Mercer led the way while Duncan flexed his fingers and they walked in the room with the large holding cells.
Carol looked at the men either sitting on the benches and the cots or standing at the center of the cells and the men glared at them.
"Which one of them is Captain Trask?" Carol asked.
"According to the first mate, Captain Trask is dead," Duncan said.
"How did he die?" Lance asked.
"He didn't say."
"Which one is the first mate?" Carol asked.
"That's him over there," Duncan said as he pointed to a tall man with a muscular, lean build. The overhead light shimmered on the man's bald head and he had a scar going from under his left eye, down his cheek and ended at his chin. His nose looked recently broken and he wore a black leather jacket, a black t-shirt, a black leather belt, jeans and black leather boots.
"What are you starin' at?" the man asked with a growl.
"It is true your captain is dead?" Mercer asked.
"Yeah. His throat was cut, he got shot in the chest and he was stabbed in the right side of his head to make sure he didn't turn into one of those things."
"Where were you when that happened?"
"We were docks somewhere in France."
"Why were you there?"
"We were droppin' off some cargo."
"Mike, why the hell are you talkin' to these assholes?!" the man in the next holding cell demanded.
"Better than sittin' here doin' shit," Mike Frazer said then he looked at Mercer. "If we knew the captain was gonna get killed, we woulda dumped those two into the ocean."
"What are you talking about?" Carol asked.
"We were hired on a slave run. Had gotten hold of the people we were hired to get then the captain goes and loses 'em after we get to France."
"That bitch kicked me in the nuts," Dawsons said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah. Talk about being ungrateful. We were trying to save her life," one of the other men said.
"What do you mean you were trying to save her life?" Carol asked.
"She had these scars on the back of her hand…"
"Which hand?
"Her right. If we didn't remove her hand, she woulda gotten sick and turned into one of those things."
"Her psycho friend nearly slit my throat with a scalpel. Told Mike he'd do it if we didn't let the bitch go," one of the men said and he rubbed his throat.
Carol pressed her lips into a thin line as she processed what they were saying and she sighed.
"Did she tell you about the scars?" Carol asked.
"She said somethin' about them being old and what happened to her hand happened years ago," Dawson said.
"She was telling you the truth. What happened to her hand happened before the world fell."
"Damn," Mike said.
"What about the psycho? Why did he care about what happened to her?"
"He was her brother," Carol said with a cold tone in her voice and the men lowered their heads.
"How did you know they were here?" Mercer asked as he walked to the holding cells and the men slowly backed up.
"The captain said the dockmaster pointed 'em out to him," Mike said.
"When was this?" Lance asked.
"It might have been while they were here doring a supply run," Carol whispered.
Hornsby looked at Duncan as the muscles in Duncan's jaw twitched and Hornsby moved closer.
"You told their captain what they looked like?" Lance asked.
"No," Duncan growled.
Hornsby gave him a cold look and Carol walked to Mercer.
"Why did it take so long for you to capture your targets?" Mercer asked Mike.
"We had to make another cargo run. After we came back, the captain said we were goin' after 'em," Mike said.
"How did you know where they lived?"
"The dockmaster told us."
Mercer and Carol turned to look at Duncan and Duncan started backing up toward the door. Turning, he made a small grunt after walking into the guards and the guards grabbed hold onto his upper arms.
"Is that when he gave you the truck?" Carol asked Mike.
"Yeah. We were on our way to their location when our scout reported the targets were headin' our way. We set up an ambush and threatened to kill the bitch if they tried anything," Mike said.
"Did you drug them?"
"Yeah, then we took 'em to another location. Kept 'em there while we went on another cargo run. When we came back, we brought 'em to the ship."
"Did you pay the dockmaster for his help?" Lance asked.
"Hell yeah. He charged the captain all the money we had or he would've ratted us out to the Governor."
"He's lying!" Duncan shouted while he tried to get loose.
"No, I ain't!" Mike said then looked at Mercer. "We'll fill out reports if you want."
"That will be fine," Mercer said with a nod of his head.
"Now that we told you everything, are you gonna let us go?" Dawsons asked.
"Seeing how slavery is illegal, you're going to have to stay here and stand trial," Lance said.
"What will happen to us if we're found guilty?" Mike asked.
"You'll be executed."
"Hold on. We might need their help," Carol said.
"Really?!" Lance asked with a puzzled look.
"They have a ship. They know where they dropped them off. So, they might be willing to help us rescue them."
"Damn right, we'll help you!" Mike said and the men nodded.
"What about him?" Lance asked as he looked at Duncan.
"We'll take him back to the Commonwealth," Mercer said and Duncan swallowed the lump in his throat.
