“Who do I shoot?” Monique gasped nervously.
“Neither,” Coleen exploded with horror.
Talbert slashed at Asher and cut his side. Asher spun into a roundhouse kick and knocked Talbert against the opposite wall. Talbert was slightly dazed. Asher clutched his cut side and looked at the blood. Talbert sprang back for Asher and slashed for his throat. Asher dove to the floor and kicked Talbert as he rolled across the floor. Dr. Talbert was thrown off balance. Asher sprang to his feet and pushed a button on the cane. A three-inch blade popped out the bottom. He jabbed the blade into Talbert’s foot. Talbert cried out in pain, pulled the cane free, and held onto it while lunging for Asher’s throat with the scalpel.
“No,” Monique screamed and aimed the gun.
Asher pulled back on the top of the cane. It detached to reveal a twelve-inch, stiletto dagger. Asher blocked Talbert’s right hand, thrust the dagger forward, and impaled Talbert through the midsection. Both girls screamed. Asher pulled the dagger free and watched Talbert fall to the floor. Asher breathed heavily for a minute or two. He turned and looked at Monique and Coleen. Both girls screamed and ran down the corridor. Asher looked back at Talbert and kicked the scalpel from his hand. He lowered himself to one knee. Talbert clutched his bleeding midsection and gasped in agony. Their eyes met.
“The intention was to frame me and torch the institution,” Asher said calmly. “Why kill these innocent people?” Asher moved closer to Talbert and stared into his eyes. “Tell me, Doctor, who was giving the orders?”
Talbert breathed deep, shallow breaths as blood seeped out the corner of his mouth. “Howard,” he gasped softly. “Howard Norad gave the order to kill Katie when she found the secret lab.” He was silent a moment. “Jameson killed Katie then released Hal Burgess in the file room to frame him.”
Asher was silent a moment then drew a deep breath. He exhaled with an odd relief. “Thank you, Dr. Talbert. You’ve given me closure,” he said with little emotion as the doctor wheezed his last breath. His eyes turned hateful as he looked away from the dead man. “Now, it’s time for revenge.” He patted the dead doctor’s shoulder, straightened, and casually walked down the corridor.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Jacey ran up the stairs to the west wing and bolted out the door and into the hallway on the first floor. She ran along the hallway and turned toward the main corridor, which would take her to the main building. She could hear Jameson in the stairway not far behind her. Jacey suddenly stopped and stared at Dr. Talbert lying on the floor in the hallway several yards ahead. She could see blood surrounding him even from a distance. She hurried along the corridor and slowed when she noticed part of Asher’s cane on the floor. Jacey stared at the dead man with wide, horrified eyes and hurried past him without tearing her eyes from the gruesome sight. She turned and nearly collided with Asher, who held the cane dagger. Jacey let out a startled cry and jumped back with surprise. Asher grabbed her arm and pulled her along the hallway behind him.
“We’ve got to hurry. There’s not a moment to lose.”
“Asher,” she gasped and pointed back to Talbert. “I don’t understand. What--?”
Jacey saw the stairwell door being thrown open behind them as it struck the opposite wall with a crack that echoed throughout the hall. Asher whirled around as Jameson skidded to a halt in the corridor. Jameson raised his gun and fired at them.
“You didn’t tell me you brought friends,” Asher remarked while pulling Jacey along the hallway behind him and down the connecting corridor.
They ran up the stairs to the second floor. As they passed through the stairwell fire doors, Asher slid to a stop on the other side and pulled the fire alarm. The alarm blared loudly.
“That won’t stop him,” she said nervously and looked down the hallway. Asher grabbed the fire hose, pulled it to the door, and tied it through the bars.
“That should hold him for a few minutes,” Asher announced and pulled her along the corridor. “We’ll be in need of the fire department soon enough.”
“Why?”
“I discovered some gasoline cans in one of the storage rooms in the basement. They were taken from my house, though I hadn’t noticed they were missing until I found them here. They intend to burn the remainder of the institution and frame me.”
Jacey was suddenly alarmed. “Maxwell’s still in the basement,” she gasped. “Monique and Coleen are around here somewhere too. I can’t leave without them!”
