The Unseen Trilogy

by Stephanie Erickson

  “I think she did it to get back at me for making her…” he hesitated, but said the word anyway, “babysit you for so long.”

  “You think this is about you?” It surprised me, as I’d never considered the possibility. Based on what I knew, on what I’d heard from her thoughts, she hated me. I’d never heard a single thought about him. Although, now that I thought about it, that had been probably been a calculated move on her part.

  “Of course it is. What did you think?”

  “That she hated me so much that she has a vendetta against me.”

  He actually laughed out loud. “It’s also possible she doesn’t have a vendetta against either of us. Perhaps she just found herself a very nice position with our competitor, and she’s in a good place to elevate herself further by exploiting us. Or, before we’re too hasty, it’s possible the Potestas have gotten ahold of her and killed her, erasing all traces of her existence.”

  I cringed at the thought. She was nothing if not selfish. But I didn’t really want her dead. “It isn’t good, no matter how you slice it.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  Silence settled over the room as we each retreated to our own thoughts. Eventually, David spoke up. “All three of the suspects are being monitored closely, as we try to find connections between them, the SunRail, and the Potestas.” He paused, watching me carefully. “Tell me something. The boy, Washington, what are your intentions with him?”

  “I’m already dating someone, Daddy.” I’d meant it to sound tongue in cheek. The way he’d phrased the question was so fatherly. But the d-word hung in the air between us, changing the atmosphere in the room.

  He let it go and smiled just a little. “You know what I mean.”

  Rather than flat-out lie to him, I put off responding.

  He sighed. “Please, Mackenzie. Don’t make me regret giving you the file.”

  The exhaustion in his voice almost made my resolve waiver.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I plan to spend the day shopping for a new dress for Coda.”

  David eyed me. “I want to believe that.”

  “You should. It’s the truth.” So much for not lying to him. But it was a brilliant cover, and I mentally patted myself on the back, even if it was a horribly deceitful thing to do.

  “Okay, well, enjoy yourself then. I’ll see you at eight sharp on Thursday morning. There’s much to discuss.”

  Taking that as my dismissal, I rose. “Okay.” I left his office feeling just as confused as I’d felt going in, except for different reasons.

  Thankfully, Mitchell was gone by the time I left, and a glance at my watch told me I’d been in there for less than an hour. Owen would probably be upstairs watching a movie. I felt I should do the courteous thing and at least say hello to him, but I found myself dreading it. All I wanted to do was go to bed. Too many things were at war in my mind. Amanda, Maddie, Washington, Jeppe, the chemical, Owen, Mitchell. Which one was most important? Which one deserved the bulk of my attention?

  I shook my head and made my way up to the living room, trying to prepare myself for Owen’s third degree.

  As expected, I found Owen draped lazily on the couch near Mitchell. He got up and came over as soon as he spotted me.

  “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again today,” he said, his voice pitched low so he didn’t disturb the movie watchers.

  “I just wanted to say goodnight. I’m toast.”

  “Mitchell said you went to see David again.”

  “I did.” I glanced at our friend, who didn’t bother averting his eyes. I couldn’t be upset with him. It wasn’t a secret. And he obviously wasn’t sorry for telling on me.

  “Did you work everything out? Will you be off tomorrow so we can spend some time together?”

  That thought hadn’t even occurred to me. I groaned, knowing he wouldn’t be happy with my cover story. But something deep inside me was driving me to seek closure over Maddie’s death, something that went even deeper than my feelings for Owen.

  “I do have tomorrow off, but I want to find a dress for Coda.”

  His face fell, and I knew I’d hurt him. He was the one person who’d steadily been there for me through everything, which made disappointing him that much worse.

  He tried to smile. “Oh. Don’t you think that could wait a little while? I really want to spend some time with you.”

  “No. They need me back at work on Thursday. This job is bigger than any of us thought it would be, so I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity. I want to be ready for our big date.” I smiled, hoping it would be enough.

  “I’m sure you’ll find something great.” He leaned in and planted a light kiss on my lips, then turned to walk away, trying to hide his disappointment. I grabbed his arm, not wanting to part from him on such terms, even for a few hours.

  “Owen, I’m sorry. But I wanted to have at least one new dress for this event. I thought you wanted me to be excited about it. I’ll try to be back after lunch and we can spend the rest of the day together. Okay?” I hoped that would give me enough time to accomplish my undefined goals for the following day.

  He perked up a little, but still pouted, probably to get more sympathy out of me. “All right, I guess. And I am glad you’re excited about Coda. I hear it’s kind of a big deal.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Now, take your sad puppy expression and go back to your movie. I’m going to bed.”

  “Already?”

  “Job? Travel? Exhaustion? Any of this ringing a bell?”

  “Oh. Right. Well, have fun tomorrow. I’ll see you after lunch.” He leaned forward and kissed me. The softness of it let me know he forgave me. I trudged back downstairs and gratefully crawled into my bed, trying to put his sad puppy face out of my head.

  Owen was a trouble for another day. Tomorrow, I would face a killer.

