Night Fall

by Nancy Mehl

  Alex agreed with Jeff. This guy wouldn’t be found in the National Crime Information Center or the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. He’d probably prepared very carefully. He was hidden away somewhere. Someplace where he felt safe. Checking any past tickets or warnings was a long shot at best, but they had to do everything they could to find him, starting with the all-points bulletin Jeff wanted put into effect.

  “Got it, Boss,” Moreen said. She left, closing the door firmly behind her.

  Alex jumped at the sound. It was as if one of her nightmares had slipped out of the darkness and was crawling into her life. A life she’d worked so hard to create.

  “How big is this . . . Circle, Alex?” Jeff asked.

  “I don’t know, but my aunt told me they have members all over the world. That might have been wishful thinking, though. She used to have meetings at her house, but I don’t think she ever had more than half a dozen people there at one time. I wasn’t allowed to participate, so I’m just guessing. Her place was pretty small. It wouldn’t hold too many people at once.”

  “How do we get a copy of this book?” Jeff asked. “We need it . . . now.”

  “Is it on Amazon?” Monty asked.

  Alex bit her lip. Amazon? “No. According to my aunt, very few copies exist. I don’t know if that’s true, but she had one of them.”

  Jeff sighed. “So we need someone in this Circle to give us a copy?”

  Alex wanted to give him hope, but there just wasn’t any. They had no way to track down members of the Circle—at least not without months or years of investigation. Her aunt had made that clear. Everyone used pseudonyms. Her aunt had called herself Lady X. Alex could still hear her laughing about the moniker. “I’ve always wanted to be a Lady X,” she’d said. “A woman of mystery. It fits me, Alexandra. Doesn’t it?”

  Twelve-year-old Alex had nodded, although she didn’t think her aunt was the least bit mysterious. She thought she was stone cold crazy. Now, with her training, Alex understood her aunt’s mental problems. But living with someone like Willow had been almost unbearable for a child who’d lost the mother she’d adored.

  “Your aunt is the only person we know who has a copy of The Book.” Jeff leaned back in his chair. “Where is this aunt?”

  “In . . . in Wichita, Kansas.”

  “I’ll contact our resident agency in Wichita and ask them to get a warrant to pick up her copy.”

  “Assuming she still has it, she won’t give it to them,” Alex said. “She won’t even open the door.”

  “If our UNSUB has the virus and you’re right about him, he could start spreading it to the general population. We don’t have time to mess around here. What she wants doesn’t matter. We’ll have a warrant. She’ll have no choice in this matter.”

  “I realize that.” Although everything inside her fought the next words to come out of her mouth, Alex’s sense of duty won out over her long-held vow never to see her aunt again. “I really believe I’m the only one she’ll talk to. If I can convince her to give me The Book, we’ll save time and possible delays. Even with a warrant, they’ll still have to find her hiding place. She worked hard to keep it out of sight. Even I have no idea where she kept it.”

  “Okay,” Jeff said. “We need that book. I’ll contact the SAC in Kansas City. Let him know we’ve been asked by the KCPD to help with their serial-murder investigation. Advise them about this turn of events and ask his permission to send you and Logan to Wichita. I’m certain they’ll want to set up a task force, seeing it’s possible we’re dealing with a weapon of mass destruction. All of CIRG needs to be on board for this.”

  Jeff was right. The FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group was comprised of the most highly trained agents in the world. If anyone could find this virus in time, it was them.

  Alex shivered, but she wasn’t cold. She’d never planned to set foot in Wichita again. She’d turned her back on her painful past and started over. Facing it filled her with dread.

  The door opened suddenly, and Moreen’s expression was grim. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think this may be important.”

  “What is it?” Jeff asked.

  “The research assistant who disappeared in Kansas City left something behind. They found it in his desk at the lab. It appears he wanted someone to find it. They just sent me a copy of . . . well, it’s a poem.”

  “A poem?” Jeff’s tone held a touch of anger. “Why do we care about a poem?”

  “Let me read it, Boss. Then you tell me if it matters.”

  Jeff sighed deeply and nodded.

  Moreen cleared her throat.

  “‘Do you hear the Train Man rumbling in the night?

  Can you see his dreadful face grinning with delight?

  If you hear his horrid wheels clicking round and round,

  Cover your head and plug your ears to block the frightful sound.

  For any little boy or girl who hears the Train Man speak,

  Who feels his rancid breath caress their pretty cheek,

  Must close their eyes, pretend to sleep, and very softly pray,

  Or else the evil Train Man may carry them away.’”

  She looked up. “The title is ‘The Train Man.’”

  The color drained from Jeff’s face.

  “TM,” Alex said, her voice cracking. “Train Man. This guy is definitely our UNSUB.”

  “Alex, Logan, get to Wichita,” Jeff said, his expression tight. “Monty, I want you to coordinate with Kansas City. They’ll want the task force there, and you can help them set up a command post. I’ll let Stephen know what’s going on. Alex, are you certain your aunt will give you this book?”

  She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. It’s her reason for living. A sacred text that can’t be replaced. All I can do is try.”

