Amber Smoke Page 10

  She scampered onto the bunk and tried to tuck herself away into a happy corner of her mind. The lock slid and the door handle turned. She sipped small shallow breaths and waited for him to enter. The door groaned and he stepped through.

  “Are you feeling any better?” His voice asked the question, but his eyes stared at her like lifeless black marbles. “Yes? No?” The creaking blue door closed behind him.

  Unsure of the correct response, Eva stayed silent.

  “Well, I had a bit of a time over at your mom’s.” He rubbed his forehead. “The cops had just left.”

  Having the police involved made Eva feel a little better. At least she knew there were trained people out looking for her.

  “Actually, I’m really surprised they were there at all. Normally someone has to be missing for a couple days before they get involved. And right now, no one can be sure if you’re missing or just out playing at some guy’s house.” He paused and let his gaze bore into her. “Your blond friend was there too. What is her name?”

  Eva stayed silent, struggling to not tremble. Bill glared at her. “I’m asking you questions, Eva. I don’t like the silent treatment. What is her name?”

  “Bridget,” Eva sputtered.

  “Bridget.” Bill rolled the name around in his mouth. “She was there, insisting you aren’t that kind of girl. They really are worried about you.” His tongue wriggled out of his mouth and glossed his bottom lip. It looked wet and gray. It slithered back into its dark hole. “Delightful.”

  Bill sauntered over and sat next to her on the bunk. He pressed his leg against hers, and Eva’s teeth chattered wildly in her mouth. “I told them that everything would work out and that I was sure they’d find you very soon, which is true, in a manner of speaking.”

  He pressed his hand against her leg and moved it up and down her thigh. Every muscle in Eva’s body clenched and tears pricked her eyes. The shiny skin stretched so tight over his knuckles that the creases disappeared.

  “I didn’t, however, bother to correct them when they said they’d find you alive.” His hand stopped in the deep crease where her leg met her body. “Why take all the fun out of it? Their disintegrating hope will make your end that much more gratifying.”

  He lifted his hand from her leg and ran it through her hair. “The buildup to your death is so fulfilling. I could never have imagined it going this well. Especially after last night’s mess and me losing my temper earlier. I have to apologize for that, by the way. I don’t normally have such a bad temper. I am sorry.”

  He put his arm around her shoulder and forced her quaking body against his. “To prove to you that I am truly sorry, I won’t make you admit what your family has done. I know that can be rough for some people, and I don’t want to put you through that, okay?”

  Eva stared at the blue door while he smeared her hair across his face. His breathing deepened and he shakily exhaled. “I feel like I’m going to bust right out of this skin.”

  She flinched as he surged off of the bunk. “You’re a smart girl, Eva. I think by now you’ve figured out that this isn’t really my house, and that I’m not really Bill. Would you like to know who I am?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Ten years searching. I’d still be searching if not for Bill. Poor, simple William Morgan. I saw him walking through a village with a group of kids, and I could smell your bloodline all over him. Must have gotten it a little wet before his big trip to save the world, if you know what I mean.” His eyebrows wiggled up and down. “Wasn’t too difficult after that. He was building houses, I offered to help, and he just smiled his broad, dull smile and let me right in.

  “Then, I waited. Got to know more about him. He was so eager to share details of his life with anyone who would sit through his boring, self-righteous tales. And I would sit for hours listening to him talk about his road trip to Mexico, his new lover and her daughter, the house he was renovating, and his mindless career. And the whole time, all I could smell was your mother’s stench. That’s what your family does, Eva. It pollutes everything and everyone it touches. Even poor, stupid Bill. He even gave me his address and asked me to write to him with updates about the village’s progress. He made it all too easy, but mortals usually do. The night he was supposed to leave, I helped him pack his car for the journey back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. He hugged me good-bye and thanked me for my hard work. I thanked him by ripping his arms from his body and hacking him to pieces. Then, I littered chunks of him along the drive.” He smiled. “Now I’ve come full circle. It’s poetic really. I will avenge so many deaths with yours. Shall we get started?”

