Luminosity (Gravity Series #3) (The Gravity Series) (36 page)

“What’s up, Ariel? Long time no speak.”

“I’ve got to be quick, but we have some information on McPherson that might relate to Thornhill and why he got kicked out of the school. We’re going to do some investigating. Want to come along?”

“Who’s ‘we?’ Is that weirdo friend of yours gonna be there?” Madison asked hesitantly.

“She’s not weird, she’s awesome,” I said, annoyed. “And no, she’s not going to be there. It’s just me, Henry Rhodes and Alex Perkins. If you don’t want to, I need to be going.”

“Is it going to be dangerous?” The hesitation was plain in her voice; I imagined her pacing in what must surely be an all-pink bedroom.

“I don’t know for sure. But we’re going to take precautions,” I told her.

“Okay. I’ll come snoop around, I guess. But if things get bad, I bail.”

I wondered if I could use her as a decoy.

###

The front door of McPherson’s house was open an inch. It didn’t look like the police had been there yet, though; they must not have had a search warrant.

“I don’t think that’s a good sign,” Madison said grimly, and Henry nodded.

It was an hour later. My father hadn’t responded to my calls or texts, so we’d proceeded with our shaky plan. The four of us had met up at the park-and-ride near the expressway, Madison and Alex driving their cars and me driving Henry. Madison and Alex had both dressed in black track suits, like ninjas. When they saw each other, they burst out laughing.

“It looks like we had the same idea,” Madison said. The brightness of her tone made me realize she had no idea of what she was doing here.

“Or we shopped at the same store. Spies-r-us,” Alex quipped.

There had been no car in the driveway, no signs of life.

“McPherson? Edgar?” I called. All the lights were off, and the whole place stank of undiluted bleach. “Principal Psychopath?”

The four of us split up, looking through the the empty, dark rooms. The incredibly sparse furniture and decor made it appear like no one lived there. The police would probably think that it was because he left, but I knew from my snooping days with Theo that his house always looked like this.

There was a note on the coffee table. Henry picked it up and scanned over it. Then he handed it to me.

Concerning you, Phillip, when it reaches you. I have your shiny shiny shiny thing that you want so very much. But your not getting sparkle twinkle KEY back until I get back in on the cut. You said I would be a part of it. Instead I was a hooker. Well I’m going to open this seal without you and then you’ll see how strong I am now and then you’ll have to let me in because I’ll bang down the door and crush you while I steal your crown.

Kind regards.

McPherson.

I’m where the words are. I’ve crept in between the pages.

“This could have been a page ripped out of Warwick’s notebook,” Henry said. I nodded, putting the note back like it was covered in germs. “We need to find him. Whatever he’s doing, he’s desperate.”

“He’s where the words are. That means he’s at the library,” I said. I thought about what Jenna had told me. The library had something wrong with it. The next symbol must be below that building.

Not worrying about covering our tracks, we shut up the house and rushed out. The three of them were running back to Henry’s car, but I stalled in the middle of the driveway and turned back. I could just see McPherson’s garden shed.

“Why are you just standing there?” Madison asked. “Shouldn’t we go?”

“Hold on. I want to check something. Come with me.”

They followed me as I reached the shed. There was still a lock on the handles. Theo and I had discovered it years ago, smelling an awful stink inside. Henry picked up a rock from the ground, and beat the lock with it. The metal bent and broke and it fell to the ground in pieces. We could already smell the nasty, sweet-sour smell emanating from inside, a hundred times stronger than before.

“I don’t want to look,” Madison said, but her eyes were bulging more than usual.

Glancing towards me for confirmation, Henry pulled the doors open. The four of us backed away, gagging. Inside the shed, piled almost to the low ceiling, were the bodies of dead animals. Mostly squirrels and cats, by the looks of it, badly decomposing and wrapped in plastic and ropes.

“Why did he do this?” Madison spat, horrified.

