Shadow Moon, page 18
I looked at Ackerman and Redgrave. “Okay, I get it. I’m locked in a cell. It’s pretty much what I expected.”
Redgrave leaned against the wall. Ackerman gave me a sympathetic smile “It doesn’t have to be like this, Allie.”
“Yeah, well you can save your breath, because I know what you’re going to say. I could have done it the easy way, but I made the wrong choice and forced you to do it the hard way. Right?”
Redgrave pushed away from the wall. “Look around, Allie. This isn’t so bad. We have a built-in reward system. You cooperate with us and you’ll have more privileges. Television. Books. Whatever you want.”
“How about a key to unlock the door? What do I have to do to earn that?”
Ackerman pursed her lips in disapproval. “We’re not your jailers, Allie, we’re your friends. You won’t be here forever.”
“Friends?” My voice was shrill with outrage.
Redgrave narrowed his eyes at Ackerman. “Come on, Angela. Allie’s not stupid.”
Ackerman stood and folded her arms across her chest. “I know she’s not stupid, Tom. I merely wanted to point out she has no reason to be afraid of us.”
The emphasis on his name was dripping with sarcasm, like what she really wanted to say was, Quit being such a bossy-ass wipe.
The two agents glared at each other a while, making me wonder who was really in charge. In spite of my desperate situation, I almost smiled.
Finally, Ackerman crossed to the door, key in hand. “We’ll let you get settled, Allie. I’ll bet you’re hungry. Lunch will be here soon.”
“Where’s Sammie? Will I get to see her?”
They ignored my question and left the room. The lock clicked into place, and the sound of their footsteps faded away. In spite of the evidence to the contrary, I ran to the door and twisted the handle. It wasn’t a doorknob. It was a reinforced bar, probably from Fort Knox or someplace super secure. Too bad one of my skills wasn’t unlocking doors.
I looked around the room. Ackerman had said they’d let me get settled. What a joke. All I had were the clothes on my back and a hawk feather. Not even a toothbrush. I wandered into the bathroom. Standard bathroom equipment. Sink. Toilet. Shower. Two pink towels. One wash cloth. I lifted the cover off the toilet tank, hoping to find something I could use as a weapon. A metal wire would be awesome. Nothing. Toilet innards are now made of plastic.
Back in the living area, I sprawled on my belly and looked under the bed. Maybe I could loosen a leg, use it for a club. The bed was nailed to the floor. Likewise, the couch and desk. They were taking no chances. Apparently Ackerman and Redgrave knew of my telekinetic power, how I’d made a wall of apple bins fly through the air and crush a Trimark who was trying to kill my mother and me. The only piece of furniture not nailed to the floor was the plastic desk chair. They must have thought it was harmless. Hmmm.
I hated the fact I couldn’t see outside. The room was bathed in artificial light from the overhead light in the middle of the ceiling and four wall sconces in each corner of the room. A heavy floor lamp (also fastened down) was positioned next to the couch. I located the wall switch next to the door and switched it off and on. It controlled both the overhead and corner lights. In the off position, the room was plunged into total darkness. I turned on the floor lamp and then switched off the other lights. That’s when I spotted the cameras. Yeah, every one of the four wall sconces was equipped with a closed circuit camera.
Smile, Allie, you’re a star.
I sprawled on the couch and took stock of my situation. Same conclusion. Pretend to cooperate, downplay my abilities and look for a way to get the hell out. Stopping the world would be perfect. But, I couldn’t do that without moonlight.
Five minutes passed. I heard the sound of a key in the lock and the door swung open. The aroma of tomato soup told me lunch had arrived. The woman carrying the tray was short but looked like she could give the taller Ackerman an ass-whupping. Her steel-gray hair sprang from her head in halo of wiry curls. She wore jeans and a black tee shirt bearing the initials ESP. She had not one ounce of fat on her body. Every muscle was clearly defined beneath her clothing.
She checked me out with a cool blue-eyed gaze. No hint of a smile. “I’m Barb. I’ll be bringing your meals and servicing the room. Changing the linens, cleaning the bathroom, that sort of thing.”