  “Who are you?” Eva asked.

  He gave a sad smile and shook his head. “All that story and I forgot the point of it. No matter. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I’ll bet you would if I made you.”

  He took a small key from his pocket and bent down in front of Eva. The thick metal band tugged at her swollen ankle as he fumbled to unlock the restraint. She waited, calming her nerves to plan her timing perfectly. His arrogance clouded his judgment and kept him from using his key to lock the deadbolt when he returned. If she could get to the door, she could get to freedom.

  The weight of the shackle released, and it hit the floor with a glassy clink. She coiled her leg and struck out violently. The force of her foot exploded against his right cheekbone, scraped the side of his face, and pounded into his right shoulder. He cried out and fell back. Eva hopped off the bunk and ran. Her fingers grazed the doorknob when Bill launched himself at her. He wrapped his arms around her legs and drove her into the ground. She hit the concrete and bounced.

  “Where is the respect, Eva?” He grabbed her arms and pinned them to the floor as he crawled up her body. Eva bucked her hips up and kicked wildly. He lifted his face and stared at her. Yellowish liquid dripped from the thick flap of skin hanging from his cheek.

  “Look at what you’ve done!” His screech made the skin flap dance. Eva yanked one hand free and ripped the vibrating piece from his face. The skin tore away easily and jiggled in her hand like raw chicken fat.

  He let go of her other arm and reared back in pain. Inky liquid spurted from the skinless gash. Eva pushed against him, trying to free her legs from underneath his weight. She screamed as she struggled.

  “Is this what you want?!” His voice no longer sounded like Bill’s. It was the wild growl of a beast. He shoved his fingertips under the lip of remaining flesh and pulled. His body shook violently as he tore the skin from his face. It slurped and popped as mucous flew from his newly birthed head.

  “Is this what you want? You want to see me? Do you now believe?”

  Terror overtook Eva and she twisted to get free.

  His new flesh was slimy, coal black, and his lips were the color of beefy maggots. He threw the skin he’d been wearing and it hit the wall with a wet slap.

  “This is who I am! Do you fear me now?!” Warm, fetid spittle flew at her face as his open palm connected with her cheek.

  Pain burst through her head and flashes of light erupted in her vision.

  Fifteen

  Printouts of the pictures littered James’s desk. Bridget had been true to her word, e-mailing them shortly after they’d met. The best picture, the one he looked at now, circulated the news, social media blasts, and was featured on flyers passed out around the university campus. Eva’s bright smile beamed off the page and directly at him.

  “Spencer Burke is guilty of being an asshole, but had nothing to do with Eva’s disappearance.” Schilling startled him. James shuffled the pictures together and shoved them under a nearby file. “Roberts and Sanchez found him hung over at the Ambassador. He admitted to bringing her back to his room, but we have witnesses that say he didn’t leave the building all night.” Schilling pulled out his chair and sat down with a grunt. “And, from what he said he tried to pull, it wouldn’t surprise me if our girl was laying low at a friend’s house. I’ve seen it countless times before. The guy does so
mething awful, and the girl gets to feeling ashamed and embarrassed like it was her fault. Before you know it, she’s hid herself away somewhere no one would suspect. Shouldn’t be that way, but it is sometimes.”

  “You’re still not convinced that she was abducted?”

  “We have no evidence to prove it one way or another. And last time I checked, not letting your mom know where you are wasn’t grounds for a manhunt.”

  Before James had a chance to respond, Officer Winslow approached their desks. “Detectives, got some still shots for you.” He took the file from under his arm and waved it in the air. “They’re of the missing girl being abducted.”

  “So she didn’t run off?” Schilling questioned.

  James felt his stomach drop. He had been working the case like Eva was taken, but he’d still hoped Schilling was right.

