The Hysteria: Book 4, The Eddie McCloskey Paranormal Mystery Series (The Unearthed) (13 page)

We slipped inside and got out of the doorway and congregated in a short hallway near a broom closet and a bathroom that smelled like it was still in use. We had line of sight to maybe the middle of the warehouse, no eyes on the office where four of the unsubs were, though. Being a warehouse, it was mostly an open floor plan, what few interior walls remained were either down or coming down. Our line of sight was obstructed by a multitude of crap. Old carpets, display stands, a couple couches and some desks, somebody had even left a golf cart. Some of the carpets still hung on racks that were ten, maybe twelve feet off the ground. The racks followed a circular track around the open floor in the same way clothes hung in a drycleaners.

We’d let the sentry continue his perimeter sweep until Eamon was sure he could do what I wanted him to. Then, timing it as best we could, we waited till the sentry had crossed in front of us and to the rear of the warehouse. Once Eamon got the okay, he’d focused all his energy on an object outside the office, an old painting can. With a telekinetic nudge, he’d managed to tip it off the workbench. The three unsubs were spooked and came out of the office to investigate. The fourth came from wherever he’d been to see what was going on.

At least, that had been the plan. We were relying on Eamon for intel so he could have been making it all up. I didn’t like the idea of empowering him but things were moving fast and we needed to get inside undetected. The goal was to find Megan first, I could deal with Harry Murderer later.

Manetti motioned and we followed her. She and Riehl were smooth. They had trained enough that there was no training in their movements. Riehl moved as fast as a guy half his size. Manetti was just as quick.

Adrenaline had taken the edge off a little. I was doing my best to keep up and fortunately, there was no time to think as we went down the hallway.

Riehl went left, Manetti went right and I followed her. We tucked ourselves behind an empty bookcase along the wall. I could just see the corner of the main office. The warehouse seemed as big as a football field. I couldn’t see any of the unsubs yet.

“They’re coming back to the office,” Eamon said.

Manetti held up a closed fist. We waited.

Eamon said, “No sign of the sentry yet.”

“How do you get into the basement?” Riehl’s voice was faint as a whisper.

“Hold on.” Eamon went quiet. “I don’t know.”

“I heard something,” Riehl said. “May be people downstairs.”

Manetti wasn’t fazed by the presence of additional unknowns in the basement. I wondered how much Riehl and Manetti were getting paid and knew immediately it wasn’t enough.

“They’re back in the office,” Eamon said.

“Can you hear anything?” Pater said.

Per standard operating procedure, we were only to answer if the answer was yes. Nobody said anything.

“What are they doing in the office?” I asked.

“Nothing, it looks like they’re waiting.”

“For what?” Pater said.             

Nobody said anything. Manetti opened her fist and bobbed her head. I followed her in a crouch around the bookcase. She slashed right to hide among the hanging carpets. There was an oversized desk in the middle of them with more carpets piled on top. We hid behind it. The office was glassed on all sides and I’d seen two of them, wearing black trench coats like the guy outside.

But I couldn’t hear anything.

Someone’s cell phone rang. At first I feared it was one of ours. But then somebody in the office was speaking. I couldn’t make out what they were saying. The conversation was over quickly.

Then the man who’d been on the phone said, “They’re coming.”

Manetti shot me a look.

“Get ready to evac,” Pater said. “I’m setting the number at ten.”

Ten meaning if the group swelled to ten people, we should immediately get the frak out of there.

“Negative,” Riehl whispered.

“Negative,” Manetti said.

“Eddie, I want you out of there if—”

“Negative,” an alien voice full of courage said. I realized it was my own.

“Your orders are to stay down if there’s shooting. No heroics,” Pater said.

We waited. Waiting was bad because my mind started thinking again. It had a lot of questions for me. Like,
did I need stitches where Witherspoon had cut my face?
And more importantly,
what the hell did I think I was doing in here?

I wasn’t trained for this. It took everything I had just to keep up with this team.

There was a tapping noise over the ear piece. Riehl sending everybody a message: he was in place, could hear them, was ready to rock and roll.

Silence.

Manetti and I weren’t in the best spot but beyond the desk there was fifteen feet of open floor. We hunkered down among the hanging carpets. The smell of must was overpowering.

