The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (22 page)

Although eerily quiet, Karl could not help but think they weren’t alone. “He has definitely been here,” he said.

“How do you know?” Andrew said.

“I can’t tell you,” said Karl. “I just… Bingo,” he said suddenly.

“What is it?” William cast his eyes about the room. It was an immaculately kept lavatory, with aluminium doors and white marble floors.

“Over there,” Karl replied. “The end stall.”

They steadily approached, but on arrival, their mood changed for the worse.

“That must be Sergeant Capps,” said Andrew. All three of them looked down at the motionless body. His skin was completely clean, with no blood, wounds, or signs of a struggle.

Karl knelt down to take a closer inspection, digging through the officer’s pockets and checking his badge. He stood and said, “It’s Capps, all right. And he’s gone.” He handed the badge to William, who nodded.

“It’s definitely our man,” Karl added. “This is just like my family. No wounds at all. It’s definitely hi…” He paused for a few seconds, looking at both of his partners before continuing. “It’s definitely him.”

“Look, guys.” Andrew sounded annoyed. “I know you don’t want to completely let me into your circle, but don’t you think I deserve to at least know his true name?”

“It’s Siroco,” said Karl.

Andrew shrugged with both his hands by his side.

“You wanted to know it,” William said. “And now you do.”

Andrew looked toward William and quickly followed Karl, who approached the restroom exit with the radio in his hand. “Inspector Donovan,” he said.

“Yes?” came an immediate reply.

“How are we doing with that list?”

“Almost have it,” Donovan said. Karl heard a number of voices and assumed it was the backup he requested. He listened only for the inspector’s voice. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Send it to my tablet once you’re done. And Inspector!” Karl’s voice deepened.

“Yes, Agent Hobbs.”

Karl took a few deep breaths before speaking. “We found the body of Sergeant Capps.”

For a moment there was only silence, but Karl could hear Inspector Donovan breathing into the radio. Finally, he said in a shaky voice, “How did he die?”

“I couldn’t tell you yet. I’m so sorry.”

“And Johnson?”

“We haven’t seen Sergeant Johnson yet, but I give you my word, if I find him, I’ll look after him.” Karl looked toward the ceiling before putting the radio by his mouth once more. “I’m sincerely sorry for your loss, Inspector.” The radio went dead soon after. Karl returned it to his belt and noticed the stares from both his partners.

“So what now?” asked William.

“Now we wait.” Karl breathed heavily. “And once we get the list, we pay the families a visit.”

3.6

D
O
Y
OU
B
ELIEVE IN
M
AGIC?

K
arl’s mood remained somber following his conversation with Inspector Donovan. He had had firsthand experience with pain and sadness, and he knew it never got easier. He imagined what the inspector was going through at that moment.

“Don’t you think we should start checking out these apartments, rather than just standing here in the hallway?” asked Andrew. In contrast to his calm partners, he walked around impatiently.

“That will be as costly a mistake as Sergeant Capps coming up on his own,” replied Karl. “Going up against Siroco without knowing all the angles is asking to die.” His tablet suddenly vibrated, and with a thin smile, he opened it and flipped through a series of screens.

“Okay,” he said finally. “There are two families on this floor he’s likely to have gone to, and another two on the floor above. We’ll do this together, and under no circumstances are we to separate.” He stared at Andrew. “Is that understood, rookie?”

Andrew nodded and cocked his gun before turning around to face the long hall of the tenth floor.

“Right, guys,” Karl said. “First thing we do is check out his room.” He approached room 1010 with his gun in the air. “This is it, guys. Remember, our bullets will only injure him.” He looked at Andrew. “You must not try to take him down alone.” He stopped walking. “If somehow we do get separated, we must regroup.” He did not wait for an acknowledgement, but instead inserted the keycard into the slot, with his gun ready.

A green light appeared after Karl pulled out the card. He turned the handle, with his partners close behind, poised to rush into the room. Following a count of three, Karl thrust the door open and charged in, siting his gun in every direction.

His partners joined him at the center of the room, marveling at how empty it was. “How can anyone live like this?” Andrew asked. The room was bare of furniture, carpets, or anything remotely homey. Looking through the bedroom door, he saw a very small bed with thin covers.

“Well, I guess that’s what you live like when your life’s a lie.” William made his way into the bedroom.

“Careful,” shouted Karl suddenly. “Remember, we do this together.”

Steadily, all three men walked into the bedroom, which was even barer than the living area. However, they did find a number of cardboard boxes, which made them think he might not have gotten around to unpacking. But upon inspecting the boxes, they had nothing inside them.

“He gives nothing away, does he?” Andrew planted his hands on his head.

“There’s nothing here for us.” Karl approached the door. “Let’s go and talk to the families.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Andrew pointed toward the bathroom.

“He’s not in there.” Karl started to exit the apartment, when a faint cough caught their attention.

“You were saying?” Andrew led the way to the bathroom door, as his partners quickly caught up with him.

The cough came again and again. In between the coughs, they could hear sobbing. They looked at each other, bewildered, and then burst through the door. Inside, they could make out the shape of someone sitting behind the shower curtain. William yanked the curtain aside to reveal a very frightened police officer, dripping with water and seemingly suffering from hypothermia. He was very young, with long, dark stringy hair, exaggerated by the water that covered his whole body.

Calmly, Karl extended his hand. “You okay, son?” he asked.

The officer continued to shake as he looked at the three men. Slowly, he nodded.

“Sergeant Johnson?” asked William.

“Yes yes yeeess, sir.” Johnson slurred.

“You’re okay now, son,” said Andrew. He held on to his shoulders. “We’re the AFP agents you spoke to. There’s backup downstairs. Everything will be fine, but I need you to tell me what happened here. Why are you drenched in water?”