  “Not unless the definition of running off has changed,” Winslow quipped.

  “Well, hand them over.” Schilling collected the file.

  “The camera that caught what happened didn’t exactly get the guy’s face.”

  James furrowed his brow. "Was he wearing some kind of mask?”

  “No, the guy’s face is just missing.”

  James stared back blankly at Winslow.

  “You're going to have to look at the footage. It should be in your inbox by now."

  Schilling turned to his computer and clicked his mouse a few times. “Got it right here,” he said.

  James and Winslow crowded around behind Schilling.

  The video played and a grainy black and white image of Eva's car appeared on the screen.

  “Camera is on the southwest corner of 1532 South Cheyenne. They’ve been having some vandalism issues at this building. When the weekend security guard went in to review the tapes this morning, he found this instead,” Winslow informed.

  The video continued to play, and James watched a man in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt enter the view of the security camera. The hood hid his face, and he calmly walked to the car and opened the driver’s side door. He dug around the front of the car for a few seconds before exiting and climbing into the backseat.

  “Skip forward,” Winslow instructed.

  Schilling put his hand on the mouse. “How far?”

  “About an hour.”

  “Guy waits for her for an hour?” Schilling asked, incredulous. He clicked and the video skipped forward.

  “From this we can tell that she didn’t lock her doors,” Winslow explained. “No cars drive by, no one’s walking around, nada. He just lays down in the backseat and waits.”

  Seconds ticked by before Eva came into frame.

  “Why is she running?” Schilling asked.

  “My guess is that something spooked her. The guard said that it’s pretty dark and empty on that street at night, which is why they have an issue with vandals.”

  Eva quickly opened the door and got into the driver’s seat.

  James felt like he was watching a bad horror movie. He wanted so badly to yell at the screen and tell her not to get into the dark car.

  A shadowy figure sat up in the back, and Eva sat in the driver’s seat screaming. The time stamp revealed that five minutes and twelve seconds passed before her car door flew open. Eva rolled out of the car and came crashing to the ground. She struggled to pull herself up and dart across the street. She was almost to the sidewalk and out of view of the camera when she stumbled and fell. Anxiety filled James as her attacker calmly opened the car door and set his feet on the ground.

  “He must not be worried about getting caught. He’s taking his time, and, other than the hood, he doesn’t seem to be trying to hide his face,” Schilling said.

  “He doesn’t have to. We never see his face.” Schilling and James both looked at Winslow in disbelief. “Don’t believe me? Just watch.”

  Eva’s hands moved wildly on the pavement as she tried to inch herself forward. The man came up behind her, and Eva stilled and then rolled over onto her back. Schilling paused the image.

  “What in the hell.” He looked around the keyboard. “Is there a zoom button on this thing? I can’t see his face. It’s all blurry.”

  "It doesn't get any clearer than that," Winslow announced.

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” James said.

  "Tell me about it. His features stay all wavy like that."

  Schilling muttered something about the evils of technology before resuming the video.

  The blurry man squatted next to her and grazed his hand across her legs. She kicked and clawed at his face. Watching Eva in the street helpless and alone infuriated James. A few minutes went by before the man offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. He supported her weight with one arm while bending over and scooping her legs up with the other. Cradling her in his arms, he strolled to the passenger side of the car. Gently, he placed her in the front seat. He lingered inside the car with her before shutting the door. The blurry man then casually walked over to the driver’s side door, opened it, and climbed in.

  Winslow interrupted the silence. “Something happens in the car because they don’t leave for another seven minutes, but you can’t tell what from this angle. So that’s all she wrote, folks.” He handed James the file.

  “At least we now know for sure that she was abducted,” Schilling offered.

  “Yeah, but there’s no audio and we can’t see his face,” James stated.

