The Vengeful Dead

by J N Duncan

  “You opened a doorway to the other side,” Nick said and clasped his hand over Jackie’s, giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze. “Our ghost went through to see her man, I believe.”

  Jackie stared at the bed, not really comprehending what had happened. “How? I don’t get it.”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure I do either,” Nick said.

  Shelby walked over to the edge of the bed and reached down to touch the bloodstain. She shook her head, mouth slack with amazement. “You have a key, babe. It’s like you’ve been given instant access. Incredible.”

  “No.” Jackie shook her head. “No, it’s not.”

  Nick still clasped her hand. His comforting grip was the only thing keeping Jackie from bursting into tears. She didn’t want this. She didn’t need it. Her shaking hands didn’t need it. Her knotted stomach could certainly do without.

  “Think you can stand?” Nick asked.

  “Of course I can stand!” She jerked away from him and used her hands to push herself up and away from the wall, only to find her legs would barely hold her up.

  “Here,” Nick said and offered his arm.

  Jackie gave him a defiant glare and made her way out of the room on her own, moving with careful, measured steps. She felt drunk, and the stench of blood in the mobile home was beginning to turn her stomach. Nick stayed close behind, monitoring her every move until she slammed open the screen door and stepped out onto the wooden deck, making her way over to the railing where she grasped it with firm resolve and sucked in the cool morning air. The milling crowd of law enforcement all turned to stare.

  She wanted to yell at them, tell them to get the fuck away and quit staring. Jackie turned her back to them and leaned against the rail. Nick and Shelby eyed her with concern, their sympathy crawling around her like a fog, seeping into her pores. “How am I supposed to work with them like this?”

  “Not your job to make them accept,” Nick said. “You can’t worry about that. Right now, your only job is to figure this out.”

  “Yeah, and that’s going so well right now.”

  “We know more than we did before,” he said. “Experience will make you more comfortable. Just give it time, Jackie.”

  “How about I just leave the dead alone? That would make me happy.”

  Shelby gave her a curious look. “You going to stop doing crime-scene investigations? Take a desk job maybe? Quit the FBI?”

  The thought didn’t sound so bad at the moment. “No.” She blew out tense breath. “I’d just like things to be normal again.”

  She surprised Jackie then and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her. “Time to make a new normal.”

  Jackie hesitantly hugged her back, feeling a bit odd embracing her in front of the entire crime-scene crew, but she was glad for it. “Thanks, but—”

  “No buts” she replied, stepping back and wagging a finger at her. “You kicked ass before, and you’ll do it again.”

  Yeah, well things were sort of kicking her ass at the moment. It would be nice to feel in control of her life for change.

  Nick finally looked down at her. “We need to narrow down our suspect list before she strikes again.”

  “If these are vengeance-inspired killings, how many could possibly be involved?” Jackie wondered.

  Nick shrugged. “Who knows? But this could involve more than just those at the scene. We could be talking whole families of those involved, and if it’s a cop, her ease of access to things is going to make it difficult.”

  “Or someone with a cop’s gun,” Shelby added.

  A cop possessed by a dead pregnant woman. It was difficult to fathom, but the picture of Morgan on the television came to mind once again. They needed to rule him out. Detective Morgan was a good guy, a good cop. She could not imagine him going rogue on them, or being possessed for that matter. He was a tough guy.

  “What?” Shelby said, laying a hand on Jackie’s arm. “You thought of something?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll have Hauser check for me.” She pulled out her phone. “It might be nothing. Hauser!” she said when he picked up the other line. “It’s Jack.”

  “Jack? It’s 8 AM. I didn’t know you were a functioning human being this time of day.”

  “Oh, ha-ha, funny boy. I need you to check on someone for me.”

  “This important? Hey, I thought you were doing a vacay or something.”

  “I know. I’m helping out on the Rosa Sanchez case; more supernatural weirdness.”

  “Oh!” The excitement in his voice perked up instantly. “Very cool. What’ve you got?”

