Chapter 95
They ate their steaks mostly in silence. After the news of Kaleigh’s death, Wolf hadn’t felt much like talking, nor did he feel very hungry, but he ate nevertheless, an inner sense telling him that he would soon need all the strength he could muster.
“I think we’ve got twelve hours, maybe as much as twenty-four, before they figure out where we are and come gunning for us,” Laura said.
Wolf set his fork down, picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. “I thought you said no one knew about this place?”
“No one does, but if Jennings manages to get in touch with my mother she might mention it.”
“He knows her?”
Laura frowned. “Of course he knows her. I told you, he and my father were best friends. But ever since she married Ruben and moved away they haven’t been close.”
“Why don’t you call her, tell her what’s going on?”
“Come on, Danny. Our relationship isn’t what you’d call loving. As you can imagine I wasn’t the easiest kid in the world to raise.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Wolf said.
Laura glared at him. “Mother already thinks I’m over the edge becoming a cop, and then that whole thing with James Patrick Darby and not marrying Brian. She’s pretty much given up on me. Christ, she’d go frigging nuts if she knew I was harboring a fugitive. I can already hear her.” Laura shook her head. “No. Out of the question.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“We need to talk.”
“Talk?”
“Yeah, you know, move your mouth while sounds come out.”
Wolf frowned. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I think we need to go back to the beginning.”
“The beginning?”
“The start of all the bullshit in your life. Back to your childhood. That’s where this all began, isn’t it? Christ, Wolf.”
Wolf put his hands up defensively and his face went slack. He felt panic rise in him. “I already told the shrink I don’t remember my childhood.”
“Yeah, well I’m not the shrink and we both know that’s bullshit. Everyone remembers their childhood, or at least parts of it. Some people just choose not to remember because it’s uncomfortable or painful. You fucking remember it all right, so why don’t you start talking so I can help get you out of this mess you’ve made of your life.”
“I mean it. I don’t remember.” Wolf got up from the table and took his dishes to the sink. Laura followed suit, not saying anything, wondering how she was going to break through his maddening barriers. After rinsing the dishes they retired once again to the couch in front of the fireplace.
Laura said, “Listen, Danny, I know about Apocalypse Island and the orphanage that mysteriously burned. I know about the children and I’m beginning to understand some of what happened over there.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that and keep right on talking because I think you’re full of shit.”
“Be my guest.”
“Have you ever heard of a CIA program known as MK-ULTRA?”
Wolf shook his head frowning. “How would I know anything about the CIA?”
“They were secret mind control experiments done on children during the cold war.”
Wolf stared.
“Children were tested, trained, altered and used in various ways. The CIA and their monstrous doctors did all kinds of evil things to them. They split their personalities making them compliant slaves. They used electroshock and sensory deprivation and drugs and hypnosis and surgery. They fed them breakfast cereal laced with radioactive elements. They experimented with all kinds of fringe shit, telepathy, telekinesis, ESP. I believe you were one of those children, Danny. You were targeted because you were gifted. You spent the better part of your first eight years on planet earth being brainwashed and programmed by the United States Government.”
“You sound like a fucking lunatic,” Wolf said, “and I don’t want to hear any more of this.”
“Tough shit, Danny, you’re going to listen if I have to put a gun to your head and force you to listen. Got it?”
Wolf licked his lips.
“I’ve been doing some research,” Laura continued. “I know you grew up in a Catholic orphanage. Well, the only Catholic orphanage in the area was on Apocalypse Island.”
“What does that have to do with the CIA and these experiments?” Wolf said.
“Everything, Danny. God damn it, you know I’m right. You just can’t face what happened to you over there. Come on, I’m out on a limb here. Talk to me.”
Wolf pressed his closed fists against his eyes. “Every time I try to go back there, I start hearing and seeing things that make me sick, things that make me want to kill myself.”
“I know, but if you don’t face your demons you’ll never conquer them.”
“I remember the nuns. For the most part I have good feelings about them. They were kind. And I do remember a priest, but I don’t remember his name or what he looked like. But I certainly don’t remember any government guys or experimenters. I remember the priest telling me to look up at the statue of Jesus and pray, and if I do, everything will be all right. All I have to do is cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Is this the same priest you saw yesterday morning? The one that was murdered?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I just don’t remember.”
“Do you remember any of the other kids?”
“I remember other kids being there but it’s all so vague. There were several boys and a couple of little girls. I remember one little girl in particular. She was sweet and shy and even now my heart hurts when I think of her. I don’t remember her name or the names of the others. Tell me you remember things clearly from when you were eight years old.”
Laura watched Wolf carefully. “I remember quite a lot actually, including the names of some of my earlier friends. And I think the reason you don’t remember is because you were told not to.”
“Told?”
