by Jonas Saul
“To talk.”
“About what?”
“Things.”
“Stop fucking around,” Hirst shouted. His face reddened and his eyes bulged for a second. “Why call me and drag me all this way to play games? Tell me what you have to tell me.”
“What’s got you all riled up?” Sarah asked. “We’re the ones who got shot.” She pointed at Parkman. “And rammed into the ground.” She gestured at her face. “While being body-fucked by a snake. You invited us down here and you’re angry at us?”
“According to him,” Hirst pointed at Aaron, “it’s not over.”
“Take it easy,” Aaron said, stepping closer. “Lose the attitude. We’re all friends here.”
Hirst didn’t want to anger Aaron because Hirst would get hurt and Aaron would get arrested. Cops weren’t in his good books after what happened to his sister Joanne a while back.
“Detective Hirst,” Sarah said, “if you want to save your wife, sit down, shut your mouth and listen to what I have to say.”
All three men turned to stare at her. Comically, all three frowned and held their mouths open at the same time. Any reference to saving the wife was new to Parkman and Aaron. Just as new as it was to her.
“I don’t know how I know that, but Janice, I think that’s her name, could use our help. Would you agree?”
Hirst nodded and walked over to sit beside Parkman.
“I’m so confused,” Hirst said.
“Me too,” Aaron added.
“What’s really going on?” Hirst asked as he rubbed his thighs back and forth.
“You’ve been through a lot, Detective. Why don’t you tell us what happened at your house today? It’ll help coming from you as I’m only getting snippets of it. I know it’s supposed to be confidential, but Father Adams can’t hear us here.”
Hirst told them what happened and what Father Adams instructed of him.
“He had a brother,” Aaron said. “That’s crazy. All this time there were two killers acting as priests.”
“Tell me something solid, Sarah,” Hirst said. “Help me out here.”
“What do you want to know?”
“What happened to your foot?”
Sarah looked down at the Robo boot and recalled being tied to a couch in the Rankins’ house, held by a murdering cannibal.
“I understood you already knew some of what happened in Canada.”
“I do, but what I don’t understand is how your sister would direct you with all this information and allow you to be in harm’s way.”
Sarah understood what he was asking. Could she, with her celestial contact, work to make sure Janice was saved?
“You know my attacker in Canada was a cannibal?”
Hirst nodded.
“Had I drove into Kelowna, told the police that a cop’s wife was a murderer who eats her victims, how much proof would I have? What if I told them that I knew where the victim’s bodies were? Could they execute a search warrant on the word of a mid-twenties American girl who had never been to Kelowna in her life?” She lifted her cold cup and gestured for Aaron. He grabbed it and began fixing her another coffee. “If all that panned out, would that cop, Barry Ashford learn any lessons? Would he keep hurting girls at his massage parlor?”
“Okay, I get it. But you do this at great personal risk. You could’ve been killed.”
“I could’ve been killed a thousand times by now, but I do this because I have to. I needed to go to Kelowna, piss that cop off, attack him and expose him. He was so vile, that even his own wife wanted him dead. Once she did that on camera, and she imprisoned me, all the evidence the authorities needed was easily collected. Sometimes things get a little out of hand and I get hurt. To take Barry and his wife off the streets, it’s worth it. I can heal. And I don’t believe Vivian would send me to my death. And even if she did, I would wake up on the other side and be able to slap the shit out of her for letting me die because as a team, we’re doing some good here.”
Hirst looked like he was starting to relax. “Can you help my wife? If so, how?”
“We go to the church tomorrow and listen to the eulogy. But before we do that, we make sure all the emergency exits are unlocked and ready because I think Father Adams wants to go out in flames.”
Aaron stepped back into the main room with Sarah’s coffee. He exchanged a look with Parkman.
“Fire?” Aaron said. “Do you know anything else about his plan?”
“Just that he wants the three of us dead along with him.”
“Great. That kinda sucks.”
“I know. I’m not looking forward to it either.”
Sarah looked to the side and stared at the wall for a moment. She turned her eyes to the carpet.
“What is it?” Aaron asked.
Slowly, she looked up and stared at Hirst. “You’re wondering why Adams wants us at the church. You don’t think we’re telling you everything. In your mind, what he did to Janice is somehow our fault.”
Hirst looked between Aaron and Sarah, then turned to Parkman.
“I’ve known you a long time, Parkman. I asked for help. I know I brought this on myself, but you assured me that she—” he pointed at Sarah, and Aaron moved in to deal with the offending arm, but Sarah waved him off— “that she was safe and that she didn’t kill that cop in Canada. I should’ve listened to my colleagues. I should’ve never asked for her to come here.”
