by L. C. Shaw
Taylor and Evelyn followed Jeremy down the stairs to the basement, where he led them to a bookcase on the far wall, and pulled out a book. As if by magic, the bookcase swung in, becoming a door.
“You’re kidding?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Sometimes life does imitate art.”
They followed him into the hidden room and watched as he replaced the book and shut the door. It was a tremendous space with lab equipment and computers.
“How have you managed to keep this place a secret? They found your hideout.”
“They think Carl is dead. Knowing Crosse was likely to discover my connection to him years ago, I knew he’d have him killed. My people made it look like they were dead, that he and Gilly had a car accident. There were obituaries in all the national papers. This house is in a different name, and my people have made up new identities for them.” He made a face. “Crosse is not the only one with abilities. And despite his delusions of grandeur, he’s not omniscient.”
Yet another door, this one at the end of the room, opened, and Carl walked in.
He embraced Taylor warmly and led her to a chair.
“My dear. I’m so glad you made it back safely. I’m so sorry to hear about Jack.”
Taylor’s face clouded. It killed her not to be able to go see him, to try to help him, but she knew it was too dangerous right now.
Jeremy put his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
She nodded. “What if he gets thrown into prison? He needs my testimony to prove he killed that man in self-defense. I really think I need to come forward now.”
“You’ll never make it to court, Taylor. Trust me. The best way you can help Jack is to stay in hiding and stay safe. When the time comes, you can speak on his behalf—that is, after we put Crosse away,” Jeremy argued. He sighed. “I know you’re upset, but if all goes according to plan, I’ll get the evidence we need, they’ll arrest Crosse, and you can come out of hiding. Once you come forward, I’m sure they’ll drop the charges.”
“I’ll testify, too, Taylor,” Evelyn added.
Jeremy put a hand on Taylor’s shoulder. “Try not to worry. You’re a credible witness—the wife of a senator. Your word will hold enough weight for them to release him.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Really? How do we know what judges Crosse controls? I’m not convinced that it will be so easy.”
“Well, we’ll just have to do our best. Damon doesn’t own the entire world.”
She looked at Evelyn. “Everything’s all set on your end?”
“Yes. Jeremy will have five minutes to get his men on campus. My contact will text me when the tape is replaced. Jeremy will take my phone with him.”
“Is that long enough for your people?” Taylor asked.
“Yes. They’ll be hiding in the woods, waiting.”
Taylor looked at Jeremy, then at Evelyn. “Just to be sure, we’re going to need you to stay here until Jeremy gives us confirmation that you’ve done what you promised.”
Evelyn looked hurt. “You still don’t trust me? Taylor, I’ve raised you since you were fourteen. I’d never hurt you.”
“I didn’t think Parks would either.” She softened her tone. “I do think you’re telling the truth, but I can’t risk Jeremy’s life or my baby’s.”
“There’s a safe room here. You’ll be locked in it,” Jeremy said.
“If you are trying to double-cross us, no one will ever see you again,” Taylor added.
Evelyn was studying her face, probably trying to psychoanalyze her right now. Taylor had to convince her that she was capable of carrying out her threat. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that the rules only apply to the weak,” she said. “Don’t forget, Crosse’s blood flows in my veins. I don’t want to hurt you, either, but if you’re lying to us now, I’ll know you were part of the plan to kill my mother. That, I won’t forgive, and that, I will avenge.”
“I guess we’ll know by tomorrow night” was all Evelyn said.
Chapter Seventy
JEREMY PULLED UP TO THE IRON GATES AND FELT A SHIVER go through him. He pressed the button on the video monitor and held his hand up, showing one of the coins he held between his fingers. The heavy gates opened, and he drove onto the property. Reaching the door, he was escorted to Damon’s office by one of the security officers.
