Gabriel's Revenge (The Adventures of Gabriel Celtic Book 2) (26 page)

Chapter 71

August 29, 1998

Girard was awakened by the sound of a car outside, passing by he guessed as the sound died down and then disappeared. He had overslept, but that was ok; he had plenty of time by his reckoning. There was little that needed done before he left this house that had been his spiritual home for good.

He felt tired; the activities of the day before had taxed him more than he thought they would.
“Ah well, the ravages of time,”
he thought to himself; he knew that his time on this earth was drawing to a close, and the thought made him giddy. He would soon enough be called home, his mission being picked up by another of God’s choosing.

He was smiling at this when he felt a small breeze flow past his face. He knew that this normally indicated that the kitchen door had come open again.
“Never did get that latch fixed right,”
he thought,
“no need now though.”

When he got up, he would get busy destroying some of the records that could implicate his benefactor, then clean up and get ready to head to the airport. He should have no problem reaching it by the 2:00 departure of the connecting flight to Atlanta, where he would board a plane for Africa, forever leaving this country behind him.

Suddenly hearing the floor creak in the kitchen, he instantly threw himself up off of the couch, silently going to the doorway and looking down the hall. Seeing no one yet, he crossed the hall and quietly made his way up the well worn steps to the 2
nd
floor. He would have to put his longstanding action plan into play, but it was of no consequence, the house was finished for his uses anyway.

Entering the first room, he quietly opened the closet and pulled out the two cans he kept there. Pouring the contents around the perimeter, he put the empty cans back into the closet and closed the door. Crossing the room and pulling out a cheap lighter, he lit the five candles sitting on the table. Carefully checking the string connected to each in turn, he noted that the string was invisible to anyone glancing at the table, cleverly concealed beneath a lacy doily covering the top of the table.

Satisfied with the setup, he made his way to the door, opening it slowly and checking the hallway. Still empty, he then closed the door quietly behind him, moving to the next doorway and entering a small closet. An upturned plastic bucket was all that was in the small space, and he sat down upon it to wait.

Having time to think, he was slightly surprised by the early arrival of someone at the Abbey. Surely they had not already discovered his involvement in the jailbreak and killing of Gabriel Celtic. No one in the local constabulary was sharp enough to come up with…unless…

The thought that Gabriel Celtic could have lived through Mr. Leffler’s actions had never until this moment entered his thoughts. A smile slowly made its way across his face at the thought of Mr. Celtic gaining the upper hand in a gun fight.

“A truly worthy opponent indeed!”
he thought with satisfaction. No matter, if it
was
him, he was still taking a few of his last breaths on this earth. 

Chapter 72

August 29, 1998

“Damn!”

I knew it had been going too well. We both stood still for what seemed like five minutes before I took another normal breath, breathing deeply to relax my nerves.

Having heard nothing in that time, I slowly raised my foot, extending it out and laying my foot on the doorway jamb. Putting my weight fully on it, the house remained silent. Looking around the corner into the hallway, I saw nothing and motioned for Abby to follow. She deftly avoided the creaky spot of the floor as she kept close behind me and I entered the hallway fully.

Walking along the bare wooden floor of the hallway, I observed that the house was very dark, and I wish now that I had brought a flashlight. Coming upon the first doorway, I looked around the door to find it empty. Making my way into the room, I noticed that it has been set up as kind of chapel, a small table one side holding a cross and some candles. There are heavy curtains over the one window blocking out most of the light, and the room smelled of must and mold. Lying on the table in front of the cross was a small leather book of some kind, so I picked it up and opened the front cover. Inside written in a practiced hand was a name, James Michael Girard…the monk!

Turning to show it to Abby, I mouthed
“He’s here!”

Abby nodded, her senses seeming to heighten before my eyes as she turned and looked around, pointing to the couch on the other side of the room that had a blanket laying on it, looking like someone had slept there. Walking over to it, she placed her hand on the couch, confirming with a whisper that it was warm.

Turning around, she then headed slowly for the door. Palming the book, I stuck it into my pocket as I followed her out of the room and into the hall. There were two other rooms on the main floor, all of them sparsely furnished and empty looking. Reaching the front of the house, I glanced upstairs with my gun before me. Seeing nothing, I started up the sturdy but worn steps. Trying to avoid another squeak, Abby stayed below until I had reached the top, and then proceeded to follow me up to the long dark hallway.