“Brainwashed. You’re familiar with the word, aren’t you?”
Wolf heaved a deep sigh. “Every time I try to focus on those years it almost kills me. I’m serious, it causes me physical pain. I see things. I hear things. My head feels like it’s going to explode. I can’t breathe. It’s why I can’t ever go there. It’s like someone’s telling me not to remember.”
“That’s the point, Danny. Someone is. Listen, the government built an aircraft refueling depot over there during WWII, but after the war they stayed on. The facility became a top secret installation. It’s not entirely clear why they chose that particular place. The speculation is that it was isolated and that it contained a population of genetically anomalous people, but I’m not totally convinced that’s the only reason. I went on the web last night and found out a lot of stuff. Because of the Freedom of Information Act, a lot of stuff that used to be secret isn’t any more. One thing’s for certain, though, the CIA’s MK-ULTRA program was real. And they did experiments on human beings. And some of them were kids. And they’re still desperately trying to bury their dirty little secret under the guise of national security.”
“I need to think about this,” Wolf said, as a series of memories began to ease their way out of the darkest recesses of his mind and into the light. He stared out the window at the black void beyond. For a fleeting moment he thought he saw movement and he was on edge.
“It’s true, isn’t it, Danny?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Come on.”
“The shrink, Hardwick, he’s been trying to talk me into hypnosis. He says sometimes it can help to bring things to the surface.”
“Psychiatrists use a method called implanted triggers,” Laura said. “Do you know what that means?”
Wolf nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Memories, even actions that are pre-programmed can be triggered by spoken words or sounds, or almost anything.”
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“Exactly.”
“Hardwick seems especially interested in all this,” Wolf said. “Do you think he knows something?”
“It does sound suspicious,” Laura said. “I think he at least suspects something. That’s why he sought you out.”
“I never even considered that until now.”
“Well, it’s a definite possibility.” Laura said, “Listen, Danny, I took the ferry over to Apocalypse Island this morning and talked to a man. He said that children had been murdered. And he told me he knew that because two of the children belonged to him. He also warned me to stay away. I think someone is threatening people, warning them not to talk about the things they know. I don’t think any of you kids were supposed to have survived that fire.”
“You think they tried to murder us?”
“Yes, I do. But something happened. Some of you got out and I think you were helped.”
“By whom?”
“I don’t know. Maybe staff members? Maybe a mysterious person with an agenda.” Laura paused, staring into Wolf’s eyes.
Wolf’s mouth had gone dry and the fine sheen of sweat that now covered his body felt clammy and close. He stared at Laura and licked his lips.
“According to what I could glean from the internet articles Apocalypse Island was chosen for its isolation and partly because the island contained a breed of misfits,” Laura said. “Sometimes interbreeding can cause strange things to happen, like mutations. Sometimes surprising things occur with mutations, like special physical or mental abilities. My guess would be that the government saw an opportunity to experiment on human beings without having to explain their actions to the public. Nobody cared about those people. They were an embarrassment to the community and so the mainland treated them like lepers, like they didn’t exist. The church cared enough about them to build an orphanage and to take in some of the worst cases. But for some reason they made a deal with the government, probably in exchange for funding, I don’t know, but the church, for some inconceivable reason, allowed them to experiment with certain children.”
“Jesus,” whispered Wolf.
“Certain...special children,” Laura said. “Like you.”
“There’s nothing special about me,” Wolf said.
Laura gazed long and hard at him. “Are you kidding me? How about all the stuff you’ve been telling me about? How you’re able to sense things from a distance, how you’re able to see through someone else’s eyes. You dreamed of that building that exploded and you told me about it. In so doing, you led the cops directly to it. And the moment it exploded you knew. You think those are normal abilities?”
“They’re normal to me.”
“Yes, but they’re not normal to everyone. You have gifts, Danny. And let’s talk about your charisma, your magnetism. God, man, women fall at your feet. That crowd at the bar the other night couldn’t take their eyes off you. You’ve got special abilities, Danny. I don’t know if you were born with them or if you were enhanced by the things done to you. Maybe both. Maybe it’s why you kids were chosen. Maybe it’s why that island was chosen. What if there’s something over there that causes people to be different? Something the government discovered and then tried to exploit. But something went wrong and now they’re trying to bury it.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Danny, I’ve been over there and there’s a feeling about the place I just can’t explain. And the people I met were...different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know. I told you I can’t explain it. Just different.”
“You mean like scary different?”
“No, not really, but being there made me feel...” Laura stopped, searching for just the right word or phrase. “Like I was in the presence of something...extraordinary.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wolf said. “And I don’t remember any experiments.”
