Chapter Ten #2
“What does Asher have to do with this?” Surely, if he knew where to find Meridian, he’d have killed him. Vale hadn’t actually expected to get a location from him, but Asher might still know something that could be useful.
“Well, I wondered why he didn’t kill Meridian, since he was killing necromancers who might one day have anything to do with the Threshold.
It would make sense that he did, right? If he hates necromancers so badly because of what happens to them when they cross over, why not kill the one person he knows for sure has?
” Rachel paused, glancing up from her screen.
“I don’t think he killed him. I’ve been tracking Asher’s movements since I found out who he was, which wasn’t that long ago, so I’m sure I’m missing things, but he’s been pretty much everywhere in the country, and guess what?
Everywhere he goes, people end up dying.
At this point, I can link at least another five deaths to him, and I’m sure there are more.
He’s been killing necromancers for a while now.
No one has ever linked him to their deaths, probably because he didn’t know them personally, but now that I know what I’m looking for, I can see the pattern.
I can also see that there’s a specific area he’s been avoiding.
Now, that might be because it’s very isolated, which means there aren’t a lot of people living there, but it fits with what Iris told you.
I think Asher has been avoiding Meridian, and while I don’t have a specific address, I think I know where you should look. ”
“Send the info to my phone,” Vale said, ready to move. “We need to take care of Asher before we leave, though.”
“You need to hand him over to the police,” Cyril declared.
Vale wanted to argue. Every instinct in him pushed back against the idea of leaving Asher alive in a system that could release him and find some reason to let him walk.
Asher had looked at Cyril like he was already planning something.
Vale didn’t trust that a cell would hold someone like that and that Cyril would be safe with Asher breathing somewhere in the world.
But he also knew Cyril, and he knew that look on his face. This wouldn’t be up for debate.
So he bit down on every argument he had and let Cyril speak.
“I know you want to protect me from him. I realize he’s dangerous and that if he ever has a chance, he won’t hesitate to kill me.
I don’t like the thought of letting him go, but considering what Rachel said about him killing so many people, I think we need to allow the police to investigate.
Can we get them as much information as possible on Asher and the murders he’s probably linked to? ”
“I can do whatever you want me to do,” Rachel assured Cyril. “I can compile a document with every person I think he’s killed. I can feed the information to the right people, but I can’t promise they’ll look into it or do anything about it.”
“Do that, please,” Cyril said with a nod.
“And keep an eye on what’s happening, just in case someone’s an idiot and decides to let him go.
We can’t kill him. We might need to talk to him again, and he’s had enough happen to him.
I’m not saying that what he did was right because it definitely wasn’t.
I’m saying that I understand why this happened.
He was hurt by his own family. As wrong as his reaction to all of that was, he was trying to help people. ”
Vale wasn’t a hundred percent sure it was the truth, but he knew he wouldn’t change Cyril’s mind, and that was okay.
He’d make sure that Rachel kept an eye on Asher, and if the man so much as breathed air outside a cell, Vale would make sure he never did that again.
The man would have one more chance. That was it.
And if he ever looked at Cyril again, Vale would make sure it would be the last time.
* * * *
CYRIL WASN’T SURE WHY he insisted on going back to talk to Asher.
He could see from Vale’s expression that his boyfriend disagreed with it, but he wanted to tell Asher that he’d be okay.
He’d have to pay for what he’d done, and he’d probably never see the light of day again, but he’d be alive, unlike Marcus and Diana.
Vale was right behind Cyril when he climbed back into the van.
Asher didn’t look worried or afraid. He stared at Cyril, possibly wondering what he could do to get to him.
If he truly believed that he was helping people by killing necromancers, Cyril would expect him to want to kill him, too.
He wasn’t sure how, but Asher had decided that Cyril was close to crossing the Threshold, and in his eyes, that made Cyril dangerous.
He didn’t know that Cyril wouldn’t hurt a fly.
