “You should talk to her, try to pull her back."

  "I will."

  "Goodnight, Mr. Brody."

  As Jake walked to the elevator, he wondered what it could mean. Allison called to him from her subconscious? This left more unanswered questions.

  When the elevator door opened, Zachariah Quincy plowed through.

  "Hey, Jake."

  "Zach."

  "Here, brought you some coffee."

  "Thanks,” Jake said and grabbed the Styrofoam cup.

  "How's she doing?"

  "No change, but her brother is with her now."

  "Good."

  "I'm out of here,” Jake yawned.

  "Down for the night?"

  Jake's laugh held no humor. “Yeah."

  "Well, don't drink too much coffee then.” Quincy winked.

  Jake downed the coffee and threw the cup away.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Jake found himself getting groggy. Good thing he didn't have far to go to The Stern Trawler. His feet felt like lead when he climbed the stairs. He didn't have enough energy to flick on the light, so he fell, face first onto the pillow. With a lot of concentrated effort, he managed to yank his jacket off. The last thought he had before drifting to sleep was he would do severe damage to Zach Quincy for slipping something into his coffee.

  Deep in sleep, something that hadn't happened in too long, Jake entered a misty place. His eyes couldn't focus in the dim light. His first impression was a dungeon or torture chamber like the kind you saw in old horror movies. Jake's foot crashed into some hard object. “Damn it."

  "Who's there?” A soft voice called out.

  "Allison?"

  "Jake?"

  The mist grew thicker. He grabbed hold of the object his foot hit and moved along the edge. After an inch or two, his fingertips grazed soft, silky tendrils of hair. He clutched onto a handful and brought it to his nose.

  "Ow."

  Immediately he released it. “Sorry, honey. Are you okay?” Before she could answer, he rubbed his lips over hers. “Did he hurt you?” He kissed her again.

  She chuckled. “Jake."

  "What?"

  "Can you stop kissing me so I can answer?"

  "Sorry.” He examined her strictly by touch. “You're strapped to this, whatever it is."

  "I know.” She hesitated. “He touched me a couple of times."

  Jake stopped. “Touched you how?"

  "Running his fingers across my cheek and down my body."

  A bone deep anger gripped him. Cautious Jake said, “What did he say to you?"

  "He taunts me and tries to get me to talk to him.” Allison shivered with remembering. “He doesn't always like what he hears."

  The dark room grew brighter and Allison was no longer there. Jake stood alone.

  He scoured the now dimly lighted place. A worn-looking wooden rack with strong, newly oiled chains sat in one corner. A stockade on a raised dais, a chain with metal wrist cuffs hung down from the ceiling and a leather whip snapped. Spotlighted in the distance was a large pendulum swinging back and forth, its blade growing ever closer to Allison. She screamed.

  "Old horror movies, Jake. Ingenious. I hadn't thought of it."

  "Allison.” Jake bellowed and tried to get to her, but he found his leg shackled to a stone wall. The faces of all the victims appeared, their voices mingled with Allison's begging him to help them.

  He kept his eyes on the pendulum while he attempted with all his strength to pull free. The blade was now only a few inches from her mid-section. Then, total blackness and an ear-piercing scream. “No!"

  Jake flew up in bed with a cry, reaching out. He scanned the familiar room. “A dream.” Lying back hard against the pillow, Jake closed his eyes and worked to control his breathing and his hammering heart. “A damn dream."

  After a few minutes, Jake crawled out of bed and jumped in the shower. He needed to cleanse the grime and filth from his body if not his soul.

  A short time later he steamed his way into the police station and the command post after being buzzed in. Without preamble, he walked straight to Quincy and shoved him against the nearest wall. “Don't you ever do that to me again, got it?"

  Quincy slapped Jake's hand off his chest. “You needed sleep."

  "I didn't need that sleep or what came with it."

  "What happened?"

  "Nothing."

  Quincy slew Jake a skeptical glare.

  Shifting his gaze to the floor, Jake said, “If you ever try something like that again, I swear I'll readjust your pretty face."

  "Duly noted."

  Jake crisply nodded then turned his focus on the room and its other occupants. They
had been silent during his altercation with Quincy.

  "Is there a problem, Jake?” Peter asked, shifting his gaze between the two men.

  "No."

  "Good."

