Cole shook her head. “Why?”
“Just thinking over all of the strange coincidences.”
Cole sat back in an armchair and opened her own computer. “Carlisle had mentioned that Aicil had been watching us, but he never gave details on why or how long. Maybe it was the fire.”
“I don’t know. It would take me a year to sift through all of my questions.” He tapped a few more keys to send a copy of his files to Cole, and sat back. “Maybe we should focus on the symbol. Dad found four cases that reference a marking similar to the one Kaylyn found in her apartment, including one case that has been black-flagged, so no one can pull up the details.”
“They didn’t find the symbol at our parents’ house?”
“I haven’t found a reference to it, and there weren’t a lot of pictures included in that case file.”
“It seems like every occurrence of this symbol occurs in conjunction with a fire. And there’s at least a twenty-five-year gap between each case.”
Jonah sat back, tapping thought the pages of case files as his mind struggled to make sense of it all. “The locations look completely random as well. Georgia, Saskatchewan, Washington… Different names. Different investigators. Two reference possible missing persons, but one was written off as a cover-up for someone looking to disappear.”
“All of these were considered a one-time phenomenon,” Cole said. “If we assume that this symbol may have been associated with the fires at our parents’ and the hotel, it’s hit Chatham at least three times.”
“It didn’t get what it wanted the first time,” Jonah mumbled.
Cole pushed her laptop screen down, her sudden shift in attention forcing Jonah to consider what he’d just said.
“Or,” he shook his head, and opened the next file, “there’s something to the pattern that we’ve missed. The files are pretty shoddy.”
“But we both know you were right the first time. Kaylyn is the key to this.”
“Emerson.” Kaylyn murmured.
Jonah twisted to see her, but with her eyes still closed, it was hard to tell if she was talking in her sleep. Then, she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. “How long has he been with Aicil?”
“As long as I can remember, he and dad worked together quite a few times. Why?”
“Any pictures of him? Much younger I mean?”
“I know my dad has some.” Jonah frowned, trying to figure out where the conversation was going.
Kaylyn raised her eyebrows.
“You want them now?”
Kaylyn nodded.
Hoping she wasn’t completely losing it, Jonah reached for his phone, and typed a message to his dad. Please send an old image of Emerson. Have good reason. "I have a good reason, right?”
Kaylyn shrugged.
“Encouraging,” The computer dinged and Jonah opened the new email, tilting the screen so Kaylyn could see. “There you go.”
“That’s him.” Kaylyn gasped, then she crawled closer. “Who is that woman?”
Jonah tried to ignore the fact that she wasn’t making sense, attributing it to exhaustion. “That’s my mom, dad’s on the right, and Emerson is off to the left.”
“He’s the one that walked through you at the hospital.” She curled back into her nest on the floor and fell back asleep.
Cole cleared her throat but didn’t comment on yet another development that she had been clearly left out of. “Anything in his record?”
“He outranks me. I have limited access.” Jonah sighed and looked back at his phone and blew a slow breath through his teeth. “Dad would know.”
“Are you running out of favors with your dad yet?”
“No.” He picked up the phone and stared at the redial button. “But, this time, I’m going to have to give him a better explanation than ‘trust me, I have a good reason’.”
“Do the ramblings of a girl passed out on your home office floor count as a better explanation?”
Jonah glanced down at Kaylyn—for once, she looked peaceful. “I think I’ll avoid those details. Stay with her.” His chair spun and thudded against the desk when he stood.
Taking a seat on the couch, Jonah pressed the call button and tapped his fingers against the side table while the phone took its sweet time connecting.
“Jonah,” his father answered, “I hope you don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing from you, but what on earth do you need now?”
“Information on Emerson.”
“And you’re going to tell me why?” His voice rose in the imitation of a question, but Jonah knew he was only being polite.
“I think Emerson is somehow involved in the Teague Case.”
“The case you’re already in trouble for. I trust that you’re watching where you step.”
“I am. I just need to know what he was working on around eighty-six. December. Or if he ever worked on anything related to the Teague Hotel.”
No response.
“And—” Jonah began.
“And? Jonah,” he warned.
“Did he ever have a wife or kids?”
“Well, that one’s easy. No, he never married, and doesn’t have any kids that I know of.”
That’s convincing, Jonah thought.
“December of eighty-six, he was taking personal leave, so we don’t have a record of where he was or what he was doing. But—”
“But?” Jonah jumped on the word, even the short pause was too long to wait for some kind of lead.
“He does have ties to Chatham and the Teague Hotel, but the attached record is sealed.”
“Let me guess, it’s also the record that contains a reference to the symbol I asked you about.”
“Seems so. Care to tell me what you think is going on?”
Every muscle in his body was tense, but all he could manage was a chuckle. If Kaylyn was going insane, she was pulling everyone along with her. “Do you really want to know? Being blissfully ignorant might be the smart choice.”
“You’re my son. I’d rather have your back.”
Jonah’s gut relaxed and he leaned back. “Thanks, Dad. But, I don’t have time to explain. I’ll send my notes to your personal email if you’re really curious.”
“Do that. I’ll see what else I can come up with. Stay safe.”
