CHAPTER TWENTY
“Are we sure this is the place?” frowned Mav.
“It’s what Victoria and Monroe said was the location of the school. Sebec, Maine, population a little over six hundred. It’s mostly seasonal cabins for lake-goers in the summer,” said Brax.
“Looks like we have to park here and walk the rest of the way in,” said Mav. They exited the SUV, and Mav pointed to an old, rusted sign that was leaning over.
Maine School for Girls
Private Property – No Trespassing
“Looks like they didn’t want anyone knowing where they were,” frowned Pax.
The trail was worn but not so much that it showed recent use. Weeds and branches were strewn from a recent storm. A half-mile into the hike, they walked into a clearing with a massive three-story, white building in the distance.
“It almost looks like a hotel,” said Saint. He looked down at his tablet and frowned. “We’ve got cameras and security lasers everywhere. Comms? Can we get this shut down?”
“ Working on it.” They could hear AJ and Hiro talking. Something that usually took them seconds was taking more than a few minutes. “Done. Someone really didn’t want you to go there. Watch for any potential booby traps. This system was sophisticated. Or at least it was seven years ago when we sold it to the agency.”
“The security system is ours?” frowned Mav.
“The agency is a customer of ours. We sold this to them, as I said, seven years ago. But this school has been closed for at least five or six years. No electricity or utility records of any kind.”
Pax approached the massive double doors and easily picked the deadbolt lock, and then the padlock holding the chains wound through the handles. As he pushed the doors open, the loud creaking of the rusted hinges echoed in the entrance hall. They flipped on their body cams and lights, walking through the dusty old building.
“It reminds me of an Ivy League school,” said Saint. “Everything is about show, like this entrance.”
The others nodded, following him into the room on the right. It was lined floor to ceiling with books, massive oak tables and chairs exactly where they were last used. The men walked the perimeter, testing the bookcases to see if there were any hidden entrances.
“There must be five hundred thousand books in here,” frowned Mav. “Why leave all of this here?”
“No longer needed, I guess,” said Pax.
In the room across the hall was a massive sitting room with sofas and chairs, uncovered, collecting dust. Paintings of what they assumed were deans or founders were on the walls, the fireplace with burned logs and ash still remaining.
“This is fucking creepy,” said Brax. “It’s like they just said leave, and everyone walked out without taking a damn thing. Look at this. It’s a doodle made by some kid.” He waved it to the others then heard a scream in his ear.
“ Stop! Don’t tear that, don’t toss it, don’t leave it. Bring that with you,” said AJ.
“What the fuck, dude. You nearly gave me a heart attack. It’s just a fucking piece of paper with scribble on it,” said Brax.
“ No. No, it’s not. That first line of scribble indicates something to do with nuclear energy. Do not throw anything away. If you find scribbles like that anywhere else, take them all or photograph them and burn them.”
“Got it, brother. Just don’t yell at me again. I’m sensitive,” he smirked.
The main floor had a massive commercial kitchen with top-notch appliances, china, and crystal. The dining hall had rows of tables and chairs, all neatly pushed in and ready for the next meal. There were a couple of offices, probably for teachers or deans, but there were no files, papers, or books in any of those rooms.
On the second floor and the extending wings were multiple dorm rooms. They were all small, divided by what appeared to be age groups. The rooms had double beds, nightstands, dressers, and desks with a reasonably-sized closet and private bathroom.
“Better than boot camp,” frowned Saint. The others nodded. There were a few articles of clothing left behind, including sheets and blankets, clearly having seen better days.
On the third floor were classrooms. Although the electronic equipment was gone, they could see that they’d been equipped with computers, screens, tech boards, and other things.
“Just classrooms,” said Brax.
“No. No, this is odd,” said Mav. “Why put the classrooms above the dorm rooms? If someone were sick or trying to sleep, you would hear the classrooms above. It would have been smarter to put the rooms above the classes.”
Saint held up a finger and ran downstairs to the dorm rooms again.