  "I'm heading over to the hospital.” Jake slipped through the door and slammed it shut just as Peter had been about to say something more to him. He continued through the station. Everyone gave him a wide berth. That worked well for him and his foul mood.

  On his drive to Addison Gilbert, he thought about his conversation with Lorelei, the psychic.

  There are several ways this can be accomplished. Some say to use a vampiric aura, you need to be within twelve to fifteen feet of the subject. Others believe that if you have an article belonging to the subject, like a lock of hair or piece of clothing, you can cast a spell on the item and place it within twelve to fifteen feet of them, thereby preventing the subject from erecting shields or barriers.

  Nick Brody stood off to the side speaking to Kat Rubin when Jake entered the hospital room. Brody made eye contact but continued his conversation.

  Assuming that the UNSUB didn't have a piece of Allison, he had to believe that somehow the UNSUB had stolen a keepsake or clothing. Jake began a gradual search of the area around the hospital bed. He looked under the bed, feeling between the slats of metal, pressing up to make sure there was nothing stuck in between. A thorough search underneath brought no results. He stood and slid his hands down the left side, walking toward Allison's head. A vague awareness of the others failed to cease his searching.

  With his left hand down the side of the bed, his face mere inches from Allison's, Jake felt an odd sense of loss. If Nick Brody and Kat Rubin had not been in the room, he might have bestowed a kiss on Allison's still lips. That at least would have given him some small satisfaction. He needed a connection to Allison.

  Jake hadn't noticed that Nick and Kat were no longer speaking until Nick stepped beside him. “Anything I can do to help?"

  Jake raised his eyes from Allison's face to meet Nick Brody's bemused stare. “I'm not sure."

  "What are you looking for?"

  "I'm not sure of that either."

  Nick lifted a brow inquisitively. Jake sighed in defeat. “You'll think I'm crazy."

  Nick nodded. “And watching you crawl all over the floor under my sister's hospital bed wouldn't have done that already?"

  Jake straightened. “Good point."

  "So?"

  "I went to visit a psychic in Salem."

  "Ah.” Nick crossed his arms. “And what did she say?"

  Jake put distance between himself and Allison's brother. “She told me about a type of power which can prevent a subject from putting up shields so that another can invade their consciousness, or something like that."

  "And this information sent you here to skulk around and look for what exactly?"

  Jake scanned the room. Kat Rubin had gone. “A piece of clothing, lock of hair, keepsake. Something that would have to stay close for him to keep his hold on her."

  "Hmmmm.” Nick snapped his fingers. “Ali did tell me that her locket was missing."

  "Locket?"

  "It was something my father gave to her when she turned sixteen. She's never without it. But she told me she had somehow lost or misplaced it."

  Jake moved to the head of the bed and slipped his hand under the pillow. His fingers brushed against something smooth and cool. He pulled them out to look at the small stones of different colors and sizes. His attention was particularly drawn to the dark blue stone. Interesting.

  "They are healing stones,” Nick said.

  "Healing stones?"

  Nick shrugged. “I have the same gypsy blood, heard the same stories, and I'm a geologist. While I don't have Allison's abilities, I do believe that certain gems and crystals have special powers."

  Jake half smiled. “At this point, I'm the last person who would try to discount your beliefs. What is this blue one?"

  "Moonstone."

  Jake couldn't stop the perplexed look he threw Nick's way.

  Nick shook his head and let out a slight laugh. “It is the woman's stone. It enhances everything female."

  "Hmmm.” It was the only reply Jake could manage. Like she needed anything to enhance her femininity. He replaced the stones under Allison's pillow. “What does the locket look like?"

  "It's silver, hangs on an eighteen inch chain, and holds pictures of my parents."

  "Did she say anything else?"

  "Only that she felt his anger and it felt familiar."

  Jake cast a scathing look in Nick's direction. “Familiar how?"

  "I don't know. She didn't elaborate."

  Nick went over to the window, feeling his way around the sill and curtains. He checked the register, the bookcase, and small closet. Jake continued his search around the bed where Allison lay. He removed his pocket knife and unscrewed the housing for the wires that were coming out of the wall. In a small plastic bag tucked up in the corner, Jake found the locket. “Got it."

  Nick rushed to his side. “That's it. So he did take it."

  "It looks that way. I wonder what else he took. Surely, he wouldn't have broken into her house and only taken one thing. He would have wanted a back-up plan."

