Denny shrugged. “Sorry, Laura.”
“We better round up my Dad and take you home, Den. We have a big crime bustin’ night ahead of us tomorrow. We want you along with us to sniff out bad guys, D. You in?”
“Arf!” Demon followed his assent with a thirty second lip quivering belch.
* * *
Mike slowly drove through the parking lot belonging to The Lakeside Apartment complex in the section where Ms. Kincaid lived. “Wow, I like this place. It has gardens swimming pools, workout centers, fountains, and probably costs a small fortune.”
“There’s hers straight ahead,” Denny pointed at a spot with two staircases side by side leading up to separate doors. “That’s her Honda Civic below under the carport. Why did you want to case the place this early, Mike?”
Demon jutted his head between the seats, staring up at Mike as if reinforcing Denny’s question. Mike continued on for a moment before parking in one of the visitors slots well away from Kincaid’s entrance, but with a clear view of it. Gail patted Demon’s head from where she sat next to Mike.
Mike shut off the car. “I’ve been here to this apartment complex before to help my Mom’s friend move into one of the apartments on the other side of the complex. I know those second floor places have balconies. Guess where the best place would be for hiding a surprise party film crew? There’s no walkway except for down below on the surrounding sidewalk. To be there busting in at the right time, I’m figuring the scandal witnesses will be on the balcony.”
“So maybe we won’t even need to have D sniff them out then. If they plan to hide on the balcony, they’ll have to get in place early.”
“Actually, Den, I’m going to take Gail and Demon for a walk around the complex perimeter. The people doing this won’t know us and D can get a close up on them before they go in. You can test out our cameras and touch base with Demon Inc Central Command. Every so often, Gail and I will stop in front of Kincaid’s stairwell and play Frisbee with D. I’ll have my baseball cap on and my hoodie up. It’s windy and cool so there aren’t a lot of the renters running around. We’ll be a run of the mill couple walkin’ the dog.”
“Yeah, except I don’t think they allow animals from what I saw on their website,” Denny said. “If any of the people living here see D playing Frisbee or walking, they might put in a call to complain. Not only that, but anybody trying to set up Demon Inc, probably knows D on sight.”
“I’ll say we’re visiting,” Gail replied. “Demon playing Frisbee and walking looks like any other dog. It’s not like these jokers will be on the lookout for him to show.”
“I’m just pointing out the negatives.”
“Denny’s supposed to show up in about forty-five minutes. Let’s start our act now, Gail. If we’re going to cause a commotion, we should have some warning of it in the next fifteen minutes. With you along I don’t think we’ll be singled out by some roving security as burglars.”
“I wish you two would wear the earpieces I brought along,” Denny said. “We could communicate then. With just the camera feeds, I’ll only be able to hear you when you start recording.”
Gail gave Mike the high sign with her eyebrows. “No way we’re having audio on a long walk around like this. The harpy at Command Central will be listening into our every word. We need some-”
Laura’s ‘Wicked Witch’ theme song rang out from Mike’s iPad, much to the amusement of the car occupants. Even Demon did a rumbling snort the teens knew was his indication of amusement.
“Well, that ends a test of the Demon Inc Emergency Network,” Gail said. “Let’s go.”
Mike thought about it for a moment, feeling the same way as Gail, and just as amused at her send up of Laura, but something felt wrong. Demon hummed a weird cross between a snort and a snarl almost in rhythm with his thoughts. “Let’s wear the ear pieces and the whole nine yards, Gail. This thing is important and we can’t let our guards down or lose concentration on what we’re doing.”
Denny fixed them up for surveillance with professional interest. “Forget the privacy issues. We’re doing this and I’m bait so if any extra info is gathered that will keep me out of prison, I am completely in agreement.”
“We’re on it, Denny,” Mike replied. “No more foolin’ around. This feels serious. I’ve been treating this like a game. I need to focus.”
“Great,” Gail commented as they walked Demon down the Lakeside Apartment’s sidewalk perimeter separating the parking lot from the apartment buildings. “The first time we’ve been alone in a while, what do you do? Get us wired for sound.”
“Think of it this way, Denny’s the only one who can speak into our ear.”
