The Crypt Trilogy Bundle

by Bill Thompson

  Wearing latex gloves, they brushed away the lime he’d sprinkled in case the bags ripped, removed the dirt covering the bodies, and tugged them out of the hole. Everything was fine – not even a whiff of odor – until curiosity got the best of Edward and he suddenly unzipped one of the bags. Roberto wasn’t surprised – this man was the strangest he’d ever encountered and he’d have put nothing past him.

  Curtis Pemberly’s corpse was gray and had a fine coating of mold where skin was exposed. There was the putrid smell of rot and decay. Edward quickly zipped the bag.

  Edward was surprised how matter-of-factly he dealt with the whole thing. There wasn’t a tinge of guilt – instead, he found himself irritated at these two men who caused him the inconvenience of digging them up. They set the body bags in one corner of the crypt.

  The topsoil went into the gaping hole that had held two bodies. They smoothed everything out and replaced the floor stones. They swept and rearranged, and by five p.m. everything was back to normal. They agreed a visitor would have no idea the floor had ever been disturbed.

  They had time to kill, so to speak. They went to a Chinese restaurant in Soho, had dinner and waited until it was quiet on St. Mary Axe Street. Roberto noticed throughout the entire exercise that Edward remained cool and calm. The man had absolutely no remorse. All he cared about was accomplishing a task – removing two people he’d murdered from their graves in his basement. Roberto was sure now that the bookseller was completely insane. He wasn’t a trained assassin like Juan Carlos. Edward was a homicidal maniac with no conscience and multiple personalities. He was unpredictable and dangerous.

  At nine they returned to Edward’s store and used the winch to raise the bodies from the crypt to the basement. With considerable difficulty they tugged and pulled each one up the stairs and dragged them to the front door of the bookshop.

  Edward walked to a parking garage on Leadenhall Street, picked up his car and drove back to the now-deserted street. He double-parked in front of the bookstore, put his flashers on, and they brought the bags out. One went in the trunk, the other in the backseat. They left without encountering anyone.

  For two hours the men drove west. Finally they arrived at a remote site in a forest where Edward’s grandparents had sent him to camp one awful summer. He’d hated every minute of it – he didn’t enjoy interaction with the other kids one bit. He knew this place had been shut down for many years. When he was a kid, there had been a deep well that he hoped no one had covered, and he was in luck. It was still there, a circular pile of stones marking its location. They dumped the bodies down the shaft. They heard the first one hit water maybe thirty feet down. The second thumped on top of the first. Roberto admitted Edward had found a good hiding place. Surprisingly for an amateur, he had planned and executed this entire project well.

  They threw stones into the hole until it was full, gave it a last look and drove back to London. At close to three in the morning a sleepy attendant waved them back into the parking garage.

  In bed around daybreak, Edward reflected on what they’d accomplished. He was exhausted because his bad side had been out all day. It had to be that way; sometimes he experienced regret. But the dark one always helped him get over that. So he’d let it stay out, not that he had much choice today. It had been a struggle all day long to keep his feelings and urges in check. Every few minutes the bad side developed a new way to kill Roberto. One time he almost gave in – the voice said Pick up the shovel and kill him now. But that was stupid, irrational. It would only compound the problem. There would be three bodies to deal with and no one to help him. Now wasn’t the time. He told the bad person to be patient. But the dark one didn’t like to be patient.

  Now the bad side reminded Edward that only one person knew his secret about the bodies.

  We have to kill him.

  We will. But for now you just have to wait.

  Don’t make me wait too long. Or I may just take care of it without asking you. I want to kill him soon.

  That was strange, Edward reflected uneasily. This was the first time his dark personality had ever threatened to take charge on its own.

  Do these conversations mean I’m crazy? Or is everyone like this?

