The Paupers' Crypt (18 page)

“What?” Jenny asked, horrified. “What do you mean by possess?”

“He has taken over someone’s body,” Leo said.

Why?” Jenny asked.

“We think he might be looking for Brian,” Sylvia said. “You need to be careful. Both of you. We’ll let you know where he is as soon as we can. Just be safe, Jenny.”

As Jenny nodded, both Sylvia and Leo shimmered, and then they vanished.

Jenny suddenly became aware of the noise of her own heart, the way it thudded in her chest. Her vision blurred for a moment, then returned to normal. She felt a sickening fear and she hurried out of the kitchen.

She ran to the study and found all three men still there. Brian was in his chair, Shane sat by the desk and Jacob stood against the near wall, arms folded over his chest. Each of them looked to her, smiles on their faces.

Whatever expression they saw on her face caused the joy to leave theirs.

“Babe,” Brian said, standing up quickly. “What’s wrong?”

Before she could answer, an explosion of sound ripped through the air and the house shook. Jenny could hear breaking glass and shattering wood.

And mixed in with it, the roaring of an engine.

“The truck,” she said, but no one heard her.

Brian was up and out of his chair as Shane and Jacob raced past her, Brian followed a moment later. Jenny stood there, alone and stunned.

Then one word leaped into her mind.

Possession
.

Instead of turning to leave the study, she ran to Brian’s desk.

Chapter 62: Help Arrives, 9:15 AM, May 4
^th
, 2016

Neal realized he must have blacked out.

Cindy Ford was kneeling beside him, prying open his right eye and checking his pupils.

“Hey there, Neal,” she said, smiling down at him and speaking in the professional tone he had heard more than once. “Can you tell me what happened?”

It took him a moment, but Neal finally gathered his thoughts and told her.

She nodded, looked across from him to Timmy White, who slipped a pressure cuff around Neal’s bicep.

“Okay, Neal,” she said, still smiling, “you know the drill. What’s your last name?”

“Lars,” Neal said hoarsely.

“Birthday?” she asked.

Neal opened his mouth, and then he closed it. He couldn’t remember his birthday.

“Oh Christ,” he spat. “A god-damned head injury.”

“It’s alright,” she said soothingly. “It’s alright. Relax for me, alright?”

“BP just spiked, Cindy,” Timmy said.

She nodded.

Another person arrived on the scene, and Neal heard a car door slam shut. Trooper Henry Martini jogged into view and came to squat down by him.

“Hey Neal,” the younger man said. “Why don’t you give me a description of the perp?”

Neal closed his eyes and realized he could picture Dylan perfectly. He couldn’t remember his birthday, but he sure as hell could remember him. And he told Henry all about the man.

Chapter 63: The Accident, 9:15 AM, May 4
^th
, 2016

Brian looked into the parlor from the hallway and couldn’t believe what he saw.

The front end of a pickup truck had smashed into the house. Debris was scattered everywhere, and the engine whined and spat. The horn blasted, and dust plaster hung heavy in the air. A figure was slumped over the steering wheel.

In a second, Brian and Jacob were climbing over broken furniture and shattered walls. Brian could hear Shane on the phone, calling in the accident. Jacob reached the truck’s door and forced it open. Brian slipped past him, reached under the steering column, found the keys and turned off the engine. Blood dripped down from the driver’s head, and the man looked beat to hell.

Jacob scrambled over to the other side of the pickup, pulled the passenger’s side door open, and got in.

“Ready?” Jacob asked.

Brian nodded. Jacob gently moved the driver towards Brian, and Brian eased the man out of the truck. The stranger was slim and short. He also stank of vodka. The blood fell quickly from several wounds, and Brian hoped the man didn’t have any blood-borne illnesses.

Suddenly, Shane was at his side, and the two of them got the driver out into the hall.

“The ambulance is on its way,” Shane said as Jacob came out of the room with a blanket and a throw pillow. He slapped the dust off of them before he tossed them onto the floor. “Got a first-aid kit?”

Brian nodded. “Bathroom. Above the cabinet.”

Shane helped Brian put the man on the pillow. As Shane left to get the first aid kit, Jacob looked at the driver.