Laura’s theme played immediately on Mike’s iPad, setting off a bout of hilarity between Mike and Gail.
“Aren’t you going to get that?”
“What for?” Mike reasoned. “If it were important, I’d be hearing about it from Denny.”
The iPad quieted.
“I don’t know, Mike. That seems like a prelude to ‘Klingon Justice’ to me.”
“A dish best served cold, huh? You’re probably right. I’ll get over it. How’s school going for you, now that you’re a senior? Mine was real good after me and the football team came to an understanding… at least until this thing with the teacher and secretary.”
“Denny thinks your secretary is a babe, and she wants to rake your coals.”
Mike chuckled. “Where the hell did you dredge that one up from? Anyway… Denny has a vivid imagination. Things should be clearer once we play tonight’s game out. It is strange though that Kincaid and Ansel haven’t called anyone on our suspect list your Dad gave us.”
“Maybe they have more than one throw away phone for direct contact.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Mike, you have something sticking out at your back under the hoodie,” Gail said, glancing at Mike’s back.
Mike adjusted the protrusion, pulling up the back of his hoodie and slanting what Gail could see was his iron pike from the other evening’s warehouse battle. “You brought your pike? I thought this wasn’t a Casper connection.”
“I’m getting paranoid. It never hurts to have something extra along.”
“A .357 Magnum or a Glock 9mm would have probably been more of a comfort against breathers. Unless of course you’re still entertaining thoughts of mutant Haunts.”
“I’m not sure what I’m thinking anymore. So much has happened, I get prepared for anything I can, and hope for the best. How about you?”
Gail clasped Mike’s hand. “I’m rolling where you roll.”
Demon tensed ahead of them, dropping low into a crouch. He emitted a faint rumble of dissatisfaction, looking up the stairwell of Kincaid’s apartment he had reached. Demon glanced up at Mike and Gail who were standing next to him, each of them staring around tensely, watching for people or vehicles arriving. Mike knelt down next to Demon.
“You smell Haunt, D?”
Demon nodded. He then ascended Kincaid’s staircase, pausing, sniffing, and tilting his head from side to side as if picking up signals. When he reached the entrance, Demon went motionless for five minutes before trotting back down to join Mike and Gail. He pawed the sidewalk, staring expectantly at his companions.
“What the hell’s he want… a beer?” Gail giggled as her question drew a quick snarl from Demon. “Sorry, D. I couldn’t pass that one up.”
“He wants a question,” Mike said, ignoring the banter. “I’m trying to come up with one. Oh hell… of course. Is the Casper already inside Kincaid?”
“Arf!”
“I thought you answered no when we asked you if the Haunts could take over real people,” Mike pointed out.
Demon shrugged.
Gail stroked his head. “Is there any way to get it out of her, D?”
Demon nodded and head butted Mike’s leg.
“Me? You mean for me to do some kind of exorcism?”
Demon shook his head and again bum
ped into Mike.
“Mike,” Denny’s voice spoke in their ears. “Laura thinks Demon may be referring to your scar where you were slashed and then healed with holy water. She wants you to ask D if your touch can drive the Haunt out of Kincaid’s body.”
“That’s a stretch,” Gail remarked. “I can’t think of anything. Try it, Mike.”
Mike thought for a moment how to put the question in as simple terms as he could. He didn’t want to get in there with Kincaid and have any confusion over what would work or not work. He held his hand out in front of Demon. “Can just my touch get that thing out of her?”
“Arf!” Demon jumped up with his front paws on Mike’s chest, staring into his eyes with that otherworldly glimmer Mike had felt disconcerting and uncomfortable in the past. Now, he only felt a bond, stronger than ever before.
“Tell Laura she was right.” Mike gripped the sides of Demon’s face momentarily before releasing him to a sitting position. “I have an idea. Denny, Kincaid knows you can’t drive. Gail, Demon, and I will go to the door with you saying we’re dropping you off. I’ll get her to shake hands with me.”
“What then, Dempsey?” Gail grabbed hold of Mike’s arm for emphasis. “When some fanged Casper with razor sharp knives for fingers launches out of Kincaid what the hell do we do, give it a hug?”
