Blackwater Lights (22 page)

“Let’s go,” Mantu said. He grabbed Ray’s arm and led him out into the darkness.

They walked past the cascade to a boulder fall on the side of the mountain. Mantu lifted a rotted branch and swept away some dried grass. He reached down and lifted a circular door. “Welcome
to the Hotel Blackwater.” He motioned to Ray. “Climb in, preferred customer.”

Ray swore as he climbed down a metal ladder. “I don’t like this.”

“This ain’t bad,” Mantu said from above. “You should see the safe house in Harper’s Ferry. Makes this hole look like the Ritz-Carlton.”

It was only a few steps to the bottom. Ray looked around: an old, ugly Dell PC on a desk, a cot, a few five-gallon bottles of water, and a small refrigerator. A tiny bathroom. A generator hummed beyond one of the walls. It smelled musty and dank.

Mantu climbed down after him. “I know it’s not much. But no one will find you here. And there’s fresh air pumped in.”

“It doesn’t smell fresh.” He hated confined spaces, and the odor of mildew was overpowering. “What the hell am I supposed to do with myself?”

“Chill out. Get some rest. I have no idea what Micah has in mind for you, but this might be your last full night’s sleep for a while. If he’s calling in the big guns, things could get real crazy.” He climbed up and the door shut with a thud.

Mantu was yelling his name from above.

Ray awoke with a start. He’d fallen asleep in an awkward position on the cot, and his legs were numb. The air felt thick and hot. Mantu climbed down the stairs and hopped onto the floor. His face was drawn, his eyes full of dread. “Hurry up—we don’t have a lot of time.”

Ray pulled on his clothes and shoes, banging his legs with his fists to stop the pins and needles. “What’s happening? What time is it?”

“Late. Early, rather. Micah needs to talk to you.”

They climbed out of the safe house and scrambled through the boulder field and past the roaring falls. Micah waited for them in the locked basement of the church.

“What’s going on?” Ray asked.

Micah’s eyes were red and glassy, as if he hadn’t slept. He wasn’t wearing his suit, just a stained white T-shirt and black pants. He spoke softly. “Sara disappeared on her way home. We think Sheriff Morton may have picked her up.”

Ray looked at both of them. They were hiding something. “So what does that mean?”

Micah shook his head. “I don’t know. But she’s an old woman. She’s strong, but not strong enough to handle what they might be doing to her. We have to assume they’ll find us here. We have to leave.”

Ray shrugged. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Mantu glanced at Micah, and something unspoken passed between them.

“There’s one more thing,” Micah said. His voice wavered.

The air grew heavy.

Ray looked at both of them. Mantu’s eyes filled with tears.

“No,” he said. “Don’t.”

Micah stretched out his hand. “Ellen is missing, too. Along with both of the brothers who were watching her. They were supposed to get in touch hours ago, and neither is responding.”

Ray’s peripheral vision darkened. A low roar grew in his head.

“We’re looking for her. And her boy, if he was taken, too. We—”

“God-fucking
-dammit
!” he screamed.

Mantu grabbed his arm. “Ray, listen—”

“Fuck you! Fuck you both!” He shoved Mantu’s arm away. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

Mantu stepped in front of the door. “You can’t leave. Calm down, Ray.”

“Get out of my way.” His hands curled into tight fists, the nails of his fingers digging into his palms. “I’m done with this. She’s innocent. She has nothing to do with any of this. And you said you’d keep her safe—and William, too. And you didn’t. You swore to me. You lied to me.”

Mantu stood still. “Ray, calm down. Listen to me.”

Ray’s fist smashed against Mantu’s jaw. The large man staggered backward, falling against the door. He blinked, struggling to stay on his feet. Ray pushed him away from the door, and Mantu fell to his knees.

“Stop it,” Micah said. “Stop it now.”

Ray turned to face him. The old man looked broken and impotent. How had he ever imagined him as powerful? “I’m leaving. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to find Ellen and William myself.” He opened the door, cradling his throbbing hand under his arm. He’d run through the woods all day. Find a road, and hitch a ride to the nearest police station outside Blackwater and tell them everything. Let the authorities put an end to this nightmare for
everyone. Finished. Game over. Micah and his gang of spiritual warriors could enjoy their Waterloo without him.

He stepped out of the door and then everything went black.

He was tied up. Nylon rope, by the feel of it. The right side of his head felt distended, and his bladder ached nearly as much as his head.

Mantu sat across from him on a chair, handgun in his lap. They were back in the underground safe room, just the two of them.