“Doesn’t look too bad,” Jacob said. “Course, we can’t really tell what’s going on inside.”

“Yeah,” Brian agreed. “Hey, grab the blanket, will you?”

Jacob reached out, pulled it close and passed it over to Brian. Brian spread it out over the unconscious man. Shane was back a moment later, opening the kit while kneeling down.

Shane took out a steri-pad and tore the wrapper off.

And the man opened his eyes. He looked from Brian to Shane and then to Jacob, and the man smiled.

“Hey,” Shane said softly. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” the man replied, slurring his words slightly. “Very good now, actually. How are the three of you doing?”

Brian took the question to be the product of shock or a traumatic brain injury, so he tried to keep the conversation light. “We’re okay. Just worried about you. Can you tell me what your name is?”

“Oh yes,” the man grinned, “I’m Josephus Wahlen.”

Chapter 64: The Call, 9:17 AM, May 4
^th
, 2016

Henry Martini got up and walked away from Neal Lars. The part-time cop, full-time pain had taken an undeserved beating. Neal may have gotten a little too rough at times, but he never lied, it wasn’t how the guy operated, and from what he had told Henry, Neal hadn’t even deserved the beat down.

And, as much as he found Neal annoying, Lars was still a cop.

Henry rubbed at his chin. The description Neal had given sounded like Dylan Mailer, an amateur runner who liked to run drunk. The man had been stopped and cited a few times for drunk and disorderly, but never for an assault.

Henry’s radio squawked as he approached the patrol car and he keyed the microphone. “Say again, dispatch?”

“We’ve got a report of a vehicle collision with a house,” dispatch replied.

“Where?” Henry asked, getting into his cruiser.

“One Eighty-Five Old Nashua Road,” dispatch answered. “It was a white pickup truck.”

Henry paused his hands on the keys in the ignition. “Say again?”

“White pickup. No tags given,” dispatch said.

“That’s Lars’ truck,” Henry said. “The driver’s got to be Dylan Mailer, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who beat Neal down.”

“Alright,” dispatch said. “Putting the all-call out now. Be safe and approach with caution.”

“Copy, dispatch, out.”

Henry started the engine, dropped the car into gear and tore off for Old Nashua Road.

No one beats up a cop.

No one.

Chapter 65: An Unwelcome Guest, 9:20 AM, May 4
^th
, 2016

Josephus Wahlen sat up and smiled cheerfully at the three men, all of whom had backed away from him. They were confused, unsure of themselves and of what to do.

Perfect
, Josephus thought. Dylan screamed from his little corner. Josephus’ borrowed body was beyond battered. It had sustained multiple broken bones, and he was certain it would collapse completely if his own will was not so powerful.

“How?” a bald man asked.

“How?” Josephus replied, laughing. “Revenge is a wonderful motivator. A force which has driven me forward for well over a century and a half.”

He pushed himself to his feet and looked at the men. Josephus saw their confusion, their hesitation. He watched them exchange glances. None of them wished to harm Dylan’s body. It was plain on their faces, and Josephus knew he had them.

Chapter 66: A Problem, 9:23 AM, May 4
^th
, 2016

Brian swallowed dryly and looked at the man in front them.

No,
Brian corrected himself.
Josephus is in there.

The body Josephus had hijacked was battered and bloodied, and part of the scalp hung down to the right. A section of the skull was revealed, and Brian was surprised Josephus was upright.

Then again, Brian was surprised Josephus was there.

When Brian looked at Shane and Jacob, he saw his own worry reflected in their faces.

How do we stop him without hurting the person he possessed?

Before he could voice the question, Josephus attacked.

It was quick, and it was brutal.

Josephus moved faster than Brian expected, and Josephus grabbed hold of Jacob’s throat. He lifted the man up, squeezing as he did so.

And Brian suddenly realized how strong Josephus was.

Shane leaped at Josephus, who swung Jacob and struck Shane with him. Brian jumped over Shane as the man slammed into the wall and collapsed. Josephus, grinning, lashed out with a leg and caught Brian in the stomach. Brian vomited his breakfast and choked as he staggered back, tripping over Shane and falling to the floor. As Shane struggled to get up, and Brian desperately tried to breathe, Josephus brought Jacob’s face close to his own.

