Demon at War (The Mike Rawlins Series Book 3)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “Fair enough. Why do you think holy water and blessed salt work against these things?”

  Mike smiled. “I haven’t had the chance to ask them, Ms. Thayer. I only know that they do.”

  Chuckling a little in amusement, Thayer turned to Falcroft for her final comments and exit from the segment. Falcroft then got into a heated discussion with Thayer.

  * * *

  “Madge! What the hell was that? We went over the premise of this segment in detail on the way over here. I don’t know if the boss is even going to air the segment with what you’ve got. Inter-dimensional War, Haunts, and portals to hell will stand him on his head.”

  “I knew I had to do it, Clark,” Thayer replied, her voice sounding not at all sure of anything she had to do. “Let’s get back to the station and I’ll face the music. It was an exciting segment though. Even you have to admit that.”

  Falcroft glared over at the Demon Inc trio. Even the dog was grinning at him. “I’m not sure what that was. I guess exciting is one way to look at it. The offer they gave you to go with them on the next so called incursion might get the boss to lay off firing you on the spot. We better stress that angle.”

  “Thanks, Clark.” Thayer turned and waved at her interviewees. They all waved back, including Demon. Thayer nudged Falcroft on the way to the news van. “Did… did you see that? The dog waved at me.”

  Falcroft glanced back with a big sigh. “Yeah, I saw. I think we just got rolled.”

  Chapter Eleven

  New Rules of Engagement

  “Now that was incredible, Mike. I switched on my lapel camera just in case Thayer doesn’t get her interview on the air.”

  “Nice touch, Den. If the spot gets jerked by her boss, we’ll hand it over to the SyFy Channel. One way or the other, the warning will get out. I think I greased the skids just right to nudge her into doing it the way we wanted. I really feel like I have this under control. Maybe I should skip a few days of the Colloidal Silver treatment.”

  “Please don’t do that,” Denny urged.

  “Arf!” Demon agreed.

  Mike waved his hands in the air, shaking his head in disgust. He hoped pulling the outrage card would be good for a laugh. “We’re at war. How much do you two want to depend on luck? I didn’t mind wipe her. Thayer still knew she was a reporter. We have to start taking the offensive. We can’t just keep plugging the holes in this dyke. See, now you’ve made me use a cliché that was old when dinosaurs roamed the earth.”

  “I don’t think you’re seeing the big picture here,” Denny replied carefully. “If the feds get wind you can control minds, CD, you better pack your bags, because you’re going to awaken strapped onto a table in a lab so far beneath the earth it will make Folsom Prison like weekend camp in comparison.”

  “Frodo’s right, Cap. You need to rein in your special powers before you become a government lab experiment. Those jokers don’t like the unknown. They tend to dissect whatever they don’t understand. One day you’ll be walking along the sidewalk thinking you’re all that with the mind control, and you’ll feel a sharp pinprick on your neck from the tranquilizer dart they shoot into you from a hundred yards away. The next thing you know, you’re on a table with a circle of guys in white coats and masks - just before you notice everyone is holding a scalpel but you. Too many people know about your escalating Captain Darkness power now.”

  “Okay… maybe I am getting a little too complacent with the powers, but you two have to admit they came through first rate today with the reporter. Can’t we enjoy the moment for a moment?”

  “Gee, Cap, do you have an evening gown and high heels to wear with that statement?”

  “Shut up Farfel. C’mon. Let’s go hang out at Demon Inc. Denny can get some editing done while we kick back and think of names for your offspring Abby’s owner will be auctioning off to the highest bidder.”

  “I hope Laura’s there,” Demon projected while following a laughing Denny and Mike to the car. “I’ll be showing her my new tablet texting skills. Guess who’ll be getting the updated version of the Holy Grail legend?”

  * * *

  Mike steered to the side of the road as they came into sight of their Demon Inc warehouse headquarters. “Oh crap!”

