Page 23 of Witch (Gray Wolf Security #24)

“No,” he whispered, staring at the screen. “No, this can’t be. She’s alive.”

He looked around the small room, sitting on the bed in his towel. He was on his fourth shower of the day but felt unbelievably dirty just for having been in the same proximity as the whores.

Standing, he opened the curtains just a small sliver and didn’t see any patrol cars but knew they might come. Quickly, he dressed, gathered his things, and left the room, tossing the bags in the back.

“Leavin’ so soon?” asked Beck.

“Yes.” He turned to stare at the man, tilting his head. “You called them. You called and told them where I was.”

“Told who?” smirked Beck. “Ain’t nobody here for you, boy. Move on, and don’t come back.”

“You’ll pay for this. You’ll see. Those witches will be burned as they should be, and everyone will be free of their power and control!”

“Boy, you’re down a few dozen screws and a crate of eggs,” said Beck. “Ain’t nobody a witch. Get help.”

Beck texted Miller when Hopkins was gone, advising on the direction he was headed. No surprise, it was south, toward the location he believed the family lived.

“Time to put some plans in motion,” said Miller. “Get the cousins to the General Store. Let them know he’s moving this way, and we want to advertise the cabin for rent. Martha? Martha, are you here?”

“You don’t have to yell, honey. I’m always here, and all you have to do is think about me, and I’ll show up,” she said, smiling at her relation.

“Thank you, Martha. Our man will most likely take the offer of the cabin at the General Store. We need you all to give him a night he won’t forget.”

“Where are we headed now?” asked Pork.

“The family mansion,” said Ivan. “It was left to the historical society, but they agreed to allow us to explore. Apparently, everything in the home is exactly as it was when his parents died. His personal items are still in his suite of rooms.”

“I’m sure that pissed him off,” said Flip. “Not getting the family home probably made him angry.”

“I guess his parents were tired of his behavior and wanted to forget the dark history of their ancestor. His dad was some sort of financial genius, and his mother worked for a major publishing company, editing books.”

“They sound like good people,” said Flip. Ivan nodded, then pointed to the house on the water.

“That’s it.”

“Holy shit,” muttered Pork. “That’s not just a mansion. It’s like a castle.”

After parking the car, they walked toward the entrance, asking for Julius Frommer, the historical society representative. No visitors were allowed yet. They were still getting the house ready to open, and they were prepping it for the upcoming holiday season.

“Mr. Frommer? I’m Ivan. We spoke over the phone,” he said, reaching his hand out.

“Oh, yes,” he smiled. “We’re happy to let you look around.

Mr. Hopkins’ attorney informed us that we should cooperate since you’re trying to stop him from this madness.

He asked me to pull out anything that you might find valuable.

There are dozens of books on witches, witch trials, that sort of thing on the library table of the office connected to his suite.

Strange thing is that his parents had an unbelievable book collection.

Shakespeare, Faust, Dickens, all the greats. Normal books, about normal things.”

“Thank you,” said Ivan.

“Of course. I’ll be in the kitchens if you need anything,” he said, nodding at the group of men. Ivan turned to see Noah’s face pale, ashen even. He was gripping the back of the chair beside him.

“Noah? Noah, brother, are you alright?” asked Ivan. Flip held the big man, guiding him to a seat.

“Death. There is death everywhere,” he said, almost in pain.

“Death is here? Can you tell us where?” asked Pork.

“Everywhere,” he said through gritted teeth. “It is everywhere, and it is choking me.”

“Get him out of here,” said Ivan to Flip.

“No. No, you need me here. They are crying. The women are crying,” said Noah.

“Okay, buddy. Tell us where. Show us where,” said Flip.

Noah stood, leaning on his big friend as they walked down the hallway. The feelings of discomfort and pain were increasing, and Noah wished that Julia were present to help him. But she was not. He was alone for this one.

You’re not alone.

He heard the voice of Matthew in his head and instantly felt some relief from his pain. At the end of the hallway, he stopped in front of a flat panel of dark wooden paneling.

“There’s nothing here, Noah,” said Flip.

Noah nodded his head up and down, leaning a big hand against the panel. Flip pushed with him, the panel finally opening, revealing a dark metal staircase.

“Shit. I’m guessing Mom and Dad didn’t know anything about this,” said Pork.

“Lean on my back, Noah, so you don’t fall,” said Flip. Noah could do nothing except nod, taking the steps in time with Flip, as he leaned his weight against the big islander.

Pork felt along the wall for a light switch, finally finding an old-fashioned turn switch. When the lights went up, they stood horrified at what they saw.

“Dear God,” whispered Ivan.

“What the hell is all this?” asked Pork.

“That is a Witch's Chair or Inquisition Chair,” said Noah, pointing to the hideous piece.

It was covered in hundreds of sharp metal spikes.