I nodded. She set the tray down on the desk and left. Even though I wasn’t hungry, I examined the contents of the tray for potential weapons. The soup was almost cold. The dishes and cutlery were plastic. The toasted cheese sandwich was just a harmless sandwich. I took a sip of the amber liquid in a paper cup. Ick! Ice tea. No sugar. I moved the napkin and found paper packets of salt, pepper and sugar. I tore open the packet of sugar and dumped it into the ice tea.
Glancing up at one of the cameras, I pictured a bunch of people in white lab coats studying my every move. I smiled, waved at the cameras and used my plastic fork to poke at the sandwich which had the consistency of cardboard. I took a careful bite. Totally tasteless. Needed salt. I picked up the packet of salt.
Whoa! Massive brainstorm. Picture this: salt, pepper, sugar, mixed together, rising up in a granular cloud, swirling through the air and landing directly in a person’s face, causing temporary blindness. Ouch! Enough time for Allie to grab keys and make a run for it? Possibly. Worth a try.
Now, all I had to do was figure out a way to collect enough of the stuff without the cameras picking it up. Not a perfect plan, but what other choice did I have?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The two gorillas came for me after Barb collected my lunch tray, minus the seasonings I’d managed to slip into my pocket. Instead of business suits, they now wore jeans, black tee shirts and ball caps with ESP across the bill. One of the guys had a bandaged hand. I clearly remembered chomping down on a big, meaty thumb. I smiled. Good job, Allie.
He said, “Let’s go. No funny stuff.”
Determined to follow Option 3—Allie pretending to be cooperative—I followed them through the door and into the hall where, once again, they fell in beside me and gripped my arms with fingers that felt like steel traps.
I fought the urge to jerk away. Instead, I looked around, taking in my surroundings. Not that there was much to see. The walls were pukey green. The beige floor tiles were dotted with mud-like brown speckles. Sickly yellow light poured from recessed ceiling fixtures. The smell of disinfectant still lingered like a bad dream.
As the men marched me along, I searched my mind for a conversation starter. After all, I’d probably be seeing these two monsters every day. “You know what? You guys know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
Bandage Hand bared his teeth and muttered, “Rick.”
I could tell he didn’t like me. Apparently getting bitten by a teenage girl wasn’t his idea of a good time.
The other guy said, “I’m Richard.”
I stopped. “Get out! You’re both named Richard?”
Rick jerked me forward. “Yeah, so what?”
“It’s just a little weird, don’t you think? You’re both huge. You both work for ESP and you’re both named Richard. Coincidence? I don’t think so.”
Rick tightened his grip. Richard blinked his eyes rapidly.
I babbled on a bit, fishing for a topic that might get the muscle-heads talking. Finally, I said, “I know. I’ll call you Rickie and Dickie. Is that okay?”
Rick compressed his lips until they disappeared. Richard was fighting a smile.
“Where’s Sammie?”
“Not your problem,” Rickie said.
When we came to the end of the corridor and turned left, I said, “Where are we going?”
“To the lab,” Rickie snapped.
I must have flinched because Dickie said, “Actually, it’s kind of like a classroom. No reason to be scared.”
“Not scared.”
Rickie raked me with a cold glance. “Yeah, right.”
We passed by a series of closed doors. Other than the hum of electrical equipment, the place was dead quiet. No human voices. No laughter. No shrieks of agony, thank God. Still, the silence seemed unnatural. The hair on the back of my neck prickled in alarm.
“What’s behind the doors? Do you have more people locked away?”
Rickie said, “You ask too many questions.”
“Inquiring minds want to know.”
“You’re also a smart ass. Could get you in trouble.”
“Geez, just kidding, Rickie. Chill.”
“They’re offices for the staff,” Dickie said, earning a look of disapproval from Rickie. Dickie shrugged one big shoulder. “No big secret.”
“Do they have windows?”
Rickie scowled. “Why do you ask?”
