The Massacre Mechanism (The Downwinders Book 5)

by Michael Richan

  “No, of course not,” Winn replied. “Didn’t Jackson say Daniel had driven down from Spokane?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Parking lot?” Winn asked. “License plates?”

  “Why not.”

  They walked out the front of the busy establishment and around back to a dusty, unpaved parking area. Winn glanced in all directions to see if they were being watched.

  “This makes me nervous,” Winn said. “We look like car prowlers.”

  “Be cool,” Awan replied. “We’re just walking through the parking lot. Try not to be obvious.”

  There were only thirty cars to check out, and Awan quickly spotted the older van with Washington plates in the far corner of the lot.

  “So we wait?” Winn asked.

  “If you want to meet him,” Awan replied. “We could park your Jeep in the spot next to him, and wait until he comes out.”

  “What if he doesn’t? What if he stays in the hotel for days?”

  “Could happen. Depends on how bad you wanna meet him, I guess.”

  “There’s got to be a way to speed things up,” Winn replied. “Use his license plate to get his last name, bribe a bellboy to look up a room number, something like that.”

  As they stood in the parking lot discussing options, a group of a dozen people emerged from the hotel and began filtering through the lanes of cars.

  “Something must have let out,” Winn said. “We’d better go back to your car.”

  As they slowly returned through the parking lot, one man came toward them. He was tall and lean, wearing glasses, and he had a satchel in his hand.

  “Good evening,” Winn said as the man passed, but the man didn’t reply — he seemed deep in thought, as though he hadn’t heard Winn’s words.

  They walked a few paces more, then Winn stopped and slowly turned. The man was headed for the van with the Washington plates.

  “That’s him!” Winn said.

  Awan stopped and looked back with him. “We’d better get to him before he drives off.”

  They quickened their pace, catching up to the man as he unlocked the van’s door.

  “Are you Daniel?” Winn asked.

  The man jumped when Winn spoke, as though the question shocked him out of a trance. He turned to face them. “Yes, I’m Daniel.”

  “My name is Winn, and this is Awan. We were hoping to speak with you for a moment.”

  “Can’t right now, I have to get going,” Daniel replied. “I’ve got a long drive ahead of me.”

  “Going back to Spokane?” Awan asked.

  “No, not Spokane, I…” he paused. “Wait, how do you know where I live?”

  “A friend told us about you,” Awan replied. “We’re in need of some help. Said you were a time expert.”

  Daniel’s eyes darted left and right, then settled back upon the two men. “Some people think that,” he replied. “But I have to get going. I’m late for an appointment.”

  “Maybe we could come with you,” Winn offered. “And explain our situation on the way?”

  “I don’t think so,” Daniel replied, opening the van door. “It’s more than two hours away in a little town called Indian Springs. I doubt you’d want to go there.”

  “I live there,” Awan replied.

  “Oh,” Daniel replied, surprised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by saying...” A blush quickly spread across Daniel’s face as he stammered to a stop.

  “We’re on our way back there now,” Winn replied. “We could caravan. Make sure you get there safely.”

  “Actually,” Daniel said, looking at his vehicle, “I wouldn’t mind that at all. This van isn’t the most reliable thing, and it gave me some trouble on the way down. Maybe…”

  Daniel paused, reaching into his pockets until he found a piece of paper. “Maybe you could help me get to this address? The directions seemed a little crazy to me. I don’t have a GPS and I noticed the signal for my phone is a little spotty out here.” He handed a wrinkled piece of paper to Awan, who smoothed it out before he read it. Awan turned back to Daniel.

  “Why are you going to this place?” Awan asked.

  “Well, that’s my business, isn’t it?” Daniel replied.

  “Who are you meeting?” Awan asked. “Are their names Ernie and Delmar?”

  Daniel looked surprised. “The one I talked to was named Delmar, yes.”

  Awan turned to Winn and they exchanged a concerned look.

  “Can I ask why you’re meeting them?” Winn asked Daniel.

  Daniel sighed. “It’s rather urgent, and I’m running late as it is.” Daniel got into the seat of the van and reached for the door handle.

