Souls of the Reaper Read online

  “You think this is world-wide?” Linus’ eyes were wide in surprise.

  “I have no reason to think otherwise.” Lacey looked at Niall.

  “She’s right. Reapers operate within the astral plane. There’s no reason at all to suspect the unsub would be limited to just our city.”

  Linus fell silent, and Lacey knew he was processing the implications. “Then, no one is safe.” His voice was faint.

  “That’s why we have to find this guy, and stop him.” Lacey said it with conviction, though she was losing faith in the team’s ability to do so.

  “Oh, here’s another thing. I pulled up the data on your victim’s toxicology report. It says here she was sedated with a combination of diazepam and zolpidem.”

  “Does that mean anything to you, Niall?” Lacey turned to the man as she spoke.

  “Diazepam has sedative properties, but it also has the side effect of shorting out the victim’s short term memory. Zolpidem is a sleeping medication, similar to the hypnotic we gave Cherri here to put her to sleep.” He stood and began pacing. “The two combined would have made her extremely sedated. I suspect he used the zolpidem to stimulate her into REM sleep. And we turned around and did the exact same thing to her.” It was obvious he was troubled.

  “With her consent.” Lacey stressed it to Niall. “We didn’t do anything against her will.”

  “I wonder if she’ll make the distinction.” As if in despair, he sat in the chair again and put his head in his hands.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  He thought about calling in sick to work. He was ill, after all, but it wasn’t an illness he could easily explain to his boss, head of a major pharmaceutical company. Besides, he needed more drugs if he were to continue in his mission. The diazepam acted on the stupid girl like a dose of methamphetamines, causing her to become more agitated than sleepy. Though he was certain his dosing calculations were correct, he was forced to give her more of the drugs in order to sedate her, and he needed to replenish his supply in order to keep hunting.

  Xiong’s hands shook so badly that he could barely type on his laptop. His mind kept wandering, and he could barely keep focused on the reports he was preparing. He usually enjoyed his career as a drug representative, taking new medication to doctors and hospitals, as well as explaining newly found uses for old drugs. It allowed him to leave the office and roam the city, which pleased him, as he didn’t like to be confined in one place for too long. And the reports were necessary, so the company could make and ship enough drugs to fill the orders he obtained.

  Finally finishing the last of his paperwork, Xiong started to relax. His hands were still shaking, and his body felt like it was vibrating. He knew the signs of drug addiction; it was heavily emphasized in the classes he took to obtain his MBA in Life Sciences. Intellectually, he understood the symptoms, but as he’d never used drugs, either street or legal ones, he’d never experienced addiction. Though he knew the signs, he was either unable or unwilling to admit he was becoming addicted to the rush of power experienced each time he stole a soul.

  Then, Xiong picked up the tall, reusable travel cup and left his tiny cubicle, going for the office break room. He looked over his shoulder as he went in the break room and set his cup down on the counter. No one was around. So he slipped back to the hallway and punched his security code into the locked door at the end of the hall. Stepping in the door, he pulled it closed behind him, and waited until he heard the mechanical sound of the lock reengaging.

  He looked around the room. Shelves were set close to one another, and every surface was covered with drugs. The medications were organized in alphabetical order, so he had no trouble finding the two he was looking for. Furtively, he glanced over his shoulder again, making sure he was alone in the stock room. He also made sure to angle his body away from the security cameras set up in strategic places around the shelves. He happened to have a friend who told him one of the cameras was malfunctioning, and it was here he stood to slip several of the drug vials into his jacket pocket. Then he walked back toward the door, where boxes of trial packages of new medications were stored. Xiong grabbed several of these at random, and returned to the break room.

