Celia had changed into something a little more suitable; she now wore black canvas pants, a blue woollen polo-neck jumper under a white canvas jacket, and a strong pair of walking shoes. Larry agreed to keep the police out of it for the time being. But once they’d found Gregg, as far as Larry was concerned, all bets were off.
Brenda and he were on the back seat of Celia’s silver Bentley, and Celia was in the front passenger seat. Mason closed her door and climbed in starting the car. On reaching the front gates, he aimed a small fob automatically opening them and drove through.
‘How long till Martinsville?’ asked Larry.
Mason answered without turning his head. ‘Two hours, Mr Kessler, give or take a few minutes.’
Give or take a few minutes? Thought Larry. Why’s that? The weather? The car? The driver? Or was Mason thinking of perhaps stopping along the way so he could have that fag he couldn’t get an ashtray for?
Celia turned to her driver. ‘Go by the lake road, Mason, I want to check on Marianna.’
‘Certainly, Miss Brontrose.’
When they reached the bottom of the hill, Mason turned right onto Greenview Lake Road. The lake itself nestled between two small mountains, and was the result of a dam built in the early 1930s to give Lynchburg its own supply of electricity. When they reached the pier, the Marianna II was still tied at its mooring.
Mason pulled up by its side and Celia climbed out walking along the gangplank and calling for her daughter. Larry and Brenda also climbed out and stood by the car whilst Mason stayed at the wheel. Celia boarded the boat shouting for Marianna.
Larry looked over the top of the Bentley and noticed something across the other side of the parking lot. It was something he never would have expected to find there. He nudged Brenda with his elbow, giving an upward nod. Brenda turned to see a blue Ford with a red trunk, parked up in the far corner. As Celia was still aboard the boat, Gregg decided they should check it out.
‘This doesn’t look good, Bren,’ he said, walking at a rather brisk pace.
Brenda had to keep checking her stride just to keep pace with him. ‘How do you mean?’
‘Marianna should’ve been out on the water by now, only her boat is still tied up. If she was here, then her car should also be here, but it’s not. And the car we saw this morning at the truck-stop where that young girl went missing, is.’
‘You think they took her and her car?’
‘Seems to fit, wouldn’t you say?’
As they reached the blue Ford, both of them walked around it. Larry pulled out his handkerchief trying to open the doors, but all of them, including the red trunk, were locked. He noticed nameplates fastened to a five-foot wall in front of the car and pointed them out to Brenda. Each of the first ten parking slots had one. The nameplate where the blue Ford was parked read, “Miss M. Brontrose.”
‘It looks like they parked here and waited for Marianna to turn up,’ said Brenda.
‘And when she did,’ Larry continued. ‘They took her and the car.’
‘What is it, Mr Kessler?’ asked Celia, arriving behind them.
Larry gave a quick look to Brenda before speaking. ‘We think Marianna’s been kidnapped.’
‘Kidnapped?’
‘This car’s been seen at a number of locations, locations where young girls have gone missing, including one this morning.’
‘If that was so, Mr Kessler … why is the car still here?’
‘We also think they took your daughters car,’ said Brenda.
Celia walked around to the driver’s side, and, without hesitation, punched out the window with a bare fist. She then pushed her head inside the car and breathed in the interior’s odour. After pulling out again, she beckoned to Mason now standing beside the Bentley.
‘It seems you are correct, Mr Kessler,’ she said.
Again, Larry took his handkerchief from his pocket, this time, reaching into the car to unlock the door. As he did this, the putrid smell of body odour and stale urine filled his nostrils. He opened his handkerchief, placing it over his nose and mouth. Covering the rancid smell was more important to him than covering his fingerprints.
In the glove-box, he found a handful of unpaid parking tickets, and a nine-inch blood-stained knife. The blood on it looked congealed, save for a thin line running along its sharpest edge. If Larry had any hopes for Marianna, they were beginning to fade fast. He looked into the passenger foot-well and noticed the corner of something white sticking out from under a mat. He pulled it out and turned it over, and immediately recognised the face on the photograph.
He climbed from the car passing it to Celia. ‘This was on the floor,’ he said.
When Celia took the photograph from him, Larry noticed droplets of blood seeping from her hand. He handed her his handkerchief which she thanked him for, then used to wipe away the blood. When Larry looked again, he saw no visible signs of trauma.
The Bentley pulled up at the rear of the blue Ford where Mason climbed out and walked over to them.
Celia held up the photograph. ‘They have her, Mason.’
‘Well we best be off then, Ma’am,’ he said, opening the rear passenger door.
