Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum (32 page)

“Shoot,” Zach said.

“I didn’t release Dr. Johansson.”

Zach couldn’t believe his ears. “What? How?”

“You never reviewed the film of the exorcism
did you?”

“No,” Zach responded. “I haven’t had time.”

It was partially true, but Zach also had
obvious personal reasons for avoiding exorcisms, even taped ones. Better to be
safe than sorry in regards to Uncle Henry.

“Well, I did it in Latin,” Hunter said. “I
knew a doctor from the nineteenth century would understand me.”

“And Bryce and the others wouldn’t.”

“Correct.”

Hunter’s eyes had taken on a faraway stare.
“At a crucial moment, at the very last minute, rather than ordering the entity
from the premises, I asked him to hide.”

“To hide?”

“Yes, to make a bit of a scene to both
impress and fool the others, and then to hide for twenty-four hours.”

“And why didn’t you tell me this last
night?”

“It was so late, and my reasons for doing it
weren’t clear in my head. I planned on telling you first thing this evening. I
didn’t expect not to see you ‘til ten o’clock!”

“And now that your head is clear,” Zach
said. “What were your reasons for doing it? Or rather not doing it?”

Sara peered from the steps of Rosewood out
toward them.

“Hurry,” Zach said, with as much urgency as
he could muster. “Tell me!”

Short of having it wrung out of him, Hunter
seemed reluctant to speak the reason out loud. Sara had started down the
driveway towards them.

“C’mon!”

Finally, looking Zach squarely in the eyes
he said, “Because down deep, I knew we’d need him to fight the evil here.”

Sara walked up to the passenger’s side door
just as the car stopped.

Zach had only halfway emerged from the open
door when Sara pressed him back into the vehicle.

“We need to talk,” she said, sternly.
“Hunter, do you mind if we use your car a minute?”

Hunter, who had already taken a few steps up
toward Rosewood, shook his head.

“Move over,” she said to Zach squeezing in.
In his weakened condition, it took great effort to hop over to the driver’s
seat. “So what’s up?”

“Sara, I’m sorry for disappearing, I assure
you—”

“Assure me later,” she said. “We don’t have
time now, Zach. What’s going on?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but I know who
planted evidence and may be planning on something bigger tonight.”

“Who?”

“Matthew and Bryce.”

She looked doubtful. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Sara.”

“How do you know?”

Zach explained the conversation he overheard
and detailed Matthew and Bryce’s exit through the false fence.

“Did they bring anything back through the
opening?” she asked.

“I don’t know. What time were they back
here?” he asked, hoping to deflect.

“It’s hard to say since everyone was on
break and, I
thought
, taking naps.” She shot him a look undoubtedly
intended to make him feel guilty.

Considering what he’d done for the benefit
of the show instead of napping, it didn’t work.

“I saw them,” Sara continued, “before eight
o’clock.”

“So before the thing happened at Sashza’s?”

“You don’t think they had something to do
with that, do you?” Her face expressed incredulity, her eyes, fear.

“I don’t think Bryce would...but I don’t
know the guy. Obviously.”

She appeared uncharacteristically befuddled.
“What should we do?”

“Well, let’s just get through tonight
without anyone else getting hurt. Tomorrow, we can confront them and hopefully
get them to admit what evidence is false. I already know the peach juice thing
is bogus.”

She nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. Let’s
both keep our eyes open and no more secrets, okay?”

“Sure,” he said.

“I mean it, Zach...oh,” she said, “have you
talked to Rebecca?”

“Not yet,” Zach said. “I planned on calling
her first thing after checking in here.”

“She’s waiting on you.”

“Okay,” Zach said. “I’ll call her now.”

“The little boy over there apparently was
playing with matches last night.”

“Really? Did she say if he’s still talking
about Boy?”

Sara’s face expressed horror.

“What? Is it something about Boy?”

“No,” Sara said. “Look.”

He followed her gaze toward the back of the
Rosewood property. At first, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The sounds of Sara
dialing 9-1-1 and reporting it, shook Zach from his daze. He opened the car
door and stepped out. The stench of it overwhelmed him. A few
XPI
and
Demon
Hunter
members spilled out of Rosewood to see what was going on.

The old stables building was engulfed in
flames.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The next half hour was a blur to Zach.
Members of both
XPI
and Demon Hunters spilled out of the surrounding
tents and from Rosewood’s lobby. Some came up to him to ensure he was alright.
Many asked where he’d been. He told them they’d meet when all the commotion
died down and he’d explain. Firefighters arrived on the scene. Cameramen from
the show followed their efforts as swarms of firemen vainly attempted to save
the building.

There was no chance.

Many of the lookie loos from outside the
main entrance must have slipped by the lone security guard while the gates had
opened for the fire trucks. A few onlookers attempted to blend into the show
cast and crew, while others ran wildly through the property waving their hands
and screaming like banshees. Within a few minutes, security back up arrived and
rounded up people who didn’t belong, transporting them to whereabouts unknown.

Amidst the chaos, Zach’s godfather spoke to
him.

Clear out of Rosewood.

Uncle Henry’s tone sounded concerned.

Zach dialed Angel’s number. It hadn’t even
completed a full ring.

“Hey boss, you okay? Are you back?”

“Yes, I’m back,” Zach said into the phone.
He looked over at the Foster house. Because of the incline, he couldn’t tell if
they could see the old stables building. “Can you see the fire from over
there?”

“No, but we can sure smell it. The wind is
blowing this way.”

