Krewe of Hunters, Volume 2: The Unseen ; The Unholy ; The Unspoken ; The Uninvited

by Heather Graham

  “I’m sorry, too, Benita, but it’s good to see you. You’re doing well?”

  “Yes, very, thank you. I’ve been wanting to see Eddie, and we got our chance today. We were at lunch. I wanted him to know that he and Alistair have my undying support.”

  Eddie watched the exchange in silence. “Sean, you have something?” he asked.

  Sean nodded. “Eddie, I’d like to take the elevator down to the basement in the studio.”

  Frowning, Eddie shook his head. “No one’s been down there in at least a decade. I’m sure I have the only key. It could be really dangerous down here.”

  “Where does the basement lead?”

  “What do you mean, where does it lead?” Eddie repeated. “It’s a basement. Basements don’t lead anywhere.”

  “I think this one does,” Sean said.

  “Leave it to the master of illusion.” Benita gave him a glimmer of a smile.

  “I just need the key. Don’t worry about any danger. This is what I do now, and my team and I know how to be careful.”

  “I’ll go with you. I may remember something when we’re down there,” Eddie said.

  “The scene hasn’t been cleared yet,” Sean reminded him.

  “The Black Box Cinema and the tunnel museum haven’t been cleared yet,” Eddie corrected. “The studio—we’re opening it for work tomorrow.”

  Sean looked across the lot, where Duffy and other officers were still on duty. He didn’t want to take a chance on someone thinking Eddie Archer might taint evidence.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Eddie said. “But everyone figures we’ve got a conflict of interest here to begin with, rather than realizing you’re going to understand the cinema and the studio better than any other cop. I’ll go with you to the studio and down to the basement. If you find anything after that, I’ll keep my distance.”

  Eddie was grim and determined, and Sean gave in.

  “Benita, do you mind waiting?” he asked.

  “Well, of course I mind. I’m scared of being anywhere around this place,” she said.

  “Benita, there are a pack of cops out here. I’d say you were safe. And I’d rather not have to worry about your prints being somewhere,” Sean told her.

  “How long do they stay on a surface? Because my prints are already all over this place. I used to be married to Eddie, remember? And I came to the studio frequently back then.”

  “Yeah, but they won’t be in the basement, and that’s the point. Please wait here,” Sean said again.

  “Please,” Eddie echoed. “Do as Sean asks.”

  She let out a deep sigh, and then stroked Eddie’s cheek. “All right.” She turned to Sean. “I expect you to get this whole mess sorted out, okay?” Looking back at Eddie, she said, “I know you’ll want to head home or to the hospital when you’re done, but I’ll hang around for a bit, anyway.”

  “That’s kind of you, Benita,” Eddie murmured.

  Benita walked toward Eddie’s car and slipped into the passenger seat. She had a way of walking that Sean could only describe as stylized. So did Helena, but hers was different.

  “I told you, Sean. I’m here to provide anything you need—anytime,” Eddie said.

  “Thanks. You can meet the team in a few minutes. Let’s get to the studio and the elevator. I want to go to that basement.”

  “I’m not sure the elevator will even go there anymore. I can’t remember the last time I took it down that far,” Eddie muttered. “A decade ago at least. Lord, I don’t know if there’s any light down there.”

  “You have the elevator inspected, right?”

  “Yes, of course. It’s just that we never use the basement. Anything we tried to store down there deteriorated too quickly. The place was too damp, I guess. We didn’t really need the space so didn’t bother with it.”

  “Then the elevator should work, and I’ll get a flashlight from Bailey. I know he’ll have a bunch—he’s prepared for the earthquake that’ll rip out our electrics,” Sean said. He winced at the word our. He hadn’t worked here in years. He’d always have a soft spot for the studio, though, and would probably always feel a part of it. He’d been an adult—but young, just out of college—when he worked here, so the place was an influential part of his past. The people, too…

  Colin Bailey was at the security station, as Sean had expected. He snapped to attention when he saw Eddie. Although Eddie was distracted, he seemed aware of Colin’s attempts to reassure him and was cordial in return.