“You’ve aged.” Jeremy looked at the man who had been the center of his universe for most of his life and was surprised to realize that all he felt was a deep sadness. Where was his hatred? His anger? His thirst for vengeance? All he saw was a tired old man. Frail, almost. Then, his father blinked and Jeremy saw that steely glint of something otherworldly still there in his eyes. He recognized at last what had been there all along—the complete and utter absence of any goodness or humanity. His sympathy evaporated.
“Let me see them.”
“My mother’s cross, first.”
Damon opened a desk drawer and brought out the cross. He pushed it toward Jeremy, on the desk. “You get the chain when I get the coins.”
“Fine.” Let him think he had the upper hand. Jeremy would take them all back from him once he took over the facility. He played along, giving Damon the sack of coins as Damon pulled out the gold chain and put it next to the cross. Jeremy scooped both up and put them in his pocket.
Damon grabbed the velvet pouch eagerly, clutching it in his fist, then opened it and pulled a coin out and held it up to the light. He studied one side of the coin—a Grecian profile wearing an aegis—then turned it over to look at the eagle on the other side.
He clutched the coins to his chest, his eyes shining with excitement. His lip curled in a sneer, and he looked down at Jeremy. “Thank you for the coins. You’re still as foolish as ever. I can finally have you killed and exact my revenge for your betrayal. You chose the wrong side. You are weak. Just like your mother.”
Jeremy laughed. “Your words don’t have the power to hurt me anymore. I can’t even summon enough feeling to hate you.”
Damon laughed, a dry, mirthless sound. “Tell yourself whatever you want. You were never good enough, never came close to measuring up. I expected great things from you, but you’re weak and soft.”
Jeremy looked at him without flinching. “I suppose you think you’re strong? Powerful? Were you powerful when your father killed your dog in front of you? Or when he beat you with his belt?”
Anger flashed in Damon’s eyes. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. My childhood is none of your business. It has nothing to do with who I am today.”
“Oh, I disagree. I think it has everything to do with you. And it’s not very original. The abused child grows up to be the abuser. Straight from the psychology books, a tired cliché. The only difference is that your second abuser turned out to be rich and adept at using the occult to his advantage. He manipulated you, and your entire life’s work has been nothing more than the completion of another man’s dream.”
“How dare you! Do you know what I can do to you? What I will do to you? No one has manipulated me. I’m the one in control. It’s my world, and don’t you ever forget it.” Spittle flew from Damon’s mouth, and his face contorted like an ugly purple balloon. “I’ll kill you myself.”
Jeremy remained calm. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You can’t touch me. I belong to God now. It must kill you that my mother’s prayers actually worked.”
Damon leaned forward. “You belong to me. You are nothing, and your god has no power here. He couldn’t save your waste of a mother, and he can’t save you.” He pushed the button on his desk and looked at the door expectantly.
Jeremy laughed.
His father whirled around and demanded, “What’s so funny?”
“No one’s coming.”
“What are you talking about?” Damon’s eyes blazed.
“Your security has been disabled. While we’ve been having this nice little father-and-son chat, my men have taken over your facility.”
Crosse’s f
ace turned white. “How?” he finally managed to ask.
“Jonas. He tipped me off about the DNA sequence. I’ll get your dirt file. That’ll be enough to take you down.”
“Jonas would never betray me.”
“Wrong. He lost his granddaughter because of you. The reason she killed herself was because her boyfriend was one of the kids who died as a result of your disgusting show.”
Damon ran to the door. It was locked. “What happened to my guards?”
“Oh, Evelyn helped us with that.”
Damon shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. There is nowhere you can hide. We will find you again. Go ahead and walk out the door.”
“I want the tape of my mother.”
Damon laughed. “You’re insane if you think I’d ever give that to you. I’ll kill you and add you to the collection.”
“You’re not going to kill me or anyone else. You’re finished. You couldn’t even produce an heir the right way. How ironic that your only two children are both on God’s side now. We will fight you until our dying breath and do everything in our power to neutralize your insidious influences. I’ll go through your files and prove what you’ve done. This time I’ll take it to someone who will actually help us. You’ll spend the rest of your pitiful life in a cell.”