“You were right in bringing Sarah,” Parkman muttered. “Without her, this wouldn’t be over. She led us to that building where you found Father George. She led us to the parking lot where Evelyn worked. And she will lead us through this ’til the end.”
Hirst was shaking his head. “No, she won’t.” He got to his feet. “It ends here. It ends now. You three will come with me and tell us everything. When we’re done, we’ll bring you to the church tomorrow and find out what Father Adams wants to do. He will release my wife and then he’ll die like he said or he’ll go to prison for a very long time.”
It was Sarah’s turn to shake her head. “That doesn’t work.”
Aaron moved closer. He stood two feet from Hirst.
“You don’t have a choice,” Hirst said.
“Actually I do. I have Aaron.”
As if on cue, he stepped in behind Hirst, wrapped his arms in under Hirst’s armpits, brought his hands up and interlaced them around the back of Hirst’s neck. Under two seconds, Hirst was immobilized. When Hirst struggled and tried to kick backwards, Aaron easily anticipated him and adjusted his hold to where Hirst shouted for him to stop.
“Tell your men to go home,” Sarah said. “We’ve been honest with you from the beginning and we’re being honest with you now. We can help, but your plan will get us all killed.”
She detected a slight nod of his head.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Sarah asked, even though she already knew it was Hirst’s backup.
“Room service. A Detective Hirst ordered coffee and teas brought up.”
“We don’t want any. Go away.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the guy yelled through the door. “We have to hear it from Hirst. He’ll need to sign for it.”
Sarah nodded at Aaron. “Let him go.”
In a flash, Aaron’s arms slipped out of the hold on Hirst and the detective almost lost his footing. He collected himself, adjusted his jacket and walked to the hotel room door.
When he opened it, three men in suits filed in. The front two pulled weapons and held them down by their legs.
“Is that your play?” Sarah asked. “Is that how you want to handle this?”
Hirst was obviously angry. His face had reddened from his ordeal with Aaron, and it maintained that hue as he shouted at Sarah. “I want to know why Father Adams tortured my wife, strung her up like a side of cattle and placed a fucking bomb on her neck. Tell me everything and you can go home. You can get out of my city. I’ll clean it up my way.”
Aaron
hadn’t moved. When Hirst was done shouting, he turned to Aaron. Hirst’s hand came so fast, it was a blur. But Aaron still managed to duck back and right himself, Hirst’s hand completely missing. Hirst tried again, stepping into it, but missed again.
“Hold him!” Hirst shouted.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Sarah warned.
Two men stepped forward while the third raised his weapon at Aaron’s face and shook his head back and forth quickly.
“Don’t,” the gunman said.
With one man on each side holding Aaron’s arms, Hirst moved in until he was almost touching Aaron’s nose.
“I’m a fucking detective. You don’t grab me and hold me like a common street thug. And since she’s not talking and telling, I’ll hurt you to get to her. Maybe then she’ll tell us what we need to know.”
The man with the gun lowered it once he saw Aaron was secure.
“Wait,” Sarah said.
Everyone turned to her.
“Vivian’s trying to say something.”
They waited.
Sarah grabbed the pen and paper and laid her head back as if in a trance. She wrote something down, then snapped her head up and read the words.
“What did she say?” Hirst asked. “What’s on the note?”
Sarah met Aaron’s eyes and offered a slight nod. He understood what he was to do.
She held up the note. “Just two words. The first one is fuck and the second one is you.” Sarah looked at Hirst. “I guess she means you.”
Then she threw the pen at Hirst.
He blinked, but that was all Aaron needed. He bounced up and lifted his feet until they connected with Hirst’s chest. When he pushed off Hirst’s chest, the detective flew backwards and the two men holding his arms were knocked off balance. The man on Aaron’s left arm connected with an end table and fell, releasing his grip on Aaron.
The second his arm was free, he swung at the man holding his right arm. One carefully measured hit and the man gagged as his throat threatened to close. In the few seconds this took, the man who had previously held the gun on Aaron was still reacting, still raising the weapon when Aaron dove at him. As one, they slammed into the wall and the gun dropped safely to the carpeted floor.
Aaron lifted the man’s legs, wedging the man’s upper body between Aaron and the wall. With three other men in the room, two of them unhurt and ready to fight, Aaron had to act fast.
He released the man’s legs. As the man fell to the carpet, Aaron dropped, retrieved the gun, slipped sideways in case someone was directly behind him, and landed on his back, the gun up and aimed.
The man who had toppled over the end table stood over him, fists at the ready.
“Back up,” Aaron said.
“I’d do it,” Sarah added. “Aaron doesn’t like cops much. Compared to him, cops are my pals.”
