The Haunted (Sarah Roberts 12) (12 page)

The burning, the burning …

She looked at Cole’s face as he spoke, not hearing him. The burn marks on his face.
The burning
.
Coming in the night
.
Sweet release
. Now Cole wanted to burn the building down with all the patient files in Sarah’s room.

It’s a cleansing.

Vivian.

A cleansing for Lance Williams and for Cole Lincoln. And who better to be blamed for the cleansing but Sarah Roberts, an old family friend who has been obsessed with Cole since he was her babysitter all those years ago?

“By nine tonight, we’ll offer everyone their night meds,” Cole continued. “There will be Seroquel and Gabitril for sleep, and for depression, we’ll be offering Abilify. At eleven tonight, when everyone is drugged and falling into a psychotic dream-filled sleep, you’ll be preparing your masterpiece. A nurse will call for lights out and the fire will start. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful.” It was Sarah’s turn to smile. Vivian was back. A couple of thoughts, accompanied by images came to Sarah in rapid succession. “But you forgot one thing,” she added.

“What’s that?” Cole had a smug look on his face, like he was waiting for the punch line of a joke. “I haven’t forgotten anything. This plan was already in place before you began your little search for me. That woman who died took part in the search for you. She knew too much. Her body was found in your car. How the hell do you think you will ever walk away from here—”

“Cole,” a man said.

Dr. Williams had walked up behind him.

“What?”

“A cop and two others were just here looking for Sarah.”

“And? What did they want?”

“To see her.” He pointed at Sarah. “To talk to her. They found the body in Sarah’s car. The cop might become a problem.”

Cole shook his head. “No, he won’t. It’s late. The fireworks are set to start in a few hours. It’s impossible for him to get the necessary warrants in that time. Who were the other two men?”

“Her boyfriend, Aaron, and a friend, a man who only gave the name, Parkman.”

A warmth coursed through her. They were here. They knew where she was. Her men. Her lover. How they found her so fast was a miracle, but it made her feel loved. She would get out of this, deal with Cole and Williams and be home for breakfast.

“Too bad they missed out.” Cole turned back to Sarah. “We’ll be the last two sane men you ever see.” He got up and set the dinner plate on a table, then turned to Williams. “Don’t worry about them. Stay focused. Come find me after the closure group session is over. We get started as everyone heads to bed. I’ve got final rounds to make after I wheel her back to her room. I’ll leave you to finish the preparations.”

Williams patted Cole on the back of the shoulder and stepped away, with what Sarah thought was a tight, worried look on his face.

Cole grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and pushed Sarah from the dining room toward the corridor that led back to her room.

“Oh, yeah, you were saying I missed something,” Cole said.

Vivian’s thoughts were clear in Sarah’s head. She knew what she had to do but wasn’t completely sure of the outcome.

“The fire will be small and contained. Most of what you are planning will not happen.” The chair slowed momentarily, then picked up again. Low enough that only he could hear, she said, “Your last breath will be because I took it.”

When they got to her room, he shoved her inside and slammed the door closed behind her without another word.

She smiled as it all came clear.

And she waited as any good hunter would.

Chapter 18

With no clock on the wall, Sarah had no way of knowing how long she sat in the wheelchair, waiting for Williams or Lincoln to show up. Her bladder ached, her throat was dry, mild images of Vivian’s past flitted through her mind and she had an itch. But none of that bothered her anymore. She had learned a long time ago some things were more important than taking a piss or scratching an itch.

Over and over she thought about what Vivian had told her, examining it from all angles. More importantly this time, Vivian had
shown
her some of what was going to happen. Like a future déjà vu. As if she had been there, done that, but it hadn’t happened yet.

There were uncertainties, but that didn’t sway Sarah’s belief that this would end in her favor. What was of utmost importance was that the files didn’t burn. Somewhere inside those files were the complaints of several patients. Complaints about Cole’s conduct.

It appeared Cole has been assaulting women for more than fifteen years and getting away with it by putting himself in positions where his integrity would never come into question. Who would believe the word of a psych patient, especially one who invents voices and sees monsters?

Sarah scanned the boxes from her chair. They were piled six high in the far corner of her room. With the single bulb—had to be a 60-watt—dangling over the bed, there was just enough light in the back corner to see where black marker had been used to mark the boxes with dates. Some of them went back four and five years.

If they all held truths that Cole wanted destroyed, how come there were boxes dated that far back? Couldn’t someone have put it together by now? Or was this an old-boys’ club where doctors like Lance Williams help cover up for men like Cole?

Sarah understood why Vivian directed her to go to Dr. Williams now. It was the only way to get this far into Cole’s world, this deep. And with him about to burn whatever evidence he was collecting, along with burning her too, and have the blame fall on Sarah, getting out of this was still in question.

Vivian’s thoughts and messages gave her a little insight, but not enough to pull off an escape. She would need help. But from where? And when?

Suddenly the uncertainties were ominous.

She was tied to a chair with straps that were impossible for her to get out of. If they moved her to the bed, she would be strapped down there, too.

Maybe outside help would come in time?

The door clicked. It opened.

Dr. Williams stepped inside, stuck his head back out to look up and down the hallway, then closed the door and locked it. He turned to face her, held up the key he locked the door with, smiled wide, then slipped it inside his coat pocket.