  Sean procured a large lantern-size flashlight from Bailey and steered Eddie into the office side of the studio and toward the elevator. It was fairly large, a necessity when taking large props or costume pieces from one level to another or to one of the storage areas.

  Eddie’s fingers seemed to tremble as he fit the key into the lock that would allow the elevator to go down to the basement level. “It’s been so long. So long…” he whispered as they stepped inside.

  The elevator didn’t squeak or protest. A moment later, it came to a silent and slightly jarring halt. The door opened.

  A black hole seemed to gape before them. A maw. Stygian was the word that came to Sean’s mind. The basement was pitch-dark and smelled of must, earth, decay.

  Sean turned on the flashlight and let it blaze around him. The basement seemed empty, and he couldn’t see anything other than the concrete support beams that stood here and there.

  Until he saw the arm bone jutting through the side wall, brilliant and opalescent as the light fell upon it.

  * * *

  “So, it’s highly probable that the killer stole some of this cloth to hide himself,” Logan said. “Do you know how much you had? Is there a way to find out how much is missing?”

  Madison shook her head. “No. When it gets low, we just reorder it. It’s a staple in many special-effects studios. There could’ve been dozens of small snatches of it in the remnant bin.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “Over there, beside the shelves.” She pointed to what looked like massive bookshelves against the wall, surrounded by some of the rat creatures. There weren’t any books on the shelves, just endless bolts of fabric—bolts of metallic cloth and glossy knits in brilliant colors, the better to create the world of The Unholy. Right now, there was a lot of “blackout” material.

  “The large green garbage can against the wall has remnants in it. We usually have remnants of this stuff because the fabric is delicate and I probably do at least ten masks for a stunt double during filming,” Madison explained.

  “I assume,” Logan said, “that anyone could have helped themselves to a few remnants and not been noticed, correct?”

  “Who’d really notice anything around here?” Jane asked, and laughed. “I’ve worked with dozens of human skulls, sketched hundreds of crime scenes,” she said. “But this…this is creepy.”

  “I work with dead bodies and I have to agree,” Kat said.

  “Wait until you see all the mannequins in the hall,” Madison warned her.

  “I can only imagine,” Jane said, staring at their fabricated victims from the Victorian murder movie—Miss Mary, Parson Bridge and Myra Sue.

  “Things aren’t half as creepy as real people,” Tyler stated, and they all nodded. “They’re good, but remember—they’re not real, they’re just things.”

  “Yeah, but it’s about the emotions good props create,” Jane said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t want to be locked up alone in this place.”

  “It is a little creepy when there aren’t many people here, and you’re not sure where your coworkers are,” Madison told her, smiling. Then her smile faded. “But it never bothered me…before.”

  “Madison, can you give us about half a yard of that fabric?” Logan asked.

  “Of course.” She went to the bin and pulled out a piece.

  As she did, a phone rang, and she heard Logan pick up.

  “Right away,” he said.

  Madison stared at him, as did the othe
rs.

  “What?” she mouthed.

  “We’re needed in the basement. Sean and Eddie will meet us at the elevator on this level.”

  “He needs all of us? What did he find?” Madison asked.

  “A bone,” Logan said. “A human bone.”

  10

  Despite the heavy-duty lantern, it was difficult to see much in the basement.

  But the bone, Sean was certain, was real—and human. He’d soon know for sure; Eddie had taken his key to go back to the first floor and bring the others down to the basement. Kat Sokolov would recognize immediately what they had.

  The basic structure of the basement was sound, but there were areas where the concrete that constructed the below-ground walls was worn through. The hard-packed earth beyond might have created pressure on the sides. He’d found the bone stuck in the wall, and what it meant, Sean had no idea.

  “It is real, and it is human. A humerus. Hard to say exactly how old,” Kat said, studying the bone. “Are there…more?”

  “No, just that one bone. It came out of the wall,” Sean told her.