  He fell asleep without answering those questions. He was a little concerned that the bad side might start acting on its own. If he ever lost control of it, things could get really dangerous.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

  Roberto and Edward met early the next morning around the table in the back room of the shop, coffee and tea in their respective hands. Each had more reason than ever to distrust the other, yet each of their skills was required to piece together what they’d discovered.

  Edward said, “Thanks for your help yesterday.”

  “Congratulations on an excellent, well-executed plan. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

  Edward smiled while contradicting thoughts boiled in his head. He hated this man with every fiber of his being. Despite that, he enjoyed the praise. Since his grandparents died, he’d gotten none and it felt good.

  For a moment he thought perhaps he and Roberto might continue to work together as partners in the future. That thought was shattered as quickly as it came by what Roberto said next.

  “Now that I know all about your little secret in the crypt, I want to ask you something.”

  “Certainly. Go ahead.”

  “How’d you know I was in Moscow last week?”

  He’d only been half-listening, still basking in the positive feedback from Roberto. The question jolted him back to reality.

  “I … uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Edward fidgeted and squirmed, his face a contorted jumble. One second Roberto saw fear – the next it was unbridled malice. Edward’s two personas were emerging simultaneously – battling for supremacy – before Roberto’s eyes. In other circumstances it would have been fascinating to observe. Right now Roberto needed to be very careful. He had to push for answers, but there was no telling what might happen if he pushed too hard.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I just helped you dispose of two bodies. That little job could send us both to the death chamber. I did that for one reason. I wanted to see for myself if you’re as crazy as I think you are. And I wasn’t surprised. You actually did kill two people. Now you’re going to answer me. How’d you know I was in Moscow?”

  There was a battle in Edward’s mind as his two personalities struggled. Edward responded meekly, “I really don’t … I really don’t understand. You were in Moscow last week? I thought you were in Lucerne…”

  I’ll take over now.

  Suddenly Edward’s eyes blazed and he screamed, “Screw you, you bastard! I don’t owe you answers! You think I’m afraid of you? You think you’ll kill me like the others? Not a chance! I’ll kill you first! I can murder people too and you know it!” He started to stand. His eyes darted around the room, and Roberto saw he was going for a kitchen knife on a counter two feet away.

  Before Edward could get up, Roberto turned over the table between them. Coffee and tea flew everywhere as the table hit Edward in the chest, knocking him backward out of his chair to the floor. The assassin walked to him, planted a boot on Edward’s chest and said evenly, “Talk or you’re a dead man. Got it, partner?”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

  Edward struggled as Roberto’s boot pushed harder and harder into his chest. It was hard to breathe – he began to panic.

  “Hey! Hey! What’re you doing? Stop … I can’t…”

  “You were in Moscow. You were following me. How?”

  “Okay,” Edward gasped. “Let me breathe…”

  Roberto pulled back, leaving the man writhing on the floor, gasping for air. “You have thirty seconds.”

  Using the chair for support, Edward pulled himself up and sat. His chest burned and he was wheezing. “Give me a minute…”

  He felt dampness. He looked down and saw the front of his pants was wet with urine. Th
at infuriated the dark one. “You bastard!” Edward screamed. “Look what you’ve made me do!”

  Roberto’s leg lashed out and connected solidly with Edward’s knee, knocking him backward. Within seconds he was back on the floor, Roberto standing over him.

  The bad side retreated. Edward meekly said, “I wasn’t in Moscow…”

  “Bullshit! You have two options. You talk or you die. If you lie to me again, I have interesting ways to convince you to talk. You’ll talk; then you’ll die. I’ve done this many times and my victims usually complain a little about the pain involved.” He stopped to let that sink in. Edward began shaking, obviously terrified.

  “This is it. It’s confession time and it’ll either be easy for you or very, very hard. Your choice.”

  “Just let me sit up…”

  “You’re staying there. I can hear you loud and clear. You have ten seconds. After that you will talk – my way.”

  Edward tried desperately to pull up a credible story, but he was so afraid he couldn’t think of anything. His voice trembled as he attempted to divulge as little as possible.

