Night Fall

by Nancy Mehl

  Harrison walked up to the table, a woman with him. “This is Special Agent Alvarez,” he said. “She thinks she’s found the origins of The Book.”

  Alex smiled at her. “You mean it wasn’t brought to earth by divine aliens?”

  Alvarez returned her smile. “Unfortunately, no. That would have made for a much more interesting story.” She placed some papers on the table in front of them. “I made you copies of everything I found. I searched for some of the phrases from The Book and found every single one was ascribed to a Horace Austin Jennings.”

  “Does he admit to writing The Book?” Alex asked.

  “Not to my knowledge, but according to people who knew him, he talked a lot about a divine calling. A man named Arthur Adair wrote about him in 1890. Adair was an evangelist, and he was rebuking Jennings. It seems Jennings believed that angels and demons had been sent to earth by beings in the skies. According to him, one day the demons and angels will be at war, and one third of the earth will be annihilated.”

  She took a breath. “Then I found records of a woman who claimed to be Jennings’s niece. She said when he died he left behind a book she planned to copy so others could share in his divine vision. I believe someone got hold of this book and printed several copies. My guess is they were passed down in families. I couldn’t find any newer information.” She turned to look at Alex. “I understand your aunt said it was forbidden to talk about The Book to anyone outside of the Circle?”

  “Yes, that’s what she said.”

  Alvarez shrugged. “That might explain why I couldn’t find any newer references.” She placed her hands on the table and leaned in. “I wish I could have found more information. I know we’re doing all we can, but it still feels like we’re walking on eggshells, just waiting for the sixth victim to be killed. She might be alive right now, enjoying her life, unaware she’s the target of a monster.”

  Alvarez turned and walked away, but her words echoed through Logan’s mind. They needed a breakthrough soon. The woman Alvarez mentioned was living on borrowed time.

  30

  With Mike helping, Logan, Monty, and Alex worked all morning, going over and over all the information they had and trying to determine if they’d missed anything. It was close to eleven when the back door opened and Jimmy Gedrose walked in, flanked by two police officers.

  When Jimmy saw them, he halted, then spoke to the officers as he pointed toward their group. The older man nodded, and Jimmy joined them at their table.

  “Nice to see you again,” he said, smiling at Alex and Logan. “Nice to see anyone.” He cocked his head toward the men who had protected him. “Great guys. Made sure I kept breathing.”

  “Good to see you too,” Alex said. She gestured toward Mike. “This is Agent Monroe.” She watched as they shook hands. No flicker of recognition from Jimmy, so maybe he was at the hospital before Mike got there.

  Jimmy turned his attention to Monty, who stuck out his hand. “Monty Wong,” he said. “I work with these two.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Jimmy said. “Any progress? Have you found this guy?”

  “Jimmy, do you know a man named Adam Walker?” Alex asked.

  “Not by name. And if you mean someone from the Circle, remember, we didn’t use real names. Just pseudonyms.”

  Alex pulled a file closer to her, then opened it and took out a photo. “How about now?” she asked.

  Jimmy’s eyes widened. “Yes, I met him. He came to a couple of Circle meetings.”

  “In Wichita?” Alex could hardly believe they might be able to place Walker there. Maybe that’s where his family was. But she still didn’t think he attacked Willow and Nettie.

  “Yes, in Wichita. But the last time he was there, he told us we weren’t true believers. Frankly, he was rather strange, which I guess is why I remember him. He called himself . . . what was it? Oh. TM.” He laughed. “At first I thought he said his name was Tim. He got so angry that I kept getting it wrong. He’d say, ‘My name is TM,’ and I’d say, ‘Tim?’ Boy, I thought he was going to hit me there for a while.”

  “You said he left the group after coming only a couple of times? When was that?” Monty asked.