The unmistakable sound of a car engine getting louder. It was coming fast. Then the brakes squeaked and the engine’s hum decreased till there was no movement. Doors opened. People talking outside for a moment. Manetti was perfectly still next to me, barely breathing, gun in hand, calm before the storm.

Then another sound, like a trunk being opened.

Muffled screaming.

I could feel Manetti tense next to me. Some more shouting, back and forth, till suddenly there was an awful quiet.

Dragging
.

They were dragging somebody toward the warehouse. The four unsubs in the office were moving away from us. Manetti thumbed her safety off. We listened and followed the sounds of their steps away from our position.

A track door screeched open. Murky daylight poured in.             

We listened.

“Basement?” somebody said.

“Not yet. Get him in the office,” a woman said.

I recognized the voice.

Riehl whispered over the line. “Eamon?”

“…Four more, dragging somebody unidentified…I don’t have great eyes in there.”

“Remember, team. Better them than you as far as I’m concerned,” Pater said.

“That might be Megan,” Eamon said.

“Being dragged?” Pater said.

Next to me, Manetti fidgeted. First sign of nerves I’d seen in her.

“No…” Eamon said. “She was the one that just spoke…”

“It’s not Megan.” I had to break radio silence. “It’s Melanie.”

***

“I need visual confirmation,” Pater said. “And stay off the air till you get it.”

Manetti turned in her crouch so she was facing the office. Her gun was no longer pointing at the ground but in front of her. Almost imperceptibly she rocked on the balls of her feet.

The juice was running through me too. I took out the gun my client had unknowingly leant me. Manetti’s eyes went wide. To a cop, there’s nothing more dangerous than an armed taxpayer. I gave her a wink.

The gesture didn’t calm her down.

“Confirmed,” Riehl whispered. “Melanie.”

“Hold,” Pater said. “Let’s see how this plays out.”

“I know who they have,” Eamon said. “Nikolas Mobray.”

The name registered.

Eamon said, “Number eight on Jamie Witherspoon’s list of ten.”

Patterson chimed in. “Didn’t show up for work this morning, could have been missing since last night.”

I covered my mouth and spoke into my shoulder. “How about the rest of the people on the list?”

“Three others didn’t show up for work today.”

I felt like asking when he was going to share that with the team.             

“Things are moving fast,” he said, as if reading my mind. “It’s not even noon yet.”

Fair enough.

They had dragged poor Nikolas Mobray into the office. We held our positions.

“Wake him up,” Melanie Turner said.

“Smelling salts,” Eamon said.

I heard a sharp intake of breath then a short barrage of confused, waking sounds. Then Nikolas Mobray realized what was happening.

“You keep coming after us, you’re all going to fucking die!” he shouted.

Somebody hit him.

Mobray screamed.

Somebody hit him again.

“Stop! Please! Stop!”

Manetti was like a coiled spring next to me. The potential energy in her was building. We held our position.

I pointed toward the office.

She shook her head.

Eamon said, “They haven’t gotten serious yet. Only a few hits. If they wanted they could have done a lot worse.”

“Hold,” Patterson said.

Fuck radio silence. “We have to go in.”

“Where is she?” Melanie roared. “Where the fuck is she?”

“You’re all dead! All of you!”

“Where the fuck is she?” Melanie said.

“Who?”

“My goddamned sister!” Melanie said.

I was getting ready to make a move when I heard somebody else say, “Bastard fainted again.”

I settled back in among the hanging carpets. Manetti motioned for me to stay put. I shook my head. If things got dicey again, I was going in.

“Eddie, don’t be a hero,” Eamon said. “Be smart. Work with the team.”

My skin crawled at the thought of his remote viewing me.

Eamon said, “Work with the team. Put your trust in somebody else.”

Sage advice that I would have trouble taking from anybody, especially from the evil little shit who’d murdered my brother.

“Where’s Hernando?” one of the women asked.

“Not here,” Melanie said.

“He was supposed to come,” somebody else said.

“Well, he didn’t. He sent me instead.”

“We have to find them. Before it’s too late.”

“Thanks for pointing out what everybody already knows.”

“Where is he? Why isn’t he here?”             

“He’s busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Doing something else.”

“Like what else?”

They were almost ganging up on her. Melanie held her verbal ground. Her voice didn’t waver when she answered.