Jacob was kicking and punching viciously, but regardless of how many blows he landed, Josephus was unmoved. He kept a firm grip on Jacob’s neck, not tight enough to kill the man, merely to hold him in place.

Jacob snarled at Josephus.

Josephus smiled, leaned forward, and bit off Jacob’s nose. Blood exploded out of the wound, pouring down Jacob’s face and spraying out across Josephus’. Josephus spat the nose out, and then he smashed Jacob’s head onto the floor. He managed to do it twice before Shane was on top of him.

Brian, finally able to breathe, staggered forward.

Shane, straddling Josephus’ back, was punching the man repeatedly in the back of the head. Brian kicked at Josephus’ arms, yet nothing worked.

It was then that Brian realized the man’s intention.

Josephus was strangling Jacob.

Brian lashed out with his foot, connecting solidly with Josephus’ bicep, but the man continued to hold on.

Suddenly, Josephus stood up, knocking Shane back. But Shane scrambled up and threw a wild punch.

Josephus, grinning, caught Shane’s fist. With a happy expression, Josephus squeezed and twisted.

The blood drained from Shane’s face as his shoulder popped audibly, and sharp cracks rang out from Josephus’ hand. Josephus chuckled and let go. Shane collapsed to the floor, unable to move, shock and horror on his face.

Josephus shook his head.

“I’m not seeing someone here, Brian,” Josephus said, looking around.

“You didn’t come for me?” Brian asked, wondering where Jenny was.

“Oh, I did,” Josephus replied, licking Jacob’s blood off his lips. “But more importantly, I have come to speak with your delectable wife. I must confess myself irritated with her behavior. I do not appreciate being shot. It was a most unpleasant experience. You will agree, I’m certain, that she must reap what she has sown.”

“No,” Brian said, “no, I don’t agree at all.”

His heart did a mad little dance in his chest, and stars exploded around the edges of his vision. He spat the last remnants of bile out of his mouth and prayed he wouldn’t die of a heart attack before Jenny got away.

“Now, now,” Josephus said soothingly, tucking the flap of scalp up behind his ear and smiling. “You are a good husband, so I can see, but she must be punished. Much like a child, a wife must be disciplined, kept in line. It is her duty, as told so righteously in the Good Book. And it is your duty, I might add, to ensure she is properly educated.”

A siren interrupted Brian’s response, and he looked out to the door.

It was then that Josephus attacked.

Chapter 67: Jenny Intervenes, 9:33 AM, May 4
^th
, 2016

Jenny had gotten to the desk and opened the top left drawer. She had taken out the snail-mail envelopes, thrown them down and retrieved Brian’s Glock nine-millimeter semi-automatic. She had checked the magazine to make sure it was loaded, put a round into the chamber, and went and stood by the door.

She hadn’t known it would be Josephus. She had suspected, but she also didn’t want to run out with a loaded weapon if the driver had had a freak accident. Jenny had remained in the room as she heard Shane make the call for an ambulance. She had heard the men speak to the driver. And she had heard the man say who he was.

The fight had started only a few seconds later, and when she had quickly looked out of the study, she had seen the situation was too chaotic for her to shoot clearly. Instead of throwing herself into the mix, Jenny had stepped back into the study. She waited.

Her moment would come and she would shoot.

She would kill Josephus, and it didn’t matter to her whether she killed the man he possessed or not.

Josephus was going to hurt her. He would try to use Brian to do it as well, but she wouldn’t let him.

Every noise pained her, but she knew she needed to be patient.

And so she was. Jenny waited until she heard Josephus speak. It wasn’t the voice she had heard on the phone. The possessed man’s voice was thinner and higher. The tone, though, and the disdain which came through with each word, that was unmistakably Josephus.

He spoke to Brian about the need to correct her behavior. He said how she needed to be disciplined. The conversation continued briefly, but then it was cut short by the sound of a siren. And then she heard someone crash into the wall, and Josephus laughed.