Demon barked a short growling rebuke.
“Oh crap… sorry D. I forgot we had the Haunt Hunter with us. Okay then, Mike purges, D crunches. Denny and I’ll grab Kincaid and pull her away while you cover D’s play, Mike.”
“Sounds good. Any way you can tell if there are more than one, D?”
Demon shook his head no.
“Maybe we should call in the rest of the crew.”
“Okay, Gail, tell me how Kincaid would ever answer the door with the Ghostbusters in full armor and weapons? One peek and she slams the door in our faces and calls 911. Guess what happens after that.”
“So us getting wasted by Haunts logically will do what?”
Mike knew how stupid it all seemed. He smiled down at Gail while patting her shoulder. “You can wait in the car.”
Gail smiled back. She glanced over at Demon. “We’ll all be okay, right D?”
Demon sat down, looked up at Gail, and shrugged. He then jumped up on his hind legs, danced in a circle, sat down again and twirled his right paw in the air. Mike busted up laughing. Gail stared from one to other, her brows arching in a complete mask of confusion.
“What the hell was that?”
“That’s his man up, sissy, speech,” Mike replied.
“How the hell do you know?”
“He’s given it to me already, right D?”
“Arf!” Demon confirmed the meaning with Denny laughing in their earpieces.
“Joanie’s right. You two rehearse this shit after everyone goes to bed,” Gail said, giving the two a wave off, while Mike and Demon immediately slid up side by side with tilted heads and looks of stern disapproval.
Gail’s iPad began playing the theme from ‘The Exorcist’, Joanie’s ringtone. Gail giggled as she answered.
“You have ‘The Exorcist’ as my ringtone?”
“I networked it onto everyone’s iPad,” Denny revealed. He had networked the audio so he could hear all calls. “What was it about the word networking you didn’t understand the last five times I’ve explained it?”
“You little Mike sock puppet! What ringtone did you give Mike?”
“The movie theme from ‘Top Gun’.”
Joanie made a gagging noise. “Never mind you suck up! I saw the interspecies twins give you the team look, Gail. I told you. Never doubt me, girlfriend.”
“It’s a little freaky when they do it in sync,” Gail replied.
Joanie sighed. “Tell me about it. Good luck. Don’t get killed.”
“Jinx,” Mike muttered. “C’mon out and let’s do this, Den.
Chapter Nine
The Touch
Denny put aside his headset in favor of a mobile earpiece. He checked his lapel camera on the open notebook computer screen before exiting Mike’s car. “On my way. Can you hear me okay, Laura?”
“Loud and clear. I don’t like this Denny.”
Denny hurried toward Mike and Gail. “Noted. Watch our camera feeds. This is our first test. I’ve shifted audio to you so everything you say will be in our ears. Keep your voices calm no matter what happens. I wish you had the feeds on separate screens, but I’ll be getting the extra monitors in soon.”
“It’s crystal clear. Don’t worry about that part. Joanie will watch you and Gail while I keep my eyes on Mike and D.”
“Good.” Denny looked up at Mike as he drew near. His friend’s features projected only confidence with a slight grin and nod. Gail appeared calm but her face betrayed the tension Denny figured she felt. Demon glanced his way momentarily, but returned his attention immediately to Kincaid’s front entrance.
Mike gave Denny a wave ahead gesture. “After you, Den. I want Kincaid to see only you as she opens the door so you’ll be in front. Introduce me, and I’ll hold out my hand. When she shakes it I don’t have a clue what it will be like. You and Gail will have to drag Kincaid to the side while I back Demon’s play on the Haunt. Be ready for anything.”
Denny nodded his head, imagining all the things that could go wrong as he walked up the stairs toward Kincaid’s door. The entrance blurred slightly as if it had acquired an aura. Denny looked over at the front window. The blinds were drawn but God only knew what the Haunts could sense or see. The sensation of a weird blur did not go away. He was about to turn when Mike put a hand on his shoulder.
“We see the shimmer, Den. Keep going.”
Laura’s voice came on. Denny could tell she controlled the shake in speech barely.
“We see it from here too. This is a trap. Please abort this, Mike.”
