by Dirk Patton
“I don’t know about the rest of that, but, yes. Actual demons.”
They drove in silence for a few minutes, tires pounding loudly on the bridge surface’s expansion joints.
“Have you always been able to see them?”
“Just for a couple of days.”
Liam shot her a concerned look.
“Was your husband possessed by a demon?”
Katarina felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach when she realized the reason for his question but couldn’t fault him for asking.
“No.”
He fell silent the rest of the way to his house. When they went in, he went straight to a gun safe and selected a pistol that went into his empty holster. Rearmed, he poured a stiff drink, picked up his cigarettes and went into the backyard. A few moments later, Katarina sat down next to him, a drink of her own in her hand.
“Do you want to talk about it? I’ll answer any questions you have, but this is all new to me and I don’t know much.”
Liam was smoking, staring up into the tree the swing was hanging from.
“How did you do that? That sword thing?”
Katarina took a sip before answering.
“I honestly don’t know. It’s never happened before. I saw the demon and it was just...”
“Just what?”
“Instinct,” she finally said with a shrug.
“What I saw you do... well, it would cause the damage I saw in that pic you sent to me to ID the pilot. The Reaper victim’s head.”
He turned to stare at her and lit a fresh cigarette without breaking eye contact.
“Are you asking me if I’m The Reaper?”
Liam didn’t respond, just stared at her. She huffed out a deep breath.
“I’m not. But now I know who is. And why.”
“And you’re protecting him?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Then maybe you’d better explain it to me, without leaving anything out this time.”
Katarina slowly nodded as she collected her thoughts. She had been hurt by Liam’s questioning and obvious distrust but couldn’t fault him for the reaction to what he’d experienced.
“It first happened when I was in the forest, getting the bag of money I’d taken out of the plane. Zophiel was there and...”
She spoke without stopping for more than an hour and left nothing out. When she was finished, she was emotionally wrung out. Liam hadn’t asked any questions and remained silent for several minutes when she was through. Fear that he was going to send her away bubbled up as she watched him smoke another of a steady chain of cigarettes.
“Say something,” she said when she couldn’t take the silence any longer. “Please.”
“I don’t know what to say, Katarina. If I hadn’t seen what I’d seen, I’d probably be kicking you out and changing the locks. But... that... thing!”
She knew he was just voicing his thoughts and not looking for a conversation, so she kept quiet.
“And there’s one in your boss, which is why you’ve been framed for murdering your husband. And one in this Retriever.” He turned to face her. “Who else?”
“I’ve seen random people who are possessed. Some in the train station. A little girl.”
Liam thought for a moment then shifted around, grimacing in pain.
“Are you okay?”
“Hurts where the fucker hit me.”
“Will you let me look?”
She expected him to refuse and was surprised when he nodded. Leaning forward, he gingerly peeled the T-shirt over his head. Katarina winced when she saw the purplish bruising that was already spreading across his entire upper back. She gently touched his skin, feeling the heat of the injury.
“You should probably get X-rayed. Make sure nothing’s broken.”
“Ice,” he said. “I’ll put ice on it when I go to bed.”
The stress and emotion of the day got the better of Katarina and tears suddenly spilled down her face. She nodded and quickly got to her feet, preparing to leave, though she had no idea where she’d go or even how she’d get there.
“What are you doing?” Liam asked, looking up at her.
“I just... it sounds like you want to be alone.”
He got to his feet and looked intently into her eyes. After a long moment, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“I should have said, “we”. When we go to bed. Now, if you don’t mind, I could really use some Tylenol and ice.”
Thirty-Four
It was the latter part of morning rush hour when they left Liam’s house and the thirty-mile drive to Tacoma would take the better part of ninety minutes. That was okay with Katarina as they needed the time to talk. Both had been exhausted the previous night and Liam was hurting from the fight with the demon.
He’d stacked his side of the bed with ice packs, laid back and quickly drifted off. She hadn’t thought she’d be able to sleep but had fallen into a dreamless slumber. Now, if not exactly well rested, they were at least alert and able to think clearly.
“Why the DEA?” she asked as they crawled along in bumper to bumper traffic.
“Got out of the Army and needed a job. They were hiring,” Liam answered with a shrug which caused a grimace of pain. “Why the FBI?”
“You sure you shouldn’t get checked out?” she asked instead of answering the question.
“I’m fine, Katarina. I can tell nothing’s broken. I go to a doc, all he’s going to tell me is to take Tylenol and use ice.”
She reached out and gently touched his shoulder, keeping her hand well away from the bruising that covered half his back. After a long moment, she nodded in agreement.
“So. FBI?” he prompted.
“I’ve wanted to be an FBI agent since I was little. When I was in third grade, I think, my dad gave me a book about this girl FBI agent. It was written in the fifties, so all she ever did was fetch coffee and file papers, but on her own time she was solving mysteries and catching Russian spies. Of course, all the credit went to one of the men, but she was secretly in love with him and always knew she was really the one that had saved the day.”
“So that’s what makes you tick? Saving the day?”