  He took the lid off his travel cup, rinsed it in the small sink, and dried it with paper towels. Making sure he was still alone, he slipped the drug vials into the bottom of the cup, filled it with ice from the small refrigerator, and filled it with tea from a pitcher. He took the cup back to his desk, and placed the drug sample boxes in his medical bag. Then, he pulled his laptop closer to him, and went back to work, printing out his itinerary for the next several days. This was the plan he used when he traveled to doctor’s offices, nursing homes, and hospitals, bringing them the new medications and instructions for their use. But he had no thought of work. He was waiting for night to fall again. He was working on a plan.

  20

  There is no hunting like the hunting of man. ~~Hemingway

  She drove like a bat out of hell. Colton didn’t seem to care that he was yelping and holding onto the ‘chicken stick’ with both hands. Kazz, in the backseat, grinned as she watched Lacey thread her sporty car through late afternoon traffic. A sense of urgency settled over all of them as they headed to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

  Dr. Ingold’s flight was delayed due to snowy conditions in Baltimore. Linus was hard at work on programming the microscopic nanites, and the three officers were going to pick up the researcher and drive him to the lab, where he would help Linus in any way he could. Marcell had stayed with Cherri when Niall returned to his duties, leaving a hospital security guard and a lone nurse on the closed ward where Cherri was staying.

  Lacey, for one, was glad to be on the move. Knowing their unsub was still at large, possibly stealing more souls while they ran around on a wild goose chase, she was dying for some action. The car’s tires squealed as she executed a quick lane change, then darted off the highway, taking the first exit ramp for the airport. By the time she brought the car to a stop in the drop off/pick up lanes of the parking lot, Colton’s face was covered in sweat.

  “I’ll never get used to that, Little Sister.”

  “Too bad, Big Brother.”

  Kazz obviously couldn’t restrain herself. “What’s with the Little Sister, Big Brother thing already?”

  Lacey looked at her as they walked into the airport. “It’s a long story.”

  “Basically, I saved her bacon on our last big case.” Colton smirked. “So that makes her part of my Pack now. Hence, Little Sister.”

  Kazz rolled her eyes and groaned. “Please, don’t bother to give me a nickname.”

  “You’ve already got one.”

  “Really?” Kazz sounded surprised.

  “Yep. Newbie.”

  She groaned again and gave Colton a playful smack on the shoulder. “Whatever, dude.”

  Lacey pulled her badge as they approached airport security, who waved the three of them through the checkpoint where barefoot passengers were getting all their possessions scanned via X-ray. “What flight number is he on?” She demanded of Colton, who was struggling to keep pace with her long strides.

  He pulled out his tablet, trying to avoid walking into people as they moved through the airport. “618.”

  She stopped at a large screen showing arrivals and departures, glancing through the numbers until she found the right one. “Gate 7A. Let’s go.”

  Because she knew one of her partners had trouble keeping up with her, she hopped onto one of the moving sidewalks. She noticed Colton’s hesitation before stepping onto the belt, and recalled he had a fear of escalators. She assumed that fear applied to the gliding sidewalks as well. “Sorry, Big Brother.”

  “No big.” He grumbled under his breath, looking down at his boots. She wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or if he was simply trying to keep his feet steady as the belt moved them at a rapid clip through the airport. People bustled in every direction, and the moving sidewalks were nearly full. Most of th
e travelers were pulling suitcases on wheels, and many also had bags or laptop cases slung over their shoulders. The low hum of a multitude of human voices assaulted her sensitive ears.

  Stepping off the moving sidewalk, she led the way to the airline gate. Lacey glanced at the doctor’s vital records before leaving the hospital, so she knew what he looked like, and she was ready when he stepped from the gate.

  “Doctor Ingold.” She extended her hand.

  “It’s good to meet you.” They shook, then he turned to the other team members.

  “Detective Scarber, Officer Moss.”

  “And you both as well.” After shaking hands, he cleared his throat. “Please, call me Jaidon. I didn’t expect such a reception when the plane landed.”

  “The situation has become more urgent,” was all Lacey would say as she beckoned to him. “Are you ready?”

