Divine Trilogy

by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

  Ben's vision!

  "When Ben touched the body in the forest, he saw six zeroes," she said. "I think that's in reference to money, and the signature I think relates to contracts. And the black animal? A mole. Oliver Gathmann is somehow connected to at least one body in the woods."

  "Doesn't mean he killed anyone," Natassia said. "He didn't strike me as the serial killer type. Too meek. No signs of a lurking psychopath."

  "Maybe not, but he's still linked to this."

  And we're going to figure out how.

  21

  With the Oxy-Mask in place, Jasi strode across the field and made her way to the abandoned barn ruins, while the residents of Sanctuary shared lunch in the larger barn. Brandon followed close behind. A few feet from the embers, she removed the mask and took two deep breaths of OxyBlast.

  "Shake 'n Bake time," she murmured.

  "Why do you say that?" Brandon asked.

  She chuckled. "I don't know. I guess it puts me in the mood." She saw him raise a brow and added, "To read a fire."

  Standing inches from the rubble, she inhaled deeply. In…out—

  The connection yanked Jasi into the arsonist's mind.

  The dawn sky told me I'd better hurry. Everyone would be awake soon.

  I followed them to the dilapidated barn and moved stealthily around the side, stopping to listen from time to time.

  They were in there. I could hear them.

  "I think we should tell someone what we saw," the girl said in a frightened voice.

  "No one will believe us," the boy replied.

  "But we can't ignore it."

  "We have to, Amanda. If they know we know, we could be exiled. Or worse."

  I spied on them through a small knothole in the back of the barn.

  Something had to be done. Their meddling would ruin everything.

  Perhaps I could take a shovel to the backs of their heads. A few good whacks should be enough. But how do I make it look like an accident?

  I pulled out a pack of cigarettes, intending to light one up to calm my nerves. Smokes weren't allowed at Sanctuary, but I didn't have to follow the same rules as everyone else. Hell, I made the rules.

  I stared at the cigarettes and the pack of matches.

  I looked at the barn, taking in the dry, weathered wood. There was enough gasoline inside that it would practically cremate everything inside.

  Including those damned kids.

  I looked over my shoulder. I could do this. Everyone was sleeping.

  A reel of rope hung outside the barn. With a pocketknife, I sawed off about three feet. It would do the job. Creeping around to the front of the barn, I secured the doors with the rope. They never even heard me.

  There was a full can of gas in the smaller shed. After retrieving it, I poured gas all around the bottom of the barn. I splashed the rest of the gas up the back and side walls.

  "We should go back," the girl said.

  "Wait."

  There was silence for a moment. Then I heard kissing sounds.

  At least they'd die happy.

  I lit the match.

  As the vision faded, Jasi grabbed Brandon's arm for support. "Whoever did this had the cigarettes that Kenneth found and a pack of matches on him."

  "So if we find a pack of matches, we'll find the arsonist."

  "And he'll be up on attempted murder charges before he can take his next puff."

  "You think he's our killer?"

  "No. I didn't get the same intensity from him as I did when I touched the remains. We're definitely looking at a killer who had a partner."

  "We've planned a cabin-by-cabin search for today. At least now we know what to look for. What about the kids? Learn anything new?"

  "Amanda and Eric knew more than they've told us. They saw something, and Amanda wanted to tell someone. That's what they were discussing in the barn."

  "Any word from the hospital?"

  She shook her head. "Still unconscious. There's a female agent on guard. As soon as they wake up, she'll be able to question them."

  "Back to the van?"

  "Yeah. Then we'll gather every agent we can spare to assist with the cabin searches. But before we do that, we'll secure the residents in one area."

  "I can take care of that now, since they're all in the barn having lunch." With determination, Brandon set off across the field. "See you later, Jasi."

  She made a beeline for the van, noting some new faces hovering outside it.

  "We've rounded up some help," Natassia said, introducing her to Agents Norman, Singh, Killgore and Howe.