It was then that Zach noted the stiff
easterly breeze had shoved a thick fog of smoke through the night sky toward
the neighboring homes. The smoke cloud mostly held together as it floated over
their rooftops like a slow-motion umbrella.

It reminded Zach why he had called. “Angel,
I need you to get back here and start rounding up the equipment lickety-split.”

“Huh?”

Zach hollered into the phone. “Get back here
and get as much equipment out of Rosewood as fast as you can.”

“Yes, bos—”

Zach clicked his phone closed. Calm, stay
calm, Zach reminded himself.

A steaming gray billow of smoke had emerged
from the remnants of the old stables building. It was nothing more than a
smoldering skeleton now. Some firefighters sloshed across the wet grass making
sure all embers were doused. Others continued to make sure the cameramen and
show members kept a safe distance. However, most firefighting activity appeared
to be finished.

Scanning the tree line, Zach realized that
he’d conducted his episode only about fifty yards from the old stables building.
He hoped that their investigation didn’t uncover his bloody blanket and towels.
Although nothing immediately would link him with them, he’d have a hard time
explaining why the Sci-D TV water bottles he’d used for holy water were out
there...not to mention, nearly one-hundred fluid ounces of his spilled blood.

A whiff of
Sailor Black
and his
godfather’s voice gave him a chill.

They won’t find it, but someone will.

Zach could hardly traipse over there now and
retrieve the stuff. He had planned on getting it later when everyone was
asleep. If someone found it before then, good luck to them in trying to figure
out what it meant.

From afar, he reexamined the charred remains
of the old stables. He hardly thought the fire was a mistake. A premeditated
action most likely, and he suspected foul play rather than paranormal activity.
Is this why Matthew and Bryce had slipped out the secret hole in the fence? To
get materials to commit arson? Was this their way of distracting attention from
the hospital building so that they could plant more bogus evidence? And lastly,
where were they?

Hunter sidled up next to Zach. “Something
there is that doesn’t love a fire.”

“Where did you get that from?” Zach peered
at him.

“Rebecca said it to me at some point,” he
said. “It’s kind of eerily catchy.”

“And, in this situation, appropriate.”

“Someone or something is starting these
fires in the hopes of damning these spirits to hell.” Hunter said, in a
matter-of-fact tone.

“Do you believe fire cleanses a place of
them?” Zach asked.

“In certain cases, I believe it does.”
Hunter said. He was silent a moment. “You’re thinking about leaving, aren’t
you?”

“I’m thinking I might need to beat up both
Bryce and Sara but I’d say it’s time to pack up our stuff and get the hell out
of here before someone else gets hurt.”

Hunter made a guttural noise that sounded a
cross between a growl and a “hmmm.” His lips scrunched off to one side and it
looked as though he was biting at the inside of his cheek.

“What’s buzzing through your head?” Zach
asked.

“The doctor,” Hunter said. “I feel
responsible for him now. It feels as though things here aren’t yet finished.”

“What do you mean? You still feel his
presence?”

“No,” Hunter said. “I mean, yes I sense he
hasn’t left, but no, it seems as though he’s still in hiding. It just feels
like our work here isn’t done.”

“It may not be,” Zach said. “But it’s done
for tonight. I’m putting my foot down before someone else gets hurt...or
worse.”

Hunter nodded absently and peered out at the
line of trees in back of the property. “So do you want me to stick around
then?”

As tempting as it was to ask Hunter to stay,
as much as Zach missed Ray and wanted someone who he knew was firmly in his
corner, Zach didn’t want Hunter involved with whatever negativity would
certainly come of what he was about to do.

“No. You head out now,” Zach said. “Let’s
talk tomorrow.”

“Yes, we sure will,” Hunter said still
gazing far away. “Yes, we will talk tomorrow.”

“What are you planning to say?”

Most of the chaos had subsided. The fire
engines departed, and only the fire marshal and a couple fire inspectors
remained to poke through the rubble. Angel and Rebecca returned from the Foster
residence. Zach ordered him to leave the control center intact, but begin taking
down cameras from the third floor and work his way downward. He asked her to
spread word for everyone to assemble in the lobby. That’s when he noticed
Patrizia staring at him.

Maybe it was the insanity of the situation,
possibly it was his exhaustion, but Zach finally recognized the expression on
her face as she gazed. Her head slightly cocked, her eyes set and her lips
slightly parted. She was looking at him with an expression of
longing
.
Sara had approached and Zach pushed thoughts of the implications of that to the
back of his mind.

“
Zack
, what are you planning to say?”
Sara repeated.

“Just keep the cameras rolling—no matter
what. I’ve got a plan.”

Sara rolled her big brown eyes but said
nothing. She darted off to coordinate with the cameramen.

Zach stood outside Rosewood’s front door
encouraging team members into the asylum, Patrizia approached with a look of
determined intention. She gripped his forearm. “We need to talk.”

Zach hustled along as she dragged him down
the long Rosewood façade and pulled him around the corner of the
building.  Did she have some important piece of evidence that would
further implicate Matthew and Bryce or someone else? Before he could think
through the implications, Patrizia pressed him up against the brick wall. He
didn’t even put up a fight when she pulled up his shirt sleeve.

Her dark eyes looked down at the gauze
bandages and then glared at him. She only needed to utter one word. “Why?”

The tingly pinpricks of embarrassment
attacked his torso, especially his back. He muttered the first thing that came
to mind. “It’s not what you think.”