“Considering the fright I gave them, those girls should’ve reached the others by now. They should be safe,” he announced. “It’s us I’m worried about. In order for their plan to work, I have to die.”
He pulled her past the second floor nurse’s station.
“Maxwell’s been hurt. We have to go back for him,” Jacey said nervously.
“We will, but first we have to get some distance between us and Deputy Jameson.”
He hurried her into the nearby linen closet and closed the door behind them. Asher looked around the old stacks of sheets on the racks then to the linen chute. He opened the small door and looked down the slanted, metal chute. He grabbed some old blankets and tossed them down.
“What are you doing?” she asked with surprise and concern.
“Making a pile at the bottom of the chute,” he replied casually.
“Why?” she demanded to know.
He turned and looked at her matter-of-fact. “So you won’t hurt yourself when you hit the bottom.”
Jacey’s eyes widened. “I’m not going down there!”
“It’s a shortcut to the basement,” he remarked. “I’ll be right behind you.” He suddenly grinned. “It’ll be fun.”
She could hear someone running along the hallway. Jacey frowned, removed her high heels, and climbed into the chute. Asher supported her as she went in feet first. She looked into his eyes briefly. He smiled reassuringly and let her go. Once he released her, she slid down the metal chute. Jacey held back her scream. She landed in the laundry room on a pile of blankets. A hand appeared before her face. Jacey gasped then saw Timon standing over her. She accepted his hand. He pulled her to her feet and looked back at the chute.
“Should I ask?”
“No,” she replied and looked up the chute as well.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked.
Asher didn’t appear. She feared calling up to him. She spun toward Timon and tossed her shoes aside. “Get Sheriff Monroe,” she ordered. “Jameson’s a killer. He’s after Asher on the second floor on the west wing. Get help to him.”
“Where are you going?” Timon asked.
“Maxwell’s been hurt,” she said nervously. “I have to see if he’s alright.”
Timon’s eyes were wide with fear as he nodded. “I’ll get the sheriff.”
Both ran from the basement laundry room in separate directions. Jacey scurried along the corridor and into the first storage area. It took her several minutes to figure which way she needed to go to reach the corridor where she’d left Maxwell. She reached the corridor and saw blood on the wall near the floor. Maxwell wasn’t there. Jacey stood immobile a moment. She then looked toward the corridor that led to the west wing stairs. She hurried to the connecting corridor. She spun around the corner and nearly collided with Jameson. He aimed his gun at her.
“Going somewhere?” he asked with a sly smile.
Jacey stared at the gun as her heart pounded with fear. She didn’t know if Maxwell was even alive, or what had become of Asher, but she had a more immediate problem to consider.
“We’re going to take a little walk now,” he informed her simply and motioned with the gun.
Jacey backed into the main corridor and stared at the gun aimed at her. “Why, Jameson?” she asked sadly. “Why would you do this?”
He frowned and shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand. Don’t think I want to do this,” he said. “I never intended to hurt you, but there’s too much at stake to allow loose ends.”
She was forced to walk along the hallway and through several storage areas. Jacey noticed the gas cans near the wall where Asher said they were. They approached the basement morgue. Jacey made a conscious decision to stop suddenly. She turned to face him and hid her fears.
“You killed Kate Asher, didn’t you?” Jacey demanded with angry, hurtful eyes. “This is all because of what happened ten years ago.”
He shook his head with irritation on his face. “Don’t pretend to know. You don’t have any idea what happened here ten years ago or today, for that matter. The only way to stop this is to burn this place to the ground once and for all. Your cousin and her friend had to get involved. Most of this could’ve been avoided if they’d minded their own business.”
Jacey shook her head with some confusion. “I don’t understand. They didn’t tell me they found anything. What do you think they know?”
“They have the evidence that Kate found,” he remarked. “They took some photos from Roseanne’s belongings while helping Dr. Talbert.” He shook his head with annoyance. “Kate discovered the experiments Dr. Talbert had been conducting in his secret lab. She even took photos. It was necessary to get rid of her before she had a chance to tell anyone.”