  12

  It was early when I pulled up in front of the guy’s apartment. I was hoping to catch him before he left for work. Cursing myself for not having looked up where he worked, I stewed in the parking lot for at least an hour. There was no sight of him. Maybe he was off that day? It was possible I’d already missed him, but when I glanced at my watch, I saw it was only 8:07 am. I didn’t think it was likely he’d left yet unless he worked some seven to seven shift. In which case, I was totally screwed.

  I just planned to talk to him. I hadn’t decided if I would call him out or not. The most important thing was to gather information. According to David, the Unseen were watching him closely already, and I didn’t want to interfere… too much. I just wanted to hear for myself if he was responsible. That was all. I hoped it would give me closure, I guess.

  Suddenly, he emerged from the building. Dressed in jeans and a brown suede jacket with the collar turned up, he turned and walked east down the sidewalk, his back to me. I scrambled out of the car, almost falling in my haste, and jogged to catch up with him.

  Slowing my pace behind him, I allowed some carefully curated thoughts to escape in the hopes of catching his attention.

  He’s so cute. I wonder if he has a girlfriend waiting for him. I bet he keeps her warm on these cold nights.

  I had just enough time to wipe the smirk from my face before he turned around. “So, you think I’m cute, huh?”

  I feigned surprise. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” He moved in close to me, and I looked up at him. His dark hair was cropped short and gelled to stand straight up, and his chocolate eyes were rimmed with criminally long eyelashes. No guy should have lashes that dark and thick. He scrutinized my face from behind them.

  “Call it an instinct.”

  Playing coy, I smiled and looked away.

  “Why don’t we go someplace a little quieter where we can…” He paused. “Get to know each other.”

  His smooth moves and confidence made it hard to push down the bile that had climbed into my throat.

  Hooking my arm in his, I let h
im lead me away. It was a nice day outside, if not a little cool. The sun was shining, and a light breeze kept the air around us fresh. It was the perfect day for a walk with an enemy.

  I knew the neighborhood fairly well, as it turned out we weren’t all that far from my old apartment. A few turns and street crosses later, we found ourselves in a quiet little café.

  “Huh, this place is pretty empty.”

  “Just how I like it.”

  “I bet it’s not how the owner likes it,” I said. A crowd would have suited me better as well, but I could hardly say that to him.

  After we ordered and retrieved our coffees at the counter, we sat across from each other at one of the small, round tables. The rest were empty. “You’re a bit puzzling,” he said, his gaze narrowing on me.

  “Why?”

  “Most women are full of emotions and questions, not to mention thoughts and opinions about all kinds of things. But you seem very quiet.”

  A normal person might have assumed he was calling me an introvert, but I didn’t miss the deeper meaning. I wasn’t letting my thoughts leak through like a normal person would. Panic started to settle in as I tried to take control. If I overdid it now, he’d be suspicious. If he discovered my defenses, I’d be toast.

  “I like to practice yoga. It keeps my mind clear.”

  He eyed me, clearly still suspicious, and panic thrummed through me. What would he do if he recognized me? After all, the people who killed Maddie did it to get to me. Wouldn’t they have pictures on file, or did David do that good of a job at hiding me?

  Desperate, I tried to divert him. “So, what’s a good-looking guy like you doing spontaneously taking a girl out for coffee? Surely you must have obligations. A girlfriend?” I added with a coy quality to my voice, hoping he was the type of guy who was controlled by his ego.

  His smile stretched from ear to ear, and I let out a breath, knowing I’d won this round. “No, I don’t date steadily. I prefer to keep things light—flirt a little, have some fun.”

  I chuckled to cover up a snort of derision. “And that works?”

  “Worked on you.”

  “Besides me.”

  “Worked great on this girl on the train a few weeks back. She practically threw herself at me.”

  I gritted my teeth. “I’m not sure I want all the gritty details of your last conquest.” It was a lie. Of course I wanted to know, it was why I was there, but a casual date wouldn’t react with curiosity.

  “She wasn’t exactly a conquest. More of an assignment.”

  Knowing all too well what that meant, I asked. “Oh? What happened to her?”

  “She… our relationship met with an untimely end.” He never missed a beat. There was a smug smile on his face, like he was actually proud of what he’d done to her. As he took a sip of his mocha-caramel-frappe confection, I realized I hadn’t even touched mine.

  “From the look on your face, I’d say you were glad to be rid of her.” It came out through my teeth, and I hoped he didn’t notice the strain. Anger heated my insides—sudden, intense, and agonizing. The arrogance, the conversation, the hungry way he looked at me, it was all too much.

  “Let’s just say, getting rid of her did good things for my career.” He paused, looking kind of wistful. “I might even be able to quit my day job soon.”

  That was all it took. The rage boiled over inside me, and without thinking, I took control of the situation—and him. We sat for a moment in what he probably thought was companionable silence, when in reality I was making my way past his weak defenses. Soon, I found myself deep inside his fragile mind.

  Sipping my coffee, I watched his memories whizz by. I purposely didn’t focus on the SunRail explosion. I didn’t need or want to watch it. As it turned out, Maddie hadn’t been his only victim. Most were men, but he’d killed women too… even a child. What kind of threat could a child have possibly posed? I counted almost a dozen deaths at his hand, and none of the murders had made him feel the smallest amount of guilt. I didn’t even know how to process the information. The visions haunted me, until I could take no more.

