Chapter 9

Noon was just a few minutes past when Peter made the call.

The voice that answered was clipped, “Melody Sharp speaking.”

“Heya Mel,” the young man said.

The woman’s voice was a great deal friendlier when she said, “Hey Pete. What’s up? It’s unlike you to call, especially on a Sunday.”

He cleared his throat, “Uh, I have a favor to ask of you.”

The woman’s blink could almost be heard over the phone, “Sure, whatcha need?”

“I need a couple of uniformed men of a surly disposition to serve as an escort for a young lady to her previous residence.”

“Right...”

“She merely needs to pickup some paperwork to which she is duly entitled, namely her birth certificate and social security card.”

“Uh huh, and why do you need an official escort? I’m guessing she’s got some parental issues. You could likely take care of the matter simply enough on your own.”

Peter’s tone was dead, and deadly, level as he said, “Because if I go there myself, I will likely kill the motherfucker myself.”

Melody blinked, blinked again, and licked her lips as she processed the young man’s words; and more to the point, his tone. She swallowed nervously as she realized that he’d made more a statement of intent than a threat, “Alright, I’ll set things up. I presume she’s staying with you?”

“Correct,” he said as he mentally pulled himself back from the dangerous precipice.

The parole officer could hear the young man forcibly calming himself down, “Good. I’ll have a black and white there in an hour or so.”

“Thanks Mel,” he said with a smile.

“No problem kid,” she said with a chuckle. “You’ve done enough for me in the last year or so. Just promise me you’ll keep clear of this whole thing.”

“You have my word, unless the idiot comes looking for trouble, I consider the matter closed.”

Melody breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, I’ll let you know if there’s any delays. Talk to you later kid.”

Peter put his cell phone away, “Alright Des, your ride’ll be here in about an hour. Dad, we’ll take off after Des does. Any objections?”

The young woman worried her lip, “I don’t suppose I could talk you into coming with me?”

He put his finger under her chin and tipped her head upwards until she was looking him in the face, “Des, as much as I’d love to be there to support you, if I were to be face to face with your father, I would likely do something violent, and more than likely terminal. As much as he may deserve it, that would be counterproductive.”

She sighed, “You’re right. I know it, but still...”

Pete opened his arms slightly and Destiny seemingly flowed into his embrace, molding herself to his chiseled form.

John Bell looked at his son and shook his head gently. His boy was doing just about everything right for a seduction but didn’t have a single clue. He’d have to have words with the boy. Soon.

&*&

They’d gotten Destiny safely into the custody of a couple of very large MSP troopers. John had recognized the looks in the men’s eyes. They were the type who understood that sometimes violence really was sometimes the only viable option.

With that little task taken care of and Alan on his way to settle up with his landlord, the Bell men drove to the Johnson Estate, which was just on the fringes of the town.

They pulled up to the back gate of the very large estate. Peter parked the jeep and they climbed out. He could feel ... something tickling the back of his mind, but he couldn’t even come close to putting his finger on what it was. Perhaps ... He cleared his throat, “I’m starting to suspect our theory that there may be something supernatural going on here may be right.”

John looked at his son curiously, he couldn’t tell anything was off; but then again, Pete had recently acquired certain advantages where that sort of thing was concerned.

The young man led the way around to the front door, honestly surprised at the state the house was in. The lawn wasn’t neat, but it was also far from overrun with weeds. There wasn’t so much as a single broken window pane or mark of graffiti anywhere.

As his son reached for the front door handle, John said, “You know it’s probably locked ri...”

As soon as Peter had touched the handle, there was a distinct ‘click’ of the lock opening.

The men looked at each other and the young man said, “Dad...”

“Yes son, the door apparently unlocked itself.”

Peter cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.

It was like stepping back in time. The furniture looked as though they were antiques even before the house had been abandoned and there wasn’t a spec of dust on them, nor were they covered by sheets or protectors.

John looked around the place and whistled, “Yeah, Pete, there’s definitely something strange going on around here.”