Pete looked back at the diner through the rear window of the cab. Joshua and Edwin had crossed over the highway and headed in the opposite direction. The few onlookers in the car park still concentrated on the wounded man and Barry remained inside the diner.
‘So do I get an introduction?’ the old man asked.
Pete smiled. ‘Jane, this is Hurley. Hurley, this is Jane and her daughter Emily.’
‘Honoured,’ Hurley said to Jane.
‘Thank you for helping us,’ Jane said.
‘Well, I got little better to do at my age,’ Hurley chuckled. To Emily, he said, ‘You look like a girl who likes animals. I got me some goats and chickens that’ll need feeding when we get back. D’you want to help?’
Emily nodded. She sat in the middle, next to Hurley, who smelt of the animals he had mentioned. It was a nicer smell than the man who had tried to snatch her. She wanted to relax. She wanted to feel safe. She couldn’t, because one little glance over her shoulder showed the shadow as it hunkered down in the bed of the truck and waited.
Chapter 10
‘We have a situation.’
Douglas Congrave looked up from the report he had been reading. ‘Situation?’
‘With Connor,’ Natalie Nti said.
‘And his mother?’ Congrave asked with a sigh as he put the report down.
‘No. Just Connor. He’s having some sort of vision.’
That got Congrave’s attention. He followed Natalie out of his office and across the shared space of an open plan area. They walked to a conference rooms that Natalie had been using to carry out Connor and Devon’s induction process. The rectangular room had a floor to ceiling window at the far end now hidden by beige coloured blinds. Down the centre lay a long, oval table and a flat screen television dominated one wall. Natalie’s assistant, Reuben, sat in one of ten chairs that surrounded the table. He held an iPad on his lap, recording a video of Connor as the boy squatted in one corner of the room. Devon knelt next to her son as she tried to calm him. She failed as his whimpers grew in volume.
‘How long has he been like this?’ Congrave asked.
‘It started a few minutes ago. It was as if he was in a trance. He just stared off into the distance. Then he began to become more agitated. And now this.’
Connor pushed his mother away. His head snapped round to face the window. His voice, when he spoke, came close to breaking point. ‘He’s got her. He’s got her.’
‘Who?’ Devon tried to reach out to Connor but he batted her hand away.
‘The girl. Emily. He’s got her. He’s going to kill her.’
Devon looked over her shoulder at Congrave. He tried to meet her eyes but couldn’t. She wanted support but right now all Congrave wanted was Connor to keep giving him information.
‘He’s got a knife.’ Connor clapped his hands over his eyes. ‘No. No. They’ve shot him. The policeman’s shot him.’
Congrave leant in close to Natalie. ‘Do you know where this is happening?’
‘In the States somewhere,’ Natalie said. ‘It’s one of the things Connor has been most insistent about. Getting to America and helping this girl.’
‘Right.’ Congrave saw the boy had huddled into a ball. The boy allowed Devon to sit next to him on the floor. ‘Get a couple of people to track the news agencies. Look for reports of a police officer shooting a man during an attempted kidnapping.’
Natalie left the room. Reuben put his iPad down and took a glass of water over to Connor. The boy took it and the liquid sloshed as his hands shook. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
Congrave pulled a chair over to the boy and sat in it. He leant forward so he could look into Connor’s dark eyes. ‘Connor,’ he said. ‘Do you know what part of the U.S. this took place?’
‘No,’ the boy said.
‘No landmarks? No names?’
‘Nothing. I’m sorry.’
Congrave smiled. Putting his hand out to pat the boy on the shoulder. ‘There’s no need to be sorry.’
‘It’s the other thing I’m scared of,’ Connor said.
‘What other thing?’ Devon asked.
‘I can’t see it properly. It’s like a dark cloud drifting behind her.’
‘A spirit?’ Congrave asked.
‘More than a spirit,’ Connor said.
‘But you think it’s bad?’ Reuben asked.
‘Evil.’ Connor looked round at the adults. ‘It’s evil.’
‘Try not to think about it,’ Devon said. She gave her son another hug.
