Apocalypse Journeys (Book 2): Finding AJ

by Melrose, Russ

  Jules mulled over the new information. "Okay. Is there some reason a missing person's report wasn't filed on Audrey?"

  "Well, she was eighteen years old. That made her an adult. And she wasn't exactly missing. She packed a suitcase and let her friends know she was leaving. And she was smart enough not to tell her friends where she was headed. She didn't want Caleb coming after her."

  "What kind of relationship did she have with her father?"

  "All right, I guess. I mean, you know, she was a teenager. I didn't know Audrey all that well, but I never heard of them having any problems. I know Caleb was a little overprotective. Caleb's never had the best of luck where the women in his life were concerned. You sure Audrey was a victim?"

  "We have good reason to believe so. Has Caleb heard from his daughter since she left?"

  "No. I don't believe so," Heath answered. "You know, Jules, you keep saying we like you're still working for the FBI. As I believe I've mentioned to you before, the FBI is defunct. Gone. There's only us now. Maybe it's time you start filling us in."

  Jules felt miserable. The pulsing pain in her thigh wouldn't go away and she felt exhausted. She also didn't care for the direction the conversation was taking either. The codeine was taking forever to take effect. "You're right," she admitted. "I should fill you in, and I will. But keep in mind up until two days ago, you didn't have any interest in this case, Heath." She could hear the intensity in her voice rising. "You thought I was barking up the wrong tree. So, there wasn't much point in sharing information with you when you had no interest to begin with."

  "All right," he said. He stared at Jules while he chewed at his lower lip. "Maybe you and I should start over. And you're right," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I didn't believe you. But right now, that doesn't mean anything, Jules. We're all in the same boat. Right? I think it's in everyone's best interest if we start working together. So, could you tell me what the good reason was that led you to believe Audrey Sanderson was a victim?"

  Out of habit and stubbornness and her natural tendency toward cautiousness, Jules balked, though she knew she'd have to tell them. She propped herself up as best she could and let out an exhausted exhale. "The three victims we found had the initials AJ carved into their abdominal area between their navels and their pubic areas," she told them. "It's my belief the initials were the Calligrapher's way of honoring his first victim—AJ—which may very well represent the initials of Audrey Jean. The calligraphy on the victim's bodies were shrines to AJ. He used a scalpel to carve the letters into their bodies in an ancient Chinese text called Tsao, and then he'd fill in the incised letters with cinnamon. The lettering was extraordinarily intricate. Artistic. That's why we referred to him as the Calligrapher."

  There was a collective silence. "Jesus," Heath exclaimed quietly.

  Dallin spoke up. "Oh," he whispered, looking agitated. "When it happened, I-I didn't think nuthin' of it. I-I just thought it was kids being dumb."

  "What?" Jules asked.

  "Couple years back, I found a deer carcass all carved up on the other side of the mountain. In the woods. Real fancy initials on its underbelly. I-I thought it was kids being kids. So, I buried it."

  "Must have been practicing," Heath said. "What a sick bastard." Heath suddenly looked down at his feet. "There's, um, something else you should know, Jules." Heath's face was twisted. "It's About Addy." He paused again before continuing as if he didn't want to tell her. "She looks an awful lot like Audrey Jean. That first day you drove into town, for a moment, I thought it was Audrey Jean. That's why when you and Addy met Caleb, he acted so strange. I didn't say anything at the time because I thought it was Caleb's business and no one else's."

  Jules couldn't think of a thing to say.

  "How in the hell are we supposed to tell Caleb?" he asked.

  "We can't," Jules told him. "Not yet."

  Chapter 29

  The Likely List

  Dallin handed Jules the laptop along with a thick pillow he'd brought.

  "All ch-charged up, Jules," he said.

  Before they started, Jules had a question for them. "Guess I missed the meeting the other day. What's the plan for the infected?"

