Darkness Exposed (24 page)
“Hey, Chief, this is Bradley Alden. I got a problem at my old house. I’ve got some friends staying there and I can’t get hold of any of them. I’m a little concerned something might have happened to them. Could you have someone go by and check it out?”
“Is this related to what happened eight years ago?” his former Chief asked.
“Yeah, I’m afraid it might be,” Bradley said. “And it could literally be a case of life or death.”
“I’ll head over there myself,” he said. “I still got a copy of your house key.”
“Thanks, I’m on my way too. I should be there in about 45 minutes.”
“I’ll call you when I get there,” the chief said. “And let you know what’s going on.”
“Thanks again.”
Sean picked up the files from his secretary and started down the hallway of the downtown police station. He was almost to the elevator when someone shouted his name.
“Hey, Sean, wait.”
Sean turned to see one of the newer recruits jogging down the hall towards him. “This just came in from Cook County and your secretary thought you might want it.”
Sean scanned the pages of the fax. The doctor had indeed remembered the case and she was able to put her hands on the death certificate right away. The woman that had died that night during labor had been identified by her husband as Beverly Copper.
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” he said to the recruit just as the elevator opened. “Hey, find out where they buried her.”
Chapter Forty
Chief Kip Vitner was at the Alden place within five minutes of the call. He hurried up the walkway, key in hand, but found the door standing open. He reached into his holster for his service revolver and slowly entered the house.
He moved through the hallway, his back against the wall, and peered into the living room. It was empty. Then he moved on to the dining room and caught his breath. There were bodies scattered all over the room. He holstered his gun and moved forward. The first body was that of an older woman. She was laying with her head on the table and her hand touching the elderly man by her side. Kip reached over and placed his fingertips at the base of her neck. She still had a pulse.
Pulling out his radio, he called for back-up and ambulances.
He moved around the table and found that all of the victims were still alive. However, there were two empty place settings.
A moment later, several uniformed police officers entered the house. “I want you to check the rest of the house,” he said. “We’re missing two people.”
The young man at the end of the table began to stir. He lifted his head. “What happened?” he asked.
“It looks like you were drugged.”
He stood up, his knees nearly buckling beneath him, but he caught himself and forced his muscles to hold him. “Where’s Mary?” he gasped.
“Who?”
“Mary O’Reilly,” he yelled. “Where the hell is Mary?”
“Hey, listen, buddy,” Kip said, moving towards Ian. “You and your friends have been drugged up pretty bad. And it looks like some of your party is missing.”
Ian shoved away from the table and moved to the base of the stairs. “Mary,” he called.
“Hey, listen buddy, I’ve got officers up there searching all the rooms,” he said. “If your Mary is in this house we’ll find her.”
“I’ve got to call Bradley,” Ian said.
“He’s on his way,” Kip replied. “He’s the one who called me. He’ll be here in less than 30 minutes.”
“I pray that’s quick enough,” he said.
Just then Jeannine appeared behind the Kip. “Ian, what happened?”
Ian, still feeling the effects of the drug, forgot that no one else could see Jeannine.
“Oh, thank the Lord, you’ve come,” he said. “They’ve taken Mary.”
“Yeah, I know that,” Kip said. “I told you.”
“Who took her?” Jeannine asked.
Ian shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “Who is still here at the party?”
“I don’t know who’s at your party,” Kip replied.
“I’m not talking to you, man,” Ian said. “I’m talking to the ghost.”
“Okay, buddy, you just stand there and have your little trip and I’ll look after the others.”
Jeannine floated around the room. “I see Bob, Mercedes and Harvey,” she said, “And Rosie and Stanley. Who’s missing?”
“Gary,” Ian said. “The one everyone trusted. Gary has her.”
“Gary was the one who took me?” Jeannine asked. “Gary did this to me?”
Ian nodded. “It looks that way,” he said.
“Is he going to do to her what he did to me?”
Ian recalled the horrors he recorded while Jeannine was being hypnotized. “I hope not.”
“Can you go to her, Jeannine?” he asked, “Just to give her comfort.”
Jeannine nodded. “I’ll go,” she said. “I won’t let him hurt Mary.”
Jeannine faded away and Ian turned back to Kip. “I know who has Mary,” he said. “You need to send some officers over to Dr. Gary Copper’s home.”
“You got some proof he did this?” Kip asked. “Dr. Copper is very well-known and trusted in this community. I can’t break into his house without proof.”
“Please, she could be in trouble,” Ian said. “There’s no time to waste.”
“Listen, I don’t know how things are handled where you come from, but here in the United States of America people are innocent until proven guilty. You get me some evidence and I’ll obtain a warrant.”
Bradley was already on Highway 39 heading south toward Sycamore when the call back from Kip came. “The good news is they’re all alive,” he said. “The bad news is they’re pretty messed up. And the foreign guy refuses to go to the hospital. Says he needs to run the tapes for you. But he can barely walk, much less run anything.”
“Is there a young woman there? Her name is Mary.”
“No, she’s not here,” Kip said. “That foreign guy’s been through every room in the house, calling her name.”
“How bad is Ian, the foreign guy?” Bradley asked.
“He’s moving around better than the rest of them. He looks like maybe he didn’t ingest as much as the others. But the safe thing would be to take him to the hospital.”
“Let him stay,” Bradley said. “I’ll be there in about 15 minutes and I could really use his help.”
