Chapter Thirty-Three: Wednesday, January 4, 2006, New York (wee hours of the morning)
Caroline waited with growing anxiety as Devin went up first to check things out. Her senses were sharper than his. She could see, hear, smell, sense things an ordinary human couldn't.
Finally, he gave the all clear and it took all of Caroline's resolve tear past him, to instead stop in the shadow of the metal doors and close her eyes. Listen. Smell.
Feel.
That's what it had been in the park. A feeling.
Maybe a twig had snapped or a scent had changed—or maybe she had truly felt the danger, eyes on her, someone watching from a direction where no one should have been.
She opened her eyes again and nodded. Other than a few rats and a stray cat watching them from across the street, all was quiet.
"All right," Devin said, his voice hushed. He let her lead the way through the shadows to Samantha and Zach's place.
When she saw George Huang's car parked at the curb, saw lights on inside…. Her stomach bottomed out. Was George here looking for her, or….
Simon.
Caroline darted up to the front door and knocked frantically.
It was George who opened the door. "Caroline?" His gaze flicked from her to Devin and back again. "What are you two doing here?"
Caroline didn't answer; she saw Simon in the living room, sitting on the sofa in sweatpants and a T-shirt. His face was ashen. He was shaking. He stood up as she brushed past George to get to him. Caroline wrapped her arms around him.
"It's the middle of the night," she heard Samantha say behind her. "Devin…?"
"She wasn't going to stay put. I figured better me than Jake or Christopher."
"How did you know?" Simon asked Caroline, seemingly oblivious to anyone else in the room. He looked near the brink of tears.
"I…." She looked to George.
"Sarah Camden is missing," he told her. "I just got here. We were just discussing contacting you."
"Mother and Father?" Caroline asked.
"Kip has gone to get word down," Zach told her. "He should be back soon."
"Oh, Simon, I'm so sorry." Caroline guided him back to the sofa. "This is all my fault."
"How can it be your fault?"
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "There was a note. In my locker."
"George told me," Simon said.
"Then you know. If I'd said something sooner—"
"Don't do that to yourself." Samantha told her.
"She's right." Simon caught her gaze. Held it. "It's not your fault."
Caroline wasn't sure she believed him, but she was grateful he wasn't blaming her, didn't hate her.
"I need to let my brother know I'm here with Caroline," Devin interjected.
Zach agreed. "I'll call Kip. He took the subway to the park, so he should still have cell signal." He stepped into the kitchen.
"Caroline, listen to me." George sat down next to her. "There is no way anyone could have predicted someone would go so far as to target Simon's sister-in-law. Even if you'd shown us that note weeks ago, no one could have anticipated Sarah might be in danger. The threat was aimed you. Your parents. The people closest to them."
"Are you really sure it's him. Or…them." Caroline shrugged; she'd never felt so helpless. Samantha pressed a mug of tea into her hands, and she smiled her thanks.
"The police are still putting together the pieces, but we think so," George told her. "Sarah didn't come home from her shift at the hospital tonight. Caroline, if you hadn't shown us that note, her disappearance might not have raised a red flag. She hasn't been missing that long."
"But…." If she'd said something sooner.
"Don't," Simon told her firmly. "No one is blaming you, especially not me." He put an arm around her. He comforted her. "You told me how awful your classmates were. There was no reason for you to have thought that note was anything but a cruel joke."
Shame filled her belly and she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Matt and your parents…?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Camden are at Matt's," George told her. "Fin is with them. Diana is working the investigation, along side the Major Case Squad and Organized Crime Division. Kate is out, too," he added. "And I've called the Bureau. We'll find her."
"What about the rest of you?" Caroline asked Samantha.
"Laura took the children to your grandfather. They'll be safe there until the storm passes. And it will pass. It always passes. You have to believe that. You have to believe the way we believed when everyone else feared that your mother was dead. Even when the adults gave up, we still believed that Vincent would find her. And we were right. Now you have to believe, and you have to have faith in what you believe. Because when you do, you have the strength to overcome everything."
"Kate," Caroline said. "She says that."
Zach put his arms around Samantha's shoulders. "And she's right. We were each other's light back then. We're each other's light now. Simon, I'm sorry you've come into our lives just as this storm is breaking, but I can promise you that there is a whole community of people who will look for Sarah and not give up until we find her."
"We don't give up on each other," Samantha told him. "And you're part of our family now."
He looked up at her, clearly confused, but seeming to accept her words. "I…should get dressed and go be with my brother and parents." He turned to Caroline. "Your parents are probably worried about you. Even if Kip is able to tell them you're okay. You…." He searched her face, though what he was looking for, she couldn't say. All she knew for sure was that there was no anger in his expression, only fear. Confusion. Everyone was talking in code, using words he didn't understand.
"I'm sorry this happened," Caroline told him. "I'm sorry—"
"Don't. It's not your fault some maniac has it in for your family. Don't you even start to think that changes anything between us." He drew her into his arms and held her tight.
"Simon," said Devin. "Why don't you go get dressed. Caroline and I will take you to your brother's place."
"Uncle Devin?" Caroline shot him a questioning look.
"My father will have a fit. Yours will probably have a few choice words for me, as well. But Samantha's right. Simon is a part of this now and I think it's safe to assume we an trust a measure of our secrets with someone who has suddenly had the greatest pain of our past thrust onto his family."