“He’s out trying to find her, just like we are.”

“He’s got a lead?”

“Probably.”

“You don’t know? You’re supposed to be—”

“We don’t have time for a conference call to discuss every fucking development. Now wake him the hell back up.”

“We have to get serious.”

“I am serious.”

“Deadly serious.”

“Give me a blade.”

I heard the susurration of metal sliding across metal.

“Now wake him the hell up. He’ll be talking in less than a minute.”

“If he doesn’t, can I cut him?” one of them said.

“Can I?”

“Let me!”

“I’ll do it!”

“I should be the one, I haven’t got to yet—”

Then they were arguing about who should slice up Nikolas Mobray. Their voices had taken on an eerie quality, childlike in their bickering if you ignored the subject matter. Like they were arguing about who got what toy.

“I’m going to do it! I was supposed to last time and—”

“After Ken Hernando, I’m in charge!” Melanie said. “I said I’m going to do it, so I’m going to do it!”

Mobray was waking up by himself, without the salts this time. “Why are you all yelling? Where…”

“You know where you are.” Melanie chuckled. “You know why you’re here. You know what we want. You know I’m about to gut you. You know everything you need to make an informed life-or-death decision. Now tell us what we want to know.”

“You’ll gut me anyway.” Mobray’s voice was proudly defiant. “Whether I tell you or not. So you might as well get cutting.”

Manetti and I exchanged a look. She motioned toward the office. I nodded and came out of my crouch and took out my gun. Manetti showed me where the safety was and I flicked it off.

Riehl whispered, “Call it, Pater.”

“Eamon?” Pater said.

“It’s not that simple.” Melanie started laughing. “I’m going to cut you a little bit at a time…” She was laughing so hard now she could barely speak. “…one little slit, here and here, till you…” She was in hysterics. “…till you tell me…”

“Now,” Eamon said.

We went hard. We went too fast for me to process what I was actually doing. Which was for the best.

I followed my instructions. I stuck with Manetti but spaced myself five feet from her so nobody could easily take us both out with one gun. With my new working theory I wasn’t too scared of these people having guns but better to be safe than shot to shit.

We descended on the office. Riehl came from the rear wall of the warehouse and he and Manetti were shouting orders. They assumed shooter stances and angled their bodies so they presented less of a target.

The ten people in the office had been hovered over Mobray, who was on his back on the lone table in the tiny room. Now they were screaming at us.

“Hands up! On your fucking heads!” Riehl said.

I was expecting a fight. I was surprised.

At the signal from Melanie, everybody put their hands on their crowns.

“Come out of there,” Manetti said. “Keep those hands where they are, kneel on the ground here.”

“I have bad knees,” one of the men said.

“The Constitution doesn’t give a shit about your knees,” Manetti said. “So I don’t either.”

Inside the office, Mobray had slid off the desk and was unsteady on his feet. He eyed us not like the saviors we were but like we were no better than Melanie’s people. Just like Dorothy Young, his eyes locked onto Riehl.

One by one they stepped out of the office.

Riehl said, “Outside, everybody.”

Manetti shot him a quick look.

“Too many bad angles in here, too many places we can’t see. Outside there’s nowhere to hide.”

I got the sense she didn’t want to disagree with him in front of our prisoners.

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

***

Outside they lined up on the pavement. It was overcast and the wind was picking up. Storm coming.

Mobray hovered by the door. “I’m not going anywhere near them.”

Riehl cuffed his arm and I saw him do something with his hand. Mobray reacted like he’d been pinched where Riehl was holding him.

Riehl played it off, kept his hand on Mobray’s arm. “With me over here.”

Mobray gave Riehl a long look. Then he nodded at me. “Can I stand next to him instead?”

“No,” Riehl said.

“Let him come over here.” I wasn’t digging this whole set-up now.

Riehl’s eyes bulged. “You’re not in charge here.”

“That’s right.” Manetti was talking to me but looking at Riehl. “Mobray should stay with—”

“Eddie is correct,” Pater said. “The witness trusts him for whatever reason. We need to use that.”

Riehl gave Mobray a good shove.

Mobray hustled over to me. “Who are you people?” His eyes darted from Melanie’s group to Riehl, back and forth.