“I like to see outside, and my room doesn’t have windows.”
Neither of the men commented, and I couldn’t think of anything else to say. We came to the end of the corridor, rounded a corner and halted before another closed door. Dickie dug around in his pocket and pulled out a key ring. Good information. Dickie has the keys. He thumbed through a cluster of keys and inserted one into the lock.
“This must be the torture chamber . . . oops,” I said, “I mean the lab.”
Ricky all but growled, “Attitude.”
“Aw, you’re just mad because I bit your thumb.”
I followed Dickie into a large room filled with individual open cubicles. Men and women sat behind computers, studying the screens. Others looked to be in the process of interviewing or testing people.
Dickie led me to a table where a man was seated, fiddling with an electronic device. Angela and Tom stood to one side. Angela, now dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers, bounded toward us. “Allie. Thanks for joining us.”
Tom grimaced slightly at her choice of words. I didn’t exactly have a choice.
In the spirit of cooperation, I waved a hand. “No problem. What can I help you with?”
Ackerman’s brows shot up, almost to her hairline. “Wonderful. I see your attitude has changed.”
Okay, Allie, at least one person believes you.
Rickie and Dickie led me to a chair across the table from the electronics guy. He looked up at me and smiled a fake smile. I knew the smile was phony because his gray eyes were as cold as the icicles dripping off our trailer.
“I’m Fred,” he said, fiddling with some dials.
“Looks like you’re going to hook me up to a lie detector.”
The gray gaze flicked up and back. “How did you know?’
“TV.”
With a noncommittal shrug, Fred said, “No biggie. We’re just creating a baseline.” He stepped around to my side of the table and began attaching the wires he said would measure my blood pressure, perspiration, breathing and pulse. No biggie.
Delivery complete, Rickie and Dickie meandered away and leaned against one wall. Tom and Angela pulled up chairs nice and close, watching the moving hand on the graph paper while Fred asked me a bunch of stupid questions.
“What’s your name?”
“Allie Emerson.”
“Alfrieda Carlotta Emerson?”
“Yes.”
“Are you married?”
I wanted to mess with him, so I said, “Yes,” and got a dirty look from Tom.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
He finally got around to the moonstone.
“Have you ever used the moonstone to injure another person?”
Tom and Angela exchanged a glance.
“Yes.”
“Do you know what I’m thinking right now?” he asked.
Tom and Angela leaned forward slightly, eager to hear my answer.
“No.” My answer was totally truthful, since Tom, Angela and Fred were not positioned correctly for me to pick up their thoughts. Plus, the moonstone was set to zap, not mind reading.
After a few more question about the moonstone, we were done. Fred moved to my side of the table and unhooked the wires.
Angela and Tom exchanged a look. Tom nodded. Angela said, “Allie, since you cooperated with Fred, you have earned a reward. TV or books?”
“Books. Paper and pencil, too.”
Tom shook his head. “Not yet. You have to earn them.”
I bit back a smart remark. Instead, I worked up a few tears, even forced my lower lip to tremble. Angela handed me a tissue and glared at Tom, who shifted in his chair, looking uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “We were told you spotted the cameras.”
I swiped at my eyes and blew my nose. “Who’s watching me? Must be an awful boring job.”
Angela turned to Tom. “Maybe Allie would like to see the command center. After all, she’s working with us now.”
Tom thought it over. “Yeah, I guess that would be okay.” He summoned Rickie and Dickie and turned his back toward me, so I couldn’t hear his whispered instructions. I rolled my eyes. Mustn’t let the inmates pick up any state secrets.
Turned out the so-called command center looked pretty much like the lab.
Flanked by Rickie and Dickie, I was led through a room where people milled around, some drinking coffee, others working hard, trying to look busy. We stopped in front of a closed door. Rickie threw it open without knocking, scaring the wits out of a young guy positioned in front of a bank of screens reflecting different angles of my empty room.
“Oh, hi guys. You startled me.” He reached under his chair, fumbling with the backpack beneath it.
Dickie said, “Allie, this is Kevin.”