“Did you kill her?” Jacey asked firmly. Her fear was quickly turning to anger.
Jameson didn’t respond.
Jacey slowly nodded. “I see,” she announced. Jameson was the reason Asher lost everything and suffered the last decade. She suddenly wanted to see Jameson dead. “So you framed Hal Burgess. Except it didn’t work as planned. Something went wrong.” Jacey almost couldn’t stop her mouth. She’d never been this bold before. She wasn’t sure if she was being brave or stupid at this point, but she wanted answers.
“He was a little smarter than I anticipated. He used the scalpel I’d left behind to cut the straps on his straitjacket. Probably used his feet. By the time I saw the discarded straitjacket, he was already behind me and hit me with my flashlight,” Jameson informed her. “I had no idea he’d set the fires to escape the institution and kill all those people.”
Jacey didn’t want to hear about his guilt. She was becoming increasingly angry and felt her entire body twitch. She felt as if she was about to explode. “Then when the fire broke out,” Jacey snapped, “Dr. Talbert took time to destroy his files; the ones Kate was looking for in the file room. He knew they’d investigate.” Her eyes were hateful and demanding. “When he should’ve been saving patients, he was busy covering his ass.”
Jameson was again silent.
“And he also disconnected the fire alarms. Why?” she asked sternly.
She knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. There was the very real possibility she was channeling all Asher’s anger over the years. Something about herself felt oddly different at that moment. She was no longer herself.
Jameson inhaled deeply with a sad look on his face. “He needed to disconnect the alarms to use the facility for his experiments. The fire alarms were tripped every time he used the lab. He’d forgotten to turn them back on,” Jameson informed her. “Don’t you see, we had to destroy this place, but if it would’ve burned while empty, there surely would’ve been an investigation. Jill created a perfect way out. We needed to blame someone, and since everyone believed Asher was a killer, he was the perfect scapegoat.”
“So you killed Roseanne just to frame Asher?”
He shook his head with wide eyes. “No, of course not. Rosanne resorted to blackmail. She found out what really happened that night from papers she’d taken from Kate’s purse. She finally put it together the night she went with Dr. Talbert to Asher’s house. That’s why she had to be silenced. We never wanted to hurt anyone, but there was just no other way.” He tilted his head with a look of sorrow. “I’m really sorry, Jacey. You know how I feel about you. If you only had remained my girl, you wouldn’t even have been here tonight. None of this would’ve happened. But you had to get involved with Asher and mess around with that scientist. It’s your fault I had to kill him,” he said with some anger in his voice. “It’s because of you that I’ll have to kill those girls as well.” He shook his head violently. “I’m not looking forward to that at all.”
Jacey knew he was feeling trapped and would soon kill her despite his feelings for her. She stared at him and attempted to remain calm until she could think of a way out. Nothing came to mind.
He motioned toward the morgue with his gun. “Inside,” he ordered. “Let’s get this over with.”
Jacey backed against the wall near the door. Her heart pounded harshly and she breathed rapidly. There was a shadowy movement just down the hall behind Jameson. Jacey’s mouth opened slightly with a glimmer of hope, though she didn’t know who it was. She looked back at Jameson and held her breath. She needed to be brave just a minute longer. Her eyes strayed to the diamond tennis bracelet around her wrist. What would Asher do? Her eyes suddenly narrowed and lifted to meet Jameson’s gaze. Her look was chilling and nearly psychotic.
“Poor pathetic Jameson,” she hissed while sneering. “Dr. Talbert is dead, and by now, those girls have told the others about your involvement. You won’t be getting away with anything.” A twisted smile crossed her face as she portrayed Asher. “They know all about you.”
Maxwell appeared in the glow of the red lights with the rusted sling blade in his hands. He no longer wore his jacket, revealing the blood on the shoulder of his white shirt. She attempted to keep her attention on Jameson, but she couldn’t get her mind off Maxwell’s blood or the nearly psychotic look on his face. She knew she needed to be strong now more than ever. She needed to play Asher another minute longer.