“We’re the good guys.” Manetti leveled her gun on Melanie. “Who’s in the basement?”

“Bad people.” Melanie smirked.

“How many?”

Melanie shrugged.

“How many?”

“I don’t know, Officer. Or is it Agent?”

“It’s whatever I want it to be.”

“Maybe I’ll just call you Manetti.”

Manetti wasn’t fazed. “Congrats, your sister told me about you because we were close. I’m real scared.”

“If that’s what you want to believe…”

“How many down there?”

“I lost count.”             

Manetti smiled. “Thanks. With that comment I can pin anything I want on you, even murder if I find any corpses.”

“Good luck with that.”

Manetti looked at Riehl. “Be right back.”

“Okay.”

Manetti looked back at me. “Keep an eye on Mobray, Rookie. Riehl can handle them.”

“Yeah.”             

Manetti disappeared inside the building. I turned away from Melanie and her people and dropped my voice.

“Any time you want to call this in, Pater,” I said.

“Not yet.”

“If you need the number, I have it. It’s 9-1-1.”

“I’m afraid that’s not an option right now.”

Mobray’s eyes kept ping-ponging from Melanie’s group to Riehl. I could tell he was listening to my half of the conversation, though.

Riehl said, “Stay off the air.”

“I want an answer, or I’m calling.” I had my free hand on my cell phone.

Pater said, “Predictive modeling, Eddie. We’re too far along the curve now. Anybody we call could be affected at this point. We’re effectively on our own till proven otherwise.”

“
We
might be affected,” I said. “Better to have more people in this.”

“I agree with Eddie,” Eamon said. “For what it’s worth.”

“In that case I’m changing my opinion.”

Pater said, “More data is coming in. Almost too quickly now. We don’t have the time to walk through it but you have to trust me.”

“Why? You don’t trust me.”

“You’re right. I’ve never worked with you before and I just don’t know you well enough.”

“Bullshit.” My voice wasn’t soft anymore. “You know everything about me. Which is a hell of a lot more than I know about you. Time you acted in good faith, asshole.”

“Twenty minutes ago there was a shooting inside the police station,” Pater said. “A detective opened fire on a suspect who’d just been brought in by somebody else.”

“Then call somebody you know and trust. Get them down here.”

Mobray was rubbing his shoulder where Riehl had cuffed him.

Pater said, “I’m ahead of you. My people are en route. For now, we’re on our own.”

“Not good enough.”             

Pater kept his cool but said, “Agent Riehl, you are authorized to use non-lethal force to keep Eddie from contacting the police.”

Riehl kept his gun trained on Melanie but shifted his gaze to me. I saw it in his eyes. He had no problem plugging me if necessary.

Mobray got close to me and gave Riehl his back. He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Riehl and shook his head.

He whispered so softly I could barely hear him. “Your friend is one of them.”

I looked over Mobray’s shoulder. Riehl’s gun was pointed at Mobray’s back now. Which could have been explained away.

If I wasn’t already thinking the same thing about Riehl myself. “I figured as much.”

Riehl said, “On your knees, Mobray. Right where you are. Eddie, get over here.” He’d heard me but he hadn’t heard Mobray fortunately.

Mobray shot me a pleading look as he took a couple knees. I patted his shoulder as I went by.

Through the headset, Manetti said, “Found the door to the basement. I’m going in. Is there anybody down here?”

No response on the headset.

As I approached Riehl, he pulled zip-cuffs out of his belt at the small of his back. “I only have four. Use them on the men first.”

“Sexist bastard.” I took them from him. “So I just pull…”

“They’re supposed to be idiot-proof.”

I was playing dumb, staring at the zip-cuffs as if I was trying to read hieroglyphics.

To cuff these people, I had to use two hands. Which meant I had to put my gun away.

I didn’t want to put my gun away.

I said, “You know how to do this, and I don’t. I’ll cover you.”

He shook his massive head. “And if they get unruly, you’re going to shoot them all? No fucking thank you. Now cuff them.”

“Whatever you say.”

I rounded behind the line of suspects. “Everybody on your knees, just like poor old Nikolas Mobray over there.”

They all did. Except Melanie.

I walked up and got close. I still had my gun out. I let her know it by poking her back. “On your knees.”

“Why? You’re not going to shoot me.”