  "I think we'll be okay," Heath told her as he sat down. "We'll hide most folks out in the hydroelectric plant when we know they're on their way. We're stocking the plant with dry food now and storing up on water. The plant will hold about eighty people. The hitch is there's only two rest rooms, but we'll figure something out. The rest of us will camp out in tents on the other side of the mountain. We're getting that set up now. We'll station lookouts on the top of the mountain, and we'll communicate with walkie-talkies. Right now, we have lookouts a mile south of Cedar City. We'll be sending people out a couple times a day to check up on the lookouts, make sure everything's okay. Mayor Nichols is coordinating that. That way we'll know exactly when the grays are on the move and it'll give us plenty of time to get people settled in the plant. We'll be fine."

  "Have you given any thought to using snipers to kill the alphas?" Jules asked.

  "We have. But we decided it would be best to keep them alive. If we kill them, the group of infected would likely still keep coming, and without guidance from the alphas, they might linger in Gideon for who knows how long. If the alphas are still alive, we figure it won't take them long to realize no one's here, and they'll move on."

  "Makes sense," Jules agreed.

  Heath and Dallin sat on Addy's sleeping bag. Jules folded the pillow in half and put it behind her neck and head. She lay at an angle that allowed her to see Heath and Dallin without needing to turn her head. She opened the laptop and propped it up on her good leg as she had the previous day. Jules was feeling much better. She'd actually slept, and after breakfast she'd taken a single tablet of codeine. That way she'd be more alert but wouldn't be in too much pain.

  They'd set the meeting for morning before the tent became too hot and stuffy. Addy was off with Nikki helping Mayor Nichols with the younger children.

  They whispered covertly as they moved the citizens of Gideon into the appropriate database lists.

  Heath was relentless when it came to excluding native Gideon residents and his crew from the "likely" database list. He insisted Art Mikkelsen and the Hafoka twins, members of his crew, didn't belong on the list. And he didn't like Garrett Nicholson being on the list either. Dallin hadn't been much help. He mimicked Heath's thoughts on virtually everything.

  Heath had taken on a reasonable tone in defense of his friends. He kept his voice at a moderate level. Jules knew Heath's tone was meant to manipulate her and defend his guys.

  "Look, Jules. I grew up with these men. I know them a hundred times better than you ever will. And I'm telling you right now, these men are not serial killers. Garrett Nicholson wasn't even on the supply run."

  Dallin nodded his head solemnly in agreement.

  "No, you're right," Jules responded. "Garrett wasn't on the supply run, but he did volunteer for it."

  "And I shut that down because he's the plant engineer. I already told you that. Garrett's far too valuable to Gideon to be risking his life on a supply run. We can't afford to lose him."

  "Look, Heath. He volunteered for the supply run and he fits the other criteria. And, because he works at the dam, he could have easily crossed into Gideon anytime he wanted to. Up till now, there haven't been any guards stationed at the dam. That means Garrett Nicholson could have gone into Gideon any time he wanted to."

  "I'm telling you it's not Garrett Nicholson," Heath said, losing his cool for the first time. "And it's not any of the guys on my crew."

  Jules waited to let Heath simmer down. "What's the story with Kathy, the trainee at the dam?"

  "What? Why do you want to know about Kathy?"

  "Just humor me, Heath."

  He sighed. "All right. Before it all went to hell, Kathy worked at the Seven-Eleven in town. She's married. Her husband, Keith, is in the military, stationed in Okinawa. It's my understa
nding she hasn't heard from him. So, it's very likely he's infected or dead. And as you already know, Jules, Kathy is now a trainee at the dam. That good enough? You think maybe we could get back to the list now?"

  Jules took a breath. She was getting frustrated with Heath's unwillingness to be objective. "Look, Heath, this isn't personal. It can't be. It doesn't matter how long you've known someone or how well you think you know them. If we're going to catch the Calligrapher, you have to be detached and stay detached. As I mentioned yesterday, it's highly likely it's going to be someone you know, someone you don't suspect."

  Heath sighed and worked his jaw. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I get it. And I know you're right. I do. But it's hard. These people are my friends."

  "We both want to catch him, Heath, and in order to do that, we have to be all business here, and we can't play favorites."

  "I know you're right" he said, as if he were giving in, but Jules knew better. Heath Conway wasn't capitulating.

  Heath suddenly chuckled and transitioned into a wide grin. "Hey Jules," he said, morphing into his less-serious self. "You know, I've been wondering about something. You ever take a vacation when you were a Fed?"