  Their Demon Inc parking lot had news vans and reporters on hand as if they were waiting for a State of the Union address. They surrounded Laura, who stood next to her car, hemmed in away from the Demon Inc building. The harried look on her face evolved rapidly into fright. She tried angling past them, but they were jostling her into place while screaming rapid fire questions at her. Mike let Demon out. He charged into the reporters’ midst as if materializing from hell. Lathering, snapping jaws, gnashing fangs, and a crescendo of snarling growls drove the reporters into full screaming retreat. Demon harried the stragglers with nips and yanked shoes until Laura had an unencumbered approach to the door. He then ran over to escort her in.

  “Thanks, D, you’re the best.”

  “Arf!” Demon assumed sentinel duty outside the entrance as he waited for Mike and Denny. The reporters eyed him from inside and atop their news vans and cars with undisguised fear. Whenever one of them moved to get down, Demon would launch off the entrance walkway at them, eliciting screams and yells.

  Mike and Denny walked toward the entrance, waving hi to the people. “Stay where you are folks and no one gets hurt. You should have called first. We have an agent who makes appointments for all interviews and meetings with the press. You can also find Demon Inc on Facebook. Our agent’s name, e-mail, and phone numbers can be found there.”

  “You have no right to sic your dog on us,” a guy yelled from the hood of his Lincoln.

  “Demon doesn’t allow anyone to handle our pregnant office manager. He takes it personally when people harass her. Hey D, pinhead here doesn’t like the way you handled this unauthorized visit.”

  Demon leaped again off the step with a low continuous growl, racing to launch onto the hood of the man’s Lincoln as he scrambled to the vehicle’s roof. Demon edged closer to him.

  “Call him off!”

  “What’s the magic word,” Mike called out as Demon attained the Lincoln roof in the midst of terrified screams.

  “Please! For God’s sake… get this hellhound away from me!”

  Mike did a two toned, sharp whistle and Demon sat next to him a moment later. “My partner Denny filmed the way you bunch attacked our office manager, so don’t get any ideas of trying to play it off like you all are innocent victims. Another thing, in case you didn’t know, this is private property. You have five minutes to vacate our parking lot before I have Demon escort you to your vehicles… starting now.”

  In less than two minutes, the media were already exiting the parking lot.

  “We have money, Den. Let’s get a gated fence built around our place, with one of those remote operated entrances.”

  “On it. Nice one, D. That was one terrifying exhibition. I’ll bet there’ll be more than a few changes of underwear after your crowd dispersal.”

  “Arf!”

  “I have an idea for a new YouTube video. We need to get out in front of this altercation here in the parking lot. Can you edit us a real good looking clip of what you recorded?”

  Denny smiled. “I’m sure I can create video highlights for our channel. I’ll even give SyFy first crack at it through Mr. Corbett. They’re going to be pissed, Mike.”

  Mike shrugged. “Think of it this way, first we’ll have a very intense favorable interaction with media who approach us nicely like Thayer - then at the same time, we’ll have a warning video of what happens when they crowd us.”

  “I like that theme, CD. Let’s do this. The price of those Demon pups is going to skyrocket.” Denny ran for the entrance with Demon in hot pursuit.

  “Don’t dump him with his laptop, D!”

  * * *

  Stan laughed while pointing outside the room Demon Inc enjoyed at Brennan’s, courtesy of Brennan’s night manger, Jim
DeLeo. “Here comes, Mr. Magoo, and his sidekick, Frodo. Leading is their faithful guide-dog, Fluffy. He doesn’t look any worse for wear after his day hiding out from the Media. Where’s Joanie?”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Rawlins issued a night in edict. She was not happy,” Laura answered.

  “You weren’t kidding with us about him sending D after the news vultures in the parking lot, were you, Laura,” Connie asked.

  Laura shook her head, watching Mike with his white cane in his blind persona to get Demon inside the restaurant as his seeing-eye dog. “I doubt it took much urging to send D into action. I should have driven by when I saw them waiting, but I needed to do our books for October. I…I didn’t expect them to jump me like they did.”

  “I wish I’d been there,” Janis said, her right hand clenching into a fist. “I bet they loved D’s greeting though.”

  Laura smiled. “He scared the crap out of them. I… oh, there’s HG.”

