Devil's Nightmare: Premonitions (Devil's Nightmare, Book 2) Read online

  Sheriff Donovan clearly had some kind of grudge with Douglas Travers, but Aaron didn’t press the issue. “So, what about his girlfriend?”

  “Go home, Aaron,” he said pointing to the door. “Don’t you worry ‘bout work right now. You go on and get some rest. Go play with your wife. Doug Travers will still be dead tomorrow.”

  “All right, I’ll forget about it for now.”

  Before he left, Aaron headed to his office to check his messages. Sergeant Henderson made a wisecrack about the injury to Aaron’s head, claiming he must have had one wild night with the wife. Aaron smirked, showed him his middle finger, and sat at his desk. He glanced out the window. Maria was tapping her finger on the steering wheel. Better forget the emails. He went straight to checking his voicemail.

  He had two messages. The first one was from the clerk at the Animal Control Department. The alligator head was on its way to Dr. Allen Westminster at the Natural Science Center in Austin. The other message was from Detective Jordan Millstead.

  This is Detective Jordan Millstead with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department. I’m working on a case involving three missing teenagers and was hoping you could help me out. If you could give me a call at 512-555-2352, extension 453, I would appreciate it. Again, this is Detective Jordan Millstead with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department. You can reach me at 512-555-2352, extension 453. I look forward to speaking with you.

  Aaron held the phone in his hand for a few seconds before resting it on the cradle. As he leaned back in his chair, the phone rang. He let it ring several times before it stopped and went to voicemail. It rang again. He leaned forward to check the number on the display and picked it up. “I’m on my way out.”

  †

  “Absolutely not,” Maria said, while removing some plates from the dishwasher. “You are not going to Austin.”

  “You don’t understand. I have to meet with—”

  “No, you don’t understand.” She pointed a stern finger at her husband. “We left Austin to start over, and now you want to go back? And for what? To help some cop solve a missing persons case? Let them handle it. You’re not a big city cop anymore.”

  Aaron leaned against the counter by the sink. “But this is important. I need to—”

  “What you need to do,” she said, while reaching around her husband and placing the clean dishes in the cabinet, “is stay home and rest, like the doctor said you should do.”

  “It was just a bump on the head. I’m fine.” The truth was, his head still hurt from the fall he’d taken earlier. It throbbed and hurt like hell.

  Maria raised her eyebrows and shut the dishwasher door. “I thought you agreed that we’d stay home and spend some time together.” She shifted her weight to one leg and placed one hand on her hip. “Or did you only do that to shut me up?”

  “What? No, I just—”

  “You just what? You thought I would be okay with you running off again for the second day in a row while I play housewife and take care of the kids?”

  “You know my trip to San Antonio was official business, so don’t give me that crap.”

  “You couldn’t just pick up the phone and get your answers that way? Was it necessary for you to drive all the way up there?” Maria grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator. “And now you want to go to Austin to play big city cop again? Why not stay the whole week and forget about your family?”

  “I turned down a big promotion for our family, and I volunteered a hell of a lot of my time to help you with your counseling center, so don’t pull that crap with me.” He pointed his finger at her. “You’re the one who wanted to move out here, and convinced me to—”

  “You know what, Aaron?” Maria waved him off and walked towards the living room. “Just go. Make your headlines. Solve that missing persons case in Austin. Don’t worry about us.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He followed her to the living room. “I don’t give a damn about the press or their headlines. You know me better than that.”

  “Do I?” She spun around to face Aaron. “The man I married cared more about his family than being a cop.”

  Aaron gazed at the ceiling and took a deep breath. He nibbled on his lower lip for a couple of seconds and finally asked her to trust him. “I promise I’ll be back before dinner. Okay? And then we can snuggle up on the couch and watch whatever movie you want.”

  She glared at him for a long five seconds and turned away. “You just don’t get it, do you?”

  “No, I don’t get it.” He stepped around to face her. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?” Maria narrowed her eyes. “It’s not like I’m leaving the country or anything. I’m just trying to do my job.”

  “Your job is here,” she snapped, while pointing to the floor. “Not there.”

  The couple stared at each other for a moment without saying a word until Aaron’s phone rang to break the silence. He glanced at the screen. It was Sheriff Donovan. He let the call go to voicemail.

  “You’re not going to answer it?” Her voice was full of sarcasm.

  “Why are you so upset with me all of a sudden?”

  “Forget it, Aaron.” She snatched her purse off the couch, pulled out her car keys, and handed them to Aaron. “Take my car. I’ll ask Nancy to bring the kids home after school.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so.” He handed them back to her. “I don’t need your car. I can take the cruiser.”

  “Fine.” She dropped the keys back in her purse and headed towards the front door.

  “Where you going?”

  “To work,” she said, opening the door. “Somebody in this family has to keep her priorities in order.”

  “Maria, come on. Don’t be like that.”

  “Have fun in Austin,” she said, and slammed the door.