  “Oh, not long before I left, about ten years ago. We weren’t sorry to see him go. He talked about this war that was supposed to break out between the angels and the demons. It was all he talked about. The Book mentions it, but there’s a lot more to it. About self-worth. Walking in peace. Ignoring those who don’t agree with you without losing your cool. That was a big one. Circle members are taught to hide their true selves from others unless they become convinced they’ve found an angel. Then you’re allowed to tell them something about the group. However, if they don’t seem interested or they think you need counseling”—he grinned when he said this—“then you have to back off. Make them think you’re kidding or something. No matter what, you never reveal who you are to others who won’t believe. It’s expressly forbidden.”

  “Jimmy, do have any idea where this guy might be? Maybe somewhere in or near Wichita?” Alex asked.

  Jimmy frowned. “Not right off the top of my head. It’s possible he said something, but I’d have to think about it. For the most part, we just discussed The Book. Kind of like Christians do with the Bible.”

  “I thought people in the Circle hated the Bible,” Monty said.

  Jimmy nodded. “They do. But like I told Alex and Logan back in Wichita, after my wife died, I read the Bible and realized it made sense. The Book never did.” He smiled widely. “I found God, and I finally felt some peace.”

  What is all this stuff about God? Alex wondered. Every time she turned around someone was talking about Him.

  “He wants me to tell you that He saw your tears, and He’s been watching over you all this time.”

  She suddenly remembered her prayer.

  If you are real, I could use some help. If you’re everything Logan says you are, I’d like to know you better.

  Was God answering her? She shook that thought away. She needed to concentrate on the case, not God. But this time when she tried to clear her mind, it wasn’t as easy as before.

  Harrison joined them. “We need to ask Mr. Gedrose some questions,” he said. “I can send him back to you when we’re done. Has he helped you any?”

  “He recognizes Adam Walker,” Logan said. “Walker was definitely part of the Circle, but not necessarily only in Kansas City or even Independence when he and his father lived there. He attended Jimmy and Willow’s group in Wichita a couple of times.”

  “That’s new,” Harrison said. “Maybe he was traveling around looking for minions. Or maybe that’s where Walker and his father lived in those missing years between Kansas City and Independence. Follow up on that, Alex.”

  “Yes, sir. We will.”

  Jimmy leaned forward. “It turns out some members of the Circle are anything but angels. If any of them were in this room, you would have just signed my death certificate. Like I said, no one is allowed to reveal the real name of any member. But if they do, the demons will make sure their ticket gets punched.”

  “I think you’re safe,” Mike said, smiling. “No Circle members here. Just law enforcement personnel who will do everything in their power to protect you.”

  Alex was trying to get the timeline straight in her head. “When did you say you quit going to Circle meetings?”

  Jimmy scrunched up his face, making it clear he was thinking. “Let’s see, I want to be sure I’m telling you right. Yeah, it was ten years ago. After my wife died.”

  So about the time Walker had probably finished college and his father died.

  “When did you start going?” Alex asked.

  “Twenty-five years ago.”

  Just before I arrived at Willow’s, twenty-four years ago.

  “So you went to meetings for at least fifteen years,” Logan said, a look of surprise on his face. “That’s a long time.”

  “It sounds like it, but we didn’t have meetings ver
y often.” His forehead wrinkled. “I just remembered something else about this guy.” He stabbed a finger at the photo of Walker. “He told us Circle meetings were every week when he was a kid. He couldn’t understand why we met only once a month. I don’t think we were committed enough for TM.”

  “I need you to come with me now,” Harrison told Jimmy. “Hopefully, it won’t take too long.”

  “He didn’t seem to recognize me from the hospital,” Mike said in a low voice as Harrison led Jimmy away.

  Alex turned to stare at Logan. “Did you catch it?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “We all did,” Monty said. “TM. Train Man.”

  31

  It had taken him several days to decide exactly when he was going to take her, but he was ready to move. Laura had gone to church this morning, and they had a Sunday evening service too. He would wait to see if she attended that one this evening and if she went alone. If so, he would grab her after the service. He couldn’t take her at the church. He would wait outside her apartment, which he’d learned was over the garage at the house where he’d followed her before. It would be dark, and the treelined street would provide the perfect covering.

