“He…left us to…to do his work. Please…please kill…me. Make the sin…stop.”
I wondered what this man had been through to end up in such a state. He started to convulse and I knew nothing more was to be gained here. I pulled Roscoe out and gave the man his final wish. I felt sick to my stomach, but no one deserved to suffer in such a way.
“We can’t leave him here; the locals might want to take over the investigation. We need to bring him back to Full Moon so Dr. Tello can examine the body. I don’t even want to know what they did to these people.”
“What about the basement, what should we do here?”
“Tonight, I think it would be wise if Reno and Phil came back and destroyed everything. No one needs to know and it would save the community a lot of heartache. We have everything we need and, more importantly, all those dead souls in that room need some closure.”
She nodded and we gathered up all the evidence. I carried the body back up to the top and gently set him down against the wall. We devised a plan where I would take the body to the car while Elizabeth went in and kept Pastor Browne busy. I did not want this on his conscious.
Within the half hour, we were back on the road, heading home. I made the calls with our discoveries to the Alphas and Dr. Tello. I was going to drop the body off with her and she was going to start tonight on the autopsy. Hopefully we would get some leads to point us in the right direction in our investigation.
I think Argent knew just how much the whole scene and my actions, the mercy killing of the man in the church, disturbed me and told me to take the rest of the afternoon off. It really had been a rough few days and the down time would be good. Having to put that man down like a wounded animal hurt, but I took heart in that his suffering was over.
“You did the right thing Vic. You honored his request and gave him peace. I can assure you, what you did saved him much pain.”
“I know, trust me I do. The thing is that this Tucker now has me having to do these things. He will truly regret the day he started this war.”
The rest of the car ride and subsequent evening was quiet. Elizabeth respected my wishes but still kept me company and we drank a few beers in silence. When the sun set and Reno and Phil came down from their room, she gave them the instructions. Both nodded and went on their way. It was about eleven o’clock when they got back, their mission a success. No one would ever know the horrors that happened under the church.
Chapter 14
“So I read most of the documents we found last evening. This Warren Tucker is quite delusional.”
“Did you go to bed at all? You’ve gotta be running on fumes Elizabeth.”
“Trust me, I am going to be fine for a few more days before I need to rest. And when will you stop being so formal. I told you before you can just call me Beth.”
“Beth doesn’t really seem to suit you very well.” I took a sip of my coffee and began to think. “What about Liz? That has a better ring to it.”
She didn’t say anything for a second. She seemed to be lost in a memory or thought. “You know, I think that will do.”
“I’m glad that is settled. So what did you find out from those weird papers?”
She put a few pages on the table and pointed to the first. “This one talks about the Hammer of Jehovah and how our friend Tucker was chosen by him to do God’s work. It was dated in December of 1977, just a few months before the first murder.”
“Do you think someone put him up to this?”
“It is very hard to tell if this is some delusion he came to believe or if this Hammer of Jehovah is a real person. He considers him an archangel and that his will is God’s will.”
The possibility of another nutcase out there gave me chills. “So besides that ominous fact, what else did you learn?”
“He was very vague is most places. I take it in context when he talks about vanquishing daemons he is referring to the vampire murders. There is nothing of real interest to help us until we get to the most recent page.”
She shuffled to the top a paper that you could tell was pretty recent. The paper wasn’t faded and the ink was still bright black. “Is this a confession we can use?”
“No, nothing so simple like that. This is where he talks about injecting his followers with ‘Holy Water’ to make them invincible in the upcoming war with the daemons.”
“You mean to tell me all those men we found were injected with some sort of concoction?”
“I will be most interested to hear what Dr. Tello discovers from the body we were able to bring back.”
I looked at the clock and it was almost eight in the morning. The doctor had emailed everyone this morning and asked for us to meet in her autopsy at Full Moon General at nine to go over everything. She had the two bodies from the mine attack, Hector Alvarez, and now our John Doe from Elephant Butte. I was really hoping that something of value could be found from one of them. The deeper we got into this, the more the idea of Warren Tucker out there operating as he saw fit scared me.
The rest of the morning sped by and soon we were heading down to see the doctor. We were met by the entrance by my dad, Chaz, and Billy. Apparently the mayor was already here and being briefed. We hopped on the next elevator and soon were in the basement and being let into autopsy.
Dr. Tello’s had popped up when we entered. “Gentlemen, lady, I am very glad you were all able to make it this morning. As I was just going over with the mayor, we have some very disturbing events happening.”
I saw Argent sitting in the corner and I am pretty sure I’d never seen the man so distressed looking in my life. “Are you okay mayor?”
“Vic, what Dr. Tello is about to share with all of us cannot leave this room.” He then looked at Liz and sighed. “This might be most troubling to you in particular Ambassador Swansea.”
I was confused by that, but no time like the present to get a mystery solved. “Well doctor, what did you find?”
