Broken

Labyrinth

ZOE LED US UP THE STAIRS, WHICH ENDED AT A LANDING. To the left was the back door, which was indeed bricked over on the inside.

We followed Zoe to the interior door. She did a fast patterned knock. As I waited for an answer from within, Zoe eased open the door just enough for her to slide through sideways. I grabbed the handle to push, but the door didn’t budge.

“Uh, there’s no way I can fit-” I began.

“Hold on.” She grunted, as if moving something. Another grunt, and the door opened.

I stepped in to see her restacking a pile of books.

“Hope that was right,” she murmured. “Tee hates them out of order. Is the smell better in here?”

The horrible smell from downstairs was now overpowered by another sort of rot. Mildewed paper. I edged in, banging my stomach on a stack of books.

“Hold on,” Zoe whispered. “Give your eyes a second. It’s a bit of a maze.”

Clay was breathing down my neck, but I waited, blinking a few times to adjust to the dimmer light. The windows had been boarded up, again from the inside, behind the blinds. To a passerby, it would look as if the shades were always drawn.

When my night vision kicked in, I found myself in a labyrinth of books, some stacked taller than me. A narrow passage snaked into the room. Zoe had disappeared ahead of us.

“Just follow the path,” she called. “It only leads one way. Pretty easy.”

I’m sure it was easy-for those who could turn without adjusting like a transport driver for swing room. After banging my stomach into another stack, I walked with my hands over my belly. By the time I caught up to Zoe, my knuckles were scraped.

“Stay close,” she said. “We’re almost there.”

“Good,” Clay grunted behind me.

Another few steps and the maze opened up into a second book-lined room. I tripped. Clay caught my arm, and I looked down to realize that the floor was carpeted with open books.

“Just brush them aside as you walk,” Zoe whispered.

A small noise to my left drew my attention. There stood what looked like a giant white nest. Moving closer, I saw that it was a pile of pages ripped from books. It was at least three feet high and twice that wide. Somewhere at the bottom, a happy mouse squeaked and burrowed deeper.

I squinted at the stack of dismembered book spines beside the pile-everything from cookbooks to popular fiction to history texts to automotive manuals.

“The answer is in there,” a voice whispered somewhere behind me.

I spun, but saw only books and darkness.

“It’s there,” the voice said, as harsh and scratchy as sandpaper rasping against metal. “I haven’t found it, but it’s there. I know it is.”

I stared down at the pile of papers, but the voice said, “It isn’t in those pages. That is, I don’t think it is. It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? How do you know if you’ve found the answer, when you aren’t quite certain of the question? Better to keep it all, just in case.”

I followed the voice to a shadow-wrapped corner. Something moved, then reared up, long, thin appendages unwrapping, like a praying mantis awakened from sleep. A face appeared in the darkness, a tangle of white hair nearly hiding the gaunt oval beneath. The head swayed from side to side, bobbing, weaving and snuffling, as the skeletal arms waved. Male or female? I couldn’t tell if it was even human, this insectlike thing.

I knew then what “Tee” stood for, and why it embarrassed Zoe. T for thing. Someone’s cruel idea of a joke.

Zoe stepped forward, as if to speak, but the thi-woman’s gaze was fixed on me.

“Oh, oh my,” she breathed. “Yes, yes, I see. It is indeed. Or so it…” Tee’s head cocked, sunken dark eyes darting to an empty spot beside her. “Are you quite sure?” She squinted at me again. “No, of course it isn’t. I know a wolf when I see one, and that is a woman-” She paused, then hissed. “Yes, of course. I see that now. Human form. I was confused. No need to mock me.”

“Tee?” Zoe said.

A scrabbling noise. Tee’s head moved higher, looming above ours, jutting forward and sniffing the air.

“Zoe?” she said. “Yes, yes, I can see. I’m not blind. I know my Zoe. Did she bring me something?” A wet, smacking noise. “A sweet morsel from my sweet Zoe?”

“Straight from me, if that’s what you’d like, Tee. I have a favor to ask of you.”

More smacking, then a nauseating gurgling sound. Tee’s face moved back and forth, as if she was rocking.

“Oh yes, yes. You’re good to me, Zoe. You never try to trick old Tee. Give and take. That’s the way the world works. Give and take.”

“That’s the only way to do it, Tee. Now, I’m here-”

A cackle from Tee drowned her out. “Oh, I know why you’re here, Zoe. Yes, I do. Been waiting for you. As soon as it came, I knew my Zoe would be here.”