‘I’m afraid Connor will have to think about it,’ Congrave said. ‘Maybe not now but at some point soon. It’s his job now.’
Devon got to her feet. Congrave expected her to let him know what she thought of that. It hadn’t taken Congrave long to figure out that in Devon Shaw he’d found a street-smart young woman tough enough to look after her son and herself. Instead, Devon took a deep breath and said, ‘Connor’s got a special talent. I don’t understand it but I know it’s there. So as long as you’ve got Connor’s best interests at heart I know you got to talk about these things. Just make sure you don’t upset him.’
‘We’ll look after him,’ Congrave said. ‘Because if we don’t then we’ll have you to deal with.’
‘That’s right.’ Devon gave him a fierce smile. ‘And you know what I can do.’
‘Probably beat me to a pulp.’ Congrave stood. Even though he only reached five-eleven he towered over the petite Devon.
‘You got that right,’ she said.
Congrave had no chance to reply to that as Natalie returned. ‘We think we’ve got it. An NBC affiliate is reporting an officer involved shooting of a paedophile.’
‘Where?’ Congrave asked.
‘Somewhere south of Ironwood in Michigan.’
Reuben reached for his iPad. In seconds the wall mounted television showed a feed from a local television station. They had little information. Just excited reports on social media from witnesses who said a man had snatched a young girl in broad daylight from the parking lot of a roadside diner. A state trooper shot the suspect after locals assisted in cornering him.
‘Show me a map,’ Congrave said. Reuben flipped the screen as Natalie came to stand next to Congrave. ‘Zoom out.’
‘Not far from Canada,’ Natalie said.
‘If it’s the right girl.’ Congrave thought for a moment. ‘Okay. Natalie, I want you to keep an eye on this. We need to know if this is our girl. Connor, I need you to help Natalie as well. I can get one of our other psychics in to assist you. Reuben, is Henry in the office?’
‘Yes.’
‘Go get him.’
Devon watched the decision making. She said, ‘Can I help?’
‘Keep an eye on Connor. We don’t want him getting too tired or overwrought if this is Emily and she is in more danger.’
The door opened and Reuben returned with a portly, middle-aged man in tow. ‘Henry,’ Congrave said. ‘I need to know what assets you have in Canada right now.’
Henry looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘There’s a joint training mission up north. We have elements of the Special Forces Support Group working in partnership with the Canadian Special Operations Regiment to test...’
‘I need six men seconded to us as soon as possible.’
‘Right.’ Henry didn’t seem to mind the interruption.
‘Six men.’ Congrave pointed at the map. ‘They’ll need civilian transport and need to base themselves close to the U.S. border as soon as they can get there. South of Thunder Bay looks best.’
Henry pursed his lips in thought. ‘May I ask why?’
‘So they can get across the border quickly.’ Congrave considered the satellite imagery for a moment. ‘Get them fishing rods and camping gear, that’ll be good enough cover for now,’ he said, and then added as an afterthought. ‘Natalie, best check if there are seasons for fishing over there and we are in season. We don’t want to make a stupid mistake.’
‘Putting military personne
l into the sovereign territory of an ally might be seen as a provocative act,’ Henry said. ‘Are you sure the Prime Minister will agree to this?’
Congrave smiled. ‘The P.M. agreed a year ago that our mission was of critical importance to national security. She gave us carte blanche in our operational activities.’
‘Still...’ Henry said started.
‘Get them into position,’ Congrave said. ‘We may not need them. But if we do, they’ll need weapons. Do we have a military liaison at our consulate in Chicago?’
‘Yes.’ Henry winced as if he knew what was coming next.
‘Get him up to the border as well. I’m sure he can lay his hands on some guns considering he’s in the U.S. If needed, he can meet up with the team and hand over the weapons. ‘
‘I’m sure he can,’ Henry said, his voice dry.
‘Good.’ Congrave gave Henry a beaming smile. ‘So let’s do it.’