  “Dig up anything on homicide detective Thomas Morgan. Especially if he’s got any connection to the gang involved in this case. Also, I need to speak to his partner and get me a list of all African American law enforcement involved in the initial crime scene investigation.”

  “Sure thing. Give me an hour or so and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  “Thanks, Hauser. You’re the man.” She clicked off the phone. “Might be a long shot, but worth checking out.”

  Nick agreed. “If he was on the initial murder scene, it’s a strong lead.”

  “I hope not. Morgan’s a good guy.”

  “It’s not a matter of good or bad,” Nick said. “It’s all about strong or weak. Possession is a difficult thing for spirits to do. It takes a certain state of mind to be susceptible to it.”

  She had no idea what Morgan’s state of mind was. However, it was something to go on, something that she could actually bring to the case if it proved worth pursuing. For the first time in a while, Jackie felt that familiar tingle of excitement for a case, the little surge of adrenaline she received for knowing she was on the trail of a bad guy, pursuing justice for the victim. Only this time, the victim might actually be involved in the murders.

  She wondered. “So how do you deal with possessions, if it actually comes to that?”

  Shelby frowned. “Good question. I’ve never exorcised anyone before. Nick?”

  He got a pained smile on his face. “I’ve only encountered one possession. It didn’t end well.”

  “Lovely,” Jackie said. “You had to kill them?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  Chapter 19

  Belgerman did not sound pleased to hear they might be dealing with a possessed killer. Jackie called him on their way back to Chicago, fulfilling her duties as liaison.

  “Is there anyway to verify this possibility?” he asked.

  “If we can find whoever is possessed,” Jackie replied, “we should be able to tell if there’s a spirit involved. Nick and Shelby appear to be pretty sure that’s what we’re dealing with.”

  “What about you, Jackie?”

  “What about me, sir?”

  “Would you be able to tell?”

  Her stomach lurched at the question. “I . . . um . . . maybe. I think.”

  “You good for this?” The concern in his voice was clear. “This may push things beyond just being a liaison.”

  “I think it’s beyond that already,” she said. “I’m not sure Pernetti will handle this direction in the case, though.”

  “You let me worry about Pernetti,” he said. “You three keep pursuing this angle. I want it eliminated or confirmed ASAP.”

  “Working on it, sir. We’ll let you know when we have more.” She clicked off and punched in Hauser’s number. “Hauser, it’s Jack again.”

  “Hey, gorgeous, was just about to call you.”

  “You got something?”

  “Maybe. Your boy Morgan is currently on an emergency leave of absence.”

  “Really? Since when?”

  “Two days ago.”

  Christ. That was the day of the second murders. “The request say why?”

  “Personal reasons, which may have something to do with the fact his wife filed separation papers a week ago.”

  “Interesting.”

  “There’s more,” Hauser said. “I wouldn’t be shocked
if that separation has something to do with an investigation into prescription drug abuse.”

  Wow. Bingo. “Anything come of that?”

  “It was closed about three weeks ago. Not enough to go on, looks like. Couple other officers busted for it, though. They like their Oxycontin.”

  “OK, this is great, Hauser. I need Morgan’s address—wife’s, too, if it’s different. Anything else?”

  “That’s it so far. Up until the past few months, it looks like Morgan was a fairly accomplished homicide detective.”

  “Thanks. You rock. Email those addresses and call me if anything else pops up.”

  She informed Nick and Shelby of this new information. They agreed with her assessment. “He’s certainly a possible candidate,” Nick said.

  “I’m going to drop you guys off and get McManus, see if we can track Morgan down. If we do, I’ll call so you can check him out.”

  “You should be able to tell as well, Jackie,” Shelby said.

  That was what she was afraid of. “I know, but I want backup for that. Morgan I can deal with, but what the hell do I do if he really is possessed? Will it know I can sense it?”

  They were both quiet for a moment, and then Nick said, “I think calling us would be wise. Your abilities are still something of an unknown, so let’s not take any chances.”

