The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal Book 1) Read online

  I try to focus on good times, on old memories of better days, but somehow the taste of whiskey in the back of my throat keeps me anchored to this goddamn restroom floor. Even when I try to think about Ramsey, I can barely picture her face. My own daughter, and I can't even see her properly in my mind's eye.

  “Go away!” I whisper, trying to make the pain leave my body. “Just let me get to the car. That's all I need. I have pills, I'll be fine, but show some mercy. Let me go to the car.”

  I wait, hoping against hope that I might feel the pain easing, but if anything it's getting worse. Sweat is pouring down my face down and I'm starting to feel light-headed. The pain's been bad before, but somehow it feels different this time, as if it's already pushing way past the usual limit. I squeeze my eyes tight shut as my body starts shaking,

  Suddenly I hear someone knocking on the restroom door.

  “Hey James!” Harry calls out, knocking again. “Are you okay in there, or do I have to get a plunger?”

  “I'm fine!” I gasp through gritted teeth, although I doubt that'll calm her worries.

  “James? Did you say something?”

  “Leave me alone!” I hiss “I'm fine! Don't come in here!”

  “Okay, I'm coming in. Make yourself decent.”

  “No!” I yell. “Don't you fucking dare!”

  “What's wrong?”

  “Nothing!” I shout, but the pain is somehow swelling in my belly. I swear, I think something's actually going to rupture in there. “Leave me alone!”

  I look up at the door, hoping she'll get the message, but a moment later it swings open a crack and I see Harry's worried face peering through at me.

  And then, as if to add insult to injury, my phone starts ringing again.

  “Go to hell!” I yell, throwing the phone against the wall as Harry pushes the door open and steps through. “And you can leave me the fuck alone!”

  “What's wrong?” she asks, crouches next to me. “Are you in pain? Where?”

  “I'm fine!” I hiss, starting to get up before feeling another sharp pain in my gut. I fall back against the wall and let out an agonized gasp, which I guess means there's no point insisting that I'm okay. “I have pills in the car. If I can just get to them, I'll be okay. Take my keys. Get the pills.”

  “You look really pale, James,” she continues, placing a hand against my clammy forehead.

  I pull away, but she tries again, and this time I don't quite have the strength.

  “Something's not right here. I'm going to call an ambulance.”

  “No!” I hiss, although the pain is surging again and I can barely manage to get a single word out. “Just let me rest here. I'll be fine in a few minutes.”

  Ignoring me, she gets to her feet and hurries back out to the bar.

  “Wait!” I call after her. “Harry! I don't need an ambulance! I know what it is, and I'll be fine in a few minutes!”

  I wait, but I can already hear her talking to someone on the phone, and it's clear she's calling an ambulance. Determined to get out of here before help has a chance to show up, I force myself up from the floor and take a moment to steady myself against the sink, and then I start limping slowly toward the door. By the time I get out into the main part of the bar, Harry is describing my condition to whoever's on the other end of the line, and it's clear that it's far too late for me to protest.

  Instead, I just have to get the hell away.

  “He's on his feet now,” she explains to the operator, before lowering the phone for a moment. “James, just sit down. An ambulance is coming.”

  “Tell them not to bother,” I mutter, limping toward the exit. “Tell them -”

  At that moment, another ripple of pain runs through my chest. I stumble and almost fall, but I manage to steady myself against the bar. Running a little short of breath, I try to get my composure back, and then I start shuffling past Harry.

  “James, please!” she hisses. “You're going to make it worse!”

  “I'm not going to make it worse!” I stammer. “You don't know what you're talking about! It's just -”

  Before I can finish, the pain rips back into my gut with such force and such suddenness that I immediately drop to my knees. I let out a pained gasp, almost a whimper, but this time the pain refuses to go away and – if anything – I'm actually feeling worse. I groan slightly, as more sweat pours down my face, and then I feel the pain getting even stronger. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, I let out an agonized cry and slump against the bar before thudding down to the floor.