  Ben taped a map of the cabins on the side of the van and circled an area with a green highlighter. "Agents Norman and Singh, we'd like you to search these cabins." He outlined a section in blue. "Killgore and Howe, this is your area."

  "I'd like these cabins," Jasi said, highlighting a few cabins in yellow. "Natassia, you're with me."

  "But what about Brandon?"

  "He's ensuring no one goes back to their cabins and that they remain in the big barn where he can watch them."

  "I'm going to stay here and collect your data," Ben said. "Anyone find anything, make sure you bag it and tag it. We don't want anything else to go missing."

  "Some evidence walked away?" Agent Norman asked, frowning.

  "Before we were assigned here," Ben said. He told them about the missing bracelet. "We're specifically interested in locating the bracelet, a mini-com belonging to the incinerator victim and a pack of matches, which we believe may have been used by the arsonist. If you find any of these items, call Agent McLellan immediately."

  "Above all," Jasi added, "don't allow anyone—other than one of us—inside a cabin while you're searching it. For any reason."

  "What about personal searches?" Agent Norman asked.

  "We're saving that for after. Don't expect a warm welcome though. These people take their privacy very seriously. Okay, let's move out."

  They split up into their respective teams and headed for their designated areas. On the way, Jasi filled Natassia in on her vision.

  It took most of the afternoon to search every cabin on Sanctuary grounds, and by four o'clock Jasi was exhausted. They'd scanned every inch of every building on the grounds and had turned up squat. Now they were in the final cabin, the one Lazarus and Henry shared.

  Frustrated, she let out a groan. "My God, Natassia. Are we ever going to get a break here? I feel like everyone is conspiring against us. We have missing evidence, no real suspects and no clear motive."

  Natassia glanced up from the sofa she'd been peering under. "Something's going to click, Jasi. Trust me. It always does."

  Jasi knew she was right, but it did zilch to calm her exasperation, especially when every inch of her being told her the answers were all here, probably right in front of her nose.

  What am I missing?

  She leaned against the wall of the cabin, scrutinizing every detail of the room. For two single men, they kept the place quite clean. No dirty socks or underwear lying around. No dirty dishes in the sink. They'd even decorated it with paintings of forests and sculptures of woodland animals.

  "Found something," Natassia called out, holding up a pop can.

  "I don't think pop is against the rules here."

  "Except that's not what's in this can." She upended the can and three cigarette butts dropped onto the coffee table."

  "Same brand as the ones found at the fire."

  "So either Lazarus or Henry is a smoker."

  Jasi clenched her teeth. "Then one of them tried to kill those kids."

  She pulled out her 'com and called Brandon. When he picked up, she said, "Make sure Henry and Lazarus don't go anywhere. We'll be right over."

  Jasi and Natassia arrived at the barn minutes later and were greeted by absolute silence. The members of Sanctuary sat at the tables. No one seemed to be very happy.

  Christiansen stood slowly, his mouth pursed in anger. "Agent McLellan, what's the meaning of this? Why
are we being detained here like criminals?"

  She glared at him. "Have you seen what's left of your old barn or the wounds on Eric and Amanda?" She gazed around the room until her eyes settled on Lazarus and Henry. "You two, come with me, please."

  "What did I do?" Henry asked as he stood.

  "We have a few questions for you." Jasi indicated that they step outside, and Natassia followed her while Brandon remained behind.

  Lazarus's eyes darted from Christiansen to Henry and then to Jasi. "Fine. Ask away."

  Once they were outside, Jasi said, "Agent Prushenko, would you please search these gentlemen."

  "Now wait a minute," Lazarus sputtered. "I never gave you permission to touch me."

  "This," Jasi held up a warrant, "gives me all the permission I need."

  Henry held up his hands in surrender. "I got nothing to hide."

  While Natassia gave Henry a thorough pat-down, Jasi kept her eye on Lazarus. A bundle of nerves, he twitched and shuffled as though he had something to hide. The more she watched him, the more she was sure he did.