  Jackie couldn’t agree more.

  After dropping off Nick and Shelby at the Special Investigations office, Jackie called McManus. “Ryan? It’s Jack.”

  “Hey, Jack. You still down at the crime scene?”

  “No, I’m back in the city now. I need your help with something.”

  “I’ve got my daughter with me,” he said. “Belgerman let me opt out, which I know I shouldn’t have, but this is important. It’s my first weekend with her. She needs to know I won’t be bailing on her.”

  Jackie ran a frustrated hand through her hair. “I know, and I’m sorry, but I may have a lead for us to track down.”

  “Shit. It can’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “I may know who’s doing this,” she said.

  “What? Seriously? Who?”

  “It’s . . . it’s kind of complicated. Can I come get you?” She held her breath waiting for his reply. If she couldn’t count on him for this, what kind of partner would that make him? Sometimes sacrifices had to be made.

  “Shit. Yeah. I’ll need to get Amanda back home first,” he said, his voice soft with resignation.

  “Great. We can drop her off. Give me your address.” She could hear a young girl in the background complaining already. Jackie understood the dilemma even if she had no personal experience with it. Many agents had family obligations, and she knew of several whose families had crashed and burned due to an inability to balance family and the work. She punched his address into the GPS. “Thanks, McManus.”

  “Yeah, well. I’ll see you soon.”

  When she arrived, they were waiting for her outside his apartment, a manicured, suburban, sprawling complex with a swimming pool, tennis court, and pretty pond in the center, where the move-in special sign was posted year-round. McManus was shouldering a large duffle while at his side a cute, slightly overweight girl looked at her with a decidedly petulant, disappointed frown on her face. She was going to be the bad guy right from the get-go.

  McManus opened the back door and tossed the duffle across. “Get in, sweetie, and buckle up. Jack, this is my daughter Amanda. Amanda, this here is my new partner, Agent Rutledge.”

  Jackie pasted her friendliest smile upon her face and turned in the seat to greet her. “Hi, Amanda. How are you?” She thrust her hand between the seats toward the girl.

  Amanda stared at it for a moment until she caught Ryan’s waiting stare from the door. She gave her hand a quick, limp shake. “Hi. Fine, I guess.”

  “Sorry to steal your dad away, but we’ve got a big case we’re working on.”

  The girl just leered at her until McManus got into the front seat. “Buckle up, sweetie. Agent Rutledge drives like a maniac.”

  Jackie grumbled. “I drive just fine.”

  Amanda huffed and reached for the seatbelt. “Whatever.”

  McManus shook his head and faced back to the front. “Sorry. She’s not real happy at the moment. We were going shopping today.”

  “Ah.” Jackie nodded. Shopping. A female pastime she never had gotten the hang of. Another aspect of her life she would have to reclaim from Laurel. “Sorry, Amanda, but we’re getting close to catching a bad guy and I need your dad’s help in finding him.”

  “You going to kill him?”

  She turned her gaze to McManus, who looked skyward. “We don’t try to kill them. We try to catch them and put them in jail, so they can pay for the crimes they’ve done.”

  “Mommy says it’d be better just to kill some of them. The really bad ones.”

  Jackie smirked at Ryan’s discomforting sigh and pulled out onto the road. “And that wouldn’t be right. We’re about justice, remember? Not vengeance.” On the other hand, Jackie tended to agree. Some of them were so bad, they had no place in society.

  She watched Amanda shrug in the rearview mirror. “If someone killed you, I’d want them dead.”

  Jackie started to smile. “I like the way she thinks, McManus.” But it brought up the vivid image of Laurel’s body, lying motionless on that stainless steel table, arm dangling over the side with a thin trail of blood running down her arm. Justice had gone out the window at that point. Nobody was going to stop her then from trying to kill Drake. And that kind of motivation could lead to ruin, as she had soon discovered. The amused smile faded away.

  “God, don’t encourage her, please,” he said.

