She held the small pistol out to me. “Have you ever fired one of these?”
I took the gun. “Just a few times, when an old boyfriend dragged me to the firing range. I wasn’t very good. I’d probably shoot myself in the foot.”
In fact, I shot him in the foot back then.
“No, you won’t. It has a safety. Here, I’ll show you.” She demonstrated and then handed the gun back to me. “Take it, okay? Just in case.”
My hand tingled when I took the weapon, as if my skin was trying to reject all the emotions trapped in the handle. Not a good feeling.
“I really hate this, Maxie. This isn’t my idea of fun at all. You’re going to owe me big-time. Crawling in the dirt, carrying a gun, prowling through the burned-out remains of an amusement park—next time we listen to jazz and drink margaritas.”
She grinned and patted my shoulder. “Way to suck it up, my friend. What a trouper. This will be an adventure you’ll never forget.” She angled over to check out the back of the Jeep again and nodded. “Yes. I think we have everything we need. Let’s rumble.” She fastened the flap over the rear window, zipped the front of her jacket, and trotted toward the fence.
She shot me a glance over her shoulder. “Hey, you’d better zip up unless you want dirt and soot all over that fine rack.”
I heard her laughing as she effortlessly glided to a gaping section of fence. I looked down to zip the parka, still walking fast to catch up with Maxie, and tripped over an exposed tree root. Thanks to the foamy coat, I barely made a sound as I hit the ground. I raised my head in time to watch Maxie crawl under the fence, stand, and stride off, disappearing behind the ruins of a building.
“Maxie?” I croaked.
Chapter Seven
Silence.
I struggled to my feet and brushed off dirt, twigs, and a used condom. The damn coat was so bulky it was like wearing an extra-large fat suit. I finished tugging up the zipper and jogged over to the fence, staring at the curled-up corner.
Squatting, I examined the opening, talking to myself.
“How the hell am I supposed to cram this huge hot-air balloon of a parka through that small hole in the chain link? Of course, Maxie’s leather jacket slid right through. What was the point of dressing me up like the Michelin Man?”
I peeled off the jacket, pushed it through the bent corner of the fence, dropped to my hands and knees, then slid under on my stomach. The ground appeared relatively smooth, indicating that many people had made the journey before me.
Emerging on the other side, I stood, rotating my shoulders. I hated to put the parka back on again, but if Maxie thought it was important for me to have a gun, I probably should at least keep my hands free. I retrieved the fluffy beast, slipped it on, and took a few tentative steps into a maze of building remains. The full moon shone large and bright, like a cosmic lantern. Thanks to the extra light, it should have been easy to find Maxie, but she was nowhere in sight.
Thinking it would probably be better if I weren’t quite so visible, I detoured along a partial wall and scanned the area. This was definitely a weird place. Not only because of the scorched landscape—although that definitely qualified as creepy—but because of the ominous vibe. Something triggered my inner alarm. I couldn’t put my finger on what was off, but the air felt heavy—dangerous. Maybe Maxie was right about lunatics hiding in the shadows. I reached into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around the gun, but instead of reassuring me, it terrified me. I turned my head slowly from side to side, watching for—what? Nothing had happened to make me anxious, but all of a sudden, my gut clenched and my breath caught, as if I was sensing something—or someone—I couldn’t see.
“Maxie?” I whispered as loudly as I dared.
A feeling of dread washed over me and I froze, trying to figure out where the threat was coming from. If there even was a threat. I was torn between thinking my imagination was working overtime and wanting to trust my intuition. My heart pounded and my body temperature spiked so high that I unzipped the coat and used the edge to fan myself.
What was happening to me? I’d never had a panic attack before, but whatever my body was doing seemed to fit all the symptoms. Maybe I was just picking up the energy echoes from the chaos of the fire? I’d prefer that explanation to thinking I was losing my mind.