“Sometimes,” she said. “When you take down a really bad guy and know he’s not going to hurt anyone else, that feels pretty good. Kind of addictive, actually.”
“It does,” Liam agreed.
They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Katarina stared out the window at the cars around them. Spotted a demon visible inside a burly man driving a dump truck.
“So. These demons,” Liam said.
“What about them?”
“How long have you been able to see them?”
“I told you. Just a couple of days. I really haven’t been crazy my entire life.”
She grinned, hoping to lighten the mood, but Liam wasn’t through asking questions.
“What are you supposed to do about them? What did this...”
“Zophiel.”
“Right. Zophiel. What did he say you were supposed to do?”
She hesitated before answering. This was one detail she’d glossed over so far. Now, how was she supposed to tell him the truth without horrifying him?
“I’m not questioning you, Katarina,” he said when she remained quiet. “I’m just asking. Okay?”
She nodded her head, then plunged ahead.
“Kill them.”
He glanced at her in surprise and she nodded.
“And the person they’re in?”
Katarina nodded and he blew out a big breath.
“Once they possess a body, they’re in control. If the person dies, they’re released, like happened to us last night. But they’ll just find someone else to possess. Unless they’re killed, too.”
The silence in the truck was heavy as he processed what she’d said.
“How do you kill a demon who’s possessing a human?”
“You have to destroy
the brain of the person they’re inhabiting.”
They rode in silence for a few miles during which she had time to think. Liam wasn’t accusing her of anything, he was just trying to understand something fantastic she’d told him. She took a deep, silent breath and resolved to not read anything into the conversation.
“Have you?” he asked without looking at her.
“Killed someone who was possessed? No! I tried to kill the Retriever. Had a gun pointed at his head, but I couldn’t make myself pull the trigger.”
“Then, who...”
“Baldwin,” she said quietly.
Liam absorbed the information and slowly nodded.
“Are they dangerous? I mean, more dangerous than people already are?”
“You mean do they have like superpowers or something?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“No,” she said with a head shake. “At least I don’t think so. But people can be plenty dangerous. And if that person is in a position of power or authority, that’s far worse.”
“Like your boss.”
“Pettigrew was always an uptight, politically motivated prick, but he was fair,” she said. “And he protected his agents. No one liked him, but he was respected because we all knew he’d stand with us if we needed him. The man I knew never would have been involved in a murder or framed me for one, either.”
“Is there any way to reach the person that’s possessed? Are they still in there?”
“I have no idea.”
Liam thought about that some more.
“Okay. But what about the person? Is... whatever it is that makes us who we are... is that lost when the body is possessed or is it just pushed aside when a demon takes control? Could we reach the real Pettigrew and ask him to help?”
“I don’t know. It never came up. But even if it was possible, I don’t have the first idea how to even start. All I know is I’m supposed to kill them by destroying the brain of the host. That’s as far as I got.”
“Why you?” he asked, surprising her.
“I wish I knew, Liam. I really do. Zophiel kept saying I’d fought them before and I’d remember, but I’m at a total loss. I didn’t ask for this. I’ve never been very religious. Not sure I ever really believed in the concept of sin and demons and heaven and all that.”
The conversation ended as he exited the Interstate and began working his way through a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood. It wasn’t long before he pulled to a stop across from a slate gray, two story building. What few windows it had were covered tightly by retractable steel shutters and the only visible entrance was a small door set behind a forest of concrete bollards.
“This is it?” she asked.
“Told you he doesn’t like strangers,” Liam said. “What you can’t see is the armor plating on the inside of the walls. Nothing short of military grade hardware could breach this place.”
“Okay,” she said slowly as she stared at the building. “What if he’s possessed? You’d have no way of knowing.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed and he turned to stare at the building.
“If he is, he can’t be trusted, but you won’t know if I’m not there.”
He thought about that for a moment.
“How close do you have to be? To see the demons, I mean.”
“Not really sure,” she said, surprised by the question. “Don’t think I’ve seen one that was more than thirty or forty feet away, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. Why?”
“He’s going to have to come to the door to let me in. For a couple of seconds, he’ll be visible. That long enough?”
Katarina nodded.
“Is there a sidewalk?”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Liam said. “If you just happen to be walking by when he opens the door, you can---”
He was interrupted by his phone. Checking the caller ID, he answered it and listened for a few seconds before hanging up.
“That was Jimmy,” he said, tilting his head at the building. “He says your smokin’ hot and I should bring you in with me. He wants to meet you.”
“What? How does he know what I look like?”
“He said he accessed the cameras on our phones,” Liam said with a shrug.
Thirty-Five
“Brother-man!” Jimmy cried, fiercely embracing Liam when he let them into his home.
Liam grimaced in pain but didn’t push him away. He gave Katarina a quick glance. She shook her head, which was the pre-arranged signal that she didn’t see a demon. Releasing him, Jimmy turned to face her, eyes dancing behind a pair of thick glasses. He was young, much younger than she’d expected, and painfully thin with a very prominent Adam’s Apple that bobbed dramatically when he spoke.
“You, my lady, are an absolute goddess!”
