Prosper Snow Series

by Shaun Jeffrey

  As he sailed through the air, he made sure that his legs came forwards, hitting the wall first, absorbing the momentum while he reached up and grabbed the edge of the roof. From there he pushed upwards with his legs, simultaneously pulling with his arms. When his shoulders went higher than his hands, the motion was converted into a pushing motion and he swung his legs up and over to sit leaning forwards in a crouching position, taking a couple of seconds to catch his breath.

  Rivers looked back, saw Wolfe driving onto the road and parking up out of sight of the guard post. Heart hammering, he scuttled along the sloped roof to the front of the building, his body angled so that he could use his hands as added support.

  Once he reached the front, he peered over the edge and looked across at the guard station. There was still no one around.

  Where are you? he wondered.

  Well he couldn’t sit around waiting all night, so he reached back into his backpack and withdrew a small black sheet with weighted corners that he dropped over the camera. Hopefully there wouldn’t be anyone monitoring the feeds and they were only being used for recording purposes.

  That done, he moved back from the edge and made his way to the second floor that sat towards the rear of the building. About thirty feet in circumference, it sat perched above the apex, looking a little like a ships conning tower, bristling with aerials. There were three windows visible, all in darkness.

  When he reached the front, he performed a visual inspection of the glass but couldn’t see any tape or wires to indicate that they were alarmed. If there were any guards around, they probably didn’t expect anyone to get this far, so they hadn’t thought to alarm it.

  Rivers withdrew a glass cutter and a suction cup with a small handle from the backpack. He attached the suction cup, then made a hole around it big enough to get his hand through so that he could release the catch.

  After removing the glass, he opened the window and climbed inside. He waited a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. From what he could tell, the room was an office containing a desk, three leather chairs and three sets of drawers, all of which were open and empty.

  Rivers tiptoed towards the door opposite, pressed his ear against the wood and listened. Unable to hear anything, he turned the handle and cracked the door open enough to peer out. As the windows hadn’t been alarmed, he was pretty certain that the door wouldn’t be either.

  Beyond the door was a blank wall and a staircase leading down. Rivers crept out of the room and headed towards the stairs. He swallowed to try to moisten his throat. Ironically, his back was damp with sweat.

  He started down the steps, using the wall to steady himself. Wan moonlight radiated through glass in the roof above, allowing him to see well enough that he didn’t trip and break his neck.

  At the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a brick corridor, at least a hundred and fifty feet long that stretched towards the front of the building. More glass panels in the roof let moonlight through. There were barred gates a few feet in front of him and then another set, half way along the corridor. Doors lined either side beyond the bars. The nearest gate was open. He walked through and proceeded towards the first door, surprised to find it made of metal that was cold to the touch. A small moveable plate was affixed at eyelevel. Rivers slid it aside to find a peephole. He peered through, but couldn’t see anything.

  Rivers tried the door, found it unlocked and pushed it open. He walked inside, covering his nose to combat the smell of sweat and faeces. Unable to see much of anything, he pulled a small torch out of his backpack and turned it on to discover he was in a small concrete room with a simple wooden bed and a basic metal toilet.

  A prison cell? But what the hell was it doing in an industrial unit?

  Someone had gouged the wall. Rivers ran his fingers through the marks. He stood back to read what they read: Welcome to hell.

  What the fuck was going on here?

  He left the room and walked to the next door, found another cell; further investigation revealed every room on this side of the bars was a cell.

  Instinct told him that the place had been abandoned. It had a cold empty feel to it. His footsteps echoed slightly as he walked along the stone corridor.

  He approached the next gate. It swung out of the way as he pushed and he walked through. The next few rooms were all empty, could have been offices or anything. One of the rooms was small and dark, like a solitary confinement cell. Another room about fifteen feet square had chunks missing out of the wall, where something had probably been yanked out. He shone the torchlight around the room, saw what looked like dried blood staining the walls.

  His stomach churned over, the sickly feeling spreading up his throat. He swallowed, had difficulty breathing. Whatever had gone on in here, it didn’t look good.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Can we trust him?” Wolfe asked.

  Prosper spat some chewed fingernail out of the open window. “Hopefully. Honour among thieves and all that.”

  “Haven’t you ever thought that saying’s a contradiction in terms?”

  Prosper looked across at Wolfe, his face scrunched up. “Do I look like I want to get into some philosophical debate on the nature of a thief’s morality?”

  “Only sayin’. Lighten up.”

  “I’ll lighten up when we find out what the hell’s going on.” He stared back along the road towards the industrial unit.

  “So when’s the baby due?”

  “Just over six months.”

  “Was it planned?”

  “What is this, twenty questions?”

  Wolfe chuckled. “Then I’ll take that as a no. So are you happy about it?”

  “Of course I’m happy about it.”

  “Well I’d hate to see what you look like if you were unhappy about it. I don’t know how Natasha puts up with you.”