She walked up to Alvarez, “The werewolf was drugged with wolfsbane, injected in the back of the neck. He would never have struggled. The cactus was inserted next followed by the gunshots. Each bullet was silver.”
That all made sense; the wolfsbane drug is like chloroform to werewolves. And of course silver was used; its properties are toxic to most of the supernatural world.
Next, she walked in between the dead bodies from the mine attack. I noticed they also had scars on them, but not to the extent of the monster or guy we found yesterday. “These two and our green friend shed the most light. Where you see the scars, right underneath are ports used in chemotherapy.”
“Did all these guys have cancer then?”
“No, it was not used for that. Instead each was injected with something. I think these two over here were just starting, as the chemical compound did not have time to turn them green. The last body had experienced numerous injections and his body was breaking down by the time you found him.”
Dad walked over and got a closer look at them. “Just what were they injected with Donna?”
“Callum, they were injected with a mixture of silver nitrate, mercury, and vampire’s blood.”
“What?” Everyone turned to Liz and if it was possible her face was even whiter than normal.
“I am very sorry, it appears whoever was doing this to these gentlemen was using vampire’s blood as the main ingredient.”
“What caused them to go green?” Chaz was examining the John Doe on the end.
“That would be the silver nitrate; it responded to the chemicals in the body and caused the green hue.”
“Is that musky scent I keep picking up from this shit?” It had been at every scene so far, so it would make sense.
“Yes it is sheriff. That seems to be another by-product of the mixture.”
“As you all can see, our serial killer is trying to create an army to wipe us all out.” Argent had finally stood up and was walking back over to the group. “Ambassador Swansea, I feel you may need to get the rest o
f your council involved. This is reaching code red levels.”
“I was just thinking the same thing mayor. The use of vampire blood in such a way is an abomination. Something must be done quickly.”
I took my eyes off the scene before me. “Doctor, is there anything else you found? Anything that might point towards a base of operations?”
She considered my question for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about this most of the evening. You would need medical supplies and a stable place to keep the vampire blood. An abandoned hospital would be the most obvious choice but even an old refinery would have the necessary facilities if you had your own supplies.”
“Thank you for your time doctor. This definitely gives us something to work with.”
We all filed out a little more uneasy then when we arrived. On the elevator ride back up, Liz filled the three Alphas and Billy in on the documents discovered at the church.
“So I am guessing that this Holy Water is what Tucker is calling the chemical he’s injected in those guys?”
“I think so dad, but I have one question. Not one of those boys looked like the monster in El Paso. So either most people aren’t compatible with such a mixture or is it possible that he’s changed the formula?”
“This is just getting worse. Chaz, Callum would you come to the office with me? We need to get in touch with as many Red, Black, and Silver Alphas as we can from here to California. We need to snuff this guy out of whatever hole he crawled into.”
“While you guys do that, I will head back to the office. Hopefully Jacobs has something from her meeting with Sheriff Munoz. Plus, Ambassador Swansea can use the office phone to maybe get a conference call going or something.”
The three Alphas left and before the three of us went over to the office, I pulled Billy aside. “My gut tells me this guy is close. I want you to go up to Truth or Consequences and get a hold of as many condemned building notices as you can. If anyone asks, just tell them we are looking for a spot to buy to expand the silver mine operation.”
“You got it boss. Do you need anything else?”
“Don’t be afraid to put some feelers out if you come across anything suspicious. But do not engage anyone; if needed, call me and we can make the run up.”
I gave him a pat on the back and he was off.
“Will he be okay?”
“Don’t let the act fool you, he is a good investigator. I think our best chance to locate this guy just drove off.”
We hopped into the Mustang and headed over to the office. I would set up the conference line for Liz and then meet with Jacobs to go over everything she learned from Munoz. I hoped today would be the day we caught our first big break in all of this.
When we pulled into the office, the lights were all still off. Jacobs’ car was here, so that seemed a bit strange to me. I pulled into the parking spot and when we got out, the musky smell was here too. Not as strong, but I picked it up. I pulled Roscoe out.
“What is wrong Vic?”
“That smell is here. Make sure you got that tanto out at all times.” She nodded and pulled hers from the scabbard.
We slowly walked into the office and followed the scent. I picked up blood too and I knew it was not going to be good. I kicked the door open to Jacobs’ office and lowered my gun. She was sitting on her chair with a piece of cactus stuck to her face. I counted five bullet wounds to her torso, plus numerous slash wounds.
“Vic, you should turn around.”
I did and stuck to the back of her door with a knife was a note, written in what looked like blood. It simply said ‘We’re watching you.’
Chapter 15
It had been two days since I resigned from the office of sheriff. Dad had taken over and my oldest brother Bernard, took over as the detective. I had gone to Argent’s office the afternoon after Talia had been murdered.
“Why are you doing this Victor?” He looked at the badge lying on his desk.
“Mayor, I don’t plan on bringing this guy in peacefully. There will be blood on my hands after this is over and I’m not going to taint the position. Maybe down the road I will regret my choice, but today, I regret not being there with Talia to put a bullet in this bastard’s head.”
