Chapter Three
Why did he have to follow me into the bathroom?
I’m quite capable of barfing on my own. Bryn washed his hands then put his gloves back on.
He must think I’m such a pathetic wuss. Which I am, apparently.
He couldn’t get what the Forest Ripper had done out of his head.
If this is him, what am I going to see? Fuck.
Someone needs to invent mind bleach. He took a surreptitious glance at Gunnar.
His expression didn’t indicate anything other than professional stoicism.
He has to deal with this too, thanks to me.
“You’re gonna do fine.” Gunnar followed Agent Bell through the building and Bryn scuffed along after him. “First time for anything is always the worst for nerves.”
“I’ve never eaten sushi—pretty sure I’m not about to lose my breakfast before that new experience.”
“I threw up the first time I went on a roller coaster,” Gunnar said. “Humans, or wolves, were not designed to be upside down.”
“So not the same! If I go green when we’re in there, shoot me, okay?”
“Sure. I got ya.”
They arrived at a nondescript door with the number eight on it. Bryn took a deep breath and schooled his features into a blank mask. I can do this. Three years of crap has to be worth something.
His first impression of Dr. Templeton was an anticlimax.
He was dressed in prison orange and seated to one side of a table next to another man who had to be his attorney.
Templeton was clean-shaven with short gray hair and a slightly hooked nose.
Not sure what I expected, but this wasn’t it.
He’s so average. Apart from the eyes. Bryn repressed a shudder.
Templeton was staring at him and his dark eyes were cold, despite his fake smile.
Agent Bell took one of the free seats at the table then gestured for Bryn to join him. Gunnar lounged against the wall. Bryn wasn’t fooled by his relaxed stance. He was alert and focused. Ready to move if he had to. It was reassuring. Bryn took the other chair.
“The augur will remove his glasses.”
It was Templeton’s attorney who spoke, though he didn’t glance up from his notebook.
Bryn removed his shades, handing them to Gunnar. That made the attorney sit up and take notice.
“So he really is an augur,” Templeton said. “Interesting.”
“He is. Level five certified.” Agent Bell sounded impatient. “As was confirmed to your counsel already.”
“Forgive me for being skeptical,” Templeton drawled. He rested his arms on the table, exposing the wrist cuffs.
“The augur will make contact with your skin. You’ll then answer my questions and he’ll read whether you are telling the truth or not.”
Bryn stripped off his gloves. He rested his fingers across the underside of Templeton’s wrist but the doctor grabbed his hand, squeezing it hard.
Bryn closed his eyes. The pain helped him focus, something he didn’t intend to reveal to anyone.
A slight throb began at the base of his skull.
He could sense Gunnar’s rock-solid presence behind him and that eased his fear.
Agent Bell cleared his throat. “For the purposes of the recording, present in the room are…” He listed everyone by name. “Everard Templeton, did you murder Benny Solomon, aged seven, between July fifth and August twenty-ninth this year?”
“Oh, Agent, I don’t think I’ll be answering that question, or any others from you today.” Templeton’s tone was mocking.
“Truth,” Bryn spoke softly.
“Very well.” Agent Bell gave a pained sigh. “Subject is uncooperative. Bryn, if you would.”
Bryn shifted his focus. It was hard to describe how his abilities worked, but he explained it as a switch.
It wasn’t anything physical but in his head he visualized a dial with three settings, one for detecting truth or lie, one to look into the past and another for the future.
He could switch from one setting to another with a thought.
For someone looking on, he appeared no different, though he had been told that sometimes his eyes flashed.
“What’s going on?” Templeton’s attorney was aggressive. Bryn tuned him out and went looking for Templeton’s most powerful memory.
He saw hands. Hands around a slender neck, squeezing. A small scar on one finger. Whimpers. A sense of utter euphoria as a young life was extinguished. A child’s face, tear-streaked. Sexual gratification.
Sickened, his head pounding, Bryn switched to the future.
A knife, the blade stained red. Bare skin. Myriad cuts. Black leather gloves discarded. His gloves.
“Fuck!” Bryn tore his hand free of Templeton’s grasp.
Blindly he reached for Gunnar, grabbed his wrist, and he saw a winding road, the sea, felt exhilaration and freedom.
Bryn took long, slow breaths and opened his eyes.
Templeton’s hands were flat on the table, the scar on one finger clearly visible. He was smirking.
“He enjoyed it. Got off on it.” Bryn shoved his chair back and stood so he could get closer to Gunnar. “Torture then slow strangulation. I can identify the victim. I saw the child’s face.” He realized he was still clutching Gunnar’s wrist and let go.
“Would he kill again if he were free to?” Agent Bell asked.