Damon laughed again. “You fool. Do you really think you can undo decades of my seeds? Take a look around you. You’ve already lost.” He pulled a black leather book from his center drawer and threw it toward Jeremy.
Jeremy looked at the first page, which was a table of contents. Subjects were listed in alphabetical order: abortion, alcoholism, depression, divorce, drug addiction, murder, pornography, prostitution, rape, suicide, and trafficking. He thumbed through and saw that the divorce rates by state were displayed in a bar chart by year. The bars went up every year. He thumbed through more of the book and saw the same trend in most of the other categories.
“There are also cross-referenced graphs. It’s quite fascinating, Jeremy. As a scientist, you will appreciate the synergy. You see, as the laws governing pornography were eased, the depression and divorce rates spiked as well. There are correlations between so many of the laws and the corresponding consequences. And it’s so easy to accomplish. In the beginning, it was more difficult. Especially the pornography. But now with the internet, we can get it to kids. We’ve yet to see what effect that will have on future generations.” His mouth was a ghoulish slash. “Isn’t it wonderful? You will never stop this train.”
Jeremy’s stomach lurched, and it took everything he had not to strike him. “We have stopped it. We’ll be cleaning house in Congress and in the courts. You won’t win. There are still good and decent people who don’t want a world like this.”
“My pawns in the government and business are icing on the cake. The real power is the media and entertainment world. They lead the cause and influence everything that happens. I have already won. Look around you. Turn the television on. Those good and decent people love to sit down and spend the evening watching vampires, zombies, cheating spouses, serial killers; those are the heroes of today’s shows. Websites promoting adultery grow in popularity every day. Drugs are legal in more and more states. Anything goes. It’s only going to get worse. Only a fool would waste his time trying to save the witless wretches. Leave them to rot in their own filth. It’s what they deserve. You have chosen the wrong side.”
“No. I will fight this with all I’ve got. And I’ve got God.”
“God?” Damon snorted. “Where was God when you were growing up? When I took you from your mother?”
Jeremy shook his head. “It’s no use. I’ve met him. I’ve felt his power, and nothing you can say to try to deceive me will work anymore. I will spend the rest of my life working for him and trying to forget the horrible things I did when I was still under your control. I won’t give up on humanity.”
“Humanity deserves to be given up on. What does it tell you about humanity when a rape victim is better served by screaming fire than help? The instinct for self-preservation is immeasurably more potent than the instinct to help others. The selfish, amoral, ignorant masses care only for themselves. You are wasting your life on them.”
Jeremy stood up. He knew what he had to do and he stood there, grappling with the truth of it, fighting against what he knew was right but felt was impossible. Offering a silent prayer, he forced himself to remember God’s grace toward him. He swallowed hard, then spoke.
“I forgive you.”
Damon’s eyes widened and he said nothing at first, thrown by Jeremy’s statement. Then the surprise in his eyes changed to fury. “You forgive me? You are the one who abandoned your calling, betrayed your destiny. It is you who should be begging forgiveness from me.”
Jeremy had done his part. Even though he would never have any sort of relationship with this man, his words were a symbol of his faith, and he knew that he would have to continue to rely on God for them to become true. He had taken a step toward what he believed was required of him in the life he had chosen. Damon’s reaction was of no concern to him.
“We are finished.” He walked over to the desk and took Damon’s laptop. He knocked hard on the door and it was opened. “Detain him in his office, until we find what we need to turn him over to the authorities.”
Jonas bolted the door and resumed his station just outside it.
