RetroCog

Chapter Eleven

They returned to the inn the next morning holding hands. Lara wanted everyone to see how she felt about Noah, and he apparently felt the same. He’d glared at no less than half a dozen men as they left a small cantina and walked to the inn.

It both embarrassed and pleased her. “Come on, Noah. They’re guys I know from town. Friends, nothing more.”

“I’m feeling a little possessive. And besides, that last guy couldn’t seem to look anywhere but at your breasts.”

“That would be Ned.” She shrugged. “What can I say? He’s just like you, only I don’t love him.”

Satisfaction filled his eyes. “Damn right you don’t. You’re—”

“Mine,” she finished for him. “You’ve only said it every other minute. But don’t forget, it goes both ways.” She scowled at one of Shelly’s friends standing by the mailbox. “She seems to find you just a little too interesting.”

Noah squeezed her fingers. “I like this side of you. Why don’t you go on over there and tackle her, Lara. You think maybe you and she could wrestle for me? Add a little mud or some oil, and we’ll have a real party.”

“Jerk.”

He laughed, and several people turned to look at them as they entered the inn.

“Seeing Shelly’s friend reminds me… I think it’s time I found the girl and had a heart-to-heart with her.”

Frank walked up to her and pulled her free hand, tugging her, and by extension, Noah, back down the hall to her office. He looked harassed, and she felt awful. While she’d been having the time of her life with Noah, Frank had been back here holding down the fort. Alone, by the looks of him.

Lara apologized. “Frank, I’m sorry. I should have been here for breakfast, but…”

“I handed out complimentary passes to the diner on the corner. Don’t worry; no one went hungry this morning. Unfortunately, we have bigger problems to deal with than a missed meal.” Frank didn’t look as if he’d slept last night. His clothes appeared rumpled, his hair loose around his shoulders, and shadows dragged below his eyes.

“Frank?”

Noah tugged, forcing her and Frank to stop with him. “Where’s Chloe?”

Frank let go of Lara and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. She grabbed a set of sheets from me and locked herself in your room last night.” Frank didn’t tease or crack a smile, and Lara knew they had problems. “But I haven’t seen her since eleven. And I’m worried.” He glanced from Noah to Lara and back. “Noah, one of the nurses at the hospital where they stitched you up yesterday… She was found dead in the hospital stairwell. Raped and murdered like the other girl, except whoever killed her sliced her throat open this time as well.”

“Dear God.” Lara grabbed her own throat.

Frank blinked, and she swore she saw a sheen of tears in his eyes. “It gets worse. They also found Shelly. Her body had been dumped in the same place they found the first victim a few days ago. She looked exactly the same. Now there’s talk of a serial killer in Brownville.”

“Shelly?” Lara whispered. The girl had been a nuisance, but also a fun-loving young woman who’d needed time to mature into a responsible adult. She couldn’t help the tears that trickled down her cheeks. “Poor Shelly.”

Noah dropped her hand and gave her a hug. “No sign of Buckman?”

Frank shook his head. “Funny thing, though. No one’s seen Bill Knowles either. I checked around, discreetly. Even staked out both their places with some friends of mine in need of some cash. Mike’s apartment is vacant, and no one’s seen Bill or his truck around his place either. Both of them have disappeared.”

Noah’s lips thinned. “And so has Chloe. Shit.” He dropped his arm from Lara’s shoulders and nodded to her room.

They all entered and closed the door behind them.

“There’s one more thing.” Frank put his hand in his pocket and retrieved something he dropped into Noah’s palm. “I found these on the bed in your room when I went looking for Chloe this morning.”

In the center of Noah’s large hand lay a pair of rose-shaped earrings.

Lara’s stomach rebelled. Fear became a huge knot inside her. “The killer has Chloe.”

“We’ll find her.” Noah let out a deep breath. “Just keep quiet a minute. I need to see something.”

He closed his eyes as if going to sleep. But Noah never looked so intense while resting, not that she’d seen. She felt a heavy sense of psychic energy, and then Cecilia appeared in the far corner of her room.

“Holy shit,” Frank whispered. “Him too?”

She noticed a man, Finnegan Fury, she assumed, standing close behind Cecilia. He had his hand on her shoulder, a look of possession and warning on his face.

“Beware the jealous lover,” Cecilia whispered.

Did the damn woman say nothing else? “Michael Fury. We know it’s him. What we don’t know is where to find him.”

Finn frowned. “The woman. She’s there.”

“Where?” Frank asked and took a step back when Finn drew his pistol, pointed it to the right of Frank’s head, and fired.

Not a sound could be heard, but as Lara followed the trajectory of the bullet, an image took shape where it hit the wall. An old house, whitewashed with age. The black dormers on the upper windows looked worn, but the grounds had been maintained. A line of rose bushes, no longer in bloom but prickled with thorns, surrounded the perimeter of the house.

