by H. P. Bayne
“Once he knows, everyone else will find out,” Eva said. “And if word gets back to Lowell—”
“He’s committed several very serious offences,” Lachlan said. “I’m increasingly certain the rest of them will seek to distance themselves from him. Besides, we’ve got the second son prophesy on our side. If the possibility of criminal charges isn’t enough to convince them to do the right thing, I’m sure the likelihood of complete annihilation will do it. Anyway, I think we’re at the point where all bets are off. We’ve only got a few hours before we need to turn this over to the police, and we all know it’s going to be a lot harder to keep Lowell in the dark once that happens.”
Eva nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
It was getting late when Dez pulled over at Sully’s regular crossing, a wide, black expanse of ice standing between them and the dim glow from the distant island, alit here and there with small, life-preserving fires, and likely a number of larger, life-threatening ones that had gotten out of control.
Dez approached the hatch and allowed Pax out, then joined the dog at Sully’s side. “Take Pax with you. I know you can handle yourself. I just like the idea of you having a little extra backup. And here….” Dez dug inside his pocket, pulling Raiya’s wood block from inside. “Take this too. Just in case.”
Sully was happy to have Pax along, but added palo santo wasn’t a good idea. “If things go sideways, I might need to fall back on Thadeus. I’m worried I’ll hesitate if I have to make certain decisions. He won’t.”
Dez didn’t need further convincing, re-pocketing the palo santo almost as quickly as he’d removed it. Dez might not like the fact of Thadeus’s existence any more than Sully did, but they both knew the hangman had kept Sully alive more than once—a detail Dez wouldn’t underrate given the current situation.
Dez pulled Sully into a hug. “Keep your phone on, even if it’s on silent. And send me a text every so often, all right?”
Sully nodded against Dez’s chest, then pulled away. “Be careful.” He turned to Eva and Lachlan. “All of you.”
Having received a hug from Eva, Sully turned on his flashlight app and started across the frozen river.
Dez watched Sully go as Lachlan pulled out his phone to make the requisite phone call.
“Paul? Sorry to wake you. It’s Lachlan. Listen, we need your help with something. Hang on, I’m going to put you on speaker.”
Doing so, Lachlan waited until Dez and Eva crowded around him before continuing. “We thought we had Lowell pinned down to a cottage on his estate, but he managed to give us the slip. We’ve got just a few hours left, and we need to move if we’re going to stay on top of this thing. Sullivan suggested something we hadn’t thought about before: that one of the cops getting pulled in for questioning might call a lawyer who’s also a Circle member. I recognized at least two names on the list who are well-known lawyers in town. If they tell others in the Circle, it’s only a matter of time before it gets back to Lowell. We need to get to the Circle’s brass before someone does something we can’t fix later.”
“I hear you,” Paul said. “There are members who are lawyers. Four off the top of my head, probably others I don’t know as well. But don’t forget, these people aren’t stupid. They’ll probably call members of Circle council to report what’s going on, but they’ll go into damage-control mode, not go on the offensive. Any lawyer worth their salt will advise everyone to stay out of contact with Lowell and the police officer who shot Forbes. They’ll want to ensure a measure of distance, enough to keep police from pinning them with an accessory charge.”
“Even if they’re already accessories?” Lachlan asked. “Face it, some of them are already parties or accessories to murder.”
“Then it’s likely time to come forward that Lowell has kidnapped a child,” Paul said. “If you want to try to persuade my father to go to the police, news like that will help cement your case. He was there at the time of Aiden’s death. He knows what Lowell is capable of and might well see this as a chance to save himself, by helping to save a child—as long as you can ensure police are aware of the help he provided you.”
Deal with the devil, Dez found himself thinking. Ray Dunsmore had donned a fright mask and stood dispassionately by as Gerhardt had tortured Sully. He didn’t deserve credit. He deserved a prison term almost as long as the one Lowell had earned.
But if it meant saving Kayleigh, Dez—and no doubt Sully as well—could turn a blind eye to Ray Dunsmore’s wrongdoing.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Dez said. “Not anymore. Could you give us his address, Paul?”
“I will, under the condition you wait until I get there.”
Dez exchanged a look with Lachlan, then Eva. “You’re coming?”
“He’s a stubborn man, and he might need a little persuasion. Anyway, as a member of the Circle and a Dunsmore, I’m at risk too. Once our company falls—and it just might once certain members of the Circle are taken down—our family will become one of the most hated in the city. I don’t want to be seen as a part of that. I want to go to the police with what I know, and I want to take my father with me—kicking and screaming, if need be. Everything I have to say about certain things would be nothing but hearsay. They’ll need my father if they’re going to build a case against Lowell. Which means you need me to meet you. One problem: I can’t leave Mara here alone. I feel safe here, but I can’t absolutely guarantee someone in the Circle doesn’t have ways of learning about its location. I’d never be able to live with myself if something happened to her because I left her here.”
Crap, Dez thought. Once his mom learned about Kayleigh, she’d never agree to sit this out. The last thing he wanted was another loved one at risk. Then again, he reminded himself, Mara had a far cooler head than he did, and she’d always been good at calming him down when his anxiety spiked. So was Eva, but given her worries were just as severe as Dez’s, soothing his nerves wasn’t an added task she should be called upon to undertake.