  “Oh, God. Oh, God, what else?” Eddie moaned.

  Madison cleared her throat. “Eddie, we’re bordering the graveyard here.” She looked at Sean. “Is it possible that this arm bone belongs to someone long dead—and with time, it’s worked its way through? I don’t know that much about funerary processes and certainly not in the 1800s, but weren’t pine boxes allowed back then? We’ve only recently—in human history, that is—learned that disease can be spread, so we started using sealed coffins.”

  “Yeah, it’s possible,” Sean said.

  “Yes, and it would make sense.” Kat seemed relieved.

  Sean went to stand by the elevator entrance and surveyed the room. Yes, the basement was larger than the structure above. It stretched beneath the property border, he thought.

  “I—I’ll need to get someone down here to shore up the walls, make repairs.” Eddie sighed. “Oh, Lord, we may have to—to get real structural changes made. I don’t think this can be legal. Or up to code. I didn’t realize how far the basement juts out. I never spent enough time down here.”

  “Well, we might have the mystery of the bone solved,” Sean said. “But I still think there has to be another tunnel—leading to the Black Box Cinema.”

  He paused for a minute, getting his bearings, and then walked in the direction of the cinema. He felt a presence right behind him and swung around; it was Madison.

  She stopped. There was a smudge of dirt on her nose and he smiled. “You’re afraid of the dark?” he asked her.

  “I just like to see where I’m going,” she said. “And you have the light.”

  Actually, he saw that the whole group was behind him. He looked back at them all. “This isn’t going to work. We need more light,” he said.

  “I’ll go up and see what Colin Bailey can rig up for us,” Eddie announced.

  “I’ll go with you,” Jane volunteered.

  “I guess I’m not really trusted, am I?” Eddie said. “Everyone’s under suspicion, right?”

  Jane laughed. “Well, that’s true—until we have an answer, we can’t really trust anyone. But it’s not that, Eddie. I just happen to prefer the light.”

  “An FBI agent who doesn’t like the dark,” Eddie said, managing a smile.

  “Hey! We’re human, too. Let’s go get some light,” Jane encouraged him.

  “We have to report the bone to the proper authorities,” Kat said. “Even if it is an old bone. For one thing, there are health issues at stake. Not to mention the dignity of human remains.”

  “Yes, we will report it. But not yet,” Sean told her.

  “No, not yet,” Kat agreed. “We’re supposed to start meeting with the employees in another forty-five minutes, Logan,” she reminded him, touching the illuminator on her watch.

  “We’ll help Sean get some lighting rigged up and then we’ll head out,” Logan said.

  Sean kept feeling along the walls. The place had been built properly, but some of the concrete had been weakened. So far, he hadn’t come across anything suspicious. Madison was testing the walls, too—close behind him.

  They heard the elevator’s soft whisper as it rose again with Eddie and Jane on board. The silence in the darkened basement was eerie as the rest of them continued to walk along the walls, tapping here and there.

  “Let’s divide and conquer,” Sean suggested.

  They did so. Sean knew that a few of his team might think he was looking for something that didn’t exist. But the rule was that if one of them had a hunch, they all cooperated in seeking the truth behind that person’s suspicion or theory.

  It wasn’t long before the elevator returned to the basement, bearing Eddie and Colin Bailey. Colin had brought not just more flashlights, but cord and nails so they could rig the lights around the basement.

  “Agent Everett is acting as security while I’m down here,” Bailey told Sean earnestly. “I thought that was all right, seeing as how she’s an agent and all.”

  “That’s fine, Colin,” Sean said, taking the cord. “Let’s see if we can get the angles and corners covered, and position the lights to help us see around the support beams, as well.”

  They set to work; when they were done with the rigging, Logan spoke to Sean. “Sean, we’ll leave you and Madison here, working on whatever you can find. We have appointments to start interviewing employees down at the station, plus the friend Jenny talked to before going to the studio. I could put it off, I suppose, but I don’t want to. If each of us takes on a few more people to question, I can have Tyler stay with you two down here. Safety in numbers.”

