Night Fall

by Nancy Mehl

  Alex knew what it was like to be abandoned by a father. This time her regret was real. “Oh, Mike. I’m so, so sorry. I should have been there for you.”

  “I don’t need your pity. I don’t need anything from you.” He glared at her.

  She had to try one more time to reason with him. “Why are you working with this man? You say you cared about Willow. But he killed her. And Nettie. Or at least had someone else do it. Now he wants to kill thousands or millions of people. Please help me stop him.”

  Walker stepped up next to her.

  “I’m the Train Man, little lady. The Destroyer. I was called to offer six sacrifices, not kill anyone else. That would derail the prophecy.” He laughed, no doubt at the use of the word derail. “So you’re right. Someone else killed those women.”

  “Who?” Alex asked. Then she was struck with a terrible truth, and it made her feel numb.

  Mike just smiled.

  41

  Harrison cursed and clicked off his phone. Dealing with bureaucrats was his least favorite part of the job. Calls to the mayor and city administrator were a waste of time. All they’d done was give him the number of the Lake Lotawana Association president. Maybe neither of them had ever been to the lake. Either that, or they were afraid they might have to leave their warm homes and venture out into the storm.

  He called the number, preparing himself for another dead end. But when the president of the association answered, he was encouraged. Marge Meadows was not only an expert on the area around the lake but it was clear she also wanted to help.

  “The place you’re looking for might be the old house on Waywind Road we plan to tear down in the spring. It’s become an eyesore after being deserted years ago. It’s the only one I think anyone could be squatting in.”

  After getting directions from her, Harrison phoned the SWAT commander, who was waiting for instructions. “We’ll meet you at the entrance to the south side of the lake,” Harrison told him.

  “Okay. But why don’t you ride with us? Our rescue vehicle can handle the ice. You’ll be safer.”

  Harrison didn’t need to be convinced. He was grateful and accepted the commander’s invitation. “We’ll also need a containment device in case we find the missing virus sample,” he said. “Better suit up your guys appropriately.”

  There was a silence from the other end of the phone. Then the commander said, “That will take us longer to prepare.”

  “I don’t know how much time we have. Can you hustle?”

  Another brief silence. Then the commander said, “I understand.”

  Harrison sighed as he disconnected the call. He wasn’t sure whether he needed to discipline the BAU team or thank them. If he’d listened to them, he and the SWAT team would have headed out to the lake hours ago. It’s possible he’d made a huge mistake. If he had, how many people would have to pay the price for his blunder?

  As he headed for the door, his phone rang again. After hearing what the person on the other end had to say, he called the SWAT commander back.

  “Look,” Logan said as they inched their way down Waywind Road. “It’s a car in the ditch.” As they got closer, Logan grew excited. “It’s Alex’s.”

  Monty pulled up next to the car and Logan got out. Had Alex been injured? A quick look told him the car was empty. As he headed back to the SUV, he stopped and stared down the road. Even though it was hard to see through the falling ice, he could make out a light. It looked like a house.

  “There’s a house up the road,” he said to Monty as he got back into the car. “Let’s check it out. If she’s not there, we’ll go back to the CP. Okay?”

  “We’re in it this far, we might as well go all the way,” Monty said in a low voice. “But if we get stuck out here and freeze to death, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

  “I don’t think your plan will work. I’d be dead too—”

  “Oh, shut up.” Monty shook his head. “I never want to be paired with you again, you know.”

  “You don’t mean that.” Logan smiled. “You can’t help but like me. I’m a lovable human being.”

  In spite of himself, Monty laughed. “Okay, lovable human being. Once more into the fray . . .”

  “You know the rest of that poem from The Grey, right? From that film?”

  Monty nodded. “‘Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.’”

  “Let’s live, okay?”

  “Okay. Sounds good.”

  Monty put the SUV in gear and started for the house.

  Mike forced Alex into a chair. He pulled a gun out of his waistband and trained it on her. “Sit there and don’t move. If you do, I will shoot you. I won’t hesitate for even a second. Do you understand me?”

  Alex nodded, then looked the room over, trying to find a way out. She wasn’t going to just sit there and watch this girl die. The poor thing hadn’t taken her eyes off Alex ever since she’d walked into the room.

  “Secure her,” Walker said to Mike. “I don’t trust her.”

  “My handcuffs are upstairs,” Mike said. “I don’t think I should leave you alone with her.”

  “I’m the Train Man,” Walker shouted. “I can keep her here.”

  “But if you kill her, she’ll have to be the sacrifice,” Mike said evenly.

  Alex could tell he was trying to placate Walker. Keep him calm.

  “You can’t let that happen,” Walker said, his eyes wild. “We’re so close to the end.”

  “Then let’s get on with it.”

  “Wait a minute,” Alex said. She’d been trying to discern whom she should manipulate, and now she decided Walker was the better choice. He was psychotic and delusional, but if she appealed to his ego, he might be more willing to listen to her. His own sense of importance was driving him now. On the other hand, Mike was fueled by zeal and anger. A dangerous combination. He was more likely to respond with violence.