Talia’s family was against a big funeral, so it was a very small and private affair. In fact, Billy and I were the only ones there who weren’t directly related to her. I almost got the feeling that the family blamed the department for their loss. No one said it outright, but the chilly reception was all that was needed to convey the message.
Liz continued to stay at my house, saying there was no reason to move to another safe house. Billy also came over each day. He had given my dad a copy of all the abandoned factories and hospitals within a three hour radius. He also gave me a copy.
“She was my friend, Vic. I know we both don’t like excessive force, but right now, I want nothing more than to see this guy’s lifeless body in the autopsy room.”
I promised him that I would not give up until I ended this. I was sitting out back on my deck and reading each condemned building notice. It was a cool evening and the sun had just set, so I wasn’t surprised when Reno popped out and sat down too.
“Find anything good yet?”
“There is an abandoned hospital outside an old reservation on the state line. I was thinking of taking a trip down there.”
“What are you waiting for then? Tonight seems like a good night to cut loose.”
He was right, no better time than the present to get a move on things. “You think Liz and Phil will be up for it?”
“Oh, I think they can be easily persuaded.” He headed back on in. I put the address into my phone and went back in as well.
“We are going to check this place out tonight I suspect?”
Liz was sitting at the kitchen table when I entered. “Yeah, I think it is time to stop sulking and get back on the case you hired me for.”
“I agree we should go, but you cannot be reckless. I know your friend’s death is hard, but she would not want you to get yourself killed either.”
“I don’t plan on dying tonight. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t finish this.”
“Good, then let us get ready. I hope, for once, we can take the fight to them instead of the other way around.”
She was right; we were waiting for them to mess up and always on the ropes with their moves. Warren Tucker was a dangerous man and we had given him enough time. He had shown no regard for life, including other humans. There may not be anything at this hospital, but we couldn’t go in casually, we had to be ready for everything and anything.
When we were all prepared as well as we could be, we loaded up into the cars. Reno and Phil had a pretty sweet Tahoe which also doubled as an armory. All sorts of guns and blades were laying in the trunk and backseat.
“Take your pick Vic, we have plenty.”
“Thanks Reno, but my gun and my blade will do. I’m going to dance with the girls that brought me you know.”
Reno laughed at me while him and Phil made sure everything was loaded and ready at a moment’s notice. Liz picked up a Desert Eagle that was almost as big as she was. She must’ve seen the look of amusement on my face.
“It is not polite to judge a lady by her gun.” She turned to her guys, “Let us get a move on. I do not want to keep anyone waiting.”
Everyone nodded and soon we were headed down the highway. We followed the road to El Paso, but got off at the exit before the state line. Another fifteen minutes later and we were the only vehicles for miles. We continued through the old reservation and once we exited on the other side, we saw the abandoned hospital looming in the distance. It was obvious at first sight it hadn’t seen patients in awhile. The road itself turned to dirt and boards and broken windows dotted the whole building.
When we pulled into what was left of the EMT entrance, you could see the doors had been broken down. When I got out of the car, I took in my environment and caught the familiar smell that ha
d been haunting me this entire time.
“They were here, it has faded pretty well, but the smell still lingers.”
“That sucks, I was hoping for some action.”
I rubbed my face, I wanted to bust some people up too. However, it was worth taking a look around. I was about to suggest that when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered anyway.
“You are certainly full of surprises, sheriff. I am so glad I found a new sanctuary before you came knocking here.”
It was a man’s voice, deep and a bit off, that is the best way I can describe it. “Rev. Tucker I reckon?”
“Yes, yes it is Victor Inglewood. I called to extend my courtesy to you.”
“Maybe if you told me where you were, I could come on over and give you some of my courtesy too.”
He laughed at me. This guy knew how to get my blood pumping. “I don’t think it works that way, but I appreciate the offer. No, my new sanctuary offers more features fitting for someone doing God’s work. You and your kind are blights to this earth. When I am ready, I will allow you to come here and marvel in its majesty.”
“I don’t think the big guy upstairs considers what you do His work. That being said, this needs to end, Tucker.”
“For once, we both agree on something. Did you know in your presence is one of the oldest daemons by our records?”
“What the hell does this have to do with the price of apples?”
“Do not interrupt me. Your friend, Elizabeth Swansea has had many different aliases over the years, but I think her most famous was ‘Bloody Lizzy’ or better known in history, Elizabeth Bathory. You might not know the story, but she used to slaughter the villagers below her castle in order to quench her hunger.”
I didn’t know what to say, I looked over at Liz and I knew she had heard everything as well. Her face was full of shame.
“So you see sheriff, daemons cannot be allowed to live. That unfortunately includes you. Werewolves are just as big of a blight as the vampires. Please know that you will all die this evening. May God have mercy on your souls.”
The Cactus Killer (The Inglewood Chronicles) Page 7