“It?” Zoe said.

Another cackle. “The gate opened, and out it came. Now it’ll come for sweet Zoe, and she needs protection. But it’s not big bad vampires this time, is it?”

Clay opened his mouth, but Zoe cut him off.

“Something has come out of that gate, Tee, but I’m not the one in trouble. It’s-”

“The bitch.” A high-pitched, spine-grating giggle, and her gaze flicked to that empty spot at her side. “Oh, I know it isn’t nice to call our poor momma wolf that, but she forgives Tee, doesn’t she? Knows she’s just having a little fun. Momma wolf needs a little fun right now. All that trouble closing in, and the other wolves keep circling around her, leaving no one to watch out for my Zoe. No one except Tee.”

Tee’s head jerked, eyes narrowing as she stared at that empty space. “Sheep? What sheep? I’m talking about wolves. Don’t confuse-Stop that. You’re-” Her head whipped around, eyes going wide. “No! Not you. I said I won’t talk to you.” Her gaze darted about, then her head pulled back into the shadows. “I won’t-I’m busy, can’t you see that? No! Stop!”

Her long arms wrapped around her head and she crouched, cradling herself. An eerie noise, somewhere between keening and humming, filled the room.

“Should have known it was going too well,” Zoe muttered.

The noise rose, and Zoe motioned us into the mouth of the book labyrinth, where the stacks insulated against the sound.

“Maybe if I try-” I began.

Zoe shook her head. “She’s gone. I might be able to pull her out again, with the proper motivation.” Her gaze skipped to a crate near the door. On top of it, beside a few dark blotches, lay a penknife. “But it’ll take some time. Better to give her a rest and try again. Let’s get out of here, get some air and a cold drink, and we’ll try again.”

We walked a few blocks in the bright sunlight and found a café patio. Clay ordered while I called Jeremy. I phoned Nick’s cell first, but Jeremy was back at the bookstore with Jaime. I wondered why Antonio and Nick weren’t with them, but found out as soon as I got hold of Jaime.

“Matthew’s clinging like a barnacle,” she said. “He was terrified of being left behind at the hotel, and Jeremy agreed it might not be wise, so we took him along, and sent him with the guys for a coffee while I worked here.”

“What have you found?”

“Nothing. Either her spirit has already left or the wound wasn’t fatal but…” A small pause. “I think she’s gone. Jeremy’s been trying to pick up a recent trail of hers leading out of the apartment or the shop, and there isn’t one.”

“Meaning she was probably carried out.”

“Maybe to dispose of the body…or maybe because they’ve figured out you guys have a necro working for you. Either way, I’m useless here, I’m afraid. How’d Zoe’s lead go?”

I told her what was happening, leaving out the less palatable details of our encounter.

“A clairvoyant?” Jaime said. “Now that I can help with.”

“I think Zoe has things under-”

“No, seriously. I’ve had experience with older clairvoyants. There’s one Lucas knows-used to work for his dad-and I’ve visited her a few times. Great old gal, but she…has her problems. I’m used to stuff like that. My Nan…well, it happens to necros, too, and I’ve been around a lot of them, so you learn the tricks. Same things work with clairvoyants.”

“I’m not sure-”

“Is she catatonic?”

“Umm, no, not exactly…”

“That’s okay. I’m sure I could get her to talk. Faye-that’s Lucas’s friend-her nurses say no one can get through to her like I can.”

Beside me, Clay shrugged and said, “Can’t hurt.” I wasn’t so sure.

“She’s pretty far gone, Jaime,” I said. “It’s not…it’s not something-”

“Too much for the celeb necro to handle?” She laughed, but an edge crept into her voice. “I know, you guys are looking out for me. And I appreciate that. Really I do. Been a long time since anyone didn’t just want to get whatever they could…” The sentence slid off into silence.

“Here’s Jeremy,” Jaime said. “Let me run it by him, and I’ll phone you back.”

Twenty minutes later, we were back at the hatch, with Jaime. Zoe had gone ahead to check on Tee.

Jaime stepped into the basement. “Dark, huh? And it smells…kind of like my apartment when I run off for a week and forget to clean first. Only this place is cleaner than mine, which is pretty sad. We should speak to this Tee about relocating. I’m sure that Dr. Tolliver has some connections. He could probably get her into a decent nursing home.”

“Um, maybe,” I said.

At Tee’s door, I paused. This wasn’t right. I had to warn her.