  “Are they selling you something?” Awan asked.

  Daniel pulled the door closed and rolled down the window. “They are.”

  “I know these people,” Awan replied. “You shouldn’t trust them.”

  “I don’t know that I have much choice,” Daniel replied, looking at his watch. “I need what they’re selling before sunrise.”

  Awan handed the paper back to Daniel. “I know right where they live,” he said. “Why don’t you follow us? We’re in the Jeep over there.” Awan pointed to Winn’s vehicle in the other corner of the parking lot.

  “I appreciate that,” Daniel said. “Once I get what I need from them, I’ll be happy to try and help you.”

  “Can we exchange phone numbers real quick,” Winn asked, “just in case we get separated on the road?”

  “Sure,” Daniel said, giving Winn his number. Winn punched it into his phone and made a call; they heard Daniel’s muffled phone ringing. Daniel fished it out of his pocket and held it up for them to see. “Got it,” he said.

  “Great,” Awan replied, turning to go back to Winn’s Jeep. “Just follow us. We’ll get you there.”

  They ran back to the Jeep and got inside. By the time they maneuvered out of the lot, Daniel was right behind them, waiting for them to pull out onto Highway 95.

  “Damn, we’re lucky,” Winn said. “Another five minutes and we’d have missed him.”

  “I’d say he’s lucky,” Awan replied. “Another five minutes, and he’d have been headed to Ernie and Delmar’s on his own.”

  ▪ ▪ ▪

  Winn stopped his Jeep in almost the same spot he used when they last visited the trailer on the outskirts of Indian Springs many months ago.

  “Have you dealt with these fuckers since we tainted them?” Winn asked.

  “Nope, haven’t heard from them at all,” Awan replied. “But I’m sure whatever it is they’re up to, it’s not legit.”

  Winn saw Daniel’s van come to a stop behind him. He turned off the Jeep’s motor and reached for the glove compartment, removing a pistol. As they got out of the Jeep, he tucked it under his belt, behind his back. They walked to Daniel, who rolled down his window.

  “Why are we stopping here?” Daniel asked.

  “I want to talk to you before we walk up to their house,” Awan said. “I’ve had dealings with these two before. I don’t know why you’re out here to meet them, but you should know they’re not reputable.”

  “Why do you say that?” Daniel asked suspiciously.

  “Well,” Winn replied, “the last time we dealt with them, they were blackmailing locals with hauntings if they didn’t pay up. We put a stop to it.”

  “So we aren’t very popular with these two,” Awan said.

  Daniel sighed and turned off the motor to his van. He opened the door and got out, looking at Awan and Winn. “Listen, they said they could sell me Caller residual. Do you know what that is?”

  “I know Callers,” Awan replied. “But I’ve never heard of Caller residual.”

  “It’s a trace substance Callers leave behind whenever they move, like footsteps. It fades quickly, but if it’s harvested properly before it disappears, it can be kept in small vials lined with lead. I need some to stop a timeslip that will initiate at the first light of day.”

  “A times
lip?” Winn asked.

  “No time to explain it all right now,” Daniel said, looking at his watch. “It’s nearly midnight, and I was supposed to be here at 11. If they have any, I need to buy it and get on with things. It’ll take me a little while to make the compound I need. I don’t want to cut this too close.”

  “These two have had dealings with Callers in the past,” Awan said, “so it’s possible they really do have some to sell you. But they’ll try to scam you somehow. I suggest you let us come with you when you meet them. Otherwise you might be walking out of here with nothing, or worse.”

  Daniel looked perplexed. “How do I know you two are telling me the truth?” He glanced at each of them. “Maybe you’re waiting until I have the residual, and intend to jump me.”

  Winn pulled the paper from his pocket and unfolded it, exposing the symbols. “We need help translating this. A ghost in Goldfield told us that these symbols are time shifted, that the only way to decipher them is to time shift to the same differential that was used to create them. That’s why we need your help. That’s our only motivation here.”

  Daniel took the page from Winn’s hands. The light from the nearly full moon overhead allowed a dim reading of the sketches. He tilted the paper to one side and squinted his eyes at it.

