by Mary Abshire
Andrew unlocked his seatbelt and let it slide away from him. They continued up to the second floor and hadn’t noticed the dinged-up sedan. Emily turned the corner leading to the third level. Most of the parking spots were empty.
“There.” She pointed.
The blonde shut her door. She wore dark-blue scrub pants and a white top with some kind of design on it. Her black aura sealed her fate. In her hands, she carried a cup, purse, and lunch bag.
“She works here,” Andrew said as Emily sped around the corner. He reached in the backseat and snatched his multi-colored button-down shirt. He’d removed it earlier since it had long sleeves and he’d gotten hot. Now that he had to walk in public, he needed the top to hide the tattoo on his arm.
“I’m guessing she’ll take the stairs.” She sped to the next level. Reaching the doors to the stairwell, she came to a stop.
He hurried to exit the car. “I’ll text you.”
“I’ll be here. Don’t lose her.”
After he shut the door with his shirt in hand, he headed for the stairwell. Along the way he slid one arm at a time through the sleeves. His pulse quickened with excitement. He hadn’t stepped foot inside a hospital since the night he died in 1989. While he doubted much had changed, curiosity still flourished inside him.
He entered the stairwell and smelled thick musty air along with garbage from the overflowing trashcan. He paused by the railing and glanced over it. Someone wearing a white shirt descended the steps. Although he couldn’t confirm it was the demon, he began to follow. The light taps of his footsteps on the concrete were as quiet as the person also traveling downstairs. Halfway past the third level, the door flew open and a woman wearing maroon scrubs appeared. Andrew continued to pursue the person one floor below him. When he heard the loud clacks from the main floor, he jogged down the remaining steps.
He left the stairwell and followed twenty feet behind the woman with the black aura. Her blonde ponytail swayed. As she headed for the children’s entrance, he withdrew his phone from his pocket. He fired off a message to Emily to let her know he was following the demon inside the hospital.
The doors slid to the sides as the demon neared the entrance. She walked into the building and disappeared from his sight. Fearing he might lose track of her, he quickened his pace. He had a hunch she worked in pediatrics given her history with kids. Hospitals were easy places to get lost in. If he couldn’t spot her inside, he knew what department to check out first.
He passed through the first set of sliding doors and then another. Two older ladies sat behind a check in desk on the left. A small waiting area with chairs and a television were located on the other side of the walkway.
Down the hall, he saw the demon standing with another woman in dark-blue scrubs and waiting for an elevator. He came to a halt and spun so his back faced them. Thinking fast, he withdrew his phone so anyone watching him wouldn’t suspect anything unusual. When he heard the soft ding behind him, he began to twist around. From the corners of his eyes, he saw the two females enter an elevator. He returned his cell to his pocket and continued down the hallway.
By the time he reached the elevator, it was on its way up, according to the digits illuminating above the closed doors. He pushed the call button. The number three above the elevator the demon had entered stayed lit up for several seconds. The nurse who had been behind him on the stairs came to stand nearby. Behind him, one of the other elevators chimed. Being the gentleman he had been raised to be, he waited for the lady to enter first.
“What floor?” she asked after she hit the button for eight.
“Three please,” he said while he studied the dashboard across the hall. The number seven remained illuminated. He guessed the demon had gotten off on either that floor or the one he was heading to.
The nurse tapped the button for him. Within seconds, they were on their way up.
After a short ride, he exited the elevator. The baby prints on the wallpaper near the ceiling led him to believe he’d chosen the right floor to find the demon.
Andrew stayed on the path leading right since he heard people talking. He reached a nursing station and scanned for the demon. Three women were busy behind the counter. None of them had a black aura. He slid his hands into his pockets and kept walking. Some of the rooms along the wall on his right contained occupants, others had empty beds, and a few of the doors were shut. He came up to another checkpoint with two nurses, one male and one female. Both were busy chatting. He continued and reached the neonatal intensive care unit, NICU for short. Clear glass took up half of the wall. Babies were on the other side, each in their own tub or incubator. He couldn’t help smiling at the little creatures. While some had blue name cards and others had pink, all of infants had soft white auras. They were so full of life and opportunities. Inside the room, two female nurses were checking the babies. Not seeing the demon, Andrew moved on.
The hallway led him to another station where a woman sat behind the counter and another nurse with a telling aura was bent over, digging in a drawer. She rose as he made it to the end of the work area. His hunch had been right. The demon worked in pediatrics.
Andrew withdrew his cell from his pocket as he strolled down the hall. He quickly typed up a message for Emily.
“Can I help you sir?” a nurse with dark hair asked as she approached him.
“Is this the neonatal area or pediatrics?” he asked as he pointed his thumb behind him.
“This is neonatal. Pediatrics is a little bit further down the hall.” She gestured with her arm.
“And what floor is human resources located on?”
“Are you looking for a nursing position or an office one?”
“Nursing.”
She twisted and pointed. “HR is on the twelfth floor. Elevators are down and to the right. Take them up, then follow the signs on the walls. Ask for Cathy. She handles all the nurse applications.”
