Page 18 of Dark Medicine

“What the fuck happened?” asked Kane.

“She stayed with me last night,” said Adam, looking at his friends. There wasn’t even a blip on their radar at that note. Their only concern was what happened in the room. “She forgot her things in the safe, and we stopped by this morning to retrieve them.”

“How did we not hear anything?” asked Flip. “I’m in the room right across the hall.”

The manager came down the long corridor, his face filled with concern and something else, something odd. Stopping at the doorway, he peered in.

“Oh dear, this is an awful mess. You’ll have to pay for the damage,” he said casually, too casually for Adam and Kane.

“We won’t be paying for anything,” bellowed Adam. “This was done when she wasn’t in the room. She stayed with me last night. We found it this way this morning when we stopped to gather her things from the safe. Call the police.”

“Young man,” said the man hesitantly, “we don’t call the police for every little disturbance.”

Flip eyed the man suspiciously and nodded at Kane, who grabbed his forearm and held tight. He could feel the fear pulsing through the man. It wasn’t the usual zap of evil he felt, but rather an association with evil and fear, mounds and mounds of fear.

“Who asked you to cover for this?” asked Kane, holding tight to the man’s arm.

His face blanched, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it several times. Shaking his head, he stepped back from the men, suddenly realizing what a mess he’d gotten himself into.

“My friend asked you a question,” said Flip, stepping closer to the man.

“I, oh dear, I was asked to give the key to two men. That’s all. The gentleman said he was the woman’s fiancée and that he was surprising her. I didn’t think there was anything wrong.”

“Nothing wrong? Nothing wrong with giving a woman’s room key to a total stranger? Mister, you have delusions about what’s right or wrong,” said Flip. “What did they look like? Who were they?”

The old man shuffled from one foot to the other. His face was red with fear. His eyes filled with a strong desire to run. Sweat poured from his body, his lips blanching white.

“I can’t…”

“You will, or I will make sure hell reigns down on this establishment,” said Flip.

“It was two gypsies named Roman and George.” He stopped and looked at the massive arms of the men standing in front of him. All three had their forearms crossed, waiting for him to continue. “They’re trouble. That’s all I can tell you. My guests often complain of them swindling them in a card game or stealing something from them while on a hike. They come around for a drink now and then.”

“And you let them in? Why? So, they don’t destroy the place?” asked Adam.

“Something like that,” he said in a clipped English tone. “My wife and I invested everything in this bed and breakfast. We retired from Birmingham, England, a few years ago. Except, no one bothered to tell us that the gypsies would extort your life’s blood from you if they could.” The old man sat in the small chair near the door, the stuffing falling out everywhere.

“I’m exhausted, and my wife is sick from having to avoid them. When they arrived last night, they said they would leave us alone if I let them in the room. That’s all they wanted, just to be let into her room. They said it was a favor to someone very important. We… we know Fiona a little. She stops in to change after her runs and will have dinner or stay the night. We meant no harm to her.”

“And you let them in? Just like that?” said Kane.

“I knew the young woman wasn’t in her room. Our rooms are right below yours,” he said, looking up at Adam. Adam didn’t even flinch but felt a bit of heat rise in his cheeks. “I knew she was safe and could only pray you were smart enough not to let her return to her rooms. They were angry when they left but kept their word and didn’t take anything.”

“They were angry because she wasn’t in the room,” said Flip. “Do you know what could have happened to her if she were?” Flip’s anger was palpable, suddenly filling the room with his energy and ire. Adam could feel the floor shaking beneath them. Flip’s uncontrolled emotions were causing things to shift in the house. The older man’s eyes grew wide with fear.

“Flip? Brother, it’s okay,” whispered Adam.

Flip looked up at his friend and let out a long slow breath, his hands unclenched and relaxed.

“Where are these men located?” asked Kane.

“I’m not sure. They were last up on the western side of the park. You could try there, but, gentlemen, they are violent and enjoy the violence. Although, it occurs to me that you may be men of violence as well.”

“That’s right,” said Adam, “we are men of violence as well. Something you might want to remember.” The old man nodded and turned to leave the room.

“I’ll call the police,” he said quietly.

Adam watched him walk away. He wanted to tear the man apart but understood he acted out of fear and concern for his wife and property. Not everyone had the skills of a soldier or the inherent protective and survival instincts that he and the other men possessed.

---