  “Well, I think our time together is up,” I said, standing up and walking away from the table, knowing he would follow me, willingly or not. We walked a few streets over before coming to a street busy enough to suit my purposes. On the walk, my resolve wavered a bit, but then I remembered how he’d smiled after saying Maddie’s death had done good things for his career. And I could never forget the face of the child whose life he had snuffed out. No, I could not let this man get away. I just couldn’t.

  I increased my pace, and he tagged along behind me like some puppy.

  Once we were in a busy enough spot, I turned to face him. “Do you know who I am?” Confusion played on his face. “Did you even know who Maddie was, or why you were told to kill her?”

  His eyes narrowed, and I could see the struggle on his face, but it was for nothing. I had complete control of him, and he was starting to understand that.

  Taking a step toward him, I draped my arms around his neck. To any passersby, we would’ve looked like a normal couple, except I made sure to keep his hands by his sides. I didn’t want him touching me ever again.

  “I am Mackenzie Day. A name you’ll never forget.” I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek for effect. And then I turned him around without touching him, and walked him directly into the street.

  I’d never been inside a mind as it died before. It was a rather shocking and unpleasant experience, to be honest. The Greyhound bus barreled down on him, with no hope of stopping. The horn blared, and Washington turned to face it, his horror written on his face. He wanted to lift his arms, to shield himself from it, but I wouldn’t let him do even that. I wanted him to take the full force of the bus. I wanted him to watch it barrel down on him without being able to stop it or even jump out of its way. A scream bubbled in his mind, but I didn’t allow it to surface. To an onlooker, he would seem very purposeful. Suicidal. I smiled at the horror I felt in his mind.

  Now you know how Maddie felt, I told him as the bus careened toward him, squealing its tires and blaring its horn.

  He tried to look at me, but I kept him staring straight at the bus. No. You stupid bitch, you’ll pay for this. No!

  The bus came to a screeching halt at least four car lengths from the point of impact. The pain I felt in that moment was excruciating, and I nearly tumbled to the ground.

  In the aftermath of the accident, there were cries of shock, pointing fingers, and several people pulling out their phones for 911 calls. I just stood and stared at the back of the bus, feeling nothing. Maybe I was in shock.

  Eventually, the pain faded, and I knew he was dead.

  In the chaos, I noticed a man on the other side of the street, staring directly at me. But before I could get a good look, Owen was beside me, urging me to leave.

  “Come on, Mackenzie,” he said, pulling me along by the elbow.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Perhaps a better question is what are you doing here?” He glanced over his shoulder at the place where the man had been. It was empty. “You know what? It doesn’t matter right now. Let’s go.”

  Feeling drained suddenly, I relented and let him lead me on a rather winding route back to his car. “Seems like that was the long way around,” I said as he threw me into the passenger’s seat.

  Instead of addressing my statement, he asked, “Where did you leave the Unseen’s car?”

  I gave him the address and he raced to it, driving rather recklessly around the city streets. “We have to get it before they start investigating.”

  “What’s the big deal? To all the witnesses, it looked like he just walked out into the street.”

  “But all the witnesses saw you hanging on to him and whispering to him before he did it. They also took in the fact that you didn’t react at all.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  “That doesn’t mean anything. People deal with shock in all d
ifferent ways. Don’t you want to know who he was? Owen, he was a murderer. He’d killed a lot of people.”

  “I don’t care who he was, Mackenzie. I care who you are. Frankly, I’m not sure I like that girl right now.”

  Feeling at once deflated, confused by what I’d just done, and still angry, I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying to me. Wasn’t this what the Unseen did?

  Folding my arms over my chest like a defeated child, I said, “Well, fine.” It came out more indignant than I’d intended. “What were you doing there anyway?” I asked.

  “David asked me to follow you today. He thought you were up to something. I wanted to prove him wrong. Apparently, he won that bet.”

  “He had me followed?” I tried to feel violated, but he was right. I certainly had been up to something, even though I’d had no idea how far it would go.

  After a few moments of silence, we arrived at Washington’s apartment. Before I could get out of the car, Owen spoke again.

  “You were seen.”

  “I know I was seen. There were a ton of people milling around.”

  “No, you were seen by the Potestas.”

  13

  I didn’t know what to do with that information, so I said nothing and got out of the car, gratefully taking in the silence and emptiness of my own car. Following Owen back to the facility proved difficult given the way he was driving, but we made it back in record time.

  After parking the car in the Unseen’s underground parking garage, I sat there for a moment quietly, thinking about the man on the other side of the road. It must’ve been him. He was the only one who’d seemed out of place. But I’d only seen him for an instant, and I couldn’t remember any of his features. There was no way I’d be able to pick him out of a lineup.

  Before I was ready, Owen ended my meditation and hauled me out of the car by the arm.

  I spotted Mitchell on our way down to David’s office, but he didn’t say anything. Just looked at me. There was no judgment in his eyes, but no approval either.