‘I retrieved the security footage from the Bailey’s store earlier today’ Jake told her. ‘When we watched it back it seems Mr Bailey wasn’t alone when he collapsed.’
‘Okay,’ she replied in confusion, ‘so what’s that got to do with him being ill? Because I’m telling you now, he has no evidence of injuries at all, especially one that would cause a coma.’
‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that,’ Jake shook his head, ‘the footage showed a very tall figure dressed in black. There was some sort of interference on the recording which obscured his face so we couldn’t get an ID, but the tape very clearly shows him reaching into Mr Bailey’s chest and when he withdrew his hand he was holding some kind of ball of light.’
‘I’m sorry what?’ she frowned rubbing her temples tiredly, ‘some guy shows up at the Bailey’s store and reaches into Mr Bailey’s chest? I told you he doesn’t have any kind of injury, not so much as a bruise.’
‘I know,’ Jake told her pointedly.
‘Well Jesus,’ she blew out a breath, ‘you think it’s some sort of supernatural creature?’
‘It seems to be a distinct possibility,’ Mac interrupted.
‘God,’ she muttered, ‘I’m too tired for this. I wish Olivia was here, this is her deal.’
‘Believe me we wish she was here too, but she isn’t and neither is Charles,’ Jake replied, ‘so until that changes we’re on our own.’
‘You think whatever it is was left behind when we closed the gate?’ she asked.
‘It seems to be the most logical explanation,’ Mac answered.
‘The problem is,’ Jake threw a look at his boss, ‘we need to figure out what it is before anyone else gets hurt.’
‘I think it’s already too late for that,’ Louisa sighed.
‘What do you mean?’
‘One of my interns collapsed yesterday evening. She hasn’t regained consciousness and is showing the same symptoms as Mr Bailey. We’re trying to stabilize her, but like Mr Bailey, her vitals are all over the place, it’s like her body is just trying to give up. We’ve got them both on life support at the moment.’
‘Damn it,’ Mac swore.
‘There’s something else you should see,’ she told them cryptically as she moved towards the door.
They followed her through the hospital corridors in silence until they reached a private room. They stepped through and saw a young attractive woman with pale blonde hair lying still and lifeless on the bed, attached to various tubes and beeping monitors.
‘This is Hayley Adams, she’s one of my interns,’ Louisa told them as she rounded the bed and beckoned them closer. Satisfied she had their attention she leaned over her patient and very carefully peeled back one of the girl’s eyelids to reveal her pale colorless eyes.
‘I take it that’s not her usual eye color?’ Mac frowned.
‘No she usually has really blue eyes, like forget me nots.’
‘Is there any medical condition that could cause this?’
‘We see something similar in older patients, and it’s usually caused by cataracts, a condition very easily corrected by minor surgery but these aren’t cataracts. I’ve had a colleague who specializes in optometry check thoroughly and her eyes are still fully intact, it’s like they just drained of color.’
‘And Mr Bailey is showing the same symptom?’
Louisa nodded.
‘So Hayley has been an intern of yours for how long?
‘She’s been here for several months now, she’s very bright, driven and hardworking.’
‘Does she live alone?’
‘No, she shares an apartment with Lucas Garcia, one of the other interns.’
‘Was she found at her apartment?’
Louisa shook her head again. ‘She was found here in the hospital.’
‘Nobody saw anything?
‘No, she was taking a break down on one of the lower levels and before you ask, that particular corridor didn’t have any surveillance but you can check the rest of the cameras.’
Mac nodded. ‘We’ll do that, how about this Lucas Garcia? Is he in today?’
‘He’s on rotation in the ER at the moment, you should be able to find him down there.’
‘Okay, I’ll take the intern,’ Mac turned to Jake, ‘you head down to the security office and check out the footage. See if this stranger shows up anywhere else.’
Jake nodded and watched silently as Mac slipped out of the room before turning to his sister.
‘I want you to be careful.’
‘Jake come on, I’m perfectly safe.’