When Kevin turned to greet us, his face was beet red. “Hi. This is weird.”
“Yeah, I agree. You’ve been watching me, huh?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s my job.”
“How do you stay awake?”
Kevin grimaced and shrugged.
“Well, okey dokey, then. At least I know who’s on the other side of the cameras.”
On the way back to my room, I felt a little glimmer of hope. I’d spotted what Kevin was trying to hide in his backpack. A book and a cell phone. Judging by his guilty look, I presumed both were major no-nos on the job. Of course, he knew I wasn’t in my room, so it was possible he was on a break. But, wouldn’t it be great if Kevin was a slacker? Maybe he wasn’t watching me every minute, but relieving his boredom by texting or reading. Definitely something to think about.
Chapter Thirty
Barb arrived the next morning with breakfast, along with clean underwear, socks and a change of clothes. I accepted the underwear and socks, but rejected the pants and shirt.
Barb shrugged. “Dumb, but it’s your choice.”
“Yeah, my choice.” One of few I’d been given. My clothes were all I had that truly belonged to me.
After breakfast, Rickie and Dickie took me back to the lab where Tom and Angela peppered me with questions. “Will you let us examine the moonstone?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m supposed to keep it safe.”
“We’ll keep it safe.”
“I don’t believe you.”
I’d considered letting them examine it. Maybe in their hands, it would be a harmless hunk of rock. But, it was too risky. I knew from the prophecy that in the past people had used the moonstone for their own selfish purposes. Now I was the Keeper of the Light, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. Besides, if I handed it over, it might end up with “Property of the U.S. government” stamped across the back.
Tom and Angela took turns grilling me. Good cop, Angela. Bad cop, Tom.
Angela: “Allie, you know you can trust me. I’m on your side. I can intervene for you. Wouldn’t you like more freedom?”
Me: “Yeah, but you can’t have the moonstone.”
Tom: “Our informants tell us you can read the thoughts of others using the moonstone. Do you know what I’m thinking?”
Me: “I don’t need the moonstone to know what you’re thinking. You’re ticked off because I’m not giving it to you.”
Option 3, pretend cooperation, wasn’t working out so well.
Lunch arrived at 11:30 a.m. Soup, sandwich, limp lettuce, ice tea. I added the salt, pepper and sugar packets to my stash. Now I had to figure out what to do with them. Yeah, it was a lame plan.
After lunch, Rickie and Dickie delivered me to a cubicle where a tech greeted me like his BFF. First, he gave me a paper and pencil test, probably designed to see if I was going crazy. A few more days of this and I would be. Then, he put six playing cards face down and asked me what they were. I had no clue. He insisted I try again. After I failed four times in a row, he sighed and sent me back to my jail cell.
I paced back and forth across the small room about a dozen times and then went into the bathroom and shut the door. The bathroom was the only place without cameras, and somehow, it felt safer. I closed the lid to the toilet and sat, waiting for a brainstorm.
Where was Sammie? Was she even here? Where they putting her through the same tests as me? How could I find her? And even if I did find her, how was I going to get us out of here?
Too many questions without answers.
I slumped over and put my head in my hands. Then I heard the gurgle of water rushing through the pipes on the other side of the wall. Another apartment built back to back with mine? Made sense. The plumbing for the bathroom was already there. Might as well use it for two units.
But who? Another kid with paranormal powers like myself? Grabbed off the streets and locked up for “the greater good?” Should I tap on the wall? Call out? But, what if it was Barb, cleaning the toilet? More questions without answers.
Lost in thought, I reached for the moonstone and ran a finger across its satiny surface.
Even though the pendant was the cause of my current problem, the act of stroking it usually calmed me. This time, not so much. It came alive in my hand, warming to my touch with a slight vibration. I glanced down and saw the gemstone pulsing with eerie white light, exactly like it had at the revival. Just like before, it wasn’t touching the cross. I hadn’t moved it. In fact, I was paranoid about making sure they were adjacent to each other, so nobody could take it from me.
