It took most of the night. By the time they reached topsoil the sun was up, the birds were chirping and darting among the tall grass, snatching insects. From two miles away at a distant farm, a cock crowed. Five hundred yards down, water burbled in a stream. Candace and Billy did not hear any of this, nor did they need to as they dragged their dessicated bones out of the soil. The earth had preserved some of the tendons that glued their limbs together, as well as their surface skin, giving their corpses a dried, mummified appearance. The tattered remnants of the clothing they’d been buried in crumbled into dust around their feet as they turned their attention to the north.
The presence that directed their movements was the main force that drove them forward, picking their way through the forest. But within the memory of their essence were those that had done them harm. It burned deep in their memories, giving the dark spirit a focus. A sense of direction on where to spread itself. It pushed its two new vessels forward, working at what it was called forth to do.
The spirits of Billy and Candace cared not one whit about what the dark force wanted. They had their own agendas.
Revenge.
And like a beacon in the night, Billy Thompson and Candace Drombowsky shambled their way through the woods, heading toward the Bradfield estate as if they’d known it was there all along.
Chapter Twenty-One
Tim didn’t know what was going on beyond the confines of Brendan Hall, but when his parents arrived a little after seven-thirty with Doug Fenner, his mother shot him a worried glance.
As they filed into the interrogation room, Tim noticed his parents looked worried. Officer Clapton still had that look of fear on his face. Detective Andrews didn’t even look at him. Two other people joined them, a man and a woman dressed in business attire. They took seats across from Tim as Officer Clapton closed the door.
His parents sat on either side of him with Doug on Dad’s right. Mom squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”
Tim managed a smile for her. “I’m okay.”
Dad gave Tim a nod, then conferred with Doug in quiet tones for a moment as everybody settled in. Mom leaned close to Tim. “I know you’re scared honey, but Clapton is on our side. We had a talk with him in the hallway.”
“You did?”
Mom nodded. “We talked to him and Detective Andrews. They’re going to work on getting the warrant for your arrest revoked so we can get you out of here.”
Tim was watching his dad and Doug Fenner talk among themselves in low tones. Dad nodded at something Doug said and caught Tim’s gaze. He smiled, gave him a thumbs up sign. Tim relaxed. The tension in the room, which had been unbearable a moment ago, suddenly eased.
“Somebody needs to get out to Chelsea’s place,” Tim told his mother. “Gordon Smith threatened her.”
Officer Clapton heard him. “When did Gordon threaten Chelsea?”
“Last night. When you pulled us over he told me that if I told you anything about what was really happening, he would hurt her.”
“And what’s really happening, Gordon?” Detective Andrews asked.
All eyes centered on Tim.
Tim felt his breath draw in, felt his nerves getting frayed the way they always did when all the attention was focused on him. He glanced around the conference table at the people assembled here — Mom, Dad, Doug Fenner, Officer Clapton and Detective Andrews and the two people Tim had never seen before. One of them was a slim, attractive woman dressed in a burgundy suit with dark hair pulled back from her face. She smiled at Tim. “Hi Tim, I’m Diane Keller with the District Attorney’s Office.” She reached across the table to shake his hand.
Tim shook her hand as she introduced him to the man seated next to her, who was older with graying hair and a ruddy complexion. “This is Pat Brown, my associate.”
Tim shook Pat’s hand and then Doug Fenner said, “We’ve all discussed your case prior to coming here to talk to you. We want to hear the truth of what happened, Tim. Like your mother said, your arrest warrant is going to be revoked this morning. You aren’t in any trouble.”
“What about for any so-called future crimes Gordon and Scott decide to frame me for?” Tim asked.
“The Lancaster County Prosecutor’s Office is well aware of the history of harassment leveled against you,” Diane said. “We’re already looking into filing criminal charges against Gordon Smith, Scott Bradfield and possibly others for making false statements to police and for filing false criminal charges against you.”
Tim glanced at Doug Fenner, who nodded. “She’s correct,” he said. “Go ahead, Tim. You’re among people you can trust now.”
Tim could feel that this was the truth. For the first time in years he felt things were finally turning his way. He glanced at each person in the room. Officer Clapton nodded at him, his features open and kind, ready to listen. Likewise, Detective Andrews had lost that hard-assed edge he’d possessed last night. And his parents didn’t look angry the way he thought they would.
“Some of you are going to think this is pretty crazy,” Tim said.
“After what I saw a few hours ago, I think I can believe anything,” Officer Clapton said.
“John Elfman’s body parts moving around?” Tim asked him.
“Yep.”
The adults weren’t laughing at this. They appeared to be taking it quite seriously.
“So he told you about that?” Tim asked them. “About John Elfman being found in pieces? And that his body parts were moving?”
Nods all around the table. Even his parents nodded, their expressions grave. Diane said, “Yes, he did.”
“And you believe him?”
“What Officer Clapton saw was backed up by his partner and several other officers,” Pat Brown said. “I’m not inclined to disbelieve several credible witnesses at this point, especially in light of other events that have happened this morning.”
“What else happened?” Tim asked.
Detective Andrews cut in. “In a minute. For now, whatever you have to say, please tell us. It can’t be any crazier than some of the shit that’s been going on.”
“Before I go any further, I need you to do something.” Tim turned to Officer Clapton. “Can you send somebody to Chelsea Brewer’s house to watch over her and her family?”
Officer Clapton nodded and rose to his feet. “Give me her address.” Tim rattled off Chelsea’s address and phone number and Clapton exited the room. He returned a moment later. “Done. I’ve got a squad car heading there now.”
Tim breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
“How exactly did Gordon Smith threaten Chelsea?” Detective Andrews asked.
“He said if I told you anything about what was really happening that he would kidnap her and feed her to the zombies in Scott Bradfield’s guesthouse.”
Despite the weirdness of the threat, none of the adults in the room appeared taken aback by it. Only Pat Brown seemed surprised. He glanced at Diane, then turned to Tim. “Zombies?”
“Please start at the beginning, Tim,” Diane urged.
So Tim did, beginning with the day Gordon Smith approached him that afternoon at school about the novel he was reading, how he’d only seemed interested in the scene where the protagonist utilizes a black magic spell to raise the dead. He touched on some of his past history with Gordon, Steve, David, and Scott, then brought the narrative to the Reamstown Cemetery incident. “Gordon told me last night that he did rob that grave, but that he hadn’t intended to drop my book there. He said that was an accident.”
“You don’t have to defend him,” Mom said.
“I know.” Tim looked at the prosecutors. “Gordon told me he needed the remains for a ritual. That’s why he was so interested in my book. He and his friends have some weird idea that this novel, Back From the Dead, is real. That’s kinda what started this whole thing.” He gave them all a brief recount of that long ago first assault when he was in sixth grade, how they’d equated his reading interest with who Tim was personally. As he talked, Diane frowned. Pat Brown gave a slight chuckle, his features displaying astonishment. “Anyway, he thought Back From the Dead was real. And he must’ve thought if he utilized the black magic formula that’s described in the novel for what he wanted to do, well…” He glanced at his mom, who nodded. “He said that he and…Scott and those guys…were involved in some pretty heavy stuff.”