  †

  Speaking with Detective Millstead over the phone on the way to Austin was awkward considering the dream he’d had about meeting with him. Aaron knew exactly why the detective from the Travis County Sheriff’s Department had called him. He knew details of the case before the detective even told him. It was the worst kind of déjà vu he had ever experienced. Detective Millstead had even invited him to eat at Dan’s Hamburgers just as he had done in the dream, but this time Aaron suggested they meet at the Sheriff’s Department.

  When he approached the Austin city limits, instead of heading into town and driving to the Travis County Sheriff’s Department, he instead took a detour off I-35. There was something in that basement underneath Mr. Hadley’s office at Saint Hedwig that three teenagers had died trying to find—and Aaron was determined to find out what it was. He parked his car outside the locked gated entrance and hiked a mile into the woods in search of the crime scene.

  He found a clearing in the forest within twenty minutes that appeared exactly as he had seen in his dream. There were several stones arranged in a pentacle with black charred grass that filled an inner circle. Flies swarmed the center where the remains of the teenagers had been stacked, at least according to his dream. He took several photos of the site with his phone and headed back through the woods towards the ruins.

  Ten minutes into his trek, the trees swayed from sudden gusts of wind. Dark clouds formed overhead. Aaron increased his pace and tripped a couple of times while hiking through the forest. When he made it out of the woods and could see the walls surrounding the Saint Hedwig ruins, he heard the faint sound of a police radio. He walked around the perimeter of the property towards the noise. A black and white Texas Department of Public Safety cruiser was parked behind his vehicle. As he approached the vehicles, the Trooper stepped out of his car.

  Aaron was wearing plain clothes, but he did have his holster and gun attached to his belt. He showed the Trooper his badge and identification. “Lieutenant Aaron Sanders. Lost Maples County Sheriff’s Department. That’s my vehicle.”

  “Lost Maples County? You’re a bit out of your jurisdiction.”

  “I was checking out the site where those tee
nagers were found.”

  “Uh-huh. That still don’t explain why you’re here all the way from Lost Maples. What’s your interest in this case?”

  “I used to be with Robbery-Homicide at APD. I’m assisting the Travis County Sheriff’s Department. You can confirm it with Detective Jordan Millstead. I’m meeting with him this afternoon.”

  “You say your name is Aaron Sanders?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The Trooper bobbed his index finger at Aaron. “I recognize you now. You headed up the investigation about them cult freaks that killed all them folks here a couple of years ago, right?”

  Aaron glanced at the locked security gate and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. It’s also the reason I left Austin. Obviously not one of my favorite memories.”

  “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to—”

  Aaron raised his hand. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to apologize.”

  His cell phone rang.

  “Well, I guess I’ll go ahead and let you go,” the trooper said, glancing at Aaron’s phone. “You take care and let us know if there’s anything DPS can do to assist you.”

  “Thanks.” Aaron checked the screen on his phone. Detective Millstead had called, but he didn’t leave a message. Aaron called him back and watched the trooper turn his car around and drive away.

  “Thanks for calling me back,” Millstead said. “Just called to check to see if you’d meet me at Saint Hedwig when you get to Austin.”

  “Already here.”

  “Perfect. See you in twenty minutes then.”

  “Actually,” Aaron said, looking up at the darkening sky. The temperature had also dropped quite a bit. “It looks like we’ve got some bad weather coming. Maybe I’ll head on over to your office.”

  “Weather guy’s been promising rain for days and it never comes. Besides, I have a couple of parkas in the trunk of my car. I need to show you where we found those kids.”

  “Already found it myself and took some photos.”

  “How’d you know where to look? I never told you.”

  “I guess I got lucky. Anyway, there’s no need for you to—”

  “What about that key? You seemed pretty interested in it when we talked on the phone earlier. There’s gotta be a hidden safe or something that key fits. Those kids were there for a reason.”

  “Tell you what…” Aaron glanced at the sky and then at his watch. “Let’s get a team out here to help comb the place. The extra manpower will help us cover more ground, improve our chances of finding what we’re looking for.”

  Aaron waited for a response but only got static.

  “Lieutenant Sand…?” More static. “…there? Hello?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Did you hear what I said?”

  “Can you…me? Hel…amn it.”

  The call disconnected. Aaron tried to call him back, but every time he dialed the number, he received a fast-busy signal or a message indicating the wireless number he called was either disconnected or no longer in service.

  While he waited for Detective Millstead, Aaron explored the perimeter of the property, looking for another way inside. He searched around the stone and wrought iron fencing twice before finally giving up, and sat in the car. When Millstead finally arrived, Aaron asked for the ornate pentacle key and recommended they head back to the Sheriff’s office before getting soaked in rain.

  “Nonsense. I’ve worked in worse weather. A little rain isn’t going to kill us.” Millstead glanced at the sky and slapped Aaron on the shoulder. “Ready to go treasure hunting?” He flipped through the combination and removed the lock from the chain. The gate only opened about a foot, so the two men had to squeeze through the gate to get inside the property.

  Everything about their initial search around the ruins of Saint Hedwig Youth Home was eerily familiar, right down to the details of the teddy bears and fake flowers surrounding the memorial. A faint growl of thunder rumbled in the distance.

  “Hey, Lieutenant!”