“He’s been practicing,” I said.

###

We arrived at the library five minutes later, with Henry flooring the gas pedal as hard as he could. I wasn’t having any luck with my dad, and I couldn’t wait for him. Madison and Alex had traveled separately, in case we needed to split up.

McPherson’s raggedy old Lincoln Towncar was parked alone across from the darkened library. It looked empty, but I couldn’t be too sure because of the tinted windows. The license plate was ringed with heavy rust.

“How do we know he’s not in there?” I asked Henry in a whisper.

“We look.” Henry went around to the passenger window, cupping his hands and looking in. His bravery impressed me.

“Empty,” he declared. He put his phone up to his mouth. “The eagle has landed. What? I mean it’s safe to come out, dummy.” But he smiled and rolled his eyes.

I let out a silent breath of relief, just for a moment.

I cupped my hands and peered in the back window. “It does look like there’s something on the seat.”

“Can you tell what it is?” Henry asked. I pressed my face closer, then shook my head. “Then we need to get in there.”

“Oh, and how are we going to do that, MacGyver?”

“What’s a MacGyver?” Alex walked up casually, wrapping his coat around his elbow, and shot it into the window, breaking the glass into shards.

“Whoa,” Madison said, openly impressed. I felt a shot of irritation at the way she looked at him, but brushed it off with more important concerns.

Henry smirked and smoothly opened the door.

“Or there’s that,” Alex groused. “Showoff.”

I joined Henry by the open car door, peering over my shoulder to make sure we weren’t being watched. Inside was a rope and the green, grungy lump of fabric that was Charlotte’s coat.

“You might want to pay attention,” Jenna said. I came out and saw her leaning against the car with her arms folded, watching the library. “It’s glowing inside there.”

A far off scream sounded from the library. Our group stared at each other, stuck to the ground with fear.

“Okay, now is the time to involve the nice police officers,” Madison said, her teeth chattering. Alex instantly whipped his coat off and put it around her shoulders and she smiled gratefully at him.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” I relented. Madison immediately had the phone to her ear. Then, with a bewildered look on her face, she held it out so we could all hear. Heavy static grinded out of the speaker.

“It’s got to be something from the library interfering with the signal. Not good.” I turned to Alex. “Go get the cops. Tell them we found McPherson.”

“Ariel, go with them,” Henry said, his face determined. “This is too risky.”

“Like hell I will,” I told him fiercely. “You’re not going in there by yourself. And we can’t wait or another girl might die.” I addressed Alex again. “Just hurry. Please.”

Alex nodded, his face somber. Madison tagged along with him and they ran to his car. They drove off and were gone in an instant.

Another scream, and this time, we didn’t hesitate. Henry and I booked it across the road and up the steep library steps.

The only light inside was provided by the filmy, gray moon through the shuttered windows. I didn’t see McPherson or any obvious sign of him. Henry and I crept towards Cheryl Rhodes’ display cases, where the glass glowed eerily in the moonlight.

“Is that glass on the floor?” Henry asked.

The display case in the middle had been smashed. Spots of blood stained the blue cloth inside, indicating it had been broken by someone’s fist. Jagged shards of glass lay underneath.

“Something’s missing,” I observed, scanning the case.

“What?” Henry turned back to me.

The velvet held the outline of a long, serrated knife. “The ceremonial dagger.”

A piercing scream echoed through the walls. We ran in that direction, feet stomping on the carpet.

Henry banged on the door of the library’s record room, jiggling the handle with the other hand. I didn’t get a chance to blink as he swiftly backed up, raised his leg, and slammed it into the wood. He reached his hand through the broken hole and undid the lock.

“That’s one way in,” I muttered. I was impressed, blushing a little at his strength. Then I realized I was acting like Madison.

Down a long flight of precarious steps, we ran as fast as we could. “That was a pretty fancy trick,” I told him, swiftly running out of breath.