“No, but I’ll be very unpleasant and maybe use harsh language.”

She looked over her shoulder and gave me a look so sharp I felt it three days ago. “You’re supposed to be working for my father.”

“You’re not your father.” I heeled her knees so they buckled and she went down.

“When my dad finds out—”

“He’ll take the T-bird away,” I said.

“You have no idea what you’re doing,” Melanie said. “No. Idea.”

“I have a pretty good idea, appearances to the contrary.”

Riehl said, “I said do the guys first.”

“I heard you. I’m just not following your orders.”

“Eddie—”

“Melanie’s in charge of this group. She’s getting cuffed first.” I still had my gun out.

Manetti’s voice came back on, tense and pitched. “Guys, there are bodies down here.”

“How many?” Pater said.

“Three. So far.”

“Disemboweled?” I said.

“And then some.”

Pater said, “Pictures, Manetti. Get them to me as quickly as possible.”

“Roger that…” She wasn’t rattled exactly but her voice was hesitant. “Give me a minute.”

Riehl motioned with his gun. “Okay, asshole. Get her cuffed then use the rest on the guys.”

They were getting bolder. All their heads were turned, watching me over their shoulders. All but Melanie. She was looking at Riehl.

“You got them?” I asked Riehl.

“I do. Hurry up.”

I looked once more at Mobray. He was shaking his head and mouthing,
Don’t do it
.

My world was suddenly an infinite number of moving parts, all of them either bumping into each other or overlapping. Melanie in front of me, caught but not cowed. Riehl with his gun in my general direction. Mobray either telling the truth or trying to shake me. Manetti finding bodies in the basement. Pater not wanting to call local LE.

And Eamon.

Eamon watching, listening. He said earlier he couldn’t remote view outside the warehouse. But who the hell knew. Did he see me right now? Did he see how stiffly Riehl was standing there?

“How old are you, Riehl?” I asked.

“Old enough to party. Now cuff her.”

“Because you look older than your age, I’ll bet.”

Riehl said nothing.

I put Melanie’s body between me and Riehl. If he shot her the bullet might get me too. But at least he’d have to think about shooting her first. Which he wouldn’t do if my suspicions were correct.

“Hands behind your back, Melanie.”

She reached behind her. I safetied and put my gun away and zipped the cuffs on her wrists till they were tight.

“What are you doing?” Melanie said.

“I’m cuffing you.”

It took me a moment to realize she wasn’t talking to me.

“Shut up,” Riehl said.

“Hey… ” Mobray said.

“Put the gun down,” Melanie said.

Melanie’s friends were no longer looking at Riehl. They’d all turned to face me.

I got my gun back out. I had no idea how many bullets were in a full clip for this weapon. I thumbed the safety and took a step back from Melanie.

“All of you turn the fuck back around,” I said.

They didn’t. Instead they rose in unison.

“Agent Riehl, you are to use lethal force if necessary,” Pater said.

“Fair warning: I’m going to use lethal force if necessary too,” I said.

“Put the gun down,” Melanie said to Riehl again. “You don’t even like holding it. I can tell.”

Mobray got up and darted into the trees.

The men and women facing me exchanged looks, each one daring the other to make the first move. I knew there was nothing I could do that would stop them. They were sick. They couldn’t be reasoned with. I knew that for damned sure after listening to them bicker over who got to carve Mobray up.

I knew it was about to get ugly. I knew it would turn into them or me.

“You’re one of us,” Melanie said to Riehl. “You don’t have to hide it. We can all tell, and we’re here with you now. It’s okay.”

I took five big steps back and swept the gun across the line of suspects. “Next person that makes a move is getting one in the kneecap. And my anatomy sucks so you might get it in the chest instead.”

“Manetti, we need you topside now,” Pater said.

“Can’t hear y…what th…”

“Manetti, do you read me?”

Riehl reached behind his ear and peeled off the micro-receiver and threw it across the parking lot.

“Riehl, you know what’s happening.” I wanted to aim my gun at him but the others were right in front of me. And closing.

I said, “Riehl, you know you’re not yourself. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“How can I stop myself?” he said.

“If you can’t, I will.”

Riehl stood there, a confused almost pained look on his face. Then he brightened. Like he’d had an epiphany.