  “I only have one bag to pick up at baggage claims.” Jaidon had a laptop bag worn cross-body, over one shoulder at the opposite hip.

  “Wait until you see the car my lieutenant drives,” Kazz said with a grin. It was the first time the young Shifter spoke since they entered the airport.

  They made their way back through the crowd to the claims section. Lacey was impatient as she watched the revolving carousel full of suitcases move around and around. Finally, Jaidon grabbed a black leather wheeled suitcase from the conveyor. The four of them left the building, and Lacey hit a button on her remote to pop the trunk on her car. Jaidon stowed his bags there, closing the lid respectively.

  “I see what you mean,” he remarked to Kazz as he strapped himself in.

  The backseat was roomy, but Lacey asked Jaidon, “Do you need more leg room back there?”

  “No, thank you, Lieutenant.” His voice was smooth like whiskey on ice. “This is more than adequate for me.”

  “Better hang on,” Colton muttered, nearly inaudible.

  “What?” Lacey demanded.

  “You heard me!” Colton said louder.

  Lacey chuckled as she pulled back onto the highway. Kazz leaned forward in anticipation. But, in deference to her partner, as well as the esteemed doctor, she kept her speed in check, even though her brain was screaming at her to go, go, get there as soon as you can!

  “What has happened?” Jaidon asked, seeming to ignore the scenery passing by.

  Lacey gave him a brief explanation of what Niall discovered during his attempt to track their most recent victim through astral projection, and the tentative plan they were putting in place to help him both track the victim’s umbilical and communicate more effectively into the physical world.

  “This is indeed going to be interesting,” Jaidon commented when she was finished. “Not only might it be possible to gain more insight into Reapers, but we may invent a way of tracking the human soul.”

  “That brings up a question, doctor,” Kazz piped up again. “Assuming we can find the unsub and somehow force him to release the souls, what happens to those humans, like our first victim, whose souls can’t return to their bodies?”

  “It’s a good question.” Jaidon pulled his tablet from his pocket as he spoke. “I did some searches before I left, and received an email while en route. You remember our conversation yesterday about this, Lieutenant?” She nodded as she made a lane change, going around a slow-moving minivan. “I did some digging. There are still tribes in remote African villages that believe their shamans can bring a body back from death. In essence, they are similar to the Egyptians in regards to the human soul. They believe the soul is two parts, one which houses the personality, memories, and what moves on into the next life. The second part is what’s necessary to animate the body. It’s this second part that the shamans are said to summon, so that the people whose bodies are brought back to life walk, talk, and function in normal ways. But, the absence of the larger soul means the personality of the person, including things learned, such as social mores and standards, is gone.”

  Kazz shivered. “That sounds horrible.”

  “Indeed.” Jaidon continued. “These re-animated bodies used to be referred to as Zombies in Western Civilization, or were, until real Zombies were discovered. But the African natives call them Shadow People.”

  “What happens to these Shadow People?” Lacey turned off the highway, headed for the lab.

  “From what I understand, they are destroyed by the shamans immediately after completing whatever task they were summoned to do. I’ve yet to find any mention of surviving Shadow People.”

  “Destroyed? You mean killed. That’s a scary thought.” Kazz’s voice trembled.

  “So, from what Doctor Matthews has told us, there seems to be a good chance some of these souls are unrecoverable.” Colton twisted around in his seat to look at Jaidon. Lacey pulled into the lab’s parking lot.

  Once they were inside, Lacey went directly to Linus’ work station while the other waited in the front. He seemed surprised to see her.

  “We’ve just picked Doctor Ingold up from the airport.”

  “That was fast!” He stood, stretching, then glanced at his watch. “Or, I guess not. I didn’t realize how long I was sitting here.”

  “Find anything?”

  “Not so much.” The tech seemed frustrated.

  He followed Lacey to the front, where she introduced him to Jaidon and asked if there was a conference room they could use.

  “Sure. Everyone, come on.”