“Of course you don’t. They screwed with your heads, brainwashed you, made you forget. I think the government found a wellspring of genetically anomalous people on that island and they exploited them, used them, and then something went wrong so they cut their losses. Maybe they’re the ones who started the fire and then buried everything under the protection of national security. You weren’t supposed to have survived. You’re a loose end.”
“Jesus,” Wolf said.
“And that just might be why the fire and the deaths were never properly investigated,” Laura continued. “The mainland was warned off by a higher power, that being the federal government. And over the years it all just faded into history. Except for one thing. They didn’t count on survivors coming back to haunt them.”
Wolf felt both chilled and feverish. “It’s hard for me to believe that the church and the government could be in cahoots on something so terrible.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Laura said. “For centuries churches have been held hostage by governments. Why do you think they’re even allowed to exist?”
“Freedom of religion?”
“Come on, Danny, those are just words. Churches have to exist within the framework of governments, just like everyone else. And church officials are not immune to corruption.”
Laura grabbed her computer case and extracted the laptop, put it down on the coffee table and turned it on. When the screen lit up she typed in a few key words and a picture came up. It was of a sooty brick Victorian building framed against a wooded hillside. On the face of the building all the way up to the fourth floor, someone had painted a jagged red cross. “Recognize this, Danny boy?”
Wolf squinted at the image on the screen. “Yeah, it’s where our band’s pictures were taken. The same place the band took their earlier photos with Johnny Redman.”
“He was the band’s original singer, right?”
“Yeah, he’s dead. I didn’t know him well. I was in prison when he got murdered.”
“Did you know that his murder was never solved?”
Wolf shook his head. “I told you, I didn’t know him.”
“You know where the idea for the logo came from?”
“The guys said it was Johnny’s. They said he was real passionate about it. We went over to the island one day not long after I joined the band. We took along a photographer and spent most of the day there shooting pictures. The place gave me the creeps.”
“Why do you think the band wanted to keep the original logo?”
“Mike said it’s what Johnny would have wanted. He said he didn’t want to jinx the band by going behind Johnny’s back and doing something totally different.”
“Going behind Johnny’s back? You know how weird that sounds?”
“I just thought they were being loyal.”
“To a dead guy? Something doesn’t smell right.”
Wolf shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“You know what these ruins are?”
“Some old burned out building.”
“It’s what’s left of the orphanage,” Laura said. “It’s where you became a pawn for the CIA, Danny boy.”
Wolf felt something inside him start to unravel.
“What are the chances of it being coincidence?” Laura said. “Someone painted that big red cross on it for a reason.”
“I don’t think the guys in the band knew,” Wolf said. “If they did they didn’t say anything.”
“Are you sure about that, Danny?”
Wolf’s gaze went from the image on the computer screen back to the window and the darkness beyond, his unease amplifying. “No. Suddenly I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
“I think Johnny Redman knew,” Laura said. “I think he knew everything and I think he was murdered because of what he knew.”
“What the hell does Johnny Redman have to do with it?” But even as Wolf mouthed the words he saw some of the children in his mind’s eye. Deep inside the bowels of a secret facility he saw them huddled closely together, frightened like condemned animals, holding
one another, feeling something unnatural working in them, changing them. He remembered the doctors and the technicians and the strange blue light that never went away.
Yes, he was beginning to remember. The children were his friends, his brothers, his sisters, and together they had suffered a terrible ordeal, bonded by something greater than them all. Now he was seeing their faces and reciting their names in his head. It was all coming at him like an out-of-control locomotive. “Oh, shit, you’re right, Laura. I think I might have known him. Jesus, Johnny was there. And Sam and Shaun...and all the rest...”
Chapter 96
Cavanaugh’s house was a neatly kept ornate Victorian on Munjoy Hill with a view of Portland Harbor. Jennings pulled up in front and got out of the car. The place was in total darkness and there were no cars in the yard.
Jennings went to the door and knocked anyway. Maybe he and Kate had reconciled and she was at home. He didn’t really believe that, but he had to do something. He had to believe something.
He put his finger on the doorbell and heard a series of chimes from within the house. He waited, but there was no answer. The front door had sidelight windows. Jennings shielded his face from the streetlights behind him and peered through the glass. He stared for a long time, his eyes adjusting to the house’s dark interior.
“What the hell?” he said, his breath quickening, his blood freezing in his veins. At the end of the long entrance corridor there was a door that led into the living room. Jennings knew this because he’d spent a considerable amount of time here over the years. The door was open and Jennings could see all the way through the living room to the far wall. Something didn’t look right. Christ, it can’t be. It has to be an optical illusion. He squinted, trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was seeing. Damn, he couldn’t be certain. He tried the door latch. It was locked. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped it around his hand and punched his fist through the window closest to the lock. He reached in, unlocked the door and let himself in. Making his way down the corridor, his eyes fixed on the unsettling sight at the end.
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