The Tomb (Scarrett & Kramer Book 3)

by Neil Carstairs

  “That sounds interesting, sir.”

  “A little like your career,” Blair said, referring to the start of their conversation. “I’ve spoken to several of your commanding officers. They speak highly of you. Driven, dedicated, ruthless were some of the words used.”

  Hannah nodded and smiled, guessing that Norma had a long reach or a huge amount of influence on people if they were willing to lie on her behalf. “That’s good to hear, sir.”

  “I should hope so. I’ve had a team doing a background check on you. You came up clean. I think you are a soldier in the wrong part of the military and would like to offer you the opportunity to serve your country in a way that goes well beyond the current parameters of your service.”

  “I’m not sure what that means, sir, but I’m willing to take a look.”

  “The operation is working under conditions of high security. If you agree, then you will be sent to Scotland to become part of a group that is working to create a better, safer United Kingdom. If you decline, then I will return you to your parent regiment as unsuitable for the DHO. What do you say?”

  Norma mentioned Scotland. Is that why my cover is so violent? She knows only the ruthless are needed up there?

  Blair was still watching her. Hannah smiled and said, “I like a challenge, and if it means I can bring some hell to the enemy then I’m all for it.”

  Blair’s reply made her skin run cold. “Oh, you’ll bring hell to the enemy all right. Trust me on that one.” As Hannah rose, he added. “See my adjutant for details. They will want you in Scotland as soon as you can get there.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Blair watched the young woman leave. He pushed her file across his desk. He’d read some works of fiction in his time, but that took first prize. Blair picked up the phone and dialled a number from memory. His call was answered within six rings.

  “She’s left my office,” Blair said, without introduction. “Her travel warrant will be issued within the next thirty minutes so she should be in Scotland by the morning.”

  “Does she suspect anything?” the male voice at the other end of the line asked.

  “No. I think she’s surprised to be moved north so soon, but otherwise, she is completely in the dark.”

  “Thank you. She will receive a warm welcome.”

  “I’m sure she will,” Blair said, with a smile. He ended the call and sat back in his chair. The Colonel could hear Hannah and his adjutant talking through the closed door. He looked at his watch. By this time tomorrow, young lady, you will be screaming.

  Chapter Nine

  Emily lay in her hospital bed, staring up at a plain white ceiling. Muted sounds came through the door; voices, the clatter of trolleys, footsteps on the tile floor. She had barely slept for the last twelve hours since reaching the military facility. Too many tests, too much noise. She wanted to be home, in her bed, where she could sleep for a hundred years.

  Well, maybe not a hundred years. Not like Sleeping Beauty. She didn’t want to wake up in a house surrounded by a forest of thorns and wait for rescue by a brave knight. Mainly because she didn’t know any brave knights, or at least ones close enough to her age that she might want to be kissed by him.

  And did she want to be kissed by a boy, brave knight or not?

  Emily stole a glance at her mom. Jane didn’t seem to have a problem. Right now, she sat slumped in a bedside chair, mouth open and snoring softly. Emily’s gaze returned to the ceiling. The single light nestled behind a domed bubble of glass with a random pattern cut into it. Down at floor level, the light was even and bright, but up there it cast strange shadows that, as Emily watched, moved like writhing snakes.

  What’s happening?

  Ever since the sun rose, Emily had felt a deepening chill in the room. She’d blamed exhaustion at first and had pulled the bedsheets closer to her neck to trap some of her body warmth. But the temperature continued to drop and came with the faint sounds of whispered words.

  And then the shadows started moving.

  Emily didn’t want to wake Jane. Her mom would freak. Telling Pete might be an option. He’d disappeared to grab some breakfast somewhere in the hospital. There were also a couple of guards outside the room. Men left by General Dawson who’d dropped in for a flying visit first thing. Their presence reassured Jane. And not long after she’d fallen asleep.

  So who do I tell?

  Emily looked to the right. Her angels were back. She hadn’t seen them since leaving England. She’d hoped, in an odd way, that they were European angels and couldn’t travel to the US. But now they were at her side again, and that could mean only one thing.

