“That’s scary,” Rocky said. “Him and Charlie Oakley, running around the Quabbin with a gun.”
“A little scary. Charlie does have training—and when he left the police force, he worked security. I’m sure they’re... Okay, I hope they’re fine. If he’s licensed, there’s nothing we can do. He has the right to walk in the woods.”
“I need to drive around the Quabbin. See the access roads. And,” Vickie added, “I need to use the printer at the police station. I want to scan a map from the Nathaniel Alden book and a map from the present site of the Quabbin. I can make an overlay, and see how they work together.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Devin said. “I can take pictures with my phone and get them to the main office. They can mock up what you want.”
“Can we do that tonight?” Vickie asked.
“Yes, of course. You’ll have anything you want by the morning.”
“So, let’s eat up,” Vickie said, “and get back!”
“Fine, but you’re never anywhere without one of us!” Griffin said.
She nodded, lowering her head slightly. “Hey. I do remember being buried alive by the Undertakers! I plan on being careful—so careful it will make you crazy!” she promised.
*
The bed-and-breakfast was quiet when they made it back for the night.
Vickie showed Devin the Nathaniel Alden book in the empty dining room, and Devin took pictures of the map that was in the book.
“I really think that this map is the key,” Vickie said. “I think it’s the reason that Professor Hanson wanted the book.”
“Maybe,” Devin told Vickie. “But you have to be careful and not see people as guilty because you don’t like them.”
“I do know that. Honestly. But he’s missing—that means he could be out here. He would have been around twenty or twenty-two back when Sheena Petrie was killed. His image is that which two of the best artists I know came up with from descriptions linking him to Helena Matthews before she disappeared.”
“There is an APB out on him,” Devin assured her.
“They’ll arrest him?”
“They’ll bring him in for questioning when they find him. The fact that he was with her—and that he’s old enough to have killed Sheena Petrie—isn’t enough for an indictment.”
“But what about a lineup? Those gas station attendants might recognize him!”
“Even if the brothers were to identify him, it’s still an eyewitness account, and we’d need a lot more to take to court.”
“People are dying.”
“That’s why they’ll bring him in, get search warrants going...all that,” Devin assured her. “But you have to remember, it may not be him.”
“I’ll try. He’s looking very suspicious to me. Why else would he want that book?”
“Maybe we need to be grateful he was just after the book, and didn’t kidnap you to interpret it, the way they took Alex,” Devin said quietly.
Vickie shook her head. “That’s really crazy. To think that Alex or I could actually pinpoint a place after well over three centuries—on landscape that has been drastically changed.”
“You don’t think the whole thing is crazy?” Devin asked her.
“Okay, yes.”
“Well, I’ve mailed in these pics. Angela will do an overlay. She’ll get us what we need. But...even if we find it, we’re going to have to be really careful. We need to find Jehovah—without anyone knowing that we’ve found Jehovah.”
“Because...that will ruin it for this guy? Wouldn’t that be good?” Vickie asked.
“Not if we don’t want a slew of corpses,” Devin said. She hesitated. “I’m afraid that this guy will kill everyone with him—if he thinks we’ve really got him, or whatever it is that he really wants.”
“Good point,” Vickie murmured. “Let’s get to bed.”
“Rocky made sure that the front door is locked,” Devin said. “But of course, make sure you lock your room door. Well, never mind. I know Griffin. He’ll check it a few times over.”
“Yes, he checks every door and window—all of the time.”
“Habit of the trade!” Devin said. “Well, good night!”
They’d come up the stairs together and stood on the second-floor landing. Vickie smiled as she watched Devin go into her room.
She turned to her own.
“Vickie!”
She spun around, her heart nearly in her throat, as she heard her name whispered.
It was Dylan. Darlene was at his side, her hand in his, hanging just a bit behind him.
“Dylan! You nearly scared me to death. Why are you whispering to me on the landing?”
“Well, we’re not walking into the bedroom!” Dylan said.
“That would be creepy—and very rude!” Darlene assured her.
“Well, Griffin is in there,” Vickie said.
“Kind of the point,” Dylan said.
She sighed. “Okay, so...what’s up?”
“Not that much,” Dylan said. “I mean, if it were long or complicated, I’d have you go in and make sure that he was dressed, so we could talk to him, too.”
“But it’s not that much,” Darlene said.
“What do you have to tell me?”
“We’ve been following them around all day,” Dylan said.
“Who?” Vickie asked.
“Isaac Sherman and Charlie Oakley, of course,” Dylan told her, shaking his head as if his words had been so obvious he was at a loss as to her failure to understand. “Charlie Oakley first.”
“And then Isaac Sherman,” Darlene added.
“And?” Vickie asked.
“Well, first, they were being watched from the woods!” Dylan said.
“By who?” Vickie asked.
“We don’t really know. We saw the movement in the trees and naturally ran up—they were walking along a trail between a couple of hills,” Dylan explained. “We didn’t catch anyone, but, Vickie, I swear—they were being watched.”
“Okay, thank you!” Vickie said. “Keep following them—that’s great.”
“Oh, we did keep following them,” Dylan assured her.
“I followed Isaac,” Darlene said. “And...nothing.”
“I followed Charlie Oakley,” Dylan said. “And guess what? He was on the phone with the dude who is his friend—and still a cop,” Dylan said. “The old dude, not the young one.”
Vickie shook her head slightly. “You mean Robert Merton? The detective from Rhode Island?”
“Exactly!” Dylan said.
“That’s not really shocking—they’ve known each other for years.”
“Aha! But here’s the thing,” Dylan told her proudly. “He’s coming here. Well, he’s coming to where Charlie Oakley is staying. Which is Ware. I mean W-a-r-e, not w-h-e-r-e. Well, Ware is where, if that makes sense. I mean, it does, but—”
“He is coming here?” Vickie asked. “On business? But he’s not state police. He’s a detective. Hmm. That is interesting.”
“See!”
“If you want to just come in, you can...”
“Oh, no. We’re going back to the sofa in the parlor!” Darlene said.
“Long day,” Dylan said. “But there’s more.”
“Okay?”
“I think we saw...someone you’re seeing.”
“The blonde woman? A...dead woman?” Vickie asked. She looked at Dylan, not Darlene.
Vickie had seen Darlene’s dead body, had found her, during the Undertaker case.
“She’s shy,” Darlene said.
“Very. She disappeared, as if she was afraid, really,” Dylan said.
“We saw her up on the hill—when we were trying to figure out who was stalking Isaac Sherman and Charlie Oakley.”
“I think she’s been dead a very long time—with no one!” Dylan told Vickie.
“Thank you. I’ll keep watching for her. You two...maybe you can help her.”
“We’ll certainly try,” Darlene said.
“But I think she’s trying to reach you. I think she’s been trying to reach you,” Dylan said.
“Thank you. Well, good night, then.” She turned to open her own door.
“Vickie?” Dylan said.
“Yes?” she asked him, pausing.
“I don’t know about all this. I mean, where you’re concerned. You’re not carrying a gun, are you?”
“No. I’ve only been to the range about five times. I don’t have a license. But I do know how to use Griffin’s Glock, and the agents are all armed,” Vickie said.
Darlene and Dylan looked at one another worriedly.