‘I expect that’s what Hayley Adams thought too.’
‘Alright fair point,’ she conceded grudgingly.
‘’Look until we figure out who this guy is or even what he is, you need to be careful. We don’t know how he’s picking his victims or what he’s doing to them. So just make sure you’re not on your own if you can help it.’
‘I’ll try,’ she sighed, ‘but I still have a job to do.’
He wrapped his arms around her and dropped an affectionate kiss on her head.
‘I’ll stop by and see you and Tommy later.’
Louisa nodded and watched as he also stepped from the room.
Jake was deep in thought as he approached the security office. Knocking lightly on the door and entering he found the security guard, who would normally be seated in front of the screens, standing off to the side of the small enclosed room, his arms folded in front of him and a scowl on his face. In front of him was a technician kneeling on the ground with a hard drive in several pieces.
‘Hey Todd,’ he nodded to the security guard, someone he’d known since high school.
‘Jake,’ he replied.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Something’s wrong with the equipment, we keep getting a line of interference over several of the cameras.’
Jake glanced over at the screens on the wall, some still showed feeds from the cameras and a couple were showing snowy static.
‘Is it constant?’ Jake asked, ‘the interference? Is there a pattern to it?’
‘Nope, doesn’t happen all the time. We caught it on some of the cameras last night. They’ve been checked and they seem to be working just fine but Kurt here can’t seem to find the root of it.’
The skinny tech looked up and scowled back at Todd.
‘I know how to do my job but I’m telling you it isn’t a hardware problem.’
‘And I know I wasn’t imagining it, I got the tapes to prove it.’
‘You have recordings?’ Jake repeated.
‘Yeah, because some of us know how to do our jobs properly.’
‘Now just a minute,’ Kurt threw down the screwdriver clutched in his fist.
‘Whoa, time out you two,’ Jake stepped in between them and turned to Todd. ‘Can I see the recordings.’
‘Sure,’ he replied, still shooting daggers at Kurt as if somehow it were all his fault.
He hit a few buttons and turned back to the screens.
‘Take a look at three, four, eight and twelve.’
Jake flicked back and forth between the four different screens.
‘These were taken last night?’ he queried.
‘Yeah.’
Jake turned back to the screens and watched. Although each feed was taken from a different camera, in different parts of the hospital, they all showed the same thing. A tall thin dark clothed man wearing a wide brimmed hat and a line of interference running across the screen obscuring the features of his face.
‘This man,’ Jake leaned forward and tapped the screen, ‘have you seen him in the hospital before?’
Todd squinted, leaning closer to the screen as if noticing for the first time.
‘No,’ he shook his head frowning lightly. ‘I’d remember someone like that, he’s pretty distinctive. He looks like he’s at least seven feet tall.’
‘You’re
sure?’
‘Positive.’
‘Can I get a copy of these?’
‘No problem,’ Todd replied, ‘I’ll get them sent over to the station for you.’
‘Appreciate it,’ Jake nodded.
As Jake stepped out of the small airless room, the sound of raised voices began once again. Ignoring them he clicked the door closed behind him and headed down to the main entrance where Mac was waiting for him.
‘Any luck?’ he asked as he approached.
Mac shook his head.
‘Roommate didn’t know anything. What about you?’
‘Same thing on the security cameras that we saw in the Bailey’s store, tall dark figure, face obscured by interference. Todd’s going to send the footage over to the station.’
‘Damn, so it looks as if it’s the same guy then.’
‘Looks like.’
‘According to the roommate Hayley had been fine in the days leading up to the incident, she wasn’t acting strange and she hadn’t mentioned being followed. Both she and Mr Bailey have nothing in common, no connection that I can see.’
‘Could be he’s picking his victims at random then,’ Jake mused. ‘Opportunity?’
‘Maybe,’ Mac agreed. ‘I think you should go talk to Veronica.’
‘What?’ his eyes widened in panic, ‘why?’
‘Is there a problem?’
‘No,’ he shook his head, ‘why, why would there be a problem?’