Henry sighed theatrically before leaving the room. Congrave saw Devon watching him. ‘Henry is our man from the M.O.D.,’ he explained. ‘He’s a bit of a stuffed shirt when it comes to decisive action, but he’ll come through for us. Now, we need to get Connor help in tracing this shadow that is tailing the girl. Who’s on standby, Reuben?’
‘Alexander Hughes.’
‘Bring him in,’ Congrave said. ‘Get a quiet space for Connor and Devon and when Alex arrives get them together. Any more news, Natalie?’
‘Not yet,’ the young woman said. ‘The local television station’s reporter is en-route. I expect some kind of live broadcast in the next fifty minutes.’
‘Keep me informed.’ Congrave rubbed his hands together in delight. The day had taken an unexpected, but definitely exciting, turn.
***
‘I see it.’
Alex Hughes had turned out to be a well-dressed thirty-something with an accent that Devon imagined came straight from some public school. He gave the impression, on first meeting, of being a snob. Devon had never met a proper posh person. There were one or two folks in her local neighbourhood who thought themselves above everyone else but this Alexander sounded like the Queen could be his first cousin or something. He might have been, but Devon didn’t want to ask because Alex scared her. First impressions weren’t always right. After half an hour or so Devon thawed to Alex as he sat cross-legged on the floor next to Connor and shared the boy’s vision.
For the first time, Devon relaxed as Connor entered his clairvoyant state. Alex held his hand, not seeming to care that he had a ten-year-old boy as a companion nor that the boy was black. Devon wanted to thank Alex for his acceptance, but a silence descended on the room and began to press in on her like a blanket. The rest of the world became cut off from them. Sounds from the open-plan office faded. Traffic noise from outside dulled and the sound of jet engines from aircraft in-bound for Heathrow vanished. The three of them became locked in their own world as the air cooled around Devon.
‘I see it.’ They were the first words Alex had spoken in twenty minutes. Devon saw his hand tighten on Connor’s. Her son looked up at the ceiling, unaware that his mother sat nearby. She wanted to reach out and comfort him. She wished she could see things as well. It would make life so much better with Connor if she could share his visions.
‘There,’ Connor whispered, as if he did not want whatever he could see to hear him. ‘It’s following her, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Alex said. He reached out with one hand and brushed aside some imaginary object.
‘Don’t get too close!’ Connor’s voice took on a sudden, hoarse rasp of fear. ‘It might see you.’
Alex slipped back into the bushes that he and Connor used as cover. They were on a gentle slope, looking up towards a log cabin. The building had a clear zone of about thirty metres around it. Most of it had been grassed over with a well-maintained lawn. The rest was a gravel driveway that arced down the slope. It curved past Alex and Connor’s hiding place and led to a narrow lane that bordered a medium sized lake.
‘We should go now,’ Connor said. ‘We know this is Emily and we know that thing is a danger to her.’
‘But we don’t know what it is,’ Alex said. ‘This is the kind of information Congrave and the others need. Know your enemy.’
‘We can’t go closer,’ Connor said. ‘It will see us.’
‘Then we’ll have to come back tonight,’ Alex said. He squinted up at the sky. ‘What time do you think it is here?’
‘I don’t know,’ Connor said.
‘From what Natalie said they’re six hours behind us. So we need to do this again. I’d suggest at about six tomorrow morning. Is that too early for you?’
‘No, but I’m scared that if we come back that thing might sense us.’
‘Be brave Connor. I’ll be here with you.’
‘Okay.’
Alex looked back down at the lake. ‘The other thing we need to do is find out exactly where we are.’
‘Have you ever floated?’ Connor asked.
‘In a vision?’ When Connor nodded, Alex said, ‘No. Once or twice in dreams but never when I have been in control.’
‘I saw Natalie and Reuben looking at satellite photographs. If I go up I could look down and see if I can see any towns or cities.’
‘Okay.’ Alex took his hand. ‘We go back down towards the road and...’