  "You have anything you want to say?" she asked him.

  He licked his lips but kept silent.

  "I've got this one," she said to Natassia. "Take Mr. Edgars back inside."

  After they'd gone, Jasi looked at Lazarus. "Follow me."

  "Where we going?"

  "You'll see."

  Grabbing his arm, she steered him toward a picnic table near the old barn ruins. "Two kids almost died here today."

  "They shouldn't have been smoking."

  "Remove your jacket and empty your pockets."

  The man blinked. "What?"

  "You heard what I said. And set the contents on the table."

  He hesitated at first, but did as ordered. A few pieces of paper, chewing gum wrappers, a folded five-dollar bill…and a gold pen.

  "Nice pen," she said, picking it up.

  "Just something a friend gave me."

  Why did the pen seem familiar? Ben! This was the one he'd described. He'd gotten a read from it.

  "Father Jeremiah has one exactly like it," she said.

  "Naw, I left it in his house. Just got it back. What's the big deal? It's only a pen."

  The visions Ben had seen were connected to Lazarus, not Christiansen.

  "Anything else on you?"

  The next item he pulled from his pocket made her gasp. "You have a cell phone? I thought those weren't permitted here."

  "Sometimes Father Jeremiah needs to call me when I'm in town."

  She picked up the phone. There were no numbers stored in the address book. She pressed redial. No one answered, and no machine picked up.

  "Who did you last call?" she asked.

  "Can't remember."

  She inspected the caller ID for incoming calls. Only one number was listed, and it wasn't the same as the one she'd just dialed. She hit 'call.' It was picked up after the second ring.

  "Yeah?" The man's voice was low, grating.

  "Who is this?" she demanded.

  Click.

  Fuming, she yelled, "Who called you, Lazarus?"

  "I have no idea."

  "Turn out your pockets!"

  He obeyed. Nothing but a few wisps of lint.

  "Can I go now, Agent McLellan?"

  The black buttons of his dress shirt drew her attention. One was missing.

  Lazarus knows about the graves in the woods. He was there.

  "Pants!" she ordered.

  "What?"

  "Turn out your pant pockets."

  He gave her a steely glare, then glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, look who's here."

  She turned, half-expecting to see Giles Christiansen, but no one was there.

  Ah, shit.

  Something slammed into her back, pushing her to the ground before she could react. Footsteps retreated away from her.

  Lazarus was on the run.

  "You've got nowhere to go," she hollered as she scrambled to her feet.

  She scoured the area, catching a glimpse of his pale blue shirt. He'd climbed through the hole in the fence and was sprinting into the woods.

  "Shit!"

  She drew her gun from the holster and ran after him.

  "Lazarus! Stop running or I'll shoot!"

  But he didn't listen.

  She dodged cedars, tree roots and slippery moss, all the while cursing herself for letting her guard down. How could she have fallen for the oldest trick in the book?

  And now she was chasing him through the forest with no backup.

  She flicked a button on her data-com. When Brandon answered, she told him what had happened.

  "I'm on my way," he said.

  Breathless, she continued following the path of freshly broken branches. Lazarus was nowhere to be seen.

  Where is he?

  Lazarus had circled far from the gravesite so she couldn't get help from the agents there. He was leading her deeper into the woods and farther from Sanctuary and Brandon.

  There!

  A wisp of blue caught her eye.

  The trees thinned up ahead and she spied a rock ridge rising dozens of feet above her. This was the area Natassia had described, where Amanda had seen the "beast." She slowed her pace, watchful of every possible hiding place.

  Then she saw Lazarus. He was climbing the rocks.

  What is he doing?

  Amanda had talked of a cave. Was that where he was heading?

  She began the ascent after him. When she reached a clear view of the man, she let off a warning shot to his right. "Stay where you are!"

  "Back off, Agent McLellan," the man shouted. "You have no idea what you're getting mixed up in. This goes much higher than me." He kicked a mound of rocks and sent it down on top of her.