“Great. Thank you.”
Andrew slid his phone back into his pocket as he passed her. The message he was about to send to Emily could wait. Besides, he had an idea and wanted to see how far he could take it. The demon worked as a nurse, and so had he many years ago. He had a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Loyola University in Chicago and had been working toward a medical degree to follow in his father’s footsteps when Andrew had died. Healthcare couldn’t have changed too much over the last twenty-seven years. At any rate, he considered himself pretty smart and could quickly learn things. And since he already had experience as a nurse, he felt confident he could handle working in the same field. Moreover, he’d been good at his job and had enjoyed it greatly. Helping and caring for people had given him a sense of accomplishment.
Finding the elevators, he stopped and hit the call button. The plan he had in mind might not work, but he figured it was worth a shot. Emily had risked her life and has almost been sent to prison while trying to get him close to the previous demons. Maybe this time he could spare her from getting hurt or in trouble. If his scheme came together the way he hoped, she could relax for a change while he did all the work to get near the demon to destroy it.
Chapter Two
Emily sipped more coffee from the thermos as she waited in the Jeep. After she’d dropped off Andrew, she’d parked to the side of the stairwell, facing the back of the hospital. The steel building stood around fifteen stories tall, she guessed. It looked modern, unlike the beige garage with cracked and crumbling concrete walls. While she relaxed in her seat, cars sped by behind her as employees arrived for work. Vibrations from the ground made their way through the Jeep. The jolts helped her stay awake, but they were also annoying.
She set her drink back in the cup holder and let out a sigh. The progress they’d made on tracking their current target had been slow. Although Emily had uncovered information about Susan’s previous marriages, she hadn’t found any solid information to indicate how bad the demon was. All Emily had to go on was the fact she’d lost her children and prior marriages
. Emily couldn’t get access to tax records or credit reports since she didn’t have the woman’s social security number. Emily had managed to get her date of birth, the names of her spouses, and the addresses she’d lived at previously. She’d even managed to determine the woman had no criminal history, but that was it. Getting details such as bank records, credit history, employment history and wages were out of Emily’s grasp without the woman’s personal nine digits. Since Emily refused to ask Troy for help, she had to work with the little she’d found. Curiosity gnawed at her to find out more. What had this demon done?
Andrew’s guess had been a good one. His speculation regarding the deaths of her kids made sense. Emily had a difficult time believing it, but deep down she suspected he was right. It made Emily sick to think a mother or anyone could hurt kids.
She shook the disgusting thoughts from her mind and gazed at the blue sky. A plane the size of an ant left a contrail as it ascended. Life in Missouri seemed peaceful and quiet. The change of scenery and slower pace appealed to Emily. She’d grown up in suburban Chicago and had spent nearly two weeks in New York City with Andrew. The traffic and business of the big cities had taken a toll on her. She was more than ready to enjoy life at a reduced speed.
Her phone buzzed, stealing her attention. She withdrew her cell from the slot under the dashboard near the gearshift and checked the screen. Andrew’s messaged said to pick him up at the children’s entrance in five minutes. He’d even used the word please.
Smiling, she returned the phone to its resting place. The angel had a way of doing that to her, brightening her day and making her laugh. She knew he’d been teasing her when he’d said the comment about her spending his hard earned money. He’d tried repeatedly to give every penny to her, but she’d declined. She thought he might consider going his own way if he had funds. She’d even mentioned it to him. He’d told her he enjoyed working with her and since she wouldn’t take the money, she was forcing him to stay. His quirky reason made her chuckle every time she thought about it. Aside from his muscular physique and big cock, which she refused to tell him since it would inflate his ego, the man had a great sense of humor. In all honesty, he had a lot of qualities she admired.
She backed the car out of the parking spot after the last vehicle passed by. Cars sped by her on the way to the main level. She reached the exit with a single bar blocking her from leaving. An older man with short white hair and glasses sat in a small booth in front of the horizontal bar. The attendant slid his see-through door to the side. She handed him the ticket she’d pulled from the machine when she’d entered the garage. While he processed it, she reached behind the passenger seat and fished her wallet from her purse on the floor.
“Three dollars, please,” the attendant said.
She removed the cash from her billfold and then handed it to him.
“Do you need a receipt?” he asked.
“No thanks.” She returned the wallet to her purse.
“Have a good day,” he said as the bar rose in front of the Jeep.
“Thanks. You too.”
Emily drove from the garage and quickly scanned her surroundings to determine the best way to get back to the entrance to pick up Andrew. The street continued straight and to the right. If she continued forward, the road appeared to lead behind the hospital, taking her away from the spot she needed to get to. If she turned, the street ran into another one that seemed to go around the garage. She turned the corner.
The route to the pick-up point took two minutes too long thanks to the incoming traffic, but she finally made her way to Andrew. He stood near the curb, holding a piece of paper. Her heart gained extra beats upon seeing him. They’d had a few problems in New York, but they’d managed to work them out. He’d been treating her with more respect. Yes, he still flirted constantly. The twenty-six-year-old horny man had a body any woman would lust for. She marveled at it every chance she could. His dark hair needed trimming soon. More waves in his locks had formed since she’d found him almost four weeks ago. She couldn’t deny she had an attraction toward him. The more time she spent with him, the more her body craved him. She stopped the car in front of him.