  Danger. But when? And where from? This hospital is an army hospital in the middle of an army base. It should be one of the safest places on Earth.

  The door opened, and Pete came in. He smiled when he saw Emily was awake and came over to give her a kiss on the forehead.

  “And how’s my princess doing?”

  The words caught in her throat. She wanted to say ‘cold’ or ‘scared’, but instead Emily heard herself say, “Fine. A little tired but fine.”

  “Good.” Pete patted her arm where it lay under the blankets and looked at Jane. “How long has she been asleep?”

  “About an hour,” Emily said.

  “She should go home,” Pete said. “Freshen up.”

  “She won’t leave while I am here,” Emily said.

  Pete leaned against the bed. “Tell me something I don’t know. You are the centre of her world, Emily, and she’s not going to let you out of her sight again. Not after what happened in England.”

  “Pete,” Emily said. He smiled down at her. The words caught in her throat again. She wanted to tell him about the writhing shadows and guardian angels but instead said, “Thanks.”

  “What for?” Pete squatted down, so his face came level with hers.

  “For wanting to be my dad.”

  Emily saw Pete blink back tears. He gave her arm a squeeze. “The day I met your mom I fell in love, and the day I met you I fell in love in a different way. If ever there’s a girl who deserves a dad it’s you, and I hope I can be that man for you.”

  Now they both had tears in their eyes. Emily got her arms out from under the blankets and gave Pete as big a hug as she could manage. Emily sniffed and kissed his neck. “You are my daddy,” she said.

  They clung together, Emily with her eyes closed because she knew that the angels were close by. They would protect her. But so would Pete. And her mom. And the men outside.

  Pete released Emily and stood up. “You’ll make me cry even more if you carry on like that,” he said.

  “Carry on like what?” a tired voice asked from across the room.

  “Like she’s my daughter and I’m her dad,” Pete said.

  Jane yawned and stretched. “What time is it?”

  Pete walked around to her. “Time you went home, had a shower, a proper sleep and came back later on. Emily will be fine here. I can keep an eye on her along with the two guys outside, plus, don’t forget, there’s what feels like half the US Army camped around us.”

  “I’m hoping they’ll release Emily later today,” Jane said, as Pete leaned in to give her a kiss. “Then we can all go home.”

  Pete sighed. “Don’t plan on that,” he said. “I think Dawson wants Emily protected and sees this as the best place to be.”

  “Do you think you can talk to him?” Jane asked. “Persuade him that home is the best place for Emily?”

  “I can try.” Pete moved behind her chair, he reached down again but this time slipped both arms around Jane. Putting his lips close to her ear, he whispered. “I’d like to get you home as well.”

  “Mr Walsh,” Jane rested her head back against him. “Sometimes I wonder where you get all your energy from. Shouldn’t a man your age be pining for his pipe and slippers?”

  “You are my pipe and slippers,” Pete said, his hands cupping her breasts and giving a quick squeeze.

 
; Jane laughed. “I’ve been called a lot of things in my time, but that just took first prize.”

  “How about sweet, sassy, sexy and desirable?” Pete asked.

  “Better.” Jane turned her head and kissed him. “So now you’ve got that right do you think you can go and persuade Hugo that we need to go home?”

  “Your wish is my command,” Pete said. He kissed her hair. “I’ll go find him over at the DSI offices. Give me an hour.”

  As Pete left, Emily said, “Can I open my eyes now?”

  “Why were they closed?” Jane asked.

  “Because you and Pete were getting very yucky.”

  “Oh.” Jane blushed. “I guess we were a little bit.”

  “A little bit?” Emily shook her head. “Try a lot.”

  “Would you prefer us to fight?” Jane came over to the bed.

  “No.”

  “Well, there you go then.” Jane ruffled Emily’s hair. “Now, try looking happy and healthy so we can get you home.”

  “Okay,” Emily said, and wished she could tell her mom the truth. The shadows on the ceiling were darker. She saw the angels moved closer to her bed.

  Soon. It’s going to happen very soon.