  “I've got to get to the office,” I whisper, although I'm no longer even sure if the words are actually leaving my mouth. “I've got to find who killed that girl...”

  “He's collapsed!” Harry yells. “You have to get here right now!”

  I try to get up, but I'm starting to shiver now and I can feel my head getting heavier. I can't even move my own mouth to tell Harry that I'm fine, and a moment later I feel another pain ripping through my gut and up into my chest. I try to hold back, to stay strong, but I can hear an ambulance getting closer and finally I can't hold back another agonized cry of pain. At the same time, in my mind's eye, I see the silhouette of a killer stalking through the forest, heading off to kill again.

  Seven

  Leanne Halperin

  “Will you chill out?” Ramsey asks, even though her voice sounds tighter now and more stressed as we make our way deeper into the tunnel system. “There's, like, a dozen or more exits. We just have to find one of the others.”

  I turn and look back into the darkness, but I can still just about hear the scratching in the distance. It's not closer, at least there's that, but it hasn't entirely gone away either.

  “You didn't always used to be like this,” she continues. “You've changed.”

  “I've changed?” I reply, feeling a ripple of annoyance in my chest as I hurry to catch up. “I haven't changed! You're the one who's changed!”

  “Whatever.”

  “When we were kids, we both got too scared to come into the tunnels.”

  “So?”

  “So this time you're the one who insisted on marching in here.”

  “And you came after me.”

  “I was trying to keep you safe!”

  “Seriously?” She stops and turns to me, with an amused grin on her lips. “Seriously?”

  She's so annoying right now, I just want to storm off and find my own way out of here, but I know that's not exactly an option.

  “Relax,” she says after a moment, tilting her phone so I can see the screen. “Look, I have an app that shows a map of the tunnel system. At least, a map of the section that's been explored. So long as we stick to that section, we can follow the app and come out at this exit right here, close to mile-marker five”. She points at a spot on the screen. “See? I was kinda exaggerating how blind we were down here, just to scare you a little. We're basically fine, although...”

  She turns and looks back the way we just came, toward the dark void and the scratching sound in the distance.

  “I wish I had an app that'd identify that thing,” she continues, “because I don't like it any more than you do. It's probably just a wild dog or a cat or something, but still...”

  We stand listening for a moment.

  “Come on, then,” I mutter, forcing a smile. “Let's go.”

  When she doesn't respond, I tap her arm.

  “Ramsey? Let's get out of here. Do you wanna come back to my place and have dinner with us? Mom'll totally let you stay the night, and even if she doesn't, I can sneak you in through the window later on.”

  She turns to me. “Seriously? I could climb up the drainpipe and into your room? 'Cause that sounds way more fun than just walking through the front door.”

  “Whatever,” I reply with a smile. Genuine this time. “Let's just -”

  Before I can finish, the scrabbling sound in the distance gets a little louder. We both turn and look back along the tunnel again, and th
is time it's very clear that whatever's down here with us, it's headed this way fast. In fact, it even sounds like it's getting angry, and after just a couple of seconds I swear I can hear actual claws scraping against the tunnel walls as it – whatever it is – drags itself closer and closer.

  Suddenly I feel Ramsey taking my hand in hers and squeezing tight.

  “So we're both agreed, right?” she stammers. “Time to run?”

  “Time to run.”

  With that, we turn and race along the tunnel, barreling through the darkness with Ramsey's phone casting a faint glow ahead of us. I can hear the scratching sound rushing behind us, and it seems to be gaining on us even though we're running as fast as we can. Ramsey's still gripping my hand and I'm gripping hers, and after a moment she pulls me along a side-tunnel. I try to hold my own phone up, to give us a little more light, but it quickly slips from my hand and I don't even consider turning back to grab it from the rocky ground. I'll just have to rely on Ramsey.

  “It's gaining on us!” she yells.

  “Where's the exit?”

  As we start running again, she tries peering at the screen of her phone. “I think it's -”

  “Something's right behind us!” I scream.