  "No," Jules deadpanned, playing along, her eyes fixed on the monitor. "Why do you ask?"

  Heath grinned wildly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jules. Just have to rib you once in a while. And, well, sometimes you do come off as a bit of a killjoy."

  Dallin chuckled.

  "All right. Can we get back to it now?" Jules asked. She felt like a grade school teacher trying to get her students to focus on the subject matter. "There's something else to keep in mind. There's a possibility the killer may not be on the "likely" list. The purpose of the "likely" list is to help us determine who we should focus on first. We check them out and see who we can eliminate as suspects. Then we go from there. It could end up being someone on the 'unlikely' list. We have to keep an open mind."

  "Terrific," Heath said. "So, how many suspects do you have on the "likely" list now?"

  "At the moment, there's only six. Josh, Garrett, Art Mikkelsen, the Hafoka twins, and you," she said, looking directly at Heath. "Of course, not everyone on the list is equal. The Hafoka twins fit the criteria, but it's extremely rare for Polynesians to be serial killers. And the fact that they're twins doesn't fit either. Still, we'll check them out. And there's you, Heath. As we discussed on the drive to St. George, you don't exactly fit the profile of a serial killer."

  Dallin's lips curled into an amused smile. "Uh. Why not?" he asked.

  "Jules here thinks I'm too arrogant," Heath answered.

  "Well," Dallin said, shrugging his shoulders. "You-You gotta admit, Heath, she might be onto something there."

  "You two are stone-cold hilarious," Heath said, his grin widening. "A couple of real comedians. Now that you've got that out of your system, how do we go about eliminating suspects from the lists?"

  "If we can, we'll discretely check alibis for the last murder. That was on Sunday, July 2nd. It wasn't that long ago, and since it was right before the virus hit, people might remember what they were doing. We'll want to do it as quietly as possible. Maybe ask friends if they recall what so-and-so was doing on that particular night. We'll make up backstories that won't arouse suspicion. We won't ask suspects directly."

  "Anyone at the top of your list, Jules?" Heath asked.

  Jules knew it was coming. "It's too early for that. We don't have enough information."

  "Hate to pick on anyone, but what about Josh?" Heath asked. "He fits the profile perfectly." Heath raised his hands, palms up, in an I'm-right-aren't-I gesture. "Tell me he doesn't. Only three of us can get into Gideon anytime we want, that's me, Dallin, and Josh. As the computer guy, Josh has full access. You're the one who made a big deal out of people having access to Gideon. And there's the other stuff. He was a sniper in the military, so he's an expert with firearms, he's right-handed, he was on the supply run right up there on the freeway where he could have been watching what happened, and he's in the age range."

  Heath finished and waited for Jules to respond.

  "You're right. Josh fits the bill in every respect. But right now, he's just a suspect like the others. That's it. And he'll get checked out like the others. We don't have enough information or evidence to make him or anyone else a prime suspect. And remember, Heath, as you brought up yourself, anyone could have used the dam to get across into Gideon."

  Jules didn't want to encourage Heath, but she knew he had a point. Josh fit the profile perhaps better than anyone. And it had crossed her mind that Josh could be the Calligrapher. But to Jules, it didn't feel right. According to the mayor, Josh gave the weekly updates because he wanted to overcome a phobia he had of talking in front of large groups. A willingness to confront a personal phobia didn't fit the profile of the Calligrapher. The Calligrapher would never acknowledge any kind of weakness. Jules knew if Beckerman were here, he would tell her to trust her instincts, but Jules had never been as confident in her feelings as Beckerman was with his "bones." She would remain objective and let the evidence lead the way.

  "Look, Jules. No one really knows much about Josh. He goes to church, but he keeps to himself. He doesn't really have any friends, and I don't believe he's been in any kind of relationship as long as he's been in Gideon. So, let's be straight here. Josh is a bit of an odd duck."

  "He might be an odd duck, Heath, but that doesn't make him a serial killer. And his being odd doesn't really qualify as evidence. Right now, evidence is what we need, and that's what we have to focus on. We'll check Josh out like everyone else."