  “What?” Walker said, his tone almost that of a petulant child. “No more delays. The world is waiting for me to fulfill the prophecy.”

  “I can’t figure out how you intend to spread the virus to a third of the world,” Alex said quickly. “It’s impossible, you know. It will be contained before it gets out of hand. You’ll never be able to pull this off.”

  Walker’s expression turned to one of superiority. He looked at Alex as if she were just too simple to understand his exceptional mental acuity.

  “Don’t listen to her,” Mike said. “She’s trying to stall you.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Walker said. “She obviously came alone. If the police knew about this place, they’d be here already. Good thing they didn’t follow you after you took the virgin.”

  Alex stared at Mike. “You kidnapped this girl? The police were looking for Walker. Not you. Not an FBI agent.”

  “You’re right,” Walker said, cackling. “I located her, but Mike brought her here. We’ve fooled you all along the way.”

  “But you killed the five victims, right?” she said to Walker.

  “Yes,” he said. “I had to do it for the prophecy to come to pass.”

  “And you have to kill this girl so you can release the virus. And the Circle supports this?” Alex asked. “They believe you’re the Destroyer?”

  Walker’s face transformed to an image of uncontrolled rage. “They’re weak. They don’t want anything to do with the prophecy. They’re false!” He pointed at Mike. “That’s why we’re working together. We know the truth.”

  Alex needed to calm him down again. She needed information in case backup came. Knowing Walker could be killed, she wanted to know where the virus was and what he had done already. “So explain it to me. How are you going to do this? There’s no way one sample can infect so many people. You would have to design an incredible plan to make this work.”

  Walker smiled as he walked toward her. “You just don’t get it, do you? I’m the Train Man. The Destroyer. I’ve been chosen. The Maste
r guides me with his strength and wisdom. I know what I’m doing. My friend in Ethiopia created a strain of the Zaire Ebola virus so powerful that it takes very little to infect one person. And it’s so contagious that one can spread it to a hundred.”

  “Not everyone has a hundred friends,” Alex said. She tried to keep her tone level. She didn’t want to make Walker think she was making fun of him. That would really set him off.

  “They don’t have to.” When Walker laughed, his high-pitched tone was almost feminine. “You see, this strain is airborne. All anyone has to do once they have it is . . . breathe.”

  “Ebola isn’t an airborne virus.”

  “But this one is. After this last sacrifice, I intend to infect people in airports, train stations, even hospitals. My friend Mike has already proved that anyone can easily infiltrate a hospital. Once we infect patients, the nurses, doctors, everyone there will be contaminated too. And each time they treat a patient—”

  Although she wanted to keep Walker talking, at the mention of hospitals, rage toward Mike flared inside her. “Why did you kill Nettie?” she spit out at him, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. But then she sat back almost in defeat. “My aunt too. You said she was your friend.”

  “But she didn’t protect The Book. She showed it to Nettie. And then Nettie gave it to you.” He shrugged. “They both had to be punished.”

  Although Alex accepted that Mike believed what he was saying, she realized his rage wasn’t for Willow and Nettie. It was for her. And not just because she’d left Wichita without telling him she was going. It was because he wanted to “be someone,” like he said. Alex had been promoted to the BAU. It was an honor to work for one of the FBI’s most elite divisions. But Mike had been belittled by someone at the FBI. Told he would never be promoted. Instead of blaming himself, he’d turned his fury toward Alex.

  It was her fault. That explained his frenzy, his anger, when he killed Willow and tried to kill Nettie. It also explained why he’d written her name on the wall. Even though she was certain he didn’t know why he’d done it, she did. He’d written the name of the person he blamed for the murders he’d just committed. In Mike’s twisted mind, Alex was to blame for everything he did. The reason he was acting out.

  Alex forced herself to turn her attention back to Walker. He was the one she feared the most. “You said something about doctors and nurses becoming infected. But when they become sick, won’t they stay away from patients?”

  Walker stared at her as if she were pitifully stupid. “The virus has an incubation period. It can take two days before symptoms appear. Just think how many people can be affected in that time. And airline passengers take the virus to all different places and countries.” He shook his head. “I’m sure you can see the brilliance of my plan.”

  Alex kept listening for any sound from upstairs that told her help had arrived. Nothing. Was she hoping for something that wasn’t going to happen? “How are you going to infect people?” she asked. “You can’t just walk up to someone and say, ‘Excuse me, may I inject you with a virus that may kill you?’”

  “This is taking too long,” Mike snapped. “Come on. I’d like to get out of here someday.”

  “I don’t think you’re going anywhere for a while,” Alex told him. “There’s ice everywhere. My car went off the road. Yours will too.”

  “My SUV is equipped with snow tires. I’ll get out of here without any trouble.”

  “Be quiet,” Walker said to Mike. He was basking in the attention he was receiving from Alex. He wanted to share his brilliance, a characteristic of serial killers. They needed to feel special, and they wanted everyone to know how smart they were.

  He walked over to a wooden shelf attached to one of the basement walls and picked up a box. It looked like a package waiting to be mailed. He set it down on the edge of the table where the girl remained tied down and muzzled.