He reached for her hand and lifted it as he bowed and gently kissed it. Katarina could only smile at the effusive greeting.
“Come in, come in! Jimmy’s happy to have you here!”
He ushered them through another security door, pausing to close and lock it. Moving past, he led the way to a darkened room with two walls completely covered by large computer monitors.
The smell of marijuana smoke and pizza was strong in the air and he shoved several empty boxes out of chairs before dropping into his. Katarina perched on the edge of her seat to avoid a large grease stain.
“Jimmy wants to know your name, beautiful lady!”
“This is Katarina, Jimmy,” Liam said.
“Wow, dude. She sure is gorgeous! Jimmy’s impressed. Is she yours?”
Katarina stared at the man in bemusement, shaking her head.
“She’s an FBI agent, so you’d better watch your step around her.”
Jimmy’s eyes flew wide and he spun to his keyboard. In seconds, most of the monitors went dark, leaving only three that were displaying a news feed, a video of a monkey drinking beer and a full color image from security cameras watching the front and back doors.
“Jimmy can’t be too careful,” he said in a stage whisper to Liam. “What with a fed in Jimmy’s house and all.”
“She’s cool, Jimmy. I wouldn’t have brought her with me if she wasn’t. Just take it down a few pegs, okay?”
“Okay, man. Whatever you want. You saved Jimmy’s ass and he’ll never forget. Never, dude! So, what do you need this time? Want to know what the president is reading on his computer right now?”
He spun back to the keyboard and started typing.
“Jimmy. Stop, please,” Liam said patiently.
“No problem, bro. Just give Jimmy a couple to get back into the White House’s servers! You should see some of this shit! Real end of the world, nuclear apocalypse kind of stuff!”
“Jimmy!” Liam said, a little firmer.
“Yeah, bro?” he asked, stopping and looking over his shoulder.
“You really shouldn’t be in the White House servers. You’re going to get in trouble I can’t get you out of.”
“Puuuuu-shaaaaaaw,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Jimmy’s the cyber ninja, dude. You know that. They don’t see Jimmy coming and they never know Jimmy was there.”
Katarina had been watching the exchange and decided it was time for her to try.
“Jimmy, I need your help. Please?”
He instantly swiveled to look at her, curiosity written across his face.
“What the beautiful lady needs, Jimmy shall provide. Do tell!”
Grabbing a small bong off a side table, he pressed his mouth to the top and fired a lighter. Katarina shot a glance at Liam, but he just smiled and shrugged. Jimmy drew deeply, the bong gurgling loudly, held the smoke in his lungs for several seconds then exhaled with an exaggerated sigh of pleasure. He hit it one more time, then put it back in its place.
When he looked at Katarina again, she could see glassiness spreading across his eyes. He smiled, then giggled.
“God, you’re hot,” he said, but much of the earlier mania had left his voice.
&n
bsp; “Let her tell you what she needs, Jimmy,” Liam prompted.
Jimmy looked at her and tilted his head expectantly. Katarina forced down the urge to laugh when his movements reminded her of an inquisitive squirrel.
“I need you to break into a surveillance system for me.”
“Cool!” he cried. “What are we talking? FBI? Treasury? Ooooooo, maybe the NSA?”
“Sorry,” Katarina said. “Just a run of the mill residential system. One of my neighbor’s cameras may have caught the guy that broke into my house.”
“Oh,” Jimmy said, obviously disappointed. “Why don’t you just ask them?”
“Because they’re in Europe and I can’t get in touch with them. But this can’t wait. Liam says you’re the best, so that’s why we came to see you. Can you help me? Please?”
She could see Jimmy’s chest puff up with the compliment, and he quickly began nodding.
“Okay. Cool! What kind of system?” he asked, spinning back to his keyboard.
“I don’t know.”
“No problem,” he said, flapping a hand. “Jimmy can deal with that. Where is it?”
She gave him the address and within a few seconds one of the dark monitors flared to life and she was looking at an image of the front of her house.
“Wow!” she said, genuinely impressed.
“Nothing,” Jimmy said proudly. “Just a plain old doorbell cam.”
“Okay,” Katarina said, eyes glued to the monitor. “Can you show me what it recorded two nights ago?”
Jimmy banged away for a few seconds and the image shifted. Cars passed at high speed. Neighborhood kids zipped past on their bikes. Katarina walked out her front door, crossed the street and got into the back seat of a parked SUV.
“That’s when I left for your place,” she said softly to Liam.
A couple of joggers flashed by. When it got dark, all activity ceased except for the occasional car, then her garage door went up and Matt drove inside. It closed quickly and she lost sight of him, then the neighborhood went still.
Two more cars near midnight, then a pedestrian appeared. Jimmy stabbed a key and the playback slowed to normal speed. A time stamp in the upper right said it was two forty-seven AM. She leaned closer, watching as the Retriever walked straight to her front door. He pushed the doorbell button and it was only a matter of seconds before Matt opened the door, then he was inside. The time stamp jumped forward to four fifty-three AM and the Retriever walked out the front door and calmly strolled out of view of the camera.