She nodded, and Simon headed up to his room to change clothes.
"Here," George handed Devin a small revolver from an ankle holster.
"I—"
"I know you know how to use this and yes, I also know how Father feels about guns. But these people know about the Tunnels and they aren't squeamish about bringing firearms down Below."
"All right." Devin accepted it.
"I'm going to go back to the precinct and check in with Major Case. The detective running the investigation worked on the case involving Catherine back in '89. I've worked with him a few times, before. He's a good cop."
"Thanks," Devin told him.
Caroline nodded and George took his leave.
Simon was coming back down the steps; his clothes were changed, but his face remained tight with fear. But still, no matter how hard she looked, she could find no trace of anger or resentment in his expression. She turned to Samantha and Zach. "Are you sure you'll be safe here?"
"As soon as you're gone, we're going to Laura and Jerry's. Juta is there already. We've all stood sentry duty," she reminded Caroline. "We know how to defend ourselves. How to take care of each other. And Jerry's a cop, remember? He's not unarmed. Neither are we." She nodded to a pair of crossbows sitting in the corner. Jamie had taught them; Caroline wasn't a bad shot herself, although Beth was better. Grandfather wasn't thrilled about the whole affair, but there had been enough incidents over the years with strangers, outsiders, dangerous people who threatened the sanctity of their world, that having a few of the sentries armed made people like William and even Pascal feel safer, so he'd relented.
"Safe journey." Zach clasped Devin's arm.
"You, too. Check in with someone when you get to Laura and Jerry's."
Caroline hugged them. "See you soon."
…
"You're kidding, right?" Simon, who had remained silent since they left the house, balked when Caroline stopped in front of the sewer maintenance door.
"Safest route is under ground," Devin told him.
Simon frowned, his gaze darting from Devin to Caroline and back again. "Don't they keep those things locked."
"Most of them," Caroline told him. She reached down and lifted the heavy door easily. "You two go first—no arguing," she added in her uncle's direction. "I'm right behind you."
Devin led the way, a clearly confused Simon following behind him. Caroline looked up and down the street but besides a couple of stray cats and some rats scurrying around in the underbrush, she saw nothing. Heard nothing. Smelled nothing.
So why does it feel like someone is out there, somewhere?
"Caroline?" Devin called quietly.
"Yeah. Coming." She followed them down, shutting the door behind her.
"Everything all right?" Devin asked.
She nodded. "But I can't shake the feeling we're being watched."
"You can't let yourself get spooked by shadows," Devin advised. "Come on."
"Aren't there alligators down here or something?" Simon wanted to know.
"Only once," Caroline told him. "My father and Jamie killed it."
For a second it looked like Simon was starting to laugh—then he realized she was serious.
Caroline held out her hand and he took it. "I'm sorry. When I said…when I said I was part of a different world, I didn't mean anything about social status or income. This isn't how I wanted to show or even what I wanted to show you."
A hundred feet in, Devin stopped in front of a wall and triggered the false panel, so it slid open, revealing a darkened entrance.
"What…?" Simon frowned.
"There are secret places under the city," Devin explained. "Safe places. Wonderous places," he added with a smile.
Something shifted then. A current of air…something. Caroline couldn't name it and in any case, she didn't have time to react. The soft pop of a silenced shot met her ears, just seconds before Simon collapsed with a startled, frightened yelp, clutching his thigh. Devin hunkered down over Simon, George's revolver in his hand; it took all of Caroline's willpower and wits not to scream. A river of copper-scented blood flowed all-too-swiftly from the wound, coating his jeans in sickly red.
She peered into the darkness, but nothing…no one… seemed to be there.
Devin seemed to have come to the same conclusion; he set down the gun and yanked off his belt. "This is going to hurt," he warned Simon, as he sinched it above the wound and pulled tight.
Simon hissed in pain.
"Stay with us," Devin urged.
Simon managed a nod, but he looked like he was going into shock.
"Get him to Matt's," Caroline told her uncle.
"What about you? Caroline—"
"I'll catch up to you as soon as I can."
"You're not even sixteen—!"
"And I can see in the dark and snap a man's neck with my bare hands if I have to. Now go. Please."
With a heavy sigh, Devin hefted Simon up to his feet. "Some days you're just a little too like your father."
Caroline watched them go, Simon limping next to Devin, Devin bearing most of his weight, Simon seeming barely aware of his surroundings as Devin took him into the darkened tunnel passage.
The door slid shut behind them.
With the smell of blood—Simon's blood—fading Caroline became more aware of the scent of gunpowder, of leather. She could feel eyes watching her—watching Simon and Devin leave. Caroline stood between their egress and the assailant. She wondered if their attacker had known about the panel, if they'd been waiting here to ambush them, or if it was just a lucky accident. In any case, this door would have to be sealed up, welded shut forever.
Caroline moved towards the unseen eyes—and then, they were gone. They had retreated in the opposite direction. Not…from her. They weren't afraid of her. They were taunting her, proving they could strike at any moment. Caroline had no doubt that the shot that had hit Simon's leg was intentional; if their stalker had wanted him dead, he would be dead. This was a warning.
No.
It was torture.
Whoever it was, they wanted to drag this out, make it as painful as possible before they came in for the final kill.
Caroline steeled herself and searched the tunnel, but unsurprisingly came up with nothing.