The Du Monte Estates
The morning sunlight turned the inside of her eyelids a light brown while Caroline moved her fingers over the soft skin of Murphy's chest and he made a soft hum. She opened her eyes and she felt him moving his fingers through her hair.
"Do you know how many times I dreamt of you doin' that?" she whispered and his heartbeat increased. He then felt her tensing up and he opened his eyes. He knew she still felt like the other woman and he had prayed for forgiveness in wanting another woman while married to Jeanie. She felt the deep rise and fall of his chest as he sighed and she frowned.
"Are you two gonna get up or not?" made Murphy turn to see Daryl sitting on the edge of the bed and he was placing his boots on.
"Give us a few, hunh?" Murphy asked.
Nodding, Daryl got up when he headed into the bathroom and he closed the door behind him. He flicked the switch and the lights came on. Daryl walked to the sink as he placed the palm of his hands on the counter while he looked at his reflection in the mirror and he frowned. He thought he saw Carol standing behind him as she smiled and he smiled back.
"I love you," Daryl grumbled.
"I love you, too," Carol's reflection said.
"I'll find a way to get back to you."
"I know you will."
Daryl watched her reflection fading and he lowered his head. He tried not to cry when he heard someone knocking on the door and he wiped his eyes on the back of his right hand.
"Hold on," he said. After he peed, washed his hands and dried his hands on the towel, Daryl walked to the door and opened the door.
"You good?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah," he said and walked by her. She knew he was lying as she sighed, shook her head and closed the door.
A short time later, the guards opened the doors to the dining hall while Daryl, Connor, Katherine, Caroline and Murphy walked in the room and Andre was sitting at the head of the table.
"Good morning," Andre said in English with a nod.
"Good morning," Katherine said.
"Are you going to be eating in here or in the kitchen?"
Connor heard the sarcastic tone to his voice as Connor glanced at Murphy and Murphy flexed his fingers.
"We will be dining in here," Katherine said.
"Then, please, be seated," Adnre said as he pointed with his hands to the high back chairs. He watched them sit while Daryl and Caroline stood behind the chairs where Connor and Murphy were sitting. The butler served the food and coffee and Andre noticed Connor and Murphy closing their eyes. "What are they doing?"
"They are saying grace," Katherine said, closing her eyes. Andre closed his eyes while Connor started speaking Latin and Murphy reached out with his left hand. Caroline took hold of his left hand as he wrapped their fingers together and lightly squeezed her fingers. After Connor was finished saying grace, Murphy and Connor crossed themselves after Murphy let go of Caroline's hand.
They started eating while Daryl and Caroline watched the butler, the guards and Andre and Daryl noticed Andre would switch hands while he was eating. He also noticed Andre's expression changed from time-to-time and Daryl titled his head to one side.
"Are you ready to tell us everything?" Katherine asked.
"I told you I have information which will get me killed," Andre said as he took a long drink of coffee.
"What is this information?"
"It has to do with the virus which ended the world."
"The virus which ended the world?" Katherine asked when Maurice hurried into the room and he headed for Andre. He whispered in Andre's right ear and Andre rose to his feet.
"It appears some of your people have arrived," Andre said with a cold look.
"That's our backup," Katherine said.
"Backup?"
"We don't leave our base without having someone follow us in case there is trouble."
"I see."
Again, Maurice whispered something in Andre's ear as Andre nodded and Andre nodded.
"If you will excuse me," Andre said and he and Maurice headed out of the room.
"Right," Connor said as he placed the fork on the plate. Katherine, Connor and Murphy got up as they headed for the doorway, but the guards appeared in front of them. Connor and Murphy looked at each other and Connor nodded his head toward the door to the kitchen. They started moving toward the door as the guards went to cut them off and Daryl, Katherine and Caroline ran out of the room.
"Damn!" the guard said in French.
"Well, are you going to stop us or are you going to go after them?" Connor asked in French. The guards ran out of the room as Connor and Murphy walked back to the table, sat down and started eating their breakfast.
Daryl and Caroline headed up the grand staircase after Katherine headed down a hallway and they arrived at the top floor.
"See anyone?" Caroline asked they stood at the railing and looked down at the floor below.
"Nope," Daryl said then he turned to look at the painting on the wall behind him.
"Wanna look around?"
Daryl nodded as they headed along the hallway and Daryl tried to open the doors, but the doors were locked.
"What do you think is in here?" Caroline asked as she tried to open the door and the door opened. Daryl stood in front of her as he opened the door enough to look inside the room and he opened the door a little wider. They walked in the room and Caroline saw the child size furniture, bookcases with children's books, a pair of school desks, a blackboard and shelves with toys and games on them.
"What is this?" Daryl asked as they walked in the room.
"I think it's what they used to call a nursery. A room where rich kids used to sleep."
"Hunh."