“Yes.” Bryn didn’t elaborate.
Templeton’s attorney’s face was an interesting shade of purple. He was visibly sweating. “You can’t use any of that.”
“We can and you know it.” Agent Bell slapped his hand down on the table. “Your client is going away for a very long time. He’s lucky Massachusetts has no death penalty.”
Gunnar handed Bryn his shades and it was a relief to hide behind the dark lenses.
He pulled on his gloves and tried to signal to Gunnar that he needed to get out of the room.
Templeton’s gazed was pinned on him and his hatred was palpable.
Bryn had absolutely no doubt that Templeton would kill him if he could and it would be a slow, painful death of a thousand cuts.
“You need us in here any longer, Bell?” Gunnar asked.
“No. You can both go. Stick around outside, though.”
Gunnar was already at the door and Bryn was right behind him. In the corridor he could breathe. Gunnar squeezed his shoulder. “How are you doing? You need a bucket?”
Bryn snorted. “I appreciate the thought, but no. Head hurts. Can we get some water?”
“Sure. We can wait in the lobby. I spotted a vending machine when we came in. Agent Bell will find us when he needs to.”
Gunnar guided Bryn to the lobby and left him on a couch while he raided the vending machine.
He returned with a cold bottle of water and some candy bars.
“Thought you could use the sugar too. I also have Tylenol.” He popped two pills from a packet and handed them over.
He also unscrewed the bottle cap. “That was rough, huh? That guy gave me the creeps.”
“He enjoyed what he did, Gunnar. Loved it. Those poor fucking kids.”
“And he’d have carried on doing it if not for you. Did you look at his future?”
“I’d seen enough. Him cutting flesh. Blood rising from the wounds.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” Bryn swallowed more water.
“Sick fucker.” Gunnar unwrapped a candy bar then shoved half of it in his mouth.
“I reckon he thinks he’s still going to be released. He’s deluded. Gimme my candy.”
“You want to touch him again, take a look at his future intent?”
“I’d rather stick my hand in a nest of tarantulas.” Bryn chomped the candy in three bites. “I couldn’t have done that without you.”
“I didn’t do anything. I just stood there. Wanted to rip the guy’s head off, so go me for restraint.”
“You made me feel safe,” Bryn muttered. “Fuck, my head hurts.” He took his shades off then knuckled his eyes. “On a scale of cat to freaky alien, where am I?”
“Oh, you’re up there with ET at the moment.”
“Frig.” Bryn slammed his shades back on.
“What did you see when you touched me?” Gunnar asked.
“We were on the bike together, on the open road somewhere. Freedom.”
“When we’re done here, I’m going to take you on a ride out to the coast. Get some sea air into your lungs and lobster in your belly. First job together needs celebrating.”
“That sounds…” Perfect. “Warden will never allow it.”
“Who said anything about asking?” Gunnar grinned. “Don’t look now, but Special Agent Bell is approaching. He seems animated.”
“Is it too late to make a run for it?”
“Not a hope.”
“I thought I’d lost you two!” Agent Bell beamed. “The doctor is safely locked away. His attorney is still spluttering and making empty threats. We need to go upstairs for a debrief.”
“Sure thing.” Gunnar grabbed Bryn’s arm and pulled him to his feet. “Let’s get this done.”
“Bryn, I can’t tell you…you are a walking miracle. There are a lot of people keen to meet you.”
“Oh God.” Bryn looked for the nearest fire exit sign.
“Oh no you don’t.” Gunnar gave him a disapproving glance. “Don’t need to be an augur to know what you’re planning, sunshine.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Yeah, yeah. I exist to rain on your parade. Play nice with the federal agents or you’ll end up in some black site a mile underground.”
“Been there, done that,” Bryn muttered. “Didn’t even get a T-shirt.”
Gunnar stared at him. “You and I really need to get to know each other better.”
“You weren’t meant to hear that.”
“Wolf, remember? I can hear a bunny sneeze across six miles of forest.”
“Useful skill.” Bryn was glad Gunnar couldn’t see him rolling his eyes behind his dark glasses.
“Roll those eyes any harder and they’ll fall out.”
Damn it!
“How long have you two been partners?” Agent Bell asked.
“A day,” Gunnar said.
“No way. You act like an old married couple.”
To Bryn’s relief, they arrived at Bell’s office, which was the base for the team of agents investigating the Forest Ripper case. As they went in, they got a round of applause. Bryn edged behind Gunnar. Agent Bell waved his colleagues away. “Come sit down. You want coffee?”
“God, yes.” Bryn slumped into a chair and tried to ignore the curious looks cast his way from around the room. “Black. Please.”