“I think I know that place,” Frank said as he gaped at Finn and Cecilia, the pair fading once again.

“Hurry, before it’s too late,” Cecilia cried. Then nothing.

The house wouldn’t leave her mind. And something clicked. “This town isn’t that big. I know every house around her, but not all the ones on the periphery of town. Except I know that one. I’ve only been there once, but those dormers and those roses—that’s Ida Knowles’s old place.”

Noah saw clouds over a large white house brimming with a dark energy. The multitude of roses surrounding the home bespoke of an avid gardener. In full bloom, the bloodred petals were a sight to behold. But it was the pall of death over the house that warned him to be wary.

He glanced up, and in the distance, a boom of thunder and crackle of lightning blazed. Storm clouds brewed, and he hurried up a small flight of steps onto the covered porch. A low hum, a familiar tune he’d heard once before, filled his mind. The soft creaks of a bed squeaking were followed by overloud drips, as if somewhere inside, a faucet leaked.

A figure breezed by him, a large man moving too quickly to be identified. Noah followed him up the stairs, past the second floor to the attic. Through the doorway, up wooden stairs into a room filled with candles. At least a hundred of them surrounded a dead woman draped in red satin. She had dark hair and earrings Noah would bet were shaped like roses.

In his hand, the man held a stained switchblade covered in blood.

“Useless whore. Not good enough for me. Never good enough. Not when you want him all the time.”

The woman stared sightlessly at the ceiling, her eyes missing from her head.

Not what he’d expected. That didn’t fit the killer’s current pattern.

“Time for you to go before Aunt Ida comes back. She doesn’t understand what I need.” He ended on a bitter note, “She never did.”

Noah tried like hell to see the man’s face. As much as he didn’t want to see himself as a murderer again, he knew for a fact he’d never done this. No portent of doom, this scene had happened not too long ago.

Piercing the truth and drawing on his need to protect Lara, he focused like his life depended on it. The fog slowly lifted…

And he stared into Lara’s big brown eyes, wide with concern.

“Dammit.” He fumed. He’d been so close. He knew that man, had talked with him once or twice before. He could feel it.

“You okay?” Frank frowned. “You were getting kind of pale there. And well, we need to go.”

“Go where?” He shook his head to come fully back to the present.

Lara answered. “To Ida Knowles’s house. Cecilia and Finn sent us a warning. Michael Fury has Chloe, and we think he has her there.”

“Then let’s go.” Noah wished he had one of those more aggressive psychic skills. The ability to move things with his mind, to start fires, or to manipulate people would definitely come in handy right now. But barring that, he’d have to make do with himself and Frank. “Lara, you stay here.”

“I’m not hearing you. Frank, let’s go.” She tried to shove Noah out the door, but he wouldn’t budge.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Neither am I.” She sighed. “It’s not like I want to walk into danger, but Chloe came here to help. If this guy is fixated on me, we can use me as a distraction.”

He scowled. “Hell, no.”

“Noah, please. I need to do this. We have to break this cycle. I trust you to protect me.”

Of all the arguments she might have made, that one resonated with him. “If anything happens to you…”

Frank hissed out a breath. “Can you two argue about it in the car? We need to get moving. Not that Chloe’s my favorite person or anything, but I have a really bad feeling about her being gone this long, not to mention two fucking ghosts who told us to get a move on. Let’s go.”

Noah shared a glance with Lara. “Bossy, isn’t he?”

She gave him a weak grin. “That’s Frank. Normally easygoing, but once he sets his mind on something, he’s a real pain in the ass.”

“I heard that,” Frank said from the hallway outside. He popped his head back in. “Come on, people. One short, mouthy ex-cop with attitude is in trouble. She told me if anything happens to her, my name goes to the top of her friends’ hit list. So move it!”

Chloe groaned. Her head felt like it would split in two, and she couldn’t wait to pay the bastard back for tricking her. How much of a sucker was she to get played by a phone call, of all things? It had led her here, to this rambling house and an old lady with a real mouth on her. “Lara needs my help, my ass. And by the way, your aunt is a bitch.”

He chuckled, and she realized he’d been standing in the shadows all along. The room she sat in, tied to a chair, was dark, lit only by the candles surrounding her. Wax dripped everywhere, a fire hazard just begging to be set in motion. Chloe glanced to her left and saw Jack’s damn painting—right next to more of those stupid candles—and realized she was Mr. Murderer’s new toy.

“Come on, already. Step into the shadows so I can see your face. Is it Bill or Michael?”

“Very good. You’re as smart as you are pretty.” He stepped away from the wall, wearing a cowboy hat that hid his features. He wouldn’t get close enough for her to see him, and from the little she’d seen of Mike Buckman and Bill Knowles, they might as well have been twins except for the hair. Which of course, she couldn’t see, because of the hat.