Before she climbed in, Celia turned to Larry and Brenda. ‘Open the trunk, Mr Kessler; I think you’ll find something of interest to you in there.’
Larry went back to the open driver’s door and leant in pulling a lever, and with a soft clunk, the red trunk-lid popped.
Brenda took the two small steps required to get between Celia and the open door of the Bentley. ‘Not leaving without us, are you?’ she said.
‘Miss Wise, as you obviously haven’t grasped the severity of this situation, I shall spell it out for you once more. My daughter has been taken by people you know very little about, and how to handle even less. Again I feel I must inform you that Marianna is more precious than you, or Mr Kessler could ever hope to possibly comprehend, and she is now in grave danger. I intend to get to her as quickly as I possibly can. I have neither the time, nor the patience, to wait around here while you and Mr Kessler decide what it is you are going to do with that,’ she said, pointing into the open trunk.
Larry stood at the rear of the car with his right arm raised, as though holding it open. Brenda looked over to see the body of the young girl from the truck-stop. She turned back to see Celia getting into the Bentley.
‘Miss Brontrose,’ she said. ‘How did you know to look inside the trunk?’
‘You mean you couldn’t smell the blood?’ she said, then smiled.
‘No, but there’s something here I think even you couldn’t smell, and it’s something you need to see.’
Celia climbed back out. ‘Is that so?’ she said, looking into the trunk.
The young girl had a note attached to her left temple, which was pinned in place by a screwdriver buried up to its hilt. The note was written on a piece of white paper torn from a notepad. Printed in light blue ink in the upper right-hand corner was one word and two figures, “Marianna II”. The note had only a small amount of blood on it; due to it being attached after the girl’s throat had been cut. They all listened as Larry read the note.
‘“In this act was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through Him.”’
‘And his son shall be the satisfaction for all our sins.’ Celia finished off what was on the note, without having to read it.
‘What does it mean, Miss Brontrose?’ asked Brenda.
‘God sent his only son to be sacrificed for the sins of man. A sacrifice meant to save them. And for my sins, Ella has taken my only daughter.’
Larry walked over to them. ‘She’s going to sacrifice Marianna?’
‘No, Mr Kessler, it’s what Marianna has inside that interests Ella. She won’t harm her granddaughter. ’
Brenda and Larry looked a question at each other, then turned back to Celia. ‘Ella is Marianna’s grandmother?’ said Larry.
‘Yes she is. She’s the one who organised my escape all those years ago. And yes, Miss Wise, you were correct earlier. I did send contaminated blood out to them. I wanted to wipe them out, every last one of them, even Hal, my brother. I saw it as doing them all a huge favour, but Ella discovered what I was up to, and now she wants to turn things around. And with Marianna’s blood, that’s exactly what will happen.’
‘But what about the cell regeneration?’ said Larry.
‘What about it, Mr Kessler?’
‘If what that journal said is to be believed, contaminated blood would have no effect on them.’ Larry was surprised he’d actually taken in some of the little he’d read in the journal.
‘You’re overlooking the very same fact my father overlooked almost one hundred years ago, Mr Kessler. Cancer, it’s already part of our bodies. The immune system doesn’t see it as the enemy; therefore, cell regeneration need not take place, and the cancer can spread freely. In fact, the stem cells he created would increase the speed of the infection even more.’
‘So you contaminated the blood with Leukemia, and sent them a Trojan horse?’ Brenda said.
‘Correct, Miss Wise, every last drop of the blood I gave them, was contaminated with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia cells, to be precise. It’s fast acting, and nearly always fatal.’
‘But how would you get hold of such an amount of Leukemia cells, surely not all the blood you treat comes to you that contaminated?’ said Larry.
‘No, of course it doesn’t. I grew the cells from a single batch, cultivated it, fed it, nurtured it, and even delivered it to them myself. Now, I’ve wasted enough of my time here, are you coming with me, or not?’
‘We can’t just leave.’ said Larry. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, Miss Brontrose, we have a dead girl on our hands here.’
‘No, Mr Kessler,’ said Celia, getting into the Bentley. ‘You have a dead girl on your hands; I have a live girl I need to rescue. Go, Mason, now,’ she ordered, slamming the door.
Mason put his foot down and the Bentley sped off in a cloud of blue smoke and dust. It hadn’t gone far before Larry took out his gun and fired one shot, puncturing one of the rear tyres. Re-holstering the gun under his jacket, he walked over to the car.
Celia rolled down her window. ‘That was very foolish of you, Mr Kessler. All you have succeeded in doing is to delay me saving Marianna.’
