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Mitch awakened in a dark room with an earthen floor. Water dripped nearby. The air was cool and sour, with a pungent, mildewed scent that tightened his throat each time he inhaled.
His arms were tied tight enough above his head to suspend and hold him in a standing position. His head lulled side to side whenever he tried to look around. He couldn’t fight the vertigo and became nauseated when he looked straight ahead.
The cool air made the cuts across his face and chest burn.
Mitch’s left eye was swollen nearly shut. The last thing he recalled was Sheba punching him in the face, which probably explained the excruciating headache he endured. The pain in his stiff shoulders meant that he had probably been unconscious for several hours or longer.
Shirtless and standing in his boxers, the cold made him shiver. His bare feet touched the cold dirt floor. He dug his toes into the earth; hoping by covering them, they’d get warmer.
As best Mitch could tell, he was alone in the small room. Hardly any light filtered in. He didn’t know if it were day or night. The dusty cobwebbed-covered wall possibly meant he was still inside the cemetery manor, but he didn’t know for certain. Salem probably had a lot of other rundown buildings, but it was less likely he would be moved closer to town because it risked his abduction being discovered.
Voices carried beyond the wall. A flash of light brightened the outer hallway.
Mitch closed his eyes and lowered his head, feigning sleep.
“Where is he, Sheba?” the man asked in a low, gravelly voice.
“Usual place,” Sheba replied.
The flashlight beacon washed over his face.
“You recognize him?” she asked.
“Mitch Niles.”
“Yes,” she said. “How’d you know?”
“He’s been asking a lot of questions about the murders, but I was under the impression that he was leaving last night.”
“He was. I met him at the bus stop.”
“Why didn’t you let him catch his bus and leave?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she said playfully. “Besides, I believe he knows more than what you think.”
“What makes you think that?”
“This is the business card he handed me. Kat Gaddis Agency. He works with a team that investigates bizarre murders.”
The man sighed. “You should have let him leave.”
“I was told otherwise.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t informed.”
Sheba said, “That’s not unusual, is it?”
“Damn,” he said. “Now, we have to worry about his employer looking for him. No doubt they’ll file a missing person’s report soon or come looking for him. You should have let him leave.”
Mitch dared a peak and was shocked to see Sheba talking to a police officer. He closed his eyes. His mind raced as he tried to understand the situation.
Sheba had told him that the police had covered up the murders of her friends from years before, and yet, she had bound him and brought an officer back. The police were involved in cover-ups, but so was she, which meant she must have had a part in the murders. But why?
Officer Parker shone the flashlight across Mitch’s face, and then his bare chest.
“You must have hit him hard,” Parker said.
“Yeah, but he’s alive. He’ll live.” she replied.
“Well, it’s best we leave for now. Where are his clothes?”
“I had to take them.”
“Why?”
“In case he escapes.”
Parker flashed the light to the restraints. “He’ll never break free of those.”
“Just a precaution.”
“It’s too cold to leave him like this. He’ll get sick.”
“He won’t be like this long.”
“Let’s go.”
***
Parker stepped up the crude earthen steps. Sheba followed him out.
“You changed?” Parker asked Sheba. “When you attacked him?”
She smiled. “Of course.”
“You need to control yourself better than this.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I control myself just fine. Want to see?”
Parker studied her fierce eyes for a moment, and quickly, he looked away.
“Very well,” he said. “Keep an eye on him. You might want to put some clothes on him to prevent hyperthermia or build a small fire.”
“No fire,” she replied. “That manor will burst into flames if I did that.”
“Should he die before it’s necessary, you know there will be repercussions.”
“He’ll be okay.”
“Make certain that he stays alive.”
Sheba frowned. “You given orders now?”
“No. I’m warning you. For your sake and mine, Sheba, he needs to live.”
“I told you that he’d be fine. Now you’d best leave before people see you here.”
Parker shrugged and walked away. Sheba smiled and looked down the cellar stairs. Her eyes narrowed as she headed back down.