Scott Sigler - Nocturnal - A Novel

“I … I don’t know.”

Her voice sounded strange, maybe a bit hoarse.

“Chief, you okay? What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Hold on a second.” He heard her sniff, clear her throat. Maybe she had the same bug that had knocked Clauser on his ass a few days ago.

Rich Verde remained just outside of the tarp. The Silver Eagle was in there, doing his thing with the bodies. Rich stared up at the pitch-black night sky. The tall pines surrounding the Handyman crime scene were actually a touch lighter than the dark sky above them, making him feel as if he were deep in the forest. Sometimes it was hard to remember Golden Gate Park was a swath of greenery in the middle of a major city — from here you couldn’t see a building, barely any lights, and the sounds of civilization were little more than a dull, distant buzz.

“Sorry,” Zou said. “There’s another Handyman murder. It’s pretty rough.”

Amy Zou, the unflappable rock, was shaken up by the third Handyman scene? Rich could only imagine what a Cleveland steamer of gore that had to be. “That bad?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Uh … is Doctor Metz still there?”

“Yeah. He’s finishing up. Robertson hasn’t bothered to show up, though.”

“I told Sean to come here,” she said. “And I need you and Metz here as well. Fort Mason Tunnel. Get here as fast as you can.”

Amy cleared her throat again. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. As far as Rich knew, Amy hadn’t cried since they’d found those two half-eaten kids in Golden Gate Park nearly three decades ago. But all this shit … it was too much. Rich closed his eyes and saw what he saw every time he did: the mental loop of that hatchet crunching through Bobby Pigeon’s shoulder and ribs, the look of fear on his young partner’s face.

“Chief, I think I got to take a pass this time. I just can’t deal with this anymore.”

She said nothing. He felt like a piece of shit. She had always counted on him. He had always delivered. But he was tapped out. He just couldn’t look at another butchered body.

“Rich, I need you here.”

He looked down, shook his head. She’d have to find someone else. “I can’t, Amy. I can’t.”

She coughed. She was crying.

“Just one more, Rich. I promise. Please. Just … just do this last thing for me.”

Amy Zou gave orders and people followed them. She rarely asked. She had to be as much on the edge as he was.

“Okay,” he said. “We’re on our way.”

He hung up.

Dr. Metz came out of the tent. He nodded at Rich.

“We’re all done here,” Metz said. “Same as usual. I’ll get these two back to the morgue and get to work.”

“Change of plans,” Rich said. “We’re going to the Mason Tunnel.”

Taking a Bullet

Lemme go,” Aggie said.

“For the last time, shut the fuck up.” Bryan moved Aggie out of the hospital and toward the parking lot. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”

“But I need that baby.”

Aggie started to pull away, so Bryan squeezed the man’s elbow, just a little.

Aggie’s eyes widened. He looked like he’d just realized something about Bryan — something terrifying and abhorrent.

“Don’t take me back there,” Aggie said. “I swear to God I’ll get it done.”

Bryan wanted to ask this guy a million questions, but there wasn’t time. “Wherever back is, I’m not taking you there. But you can bet we’ll talk about it later. Now shut up and walk.”

Bryan saw the Jessups’ black Dodge Magnum at the edge of the parking lot. Adam and Alder were standing outside. They seemed agitated. Adam saw Bryan, waved at him to come quickly.

As Bryan crossed the lot, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Robin. It was 2:00 A.M. — he expected it to ring a few times, but she answered right away.

“Hey, handsome.”

“What are you doing up?”

“Chief Zou called,” she said. “She needs me to assist Doctor Metz at a pickup.”

Bryan stopped walking. His tight grip on Aggie’s elbow made Aggie stop walking as well. “Fort Mason Tunnel?”

“Uh-huh,” she said. “I’m just dropping Emma off at Max’s, then I’m heading out.”

Adam couldn’t wait anymore. He ran over.

“Robin, hold on a second,” Bryan said. He put the phone to his shoulder and looked at Adam. “What?”

“Someone broke into our house,” Adam said. He wore a gray jacket against the night’s chill. “We have automated alarms that send me pictures.” He held up his own phone. The bright screen showed a shadowy image of a massive man with a strangely shaped head. Bryan couldn’t make out many details, but he saw enough to know it wasn’t a normal person.

Marie’s Children had found out about the Jessups, had gone to their house.

Zou had pulled Erickson’s security detail.

She wanted Robin at the Mason Tunnel.

Bryan held up a finger, telling Adam to be quiet.

“Robin,” Bryan said into the phone, “I need you to listen to me carefully. Do not go to the Mason Tunnel. Zou’s just as crooked as we thought. Worse. I think she’s going to kill everyone who knows about Marie’s Children.”

“What? Bryan, that’s crazy. Why would she—”

“I don’t have time for this,” he said. “I think shit’s about to go down. If you run into trouble, do not call 9-1-1 or any other cop. We have no idea who we can trust.”

“Okay,” she said. There was fear in her voice, but she wasn’t about to panic. “Shouldn’t I just get out of here?”

Bryan pulled Aggie to the Magnum as he tried to process all the variables. The Jessups’ house had already been hit. Would Zou give Robin a certain amount of time to show up at the Mason Tunnel before sending someone after her? Marie’s Children could jump across streets. They could scale buildings. They seemed to be at home hiding on building roofs. One might be on top of Robin’s building right now, waiting to see if she came out, ready to stalk her just as he’d stalked Jay Parlar in his dream. If she did leave her building, but didn’t go right to the Mason Tunnel, would they attack her?

Robin’s neighbor Max was a big guy, a bouncer. He knew how to take care of himself. He probably wouldn’t stand a chance against one of Marie’s Children, but Robin was far safer with him than alone.

“Go to Max’s apartment,” Bryan said. “Stay there. Keep quiet. Don’t call anyone. I’ll come for you.”

Bryan stopped at the Magnum’s rear. Adam opened the hatch and started pulling out equipment drawers.

“Robin, I have to go. I’ll call back as soon as I can.”

“I love you,” she said. “Do what you have to do.”

“I love you,” he said, then hung up.

She could be in danger, but he didn’t know that for sure. Erickson was in danger, of that there was no question; Zou had pulled the SWAT detail to clear the way. Bryan wanted to get in the car and go straight to Robin’s, but he couldn’t just leave Erickson unprotected.

Bryan needed to be in two places at once. The answer was obvious: put those two places together. It would only take a few minutes to pull Erickson out of the hospital, then everyone could head to Robin’s.

“Alder!”

The old man slid out of the rear driver’s-side seat. “I’m here.”

“We have to move Erickson, now. You think he’s well enough for that?”

Alder nodded. “I think so. At any rate, it’s probably worth the risk if you think they’re coming for him.”

“I do,” Bryan said. He unlocked the handcuff around his wrist. Aggie’s face lit up, then faded when Bryan clipped the cuff around Alder’s wrist.

“Alder, Aggie, Aggie, Alder,” Bryan said. He handed the key to Alder. “I don’t care what you do, but make sure Aggie doesn’t go anywhere. If you have to convince him this is a wise idea, convince him.”