  Prosper snorted. “Me neither.” He fixed his attention back on the building. Wolfe had parked about two hundred feet away, so they had a pretty good view. He could hear a fountain somewhere in the distance, along with the faint rustle of leaves. Further away, he could hear the drone of traffic. “I still can’t get over how Rivers entered the building. He was like bloody Spiderman.”

  “Well he’d better not have dented this car. If I take it back to the rental place and they want paying for any damage, he’s paying the bill.”

  “You had to have been impressed with how he did it though.”

  Wolfe shrugged. “It’s that Parkour shit.”

  “Park what?”

  “Parkour. It’s some way of moving that incorporates the landscape around you to get from A to B in the quickest way or something like that.”

  Prosper narrowed his eyes and peered through the windscreen. “What’s that?”

  “You know, getting from A—”

  “No, I mean, that.” He pointed along the road.

  “Well correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s Rivers.”

  Prosper exited the car and watched as Rivers jogged along the road towards them. “Have you got it already?”

  Rivers shook his head. “The place is empty.”

  “What do you mean, empty?”

  “You know,” he waved his arms, “empty. There’s nothing inside and no one guarding it.”

  Wolfe exited the vehicle on the other side. “You sure?”

  “I’ve just been all the way through. Empty. But that’s not the weirdest thing about it.”

  Prosper arched his eyebrows. “So what is?”

  “The place is set up like a prison, with cells and everything.”

  “A prison?”

  “Yeah, well that’s my part done. I would say it’s been fun, but I’d be lying.” He started walking away.

  Prosper dashed forwards and grabbed Rivers arm. “And where do you think you’re going?”

  “I’ve done what you wanted, so now I’m going.”

  “I don’t think so. Come on, you’re coming back inside.”

  Rivers shook h
is head. “Oh no. The place is open. Knock yourselves out.”

  “I’ll knock you out in a minute. You’ll go when I say you can.”

  Rivers ran his tongue around his gums, making his lips jut out. “What’s this shit all about? Are you telling me I’m a prisoner? Aren’t you supposed to uphold the law?”

  “Unless you want to get arrested, you’ll do as I say. So shut it and follow me –and don’t think about running. Remember I know who you are and where you live.” Prosper released his grip on Rivers and started walking along the road. After a moment, he heard Wolfe and Rivers fall in step behind him.

  When he reached the guard post, he looked around to make sure no one was around to see, then he ducked under the barrier and jogged up the drive to the entrance. The door was ajar and he pulled it open and stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was the smell. It was a faint, fungal, unwashed body aroma, like rotten mushrooms.

  Wolfe and Rivers entered behind him and one of them shut the door. Prosper then took out his torch and switched it on. He was in a small reception area. Markings on the wooden waist high counter showed where things had sat, but it was now empty. The walls were bare, painted grey. Prosper walked through the only other door at the back of the room and found himself in a T-shaped corridor. He shone his torch along the longest section and saw a set of bars that acted as a gate halfway along.

  He turned, shone the torch left, then right. On either side of him were short corridors with a couple of doors leading off.

  “What is this place?” Wolfe asked.

  Prosper shook his head. “I don’t know.” He turned left, walked to the nearest door and stepped inside. The room was a small canteen. Two six foot long tables and benches sat side by side down the middle, with a small, open plan kitchen at the far end. He walked across the room, stood in front of the counter, sunk into which were metal trays that would have contained the food.

  “Well whatever this place was, they catered for a few people.” Finding nothing of interest, he walked back out and proceeded along the other corridor. The first room he came to was probably an office. A small desk and chair sat at the far end. Prosper checked the drawers, but they were empty. Pale oblong marks on the walls showed where things had been hanging, probably pictures or notices.

  “This is creepy.” Wolfe shuddered.

  Prosper arched his eyebrows. “Creepy! The stuff you sculpt is creepy. This is an empty building.” But deep down, he knew what Wolfe meant. There was an unsavoury atmosphere to the place.

  He proceeded to the next room and found it full of filing cabinets. He started opening the drawers, creating a hollow echo as he slid each one out. All of them were empty.

  “The weird shit is along the main corridor.” Rivers leaned against the frame of a doorway.

  Prosper shone the torchlight in Rivers’ face, making him shield his eyes with his hand. “Show me.”

  Rivers ducked out of the room. Prosper and Wolfe followed.

  As they walked along the main corridor, Prosper noticed that the bad smell grew more pungent. When they reached the first door before the bars, he stood in the doorway and shone the torch around. There were lots of electrical sockets and marks on the pale blue carpet showed where heavy objects had been dragged. Fluorescent lights adorned the ceiling. Prosper found the switch and turned them on. They flickered into life with a slight electrical buzz. None of the rooms had any windows.

  “It looks as though whoever was here left in a hurry.”

  Leaving the lights on, he walked out and continued along the corridor and through the gate. The first room on the other side was only about eight feet square. There was a high backed metal chair bolted to the concrete floor in the middle of the room, facing away from the door. Metal restraints were attached to the arms and legs of the chair. On the wall in front of the chair was a large rectangle where something had hung. Electrical wires dangled from the ceiling where something had been ripped out. He shone the torch around. More wires dangled in each of the four corners.