  She dashed behind a boulder. From this vantage point, she spotted a clear trail that would lead her up and around. Lazarus wouldn't even see her coming.

  She picked her way through the rocks, the ground evening out so she could increase her pace without worrying about stumbling. When she peered between two boulders, she saw she'd gained on him.

  A little bit farther…

  Minutes later, she stepped from behind a moss-covered boulder. With his back to her, Lazarus stood maybe ten feet away, near the edge of a steep precipice. One wrong step and he'd stumble over the side.

  "Lazarus," she said softly, aiming her gun at his back.

  He spun around, and she heard stones skip down the side of the cliff.

  "Stay back," he said, his eyes wide with panic as he raised his hands.

  "I can get you a deal."

  His mouth curved into a smile. "No deals for me."

  "If you tell me who's involved, I can get you a reduced sentence."

  "These aren't people you can rat out. I won't last a day in any prison."

  "There's always witness protection—"

  He laughed. "You don't get it. These people…they're judges, lawyers, police officers and businessmen—men with big money and even bigger egos."

  "You're talking about a conspiracy?"

  "I'm talking about an organization. A hunt club."

  Jasi felt as though someone had slapped her across the face and woken her up. Finally, all the signs, all the clues, tumbled into place. The contracts, six-figure payments, the metal cylinder—a hunting scope.

  She wanted to throw up.

  "You're hunting people out here."

  Lazarus sneered at her. "Uh, no. Not me personally. I only arrange for the financing and handle the…carcasses…after the hunt."

  She took a step forward. "Let me bring you in, and you can help us. These victims' families need closure."

  Lazarus shuffled a few inches closer to the edge. "Either let me go or I'll jump."

  She sucked in a breath. "I can't let you go, Lazarus. You know that."

  "Then you give me no choice."

  "No!"

  As she ran toward him, Lazarus lifted his arms, leaned back and vanished. When she reached t
he edge and peered down, she saw him sprawled across the rocks about forty feet below. He wasn't moving.

  It took her less than ten minutes to descend and reach his broken body. Blood and brain matter dotted the rocks around him. As she leaned over him, spit oozed from his mouth and she heard wheezy breathing. She touched his neck. His pulse was thread and slow. Collapsed lungs, broken bones, spinal injuries—Lazarus wasn't going to be alive for long.

  "You're dying, Lazarus. But you've got a chance to make things right. Tell me who's involved."

  He mouthed something indecipherable, grabbed her hand and pressed something into it. Opening her hand, she saw a pack of matches.

  "You tried to kill Amanda and Eric?"

  Lazarus's eyes drifted shut.

  "Please! For all the victims." Her ear was inches from his mouth. "Tell me who's involved. Give me something!"

  With his final breath, Lazarus whispered two words.

  22

  Brandon stormed past the rubble of the old barn, cursing beneath his breath.

  "What the hell are you thinking, Jasi?"

  She'd taken off after Lazarus into unfamiliar territory with no backup. The guy probably knew these woods like the back of his hand.

  He ducked through the fence opening, activated his 'com and set it to trace Jasi's tracker. A beep alerted him that she'd been found, and he released a sigh. Following the display on the 'com, he moved through the trees, watchful for an ambush.

  He quickened his pace when the small moving dot slowed then stopped.

  Damn it! Why isn't she moving?

  Panting, he jumped fallen logs and dodged tree roots and prickly bushes.

  When he reached the edge of the woods, he was greeted by a ridge covered in sharp boulders and moss-covered rocks. He paused to get his bearings. The 'com indicated Jasi was ahead of him. But that could only mean one thing.

  He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up. Surveying the rocks, he began to climb. He'd only progressed a few feet when he heard a dull thud a few yards away. Edging to his left, he picked his way through the rocks.

  He saw Jasi leaning over Lazarus's body.

  "Jasi!" he called, running toward her. "Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine."

  "What happened?"

  "He jumped."

  He knelt by Lazarus and felt for a pulse. "He's dead."