  Winn watched as Daniel’s image began to shake slightly, as though he was suddenly viewing the man through a piece of glass that had begun to vibrate. It subsided quickly, and Daniel handed the paper back.

  “Yes, it’s time differentiated,” Daniel said.

  “You can tell just by looking at it?” Awan asked.

  “I can shift an increment either way on my own,” Daniel said. “I saw it change when I shifted.”

  “Can you read it?” Winn asked.

  “No, it shifts to garbage,” Daniel said. “You need the right differential.”

  “Wow, no pot!” Awan said. “You can shift without pot?”

  “I developed the skill many years ago,” Daniel said. “Trust me, I started with pot. Eventually I learned how to do it on my own.”

  “Amazing,” Winn said.

  “Not really,” Daniel replied. “I can only do it for a moment, and half the time it gives me a headache. I only learned how to do it to prove to myself I could.”

  “Let us go with you up to Ernie and Delmar’s,” Awan said. “We’ll make sure they don’t take advantage of you. The only thing we ask is that you point us in the right direction to get these symbols figured out.”

  “Alright,” Daniel said. “How much farther up this road?”

  “Not more than a minute,” Awan replied. “Just over a hill. We go on foot so they don’t see us coming.”

  “Lead on,” Daniel said, and Awan turned to head down the dirt road.

  It didn’t take long for the lights of the trailer to appear in the distance, and as they got closer to it, the sound of a thumping bass increased. The music inside was so loud it was vibrating the trailer’s windows, causing the patches of light cast onto the ground surrounding the trailer to shake as if an earthquake were occurring.

  Winn recognized the music. “Dark Side of the Moon,” he said to Awan. “I wonder what they’re doing inside.”

  “That’s an easy guess,” Awan replied. “I’ll go up to the door and knock with Daniel. You stand back and stay ready for anything.”

  “Will do,” Winn said, reaching for the gun behind his back.

  “What’s that for?” Daniel asked upon seeing the firearm.

  “In case things go south,” Winn replied. “They’re unpredictable.”

  Winn saw Daniel gulp, then turn to follow Awan as they walked to the door of the trailer, stepping around metal lawn chairs and a rusted BBQ.

  Awan knocked, but the volume of the music easily drowned it out. He pounded on the door with his fist, and kept pounding. Suddenly the music quieted, and Awan stepped back behind Daniel.

  The door swung open, and light from the trailer spilled out, illuminating Daniel. Smoke billowed out and down the steps, filling the air with the pungent aroma of weed.

  Everyone’s high tonight, Winn thought, remembering Jackson.

  “You Daniel?” came the voice from the shadow in the doorway.

  “I am,” Daniel replied.

  “You’re late!” the voice replied.

  “Sorry about that.”

  “Come on in,” the voice said, and the shadow stepped back, allowing the lights inside the trailer to illuminate the person at the door. It was Delmar.

  “I brought a couple of friends,” Daniel said as he stepped into the trailer.

  “Oh? Who’s that?” Delmar said, slowly turning back to Daniel. When he managed to get all the way around, both Awan and Winn had followed Daniel inside and were standing behind him.

  Winn saw Delmar’s eyes go wide. Delmar reached out with his arms as he stumbled backward and landed sideways on a kitchen chair, sending a stack of magazines on the table next to him flying.

  “Ernie!” Delmar cried. “Ernie!”

  Winn heard footsteps behind him and turned to see a dark shape rushing down the small trailer corridor toward him. As the figure emerged, the knife in his hand caught the kitchen light.

  Winn stepped aside as Ernie lunged, and the man hit a kitchen counter with a thud that rocked the entire trailer.

  “Fuck!” Ernie cried as he landed in a heap on the floor. “Fuck! I’m stabbed!” He rolled over, exposing a knife sticking out of his side.

  “Good god!” Daniel exclaimed.

  “Don’t pull it out!” Awan warned. “Leave it in, or you’ll bleed to death before you get to the hospital.”

  “What do you care, anyway?” Ernie said. “You fucked us both up. We’re both sick because of you.”

  “You stabbed him!” Delmar said, rushing to Ernie’s side.