“I’ll try.”
Jonah laid his head back, trying to enjoy just a few minutes of peace while his brain sorted through the details. Emerson, had to be the thread to follow. The Council didn’t jump on Carlisle until the Teague case came across his desk. Then, they sent in Jonah with orders to pull Kaylyn from the field. “Someone knew...,” he whispered, “Emerson knew.”
He tossed his phone onto the cushion next to him, and it bounced off and landed on the floor. Now, he had to figure out whether Emerson was trying to protect Kaylyn or just cover his own ass.
Cole ran into the living room. “There’s a fire at my house.” She grabbed her coat from the stair railing and reached for the door.
“Cole, wait. You can’t go alone.”
“You need to protect my sister. I need to go sort this out.”
“I need to protect both of you. Was anyone home?”
“Dan is out with friends, but his brother was supposed to be there.”
Kaylyn
Kaylyn pushed herself off the floor and rubbed her eyes. She was alone in the office, but could hear Cole and Jonah nearby debating about something.
“I need to go.” Cole said, her voice wavering on each syllable. “Kaylyn needs rest ,and you need to stay with her. I’ll find out what started the fire and call you.”
By the time Kaylyn reached the hallway, Cole was out the door and heading down the stairs of the front porch.
“You can’t let her go alone.”
Jonah’s gaze snapped to her as if he didn’t even realize she’d been there. He nodded once. “I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
“I won’t take off the necklace. I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Jonah, please.”
“I didn’t say no.” Jonah snatched his phone off the floor and waved it for her to see. “You better keep your word.”
It took less than twenty minutes to get to Cole’s house. From the outside, they could barely tell anything had happened, aside from the emergency vehicles parked in the road.
Jonah climbed out of the car and waited for Kaylyn in front of the bumper. “Remember, keep the necklace on.”
“Yes, sir. I got it the first hundred times you reminded me.” Kaylyn stared up at the house, frozen in place when she saw a shadow pass in front of the window. She felt Jonah take her elbow and pull her forward. Cole appeared, walking in front of one of the fire engines. She turned away, continuing to pace without noticing that Kaylyn and Jonah had arrived.
Kaylyn’s jacket made little difference against the cold air, so she wrapped her arms around herself and stayed close to Jonah as he approached her sister. When Cole finally saw them, her worried expression molded into a scowl.
“What the hell are you thinking bringing her here?”
Kaylyn stepped forward. “I’m not incompetent, Cole. No one is going to be safe until we close this case.”
Jonah shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back, lifting his face to the sky. “We need to know what happened, and you can’t investigate this yourself.”
“The fire department won’t let me in either way. Nor will they tell me anything.”
Jonah nodded and stepped away. Since he hadn’t said otherwise, Kaylyn assumed she was free to stay put. “Have you heard from Dan?”
Cole nodded, “I told him to stay put, but he’s on his way. We still haven’t tracked down his brother.”
The wind carried the smell of smoke, and an even colder burst of air. Hunching her back, Kaylyn turned against the wind, but Cole continued staring at the house.
“What if he was in there and that’s why they won’t let me in?”
“They wouldn’t let us into my house, either, and there were certainly no bodies inside.” Kaylyn bounced on the balls of her feet trying to work up some heat—and energy. A hand grazed her shoulder and she jumped away, but the same hand grabbed at her waist.
“You sure you’re up to this?” Jonah asked, frowning at her as she tried to compose herself.
“It’s not like I don’t have a reason to be jumpy. Are we in?”
Jonah nodded, “Fifteen minutes.”
As soon as they entered the foyer, the smell of smoke threatened to smother Kaylyn. Next to her, Jonah kept a firm grip on her arm, watching her every move. “You’re going to get tired of looking at me.”
“Who says I’m not already?” He tugged her toward the stairs, and Cole followed close behind.
Even though Jonah had never been in the house, he led the way to the bedroom door. It wasn’t hard to find, considering the smell of smoke and the gray clouds creating a trail on the walls and ceiling. As Jonah pushed open the door, Kaylyn swallowed, trying to abate the suffocating sensation of soot and smoke in her throat.
The bed was nearly unrecognizable, surrounded by a circular burn pattern in the carpeted floor. Another circle of dark smudges mirrored the scene on the ceiling.
Jonah knelt at the edge of the circle. “This definitely isn’t normal. The fire just stopped, even with plenty of fuel to keep it going.”
Kaylyn leaned against the doorway, fingers digging into the pockets of her jeans. “Fires also need oxygen.”
Jonah and Cole stared at her as if she just told them that the sky was blue.
“I told you,” Kaylyn looked at Jonah, “I feel like I’m suffocating in the dream. It happened again when you took me to our old house, and in the hospital.”
Cole groaned, and smacked her thighs. “I’m never going to catch up, am I?”
Kaylyn ignored her. “It’s always like there isn’t any air. Know of any oxygen eating entities?”
“No, but it explains one mystery—” Jonah was interrupted by a buzzing in his pocked, so he stepped into the hallway.
Cole walked over to what used to be the nightstand and rubbed at the pile of wood with the tip of her shoe.
“I’m sorry, Cole.”