  “A serial killer may have an extremely deadly pathogen. We don’t have time to worry about her feelings. You bring me that book, Alex,” he said forcefully, “or we’ll do it the hard way. I don’t want to tear apart an old lady’s home, but we’ll do whatever we have to.” He stopped and fastened his gaze back on Moreen.

  “What’s this guy’s name?” he asked her.

  “Adam Walker. We’re doing a deep search on him now. Trying to figure out where he is. How to find him.”

  “Has the CDC been notified? Homeland?”

  “The lab has contacted the CDC. I’ll check about Homeland.”

  Alex could barely understand the conversation going on around her. Logan was going with her? He would meet Aunt Willow. See where Alex spent her teenage years. It was too much. She had to find a way to stop it.

  A thought popped into her head. “I need to confront her alone,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “If Logan is with me, she won’t cooperate. She’ll see him as an enemy. Someone she has to protect herself from. I’m the only one who can talk her into giving up The Book.”

  “If she hands it over to you, fine,” Jeff said, looking at her over the rim of his glasses. “Hart will go as backup. He can stay in the car unless he’s needed.”

  He stared at her through narrowed eyes, then leaned forward in his chair. “Look, there’s still a slim chance this Walker guy might not have the virus. Perhaps the lab will find their sample. I hope so, but at this point I’d bet money they won’t. Everything’s starting to line up. The poem and the initials on the trains . . . too much coincidence for me. The bodies have been found in Missouri, and the missing sample was taken from a lab in Kansas City. We need to proceed as if Adam Walker has the virus and intends to use it. Time is of the essence.”

  He stopped and frowned at her. “Why not just get the virus if that’s what he really wanted? Why the murders on trains? Obviously, there’s something about trains and this . . . Train Man poem that’s important to him. But how do these killings relate to the virus?”

  Alex took a deep breath, again trying to keep her voice steady. “We might actually have a little more time than we think. I’m pretty sure six
sacrifices are required before the Destroyer brings death on the earth. I think that’s what these murders are about. I should have realized it sooner.”

  “Six sacrifices?” Jeff said.

  Alex nodded. “Yes, sir. If I remember right, the sixth sacrifice has to be a virgin. I think he plans to keep going until the last sacrifice has been offered. Then he’ll release the virus.” She cleared her throat. “Having access to The Book will really help. I tried to forget all this. We can’t rely on my memory alone.”

  Jeff straightened up in his chair. “I’ll call Alice and tell her to get a flight arranged to Wichita. I want you and Hart at the airport within two hours.”

  Alice Burrows was Jeff’s capable and reliable administrative assistant. Alex had no doubt the plane would be ready when Jeff said it would.

  Alex and Logan answered “yes, sir” at the same time. Although Jeff usually called them by their first names, when it came to a situation like this, the atmosphere in his office changed. He changed. First names went out the door, and Jeff became “sir.”

  “Do you have any idea how we can find this guy, Donovan?” Jeff asked.

  “As you know, we won’t actually do a profile now since we know who our UNSUB is, but we can review all the victimology for common elements. We should also develop a questionnaire for use with his neighbors, coworkers, friends. Then we can review the info gleaned and develop some investigative strategies for the task force, including key witness interview strategies. And, of course, we should review The Book. It will give us insight into how Walker thinks.”

  Alex stopped and thought for a few seconds. Was she forgetting anything? She looked at Logan, but he was quiet. She turned back to Jeff. “I believe we can determine what steps Walker will take next. Maybe if we get ahead of him, we can catch him.” She looked up at Moreen. “He’s a white male, late twenties, early thirties, right?”

  “Yes, white. Thirty-two.”

  “Most likely he’s been raised with parents or guardians who believed in The Book,” she said. “I’d look for them. Maybe he went to the place he felt the safest. Home.”

  “You don’t think he’s married, do you?” Monty asked.

  “No. We all know these kinds of killers are usually loners, unable to create or maintain close relationships. Of course, exceptions to the rule exist. Dennis Rader comes to mind. But this guy is traveling around to different towns in the area, killing. And if he has a deadly virus, would he take it home to his family? Maybe, but I tend to doubt it.”

  “But he’d take it home to his parents?” Logan asked.

  “Again, his place of safety. They understand him.” She sighed in frustration and looked at Jeff. “It’s just too early. Let’s wait and see what we find out about this Adam Walker. That will help us figure out what he might do next.”

  “Some kids rebel against the values and beliefs of their parents or guardians because they want something different,” Monty said. “You did. How do you know this guy, Walker, didn’t get involved with the Circle after he left home?”

  “It’s not impossible,” Alex said. “But remember, according to my aunt, few copies of The Book exist. Most of them are probably in the hands of older people who’ve been part of the Circle for years. That’s why I believe Walker was raised on it.” She hesitated for a moment. “You are right about one thing, though. He is rebelling—and maybe his parents had a hand in it.”

  “What do you mean?” Logan asked.

  “Only angels are allowed to read The Book. Demons aren’t allowed anywhere near it, let alone have a copy and read it to their children. The Circle believes The Book is a road map for the future. Demons aren’t supposed to have that kind of knowledge. If the Circle already knows what Walker is doing, that he and his parents have turned out to be demons, they might retaliate if they can find him. They sure won’t protect him.”