  ***

  Ben watched the closed door of General Hugo Dawson’s office. He’d always seen the head of the DSI as a cross between a teddy bear and a grizzly bear. Mostly grizzly. Sometime soon Ben knew he would have to knock on that door and have a conversation about leaving the DSI. Telling Kramer had taken nerves of steel and the fact that she seemed to have come around to the idea surprised Ben.

  But not as much as their conversation the previous day.

  Ben glanced across the office. Kramer sat behind a laptop screen, concentrating on the display, and his heart did a little flip. Married. He’d known her less than a year, although with all the shit they’d encountered in those few months it felt like several lifetimes. Kramer must have sensed him looking at her. She looked up and gave him a quick, million-watt, smile. Wow. Ben sighed, dragged the file he was supposed to be reading closer, and decided that he would ask one of the local guys the name of the best restaurant in the area and take Kramer there.

  “Hey, Scarrett?” Kramer called over to him. “Boston PD may have a breakthrough.”

  Ben dragged his chair across the office and sat beside her. On the screen was an email from her friend, Captain Manchillo. Kramer pointed to the lead paragraphs. “The body of a male was found the same day of the theft. He’s got a rap sheet longer than my arm, so the cops aren’t crying too much, but in canvassing the neighbourhood for witnesses they found an apartment where three men and a woman had been staying. Those people have disappeared. Manchillo says he got a warrant to enter the apartment and the evidence suggests they might be our people. We have a description of a car they used, but no plate number.”

  “It’s a start,” Ben said. “But a needle in a haystack springs to mind.”

  “Yeah, they’ll be long gone from Boston and could be anywhere by now.”

  “Guess that’s one for the FBI,” Ben said.

  “We’ve got a request in with them to pass on any information they have.”

  As Ben nodded, he saw Pete Walsh enter the office. “Hey, Pete? How’s it going?”

  “Pretty good, Ben,” Pete smiled. “Hi, Jo.”

  “Hello, Pete. How’s Emily?”

  “She’s good, I think. Whatever happened to her did no physical harm, but mentally I’m not so sure. That’s why I’m here. Is General Dawson in?”

  “Sure.” Kramer pushed herself up and took Pete across to Dawson’s office. She knocked once and entered.

  Ben started reading the rest of Manchillo’s email when Kramer stuck her head out of Dawson’s office and said, “Get in here, Scarrett.”

  Hugo Dawson nodded a silent greeting to Ben when he came in. Kramer shut the door and leaned against it with her arms folded. Pete sat in a chair across the desk from Dawson. Ben found a cabinet to rest on.

  “Carry on,” Dawson said to Pete.

  “As I was saying, Emily needs to be in a better environment than a military hospital. Jane and I would like to take her home, today if possible.”

  Dawson rubbed at his half-day growth of beard. “I’ve already thought you’d be asking to leave. I can’t let you go home.” He held up a hand as Pete started to protest. “I’m not saying you can’t take Emily out of the hospital, but your home will not be a place where we can offer protection. So I’ve spoken to a couple of our sister agencies and found a safe house about forty miles south-west of here near a town called Pembroke. Emily will like it. It’s a farm so there’ll be horses to ride and she can help out with feeding the other animals. Protection will be easier for us. We can put a team on site and have another ready for rapid deployment from here if needed.”

  “That sounds good,” Pete said. “I might need to convince Jane because she doesn’t like too much military presence.”

  “They’ll be out of sight,” Dawson said as he waved away Pete’s uncertainty.

  “And they can’t do anything if her spirit is captured,” Pete pointed out.

  “That’s why I’m trying to get a couple of other psychics there as well. They can watch over Emily in a way that our security team can’t.”

  Kramer pushed herself away from the door and said, “Scarrett and I can come over with you to talk to Jane. It will be for the best.”

  “Okay.” Pete smiled his thanks. “Maybe Jane will surprise me and agree to this.”

  “Anything to get out of the hospital,” Ben said.

  As they started to leave the room, Dawson said to Ben, “Joanne mentioned you wanted to talk to me.”

