Entanglements (24 page)

Rom and I walked along the main path and found nothing out of the ordinary. So we headed for the vaults located in more secluded areas. At the back, near what was the old dueling ground, we found a vault with the name Macpherson carved into its plaque. Rom circled around one way and I went the other.

“A breach here,” Rom announced.

Sure enough, the cement blocking the entrance to the vault had been broken. Chunks lay at the base. Rom took a flashlight from the knapsack he carried, switched it on and stuck his upper body through the gap.

“Anything?” I asked after a few seconds.

“A smell most horrible,” Rom replied. “And evidence of recent movement in the tomb’s lid.” He pulled himself completely through the gap and sounds of scraping and jostling could be heard from inside. This wouldn’t have been a huge problem except for the pair of tourists, probably husband and wife, heading our way.

“Don’t come out until I tell you,” I called to him. “We’re going to have company soon.” A thought occurred to me. We were pretty sure from our research that the ghoul was inert during the day, but what if we were wrong? “Unless you have to come out," I said. "Because if the ghoul is awake or something...Anyway…” I trailed off.

Rom didn’t answer.

Mr. and Mrs. Nosey strolled up. I tried positioning myself in front of the vaults entrance. The couple wasn’t deceived and I saw Mrs. Nosey “noticing” the broken pieces of cement on the ground at my feet.

“Isn’t it a shame what vandals will do these days?” I shook my head and made a tisking sound.

Mrs. Nosey shot me a glare and pulled her clueless husband back the way they’d come. When they were almost out of sight and completely out of earshot, I stuck my head through the gap and couldn’t see a thing. The flashlight beam hit me in the eye, before Rom switched if off.

“The ghoul is here.” Rom pushed past me and stepped outside the vault. “He's unconscious, inside the tomb stretched atop the remains.”

“We still have about an hour until dusk," I said.

After contacting Zen for back up we waited sitting cross-legged under a hackberry tree within a few steps of the vault entrance. I’d pulled a peanut and chocolate candy bar out of my purse, broke it, and handed half to Rom.

“Mmm.” Rom chewed and then swallowed. “There is a treat similar in Augustinia, but not with this deliciousness.”

“Umhumm.” I nodded and chewed.

 
Mr. and Mrs. Nosey came into view again from around the corner of another vault to our right, just as I spotted Zen and Petra, to our left, heading up the path. Directing a narrowed stink eye expression on Mrs. Nosey caused her to stop and whisper to her husband. The two of them turned and scurried away. Good. We didn’t need witnesses for this.

Rom and I stood and greeted our backup. Zen pulled an oversized duffle on wheels, which he laid down in front of Rom. After unzipping the bag, he pulled its sides wide, revealing a leather strappy thing.

“Muzzle.” Zen lifted the leather thing to display it for us. “We don’t want any more ghoul bites.”

Thanks for reminding us about that little problem.

On the inside of the muzzle was a coating of something. “Silver,” Zen said. “To keep him incapacitated.”

He lifted a metal chain out of the bag. Iron with little somethings attached to it. Inspecting it closer I realized the little somethings were in cute shapes. Among them a unicorn, a peace sign, a four-leaf clover, and a horse.

“Where did you get—Petra,” I exclaimed. "Your silver charms.”

“Don’t get all emotional and shit.” Petra's face turned an embarrassed red. “I only sacrificed the ones I never particularly liked.”

"What about the four-leaf clover charm? You love that one. It’s from your Miss St. Patrick’s Day pageant last year.”

“I only got third place. Besides, I figured we could use all the luck we could get. After all this guy is a ghoul.”

“Oh Petra.” I choked down a bolder the size of tombstone and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“If you cry, I’ll cry too, so just don’t,” she said into my shoulder. “Besides I’ll expect you to replace them with some 18 karat gold charms after all this is over.”

“Deal." I kissed her cheek.

“Ladies,” Zen said. “Please. Can we get on with this?”

Zen and Rom climbed into the gap in the vault, while Petra and I fed them supplies from outside.

“The muzzle shall be my task alone,” Rom had said. He seemed determined that no one else get near the teeth of the ghoul.

After quite a bit of racket from inside, Zen poked his head back out the gap. “Duffle,” he demanded. Petra passed the bag in to him, pushing on the end to cram it the rest of the way through. Getting the duffle back out again ten minutes later required both Petra and me. Once the bag passed completely through the opening, the weight of it brought us to our knees.

As we scrambled out from under it, I saw the Mr. and Mrs. Nosey striding toward us down the path. Zen and Rom emerged from the vault just when Mrs. Nosey took out her cell phone. She punched in three numbers.

“Crap,” I said. “Let’s get out of here quick. That woman just called the cops.”

With Zen dragging the rolling duffle behind him, the four of us walked quickly toward the exit. Unfortunately, there was only one and we had to take a roundabout way to avoid going directly past the Noseys. My adrenaline didn’t calm until Zen had the duffle in his van.

“I’m sorry,” Petra said. “I’ve gotta run home and check in with my mom or she’ll have my hide. Honestly, I might as well be living in Sri Lanka.”

I laughed. “Sri Lanka’s where they punish by caning?”