‘You’re just acting weird,’ he shrugged, ‘anyway, she’s the best person we’ve got when it comes to research and you said yourself she has access to all of Olivia’s books. Show Veronica the security footage from the Bailey’s store and see if she can figure out what that thing is and what that ball of light was.’
‘Maybe you should go and see her instead?’
‘Jake,’ Mac frowned, ‘what’s wrong with you? I thought you two were friends.’
‘We were,’ he shook his head, ‘I mean we are.’
Mac looked down at his watch.
‘I’m due back at the station, I don’t have time for this,’ he shook his head. ‘Look whatever the issue is between you and Veronica I suggest you deal with it. We need to find out what’s going on around here before anyone else gets hurt and in Olivia and Charles’ absence she’s our best chance at figuring it out. So suck it up and go see her.’
‘Fine,’ Jake frowned, ‘but I need to go back to the station and collect the security disc for the Bailey’s store.’
‘No need,’ Mac smiled, ‘got it right here.’
‘Great,’ Jake replied sourly as Mac pulled the disc from his jacket pocket and handed it over.
‘Let me know what she says,’ Mac nodded and headed out.
Jake turned and reluctantly headed in the direction of the museum, figuring he might as well walk. It would at least give him time to figure out what the hell he was going to say to Roni. He’d been a coward, he knew it. He’d been avoiding her since the ‘kiss’, he hadn’t even been able to face going back and picking up Beau yet. Instead he’d texted her and asked her to keep hold of him for an extra few days. It was pathetic, he sighed and shook his head. What the hell had possessed him to kiss her like that? He shouldn’t have done it, she just looked so damn cute, all flushed and embarrassed. He’d only meant to give her a teasing little peck on the lips but the second his mouth landed on hers he stopped thinking completely. God, now he was thinking about her mouth again. It wasn’t fair, he just wanted to go back to the comfortable friend zone they’d been in, but now he’d made it awkward between them. It didn’t help that he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stop thinking about her, about how she’d tasted, how she’d sighed into his mouth, how smooth and soft her skin had been under his fingers. How she’d snaked her arms around his neck and wrapped herself around him until he couldn’t breathe without inhaling her. Damn it, he almost growled, he should’ve just kept his mouth to himself.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t attracted to her, he was, in fact he would’ve liked nothing better than her naked and beneath him but that wasn’t going to happen. It was too complicated and he didn’t do complicated. Roni wasn’t the kind of girl a guy had a fling with, she was the kind of girl a guy married.
He entered the museum, pausing only briefly to ask the girl at the desk where Roni was before heading up to her office still muttering to himself. It was just one kiss; he was probably making a big deal about nothing. She hadn’t called him, she hadn’t texted him back other than to say okay, when he’d asked her to keep hold of Beau. He was totally over-reacting; she hadn’t mentioned it; in fact, she’d probably already forgotten all about it. It was probably fine. He knocked lightly and opened the door.
It wasn’t fine.
Roni looked up from her desk at the intrusion and the second she caught sight of Jake her eyes darkened and her jaw clenched. She looked furious. Damn it, Jake thought absently, she looked sexy as hell when she was pissed.
‘Is there something I can do for you Deputy?’ her eyes may have blazed hotly but her tone was chillier than an ice floe heading for Greenland.
Yep definitely pissed.
Veronica looked at Jake, leaning casually against her door, and her temper spiked again. She ruthlessly shoved it back down and turned back to her work. She didn’t want to talk to him now or possibly ever. She was mortified beyond words, not only because he’d heard her innermost private thoughts, although she still maintained she hadn’t spoken the words aloud, but what other explanation was there? But she was also pissed at herself as much as him, the whole situation was embarrassing and just plain uncomfortable. He’d meant to give her a light teasing peck, she knew it, she’d read it in his expression, but the minute his lips had touched hers she’d latched on. He was obviously embarrassed she’d taken things too far and had run as far and fast as he could. He hadn’t even come back to pick up Beau. God, she wished she could just hit the rewind button, but she couldn’t she thought with a sigh. She’d probably ruined their friendship all because she couldn’t keep her pathetic crush on him under control.