  Excitement bubbled up inside him. It was almost time. He’d created the perfect way to disperse the virus. No one would suspect a man carrying a package. He planned to bump up against passengers waiting for planes and trains. They probably wouldn’t feel the tip of the needle pierce their skin. If they did, he doubted they would pay attention to it. But they would carry the virus to other states, other countries. It was so virulent it wouldn’t take long for many people to be infected.

  Planes were hothouses for germs. His victims would be touching the overhead compartment, their seats, the armrests, everything in the bathrooms. So many others on the plane would touch the same surfaces. Then they would change planes and carry the virus onto the next flight.

  Then back to Union Station. A few pricks here and there. His last visit would be to area hospitals. When patients began to pour in, they’d discover that nurses and doctors had already infected hundreds of people. It would be a pandemic beyond anything ever experienced.

  He smiled to himself. But first the last sacrifice.

  Tonight the world would change forever.

  Alex spent Friday and Saturday working at the command post. She, Logan, and Monty continued assessing what Walker’s next move might be, even though she felt they’d done just about everything they could with the information they had. Jimmy was still being questioned. Alex could tell he was tired, but everyone was doing all they could to find Walker’s sixth target before it was too late.

  They’d also come up short exploring Walker’s connection to Wichita. Other than Jimmy’s news that Walker had attended a couple of Circle meetings with his and Willow’s group, they had nothing. Jimmy didn’t even know how Walker knew about their group, let alone why he chose to check it out. Maybe Harrison had been right. Maybe Walker was looking for minions to help him fulfill the prophecy even then. Just like he’d somehow managed to connect with the chemist in Ethiopia.

  Walker’s fifth victim, the one found at Union Station, had been identified—Gerald Gregg. He was a maintenance worker at the station. The police and railroads had clamped down so tightly that Walker had clearly been forced out of his comfort zone.

  The maintenance supervisor hadn’t tried to contact Gregg when he didn’t show up for work. He was a single man that no one might miss for days. That was sad.

  Alex realized she had a lot in common with him. She had no family. Well, a father somewhere who wanted nothing to do with her. And no real friends. She didn’t really care. She had her work, and she had Krypto. She missed him so much. She wondered if he was missing her too. He loved the Stewarts, the neighbors who cared for him when she had to leave town. The FBI would let her take him on assignment when possible, but this time she knew she would have to be in both Wichita and Kansas City. Bringing him along would have been too difficult. She’d been certain he would be much happier staying with the Stewarts.

  It was important to her that Krypto felt safe. He’d been badly abused by his previous owner, and when he was dumped at the animal shelter, his chances of being adopted were small. He was timid and afraid, and he sat in the back of his pen, refusing to look at anyone. Being a pit bull made finding a home for him even less likely. But when Alex went to the pound to find a dog, she was drawn to him. She returned several days in a row, sitting in his pen with him, talking to him. Eventually, he moved out of the corner and put his head in her lap. The first time she looked into his sad eyes, that was it. He was hers. She took him home the next day and named him Krypto, determined to ensure he’d never be hurt again.

  After some time of healing and learning to trust, he’d turned into one of the sweetest dogs Alex had ever known. He won over the Stewarts when one of their house cats got out. When they realized Maizie was gone, they looked all over the neighborhood. They finally found her in Alex’s backyard, curled up with Krypto, both of them sound asleep. Maizie and Krypto were now great friends, and the Stewarts treated Krypto like their own.

  Mike had answered every question he could before heading back to Wichita. He wasn’t scheduled to come back to Kansas City unless he remembered something important and they needed him there. Frankly, she felt useless. Harrison had told her, Logan, and Monty to stay at the hotel Sunday and rest. They were all exhausted, so they were relieved to have some time to recharge. But they were also frustrated. They’d pulled the information they had apart and put it back together so many times it didn’t make sense anymore.