  “That sounds fair,” Tyler said. “And I agree. It was arranged that we’d do the interviews this afternoon. All those people will be showing up, so we need to go ahead with it.”

  “But if the three of you stay here, you might discover something. And remember, we’re a team. If you find anything, we can all spread out tomorrow. And it’s not that we won’t share our information with the police, but I’d rather we got first crack.”

  “Amen,” Sean murmured.

  “We should take the initiative,” Tyler agreed.

  “Works for me,” Sean said, grinning at his old friend. He’d known both Logan and Tyler Montague before their team was formed. They’d been Rangers in Texas, and he’d been on call with various law enforcement agencies in San Antonio and other areas of Texas, especially when the police were baffled by security footage. Tyler was a good man who always had his back. He glanced at Madison to see if she seemed frightened or ill at ease. She didn’t; she looked as if she was anxious to continue their search.

  In fact, she said a quick goodbye to the others and returned to examining the walls, running her hands over them, heedless of lichen or mold.

  “Hey!” Sean called to Logan as he stepped into the elevator.

  “Yeah?”

  “Set the elevator to rise and then toss me the key—we’ll want to get out of here at some point!”

  Logan nodded and did as Sean had asked. When he threw the key, Sean caught it smoothly and pocketed it. He didn’t relish the idea of discovering that they were stuck in the basement, calling for help. So far, his phone service had worked down here, but he didn’t have much power left.

  Again, they heard the soft whir of the elevator as the others left, Colin Bailey going back with them to take over his post so Jane could accompany Logan and Kat to the police station.

  Sean wondered how useful it would be to question all the employees, many of whom were relatively recent. The more he delved into the situation, the more he became convinced that the murderer was someone who knew the studio extremely well.

  Except…who knew this building, especially this basement, as well as Eddie Archer?

  They began again, working in silence, each on a different side, leaving only the area around the elevator unexamined. As time passed, Sean began to feel that maybe he’d been mistaken. Ma
ybe the basement was just a basement—and the fact that it extended into the cemetery had been kept quiet to avoid problems and complications with property ownership, the cemetery, health codes.

  Suddenly Madison let out a whoop of triumph. “There’s something here—it’s a door!”

  He hurried over to her. All the basement walls seemed to be damp and covered in a thin patina of lichen. But, as Madison had done, Sean ran his fingers over that section of wall. And he felt what she’d felt. There was a break, a thin line that indicated the wall wasn’t solid concrete.

  But the almost imperceptible groove was going in the wrong direction. It was far from the wall that should lead to the cinema, if such a wall, such a doorway, existed.

  “It seems wedged,” he said. He set his strength against it, and the door started to give.

  “Hey, Tyler, come and help!” he called.

  Tyler stooped low to put pressure on the bottom while Sean did the same at the top.

  “There must be some mechanism holding it in place,” Tyler said.

  As Madison watched them struggle, she squinted, studying the wall. A moment later, she stepped between them and ran her hands down the opposite side, across from the slit that had shown them there was an opening. She saw what Sean hadn’t. There was an actual lever. The discoloration caused by the dampness had hidden it, and made it look like part of the wall.

  When she pulled the lever down, the door slid open with only a slight creaking sound. It was a narrow door, with just enough space for one person to slip through.

  Sean raised his lantern as Tyler and Madison stood behind him.

  For a moment, they were silent.

  “Oh,” Madison said weakly.

  “Well, there is another tunnel,” Tyler said.

  And there was. It led through what appeared to be an underground labyrinth of catacombs. They could see where the walls ahead of them broke and the light diffused, leading to other tunnels. On either side of the tunnel before them there were shelves; some had slabs, the kind found in mausoleums around the world. Some of the slabs were broken, while some had completely fallen away. A few still retained very old plaques, announcing the names of the deceased who lay within the tombs. Some remains were in shabby coffins, old wood that was deteriorating. A few of the deceased were in shrouds, and spiderwebs rather than plaster or stone were their only cover.