  She paused, letting what she’d just said sink in. “The Circle won’t accept any demon’s role in the prophecy. It’s supposed to happen without demons even knowing about it. It’s a prophecy, not a plan. Also, Walker wrote those messages on the train cars. No one is allowed to share the sacred scriptures with the world. It’s . . . well, it’s like the unpardonable sin. Isn’t there something like that in Christianity?”

  “Yes,” Logan said when she turned to him.

  She nodded. “This is looked upon in the same light. This guy can never go back to the Circle. Even if he weren’t a demon, he’s committed several big . . . sins, for lack of a better word. Like I said, his parents may protect him, but the Circle won’t.”

  “Those passages about a war with the angels and the demons? Who wins?” Logan asked. “I mean, if a third of the world is eliminated, that leaves two thirds remaining. Are they angels or demons?”

  Alex searched her memory. “I do remember Willow telling me that after the war, some demons and some angels will survive and learn how to reign together. She believed they’d decide that they needed one another, that good can’t exist without evil.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that,” Jeff said, “but without evil we wouldn’t have jobs.”

  “That proves her point, I guess,” Alex said. “The FBI wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t evil for us to fight.”

  “One thing I don’t understand,” Jeff said. “You say those in the Circle aren’t supposed to share The Book with anyone else, unless they’re an angel. Yet your aunt told you all this?”

  Alex shrugged. “I guess if she believed she was an angel, then she also believed her sister—my mother—was one, making me an angel too. Angels are allowed to read The Book to their children until they reach ten years of age. After that, the children have to decide if they want to join the Circle. If they don’t, their parents must never mention The Book to them again. They’re treated as outcasts with the hope that they’ll repent and someday decide to become members.”

  “But you said you were twelve when you went to live with your aunt,” Jeff said. “You were already too old.”

  Alex didn’t want to say much more about her mother, but she had to answer Jeff’s question.

  “My aunt said she thought my mother died so I would end up with her. That she was called to ‘bring me into the fold.’ Even though I was too old, she believed it was okay to share The Book with me since I’d never had a chance to listen to the ‘truth’ before. I hated her for saying that about my mother, and when I was fourteen I told her I didn’t want to hear anything more about The Book. That if she didn’t shut up about it, I’d tell someone in the Circle she was breaking the rules. After that, she left me alone. But she did make me promise to never tell anyone what she’d shared with me. I agreed since I had no plans to ever talk about this again.”

  “Did she treat you like an outcast after that?” Monty asked.

  “Actually, no. Things stayed pretty much the same.” Alex sighed. “In her own twisted way, she tried to take care of me. Unfortunately, her mental illness made that difficult for her. And for me.”

  “Thanks for sharing this with us, Alex,” Jeff said. “I’m sure it’s not easy.”

  She met his gaze. “My job is to do everything I can to protect the public. This certainly fits.” Jeff’s words hit her hard. His concern touched some raw emotions trying to force their way to the surface, but she was determined to hold on to her professional persona, no matter what it cost her. Willow had taken enough from her. She wasn’t going to ruin this too.

  “Well, I’ll be more confident we’re on the right track if the lab confirms that virus sample is really missing and it’s active,” Monty said with a sigh. “I feel like we’re still in the dark. Looking for a serial killer is one thing. Trying to find someone who plans to start a pandemic is quite another. It hasn’t been that long since COVID-19 ground this country to a halt. We just can’t go through that again.”

  Alex stood. “I truly believe Walker’s got it. He’s not playing. He’s killed four people. We’ll see two more murders before he releases the virus. I
expect the next one will happen quickly. We need to move.”

  “Who are these sacrifices made to?” Logan asked, also standing.

  “They have a god. He’s called the Master. Aunt Willow didn’t speak about him much. He’s kind of off-limits, I guess. I don’t know anything else about him.”

  “Do they pray to this . . . god?” Jeff asked.

  “I don’t know that either. I never heard my aunt pray to him. It’s possible they feel he’s too holy to talk to. Like I said, I’ve tried to forget everything Willow told me about The Book. I’m surprised I retained this much. It wasn’t intentional. I worked hard to bury all this years ago. Guess I wasn’t very successful. It’s still there.”

  “Let’s leave any other questions about this book for later,” Jeff said. “You all get going. We’ve got to do what we can to narrow the search for this guy so he can be stopped.”

  “What’s the railroad doing?” Logan asked.

  “Stephen told me they’re guarding their trains the best they can. I’m certain the Kansas City police are doing all they can too, but with all the trains out there, this guy could show up almost anywhere. ”

  Jeff picked up the folder he’d brought with him and handed it to Alex. “I’m trusting you to do a good job. A lot of lives may depend on it.”

  “I will.”

  “I know you will. I’m not worried. Just remember that Kansas City needs whatever you can give them as soon as possible. We can glean a lot from what we already know about this guy and what we can discover from investigators doing a thorough search for information. We need to provide as much help as we can. The lives of at least two more people are at stake. Hopefully, he hasn’t already killed them.” He stood. “Why the poem? How does it tie in?”