He’d rather hurt himself than hurt someone else.
“What do you want now?” Asher asked. “If you want more information about the Threshold, you’re going to have to look somewhere else. I’m not going to tell you how to cross it.”
“I don’t want to know how to cross it,” Cyril told him.
“In fact, I’m trying to avoid crossing it.
I want to know what happens so that I can stop it, and if I can’t do that, at least I can deal with it to the best of my ability.
You’re not a necromancer. No matter what you know about the Threshold, you’re of no use to me. ”
“I lost my parents to it.”
“I’m sorry about that. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did, and it wasn’t a good reason to kill people. You put yourself on the wrong side when you did that, and you’ll have to pay for it.”
“Finding Meridian won’t help you. Eventually, you’ll cross over, and you’ll become a monster, just like Meridian. Maybe meeting him will show you what you’ll become, and you’ll decide to stop yourself before it’s too late.”
It took Cyril a second to understand what Asher was saying, but not Vale. He was already moving forward, grabbing Asher by the throat and slamming him against the side of the van. Asher squeaked, but he didn’t struggle. It would be hard for him to, considering he was tied up.
“Let him go,” Cyril murmured.
“You heard what he said,” Vale growled.
“I did. That’s not going to happen, though. You know that better than he does.”
Vale gave Asher a good shake before dropping him. Cyril was relieved he wouldn’t have to separate the two. He’d never win against Vale.
Cyril didn’t like the sound of anything coming out of Asher’s mouth, but he wasn’t sure that Asher was entirely wrong.
What he’d experienced as a child had obviously changed him, and while Cyril felt sorry for him, he also felt sorry for Asher’s victims. Maybe he shouldn’t put too much faith in what Asher was saying, though.
It was clear he was troubled, and he didn’t think that Cyril should continue living.
“No matter what happens to me,” he said, “at least I won’t hurt others. I don’t want to kill people, unlike you. I’m sorry about what happened to you, but it didn’t give you the right to do all of this.”
“Someone had to.”
“I don’t believe that. No one had to kill Marcus and Diana or the other people you hurt. You decided to do that, and by doing so, you became an even worse person than your parents or Meridian. You might not want to admit it, but it’s the truth. They’ve never killed anyone. You have.”
Something flickered in Asher’s expression.
Cyril wondered if it was guilt or if maybe he was getting through to him.
He didn’t know, and in the end, he didn’t really care.
What Asher had done was worse than anything Meridian had ever done, unless Meridian had killed people, too, but Cyril hadn’t heard anything about that.
That was why he couldn’t believe Asher. He wasn’t going to cross the Threshold, but even if he did, he wouldn’t hurt other people. It wasn’t him. It never would be.
He turned his back on Asher, knowing this was the last time he’d see him.
He was eager not to have to dream about the murders anymore and not to have to worry about Asher finding him.
He felt sorry for everyone Asher had killed, but even though there was nothing he could do for them now, at least they would have justice.
It was too little, too late, but it was something.
“I’ll tell you about Meridian,” Asher said.
Cyril was tempted to stop, but he suspected it was a ploy.
Asher wanted to play with him. Either that or he was afraid of what came next, which Cyril couldn’t blame him for, but that didn’t mean he would slow things down.
Asher would pay for what he’d done. He would never hurt others again.
That was all Cyril had wanted, and even if he never found Meridian, he was satisfied with this outcome.
“You’re going to need me,” Asher yelled, but Cyril was out of the van and walking toward Rachel.
Vale stuck close to him, but Russell pushed away from the tree and headed to the van.
Cyril knew he didn’t have to worry. Asher would be taken care of.
Russell would ensure that he got to the police and that he’d never hurt anyone again.
That was all Cyril wanted, at least when it came to the murders.
When it came to Meridian and getting answers to his questions, though, it was a different matter.
“All right, Rachel,” he said when he reached her car. “Tell me where to find Meridian.”
* * * *