“When the woman, or man, was strapped tightly to the chair, fires were sometimes lit underneath to heat the spikes, intensifying the pain, but just being forced to sit on it was horrible.

“The Rack. I am sure we have all seen pictures of that. The Boots are not something I have seen often. It has tight wooden or metal wedges fitted to the legs from the ankles to the knees. They would use a hammer to pound the wedges tighter, crushing the bones and lacerating the flesh.”

“This is sick,” said Flip, staring at the grotesque items. “Who in their right mind would use this shit?”

“Are these…”

“Thumbscrews,” finished Noah. “That over there is called a Spanish Tickler or Cat's Paw. It has sharp metal claws used to tear the flesh from the bones. It was designed to inflict deep, agonizing wounds and prolong suffering. It was all used. Here in this room.”

“God, what have we found?” asked Ivan.

“No,” whispered Noah, shaking his head. “No, it can’t be.” He moved slowly across the room, shining the light from his cell phone onto the nearby wall. He scanned the cold stone cellar walls and found what he knew was there.

The remains of a woman, her body decomposing. She was chained to the wall, and on her head was a Witch’s Bridle. A metal cage for the head, built with a metal gag that had spikes to pierce the tongue.

Beside her was another fully decomposed body with the Heretic’s Fork secured to her body. The two-pronged, sharp device was secured beneath the chin and against the chest, preventing the woman from lowering her head. Eventually, she had no choice, exhausted and deprived of sleep.

“I know what that is,” said Ivan, pointing to an object on the floor. “It’s used for waterboarding.”

Noah nodded. It was the ancient form of waterboarding used to determine if the woman could live through such conditions. Of course, if she did, she was a witch and would be burned alive. If she didn’t, well, so be it.

“These women haven’t been dead that long. Who are they?” asked Flip. Noah stood straight, walking toward the two corpses. He seemed in a trance-like state, then nodded.

“Astrid Vargas and Zara Bailey. They have been waiting for someone to free them,” said Noah, tears streaming down his face. “I am too late. We are too late.”

“You are not too late,” said the woman named Astrid. “You have freed our souls. You will tell the story.”

Noah wasn’t shocked by it, but Flip, Ivan, and Pork stood very still as the image of the women stepping from their torturous confines. The second woman stood beside the first, and they held still.

“You have freed us,” said Zara. “There are others. Some are buried down here. You must help them. You must free them as well.”

“We’ll free all of you,” said Ivan. “We’re so sorry we couldn’t get here sooner.”

“You couldn’t. You didn’t know,” said the woman. “He is crazy. He believes he’s finishing his ancestor’s work.”

“We’re trying to get him to confess, but we’re having some trouble getting him to actually stay in one place,” said Flip.

“He is afraid of the spirits,” said Zara. “It’s why he left the house and didn’t return. His parents knew nothing of what happened here. We tried to make ourselves known, but we weren’t strong enough. The others haunted him day and night, driving him away. He never returned.”

“We know where he is,” said Noah. “I promise you, he will pay for what he has done to you.”

“Will you release the others?” asked Astrid.

“Where are they?” asked Flip.

The ghostly specter pointed to a doorway, and Flip reluctantly opened it, stepping inside. There were at least seven bodies of women lined up against the wall, obviously having been tortured.

“There are two in the stables, beneath the floors, and one buried below the dock on the lake,” said Astrid.

“Jesus,” whispered Flip. “That’s at least fifteen bodies, with the others that were found. We need a bigger team up here to recover and set these women free.”

Before anyone could say anything, they turned to see the guiding light of Matthew before them. He smiled at the men, touching their cheeks as he walked by each one. When he reached Noah, he pulled the big man down, hugging him, kissing his forehead.

“I love you, son,” he whispered. Noah nearly fell to his knees, the weight of what had happened suddenly relieved from him.

“Matthew, what are you doing here?” asked Ivan.

“I’m going to help these beautiful children get home so they will be free. The other boys are already out on the back lawn. I notified them almost immediately, and Evie brought them here to help. He will have nowhere to hide after this.”

“What should we do?” asked Noah.

“You’ve done it,” smiled Matthew. “You found them, and now they can go home.”

“My parents. My parents were so worried,” said Astrid.

“They will have peace now, knowing that you were found and can be buried properly. When my sons find the man who did this, they will experience another kind of peace.”

Without a word, without a sound, Matthew and the two women were gone, and Noah fell to his knees, exhausted. They heard the pounding feet of their teammates and turned to see Ghost and Ian running toward the big man.

“Noah? Noah? Son, are you alright?” asked Ghost.

“I-I will be,” he nodded. “He tortured them.”

“What?” said Ian.

“Look around you,” said Ivan, shining his light on everything. “He tortured them beyond what we originally believed. We need to search his room, office, and library. Find those other women, and let’s get them home.”