  They’d read through most of The Book too. That had been disappointing. Most of it was nonsense about how the world was formed by the Master, who planned to reign after the angels and demons fought in that final war. They found several mentions of the God worshiped on the earth that was considered false. The writer of The Book clearly hated other religions. They also scanned the pages Walker had referred to in his letters. Nothing new there either.

  Alex recognized several sections Willow had quoted to her. Frankly, it bothered her to read them. It was as if she could hear Willow’s voice speaking the words.

  She woke up around ten Sunday morning. The nightmare had tried to come back again. She’d fought it, waking up several times with tears streaming down her face. Finally, about four in the morning, she’d fallen asleep, passing out from sheer exhaustion. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat there a moment, getting her bearings. Then she got up and went into the bathroom to shower.

  She’d picked up some milk and cereal on the way back to the hotel last night. The three of them weren’t meeting until lunch because they all wanted to sleep late. She’d stuck all the dishes on the kitchen shelves in the dishwasher and washed them as soon as she had a chance. They might have been clean, but who could tell? She dumped some cereal into one of the bowls, then grabbed the milk out of the fridge.

  A few minutes later she was sitting on the couch in the living area, watching TV. She’d also made coffee, but she wouldn’t drink much because she hoped to catch another nap. She’d put a note on the door asking the maid service to come by after eleven to change the sheets and towels. She wanted to be there when they did it. She suspected they sometimes just left the dirty sheets on the bed. Clean sheets made her feel safer.

  She was flipping channels when she stumbled across a service from a large, nationally known church. She wasn’t going to watch, but the minister started talking about how much God loves people. How they’re the apple of His eye. Alex chuckled. She’d met some people she doubted God would love.

  As if he’d read her thoughts, the minister said, “That means everyone. Even hardened criminals. Serial killers. Everyone. Every single person on the earth was born to be a child of God. For many reasons, you may find yourself far away from Him. Maybe you had an awful childhood. Maybe someone you loved walked out. Maybe your friends have rejected you. But if you give God a chanc
e to be involved in your life, I promise you, He’ll never leave you. Never forsake you. You will be loved completely. He will give you beauty for your ashes. He will heal your broken life.”

  He looked into the camera, and Alex felt distinctly uncomfortable. It was as if he were talking right to her. “Will you give yourself to Him today? Let Him change your life? He’s created a wonderful plan just for you. He wants to give you hope and a future that’s beyond anything you’ve ever imagined.” He pointed toward the floor in front of the stage. “If that’s you, come down front and let us pray for you.”

  A woman behind him began to sing a song about being washed in the blood of the Lamb. Alex was riveted to the screen. As if her eyes were opened and she could see into the thoughts of the Train Man. What if Walker wasn’t just looking for a Christian but for a brand-new convert? A woman who hadn’t had time to lose her newfound virginity. It made sense. Walker hated the Christian God, but he seemed to have learned something about Christianity. He wanted to kill one of God’s virgins, and he had to be sure he’d found one.

  She took a deep, quick breath and conjured up the memory of her one time in a church. The only way he’d find this woman was to watch her make that commitment, standing in front of the church and praying with someone for salvation.

  She jumped up and grabbed her phone. Seconds later she had Harrison on the line. “Look, I know this is a long shot, but it might make our search a little easier.” She quickly told him what she was thinking. “What if the police contact churches in the area we believe Walker is working and ask for the names of women who came forward for salvation Wednesday night . . . or this morning. I think Walker watched for them at a church, and he’s probably already targeted one.”

  “It’s not such a long shot,” Harrison said slowly. “Like you said, it makes some sense. Walker hates Christians, and the description of the virgin being ‘washed in blood . . .’” He sighed. “We need to check it out. We don’t have anything else. Thanks, Alex.” He paused for a moment. “You stay there. Get some rest. If I need you, I’ll call and let you know.”