  “Let me show you something that will answer all your questions.” He lifted the wrapped lid off the rest of the box. Then he tilted it so Alex could see inside. Some kind of cylinder was held in place by padded supports.

  “There’s a button hidden here. When I press it”—he turned the package and pushed a spot on the side, making the tip of a needle pop out—“the virus will be loaded into this syringe. All I have to do is bump into someone. They probably won’t even feel it. If they do, they’ll think they were bitten by a bug. I’ll be walking away, looking completely innocent. And that’s all it takes.”

  Alex swallowed hard. His plan was ingenious. And the worst part was that it would work. She didn’t know what to say.

  “I can tell you’re impressed,” Walker said. “You know what? I’m going to let you be part of the prophecy. You say you’re one of the angels that will rule with me someday? Let’s find out.”

  He giggled like a girl and then walked over to something that looked like an ice cream freezer. He took some gloves from a box on another shelf next to it. “This is a medical freezer for storing vaccines.” He lifted the lid and reached in. “I’ve already prepared one of the syringes I’ll be using for my holy mission.” He pulled up a syringe with something inside it. “Only a little bit of the virus is added to this liquid, but it’s enough to kill thousands of people. And I can make hundreds of these vials.”

  He walked toward Alex. “Lift her sleeve, Mike.”

  “No!” Alex tried to stand, but Mike pushed her down on the chair hard. She began to fight with everything in her. They’d have to kill her before she’d allow Walker to inject her.

  “Stop it!” he yelled.

  She started to rise again, but then she thought she heard a noise upstairs. “Help!” she yelled. Before she had a chance to call out again, Walker was shoving the needle into her arm, and then he pushed the plunger.

  42

  Logan had opened the front door as quietly as he could, but when he heard Alex yell, he moved quickly through the house, his gun drawn. Monty followed behind him.

  Then he heard a scream coming from somewhere in the kitchen and found an open door. He hurried down the stairs and was surprised to be greeted by Mike Monroe, who pointed a gun at his chest. Logan started to lower his weapon, but then Alex yelled, “Shoot him!”

  Logan pulled the trigger twice, and Mike fell. Logan shifted his gaze to a disguised Walker, who smiled at him. He walked around a large table and stood over a woman tied to it.

  “Thank you for being here,” he said. “I’m so happy you’ll get to see the beginning of a war that will kill millions. But don’t worry, angels. I’ll ask the Master to allow you to live. You can reign with us.”

  He picked up a dagger and slowly raised it over the terrified woman. “Washed in the blood of the Lamb—and now her own,” he said.

  “Put it down!” Logan said.

  Walker looked at him as if he couldn’t understand what he was saying. Then he raised his eyes toward the ceiling. “Behold the last sacrifice, Master.”

  Before he could bring down the dagger, Logan shot him in the head. Walker looked surprised. As if he couldn’t accept what had happened. Then he fell backward to the floor.

  Alex shouted as he turned to look at her. “Logan, he’s got the virus in a syringe. It can’t break. The pathogen is airborne!”

  He stepped to the other side of the table and looked around. Then he moved to the area of the basement where the syringe must have rolled. He stood and looked at Alex. “Too late,” he said. He looked around and found a metal bucket, then covered the broken syringe with it.

  “You’re all probably safe for the moment.” He pointed at Monty, who was standing near the stairs. “Get them out quick,” he said. “Drive back toward that convenience store. As soon as you have cell service, call Harrison. Tell him I’ve been exposed.”

  “But—”

  “Just do it, Monty. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Monty took a knife out of his pocket and cut the girl free. She pulled the tape off her mouth. “Thank you, thank you,” she s
aid, crying. “I prayed God would send someone to help me and you came.”

  Monty took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders as she sat up. “Let’s get going. Come on,” he said to Alex. But she didn’t move.

  “Did you hear me?” he shouted. “We’ve got to get out of here while we still have a chance.”

  “Monty, go,” Alex said. “It’s too late for me. Please. You may be our only hope for survival. Go.”

  “All right, all right,” he said. “Just don’t die.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Logan said.

  Once Monty and the girl were gone, Logan turned to look at Alex. “What do you mean, it’s too late for you?”

  “Walker injected me right before you came downstairs.”

  “But you said it’s airborne.”

  Alex smiled. “I think sticking it directly into my body works too.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure they got out in time, you know.”

  “I know. Monty knows that too. He’ll be careful and tell Harrison when he talks to him.”

  Logan sat down on the floor next to Alex’s chair. She hadn’t moved from it. He leaned his back against the wall.

  “By the way, I’m pretty sure you’ll find Agnes Walker under the floor somewhere,” she said.

  “Did he tell you that?”

  “No, but I think his mother was living here when she died, probably at the hands of his father. Adam had to perform the sixth sacrifice in a holy place. If this is the room where his mother died, it probably qualifies in some twisted way.”

  “That sounds right.”

  “Small comfort,” Alex said.

  Logan shrugged. “Gotta take what we can get.” He smiled at her.

  He watched her face change as a roach ran out from beneath the cold, dead furnace in the corner of the room. Logan could see she was horrified. “It’s just a bug, Alex. It can’t hurt you.”