  Jake replaced the housing and slammed down into the chair next to the bed. “He's never without a back-up plan."

  "So what now?"

  "I think we should scour this room just to be sure there's nothing else. It's the only way she'll stand a chance of getting free."

  Both men spent the next hour exploring every piece of the hospital room. The nurse complained when she came in to monitor vitals, but Jake ignored her. Nick offered some platitudes, but kept on searching. They found nothing else which worried Jake.

  "I'll take the locket over to the station and have it examined for prints, not that I think they'll find any."

  Nick grabbed Jake's arm as he headed for the door. “What else did the psychic tell you? When should Allison wake up?"

  "I can't be sure, Mr. Brody, but if I get this jewelry out of here and as far away from Allison as possible, hopefully, that will be enough to diminish the hold over her."

  Jake walked to the bed and brushed a strand of Allison's now dull, stringy hair from her face. He didn't look at Nick again. “I'll be in touch."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Allison's awareness of her surroundings had changed. Now, instead of eerie darkness, mist and cold, she felt a sense of warmth travel up her arms and the room seemed to lighten. “Jake?"

  Many times she'd tried to open her eyes, but couldn't, as if they'd been sewn shut. Now, with intense concentration and a familiar headache, she was able to open small slits, which let in an enormous amount of bright light causing her head to ache even more. She shut them immediately.

  "Ali?"

  She turned her head in the direction of the voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes again. “Nick?"

  He squeezed her hand between his. “Welcome back."

  Allison weakly clasped his hand. “How long?” she managed.

  "Don't try to talk. I'll go get the doctor."

  Nick rushed out of the room, reappearing with Dr. Markovich in tow.

  "Well, Ms. Brody, you gave everyone a scare. Test results are like nothing we've seen before and provide no reason for your condition. I might actually get to publish an article in the medical magazines."

  She tried to smile, but it was difficult. “Thirsty."

  "Yes, yes. I'm sure you are. Let me have a look at you first and then we'll get some water for you."

  Allison threw a pleading look at her brother who just shrugged as if to say what can I do?

  The doctor read the chart he'd brought in with him and examined her thoroughly. Nick came over to stand by her bed and the doctor nodded and mumbled to himself a moment before speaking to them.

  "It seems she's recovering nicely. The damnedest thing. Never seen anything like it. We'll want to keep
her a couple of days for observation, just to make sure."

  "Of course,” Nick said.

  "I'll have the nurse bring in some water, Ms. Brody. Tomorrow, if you're feeling better, we'll have you eat something. You need to build up your strength."

  The doctor left the room, closing the door behind him. Allison stared out the window. It had turned dark outside as the sun sank. She didn't want to stay in the hospital. She wanted to go home. Another couple of days of lying in bed would do nothing for her. Her mind had been the site of the latest arena and she needed to prepare for the next round. She needed familiar surroundings and a comfortable place to plan her next move.

  "Ali."

  She'd almost forgotten Nick was there. “I'm sorry, Nick."

  "Where were you just now?"

  "Thinking of what happened and how."

  "Well, I can fill in the question of how."

  He chuckled. “I know, I know. That I could even begin to understand something about all this and you can't is unthinkable. But,” he held up a finger, “you're not going to believe where I got the information and how this whole thing was resolved."

  "Try me."

  Before he continued, the nurse came in with a small pitcher, a cup and straw. She filled the cup, put the straw in and gave it to Allison to drink. The nurse took her pulse, checked her breathing and injected medicine into her IV.

  "So spill it, Nick,” Allison said after the nurse left the room, her voice sounding a little better.

  "It's called vampiric aura. Someone uses some kind of token placed close to the person so they can drain their life force."

  Puzzled, Allison frowned. “I've never heard of that."

  "It was the locket, Ali. The locket Dad gave you."

  "My locket?"

  "Yeah, we found it back there.” He pointed to the place in the wall where Jake had unscrewed and taken the face plate off.

  "We?” Allison's brows rose to a comical height.

  Nick rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his head. “Well, uh, I had help.” He pushed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. “Jake Austin. He swept this entire room until he found it. He was actually the one who told me what he thought was going on and I helped him search."

  "Jake?” She shook her head and then stopped because it hurt. “I don't believe it. He doesn't believe in anything paranormal, just ask him."