“What’s that?” she asked after he’d gotten in the car and had set the paper on the dashboard.
“It’s an employment application,” he said.
Emily drove away from the curb. “Why do you have an application?”
“I think the demon works in the neonatal care department. That’s where I found her. If I can get a job working there, then I can get close to her and find a way to kill her.”
Emily wondered if he had lost his mind. When she reached the main exit she said, “That’s a hospital with people everywhere. How can you kill someone and not be seen? How can you even get a job there? You’re dead to everyone.”
“I have experience as a nurse. I interned as one while I was working on my medical degree.”
The light changed and she steered back onto the main road. Traffic had increased in the little time they’d been at the hospital, but it still didn’t compare to Chicago or New York.
“Yeah, but that was in the eighties. They’ll pull your social security number and find out you died,” she said.
“I’ll use Spencer Reynolds as my name.”
“But they’ll still run your social. It’s a hospital. I’m sure they check out everyone’s background.” At least she hoped they did.
“That’s where I will need your help, or rather Troy’s help.”
She pressed her lips together and took her eyes away from the road briefly to glare at him.
“I know you don’t want to contact him,” he said. “I would prefer you didn’t. In fact, if you want, I will call him. All I need for him to do is change my name and the dates of my degree and employment records. I’m sure there is a way he can set up Spencer using my old education and employment information.”
“After what happened in New York, do you really think he will be willing to help you?”
Andrew had pissed off Troy so much her best friend tried to bribe her to work for him so she would get away from Andrew. Troy believed Emily might get hurt or in trouble if she stayed with Andrew. When Andrew admitted he’d been the reason for Emily’s brief imprisonment, Troy’s attitude toward the angel quickly changed. Troy would’ve killed Andrew if he’d thought Emily wouldn’t get upset. But he had given Andrew a black eye. The two men in her life were no longer on good speaking terms.
“If I explain the situation, maybe he’ll be willing to assist me,” Andrew said. “I have money now, so I can pay him if that’s what he wants. I’d rather give the cash to you, but this job will help me get close to the demon. There won’t be a need for you to take any risks.”
If he mentioned the words money and no risk to Emily, Troy might consider helping Andrew.
“Say you manage to talk him into fixing your records… How will getting a job there help you get rid of her?” Emily asked.
“I don’t have to kill her in the hospital. But most hospitals have hidden rooms that are seldom used. Even if I can’t find a place, I’ll know her schedule since I’ll be working with her. Best of all, I’ll have access to a world of drugs that can be used to kill her.”
His theory started to make sense. By getting to know her and the people she worked with, he could find out her hours to help him plan his move. And since he’d have access to drugs, he could get something to kill her with.
“Are there security cameras?” she asked.
“I saw some near the exits and nursing stations.”
“They probably monitor where they store the drugs too.”
He lowered his window a quarter of the way. “I know there is risk of getting caught. We’re always going to run into that issue. But I know what to do inside a hospital. The only problem is that it takes time to figure out where things are and how to get access to things. Getting to know people will take time too.”
“Are you thinking we’ll be here a while?�
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“My guess would be a month.”
“That long?” She inhaled a deep breath as she slowed the Jeep before a stoplight. Emily didn’t know what to think about staying in Springfield for so long. She fancied the thought of settling in one place for a while, but she also couldn’t sit around and do nothing. Finding a place to live for a month was another issue. Since they’d arrived, they’d been sleeping at the Holiday Inn Express. They would need to find an apartment or house to rent.
“It could take longer, but my plan is better than sitting out at the end of her street day after day, waiting for her to be alone. If we keep watching her that way, someone will eventually see us and call the cops,” he said.
The light flashed green and she accelerated.
“We’re going to need a cover story if we’re going to stay in town that long. People will want to know about our past, where we’re from, etc. And we’ll need a new home,” she said.
“You mean you can’t continue to play a prostitute and I can’t be your pimp?”
A grin spread on her face before she could stop it. “My whoring days are over.”
Playing the role of a hooker had been difficult in New York. She’d disliked the way men had looked at her and when they’d touched her while she’d been dancing in the nightclub. Portraying a prostitute left a bad taste in her mouth and she hoped she’d never have to anything like that again.
“Between the two of us, I’m sure we can create a tale to fool everyone,” he said. “We seem to be good at it.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, and I don’t know how we got to be so good.”
“Because we’re a team and we work well together. It’s that simple. You’re the bread and I’m the butter. I complement you and make you taste better.”
Laughter burst from her. “You make me taste better?”
“It’s an analogy. I’m sure you’re quite tasty without any butter or … other things.”
She glanced away from the road once, then again. Both times she found him staring at her in a way that led her to believe his thoughts weren’t exactly angelic. How the conversation had gone from him getting a job at the hospital to sexual flirtations boggled her mind. The man had a habit of doing it too.