  “All right. I followed you to see why you lied to me.”

  “I saw you in a burqa at the airport. You were there before I was, so you knew when I was arriving. How’d you know that?”

  Shit. He scrambled for an answer that didn’t involve TrickTracker. Roberto would be infuriated to know the extent of the bookseller’s invasion of his personal privacy. Edward was as good as dead if that came out.

  “You … uh, you left your phone unlocked in the crypt one day. I … I looked through it and saw your reservations.”

  Roberto paused a moment. Although the crazy bastard could have learned Roberto’s flight plans that way, it was a stretch to think he could do it in the brief time he’d have had. It would have been highly coincidental to find exactly what he needed before Roberto missed his phone.

  “Okay, you’ve had your chance. You’re still lying, so this is over!” He grabbed Edward’s shirt and hoisted the man up easily. The bookseller probably weighed 140 pounds and Roberto was in excellent physical shape. He tossed Edward into the chair like one of the sacks of topsoil. He turned away slightly then jerked back and hit him hard in the face. Edward’s head recoiled and his nose began to bleed. He looked up at Roberto in terror, tears streaming down his face. He tasted blood from a cut on his lip.

  Roberto unplugged the steaming teapot with a jerk and held it in front of Edward. As he tipped it slightly, some of the scalding liquid fell on Edward’s arm.

  “God! That’s boiling!” He screamed in pain as Roberto poured a little more. Edward tried to move and Roberto splashed a generous dollop on his pants leg.

  “Shit! You’re scalding me! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! Just don’t burn me.”

  “You didn’t fly to Moscow to see if I was lying to you. What were you there for?”

  “I’ve known all along you were Juan Carlos. I told you that when I first met you. You wanted the things in the crypt because you’re rich and you collect ancient artifacts. And you have some kind of secret life. I wanted to know what it was. I … I guess I got caught up in the intrigue of it all. I’m just a bookseller…”

  “Keep talking.”

  Edward’s fear subsided just a little and his story flowed more easily. “There’s nothing very exciting in my life…”

  “Yeah, everyone I know has killed two people and buried them in the basement,” Roberto said sarcastically.

  Edward was ready for this part. His explanation was also the bad side’s justification. “Of all people, you should know that wasn’t exciting. Those killings were necessary. I didn’t shoot them or anything, and it isn’t like I’m a paid assassin. Isn’t that what you are? Aren’t you some kind of hired killer?” He tried to change the subject and take control of the conversation, but Roberto would have none of it.

  “What else?”

  “That’s it. I wanted to see if your other life, your ‘Juan Carlos’ life, was like James Bond. And I wanted to know why you’re going back…”

  Roberto’s head darted up and he moved close to Edward, his fist inches from the bookseller’s face. He said menacingly, “Why I’m going back where?”

  Shit. I shouldn’t have said that. That was a stupid mistake.

  Edward was trapped. “To Moscow on Thursday.”

  How the hell does he know that? Roberto had grossly underestimated this maniac. Fortunately he’d caught things in time.

  He took the sharp kitchen knife on the counter and brought it up close to the soft skin under Edward’s ear. “Tell me more,” he whispered, “or I’ll slit your throat.”

  Edward’s mind struggled to create something – anything. But it was too late. It was over. Edward could only hope Roberto would keep him around because of his value to the project. A lot of Edward’s contributions could be done by no one else.

  Don’t worry, the bad side of Edward’s mind reassured him. Tell him everything. Then I’ll kill him before he kills us. Trust me.

  “Have you ever heard of a program called TrickTracker?”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  Half an hour later Roberto Maas understood what was happening. TrickTracker was a simple but effective program that gave its user a major advantage. Whoever had it could stay a step ahead, and Edward had done exactly that. The assassin had been bested by a simple but ingenious program designed to catch cheating spouses.