Ray squirmed. He was tightly tied—no way to wriggle out. His tongue was swollen and he tasted a hint of blood. He must have bitten his tongue when they clocked him. His voice squeaked. “So, you gonna shoot me?”

Mantu raised his eyebrows. “Only if you punch me in the fucking jaw again. You knocked some of my teeth loose.”

“Will you untie me, please? I have to piss, and I’d prefer not to do it in my pants.”

Mantu shook his head. “You’re gonna have to hold it a few more minutes until Micah gets here.”

“Fuck you,” he said.

Mantu snorted.

Mercifully, Micah and Alan soon climbed down to join them.

“He has to piss,” Mantu said.

Micah glared. “Untie him,” he said. “But Ray, if you try anything this time, I won’t be as easy on you.”

“Gee, thanks for the hospitality. You guys really know how to treat your guests.” Mantu loosened the ropes and stood outside the tiny bathroom door. “Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

Ray looked into the dusty mirror, touching the sticky knot on his head. He winced. His hair smelled of witch hazel. He urinated. Looked at his face—dark greasy circles under his eyes. Hair sticking up in the wrong places. The face of a crazy man.

When he opened the door, Micah stood waiting for him. He pointed to the cot.

Ray sat. They called the shots now. “Where’s Ellen? And the kid?” he asked.

“We don’t know yet,” Micah said.

Ray closed his eyes. The room fell silent, except for the low hum of the generator. Micah spoke softly. “It’s clear we’ve been discovered. Our mission here is over. Now we must
act
. Decisively, quickly, and without hesitation. It’s the endgame.”

“How did they find out about Ellen?”

“I don’t know. My men must have been caught off guard. I didn’t expect that, and that was my mistake. And now he has Sara. She is strong, but she will most certainly break under him. And then he will know where to find us—if he isn’t already on the way. He will have everything he wants. The end of our surveillance operation. Ellen and her boy, to bring
you
to him. And you are the final piece of the puzzle. And then … God help us.”

“He won,” Mantu said.

“So it would appear,” Micah said. “But Sara and I both felt that something was amiss in Crawford’s circle. Something is fragmenting. And Ray has changed the balance of power in profound ways. They know it, too.”

“Glad I could play into this chess game,” Ray said. “But I don’t really care anymore. I just want to find Ellen and William and get them the hell out of this mess. He can have me—if he lets them go, he can have me.”

Micah’s eyes burned. “Don’t ever say such a thing.”

“We have to get moving,” Mantu said. His tucked the gun into his pants.

“Yes,” Micah said. “Ray, we need to get you somewhere safe. That’s imperative.”

“Well, thank you. I happen to agree. But I need to find Ellen and William. I need to know they’re safe. That’s
my
imperative.”

Micah stood. “Alan, why don’t you get the vehicle ready for Ray.”

“Wait, wait. Where are you sending me?”

“A safe house in Maryland. Near Deep Creek.”

“Are you listening to me? I need to know that Ellen and William are okay. What are you
going to do to help them?”

Micah grabbed Ray’s shoulders. “You can help them by listening to me. You won’t be able to help them at all if he finds you first. They won’t be harmed as long as you’re beyond his grasp. He will wait until he has you to hurt them—you are what he really wants. He’ll hurt them in front of you. To break you.”

Fuck. His head was going to explode.

“We will do everything we can to find them and to keep them safe when we take him down. I give you my word.”

“So why am I going to Deep Creek? When will I see you? How will I know she’s okay?”

“We’ll see you. We need to regroup as well. Our time here is coming to an end.”

Ray’s fists clenched. “I’m so sick of this.”

Micah nodded. His expression softened. “Sometimes when we’re out of choices, it means we’ve been given the chance to do what we were meant to do.”

“Enough philosophizing,” Mantu said. “We need to move. Now.”

A shabby ice cream truck sat idling next to the church, covered with hand-drawn illustrations of cones and shakes; the faded prices were from an obviously bygone era. One of its tires was nearly bald.

Alan opened the back doors. “There’s a hiding spot in the freezer,” he said.

“In the freezer?” Ray asked.

“It’s not a freezer anymore,” Mantu said. “Just a space with a blanket and a false floor that goes over top of you, with ventilation holes. Even if we get pulled over there’s no way anyone will find it. You’ll be safe.”

Alan jumped in the truck and started the engine.

The three men shared glances.

“Don’t be afraid, Ray,” Micah said. “You’re a strong man. A good man. And that matters.”

Ray grimaced. “Yeah. Sure.”

Micah smiled. “All is not finished. While we live and breathe, there is hope.” Over his
shoulder, orange light flickered in the church windows.

“Get me away from this place,” Ray said. “Before I change my mind.”

Micah bowed his head.