“We going to sit here all day or what?”

“Now, now. I’ll get to you, but not until Cecilia returns. I’ve been waiting a long time to find her again.” His voice deepened as he spoke, the casual rhythm of his tone turning twangy, into a drawl that gave her the shivers. Christ, it was like someone else spoke using this guy’s mouth. Was he psychotic, or was he really possessed by Michael Fury?

“What’s your name?”

“In due time, sugar. Just hold that thought.”

She struggled to loosen the rope holding her to the chair when he neared. A pinch in her neck distracted her, especially when she felt him depress the plunger. By the time he stepped away from her, she saw double. “Shit.”

That’s when he tipped back his hat, and she finally saw his face.

Noah didn’t like this at all, but he knew Lara had to be with them. It had been about her from the start. Cecilia had dragged Lara’s ass into this, and now he had to get her out. They parked a good quarter mile from Ida Knowles’s house and walked the rest of the way. To their good fortune, she lived in an area boxed in by a row of pines tall enough to block most of their approach, but the fifty or so feet from the tree line to the house lay open.

As one, Noah, Lara, and Frank stopped and crouched, still hidden inside the surrounding copse, and studied the house. Frank dropped the backpack he’d been carrying and dug inside. He withdrew a gun and two large knives.

“Frank,” Lara whispered, her eyes wide. “Where did you get a gun?”

“Standard issue,” Noah remarked, studying the Sig Sauer P220. “Interesting they let you keep it.”

“Yeah, real interesting. Here. You’ll probably get a lot more use out of this than I will.” Frank handed Noah one of the knives. “You’re big enough to take on Mike or Bill.”

Noah nodded. On the drive over, they’d agreed. Lara would stay with Frank, which made sense now that Frank had a gun. He’d been PWP, so he knew how to use one. Noah had never cared for the weapons, preferring a knife or blunt instrument over projectile weapons. He never trusted them not to go off, especially since he’d seen so many accidents with guns in the past.

Lara blinked. “Oh man. There’s Mike’s SUV.”

Noah and Frank moved closer to her, peering with her at the vehicle parked at the side of the house. What he hadn’t considered was that Mike might be in the woods and not in the house with Chloe.

“Hands up. Now.” The cock of a pistol behind him, in addition to the gravelly voice, froze all three of them. Noah braced a hand on Lara’s shoulder to keep her from rising too quickly. He didn’t jerk but rose to his feet and turned around, keeping himself between Mike Buckman and Lara.

Buckman looked haggard, but his hand remained steady on the gun he aimed right at them. “Lara, come here. Step away from those two.”

“Don’t move,” Noah countered. To Buckman, he held up his hands and asked, “Why? Why kill those girls? Why Shelly, of all people? I thought you liked her, at least.”

Mike blinked, and Noah swore his eyes shone with tears. Then he scowled, his rage black enough to scorch the trees around them. “Motherfucker. What kind of game are you playing? You think you can come down here and start this kind of evil, and the law won’t catch you? You might have pulled Frank into this—who doesn’t exist, by the way. Your buddy there, Lara, isn’t who he says he is.”

“I paid a fortune for that identity,” Frank muttered. “Crummy work these days. Knew I should have done it myself.”

“Frank, shut up.” Noah gritted his teeth. Something wasn’t right here. “I’m not playing any games, Mike. Michael Fury, right? Finn’s brother? You’re after Cecilia. But you’re not going to get her.”

Mike frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? You on drugs?” His eyes narrowed. “Makes sense. But don’t think to use it at your defense. Nobody’ll give a fuck what you’re hopped up on. You killed Becky Sauder, you piece of shit. And Shelly… That girl never hurt a soul. You’re going to jail, on your own two feet or in a body bag, I don’t really care.”

Lara darted out from under his hand and stepped in front of Noah.

“Lara, don’t.” He tried to pull her back, but Mike fired at his feet.

Frank jumped. “Shit.”

“Toss the gun,” Mike ordered, “before I shoot you.”

“Gun?”

“I’m gonna count to three.”

Frank held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Wait.” He reached behind his back, where he’d stashed it, apparently.

“Slow.” Mike nodded. “Now toss it over here.”

“Mike, wait. You’re making a mistake.” Lara took a step toward him, and to Noah’s vast relief, Mike didn’t threaten her.

Noah suddenly realized they’d been after the wrong Mike. “Uh-oh.”

“Yeah.” Lara swallowed loudly enough that he heard. “Mike, we’re not the bad guys. Bill is.”

Mike snorted. “Try pulling my other leg. I know you had a thing with First, honey, but he’s dangerous.”