They walked around the room while Caroline noticed the boys' clothing in the small closet and in the dressers and Daryl saw framed photographs on the walls. Caroline walked to the beds when Maurice appeared in the doorway and his eyes widened.
"What are you doing in here?!" he demanded in French and Caroline and Daryl turned to look at him.
"Just lookin' around," Caroline said in French as they walked to him.
"Please leave."
Daryl and Caroline glanced at each other as they headed out of the room and Maurice closed the door. They headed for the grand staircase as they headed downstairs and Daryl walked beside Maurice.
"I am sorry for snapping at you," Maurice said in French with a sigh. "It's just the Master doesn't like people being up here."
"Was that room his kids' bedroom?" Caroline asked in French.
"No. The Master never married nor did he have any children."
They headed down the grand staircase then down the hallway to the dining hall and Connor and Murphy wiped their hands with the cloth napkin.
"I see you found our guards," Connor said in Latin with a grin and he and Murphy got up then walked to Daryl and Caroline. Maurice watched them head out of the room then down the hallway and he frowned.
"Where's Katherine?" Connor asked while they headed down the hallway.
"Dunno," Daryl said.
"We did find a nursery on the top floor," Caroline said.
"He has kids?" Murphy asked.
"Accordin' to Maurice, Du Monte never married or had kids."
"He did seem a little spooked about us bein' up there though," Daryl said when Katherine walked out of the room to their left and Connor smiled, walking to her.
"Find anything?" Connor asked.
"Come see," Katherine said as she looked back in the room.
They headed in the room while they looked at the elegant furniture, the dark green carpeting spread over the dark wood flooring, the gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling by metal chains, the large, dark wood desk, the high back desk chair and dark green curtains in front of the large windows at the back of the room. A white marble fireplace was to their right and Caroline noticed the framed portrait above the mantel.
"Looks like the paintin' that fell after the Blue Lady attacked," Caroline said.
"Except th'hat is under th'other arm," Murphy said.
"Hmph," Daryl said.
"Did you check th'desk?" Connor asked.
"Not yet," Katherine said. She walked to the desk when she saw the same framed photograph of Andre with Pamela Milton on the desk and she sat on the high back desk chair. She tried to get the middle drawer open, but the drawer was locked and Connor walked to the desk. "What are you doing?"
"Gonna check t'see if there's a hidden key," Connor said and she got up so he could crawl under the desk. He rested on his back as he moved his fingers over the bottom and the back of the drawer then he felt something on the back of the drawer. "Found it."
He removed the key from the back of the drawer. Carefully, Connor moved out from under the desk when he stood and handed the key to Katherine. She used the key to unlocked the middle drawer and she opened the drawer.
"What is this?" Katherine asked as she removed an identification card with a digital photograph of Andre on it.
"Looks like one of those ID badges. Saw a meat inspector wearin' one at th'plant once," Connor said.
"Why would Du Monte have one of these?"
Murphy walked to the desk while Daryl stood guard at the doorway and Caroline was looking at the books on the bookcase near the fireplace.
"Let me see," Murphy said and Katherine handed him the identification card. He looked at the digital photograph when he noticed something and he frowned.
"Someone's comin'," Daryl said as he headed in the room and Murphy handed the identification card back to Katherine. Katherine placed the identification card back in the middle drawer, closed and locked the middle drawer and Connor went back under the desk to replace the key. Daryl headed for Caroline while Connor carefully crawled out from under the desk and the sound of footsteps came closer. Katherine, Murphy and Connor walked to Caroline and Daryl. Andre walked in the room when he stopped short after seeing them and his eyes slightly widened.
"What are you doing in here?" Andre asked in English with a cold stare.
"They were looking for me," Katherine said and Andre frowned.
"Oh."
Connor noticed the expression on Andre's face changing as though he was having an internal conversation and Andre shook his head.
"I allowed your people to enter the grounds to my estate. They have set up a camp near the barracks."
"Thank you," Katherine said.
Andre headed for the desk when he sat on the high back desk chair and he placed his hands on the arms of the chair.
"Are you going to tell us about the information?" Katherine asked and Andre looked at her.
"It looks like I have no choice," Andre said, sitting back in the chair.
"You said it had to do with the virus which ended the world."
"It does. You see… The virus was created here. In laboratories in Paris and surrounding cities."
"Why would someone create a virus which turns people into those things?"
Daryl remembered what Doctor Edwin Jenner had told them back at the CDC and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"We didn't start out creating the virus with that in mind," Andre said.
"We?!" Caroline asked.
Andre sighed while looking at the portrait hanging over the mantel and he lowered his head.
"I guess I should explain," Andre said when he removed the keyring from his inner suit jacket pocket and he unlocked the middle drawer. He opened the drawer as he looked at the identification card and he removed the identification card from the desk. "I used to work for one of the laboratories which created the virus."