Jeremy walked out into the ornate hallway to Damon’s trophy room, where Damon had taken him to show him the tape of his mother. Opening the door, he was struck by the starkness of the room. Nothing personal adorned the walls or the tables. He walked toward the tall, mahogany bookcase, crouched down and pushed the gold book of Grimm’s fairy tales, and the bookcase opened. A second bookcase stood behind it. His breath caught in his throat. A long braid, held together with a red ribbon, was lying atop a wooden box on the middle shelf. He picked it up and rubbed it against his cheek. It had to be his mother’s. But why had Damon kept it? He lifted the box from the shelf and opened it. A series of DVDs were inside. He pulled out one of them. It was labeled 9/75–10/75. He looked at the next and it was 11/75–12/75. He stood up and walked over to the DVD player and popped one in. His mother. His beautiful, beautiful mother. And that monster tormenting her. He had recorded it all. Every conversation, every heartbreaking moment of their interactions. He picked up the last one. It was marked “The End.” He wouldn’t watch it now. He put the discs into the duffel bag and put the braid on top, then went to the business office in case he could find any files there that weren’t on the laptop. He would make sure he had enough to implicate everyone in Damon’s network.
Chapter Seventy-One
DAMON FELL BACK AGAINST HIS CHAIR AND HEAVED A DEEP sigh. Now that Jeremy had free rein of the facility, he would find the DVDs. Damn his own foolish arrogance in keeping them. He’d known, of course, that Jonas’s granddaughter had killed herself, but he’d no idea it was because of that damn show. Jonas had intentionally kept that from him. It was all unraveling now, and he was smart enough to know when it was time to cut his losses. It didn’t matter; his work would continue without him. He might not be able to prevent Jeremy from proving his crimes, but Jeremy would never gain access to the files that would disband the network he had so carefully built. He pulled out his cell phone, punched in the code, and destroyed everything.
He opened the center drawer and took out a key. He rose and walked to the wall across from his desk, pushed on the panel, and inserted the key into the lock of the wooden box. The purple velvet pouch inside the box fit in the palm of his hand. He returned to his desk and took out a sheet of ivory stationery. With a trembling hand, he picked up the antique fountain pen and brought it to the paper. He would never be a prisoner again. He opened the pouch and pulled out the capsule. Closing his eyes, he started chanting. He opened his eyes again and let them take in the room. It would be the last time he would see it. Much had been accomplished here. He ran his hand over the rich wood, soaking in its sumptuousne
ss.
It was time for Damon Crosse to make his final exit. He opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. Now all he had to do was wait. He clasped his hands and bowed his head, again chanting the soothing prayers he had learned so long ago. When his speech began to slur and his mouth to numb, he knew it was coming. His head swayed, and he had the sensation of floating out of his body. He was a balloon gliding up, up, up. Nice. Smooth. Easy. He tried to move but found he was rooted to the chair. His brain and his body were disconnecting. He felt like a rock, heavy and blunt. And then, he felt nothing.
Chapter Seventy-Two
JEREMY SAW THE BODY AS SOON AS HE OPENED THE DOOR. He ran over to the slumped figure.
“Call 911,” he yelled to Jonas.
He felt for a pulse. Nothing. Then he saw the letter from the corner of his eye and snatched it from the desk.
Jeremy,
Don’t congratulate yourself yet. You must have surmised that I would never allow myself to be imprisoned. I have no fear of death. I am assured of what awaits me and am eager to take my place. Peritas is to go to the shelter on Green Street. They’re expecting him and will find him a good home. I will rely on your sense of morality to ensure he is delivered there.
Adieu for now. And, Jeremy, remember: you will never be free of me.
Your devoted father
Jeremy threw the letter back onto the desk. Even with death looming, his father had had to get his last licks in. He hesitated only a moment before putting his hand in Damon’s pockets to get the coins. They weren’t there. He searched his jacket pockets as well. Where were they? What could Damon have done with them in that short amount of time? Frantic, he ran to the desk and yanked the drawers open, pushing papers out of the way and pulling everything else out of them until they were empty. Nothing. He walked over to the bookcase and began pushing different books, looking for an opening. They had to be here somewhere.
Jonas came in and looked at the mess Jeremy had made and then back at Jeremy.