The pulse of heat hit them both. It knocked Alex off balance. Around them, the shrubbery leaves wilted. Alex looked up at the cabin. He could barely see it. What he saw in its place grew in size and shape. It bloated outwards and filled the air with a fetid stench. The shadow pounced on them, reaching out with long talons. Alex leapt back, he pulled Connor with him. The shrubbery disintegrated. Leaves and branches became confetti and scattered on the breeze. Alex lifted Connor. He wanted to run but running was the wrong thing to do. He concentrated on his body. He sensed the beat of his heart and the air in his lungs. He found the way home by tuning to the sound of blood rushing through his arteries. He took Connor with him. The world flashed by like the night-time glare of headlights.
Devon almost fell off her chair as Alex came alive. He hauled Connor off the floor as he dragged the boy across the carpet. Devon heard a sound like cloth ripping as the air fractured. A black claw came from nowhere as it made a sweep at Connor but missed him. Instead it tore a hole in the plasterboard wall. Alex and Connor made it to the other side of the room but Devon remained in place, frozen by fear as the claw flailed around.
‘Mum!’
Connor’s warning came a moment too late. Devon got her hands up in time to protect her face before the claw hit her a swiping blow. Devon flipped herself backwards off the chair. She hit the floor hard. The room dimmed as the claw rose above her. Devon couldn’t move, stunned by both the blow of the claw and the fall. She heard Connor scream and saw the talons curl towards her.
Hands grasped her shoulders and twisted her body as the claw lashed into the thin carpet tiles. Alex had hold of her. He pulled Devon clear as the claw turned the chair she had been sitting on into kindling. Alex kept pulling until he hit the wall. Devon found herself lying half on him. His arms were around her as they saw the hole in the air close and claw disappear from sight.
Silence.
‘Oh, my God.’ Devon saw Connor coming to her. She put her arms out and held her son in the same way Alex held her.
They were still like that when the door burst open. Natalie and Reuben came in. They both carried guns.
‘What happened?’ Natalie swept the room as Reuben covered her.
‘A demon,’ Alex said, his arms still around Devon.
‘Has it gone?’
‘For now.’
***
They held the meeting in a different conference room. Congrave waited until everyone settled into place before he said, ‘We were lucky today. Don’t forget that. Now someone give me some good news.’
‘The team you requested is en-route to Thunder Bay,’ Henry said. ‘Codename Delta.’
/> ‘Thank you,’ Congrave said. ‘I think they are going to need some help. Natalie, I want you and Reuben over there as well. Get the next flight to Chicago from Heathrow. You can get a rental and drive up to the area.’
‘You want us to link up with Delta team?’
‘A male and female will look less conspicuous than six men. Keep in contact with them and call them in if required.’
‘I’ll go sort the flights,’ Reuben said.
‘The snatch from the diner car park is Emily,’ Natalie said as Reuben left the room. ‘We hacked the local police network. The girl and her parents went missing straight after the attempted snatch. The state trooper has reported her mother calling the girl Emily.’
‘The police have not traced them I assume?’
‘No.’
‘But we have,’ Congrave said, with a smile aimed at Connor and Alex.
‘She’s being stalked,’ Alex said. ‘I don’t think we saw the manifestation of the demon itself. What came after us was some sort of divergent entity.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ Congrave asked.
‘As much as I can be. I sensed emanations from outside the room as well as inside.’
‘Have we spoken to any of our other psychics?’ Congrave directed his question to a middle-aged woman he had introduced to Devon as Martha.
‘We have calls out. Two reported unsettling sensations around the time of the incident.’
‘I need you to go back,’ Congrave said to Connor and Alex. ‘If Emily has psychic abilities then you may be able to make contact with her. Try to find out exactly where she is and that will get us to her before anyone else.’
‘No. It’s too dangerous,’ Devon said. She sat next to Connor, holding her son’s hand.
‘We will be better prepared,’ Congrave reassured her. ‘We’ll have other psychics in place to defend Connor and Alex if they need help, plus armed guards in the room to fire on any physical entity that appears.’
‘No.’ Devon shook her head. ‘He’s only ten years old. You can’t put him in that kind of danger.’
The Creator (Scarrett & Kramer Book 1) Page 19