“About this-” I began.

Jaime jumped and clutched my arm. A small laugh, and she released her grip, and patted my arm in apology. “A little tense, I guess. Seems there are a few spooks here. Old houses. Always a few, it seems.”

“Oh? Maybe you shouldn’t go in then-”

“It’s okay. Oddly, they don’t seem to be interested in me.”

She reached around me and opened the door.

I led her through the maze of books, with Clay once again bringing up the rear. Jaime took in her surroundings with the occasional “hmm,” but didn’t comment.

Finally we found Zoe, talking to Tee, who was still hunched in her corner, enshrouded in shadow.

“Zoe,” I said as I walked in. “Here’s-”

But Zoe’s gaze was fixed behind me, brow furrowed in concern. I turned. Jaime was still in the mouth of the maze, with Clay barely visible behind her. She was rigid and pale, her gaze flitting about the room. Then she flinched, as if a bird had swooped toward her.

“Jaime?” I said.

“Sh-she’s not a clairvoyant,” Jaime whispered.

As she spoke, her eyes never stopped moving, landing and focusing on one thing, then another, then another. Ghosts. A room filled with ghosts.

“Shit,” I murmured as I swung around. “Let’s get you out-”

“N-no. They aren’t interested in me. Not while there’s a stronger necromancer around.”

Stronger? Oh, God. I hadn’t brought Jaime to see a mad clairvoyant; I’d brought her to a mad necromancer.

I frantically motioned for Clay to grab Jaime’s arm, yank her out if necessary. As he reached for her, though, she darted out of his reach and around me.

At a rustling from the corner, Jaime stopped dead.

“Yes, yes, I see,” Tee’s voice rasped out, barely above a whisper. “A timid thing, isn’t she? Afraid of ghosts perhaps?” A cackle of a laugh. “Come in, sister. They won’t bother you.”

Tee’s face moved forward, but it was too dark for Jaime, who kept squinting. I moved up beside her, blocking her from getting a closer look.

“Who are your people, sister?”

“P-people?” Jaime said.

An exasperated growl. “Your kin. Your family. What line are you?”

She stopped, the pale oval of her face tilting up as she listened to what I’d thought were voices in her head, and now realized were ghosts. “Really? Don’t tease. It cannot be.”

Her face swiveled back to us and craned forward, her body still wrapped in her long limbs. “Oh, yes, yes, I see it. I do see it. Molly O’Casey’s granddaughter. Poor Molly. What must she think, having such a timid girl?”

Some of Jaime’s fear fell away and she edged closer.

“You knew Jaime’s grandmother?” I said quickly.

“Knew? Yes, yes. I haven’t seen her in-” A pause, as she looked to her right. Then a sharp hiss that sent Zoe, Jaime and me all jumping backward. “Gone? Gone? You lie. Molly O’Casey is not-”

She stopped, face swinging in the other direction. Then she started to keen, a razor-edged howl that had all three of us backing up again, until Jaime and I both bumped into Clay.

“Lost,” Tee wailed. “Oh, the fool. I tried to warn her. Tried. And now she’s lost. A slave for eternity.”

Tee reared up then, limbs unwrapping, as she moved out of the shadows. Jaime got her first real look at the necromancer, and let out a whimper, stifled fast, but her face white with horror and disbelief that this…thing had been human, let alone one of her own kind.

“You’ll listen to me, won’t you, girl? You won’t stop up your ears to the truth.”

Tatters of clothing hung off her larvae-pale body, limbs so thin and white they seemed bone not flesh.

“They tell us we’ll be free after they die,” she whispered, “but it’s a trick. The great lie. We think we are slaves in life-bending to the will of others, hounded by the living, hounded by the dead? It’s nothing compared to what happens when we pass over.” She waved her spindly arms over her head, as if shooing off flies, lips twisting in a guttural snarl. “No, I won’t listen. You lie. I know you lie. You want to trap me. Trick me into your world. But I know the secret. I know how to stay alive until I’ve found the answer.”

Her skull-like face dove toward Jaime’s. “Do you want to know the secret, Molly’s girl?”

“No,” Zoe said, leaping between them. “I…I don’t think she’s ready, Tee. Better wait until she-”

Tee swung an arm at Zoe, who ducked and darted to the side. Then she advanced another step toward Jaime, the smell of her so strong I gagged again.

“I will tell you, sister, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to do it.”

Jaime stiffened, eyes blazing, mouth opening.