  “Leanne -”

  Before I can finish, a heavy weight slams against my back and sends me stumbling forward. I lose my grip on Ramsey's hand as I crash to the ground, and then I scream again as I try to sit up. Something is pushing me down, pressing hard into my ribs with clawed feet, and a moment later I hear a massive snorting sound in my ear. The devil himself is on top of me, snorting and grunting, but in the dark of the tunnel all I can do is try desperately to push him back even as I feel his hot breath on my cheek. I've never in my entire life panicked so much.

  And then something starts licking my face.

  I freeze, too terrified to move, but now I can smell this really foul stench, and a moment later I hear Ramsey's breathless laughs from nearby.

  She tilts her phone toward me, and I find that I've actually got a big, slobbering dog standing on my chest as it frantically licks my cheek and neck.

  I want to scream with frustration, but Ramsey is laughing so hysterically that she has to sit down next to me. And all the while, no matter how hard I try to push it away, this dog is licking big trails of saliva straight across my face with its massive pink tongue.

  ***

  “Okay, I texted Mom and told her you'll be joining us for dinner,” I tell Ramsey a short while later, handing her phone back to her as we make our way back through the forest. “Don't worry, she'll be cool with it. But I'll need to take a shower when we get home, 'cause right now my entire face is, like, sticky and covered in dog spit.”

  “I'm sure Keanu was just being friendly,” she replies, leading the dog along using the makeshift lead she crafted from her belt. “He's just a big happy chap.”

  “He's Tom Lanston's dog,” I continue, glancing down at the saliva-filled creature and seeing his big, dopey eyes. I swear, he looks like he wants to start licking me again, which is definitely not going to happen. “I guess he got loose from Tom's yard in town again. I swear, he gets out every other week.”

  “Poor thing must've somehow gotten stuck down in the tunnels,” Ramsey points out. “It's a good job we stumbled into him, or he might never have found his way out. I've gotta admit, though, even though I was making fun of you, there was a moment back there when I genuinely got just a little, teeny tiny bit scared.”

  “I can't believe a stupid dog spooked us that much,” I mutter.

  “Ah, it was fun. Whatever. At least your heart was pounding for a few minutes. And we saved a dog's life. I guess we should take him back to his owner before we go to your place. Is it on the way?”

  “Kind of,” I reply, stopping at the edge of the track and looking over toward a rickety old fence that runs along the edge of a field. “But if we're going to Tom Lanston's first, we could take a massive short-cut through the old Dodderidge farm. We'd save, like, forty-five minutes.”

  “Dodderidge?” She stops next to me, and for a moment we stare out at the vast, dark field. “I remember that place. Is it still abandoned?”

  “I heard no-one wants to buy it,” I reply, “on account of there being so many sinkholes on the land. So it all just sits there rusting and rotting away. No-one's been there for years.”

  “A dark old farm with rusty machinery?” Ramsey sounds kinda hesitant. “Don't take this the wrong way, Leanne, but I think I've had much excitement for one evening. How about we go the long way around?”

  “My legs are aching.”

  “So are mine, but I don't mind a walk. Come on, let's just stick to the road.”

  I hesitate for a moment, imagining walking all the way along the long road that curves right around the farm. In normal circumstances, I'd be relieved that Ramsey wants to go that way, but my legs are hurting from all the running and my face is covered in half-sticky, half-dried dog spit, and I'm starving, and I just want to go home and take a shower and I know for a fact that Dodderidge Farm has been abandoned for years and years, and I feel like it might be worth the non-existent risk.

  “Come on,” I say finally, stepping forward and starting to climb over the fence, which sways and almost collapses under me. “It'll be fine.”

  “I'd really rather not,” Ramsey replies. “Come on, seriously, an abandoned farm is the kinda place where a bunch of whacked-out drug-crazed hobos really might decide to hang out. Let's not take the chance.”