He looked around the dorm room and stepped into the hallway, looking up at the ceiling. He opened several more dorm rooms and stepped inside. Brax, Pax, and Mav followed, watching him move from space to space.
“What’s wrong?” asked Pax.
“Look. Those were cameras,” he said, pointing to the tiny holes in the ceilings. “They were watching and listening to the kids from the classrooms. I don’t think those were just classrooms. I think they were observation areas. I think someone was up there watching the kids the entire time.”
“We have to find something that tells us more about all of this,” said Mav. “Keep searching. Let’s see if there are any outer buildings.”
After another hour of searching the property, they found a gymnasium, a small medical clinic, and what appeared to be a landscaping shed. At the back of the school, they looked out onto a lake that was still scattered with pieces of ice from winter.
“Why here? Why in the middle of fucking nowhere?” asked Saint. Mav tapped his arm and nodded toward the lake. A small motorboat was making its way across the lake, an elderly gentleman artfully steering his way around the ice.
“I think we might be about to find out,” he nodded. Mav waved at the gentleman, who waved back as he pulled up to the small dock.
“I was wonderin’ when you boys would come back for all that stuff,” he said. “Docks too rickety to get out here but just come around the lake to my place over there. I’ve got everything stored in the barn over there.”
“Stored?” frowned Pax.
“Well, I was noticing that this place was starting to take a beating, and the racoons were getting in. So, I took it upon myself to save your stuff. You’re welcome,” he sneered.
“Oh, we’re grateful,” said Mav. “I’ll come with you in the boat, and the others will follow in our truck.”
“Well, I hope it’s a moving truck. Like I said. I got a barn full.”
“Are you seeing all of this?” whispered Saint.
“Recording it all. There must be millions of dollars worth of equipment in there. Do I see a medical chest?”
“It’s loaded with prescriptions, pain medications, psychotropics, and shit I’ve never seen or heard of,” said Pax.
“Hey, were them kids okay?”
“I’m sorry, what do you mean?” asked Saint.
“Well, you folks came in and took them girls out of there in the middle of the night. I thought there was a fire or something, but all them kids were sleeping.” They frowned at the man, tilting their heads. He pointed to a pair of binoculars at his window.
“I’m an old man. I don’t get much excitement out here. Watched all my movies and can’t really afford to buy new ones. Noise travels across the lake. I heard the trucks pulling in one night. Bunch of men carried them little girls out in their nightgowns and drove away. I waited a few weeks, and they didn’t return, so I went took all that stuff thinkin’ I’d store it for them. Next thing I knew, they came back, locked the doors, put up some kinda crazy security locks, and left again. They never even bothered to see if all the stuff was still inside. I watched that place for weeks, thinking they might come back, but nope.”
“Did you let the authorities know?” asked Pax.
“Of course I did. Sheriff said there was an outbreak of measles, and they had to move the girls out of the buildings to fumigate and then decided they would shut the place down. I didn’t question it.” He eyed the men carefully and then stepped back. “You ain’t with them, are you?”
“No, sir. We are not. But we believe that those children might be in danger,” said Mav. “My fiancée was one of them, but she left more than ten years ago on her own. Have you seen any of the girls in the area?”
“I always knew something was weird. Folks would send them invitations to fall festivals and holiday parties, you know, to get the kids involved with the other school kids. They always refused to let them mix in. Like they were better or something.” He shook his head again. “I haven’t seen any of the girls since then. I never really met them. You might try Truck Jeffers. He lives in town now, probably in his eighties, but he used to handle the grass cutting and such.”
The old man heard the sounds of a machine but couldn’t place it. When the Osprey landed in the field, he opened his mouth to speak, then looked at the men.
“You’re not normal men, are you?”
“We are very normal, sir, and I assure you, we mean no harm to the girls or you. We’re going to take these items off your hands and get them away from here. If other men come looking for it, don’t let them know that you’ve ever had it. They could be dangerous.”
“I’m not stupid. I got a feeling you could be dangerous as well.” Saint smirked at the old man, nodding.
“Only for those that are a danger to the ones we love.”