The first doorway was three feet beyond the steps, and we positioned ourselves on each side of the doorway. Reaching down, I slowly turned the knob, holding the door back slightly as I did so. When I had it turned completely I looked at Abby, who nodded as I pushed the door open and entered quickly, Abby right behind me.

Another dark room, with three bunk beds lining the walls of two sides of the room; the single window again heavily draped. On the third wall there stood a small table with five candles…burning.

It was then that I noticed the smell.

Having observed old kerosene lanterns throughout the house so far, I had noticed the occasional whiff of kerosene as I walked. The smell of it in this room was heavier… much heavier! Seeing nowhere for the monk to hide except a closet in the opposite corner, I made my way slowly over to it, Abby covering the door as I ripped it open quickly.

No one was there, but my eyes were immediately drawn to two gas cans on the floor of the closet, which reeked of kerosene.

“Let’s get out of here!”

Immediately upon yelling this and turning, I saw the door closing to the hallway, the distinctive sound of the lock turning echoing throughout the room.

Abby and I looked at each other for a second before we both seemed to have the same thought simultaneously.  

“The candles!”

We both turned toward the blazing candles as one, watching in horror as they suddenly took off on their own, flying off the table and landing on the floor as if swept off by the hand of God!

The floor where they landed immediately burst in to flames with a whoosh, and we watched in shock as the flame started around the room in both directions, joining together in the far end of the room in a matter of seconds.

We were trapped!

“Gabriel Celtic!” I heard coming from the hallway. “You have meddled one too many times in the affairs of God. He has told me through the words of the book that this is your day to die! Enjoy the coming hell; for it will be better than where you are going!”

Chapter 73

August 29, 1998

Girard quietly waited as he heard the people out in the hall, a skeleton key in his hand. Thinking of it, he couldn’t help but be tickled by the name, considering what its last function would be. He had to will himself to keep from laughing loudly at the thought as he heard the door to the adjoining room open.

Waiting a few seconds, he slowly turned the knob of the closet door and peeked outside into the hallway. The hallway was empty; they had entered the room!

Slowly opening the door more fully, he made his way the few feet to the open doorway, peering around the corner to look inside.

It
was
Gabriel Celtic; he had somehow eluded Mr. Leffler’s efforts to eliminate him, and had brought that young girl he had seen with him before. It was a shame she had followed him here, but there was nothing to do about it now.

Quickly reaching in with his free hand, he pulled the door shut, inserting the skeleton key and turning it with finality. Leaving the key in the lock, he turned and ran back to the closet, giving the string sticking through the inner wall a hard jerk.

The trap was sprung.

He could hear the whoosh as the kerosene ignited, and pictured in his mind with pleasure as he imagined the fire ringing itself around the room, trapping them like rats!

Walking back up to the door of the room, he put his face close to the door, already feeling the heat of the fire through it.

“Gabriel Celtic!” he shouted through the door with relish. “You have meddled one too many times in the affairs of God. He has told me through the words of the book that this is your day to die! Enjoy the coming hell; for it will be better than where you are going!”

The certainty of the meddling man’s fate brought a smile to Girard’s face, and a loud laugh floated down the hallway as he leisurely made his way down the stairs. The fire would take care of any other evidence; he had but to make his way to his car and leave for the airport.

It was a good day!

Chapter 74

August 29, 1998

A loud eerie laugh was heard through the door, and I could hear the sound retreating; he was leaving the house.

“Bastard!” I shouted after him, the laughter renewing itself at my words.

Turning to check on Abby, I saw that she looked frozen, transfixed at the sight of the fire, in shock. My heart stopped as I saw a line of fire heading from the outside wall directly at Abby!

Running quickly the two steps to get to her, I quickly wrapped my arms around Abby’s waist and swung around in a half circle, narrowly escaping the fire as it passed. Reaching the center of the room, it branched out left and right while the original fire continued farther for a short distance.

When it stopped, there was a cross burning in the middle of the floor, our final message from the monk!

“Bastard,”
I repeated again under my breath. Looking at Abby; she seemed to have regained her senses as she looked around at our quickly deteriorating situation. The room was rapidly being devoured by the fire, and the smoke was already choking us to tears.

Seeing a chair burning against the wall, I grabbed it and ran toward the outer wall, flinging it through the curtained windows at the last second. The shattering of glass met my ears, as well as welcome air, although it promptly hiked up the level of fire and heat.

Grabbing Abby’s hand, I said, “One chance kid, let’s do this!”