  "The tech team put it through all of their fancy filters. No luck. Sorry, chief." Winslow shrugged and started to walk away. “Oh.” He snapped his fingers and turned back to the detectives. “Almost forgot. They found her car parked by TU’s performing arts center. There are no cameras covering that parking lot, though. Word is spreading around campus to contact us if anyone saw anything, but nothing so far.”

  “Next time bring some good news,” Schilling said with a grunt.

  The file contained several stills from the video. James looked at each of them before handing them off to Schilling.

  “He has to be wearing some type of mask or something that’s messing with the camera,” James said. “Why else would everything in the picture be clear except for his face?”

  “Rookie mistake number ten. Getting bogged down in the details. We don’t need to see his face.”

  “You don’t think that’s important?” James sat back down at his desk.

  “This guy gets in her car and waits for an hour. In the backseat for an entire hour. Even if he was watching her leave to the hotel, he wouldn’t know that she was coming back, unless…” Schilling let James fill in the blanks.

  And James did. “Unless he knows her.”

  Sixteen

  The life ablaze in Alek’s chest longed for the Oracle. The supernatural sparks boiled inside of him, pushing him to continue his search. He shook out his shirt and slid the rough fabric over his head. He brushed off the dust and glanced over his shoulder at the sound of fast approaching footsteps.

  “Hey, wait there! I need to talk to you for a second.” The officer waved; his navy blue uniform was black with sweat.

  Alek let out a sigh and turned around. If it came to it, he could subdue this man easily, but fighting drew attention. “What is it you need?”

  “Whoa, calm down. Tulsa Police. Just want to ask you a couple questions,” he said.

  “Apologies, I thought you were a member of the campus police.”

  “No, I have a real badge.” The cop chuckled and tapped the gold star. “A few other officers and I are canvassing the campus. A young woman by the name of Eva Kostas has gone missing. We found her car over in that parking lot.” He pointed to the large lot behind him. “Just wondering if you were out last night. Maybe you saw something that might help. It may not have seemed like a big deal when you saw it, but any little detail could end up being important.”

  “You said her name is Eva?” he asked to clarify, nervous sweat dotting his forehead.

  “Yeah, Eva Kostas. You know her?”

/>   “No, I uh, I am simply saddened by the fact that she or anyone may have disappeared,” Alek replied. “How long has she been missing?”

  “Since around two o’clock this morning. About…” He squinted down at his watch. “Ten hours or so, now. Here’s her picture.” He handed Alek one of the flyers he clutched in his perspiring hand. “If you see her or hear anything about her, there’s a hotline number at the bottom for you to call. This isn’t the first student to go missing, so tell your friends to keep their eyes open when they’re out at night. You too. We don’t know what kind of creep is out there. And pass that around if you get a chance, will you?” he said before waving another pedestrian down and rushing away.

  Alek stared at the crinkled white paper. The colorful image stamped on the page didn’t match the gloomy heading, MISSING, hung above the vibrant picture in bold black letters damning the beautiful young woman below. She posed with a hand on each hip of her white dress. The fabric seemed brighter than the white of the paper. It highlighted her tan skin and accentuated her curvy silhouette. Dark brown eyes sparkled up at Alek and enhanced her broad smile. Her hair matched the color of her eyes and fell in thick waves around her shoulders.

  “Oracle,” he whispered, feeling the fire inside of him pulse with the word. He folded the flyer and put it in his back pocket. “I must find a faster way to travel.”

  Alek jogged to a rack of banana yellow mopeds lining the building closest to him. Each had the University of Tulsa logo on it with the words Property Of stamped in bold above. A framed note bolted to the building’s brick read: Visit the Activities Office with your student ID to checkout a key and helmet for the university scooters. Failure to do so will result in a fine and a hold will be placed on your transcript. This area is being monitored by CCTV.

  “It’s too bad you put your shirt back on.” Red walked her scooter up behind him and giggled.

  “You startled me.”

  “Sorry.” She held out her well-manicured hand. “I don’t think I actually introduced myself before. I’m Bethany.”