  Aaron turned to see the man standing in the rubble of Dr. Jerome Hadley’s office. “What is it?”

  “This is where we found the key, buried under the mud.” Millstead pointed to a spot near a trap door stained with blood. The wood and rubble surrounding the area also had dark red stains.

  “I take it this blood belongs to those teens you found in the woods?”

  “Well, two of them. Dylan Welch and Jeremy Craiger. We never found any blood that matched that Marwick kid, but I think all three of the boys were killed here and then dumped in the woods and torched.” Aaron pointed at the trap door. “What did you find in there?”

  “Traces of blood matching the Welch kid, but nothing else. One thing that was strange, though, was this door.”

  “Yeah?” Aaron said while pulling the trap door open. “What about it?”

  “Damn thing was on the floor inside the basement. Hinges were all busted, too.”

  It was then that Aaron noticed some indentations on the metal door. He knelt next to the opening and gripped the door, swiveling it back and forth a few times. “I guess someone fixed it.”

  Millstead huffed. “Yeah, guess so.”

  Aaron scanned the area inside with his flashlight. Black soot covered everything inside the room. There were more defined burn marks on the stone walls in one corner of the room. “I don’t think those kids were burned in the woods.” He stood and put away his flashlight. “I think it happened here, and then they were taken into the woods afterwards.”

  “This whole place went up in flames.” Millstead said, cocking his head back. “You of all people would know that.”

  “Yeah, well, with that metal door closed, the fire never would have reached inside that room. It’s simple science.”

  Detective Millstead stared at the door with his hands rested on his hips. “Okay. So, whether they were cooked here or out in the woods, what are you getting at?”

  “Did you ever stop to think what those kids were doing here in the first place?”

  “Well, I’d love to ask them, but they’re a little… well… dead.” Millstead paused with a slight grin on his face, as if waiting for Aaron to laugh at his senseless joke. “Um, anyway, what do you make of those stones arranged out in the woods?”

  A strong breeze blew through, giving Aaron a chill. “I think you’re dealing with another cult.” He checked the dark clouds and glanced around the property.

  “Or the same cult that—”

  He focused his attention back on the detective. “I was under the impression all of them were either dead or in prison?”

  “Assuming they’re all accounted for. We don’t know for certain.”

  “Well, I think it’s pretty obvious we’re dealing with a cult. Whether they’re members of the same cult I encountered, copycats, or something else we have yet to figure out.” Aaron rubbed the side of his face and peered inside the dark room below. “Right now, I’m interested in finding out what those kids were looking for.”

  “You think there may be something in that basement?” Millstead jerked a thumb back. “I’ve got a couple of lanterns in the trunk if—”

  “No, that’s okay.” A strong gust of wind knocked Aaron off balance while a lengthy rumble of thunder rolled nearby. “We should probably come back with more people when there isn’t a threat of a storm.”

  “To search one small room?” Detective Millstead laughed. “Come on, it shouldn’t take us more than a half hour. Besides, you’re not planning on staying the night, are you?”

  Aaron thought about his promise to Maria. If he broke it, he would never hear the end of it, but if he stayed to search the basement—

  An intense explosion of thunder erupted above them, jolting Aaron from his thoughts.

  “Wow! That sounded like a bomb went off,” Detective Millstead said, laughing. “So, what do you want do?”

  Aaron sighed and checked the time on his watch. He contemplated his decision while Millstead stood with his
arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

  “Maybe we should…” Just as Aaron was about to call off the search, the wind subsided and the clouds slowly disintegrated. Within seconds, a ray of sunshine broke through the clouds. A beam of light from the heavens lit up the area directly around the basement door.

  “Well, if that’s not a sign from God,” Millstead said, “then I don’t know what is.”

  Aaron lowered his brow and chewed on the inside of his lip. The clouds had broken up enough to allow the blue sky to filter through. He exhaled a subtle huff and shook his head in disbelief. “What the hell. Go fetch the lanterns.”

  †

  “I’ll be damned,” Detective Millstead said, as he lifted an old Bible from a pile of blackened and brittle books.

  “What?” Aaron turned around from his corner of the basement. “Find something?”

  “It’s a Bible. There’s not a burn mark on it.” He thumbed through the pages. “It looks old, too.”

  “That’s great. Keep looking.” Aaron rolled his eyes, shook his head, and continued scanning the walls with his flashlight. But then he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Just out of curiosity, exactly how old is that thing?”

  Millstead opened the book and shined his flashlight on the pages. “Wow! It’s a seventeenth century King James edition.” He turned to face Aaron, shining his flashlight at him. “Do you realize how extremely rare this Bible is? Maybe this is what they were looking for.” He closed the book. “It could be worth a lot of money.”

  “Yeah, it probably is worth a lot,” Aaron said, shielding his eyes from the beam of light with his hand, “but I doubt that’s what they were looking for. It’ll be something with a keyhole. A safe or a chest. Now could you stop shining that thing in my face?”

  “Oh, sorry.” Millstead lowered the flashlight beam.

  “Thanks,” he said and pointed at the book in the detective’s hand. “Hold on to that Bible, though. We should give it to the university library.”