“I didn’t think it would work, actually,” Henry said with a wry, uneasy smile.

The narrow stairs ended abruptly. Henry bumped into me and I had to steady myself from falling. High shelves rose to the ceiling, stacked with dusty banker’s boxes. The room was lit with dull overhead light, what I’d always thought of as basement light, and a few flickering candles.

Henry and I rushed past the metal shelves. The girl’s cries abruptly cut off, and panic raced in me with every motion. I hoped my father had gotten one of my messages. If we were too late….

Where the shelves ended was an empty area, and in the center was an almost familiar cement platform with a red symbol scrawled on it. McPherson was there, at the moment oblivious to us. But I recognized him. He was struggling to keep a sagging girl in his arms upright. As we came around, I saw blood running out of the middle of the girl’s abdomen through her shirt. The blue streaked hair and glint of piercings gave her away. Charlotte Gary’s eyes were closed, a thick sputum of blood running from her black, parted lips.

He slumped her body up on the cement dais. Blood soaked the front of his shirt and the top of his khakis. His chest huffed with the effort and he grabbed his knees to catch his breath, leaving bloody handprints.

It was then that he noticed us. He stood up straight, his eyes fluttering. “What are you doing to me?” he asked, in the tone of a grumpy child. “Back away to the hills.”

Suddenly, the symbol beneath Charlotte started to glow green. I rushed to her side, picking up her wrist in my hand. I felt a crazy amount of energy charge through me, stronger even then when I’d come out of Dark.

“You see?” McPherson asked, giving a barking laugh of triumph. “It’s working!”

In just a moment, the symbol stopped glowing, going dark and dormant. It looked just like paint, but I had a hard time looking at it, because it set off the strange buzzing inside my head.

“Don’t do that!” McPherson squealed. “You’ll mess everything up!”

He tried running towards me but Henry stopped him, his fist shooting out and punching him straight in the side of the head. McPherson, stunned, swiveled around. He was still holding the bloody dagger, and he rotated swiftly, slicing into Henry’s side.

“No!” I screamed, dropping Charlotte’s wrist and finding my mouth with both hands. Henry collapsed to the ground in a heap. I went to his side; McPherson had gotten him right under his ribcage. I didn’t want to touch it and make it worse. Already blood gushed and oozed from the long gash in his sweatshirt.

Henry was still conscious, but barely. His lips were turning white and his eyes were cloudy.

“Just stay with me, okay?” I told him. “Just stay here, in this room.” I fought back tears, knowing that if I started to cry he would feel hopeless. I grabbed his weak hand and squeezed it to my cheek. He managed a pained smile.

Why weren’t Alex and Madison back with the police yet? Why was time suddenly moving so slowly?

McPherson eagerly rushed back to Charlotte. His left foot was more like dead weight now, but he bumbled over the dias. His face fell when he looked at Charlotte’s lifeless, sprawled body. She was dead.

“Phillip said it would be enough,” he trilled, backing up slowly. He stared at Charlotte’s crumpled form. “Why did I listen to him? She died too fast, I thought it would be the right amount if I went deep enough. I tried little cuts all over, so much blood, but still the beast is thirsty! Why won’t this wormy thing die and get out of my head?”

He screamed up at the ceiling, making my stomach curdle. His animalistic eyes focused as he glared at me. “But I have a back up here. You look bloody. Your blood might be enough.”

He rushed to me in an instant. Then, suddenly, his body was shaking and shuddering, teeth snapping together, eyes bulging. He fell, still seizing. I followed the tiny wires back to Henry. He was sitting up just enough to point the taser straight.

McPherson collapsed, right on top of the ceremonial dagger. The very tip of it stuck out neatly from his back, and the life drained right off of his face.

A river of his blood danced lazily to the seal. It glowed green again, much brighter this time, and then with one booming blast, sealed itself back up.

I stared into Henry’s eyes, feeling everything and nothing at the same time and watched him pass out again.