“He wants to talk to you,” Kip said. “But he’s pretty strung out; he’s been talking to ghosts.”
“Put him on.”
“Bradley, it’s Gary, he’s got Mary,” Ian said.
“That can’t be right,” Bradley said. “He was our friend. I always trusted him.”
“It’s got to be Gary,” Ian said. “The rest of the suspects are here. Jeannine’s gone to be with Mary. But, if he’s the one…the things he did to Jeannine. We’ve got to get to Mary right away.”
“Ask Kip…”
“I’ve already asked your friend, the chief,” he said. “He’s not moving unless we have proof. Even if I have film of Mary leaving with Gary, it probably won’t show her leaving under duress.”
“I’ll go straight to his house,” Bradley said. “You stay at the house and wait for Sean.”
“Hurry Bradley,” Ian said.
Chapter Forty-one
The room was dark and damp and Mary recognized it at once. This was the place Jeannine had been kept. She moved her hand along the rough texture of the couch. She remembered that too. She could smell the mold, but there was another scent mixing with it. Her vision was still blurry and her body was sluggish and slow to respond. But she was able to turn her head slowly.
Candles.
Tall white candles were standing on a table in the corner of the room. She didn’t remember candles from before.
“Ian,” she called out. “Ian, I don’t want to do this anymore.”
She looked down at herself and saw the white blouse she’d put on that morning. These weren’t Jeannine’s clothes. “Ian, bring me home.”
“But darling, you are home.”
Mary felt nausea rise in her throat and she shook her head in disbelief. “No, this isn’t happening,” she whimpered. “Please this can’t be happening to me.”
She struggled to move back into the corner of the couch.
“You just make yourself comfortable darling,” he said. “And I’ll put on a little soothing music.”
The soft sounds of “Make it With You” drifted through the room. “They’re playing our song, Mary,” he said. “Don’t you want to dance with me?”
She shook her head. “No, please just let me go home.”
“Oh, baby,” he said, moving up next to her and stroking his hand lightly up and down her arm. “Sooner or later you and I are going to get to know each other in, shall I say, an intimate way. You might as well decide to like it.”
Mary shuddered. “You killed Jeannine,” she said. “You kept her here and then you killed her.”
Gary grabbed her arm tightly and squeezed. “How did you know that?”
“I saw what you did,” Mary said, trying to twist away from him. “I saw how you touched her. You are not going to touch me that way.”
“Oh, that’s what you think,” he said.
He crossed the room and picked up a hypodermic needle. “I just need to make you a little more agreeable,” he said. “This is what we like to call a twilight drug, your mind goes to sleep, but your body is delightfully awake.”
Grabbing her arm once again, he thrust the needle into her bicep and pushed down on the syringe. “There, in a few minutes you’re going to enjoy this as much as I will.”
He grabbed her wrists in one hand and pulled them over her head. Then he climbed over her, straddling her hips. “Now, try and stop me,” he said, sliding his hand beneath her shirt and slowly making his way up.
Mary tried to buck him off, but he had her pinned down into the cushions of the couch.
“Your skin is like silk,” he murmured. “I can’t wait to taste all of it.”
Mary shivered with revulsion and turned her head away.
“Oh, darling, don’t you want to watch what I do to you?” he asked.
He removed his hand from under her shirt and clasped her chin to force her head forward. He bent forward and kissed her, exploring her face with small licks of his tongue. “Oh, yes, you do taste delicious, just as I thought.”
Suddenly one of the candles tipped over and fell on the floor. “Damn,” he said, looking up across the room. He released her hands and climbed off of her.
“Don’t move,” he added with a smirk.
“Mary, I’m here,” Jeannine said appearing next to her.
Tears flowed down Mary’s face. “I don’t want to die,” she whispered. “I can’t move my body.”
“Yeah, I know, he’s got you drugged.”
Jeannine looked over and saw that Gary was taking the time to relight the candles. She quickly glided over and knocked the other one down.
“Okay,” she said when she got back. “Remember what Ian said about spirits taking over your body when you’re drunk? Well, I think that drugged must be pretty much the same. Right?”
Mary nodded.
“So, can I try and help you?” she asked. “Using your body and my spirit?”
“I can’t help you,” she whispered, “Everything is starting to go black again.”
“It’s okay,” Jeannine said. “Your body already knows some awesome moves. But instead of you, I’m going to drive.”
“Well, we have candlelight again, darling,” he said. “Have you ever made love by candlelight?”
“Have you ever had your ass kicked by candlelight?” Jeannine asked and then she entered Mary’s body.
She watched him as he moved closer. She knew she only had one shot at surprise and it was going to be a good one.
“Now, where were we?” he asked and lifted his leg to climb over Mary.
Jeannine placed her first kick right between his legs and sent him sprawling off the couch, clutching his crotch.
Jeannine got up from the couch and came towards him.
“But you’re drugged,” he wheezed.
“Oh, my good friend Mary is drugged,” she said. “But this time, Gary boy, you’re dealing with Jeannine Alden.”
She kicked him in the stomach and then kicked him again in his side.
“But you’re dead!”
“You don’t think I’m pissed enough?” she yelled. “You want to remind me?’
He struggled to his feet. “You can try to fight me, but I’m stronger than you.”
She realized she didn’t really know how to do any of the karate moves Mary had been trained in. Oh well, she thought, I can improvise.
She lifted her hands over her head and then lifted one leg up and bent it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Gary asked.