“Stay silent, command, unless you see something that can help.”
Denny moved close to the door and rang the bell, the familiar fear and adrenaline rush coursing through him. The door opened a moment later. Kincaid smiled at him, dressed the same as she had been in school that day: sleeveless thigh high black dress and black high heels. Denny remembered thinking how out of character her wardrobe had been that week, and how enticing her mannerisms in class. Every male in his class hung on her every word, which had not been the case previously.
“Hi Denny. You’re right on time. Come… oh… hi there.” Kincaid looked up as Mike moved up next to Denny.
“Ms. Kincaid, this is Mike Rawlins. He gave me a ride over.”
Mike held out his right hand as Denny saw Mike’s left hand reach under the back of his hoodie. “I’ve never had you for classes yet, Ms. Kincaid, but I’ve seen you in school.”
“Yes, I’ve heard some stories circulating about you, Mike. You’re in the Demon Inc thing with Denny here.” Kincaid hesitated but reached out and grasped Mike’s hand.
The next moments seemed a nightmarish eternity. Kincaid screamed, trying to pull her hand away. A Haunt writhed out of her chest as if in pain, its appendages flailing at the air above it. Denny felt Demon graze his right shoulder, the dog’s leaping attack taking the Haunt before it could fully emerge. Demon’s jaws clamped around the shrieking Haunt’s neck, ripping it free as a sudden gale of wind blew across the landing, slamming the door back on its hinges. Denny grabbed Kincaid before she pitched backwards with Gale yanking him to the side of the narrow landing. Denny clutched Kincaid tightly to him as another Haunt streaked through the door straight at them, but slowed perceptively as it cleared the doorway. With gaping, fang filled mouth widening, and hook clawed hands grasping, it fought against the very air to reach Denny, Gail, and Kincaid.
Denny twirled Kincaid around into Gail’s arms, fronting the Haunt while cringing back against the two women. The Haunt’s jaws clashed together. Its clawed hands swiped the air only inches away from Denny’s face. Denny gritted his teeth wondering if the next swipe would take his face off.
A fist punched an iron pike down through the Haunt’s head. It splattered the landing with ectoplasm, its last scream rattling through Denny’s head like a freight train. A third Haunt poked through the entrance barrier after it, only to be ripped into filmy tendrils by Demon. Mike turned to face the doorway, pike in hand, but Demon shook his head, indicating there were no more to face.
“Damn, D.” Gail made a choking sound as she held her nose. “How come you can wipe those things out of existence and when we kill them we get a stinky mess?”
Demon did his ‘man up sissy dance’ and paw wave.
Gail giggled as she steadied the stunned Kincaid. “Okay for you, Garfield.”
“Are you okay, Ms. Kincaid?” Denny grasped the sobbing teacher’s shoulders, looking her over for any damage done during the attack.
“Wha…what was that thing? It… it was inside me… controlling me. I-”
“We know, Ms. Kincaid.” Denny looked around as some of Kincaid’s neighbors had come outside.
“Let’s get her inside, Den,” Mike said. “We’ll all be better inside for now. I’d like to find out how the Casper got into Ms. Kincaid, and how it brought along those two friends. I’ll take cleanup detail first, before the neighbors call for a hazmat team.”
Denny nodded, guiding Kincaid around the ectoplasm puddle, with Gail bringing up the rear. Mike and Demon followed them inside the apartment.
* * *
Mike rushed around Kincaid’s apartment while his friends took care of the bewildered Kincaid. He located cleaning supplies in the kitchen. With a large sponge, bucket full of hot water and ammonia, Mike also pocketed a small box of baking soda before heading for the Haunt’s remains. He dumped the baking soda over the ectoplasm in a thick layer, waiting for it to absorb the Haunt gunk. The reeking smell receded as Mike began scrubbing up the residue with ammonia and water. When he was satisfied, Mike carted the bucket down to a curb drain and dumped it. Noting the neighbors had returned to their apartments, Mike began wondering why he’d had no contact with Demon Inc Command Center in the form of Laura or Joanie.
Demon Inc (The Mike Rawlins Series Book 2) Page 11