We both start running toward the wide window, the curtains blocking it now burning at full intensity. Jumping through blindly, I said a quick prayer as our bodies were propelled through the burning fabric… into nothingness.

“Betty!...”

Chapter 75

August 29, 1998

I hear giggling!

Although the situation seemed much too serious for such levity, it was definitely there. There! I heard it again, giggling and darkness, a warm enveloping darkness.

I was trying to remember how I got here.

The last thing I remember…I was jumping through a window?

With Abby, we were jumping through a fire; I could still feel the burning cloth of the curtains against my skin.

I tried to move my arms to look at my hands and I am unable to; I can’t even feel them!

I felt like I was floating!

“Who’s there?”

“Hello?”

No answer. This seemed familiar.

Did I die jumping from the fire?

“Hello? Did I die jumping from the fire? Hello?”

Still no answer, but more giggling…

I felt a breeze, and grass; I could smell grass too. No longer floating it seemed, but still comfortable. I liked this place.

“Gabe!”

I was being buffeted, the earth was shaking.

“Gabe, get up; he’s getting away!”

I instantly sat up; Abby was looking at me with concern in her eyes. I looked around; the house was burning, the fire spreading to the rest of the house.

It is hot! We gotta move.

“Where?” I asked, still confused

“He’s in his car!”

I jumped up, and reached for my weapon…gone! Looking around on the ground, I found it next to where I was laying. Snatching it up, I ran around the side of the house, seeing the old car back out of the garage and into the yard as he turned around, ready to leave.

I ran as fast as I could and got in front of him in the driveway. Leveling my gun at the windshield, I yelled for him to turn off the car and get out!

The glare of his glasses looked out at me from under the wide brimmed hat. Suddenly a toothy smile erupted, the engine revving simultaneously as the car shot forward…right at me!

There is no way this asshole gets away again!

I aimed at his head along the barrel, but he was bouncing over the rough ground before the driveway, going faster by the second.

As he got closer and closer, I kept adjusting my weapon, finally squeezing off a three shot volley into the windshield. The car never slowed, but continued on its course to run me over. I got off one more shot before leaping with all my might out of the way of the hurtling mass of steel…right into a tree!

I felt the air of the moving car as it just missed me on its way into the front yard of the Abbey, still going full speed as it ramped over the crest of the little hill and nosedived onto the road.

I jumped up quickly, starting to head to the front yard when an explosion almost knocked me down again. A large ball of fire erupted over the crest of the little hill as I made my way to the crest, looking down on the wreckage of the monk’s old car, and of him.

Abby!

I suddenly remembered that she hadn’t followed me; was she ok? Concern that she hadn’t moved from the house soon enough kicked in my adrenalin once more as I sprint around to the back of the house. Arriving at the back yard I found…nothing!

“Abby! Abby!”

I heard coughing behind me. Looking around, I saw an almost black Abby stumble out of the house, holding files of papers in her hand. I quickly grabbed her under the shoulders, helping her away from the house and behind the garage to the car.

Setting her down in the grass, I asked her what the hell she thought she was doing.

Grinning and coughing at the same time, she held up the files in her hand.

“I (cough)…got (cough) these…”

A fit of coughing cut off any further discussion, but she held onto the grin.

I called 911 on the cell phone to report the fire and the need to an ambulance to treat for smoke inhalation. Abby was more comfortable now, coughing less so I helped her into the car and leaned the seat back.

Walking around the garage, I was surprised to see the house nearly half gone, the roof having already collapsed into the house. The heat was amazingly intense, even from where I was standing.

I decided to move the car as I was uncertain if the garage would catch on fire or not. Getting in, I pulled farther into the field, turning around so we could watch the fire from there.

“Gabe?” Abby croaked out between coughs. “How did we…I mean (cough)…we jumped from a second (cough) story window…how did we (cough)…?

“For now, let’s just call it a miracle…shall we?” I said with a smile.

“I’ll tell you some stories…later…when you’ve recovered,” knowing it was going to be hard to explain, especially since I really didn’t understand it myself.

If she only knew!

“We did (cough) it though!” Abby got out slowly, her grin even wider.

I could hear sirens in the distance approaching as I looked upon this accidental child of mine, this true miracle I had been suddenly blessed with. My life was once again forever changed, and this time, it was a good thing!

“Yes we did kid,” I said with a smile, answering her question while looking at the burning house, then looking back over at her.

“Yes we did.”

It was a very good thing indeed.