  Gail ran alongside Mike and grabbed hold of his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. It was a poignant moment no one in the room missed. Gail looked ahead toward the room. When she saw everyone staring at them, she let go of Mike, all the while knowing what she saw in their faces. Laura turned away. When Janis saw Laura wasn’t looking, she pumped her fist, and pointed at Gail. Connie, Stan, and Jerry all turned away, stifling their humorous reaction to Janis’s hidden gestures.

  Mike noticed the room, but missed the association because of wearing dark glasses to go along with his ploy. “What’s wrong?”

  “I believe HG just outed your liaison to the crew better than a text from D,” Denny whispered.

  “Arf!” Demon agreed out loud, with an aside for Mike mentally. “You should have mind wiped the Holy Grail after the tryst, CD.”

  Mike glanced back to where Steve Corbett was following the teens through the restaurant. Recognizing bemused acceptance on her Father’s face, he reached out and clasped Gail’s hand.

  “Sorry, Mike.” Gail gripped his hand with both hers. She wore a mid-thigh, strapped black cocktail dress, gathered at the waist and chest with matching black strappy stilettos. Her long blond hair fell freely around her face and shoulders.

  Mike slowly tipped his glasses down. The stunned look on his face as he noticed what she was wearing, elicited snorting amusement from Demon, who had stopped to peer back at the two. Flashes of their intense time together in the early morning hours, rocketed through his brain. “You look wonderful.”

  “Well, that explains the outfit the Holy Grail picked out before joining me for this strategy meeting tonight.” Steve Corbett walked past the slowing teens and Demon with a slight shake of his head. “C’mon, Denny, HG’s driving tonight. I want a nice boilermaker before dinner.”

  Denny took Demon’s leash from Mike’s hand and quick stepped next to Steve. “Yes Sir. I’m sure D feels the same way.”

  “Arf!”

  “I couldn’t get you out of my head all day today. Did you think about me at all?”

  “Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time today to think of anything but trouble in Demon Inc land. I’m thinking about you now at an unbelievable pace even as we speak.”

  Gail blushed. She stroked his facial scar with tender familiarity. “Good. I shopped around after school for something to wear tonight that would finally get your attention. My Dad did a double take when I came out of my room. I think he may have already suspected something. He was of course sleeping on the couch waiting for me to come home this morning. I filled him in on the exorcism and FBI extravaganza, but I may have left off any details about the after mission description.”

  “Let’s go in and run the gauntlet with our friends, HG.”

  “Right with you, El Capitan.”

  Jim DeLeo had passed them during their short talk and now held the door open for them into the room with a smile. “Hi, Mike, Gail, thanks again for eliminating our visitor. How’s that slash the thing gave you?”

  “All good, Jim, thanks.” Mike shook hands with the affable manager.

  “I already served D his cocktail bowl. I’m going to get Mr. Corbett a drink. Whenever you all get ready for your food let me know. It’s on Brennan’s for your emergency paranormal pest control actions.”

  Mike shook his head. “You did us a favor tuning us into that active Casper. They’re dangerous as hell, Jim. Demon Inc’s loaded. I’ll be paying for our own meals. Thanks for everything.”

  “Okay, but I still think we owe you. Be right back.”

  * * *

  Janis and Connie immediately drew Gail off to the side. Laura stayed at the table next to Steve. “Wow, what the hell, girlfriend?”

  “It’s nothing, Jan. I felt like getting dressed up.”

  “You could probably drop that lame crap on the boys, but you’re wasting your time on us,” Connie added. “So… you and Mike, huh?”

  “I knew we should never have left you with Captain Darkness this morning,” Janis added, shaking her finger at Gail. “He did a Vulcan Mind Meld on you, didn’t he? Spill it.”

  Gail blushed again. “Cut me some slack. You both know how I feel about him. How much of a mind meld do you think it would have taken.”

  “Captain Darkness still has her on his psychic string, Aunty Em.”

  Connie furrowed her brow comically while inspecting Gail’s smiling features. “I don’t know, Brandy. HG’s wearing that ‘property of Mike’ look. Besides, the way Mike was looking at her, I’m not sure who has who.”