Mason popped the trunk and climbed out, giving Larry the evil-eye as he passed. He draped his jacket over the roof of the car and began taking out the spare wheel. That’s when Larry noticed Mason was also armed. He looked Celia a look, but chose to stick to the big picture.
‘But like you said, Miss Brontrose. Marianna is safe, and according to you, it’s only her blood they want.’
‘You just don’t get it, do you, Mr Kessler?’ she said, standing toe-to-toe with Larry. ‘Once my father gets his hands on that blood, what do you think he’s going to do with it, toast his own health?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Marianna’s blood is exactly what he was attempting to create all those years ago. Do I really need to explain to you what will happen once he replicates it? Once he dishes it out to his minions?’
Larry nodded. ‘They become like Marianna.’
‘Precisely. And when they do-’
‘They’ll still crave blood.’
‘So now do you understand the need for urgency?’
‘Yes, but that doesn’t alter the fact of what’s happened here.’
Celia sighed. ‘Okay, Mr Kessler, what is it you want from me?’
‘For myself I want nothing, for the girl in that trunk, all I want to do is what’s at least morally right.’
Celia thought for a moment. ‘Very well, I will leave Mason here to report this … incident, and deal with the police; you and Miss Wise can come with me to Martinsville. Does that classify as what you think is morally right?’
Larry looked sideways at Mason jacking up the car then turned back to Celia. ‘I have a better idea. Mason can remain here if you so wish, but Brenda also stays. Don’t get me wrong, Miss Brontrose, it’s not that I don’t trust Mason, I’m sure he’d be very helpful to the police. It’s just that I don’t trust Mason, quite as much as I trust Brenda.’
‘Very well, Mr Kessler, have it your way. They can both stay with the dead girl, and we will go to Martinsville.’
Larry half smiled at Celia before returning to where Brenda stood by the blue Ford. He explained the situation to her and she agreed to it, on the condition that Larry called her cell phone when they reached Martinsville.
Celia was standing behind the crouching Mason speaking to him. She looked over at Larry and Brenda, who were now looking in her direction. ‘…and after you’ve disposed of their bodies, get rid of that fucking car. Can I trust you’ll be able to handle that, Mason?’
‘Yes, Ma’am, it will not be a problem. Should I contact you when I’m done?’ he said, pushing on the spare wheel.
‘No, Mason. That will not be necessary. Now, how long before I can leave?’
‘Almost done, Ma’am,’ he replied.
Larry took hold of Brenda’s upper arms. ‘Don’t worry, Bren, as soon as we’re there, you’ll get that call. But are you sure you’re okay with this?’
‘Quite sure, Larry, what do you think Mason’s going to do, tie a rock to my ankles and throw me in the lake?’
Larry looked at her with deep concern. ‘Well now I do!’
‘Just get going, and bring Gregg back, okay?’
Larry gave Brenda the keys to his car. ‘When you’ve finished here, go home. I’ll call you again when we’re on our way back.’
They both looked to see Celia stood over Mason, her lips were moving but neither of them could hear what was being said. ‘I don’t trust them, Bren.’
‘I’ll be okay, Larry, and when you do get back, I’m cooking dinner for two … at your place!’
Larry smiled. ‘I’m already looking forward to it,’ he said, then kissed her cheek.
Brenda smiled back. ‘Take care, Larry.’
Mason fastened the spare onto the Bentley and put the damaged wheel in the trunk. Before he closed it again, he took out a small squirt bottle and sprayed his hands with its contents, then, taking a white cloth, he dried them before closing the trunk. He took his jacket from the roof of the Bentley and made his way over to Larry and Brenda.
‘Here are the keys, Mr Kessler. Miss Brontrose doesn’t drive, so please take care and look after her.’
Larry took the keys. ‘Miss Brontrose will be in very good hands, Mason.’
‘I was referring to the car, Mr Kessler; Miss Brontrose is quite capable of looking after herself, that, I can assure you of!’
Larry turned to look at Brenda, raised his brow, then headed for the Bentley. Both she and Mason watched as he climbed in the driver’s side closing the door. Celia had again returned to the rear of the car.
Mason watched as the car disappeared down the lake road. Adios, Mr Kessler. He then turned to face Brenda, who’d just dialled the police to report the situation.
‘Yes hello, I need to report finding a dead body at-’
Mason swivelled on the balls of his feet, snatching the phone from her; he threw it over the blue Ford and the wall in front of it, landing it in deep brush.
‘No, Miss Wise,’ he said, staring down at her. ‘That call will not be necessary.’