Katherine walked to the desk when she picked up the identification card and she looked at the digital photograph.
"The name on this card is Anton Du Monte," Katherine said.
"You are correct," he said.
"Your name is Andre Anton Du Monte?"
"No. My name is Anton Du Monte," Anton said. He noticed the confused looks on their faces and he placed his forearms on the top of the desk. "You see, Andre and I are…."
"You are identical twins."
"Yes."
"That explains what we found in the nursery," Caroline whispered to Daryl and he nodded.
"Where is your brother?" Katherine asked.
Anton became quiet as he had a silent conversation with himself then he reached out for the identification card. Katherine handed him the identification card and he placed the identification card back in the drawer, closed and locked the drawer then stood up.
Caroline watched him walking to the bookcase near the fireplace when he stood next to her and Daryl stood behind her.
"Please move," Anton said to Caroline.
"Let me guess. There is a secret passage behind that bookcase," Caroline said and Anton gave her a slightly stunned look.
"You are correct."
"I think I know what opens it."
"Show me."
Caroline looked at the books when she moved her fingers over the spines of two of the books then used her right index and middle fingers to move the books forward. A soft humming sound came from behind the bookcase and the bookcase moved into the wall.
Daryl noticed the small lights in the walls as they headed inside the passageway and the bookcase slowly closed behind them.
Anton led the way while Connor, Kathrine and Murphy walked behind him and Daryl and Caroline took the rear.
"Does this passageway go through the whole house?" Katherine asked.
"Yes, it does," Anton said with a nod.
A short time later, they headed up a staircase when they came a small passageway and an iron door was at the end of the passageway. Anton pointed to the iron door and Connor walked to the iron door. He looked at the iron bars in the small window in the iron door and he looked into the room behind the door.
"Christ," Connor whispered while Murphy came to stand next to him.
"Lord's name." Murphy whispered then looked into the room behind the door. "Shit."
The walls of the room were dark stone and the floor was a light wood. A barred window was to the back of the room and lights were embedded into the stone walls. A strong sour odor filled their noses as something moved in the room and a low gurgling sound came from behind the iron door.
"Andre!" Anton called out as Connor and Murphy moved out of the way and Anton walked to the iron door. Katherine, Caroline and Daryl walked to him when Daryl saw something moving in the room and the gurgling sound grew louder. Suddenly, something slammed into the iron door as they backed up and fingers wrapped around the metal bars.
"Shit," Daryl whispered.
Andre De Monte's dark hair was long and stringy and most of the hair covered his face. His eyes were covered with a white film and his cheeks were sunken in. Dried blood covered his right shoulder and some torn skin was sticking out from the top of the hole torn in the dirty, black shirt he was wearing.
"When did that happen?" Katherine asked as she looked at Anton.
"It was… It happened last year," Anton said in a soft voice.
"How did it happen?"
"Andre was outside when those things… They…. They just started climbing the walls. Our guards attacked, but they missed one of them. Andre tried to fight it off, but it was too strong. It had torn a chunk out of his shoulder by the time I arrived. I shot it in the head with my rifle, but… Andre was… He died. I know I should have made sure he wouldn't come back, but… I…"
Caroline noticed the way the expressions kept changing on Anton's face and Caroline blinked her eyes a few times.
"You two still have your bond?" Caroline asked and Anton nodded.
"I don't know how it is still possible. I felt him die. Then… Then he was back. But the bond. It was different. Darker. Stronger."
Andre growled and snapped his jaws as he shook the iron bars and a loud banging sound came from behind the iron door.
Something about how Andre was acting sent red flags into Daryl's head when he removed the knife from the holder on his belt and he walked to the iron door.
"What are you doing?" Anton asked.
"What you shoulda done," Daryl said, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the knife. "Or you could let him go."
"Let him go?" Caroline asked.
"I think he means that's not Andre," Katherine said as she walked next to Daryl then she looked at Anton. "Let your brother go."
"I have no idea what….," Anton said when he heard the sound of guns being armed and something was pressed against the back of his head.
Caroline had seen Connor and Murphy move their arms up the sleeves of the robes and they head removed the guns from the holsters on their hips.
Anton flexed his fingers as Andre growled and they locked eyes. Andre roared as he shook the iron bars and Anton looked at Daryl.
"Do it! Now! Please!" Anton shouted.
Daryl slammed the blade of the knife through the iron bars then into Andre's forehead and blood squirted over his right hand. Daryl let go of the knife as Andre fell to the floor and Anton heard Andre screaming in his head. Anton started falling as Connor caught him and Katherine went to check Anton's vitals.
"We have to get out of here," Katherine said.
Connor lifted Anton into his arms as they headed down the passageway and Daryl looked back at the iron door.