  “He stabbed himself,” Winn replied. “Fell on his knife.”

  “He stabbed me, Delmar!” Ernie whined.

  “Look, we all saw what happened,” Awan said. “Sell this man what he came for, and we’ll let you call an ambulance.”

  “Fuck off!” Delmar said. “We ain’t selling you nothing!” Delmar stood up and walked toward Winn, his chest thrust out like a rooster.

  Winn punched at Delmar’s throat and spun him into a headlock. “You told our friend you’d sell him something. What was it?”

  Delmar was sputtering in the headlock, still dazed by the hit.

  “What did you say you’d sell him?” Winn repeated.

  Delmar’s face started to go red.

  “Let him go!” Ernie yelled, wincing at the pain in his side.

  “Then you tell me,” Winn said to Ernie. “What were you going to sell my friend here?”

  Ernie stared back at him, his face betraying his confusion.

  “Think!” Winn yelled, still holding Delmar in the headlock. “What were you going to sell him?”

  “Uh…” Ernie stammered, trying to recall.

  “You don’t remember?” Awan asked.

  “Of course I remember,” Ernie replied. “I got a knife stickin’ in me, by the way!”

  “What were you going to sell him?” Winn repeated.

  “Pot,” Ernie replied.

  “Caller residue,” Delmar sputtered from within Winn’s headlock.

  “Yeah, Caller residue,” Ernie echoed. “That’s it. But we ain’t sellin’ it to you now.”

  “You don’t have any, do you?” Awan asked.

  “We do!” Ernie replied.

  “What were you going to do?” Awan asked. “Lure him out here, get him high, and rob him? That was your plan, wasn’t it?”

  “Oh!” Daniel said, surprised. “Really?”

  “These two make a living finding ways to scam gifteds,” Awan said to Daniel. “Or by using River things to scam normal people. Either way, there’s always some con.”

  “That’s not true,” Delmar squeaked. “We have the residue!”

  “Delmar!” Ernie shouted. “Don’t sell
these assholes anything! They’re the reason we gotta do the dialysis!”

  “I ain’t gonna sell it to them,” Delmar replied. “I just don’t like them calling us liars.”

  “If you have some, show me,” Awan said.

  Ernie chuckled. “Fat chance,” he said.

  “The longer we wait to conclude our transaction,” Winn said, “the longer you’ll sit there with a knife in your side.”

  Winn saw Ernie exchange glances with Delmar.

  “Where is it?” Winn asked, shaking Delmar’s head.

  Ernie yelped in pain. “Aw, shit,” he moaned. “Just tell ’em, Delmar. I gotta get to a hospital!”

  “Well?” Winn asked, shaking Delmar’s head once again.

  “In there,” Delmar said, looking up at a dark wooden breadbox on the kitchen counter.

  Awan walked to it and lifted the rolling slats; they slid up and behind the breadbox, revealing a trove of pill bottles.

  “Which one is it?” Awan asked.

  “Green bottle, about yea big,” Delmar said, raising his hand to hold his fingers two inches apart.

  Awan searched through the bottles until he located one that fit the description. He held it out for Delmar to see. “This it?”

  “Yeah,” Delmar sputtered.

  Awan handed the bottle to Daniel, who quickly opened the bottle’s lid and sniffed.

  “Well?” Winn asked, still holding Delmar in the headlock.

  Daniel tipped the bottle so he could look inside. “I don’t see anything.”

  “It’s in there,” Delmar said. “I put it in there myself.”

  Daniel held the glass bottle up to the light. “I can see right through this bottle!” Daniel said. “It’s not lined with lead!”

  “So?” Delmar sputtered.

  “So,” Daniel replied, placing the cap back on the bottle, “whatever you put inside is gone. Caller residue has to go into a lead-lined bottle.”

  Daniel handed the bottle back to Awan, who tossed it into the breadbox, knocking over other plastic pill bottles. “No sale, gentlemen,” Awan said. “Nice seeing ya.”

  Winn released Delmar, who stood upright and took a deep breath. “No one told me you had to use a lead jar!” Delmar replied.