Then I heard a soft groan. I shifted my eyes in both directions, looking for the source of the low sound, and heard it again. Closer this time, but I still couldn’t see anyone near me. I jumped as a hand stroked the side of my face, then fingers trailed down my neck. I gasped and heard another groan. My whole body contracted in terror. I reached up to swat the invisible hand away, but there was nothing there. Yet I could still feel it—it was as real as my own skin—and the longer the phantom hand touched me, the more my muscles cramped.
Footsteps pounded toward me. “Kismet? Where are you?”
I must have been holding my breath, because so much air escaped from my mouth that I coughed and doubled over. The unseen hand was gone. “Maxie? Here. I’m over here.”
She crouched, grabbed my upper arms, and pulled me upright. “Where the hell did you go? I thought you were right behind me. What’s wrong with you? Why are you all sweaty and shaky?” She pivoted, waving the gun she carried. “Did someone attack you? What happened?”
I closed my eyes for a moment to calm myself. Either I’d been fondled by an invisible something or I was going mad. Neither option was acceptable. I preferred “none of the above.” But what other explanation could there be?
My fingers still had a death grip on the gun in my pocket, and I forced myself to let go. My palm was so slick with sweat, the gun slid out of my hand easily once I relaxed my muscles.
She half-turned her body so she was still able to catch anyone approaching, while making furtive eye contact with me. “Kismet? What the hell’s wrong with you? Tell me what happened.”
I opened my eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. My hand rose to the spot on my face where the invisible touch occurred. “I don’t know what happened. Somebody touched me.”
She spun around, pointing the gun one direction and then another. “Who? Who touched you? What did he look like?”
I licked my dry lips. “He didn’t look like anything.”
“What do you mean? Did he have a bag over his head or something? A pointed, white hood?”
“No. I mean, nobody was there at all. But I swear I felt a definite hand on my face. And there was a groan. A male-sounding groan.”
She lowered her gun and raised her eyebrows. “Lay that on me again. An invisible hand and a manly groan? Do you realize how insane that sounds? Doc, help me out here. Get a grip. Don’t go looney-tunes on me now. Maybe you’ve been listening to too many schizo stories from your clients.” She retrieved a small flask from one of her oversize pockets, flicked off the attached lid, and offered it to me. “Here. A little brandy to calm the nerves.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t want any alcohol. I feel strange enough as it is.”
“I insist, Doc.” She stepped closer and held the flask up to my lips. “There’s nothing like a little brandy—for medicinal purposes only, of course—to set the world right. Humor me.”
Since she was determined to force the brandy into my mouth, I grabbed the flask to keep her from jamming it against my teeth. I took a small swig and swallowed. Warmth spread down my throat and into my middle. I did feel steadier.
Hmmm. Funny-tasting brandy. I don’t even want to think about how long Maxie must have had that in her car.
She watched me and nodded, her face serious. “Okay. That’s better. Under different circumstances, I’d walk you back to the car and let you wait there for me, but I found the location of the main event and I need you to cover my back. Are you going to be able to be there for me? Can I count on you?”
Shit. Where in my job description did it say anything about scaring myself to death while trailing mentally defective role-players? I really wanted to crawl back under that fence and head for the Jeep, but Maxie had pressed my guilt buttons. Either she’d figured me out very quickly, or my buttons were blatantly evident to everyone. But regardless, she had me.
“Yeah, sure. You can count on me. Let’s go.”
I took a couple of awkward steps before feeling my legs solidify beneath me. My knees were still a little wobbly, but they held.
She walked alongside me, casting glances every few seconds to make sure I wasn’t going to pass out or bolt. Great. My intuition had decided to reappear. Where had it been when I was in the midst of the panic attack? Why couldn’t I read the intentions of whatever the hell it was that touched me?
“What did you find?” I whispered. The silence seemed especially thick again.