  * * *

  Not expecting Gail to be cloistered to the side of the room with Connie and Janis, Mike shook hands with Stan and Jerry, sitting down across from them with Denny. He could tell they had open seats for Connie and Janis between them. Laura smiled at his uneasiness while Steve and Denny were already in an intense conversation about the editing Denny had done.

  “Steve just told us all, he found out they’re running the interview from the park with Thayer on the eight o’clock news. We’ll get to check it out in here live on screen. Jim told us they’re carrying your interview on all Brennan’s’ screens. We have a fan base at Brennan’s apparently.” Stan said. “Was the Thayer interview good, Mikey?”

  “I… ah… yeah, I think it went pretty well.”

  Jerry put his hand out to Stan. “Five bucks please, Toad brother.”

  “Wait a minute,” Mike protested as Stan handed over the five dollars. “I shouldn’t ask, but what the hell was the bet about?”

  “Jerry bet Stan you juiced Thayer,” Laura answered for them. She had already been giggling at the exchange. “The moment you hesitated, you were lost.”

  “No, I lost,” Stan said, lowering his head. “No more Mikey. I’m very disappointed in you, CD. I thought you were back on the righteous road, brother. You’re a lost soul, Cap.”

  Demon was snorting amusedly while savoring his beer bowl treat. Mike began three or four attempts at a denial, but finally decided to shift blame as Jim came in with Steve’s beer and whiskey. “You guys don’t know what it was like at the park. Frodo and Demon, the dynamic duo were ordering me to mind wipe her. It was brutal the pressure I was under. I nudged her just a little to keep them from burying us in the news, and to keep the dynamic duo from any further thoughts of assassination.”

  Mike’s explanation had Demon’s head lurching over the table top with a low pitched humming growl, and Denny looking on in open mouthed surprise. The others were all laughing. His statement had attracted the girls back to the table to enjoy the aftermath. Steve, who had some idea of how Mike’s Haunt infected powers had been evolving, watched him closely. Gail’s obvious head over heels attraction to Mike worried him only in that he hoped it was real, and not a left over from Gail’s experimentation with Mike’s touch before he had control over it.

  Corbett decided asking straight out would be the best way to broach the subject. “Are you okay, Mike? I mean as far as your control goes?”

  “Yes Sir,” Mike stated without hesitation. “Denny probably hasn�
��t had a chance to tell you all, but SyFy Channel wants to promote me as the star. That’s why the news and my picture was leaked for the headlines today. I know none of us did it. They reached out to Thayer. I’m sure of it. Her cameraman admitted what Thayer’s original plan was for the interview, and it sounded like the same script SyFy had in mind. I altered her plan.”

  “Have Frodo tell the crew about his theory on the Haunt evolution, Cap.”

  “Demon just reminded me of another phase in our Haunt outbreak Denny theorized at the park about this morning. It’s both scary and a form fitting piece in our history. Go on, Den.”

  Over the next half hour, Denny explained his theory, and the possibility Haunt incursions in the past triggered manmade cataclysmic events. The Demon Inc crew not privy to Denny’s musing from before listened in rapt silence. Mike could tell from their faces they were forming some of the same suppositions he and Denny had discussed earlier. When Denny finished, Janis reached over and covered his hand with hers. She stared disconcertingly straight at him.

  “Let me get this straight. You’re thinking somebody like a Stalin or Hitler could have been carrying a Casper, or even a Nero back in Roman times?”

  Denny nodded. “Yeah Jan. I’m thinking of religious pogroms, historic horror like the Spanish Inquisition, and even the Salem witch trials too.”

  Janis slumped back in her seat. “I guess we can’t blame everything on Haunts. Humans don’t need much help in the cruelty department, but your theory would sure explain insane cruelty. Instances like six million Jews being exterminated, or guys like Uncle Joe Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot directing the execution of millions of their own citizens.”

  “There are a lot of villains,” Jerry said. “This would explain some of the more inexplicable. Serial killers with normal upbringings that snapped.”

  “Mass killings out of the blue for no apparent reasons,” Connie added. “A mom that drowns her own children one after another in their bathtub. That’s heavy, Den. So you believe they’re evolving, learning what makes us lose it?”