  As he was forced to demonstrate TrickTracker’s capabilities, Edward was thankful he’d deleted the voice memos recording. With that, Roberto would have known that Juan Carlos and Slava Sergenko were secrets no more. Edward had kept that one part of TrickTracker’s success to himself, and Roberto had no idea this crazed individual knew his entire background.

  “You’ve put me into a dilemma,” Roberto commented at last after hearing and seeing TrickTracker’s demonstration. “You’ve spied on me, lied and plotted behind my back.”

  Edward’s position was improving by the minute. He knew Roberto’s dilemma well – it was the same one he faced. The psychotic side of him wanted to kill Roberto Maas. It was all Edward could do these days to keep the bad one in check. He needed Roberto until the project in the crypt could be finished. And Roberto needed him.

  “I guess we’re even,” Edward replied. “You lied to me from the very beginning. You sent your partner to buy my building and you really were Juan Carlos the antiquities collector just as I thought. I have no doubt if you could manage without me, I’d be just another notch in your assassin’s belt. But you can’t. And believe me when I say I feel exactly the same way. The best day to come for me will be the day you’re gone – out of my life – one way or another. If you’re dead, I couldn’t care less. But for now I don’t see any way except to continue working together.”

  “You’re a fool if you think you can beat me. I’m a professional…”

  Edward was becoming overconfident. He began to change. His eyes became cold, his jaw hard and set. His words were clipped. The dark side took over.

  “You have to admit, Mr. Professional Killer, that I’ve done a good job of staying ahead of you so far. So what’s next? You know I’ve spied on you. You know I saw you in Moscow. And I know you’re going back to see a play on Friday. Which is total bullshit. What are you going for? Another one of your little jobs? Got to run to Russia and kill somebody?”

  He began to shout, his arms thrashing crazily about. “I will kill you when this is over! You know it and I know it. Me, the meek bookseller from London. I’ll kill all of you, Juan Carlos Sebastian, Slava Sergenko and Roberto Maas! I. Will. Kill. All. Of. You. Slowly, so it hurts.”

  He stopped talking, sat back with arms folded and smiled. I enjoyed that a lot. Talking like that felt almost erotic – as good as it gets, aside from when I get to kill him!

  Roberto was an intelligent man dealing with a raving lunatic who could not be underestimated. Edward’s schizophrenia manifested itself more often ever
y day. The evil part of him yearned to be free. That side of his personality was the killer of two people and maybe more. Who knew? That dark side of Edward Russell was unpredictable and dangerous. The day Edward could no longer control the maniac within his head would be the day he’d strike.

  He couldn’t drop his guard for a moment. At this point he had to move the project along as quickly as possible, engage archaeologists to explore the crypt, and see it to completion. He’d already developed a plan for the crypt. He needed a plan for Edward too, but one couldn’t plan logically for a crazed lunatic. There was no logic to Edward’s dark side. That one did no rational thinking. It was simply evil.

  The best course of action for Roberto was to assuage Edward’s psychotic mind, to calm him so they could move ahead. The one thing that always evoked a positive reaction in Edward was what Roberto had to use now. Compliments.

  “I have to reluctantly admit you beat me.”

  His bad side told Edward not to smile, but it happened anyway. “Glad to see we agree on something.”

  A few minutes later the two had decided to continue their tenuous working relationship. There was no discussion of the future after the project in the crypt. Each believed he could overcome the other. The problem would be getting the upper hand. Timing would be everything, and as the archaeological endeavors drew to a close, the time for action would be nearer and nearer. Then it would happen.

  Roberto stood and walked to the door. He looked at Edward and said, “I’ll kill you. You know that. Stay out of my business or I’ll kill you regardless of how important you think you are.” He turned and left.

  ——

  It had been two days since Edward last saw Roberto. He knew the assassin was going to Moscow tomorrow for the second time in as many weeks. Edward had planned to be there too, to learn what was going on, but things had changed. Roberto knew what Edward was up to and he’d threatened to kill him.