  “Are you really a psychic, Agent Rutledge? Daddy said you can see ghosts.”

  Jackie frowned. “Did he now?”

  “Amanda!”

  “Just asking. Sheesh.”

  She gave Ryan a stern glare. “Fact is, I can. I saw one earlier today.”

  “Wow, really? That’s so cool. What it look like?”

  McManus turned to face his daughter, clearly annoyed. “Now’s not the time, sweetie. I’m sure there will be plenty of chances to ask Agent Rutledge about her work at another time.”

  “It’s fine, McManus. Doesn’t matter now if she already knows. Amanda, it looked a lot like a regular person except they were all faded out and gray. A lot like you’ve seen in movies sometimes.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She was shot, but that’s all I can tell you about that, OK?”

  Amanda sighed. “OK.”

  At least she believed. McManus gave her a pained I’m sorry look, which she ignored. The rest of the fifteen-minute ride went in relative silence. Jackie felt her blood pressure rise with each passing mile. You didn’t chat with family about your partner, not in any intimate, revealing sense at least. Some did, but passing along this information was not cool. Who else had he told? Then again, why the hell did it matter? The entire office would be talking about her soon and everyone would know. As much as she wanted to keep it a secret, Jackie knew she would have to be willing and able to discuss it. At the very least to dispel the inevitable rumors that would spread.

  McManus called his ex shortly before arrival and she was waiting outside when Jackie pulled up in the driveway. There were a few, obviously bitter words exchanged and he gave Amanda a hug good-bye. Part of Jackie felt bad for doing this to him, but most of her did not fully understand. If you had an active case, you worked it no matter what. The bad guys weren’t going to wait for you to go shopping before they decided to kill again.

  She waited until they were back on the road before she gave him her best what the fuck look. “Don’t talk to your daughter about me, Ryan, unless you ask me first.”

  He gave her a sheepish nod. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Something got mentioned in passing and she just latched onto it.”

  “I don’t care. Honestly, I’d rather you didn’t mention anything rela
ted to ghosts, but it’s starting to go around. Just don’t make me sound like an idiot.”

  “I wouldn’t do that, Jack. Nobody knows anything?”

  “They have some vague information, but I’d prefer not to feed their infantile brains. I’m already being referred to as one of the Ghostbusters and it’s . . . hey! Wipe that smile off your face. I’m not going to be the butt of office jokes every time I turn around. Someone will get hurt.”

  “Jack! Chill.” He raised a hand to ward her off. “I won’t let it happen again. If it bothers you that much, I’ll keep my mouth shut until you give the word.”

  “I just can’t handle being made fun of right now.”

  “Fair enough. So what are we doing?”

  “We’re tracking down a homicide detective by the name of Thomas Morgan.”

  “No shit? That whole rogue cop angle is legit?”

  “Maybe. A”—she paused and licked her lips—“a ghost referred to the murderer as the ‘black devil’ and oddly enough Morgan called in sick after the second murders.”

  “That seems a bit weak,” Ryan said. “What about the other murders then?”

  “The theory from Special Investigations is that this person has been possessed by the woman murdered at the first scene and is seeking vengeance on her killers.”

  “We can work that as a legitimate lead? Don’t you think Chicago PD will be all over us with that?”

  “Sure, if we tell them. I just want to find Morgan. If we can track him down, I’ll be able to tell if he’s possessed, or I should anyway. If it’s true then we call in the crew and get him off the street before he goes after anyone else.”

  “These murders are happening in a hurry. He could be doing that now.”

  “I know. That’s why I wanted to get on this fast. We’ve got tire tracks from the scene to try and match to his car and also the ballistics evidence. We believe he may have been injured, too.”

  McManus stared at her in silence for several seconds, weighing what she’d told him. “All right. Do we know who he might be going after?”

  “We’ve got a list from Gang Enforcement of people associated with Vasquez. I’d like to chat with his wife first, though. Maybe she’s got some info that might lead us to him.”