Speaking softly, she gave me a verbal tour of the demolished site, then pointed to the hulking edifice in front of us. Soft light shone from the broken windows. “Interesting that the biggest building in the park is the one that didn’t burn. I’d actually been here years ago when the huge structure was a unique fun house. It had quite an innovative design. Amazing art deco architecture. All the twisted mirrors and bloody exhibits were in hallways, and cubbyholes lined the walls of the structure on three separate floors. A large area was left open in the center where reenactments and horror-theater-type performances were held nightly. People lined the upper balconies to watch the orchestrated mayhem. Performances are still taking place in the center circle, but the morons are in charge now. I wonder how the idiots managed to generate light in there. You don’t think they’re dim enough to light a bonfire or something?”
Speak of the devil. Just as Maxie finished explaining, excited voices sliced the air. She grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a corner of the large building. We crouched, watching as a group of males dressed in theatrical versions of occult chic carried a wooden box—a coffin?—across our line of vision. As they approached, I heard a muffled voice screaming from inside.
I started to stand, and Maxie tugged me down again, vigorously shaking her head. I don’t know what I thought I could do about the person trapped in the box, but doing nothing seemed insane. I followed the goth caravan with my eyes, waiting for some kind of helpful idea to spring from my brain. Maxie tapped me on the arm and I turned to her. She mouthed “per-form-ance” and flicked her thumb in their direction. My mouth formed an O, and I nodded, relieved. I’d forgotten we’d come to observe role-players. After my horrifying experience with violent bloodsuckers five months earlier, I tended to overreact. Just a little Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nothing to worry about.
Maxie jerked her head toward the rear of the building, signaling me to follow her as she crept through the shadows to an old-fashioned fire escape hugging the wall of the colorful fun house. The bottom rung was only about six feet from the ground, and Maxie bent over, lacing the fingers of both hands together to form a foothold.
“Put your foot here and I’ll boost you up,” she said, her eyes constantly shifting about, scanning the environment for unexpected company.
“Hold it! What do you mean, boost me up? Boost me up where, Lucy?”
Maxie straightened. “You’re such a stick in the mud, Ethel. Put your f**king foot in my hands, get on the damn ladder, and climb up to the top floor.”
We grinned at each other for a few seconds, appreciating the old sitcom in constant reruns, then I remembered where we were and that I really did want answers to my questions.
“Why do we have to climb to the top floor? I thought you were invited to this thing. What’s the purpose of hiding?”
“I told you. I like to sneak up so I can see things they don’t want me to see. That’s how I’ve gotten my best stories.” She laced her fingers together again. “Jesus, Doc. Do all psychologists have to know every f**king detail all the time? Or is it just you? Has anyone ever mentioned that you’re a bit … controlling?”
Why, yes, they had, as a matter of fact, but I wasn’t the one doing all the bossing around at the moment. In this case, Maxie made me look like a slacker.
“Me, controlling? Hey, you’re the Dominatrix from Hell today, not me! I think I’ve been very polite and accommodating, while you …”
She put her hand over my mouth, leaned in, and whispered, “Somebody’s coming. Either climb the ladder or run over there and hide in those bushes while I go up.” She removed her hand from my face, laced her fingers again, her eyebrows raised, and waited a heartbeat.
I heard footsteps approaching, and without thinking, put my foot in Maxie’s hands and she boosted me up much higher than I’d expected. I grabbed on and scurried up the ladder.
Maxie was apparently athletic, or at least in good shape, because I sensed her rapidly moving up behind me.
We’d climbed almost to the top before I peered down to check out our visitors. It was hard to make out details even with the light from the full moon, but it appeared two guys had sneaked off for some private time and were in the midst of shucking the lower portions of their costumes in preparation for some … deeper … intimacy.
Maxie hadn’t realized I’d slowed and her head smacked into my rear, causing me to lose my grip on the bars. I almost yelped as she grabbed my legs and whispered, “Keep going!” Thankfully, we were up high enough that the small sounds we made hadn’t carried. Besides, the guys sharing body fluids below weren’t paying any attention to us.
We made it to the top floor and stepped across the six feet of iron grating leading to a heavy metal door, which was locked. I tugged on the handle and turned to Maxie, who shoved past me, extracting a set of small tools and a miniature flashlight from her pocket. She held the slender light between her teeth.