  “She did?” Ben gave Kramer a glare that she ignored.

  “I’ve got a few minutes spare if you want to chat now?” the smile on Dawson’s face made Ben suspect that Kramer had already told the general all he needed to know.

  “Maybe later,” Ben said, reaching to close the door behind him. “Once we get Emily sorted out.”

  Ben turned to find Kramer waiting for him. “What have you been saying?” Ben asked.

  “The things you should be saying. Get back in there now and catch up with us later.”

  Ben looked at the door, tempted by the offer, but he still hadn’t mentally prepared himself for the task and needed a couple of more hours. “No,” he said. “I’ll do it later.”

  “Do what?” Pete asked.

  “It’s complicated,” Ben said, wishing that sometimes Kramer didn’t have that streak of army officer running through her. “Let’s go.”

  The walk over to the Womack Army Medical Centre took place in bright sunshine. Ben and Kramer caught up with news from Pete on the new house, Emily’s options for school and when the ‘big day’ would be for him and Jane.

  “The sooner, the better,” Kramer said, giving Ben a nudge. “Don’t you agree, Scarrett?”

  “Oh, yes,” Ben said. “Are there any drive-thru chapels around here?”

  Pete laughed. “Jane wants a Christmas wedding, so make sure your diaries are free.”

  “Do we get an invite?” Ben asked in mock surprise.

  “Well, Joanne will, and I guess she’ll bring you along as her partner,” Pete said, with a smile.

  “Guess again,” Kramer spoke in a deadpan voice.

  “She doesn’t mean it,” Ben told Pete.

  “I’m sure I’ve heard you say that before,” Pete said.

  They stopped at a crossing point to allow a convoy of army trucks to drive past. The Womack Centre dominated the lot across from them, its red brick walls glistening in the sun. As the last vehicle passed Kramer said, “If the farm you’ll be staying on has horses you may find Emily wants one of her own by the time you leave.”

  “I think all girls her age like horses, don’t they?” Pete asked.

  “How about you, Kramer?” Ben asked. “Were you in a pony club?”

  “I had a friend who owned a horse,” Kramer said. “So I
rode and enjoyed it.”

  Ben bit back a comment about Kramer still enjoying riding as he followed her across the road.

  ***

  The air pressure around Master Sergeant Hector Ayala seemed to increase with every step he took towards the Medical Centre. A beautiful day of sunshine and warm weather would end in bloodshed and his death. He knew that with a certainty that made his heart beat faster with every passing minute. Hector knew this feeling well. Two tours of Afghanistan and one of Iraq made him aware of his mortality. In those days, he realised the gods had protected him. IEDs, gunfights, ambushes, snipers. None came close to killing him, though close friends had lost limbs and lives as bombs exploded and bullets flew. His gods protected him then so that they could make their demand now. His life, and the lives of Corporals Daniel Andrade and Antonio Baez were to be sacrificed for the future of their world.

  Hector paused at the main entrance. The three of them wore standard camouflaged BDUs. They each carried a handgun tucked into the waistband, hidden by the draping material of their shirts. Hector would have preferred assault rifles, but even though this was the biggest military base in the US, weapons like that would raise eyebrows inside the facility. Handguns only for the three of them, plus Andrade had a couple of grenades he’d brought back from Afghanistan and were still over there according to the army’s copious amounts of paperwork.

  “Ready?” Hector asked.

  His companions nodded silently. They were a few years younger than him but no less committed to the cause. Their families had all made the perilous crossing from Mexico into the United States as illegals when the soldiers were all aged under five. A few years in the poorest parts of Texas and Arizona, scraping a living in the menial jobs that only Blacks and Latinos seemed to do, ended with the Second Amnesty Act in 1994 when Hector was eleven-years-old. The change in circumstances didn’t have an immediate effect until Hector’s mother began to train as a nurse and his father got a job as a truck driver. Better jobs meant more money and a decent place to live. Hector attended school because his parents knew the importance of education. And all the time Hector was aware of the brooding presence of their gods and the real reason the family were in the United States.