“Everything’s set,” he said as he walked across the room toward the boxes. There, he produced a keycard, also holding it up for Sarah to see. “This is the key that allows access to the room that held these files.” He set it on top of the nearest box and turned back to face her. “Somehow you got the key,” he said, his tone sarcastic, “stole these boxes, and one by one, for all fifteen of them, brought them to your room to review.” He shrugged. “Who knows what you were thinking? That’s something for the investigators to figure out.” He moved closer to her chair. “Of course I will help with the investigation, steering them where they need to go. My diagnosis has already been written and submitted.” He stopped in front of her, his knees almost touching hers. “You’re certifiable. A psychopath and a pyromaniac, who gets off on setting fires. Your destruction of this wing of the Amy Greg Psychiatric Hospital was a plan that even in your deluded consciousness you were able to pull off. After all, you’ve wanted to kill Cole Lincoln for some time. You waited until he was on shift—”

“Cut the bullshit,” Sarah snapped.

He stopped, his mouth hanging open.

“Ego much?” she said. “I get it. You’ve got a foolproof plan. You’re both geniuses. The both of you have raped and assaulted your victims for years and gotten away with it and now you plan to destroy whatever’s in those boxes and me along with them to keep getting away with it. All right already. You both talk too much. Get on with it. Start the show so I can finish this and go home for dinner. I’m hungry. And I’ll need a hot bath after dealing with the likes of you.”

Williams’ mouth closed. For a prolonged time, he stared down at her.

“You really are crazy.” The laugh that emitted from him was forced, strained. “Home for dinner? That’s something. I’d like to see how you’ll pull that off.”

She braced for a blow to the head or something equally painful, but it didn’t come. Instead Williams moved to the boxes, examined them until he came to one labeled with zeros. After moving a few aside, he lifted the lid off the zeroed box and produced a red gas can. When he turned back to face her, the dim light in the room cast a dark shadow on his features, making his grin one of absolute madness.

He looked like a demented doctor from an ’80s horror movie, the gas can his talisman.

The first pangs of fear flipped her stomach. “Seems like you thought of everything.” She kept her face pensive, deadpan.

He unscrewed the cap on the large gas can and took a whiff of the contents, drawing his head back in a jerking motion.

“Whew, what a smell. Do you know what that smells like?”

“Sure. But I have a feeling you’ll tell me anyway.”

“It smells of burning skin and death. Your death.”

“I suggest you smell it again. Then again. Maybe the fumes will repair what’s wrong inside that twisted head of yours.”

“Insult me, mock me, enjoy your false bravado. That’s all you’ve got. An empty shell of a woman, chasing ghosts from the past.” He set the gas can down by his feet. “A coping mechanism.” His mouth sagged until his face formed a moue, almost as if he was pouting for her. “I understand. Facing certain death must have its drawbacks.”

“Ask yourself. The reason the door on my cabin was locked wasn’t to protect me at night. It’s to protect you from me.”

“Cute.” He slipped out of his doctor’s jacket and retrieved the room key and a Bic lighter from the right pocket. He tossed the jacket on the boxes and set the key and lighter on the floor by the gas can. Then he proceeded to undo the belt from his jeans and moved forward.

“You have to be strapped back onto your bed, but I can’t use meds. If you’re doped up and only partially burned and they do a toxicology report as part of the autopsy, there will be questions as to how you were successful in burning this ward while on meds. That leaves me with this belt. I will use it for your neck as I remove you from the chair. Try anything and I will strangle you, then burn you. Understand?”

Sarah glared at him, a muscle under her right eye twitching.

Where’s Cole? He’s the one I want.

“Understand?” Williams asked again in a harsher voice.

Sarah nodded. “I get it.”

Williams stepped behind her and lowered the belt around her throat. He slipped the end inside the buckle and pulled it until it was taut. As he did, Sarah tried to flare her neck out to give her room to breathe later if he pulled it too tight, but it didn’t work. During her recent training with Aaron and hand-to-hand combat lessons, her body had grown tight, muscles cut. Her neck was surrounded by a thin layer of fat, not enough to make a difference.

The grip of the belt made the air escaping her throat raspy. He loosened it some, but not enough for her to breathe normally.

“I will do one hand at a time,” he said.

He undid her right hand first. Then, as she lifted it up from the chair’s arm, free of restraints, the belt tightened to where breathing stopped.

“Place it on the bed,” he demanded. “Now!”

Eyes bulging, lungs yearning, Sarah shot her arm out, close enough for him to secure her wrist to the bed’s restraints. The pressure in her head increased as he worked one-handed on securing her. Her mouth opened and closed like a landed fish, not able to dispel or grab air. Then, gratefully, the wrist restraint on the bed gripped her skin and the belt around her neck loosened simultaneously. She gulped air in waves, her vision clearing.

“Okay, okay,” Sarah said. “Take it easy on the belt on this one.”

“Can’t do that,” Williams said as he began to undo Sarah’s left hand from the chair. “I’ve got to completely release you from the chair now, legs and all. You will only have your right arm secured to the bed, your stronger arm, but it still offers you a fighting chance.” Her left wrist popped free. He knelt in front of her and placed a hand on the ankle cuffs as he glanced up, meeting her eyes. “I have to do this alone. If you try anything, all I have to do is back away to be out of reach. But if you test me, I will break your arms and try again. Believe me when I say I will do it. I’ll end up having to use meds to sedate you. I’ll make sure your body is in the center of the fire so you burn so much not even dental records will help them identify you. Am I getting to you in there?”

Almost imperceptibly, Sarah nodded. Her breathing was deep, but back under control.

“Good. Now, gently, I will release your ankles. I am going to walk around behind you and hold the belt, but this time I won’t cut off your breathing if you do as I tell you. Cool?”

Watching her eyes, Williams pulled the ankle restraints off and backed up away from Sarah. He walked behind her and gripped the belt.