“I don’t understand what happened. It was so weird.” Johnson started to weep. “He made me come in here. The things he made me see… It was so horrible. I only remember wishing I was dead.” He continued shaking and sobbing.

“Let’s get you out of this,” said William. “You’ll freeze to death soon.” He helped Johnson out of the bath and wrapped a towel around him. “Come into the bedroom.”

“No!” shouted Johnson. “I’m not leaving this room. I can’t see him again.”

Officer Johnson continued crying, as William tried to calm him. Andrew looked at Karl and motioned him to follow into the living room.

Outside, Andrew clenched both fists and hissed, “What the hell are we dealing with? I know he’s not human and all, and bullets can’t kill him, but I’ve seen fear before, and that guy is terrified. Whoever this, this Siroco is, he seems to either kill people without touching them or put the fear of God into them. You obviously know what he does. Now I have to know.”

Karl tilted his head toward the floor and stood still.

“For God’s sake, Karl!” shouted Andrew. “You have to tell me. I don’t want to end up like that.” He suddenly lowered his voice, worried that the scared officer might have heard him.

“Look,” said Karl finally. “I won’t pretend. This is possibly the most difficult takedown you will ever make in your life. I came into this knowing the risks, and I accept them, but you don’t have to.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“No one will think any less of you if you walked away now.” Karl edged toward Andrew. “You can just take the elevator downstairs and go back to your pretty fiancée. This is my fight, and I can’t ask you to put your life on the line for me.”

“And what do you think Nancy will think of me if I left you here by yourself? No way am I going anywhere. If you say that there’s a way to stop him, then I’m all in.”

“All right then.” Karl nodded and looked in the direction of William, who seemed to have calmed Sergeant Johnson. Karl turned back to Andrew. “The things he can do,” he said. “His
powers
or whatever it is, I really don’t understand. The only thing I know is to not get too close to him, no matter what happens.”

Andrew nodded, and they both jumped when William appeared before them. Sergeant Johnson was still sitting in a corner in the bathroom, trembling. “He won’t leave that spot,” William said. “We have to leave him there and continue.”

“We can’t leave him there,” said Andrew. “What if Siroco comes back?”

“William is right.” Karl returned his gun to its holster. “If Siroco wanted him dead, he would be already. We must go now. With each second we waste, a family is in danger.”

Exiting the apartment, Karl placed the radio by his mouth. “Inspector Donovan,” he said.

“Go ahead,” the inspector responded immediately. The nervousness in his voice was obvious.

“We’ve found Johnson,” Karl continued. “He’s quite shaken up, but he’s okay.”

“What do you mean?” Donovan’s voice shook. “What’s wrong with him?”

Karl looked at Andrew, and following a heavy sigh, continued to speak into the radio. “He’s seriously scared of something. We found him in the suspect’s room, in the bath, dripping wet. He’s so scared, he won’t even leave the bathroom.”

“What?” shouted Inspector Donovan. “Get him out, now. We can’t possibly leave him in there.”

Karl opened his mouth to speak when he noticed William walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He had his right thumb up and nodded his head. “He’ll be just fine,” Karl said finally. “Agent Montgomery has calmed him down. We’ll start checking out these families, but please, you and your men hang tight.”

“No way. I’ll come and get him. I won’t allow him to stay there.”

“Listen to me, Inspector!” Karl shouted. “Your men didn’t listen to us earlier, and one of them is dead.” He lowered his voice. “All I’m asking is that you trust us. You have my word: nothing will happen to your boy.”

Only silence came through the radio for several seconds before the hoarse voice of Donovan said, “You have thirty minutes, and after that, I’m coming up.”

“Fine.” Karl put the radio away and brought out his tablet. “Right,” he said. The Russells live in room 1040. We’ll go see them first.”

His partners followed him across the hall without a word. The whole floor remained quiet and almost haunting, Andrew thought, worried that Siroco was waiting around the corner or behind one of the closed doors.

“So how are we going to play this?” Andrew asked.

“Follow my lead, rookie. Just follow my lead.” Karl knocked on the door, while his partners held their guns behind their backs.

The door creaked opened, and out popped the small face of a young girl. She couldn’t have been older than eight, Karl thought. Her long, brown hair reminded him of his daughter, Pamela, but ever since the incident, almost every little girl with brown hair reminded him of her. “Are your parents here, darling?” he asked.

She nodded, but Karl got an uneasy feeling. “Is anyone else in here with Mommy and Daddy?” he asked.

She shook her head, but Karl still remained unconvinced. “Can I please speak to Mommy and Daddy?” he said.

The girl continuously looked behind her, seemingly nervous. “Daddy,” the girl shouted, finally. “There are some men at the front door.” She immediately ran away, leaving the door open.

No footsteps could be heard, prompting Karl to ease his head inside, where he saw nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious. The apartment was neat, with matching dark, brown sofas and curtains.

“Can I help you?” said a voice that suddenly crept up on him. It belonged to a serious-looking man. He wore a baseball cap and a white T-shirt. But his scowl stood out the most to Karl.

“Bradley Russell?” Karl asked.

“Yes,” replied the man. “How can I help you?”

William stepped up next to Karl and pulled out his badge. “Sir, we’re working with the police to catch someone very dangerous, and we believe he’s hiding in this building.”

Bradley swallowed and remained silent for a few seconds. “You’re telling me there’s someone dangerous, in my building?”

“Why so nervous, sir?” Andrew also stepped forward.

“Wouldn’t you be?” said Bradley. “If you had an eight-year-old and got told that someone dangerous lived on your floor?”

“Sir, I didn’t say anything about him living in this building, let alone your floor.” Karl edged closer to Bradley, who grew more uncomfortable. “Now, do you have anything to tell me?”