  He spotted a light switch and turned it on. A blood red glow radiated from a series of recessed lights in the ceiling. Prosper turned and looked at Wolfe and Rivers, the light making their features look evil and somewhat distorted. The glow made him feel uncomfortable, so he turned it off again.

  “What was this place, a private prison?” Wolfe asked.

  “I’ve never heard of a private prison. But whatever they were doing, I doubt it was legal.”

  Rivers snorted loudly.

  “Something you want to say?” Prosper snapped.

  “Well you should know all about what’s legal.”

  “When I want your opinion on something, I’ll ask.” Prosper pushed past Rivers back out into the corridor. “Is this as weird as it gets?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “So now you want me to talk?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “Well, the next room is pretty fucked up. There’s blood on the walls. Then there’s what looks like a solitary confinement room and then up the top end are the main cells.”

  Prosper chewed his lower lip as he investigated the rooms Rivers mentioned. This place didn’t make sense. Why was it here? And who had been using it? And more importantly, who the fuck had been locked in the cells, and why?

  When he reached the final cell, he glanced inside. He was about to turn around and walk back out when he saw Wolfe walk past him, heading towards the stairs. His friend stopped in front of the door.

  “What is it?”

  “You’d better come and look at this.”

  Prosper walked across. Rivers followed him. Wolfe pointed at an envelope taped to the back of the door. Prosper shone his light on it, saw a single name scrawled across the front: Prosper Snow.

  CHAPTER 20

  Hand shaking, Prosper ripped the envelope off the door and tore it open. Inside was a plain white business card with what looked like a phone number typed across it.

  He whirled around, dropped the card and grabbed Rivers by the throat. “What the fuck are you messing at?”

  Rivers gagged and put his hands up to try to prise himself free.

  “Why did you put that envelope on the door?” Prosper shouted, spraying Rivers with spittle.

  Wolfe grabbed him from behind. “Calm down. You don’t want to kill him.”

  Prosper released his grip and stepped back. “Who says I don’t?”

  Rivers bent forwards and massaged his throat, gagging for breath, his cheeks red. “I don’t know anything about it.”

  “Well who else could have put it here?”

  “I don’t know, but it wasn’t me.”

  “So why didn’t you see it when you entered?”

  “Because it’s on the back of the bloody door. I came in from the other side.”

  Prosper felt his nostrils flaring as he breathed, his chest rising and falling. He didn’t want to believe Rivers was telling the truth, because that would mean that someone else put it there. Someone who knew he was going to find this place. But who would know that?

  He picked the card up, turned it over to examine each side, but all it contained was the number.

  Wolfe peered over his shoulder. “So what is it?”

  “Looks like a phone number.”

  “Then just bloody ring it,” Rivers croaked.

  Prosper glared at him. “When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it.”

  “I bet you have a wide circle of friends.” Rivers shook his head.

  Prosper looked at Wolfe and swallowed. He could now count his friends on one hand, and he could even lose a few fingers into the bargain, and still count them. Wolfe stared back, his lips sucked in. Rivers had struck a chord for both of them.

  He fingered the card and chewed his bottom lip, then he took his mobile phone out, keyed the numbers in and pressed the call button.

  The call was answered on the first ring. “Prosper Snow. About time.”

  “Who is this?”

  “M
y job offer still stands.”

  “You!” He felt a cold shiver run down his spine. “How … how did you know I would find this place, let alone get inside?”

  “For the same reason I want you on my team. You’re good at what you do. You’re also loyal, and I think you would make an excellent addition.”

  Prosper licked his lips. His palms felt sweaty. He moved the phone from his right hand to his left and pressed it to his ear. “Look, I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’ve told you more than once, I’m not interested.”

  “Look at it this way; you’re not going to get any further with this private little investigation into who I am and who I work for on your own. I’m giving you the golden ticket. Come work for me.”

  Prosper saw Wolfe and Rivers staring at him and he rubbed his brow.

  “This is the last time I will extend the offer. If you want to know what’s going on, and if you want to join my team, meet me in the bandstand in James Park tomorrow at nine a.m. sharp.” The man then disconnected the call.

  Prosper put his phone away and walked towards the exit.

  “What’s going on? Who was it?” Wolfe shouted after him.

  Once he was outside, he walked over to the Lexus and took a deep breath. He looked back at the industrial unit, then let his gaze travel to the spot where the body was found.

  “Are you going to let me in on the secret?” Wolfe came up beside him. “I thought you said we’re in this together.”

  Prosper stared at Rivers. “In the car.”

  “You can’t keep me a prisoner,” Rivers said as Wolfe opened the door and pushed him into the back of the vehicle.

  “Stop moaning.” Wolfe grinned. “You’re getting three square meals a day. Think of it as a holiday.”