  "I-I think Josh is okay," Dallin suddenly interjected. It was the first time all morning he'd contradicted Heath. "He-He's just a little shy sometimes."

  Heath gave Dallin a queer look as if Dallin were the odd duck.

  "All right. Let's work out a strategy for checking alibis for each person on the "likely" list."

  "Sounds like a plan," Heath said.

  "Might as well get you out of the way first, Heath. What were you doing on that Sunday before the Fourth?"

  Heath shook his head and laughed. "I thought you weren't going to ask suspects directly.

  "Okay. I drove one of the buses that took the kids in town down to Zion's Park for the Fourth of July camp. It's a three-day camp they have every year. Left around eight in the evening, back by nine-thirty, or thereabouts. Not long after that, I went to bed."

  Chapter 30

  Puzzles

  It was a pleasant, breezy morning. Jules sat on a blanket not far from the river in the shade of an elm tree. She'd used the cane to get there. Addy had brought a blanket along with breakfast and a book for Jules to read.

  Jules had brought her holstered Glock, though it wasn't really her Glock. It was Beckerman's. The same Glock she'd had packed away in the box the day they'd arrived in Gideon. Heath had brought it to her when he couldn't find a new firing pin for her own Glock. She wouldn't be going anywhere without it from now on.

  The book was Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Dallin had picked it up from the town library. Jules had never read Agatha Christie, but it helped pass the time, and she found Hercule Poirot and his little "grey cells" quite entertaining.

  Jules sat alone on the blanket. Her empty breakfast dish and coffee cup lay next to her. She was daydreaming about the investigation. She'd had enough of the tent to last a lifetime. The days had been passing by interminably slow.

  Addy was off on her morning walk with Sharon Gleason. It was a recent occurrence. They would walk and talk every morning after breakfast for up to an hour. Jules hoped they were making progress.

  Addy hadn't mentioned anything to Jules about her talks with Sharon Gleason and Jules hadn't asked. If Addy wanted to talk to her about it, Jules would let her take the first step.

  Today, Heath and Dallin would search Josh's home and his office for any possible clues. Jules didn't expect them to find anything. Even if Josh were the Calligrapher, he wou
ld never leave clues around unless it was intentional. Josh and two other men had recently left for the dam. That meant Heath and Dallin would be leaving shortly. Jules wished she were going with them. Mayor Nichols had asked Josh and two other men to help build a partition at the back of the hydroelectric plant to hide the porta-potties when it came time to move them there. It was a legitimate way of getting Josh out of the way to conduct a search of his home and office.

  Three of the men on the likely list had been cleared. The Hafoka twins had attended a church meeting that evening and visited with friends after church. Art Mikkelsen was watching television that night with his wife. It turned out the Mikkelsens were fans of a late Sunday night television show that Dallin watched too. Dallin had struck up a conversation with Mikkelsen's wife about it. The only ones left on the database likely list were Josh and Garrett Nicholson.

  Personally, Jules disliked Garrett Nicholson, but her not liking him didn't make him the Calligrapher. It was clear Garrett had been hitting on Kathy, and his advances weren't welcome. Jules recalled Kathy's arms folded in a stay-away-from-me posture the first day Jules had met them, and later Kathy walked out from under the hand Garrett had placed on her shoulder. She was rejecting him. Jules also noticed the way Kathy always stayed close to Luke. Luke was her buffer. He kept her safe. No doubt Garrett Nicholson was a letch but being a letch didn't make him a serial killer. The Calligrapher would never be that obvious.

  Josh didn't fit either. His desire for self-improvement didn't fit the profile. But vetting him as a suspect was still a good idea.

  Four full days had passed since the Shell Station incident and Jules had all but weaned herself off the codeine. She'd had a glimpse into the addictive nature of opioids and had felt its pull. It was quite pleasant. Not only did the codeine's mind-numbing effect take away the pain, it kept her in a relatively calm state which helped her deal with Heath.

  Shadows from branches and leaves danced around her on the blanket. They moved in eerie synchronicity with the gusts of wind that swayed the branches overhead. It fit in perfectly with Jules' daydreamy state.