Part 53 (1/2)
”We'll need to take him with us, to hide the body.”
John grunted. He dialed the machine to 7650, while Prime dragged Corrundrum's body close to them. John s.h.i.+vered at the nearness of the corpse.
John found the dial that increased the radius of the field. He set it to the maximum radius.
”What are you doing there? What does that do?”
”You don't know?” John asked.
”No!”
”Increases the radius of the field.”
”How do you know?”
”I took this one apart, remember? I built one from scratch.”
”Right.”
”Ready?”
”No.”
John looked again at Prime. He had one hand on Corrundrum's shoulder. The other was rubbing Prime's scalp. Even in the cold night air, he was sweating. He was genuinely scared.
”You don't want to do this, that's fine,” John said.
”No way. I'm coming. I owe... people.”
”Fine. Let's go.” John stepped next to Prime, face-to-face with his twin. ”Seven-six-five-oh, here we come.”
CHAPTER 38 38.
John's ears popped, and the moonlit gray was replaced with pitch-black.
He fell, maybe a half meter, landing awkwardly on his left ankle. Nearby he heard John Prime land against something that rattled metal on metal.
”Flashlights,” Prime hissed. ”We should have brought flashlights.”
”Let's go back and get some,” John replied.
”G.o.d, I hate this,” Prime said. John listened in the darkness to Prime's fast breathing, the stress in his voice.
”You're okay, man,” John said. ”We're okay. You can calm down now.”
Prime laughed, almost hysterically. Then he paused and said, ”Yeah, thanks.”
John spun slowly around. The air was moist. They were underground, not in the open at all as they had expected. Perhaps this was just as well.
”We missed the parking lot,” Prime said.
John reached out, felt cold cement blocks.
”We're lucky we missed that wall,” he said.
”s.h.i.+t.”
John reached along the wall. His elbow knocked into something that clattered, and then his fingers found a light switch. The room lit up.
It was a bas.e.m.e.nt room, twenty meters long, filled with odds and ends, buckets, mops, old equipment, scuba gear. Rows of shelves were stacked with boxes. It was empty of any people, Goths or otherwise, save dead Corrundrum.
”Oops,” Prime said.
”What?” John asked.
”That's how big it is.” The device's field hadn't quite reached Corrundrum's feet. The corpse had been amputated at the s.h.i.+ns. ”Someone is going to get a surprise tomorrow morning.”
Blood flowed across the floor in a wave, reeking of iron. John's stomach flipped and he looked away.
”I had been twenty-five percent sure he'd turn on us,” Prime said. ”Guess I was right.”
”There were other ways to deal with him,” John said.
Prime stared at him for a moment. ”This cleans up a lot of loose ends for me.”
”Let's get out of here.”
There was a single metal fire door. John twisted the k.n.o.b and pulled it open. It squeaked like old bedsprings. John paused, peering beyond the door into darkness. He could just make out stairs leading up. He jerked the door open, turning the long, slow squeak into a quick squawk.
”Upstairs,” Prime whispered. ”It's where we gotta be.”
The steps felt slick under his boots. The stairway smelled of mold.
At the top was another metal fire door. John placed his ear against the door but heard nothing. Prime knelt at the base of the door and pressed his eye against the crack.
”I don't see anything,” Prime said.
”Nothing to hear,” John replied. He nodded and opened the door.
They were in a dim hallway, lit by sconces every few meters. There was a half-gla.s.s door across the hall, leading into a dark office. Prime slipped across the hall and tried the door. It opened. They stepped inside.
Prime turned the small desk lamp on. John hoped no one would notice the light; the window shades were drawn.
” 'Arturto Ildibad,' ” Prime said, reading the name off the placard on the desk.
A manila folder lay open on the desk. A credit card receipt lay atop the papers, and the name on it was Grace's.