Tee cut her short with a cackle. “Don’t like that, do you? Maybe there is some of your grandmother in you. Tell me, sister, if you wanted the key to long life, where would you look?”

“I…” Jaime paused, obviously thinking, not wanting to appear the fool in front of this woman. “In the ancient texts-”

Tee’s laugh roared out on a blast of breath so foul even Jaime blanched.

“Closer, sister. Look closer.” She waved an arm around. “In this very room we see long life-two kinds of it-do we not?”

“Vampires and werewolves,” Jaime said.

“What do they have in common?”

Jaime looked from Zoe to me. “Um, they both…” Her eyes widened as she made a connection. “They hunt. Hunt their prey.”

“And what do they hunt?”

I could see where this was going, and I took hold of Jaime’s arm. “I think-”

“Vampires hunt people,” Jaime said. “But werewolves only hunt…well, I guess some of them hunt-” Her face paled. “People.”

“That, sister, is the key. Imbibe the flesh of the living, and ye shall live.” She stretched her neck out, voice lowering to a whisper. “It’s quite simple. You take a knife, and slice off a strip of-”

I coughed. In hindsight, a silly and useless thing to do. No sudden noise would drown out Tee’s meaning. But I had to do something.

Tee only cackled and reached out her hand, her bony fingers caressing my arm. I fought to keep from pulling away, and lifted my head. My gaze met hers and I saw something there, something human and almost tender. Her bloodless lips twisted into a smile.

“Momma wolf’s tummy is a bit sensitive, isn’t it? We’ll speak no more on that, then.” She looked at Jaime and lowered her voice. “Come to me later, and I’ll tell you the rest.”

With that, she retreated, scuttling backward to the safety of her corner.

“About the…what we came here for?” Jaime managed. “This killer. The one who came through the portal. You said you know something about that?”

“Something?” Tee sounded offended. “Everything. My friends tell me everything.”

“Then we’d like to know-”

“Smoke,” she spat. “Smoke and mirrors. Sound and fury. Signifies nothing. Do not waste your time.”

We looked at one another.

“Perhaps,” I said. “But still we’d like to catch-”

“The killer?” Tee made a rude noise. “Foolishness. Another spirit crosses over? It happens every second. Happening now, all around you. Will you catch all their killers too? Cancer and rage and loneliness? Catch those and lock them up?” She turned her head and spat into the darkness. “Foolishness, and you have no time for it.” Her eyes peered at mine. “Your babies have no time for it.”

“If it’s connected, though-”

“Smoke and mirrors. Sound and fury,” she grumbled. “You want to stop him? Why bother me? Ask her.” Tee waved one arm at Jaime. “Or do you tell me Molly O’Casey’s granddaughter doesn’t know how to call a zombie?”

“Call?” Jaime said. “Summon a zombie, you mean? Sure, if I raised a zombie, I’d know how to call it to me, but these aren’t my-”

“Oh, so it’s beyond you, then, sister, is it? Not so simple as chatting with ghosts.” She flapped her arms, mumbling to herself. “No, no, you’re right. Wouldn’t help. They aren’t the problem. Smoke and mirrors. Sound and fury.”

My cell phone vibrated, spooking me enough to jump. I pulled it out, thinking-hoping-it was Jeremy.

“Elena? It’s me. Rita.”

“Oh. Um, Rita. Right. Can I call you back?”

“If you do, you’ll regret it. There’s been another murder.”

That stopped me. “You mean from last night? They found another-?”

“Body. And this just happened. Broad daylight. Downtown, a few blocks from the last one. Near Regent Park.”

For a second, I couldn’t speak. Then I thanked her and hung up.

“Another one,” Clay said before I could speak. “Right here. Right now.”

“Maybe it’s a coincidence-”

“It isn’t. It’s a message.”

Tee had completely retreated, pulling herself into her cocoon and going silent.

“We should check it out right away,” I said after telling Jaime and Zoe about the call. “While it’s still fresh. Maybe see if we can pick up a scent this time.”

Jaime nodded. “I’ll stay here-” A quick look over her shoulder, into Tee’s corner. “See if I can get her talking…”

“We’ll need you there,” I said. “In case the victim’s ghost is still around.”

Relief flooded her face. “Yes, of course. I’ll come.”

“I’ll work on Tee,” Zoe said. “I still need to-” Her gaze flicked to the crate with the penknife. “-give her what I promised. If I get anything from her, I’ll call you.”