Jameson laughed lowly in his throat while shaking his head. “I know what you’re up too, but it won’t work.”
“Give it up, Jameson,” she scoffed and maintained her psychotic demeanor. “Give it up, and maybe you’ll make it out of here alive.” She suddenly grinned and almost mocked him. “But I’m not making any promises.”
By the look in his eyes, something about her struck a nerve with Jameson. He seemed unusually tense now. His arrogant smile again returned.
“Nice try,” he announced. “But, if you don’t mind, I’m short on time.”
“No,” she replied while sneering. “I’d say you’re out of time.”
As Maxwell coiled back, the sling blade parted the air with a distinctive sound. Jameson spun from the sound and gasped to the sight of the sling blade swinging at his head. Jameson ducked. The blade struck the stone wall and cracked the cement. Maxwell pulled back with a loud, animal like growl and swung downward at Jameson, who attempted to aim his gun. Jameson cried out and rolled. The blade sliced Jameson’s side, almost impaling him with the long blade. Jameson cast himself against the wall in a sitting position and aimed the gun at Maxwell. Jacey cried out and kicked Jameson’s arm. The gun flew in the air and slid into the shadows. Maxwell slung the blade as Jameson dove in the direction of the gun. The blade struck the floor roughly, causing sparks. The blade snapped in two. Maxwell tossed it aside and lunged for Jameson. Both men punched each other violently while rolling around the floor. Maxwell punched Jameson several times while straddling his waist. Jameson tossed Maxwell off him. Maxwell tumbled across the floor and clutched his shoulder in agony. He slowly moved to his knees.
Jameson removed the scalpel from his pocket and quickly stood. Jacey screamed and pulled Maxwell to his feet. They ran along the corridor and ducked into one of the darker rooms. Maxwell stopped by the sole red light in the large storage room and smashed the bulb. They ran through the darkness. He toppled several boxes behind them. Jacey could hear Jameson fall over the boxes in the darkness. They continued to run for several minutes until they reached the stairs to the west wing and the gardener’s workshop just before them. Maxwell skidded to a halt and pulled her toward the stairs.
“This way. The west wing,” he announced while gasping for air.
Jacey pulled on him har
shly in the direction of the workshop. “No, this way!”
Maxwell ran after her. They entered the workshop and slammed the door, bolting it behind them. Maxwell breathed heavily and clutched his shoulder painfully. He looked around the workshop and grabbed a hedge clipper. Jacey grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.
“Don’t be stupid,” she shouted.
†
Within the cluttered basement, someone in black dress shoes slipped through the dimly lit area and approached the gas cans stolen from Asher’s house. Black gloved hands dropped the bloodied ax on the floor then lifted the first gas can and doused nearby mattresses with the flammable substance. A match was lit and tossed onto the mattress. The gas ignited and flames swiftly engulfed the mattress against the wall. As the flames brightened the room, Mayor Howard Norad removed his blood covered, black gloves and tossed them into the flames.
Chapter Thirty
Maxwell and Jacey ran from the workshop into the cool night air. The tied horses jumped nervously while watching them. There was a thump against the inside door of the workshop. They ran toward the horses. Jacey untied the paint and mounted without use of the stirrups, allowing the slit in her dress to tear several inches from the sudden movement. There was a loud crack from the workshop. Maxwell untied the black horse and attempted to mount with lack of experience on the nervously dancing horse. There was a crack of a gunshot. Maxwell spun and fell to the ground. The paint horse reared high in the air with a loud squeal. Jacey maintained her balance and stared at Maxwell on the ground while attempting to control the paint horse. She looked to the workshop. Jameson stood in the doorway with his gun aimed at her. Jacey kicked the horse sharply as her only escape. The horse squealed and reared high in the air then bolted forward. She’d forgotten Storm Cloud’s soft touch, and it cost her dearly. She toppled off the back of the horse and hit the ground roughly. Jacey lay motionless a moment as she gasped to catch her breath. Jameson approached. She slowly rolled onto her side and attempted to stand. Jameson aimed the gun at her head. Jacey stared at him from where she knelt. Her eyes remained fixed on the gun he held.
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