The man took a slow step back. The goon beside Aaron rolled away and got to his feet. Aaron did the same, keeping the weapon trained on them. The one who got hit in the throat was starting to breathe normally again.
“Everyone up against that wall,” Aaron said.
They listened, moving as one, their hands raised slightly at the waist.
“Not you, Hirst,” Sarah said.
He stopped and turned to her.
“Sit.”
He sat.
While Aaron held Hirst’s backup men against the wall by the door, Sarah leaned closer to Hirst.
“We still want to help. And I know how to free Janice. But you have to do it my way.”
“Prove it. How can I trust your way? You were ready to leave the city. It was supposed to be over. But now Janice may die. So why should I trust you?”
“Aaron’s arms are probably getting tired. Tell your men to leave the building. They can wait outside. If you don’t like what I have to say, collect your men and do whatever you like. But for now, they can’t be here.”
Hirst thought about it a moment. He looked at Parkman.
“We’ve got history, Hirst,” Parkman said. “Come on, you know me. You may not know Sarah and Aaron, but you know me. Listen to what she has to say.”
Hirst turned to his men. “Okay, it’s over. There’s nothing here. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Two of them moved toward the door. The third one held back.
“I want my piece.”
“Aaron?”
“Nope. Sorry. I’ll give it to Hirst when he leaves, but not before. Or you can try to relieve me of it. I haven’t broken any bones yet today. So, what’s it gonna be?”
“It’s fine, Baker, I’ll bring your weapon down with me.”
Baker moved along the wall to the open door and stepped out, mouthing a word under his breath.
Aaron wasn’t petty enough to ask what he said. He just slammed the door behind the three men and set the night lock. Then he stood beside the door, the gun still in his hand, his back to the wall.
“You were saying?” Hirst said.
“Here’s how we save Janice and still make it to the church on time.”
When Sarah was done telling them everything, Hirst was the first to respond.
“How is it possible that you would know that much about my personal life? There were so many things you said that only I know about.”
“I need you to trust me. I need you to know that I have access, through my sister, to vast amounts of knowledge. That’s how I know how to fix this mess.”
“Are you sure this’ll work? You’re sure that Janice’s collar isn’t a bomb?”
“I’m only as sure as Vivian is. It’s her plan, her idea.”
Hirst lowered his head. “I’ve known and trusted Parkman for a very long time. When I saw my wife today, all beat up and shit, I don’t know, I just snapped.” He looked up. “I mean, nobody does that to a cop’s wife. And he said it was all because he needed you three at the church tomorrow.”
“We were already planning on attending the eulogy. Although we didn’t plan on it being read by Father Adams, though.”
“To now know the real reason why Janice was tortured, it just boggles my mind at how insane Adams is.”
“Have we all got the plan, then?” Sarah asked.
Hirst nodded. “I’ve got it.”
“Any chance we’ll get another visit from your friends?”
“None.” He turned to Parkman who had stayed mostly quiet. They shook hands. “I’m sorry I doubted you and Sarah. I won’t do it again.”
He got up and moved to the door. Aaron handed him the gun and Hirst gave Aaron a key to his house. Then he took one look back and nodded at Sarah and Parkman.
“See you tomorrow at the church around two in the afternoon.”
Sarah nodded, suddenly very tired.
After Hirst left, Aaron secured the door and plopped down in the chair opposite Sarah.
“Are you sure about the collar on Janice?” he asked.
“No.”
“What do you mean? She’ll die if that thing really is a bomb.”
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. He will leave her alone until after the eulogy tomorrow. That’s all I need.”
“For what? What’s actually going to happen tomorrow?”
Sarah thought about her answer and then chose to say, “All I can tell you is that doing it Hirst’s way would’ve gotten us, along with hundreds more, killed. Doing it my way minimizes the deaths to maybe a couple.”
“Who might die?”
“Janice and me.”
“Great. Just fucking great.”
“But I’m still working on saving our asses. I just need to think. Vivian will help.”
Aaron got up to pace the floor. “What are the odds you die?”
Sarah looked at Parkman, then Aaron, and said, “Don’t ask me that. I don’t like the answer.”
Chapter 34
When Aaron parked in front of Detective Hirst’s house, Sarah got her crutch, set it down and stepped from the vehicle. Detective Hirs
t’s car was nowhere to be seen as they had discussed yesterday. If Father Adams had anyone watching the house, they would probably be gone by now. The eulogy was set to start in just over an hour.
At the back of the house, Sarah entered through the kitchen door with the key Hirst had given Aaron. Quietly, she started across the kitchen but stopped at the sight of the knife block on the counter. She would need to cut through the ropes that secured Janice in order to extract her. Sarah selected a large knife and headed for the stairs to the basement.