“Okay,” Dez said. “I guess that’s just one more thing we don’t have a choice about anymore.”
22
Snow fell in light flakes, turning Sully’s shoulders white as he hunched within what warmth remained in his coat.
The jog across the river had taken close to twenty minutes, time not helped by the fact he’d tripped twice over ice heaves.
He’d entered Ravenwood with some dread. Ned had become a useful ally to him, one he couldn’t afford to lose now. He worried once the poltergeist returned to his longtime home, he’d decide he wanted to stay.
But as Sully emerged on the other side, passing through the gates separating the mansion’s property with the rest of the island, he realized his worry had been for nothing. Ned was still there, hovering somewhere around him, waiting as patiently as any violent poltergeist was able. Ravenwood was no longer Ned’s home; Sully was. And what might have once troubled Sully now spawned a level of comfort that seemed, at least on some level, wrong.
He’d learned early on ghosts weren’t supposed to exist on this side of the veil. Those who did were unsettled, not at peace, and the longer they remained, the more disturbed they became. Sully still didn’t know who Ned was, if he was even a “who.” If Ned was nothing more than a bundle of powerful energy looking for an outlet, Sully would have no qualms about his remaining here; if he was human, or had been once, he should have the same chance at moving on.
Just not tonight.
Too dark to walk without the aid of a flashlight, Sully relied on Pax to let him know if anyone was approaching. They made a good team this way, always had. Rarely had he been more grateful to have the dog at his side than tonight, when his whole world was shattering.
He forced thoughts of Kayleigh from his mind as they left this section of the island behind, nearing an area more densely filled by houses. The dim glow of fire they’d seen from across the river was brighter here, telling him exactly which buildings were occupied, and therefore which ones
to avoid.
He shut off his flashlight app, relying on Pax and the scattered light to guide him. Somewhere ahead, within that cluster of homes, sat the one occupied by Terrence and Snowy. While Sully had no particular desire to see Snowy again, the night’s events had robbed choice from his family on many levels. With no other way to find his niece, Sully was willing to try anything.
Dodging lit homes like a pixelated character in an arcade game, he wound his way through the ruined neighbourhood until he reached the right street. He recognized the small house nestled between two larger ones. From here, no light was visible from within, but Sully knew Terrence had boarded the place up—in part to keep in warmth, but also to keep signs of life from being readily apparent to potential enemies in the outside world. There was no hiding the plume of smoke that rose from the chimney, though, and it provided all the evidence Sully needed that someone was there.
He didn’t bother trying to silence his footfalls as he approached, next to impossible in the crunch of snow beneath his boots. Terrence would hear him no matter what he did, and even if he didn’t, Snowy would sense him.
He was proved correct when, just within the boundaries of the yard, the door opened a crack. The outline of Terrence’s body appeared, subtly backlit by a fire from within the house.
“Sully?” The head seemed to shift as if Terrence was looking for something. “You alone?”
The latter question carried an element of disbelief. Sully didn’t blame him. No one, save the utterly stupid, roamed the streets in The Forks in the middle of the night.
“I’m not exactly alone,” Sully said, nodding toward Pax.
“I was just thinking you had your brother with you the last couple of times. Everything okay?”
Sully delayed the answer to that one. “Can I come in?”
Terrence held the door open wider, allowing Sully and Pax to enter. Terrence led them into the living room, where a fire crackled. Sully at last pulled his hands from his pockets and then out of his gloves to warm them near the fireplace.
He hadn’t seen Snowy since she’d sold him out to Gerhardt at Lockwood. Terrence had done his best to explain why she’d done it, but it didn’t help a whole lot. Sully knew fear better than most; never had he used it as an excuse to betray someone he’d considered a friend.
He was surprised she wasn’t sleeping here, near the fire. It was late, and it was unlikely, given the cold, any other room besides this one would be habitable. During those two years at Ravenwood, Sully had spent most of the winter months confined to one room for the sake of the heat.
“Where is she?” he asked.
Terrence stepped to Sully’s side to speak quietly—as if that would matter when they were talking about a mind reader. “She was sitting up, keeping a lookout. She woke me to tell me you were coming. She scuttled off to another room. She doesn’t know how to face you.”
Sully didn’t blame her. He understood her reasons, but he was a long way from being able to forgive. If she wanted to wait him out in a chilly back bedroom, that was fine with him.
He left the topic there, switching to the reason he’d come. “You asked if everything’s okay. It’s not. Things have come to a head with Lowell. He took my niece.”
“She’s just little yet, isn’t she?”
“Seven.”
Terrence turned eyes narrowed in pity from Sully’s face to the fire. “Damn. I’m sorry.” As with Paul, Terrence’s tone was the sort of thing you’d hear when sharing news of a family death.
“She’s not dead, Terrence.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
Sully knew what he was thinking, though, knew it because his own thoughts had run that way more times than he wanted to admit. They both knew Lowell’s history. Kayleigh wasn’t dead, but Lowell would have no significant qualms about changing that.
“You came here looking for help?”