  Linus took them to a large, quiet room with an over-sized table, plush leather office chairs, and several huge black screens mounted on the wall. They all took seats and looked to Linus.

  He cleared his throat, seeming uncomfortable with all the faces aimed in his direction. “Okay, so the nanite programming is going slow,” he began. “I’m having difficulty establishing exactly what ELF frequency we need to dial them in to detect.”

  “I believe I can help you with that,” Jaidon said, motioning to his tablet. “Do you mind?”

  “Go ahead, thank you.” Linus held his own device out, waiting for the signal prompting him to accept incoming information. “Ah, yes, I see. This will make things a whole lot easier. If you give me a few minutes to program them, I can have the nanites ready for you.”

  He left the room at a rapid pace, leaving the four of them to talk.

  “Have you talked with the victim about making a second attempt?” Jaidon asked of Lacey.

  “She was still asleep when we left. But I think I should give Doctor Dilorenzo a call now.”

  She stepped to the far end of the room, taking her phone from her jacket pocket. Though she was away from the others, it didn’t prevent Lacey from hearing the conversation going on around her while the phone was ringing.

  “What are we going to do about those poor people?” It was Kazz. “I mean, they have to live the rest of their lives without a soul?”

  “Not possible.” Colton’s voice was rough. “We can’t have people roaming around town like that.” His voice grew louder. “Look what they’re doing now, with no... no conscience. They’ll have to be rounded up, and something done with them. They’re a menace to society!”

  “Rounded up? What do you expect to do, just make them all turn themselves in? How will they even know they’re a victim, unless we get a horde of Reapers to test them first?” Kazz.

  “Well, we can’t act like there’s nothing wrong with them!” Colton.

  “But, what you’re talking about sounds a lot like Hitler and the Germans, like a million years ago. It’s concentration camps and gas chambers and...and genocide!” Kazz again.

  When it looked like Lacey was going to have to break the argument up, Jaidon spoke up, and Marcell answered the phone, and her attention was directed away from the others.

  “Doctor Dilorenzo.”

  “Marcell, has our vic woken up yet?”

  “Ah, Lacey.” He said her name in a purr. “Yes, she’s awake, and she’s had something to eat.”

  “Does she...did you tell her?”

&n
bsp; “I did, yes.”

  “How’s her state of mind? Do you think she’s receptive to trying again?”

  “She’s willing, but Doctor Matthews has forbidden it until tomorrow.”

  “What do you mean, he’s forbidden it?”

  “He says that giving her too many doses of the sedative medication too close together could be harmful to her.”

  Lacey was infuriated at the delay, but she understood. They couldn’t put their victim in harm’s way, even if Cherri herself insisted. She cured under her breath. “Damn it.”

  “How are things on that end?”

  “Your friend has given Linus the last bit of information, I think, to program the nanites. He’s working on that now, so we should have some in hand before we leave here today.”

  “Excellent. I thought Jaidon would be a perfect reference source.”

  “And you might get a mention in the academic paper he’s going to write about all this?”

  She could almost hear Marcell smile. “There is that.”

  “I call ‘em like I see them.”

  “Will you be returning?”

  “I think so. Hang on a second.” Linus walked back in the room. “Linus is back. I’ll let you know.” She hung up the phone. For once, it seemed that Lacey got the last word in.

  “Here they are,” Linus announced proudly, holding up a large glass vial full of clear liquid.

  “I don’t get it,” Lacey said. “There’s nanites in there?”

  He tipped the vial a little, sending the liquid swirling. “Sure are.” Colton scowled at him with a low growl. “Well, they’re microscopic. You can’t see them. The liquid is there as a storage medium.”

  “Whatever you say,” Colton grumbled.

  “Is it, like nutrient?” Lacey struggled to understand.

  “In a way. Nanites are nothing more than microscopic machines, you know, programmable for all kinds of things. The liquid medium is more like a power supply, so they’ll keep their charge until you’re ready to use them.”