“To anyone trying to hurt me, yes.” Lara squeezed his hand and took another step closer to Mike. “We narrowed down our suspects to two. You and Bill. Both of you are connected to death. Your mothers, those many years ago. And then the girl they found a few days ago. You said Bill was seeing someone a few towns over, right?”

Mike frowned. “Yeah.”

“And Shelly. Bill was seeing her too, you said. You know they found a nurse dead in the hospital this morning. He’s out of control, Mike. And he’s coming after me.”

Mike faltered. “I didn’t know who he’d been dating, but yeah, it was someone outside of town. And Shelly.”

“Where have you been?” Noah asked.

“The fucking department targeted me as the villain here. I thought you were setting me up, but come to think of it, Bill was the one who’d been nearby whenever something weird happened. Hitting you was a major accident. Seriously.”

Mike started to lower the gun, but when Noah shifted his feet, the deputy brought it back up again. “Hold on. Let me think.”

Frank said softly, “Mike, I overheard Peters say that Bill Knowles never offered to help watch over Noah while you went for help. He lied, Mike. And the reason you couldn’t get anyone to help was that they were all on a call, a tip from an anonymous source. Someone had called in that they found Shelly’s body.”

Mike paused a moment, then finally lowered his gun. He swore up and down, but Noah didn’t have time to wait for him to catch up anymore.

“Look, Buckman, Chloe’s missing, and Bill’s got her somewhere. We think she’s in that house. We have to get to her before he does to her what he did to the others.”

Mike shook his head. “Just… Wait. The nurse, I hadn’t heard about that. Was it Suzanne Bond?”

“Yeah,” Frank answered. “Just like the others. He likes to take his time.”

The wait was killing him. Noah turned back to face the house.

Mike cursed. “Fuck. I caught him and Suzanne making out the other night. Right at the same time Shelly saw them and made a big scene. Happened outside Shelly’s apartment building. Oh man.”

“We don’t have time for this. Bill probably heard the shot. We have to move fast. But at least we can use you with us.” Noah formed a plan. Buckman and he could lead the charge while Frank stayed tight with Lara.

Another shot rang out. Noah spun around. This time Mike Buckman had been the target. He groaned and clutched his belly.

“Gut wound hurts like a bitch, don’t it?” Bill asked in a strange voice. The man’s glittering gaze met Noah’s, and he frowned. “You ain’t Finn.” He looked from Frank to Mike and then settled on Lara. “But Cecilia. I’d know you anywhere, darlin’.”

Lara trembled and took a step back.

“Uh-uh. You don’t want me to shoot all of ’em right now, do you?”

“N-no.” Lara glanced at Noah. “No, Michael. I don’t.”

Bill’s grin widened. “I said to myself, she’ll know me when the time is right. And hey, the time is right. You remember, huh?”

Lara lifted her head, and a calm seemed to overcome her. Fuck. Please tell me she’s acting, and that’s not Cecilia possessing her.

“Now Michael. I remember a lot of things. Remember how we used to play together in my room at the saloon? How I’d drop to my knees for you? How I’d touch you just right?”

Bill’s joy was tangible. “Hot damn. I’ve been waiting years for you. Making do with the others until you’d come back to me.” Tears filled his eyes. Until his gaze settled on Noah. “But I guess you wasn’t waitin’ on me, were you?” He raised the gun again, and Lara rushed to him.

Noah used the distraction to step away from Lara, not wanting her to be between him and Bill’s aim. Frank must have thought the same, because he darted back and raced into the trees.

Bill swore and shot several rounds into the woods. Noah used the distraction to launch himself at Bill. But to his shock, a force prevented him from moving. Frozen in place, Noah fought against invisible hands while the ghostly essence of Michael Fury snarled with cruel laughter. Handling Bill was bad enough, but now they had two foes to conquer. One of which they couldn’t fucking touch.

Whether Bill hit Frank or not, Noah couldn’t say. The gun quickly trained on him once more.

“Get your fuckin’ feet movin’, asshole.” Bill sounded like himself again as he grabbed Lara and plastered her to his side. He pointed to the house with the pistol. Then his voice lowered, and Noah imagined the ghost linking with the man again. “Time’s come for you to die, hero. You ain’t Finn, but you’ll do. Come on, Cecilia. Time to teach you a much-needed lesson.”

Noah shifted on his feet, aware he’d fallen into a world of trouble. Frank might bring back help, but there was no guarantee he hadn’t been shot or that he’d bring back help in time. Noah would do his best to protect Lara if she’d let him. A glance over his shoulder worried him. She looked too composed for his peace of mind. Though he didn’t want her screaming in fear, that look on her face didn’t belong. It was too…Cecilia. And that worried him more than anything.

“Let’s go, hero. One foot in front of the other. Have I got something in store for you.” Bill chuckled.

Not good. Not good at all.