“Yeah.” Petra nodded. She gave me a brief hug. “I’ll see you later. Text me.”

 
My breathing returned completely to normal once Rom and I were in his car driving toward the old hospital. This time nothing would stop us from shoving that ghoul through the vortex portal and getting Juliette back.

* * * * *

The ease of transporting the ghoul to the morgue’s vortex portal didn't worry me. After all, the silver encrusted muzzle and the silver charm chain incapacitated him. Besides, he was locked inside the duffle.

But what did worry me was that when we arrived at the morgue, Billy and Quinn were waiting for us. Billy had a stubborn defiance in his stance and expression. Quinn just looked blankly terrified as usual, as if he wouldn’t be here but for Billy’s bullying.

“I thought you said you were leaving us on our own, Billy,” I said.

"We saw you at the cemetery.” He sneered. “Took you pussies long enough to find the ghoul.”

“Why don’t you and your lapdog just go,” I said, nodding toward Quinn. “He seems so scared he’s gonna pee himself any second.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Billy crossed his arms over his chest and took a wide-legged stance. “We’re gonna make certain we get Juliette this time without any of your screw-ups.”

“If Kizzy dictates your departure, you depart.” Rom stepped boldly forward into Billy’s face.

The two stood staring at one another and I expected fists to start flying.

“Enough arguing,” Zen said. “It’s getting late and this thing isn't smelling any fresher."

“Yeah enough arguing Taylor.” Billy cast me a smug smile. “We can always call the police to mediate our dispute.”

“Big words,” I said. “But then it always has been Quinn who’s the moron and you the jerk.”

“I said enough,” Zen shouted. “Let’s get this over with.”

Something about Billy’s swaggering attitude put me on edge. I couldn’t determine whether it was the average edge I always felt around a jerk or whether it was something more.

“Okay, I’ll open the vortex.” Pointing to Zen I said, ”Then you push the ghoul through, duffle and all.”

“No.” Billy shook his head. “First of all, how do I know the ghoul is even in there? Second, if he’s unconscious or crippled in there, how do we know Juliette won’t be when she comes back.”

“Show him the ghoul.” I sighed. “But we aren’t taking him out of the duffle.”

Zen laid the bag flat before unzipping it. Pulling open the sides of the black canvas revealed a very awake and a very pissed off ghoul. His yellow eyes snapped wide open and blazed at us with the intensity of his anger. But even though he struggled against the chain, the muzzle and the charms seemed to be keeping him in check.

“Happy now?” I said to Billy before turning to Zen. “Cut me.” I held out my palm...the previously uninjured one.

When he’d sliced a shallow but effective cut, I watched the blood well up and marveled at how little pain I felt this time around. The process of opening inter-dimensional portals was becoming old hat.

After proceeding to the floor design, I concentrated on my anger toward Billy as I poured out the droplets of blood onto its center. The sonic boom, I’d expected came right on schedule. The blackish violet glow rose and hovered over the design. The rotation accompanied by jet engine sound began just as I’d anticipated. As the velocity of the vortex increased, the vacuuming effect sucked at the remaining debris in the tunnel. The vortex quickly expanded to a size large enough to handle the ghoul.

I backed away so I didn’t get swept in.

“Okay, push the duffle this way.” I turned back and motioned to Zen.

“Not so fast.” Billy halted me.

While I’d been opening the vortex, he and Quinn had each been pulling a revolver. Billy’s was pointed at me and Quinn had his trained on Rom.

“What are you doing?” Zen demanded.

“I’m taking control of this situation,” Billy snarled. “Take Stephan out of the bag.” He directed Zen. “Now, or I’ll shoot Kizzy.”

“And I’ll shoot Rom,” Quinn said in an uncertain trembling voice.

“Now!” Billy shouted.

“Come on Billy.” I held up a hand. “Just let us push him through and we’ll have Juliette back.”

The mutinous expression on Billy’s face didn’t change.

“Just let him shoot,” I said to Zen “Push the duffle in.”

But by then Zen had already reached into the duffle and had his hands under the ghoul’s armpits.

“No. He’ll do it,” Zen replied, pulling the ghoul upright.

I thought of something Billy had said. “Stephan? How do you know the ghoul’s name is Stephan?”

“We’ve had a conversation.” Billy gestured for Quinn to go to the ghoul. As Quinn unwound the chain from around the ghoul, Billy continued. “Stephan and I made a deal. I help him and he’ll return Juliette.”

The chain was half off when Rom moved as if to rush at Quinn. Billy pivoted and fired. The bullet hit the ground just in front of Rom’s feet.

“No,” I screamed.

“Stay back.” Billy waved the gun back and forth between us.” I don’t want anything ruining this deal.”

“Don’t be a fool,” I cried. “It doesn’t work that way. The ghoul has to go back through the vortex for Juliette to return.”

Billy laughed. “Oh, he’ll go back all right. He just wants to take you with him.”

By this point, the chain had been unwrapped about two-thirds of the way, with only the upper third of the ghoul still held captive. The ghoul’s hands were free of the chain but constrained by the fact that the chain wrapped from the forearm upward. Quinn had to lay the revolver on the ground to work it the rest of the way off.