“It’s not your fault.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Where was the symbol, at your house?”
“Center of the fire. I guess it’d be under all the rubble. We might need a shovel.”
Jonah leaned in the room. “Never mind that. Ready for another shock?”
“No.” Kaylyn said, without emotion. She rubbed the back of her neck and closed her eyes. “Now what?”
“Emerson had a heart attack. He’s at the hospital now. He’s in bad condition, but he’s awake.”
Kaylyn breathed out slowly, “Perfect. What’s the plan now?”
“Everything points back to him. He has to have the answers, maybe now he’ll give them to us. It could be our last chance.”
Kaylyn followed Jonah out but Cole hung behind.
“Whoa, guys,” Cole called after them. “Not that I feel sorry for the guy, but he did just have a heart attack.”
“And he’s connected to the Teague and Kaylyn.”
Since Kaylyn had only been coherent for part of that conversation, she had to ask. “We’re not related or anything, right?”
“Not that anyone can dig up. So,” he waved to the stairs, “are you two coming with me?”
Outside, Dan was arguing with one of the firefighters, who kept trying to push him back behind the police line.
“Cole. Kaylyn. Will you tell him I live here?”
“I got it,” Cole murmured, running toward the perimeter.
Kaylyn grabbed Jonah by the elbow. “Do you think his brother was inside?”
“Did he usually sleep in your sister’s bed?”
“No there’s a pullout in the living room, but it doesn’t seem like him to go missing. I mean, every time I see him, he’s feeding his face on the couch while playing video games.”
“At the moment, all we can do is hope that he turns up.”
“That’s a little insensitive, don’t you think?”
“We only have so much time, and so many resources at the moment. Maybe he’s out getting laid. We need to get to the hospital.”
“And now we’re off to question a dying man.”
“You were all for it a second ago.”
Kaylyn shivered. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Jonah’s eyes gleamed, as his gaze flicked toward her for an instant. “Now, you tell me.”
Kaylyn groaned and took off toward the car, “I’m freezing. I’ll see you after you round up Cole.”
“Kay,” he yelled, and when she turned, he tossed her a set of keys. “Get warm, just don’t steal my car.”
The elevator jerked into motion, throwing off Kaylyn’s already weak equilibrium. Jonah and Cole moved in on either side, but Kaylyn wiggled away and grabbed the railing along the back wall. “I’m fine. I don’t need you both closing in on me.”
Even though they moved back, Kaylyn could feel their attention. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Jonah led the way to the room, pulling out his sweet-talking skills to convince the nurses to let the group pass.
Before opening the door, Jonah turned back to Kaylyn, “You can wait out here, if you want. And given that you look paler than the wall, it might be a good idea.”
Too tired to argue, Kaylyn shrugged and took a seat against the wall. She needed to know what was going on, but wasn’t sure her body was ready to take it. While Cole and Jonah stepped into the room, she watched helplessly, as everyone in the hallway went about their business.
Before she realized what was happening, it seemed as if everything began moving in slow motion. The voices of nurses and doctors blended into a dull hum until the sound of air passing through her throat was all she could hear. She wanted to scream for
help, ask someone to pull her out of whatever mess she’d fallen into, but the only thing she could do was continue to breathe. She saw a man approaching, and she hoped he’d noticed her. All she wanted was for someone to notice her, reassure her she was still there. Still real. He crouched in front of her, touched a cold finger to her chin. Then he rose and walked away as quickly as he’d appeared.
Jonah, Cole, please step out now. Kaylyn’s breath quickened in her chest. The man was standing near the elevator, staring back at her. As soon as he broke their gaze, she felt like her body was released from a vice.
She looked around, it still wasn’t right. She stood and stumbled toward the elevator.
He noticed… he has to know something.
A family followed her onto the elevator, but still feeling out of sync with reality, she leaned into the corner. In the lobby, she caught a glimpse of the man walking out the front doors. Her body protested, but she jogged after him, nearly plowing down an old woman coming in. She mumbled a quick apology and ran down the hill, following the strange man back towards downtown.
After what seemed like miles, she felt like her lungs were on fire. The faster she ran, the farther away he seemed, yet his pace never exceeded a casual walk. The man ducked into an alley. By the time Kaylyn rounded the corner, she’d lost sight of him. She ran to the next intersection and paused to catch her breath. Leaning against the cool brick wall, she realized where she was.
A child’s scream echoed from the building that towered above her. The Teague Hotel. She stared up at the boarded up windows, it was impossible that a child was in there.
Her breath still came in pants, forming a foggy mist in front of her that mirrored the haze that enveloped her mind. She tried to convince herself that it was just another hallucination—drawing her away from anyone who could help—but another scream sent her running for the front door. The padlock hung in place, but released at her touch.
Inside, the familiar musty smell filled her lungs as she ran up the stairs toward the pleas for help. The mental fog grew heavier, until her head felt like lead was pumping through her brain. She reached out to steady herself.
Walls flickered—walls that didn’t exist in her time. She stumbled down the hallway. A brass plate hung from the last door indicating Room 211—where everything started.
Fractured Legacy (Darkness Bound / Frqactured Legacy #1) Page 14