  “Says the girl who just almost got us lost in a subterranean maze.” I turn to her. “You and Keanu can go the long way if you like. I'll meet you at my place.”

  “But the dog -”

  “We can return him later. Either that, or you can come with me and take the shortcut. It's really not a major risk. Come on, Ramsey, I followed you earlier, can't you do the same for me? Aren't you exhausted too?” I wait for a reply. “I'll be fine,” I add after a moment. “Don't worry about me.”

  With that, I turn and start trudging across the uneven field.

  “Wait!” Ramsey calls after me. “I have to get the goddamn dog over the fence!”

  Smiling, I turn and watch as she hauls the dog up and then pushes it over, and then she climbs after it.

  “But if we get horribly murdered by a hobo with a rusty hook,” she continues, sounding a little breathless as we start making our way across the field, “then it's totally your fault and I'll blame you forever. Got it?”

  “Got it,” I reply, forcing a smile even though my legs really are killing me now. I'd never usually be the one to suggest taking this shortcut, not in a million years, but I'm so exhausted right now that I feel like my body is just taking over and insisting on getting home via the quickest possible route. And frankly, I spent so much time tonight being scared and nervous about everything, I figure I deserve one shortcut now and again.

  “You can see the stars out here,” Ramsey points out after a couple of minutes.

  “You sure can. Can't you see them in New York?”

  “As if. The sky's just this constant browny, orangey haze 'cause of all the electric light.” She points toward the distant highway. “Like the glow from that, but over the entire sky.”

  “That must suck.”

  “The worst part is, you get used to it. But then you come to a place like this, and the stars are like a field of diamonds in the sky stretching all the way over you, and it kinda all comes rushing back.”

  “I guess.”

  I understand what she means, and the blanket of stars above us does look cool. After a moment, however, I see that there's one patch of the sky ahead that's completely black and starless, and as we get closer I realize that it's the huge, hulking front end of the Dodderidge Farm barn. I've got to admit, I feel a faint flicker of concern in the pit of my gut, and I'm starting to think that maybe we could've taken the long route after all, but it's too late to turn back now.

  “Is this it?” Ramsey
asks. “Have we reached the farmhouse?”

  “That's the barn,” I tell her as we get closer, with the black shape rising high above us. “The farmhouse'll be around the other side.”

  “It's creepy as hell out here,” she replies. “You can't give me shit for taking you into those tunnels, not after you bring me out here.”

  “I didn't bring you,” I reply with a faint sigh. “It's just the quickest way back to torn. At least, it is if we're gonna stop by Tom Lanston's place and deliver his stupid dog to him.”

  “Don't listen to her, Keanu,” Ramsey says, leaning down to pat the dog. “You're not a stupid dog. You're a very clever dog. And you're brave, too. Leanne's just being silly. Maybe you should lick her face again, just to -”

  Suddenly she lets out a pained grunt.

  “What the hell?” she gasps, dropping her phone.

  I pick the phone up and tilt the screen toward her, and I can't help smiling as I see that her right leg is knee-deep in the ground.

  “That'll be one of the sinkholes,” I tell her, grabbing her arm and helping her up as Keanu wags his tail at us. “I told you to be careful. If you fall right down one, you'll end up... Well, I'm not sure. Back in the tunnels, I guess.”

  “I didn't realize you could just crash down into one of the damn things,” she mutters, wiping grass from her leg. “Maybe it really wasn't such a good idea to come out this way after all, not if the ground is literally like a kind of minefield.”

  “It's not that bad,” I tell her as we set off around the side of the barn, using the light from her phone to make sure that we don't walk face-first into any old crates or farming equipment. “You were unlucky, that's all. It's a shame the whole farm's abandoned, though. I mean, it's a total waste of land, and it's kinda cool out here.”

  “Wasn't there some kind of murder up here once?”

  “Totally. I think your dad was was on the officers who showed up to deal with it.”

  “I remember that,” she replies. “I think so, anyway. Some kid killed his family, right?”

  “Makes the place extra creepy, huh?”