“I need to talk to your mother.”
“What do you need from her?”
“It’s all right, Terrence,” came a voice from behind them. “I know what he wants.”
Sully turned. Snowy looked smaller than ever, shoulders hunched and head bowed forward as she approached. She stopped several feet away, like a dog facing its master after ripping apart a sofa cushion.
“Hi, Snowy.”
She raised her eyes to his face, but they stayed there only a second before dropping back to the floor. “I know Terrence already spoke to you on my behalf, but I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I thought it would help me, but it didn’t. He granted me my freedom but I only ended up caught up in something else. Being trapped with guilt is almost as bad as living in fear.”
She was looking for absolution Sully wasn’t yet ready to grant. It was something she’d have to earn. “You weren’t the only one who was afraid of Gerhardt or being forced to return to Lockwood.”
“I know.”
Sully left it at that. There wasn’t time and he wasn’t in the mood. “I came here because I need your help. If you want to make it up to me, there’s a way you can do that. It won’t even involve you having to face anyone or show yourself. I can get you a vehicle. If you could drive around to some locations I give you, see if you sense Lowell—”
“I can’t.”
“Snowy—”
Her head snapped up, wide eyes locking onto his. “I can’t! Don’t you understand? He tried to kill my son. I won’t expose him to that.”
“You’re not exposing me to anything, Mom,” Terrence said. “She’s just seven years old. I’m an adult and ex-military. I can look after myself. Anyway, he’s only a risk if he knows we’re there, and he doesn’t have to.”
“No. No!”
Terrence sighed and turned back to Sully. “She’s been like this since we came back from Lockwood the last time. It was a mistake, taking her there. It just made everything resurface. It might seem strange, but The Forks is the only place she feels comfortable anymore.” He leaned closer. “Are you telling me you’re getting ready to take Lowell down?”
“One way or another. Like I said, he’s got my niece. We have to get her back, and we need to make sure he’s no longer a threat in the future. At this point, I don’t know if that means making sure police have enough to pin on him or taking him out of the picture permanently.”
“You’re not a killer,” Terrence said.
If only he knew. “Not under normal circumstances,” Sully said.
He returned his attention to Snowy. “I know you’re scared, but this is a way to end that. Once my niece is safe, we can corner Lowell and make sure he’s not in a position to threaten anyone ever again. Terrence wouldn’t have to live with a target on his back anymore. You could both return to the mainland and live there.”
“Not sure what I’d do,” Terrence said. “I doubt I’d be able to get my old job back, but I don’t think I can survive another year in this dump.” He approached his mother and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Mom, I know it’s hard, but Sully needs our help. We owe it to him, and we owe it to ourselves, besides. This is our chance to end this.”
The reply left her lips before he’d even finished his last sentence. “No!” It wasn’t simply a refusal; it was a word edged in panic, a sign of a woman close to breaking.
Terrence placed his arm around her and squeezed before turning back to Sully, his expression filled with all the torment Sully himself was feeling. “I’m sorry. I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t put her through more than she can handle. You understand, she comes first with me. I can’t—”
“It’s okay,” Sully said. “I get it.” He took a last moment to warm his hands, wiggling his fingers to get a little more blood flowing within them. “I need to go. Please, think about it in the meantime. We only have until eight in the morning. After that, the police are taking over, and that could screw everything up for us.”
“What are you going to do now?” Terrence asked.
That was a good question. “I don’t
know,” Sully said.
He slipped his gloves back on and gave Terrence one last tight smile before starting for the door.
“Harry,” Snowy said.
Sully stopped, spinning back toward her. “What?”
Eyes magnified behind her large lenses focused in on him. “Harry. He can see things others can’t.”
“Harry Schuster?” Terrence asked. “He’s dead, Mom.”
“I know that,” she said. “But he’s not gone. He’s still here. Waiting.”
Sully was pretty sure he knew what she was getting at, but Terrence wasn’t clueing in so quickly. “Okay, but he’s still dead, so what good is it if—Oh. Oh yeah. Sully can do that thing.” His eyes lost their focus, and Sully was pretty sure he was remembering his army buddy.
“Just because Harry’s not in his body anymore doesn’t mean he hasn’t retained the ability to see things beyond the ordinary world,” Snowy said. “Surely, if Sully speaks with him, Harry can show him what he needs to see.”
Sully had come here looking for one thing. Now he had something altogether different—and quite possibly better. He wanted to kick himself for not having thought of it before.
“Thanks, Snowy,” he said, and turned to the door.
“I really am sorry, you know,” Snowy called to his back. “About everything.”
He didn’t turn. “I know.”
23
Dez wasn’t surprised to learn Reynold Dunsmore maintained two residences: one in the ritziest condo tower in the city and the other in an area just outside town co-opted by the rich for sprawling estates.
Whatever money Ray had lost in the flood four years ago—his main residence at the time had been in The Forks—seemed to have magically reappeared. Or not so magically. The city had needed rebuilding, and the Dunsmores had been perfectly placed to put themselves front and centre when it came time to snap up contracts. While some wealthy families had been devastated by uninsurable losses, the Dunsmores had found a way to create gains.