‘Roni?’ he stepped into her office and clicked the door closed behind him.
‘Jake I’m really rather busy. If you’ve come to pick up Beau, he’s not here. Mitchell took him out for a walk for me.’
‘No, I haven’t come to…wait who the hell is Mitchell?’ he frowned.
The door suddenly opened behind him and an enthusiastic ball of fur bounded through and tried to scramble up his legs, barking happily in recognition.
‘Hey Boy,’ Jake kneeled down and stroked Beau who collapsed to the floor ecstatically and rolled over to expose his belly. ‘You’ve no shame,’ he chuckled.
Jake glanced up as a shadow fell over him, his frown deepening as he caught sight of a tall good looking guy with short dark hair.
‘Thanks Mitch,’ Roni smiled at him as he strode over to her desk and handed her Beau’s leash.
‘It’s no problem, anything for you Roni you know that,’ he grinned.
Jake stood abruptly, glaring at the guy standing comfortably close to her.
‘Mitchell, this is Jake,’ she introduced them. ‘Jake, Mitchell Nash.’
‘Hey,’ Mitch inclined his head and held out his hand.
‘Hey,’ Jake replied grasping his hand a little more firmly than he’d intended as he stared at him intently.
‘Mitch?’ Roni interrupted as she glanced back and forth between them in confusion.
‘Yeah?’
‘There was a delivery from the Peabody while you were out, could you make sure the items on loan are unpacked carefully and cataloged.’
‘No problem,’ he smiled as he released Jake’s hand and stepped back, closing the door behind him on his way out.
‘He works here?’ Jake asked as he turned sharply back to Roni.
‘Yes he does, not that it’s any of your business. He’s my assistant and I’d appreciate you not shooting
him daggers, he’s actually very good at what he does.’
‘I’ll bet,’ he muttered sourly.
‘Jake,’ she sighed in exasperation, ‘why are you here? I really am quite busy, so if you just came to collect Beau I’d appreciate it if you just take him and leave me to get on with my work.’
‘That’s not why I’m here, he closed the distance between them and skirted around her desk. ‘I have something I need to show you.’
‘What?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘This,’ he pulled the disc free and handed it to her. ‘It’s the footage from the Bailey’s store, the night Jonathan Bailey collapsed. It seems the eye witness was correct; he wasn’t alone when it happened.’
She took the disc from him and loading it up onto her laptop she hit play.
Jake watched in concern as her eyes widened and her skin paled.
Roni clenched her fists to stop them from trembling, her stomach was doing somersaults and her heart hammered in her chest. She shook her head unconsciously, almost as if in denial, as she looked up into Jake’s concerned face.
‘Roni what is it?’
She stood abruptly, her mind racing as she slammed the laptop shut and disconnected the power cable. Pulling her jacket off the hook and yanking it on roughly she snatched her keys off the desk. She scooped up the laptop and tucked it under her arm.
‘Come on,’ she headed for the door, ‘we have to go now.’
‘Where? Why? I thought you had to work?’
‘It will have to wait, everything will have to wait.’
‘Roni,’ he caught her by the arm to still her frantic movements, ‘tell me what’s going on?’
‘Not yet there’s something I need to check. Are you coming or not?’ she pulled away from him impatiently.
He studied her face carefully. Her eyes were wide and fearful, her skin pale and her breath coming in shallow nervous waves. Something was very wrong here, he’d never known her to look so freaked out, even when she’d dealt with ghosts and monsters.
Nodding in agreement, he let go of her arm and bent down to scoop Beau into his arms as he followed her out of the office. He decided it was probably best not to push her right now. She obviously knew, or thought she knew, something important about the man in the footage. It seemed Mac was right, she was their best chance at figuring out what the hell was going on and he had the uncomfortable feeling he wasn’t going to like what she was about to tell them.
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 93
