The Peregrine Omnibus Volume One (17 page)

“I’m fine,” the Peregrine answered, though his fury grew by the second. This entire evening had been a massive failure, with the book now in the hands of Camilla and Klempt still on the loose. “We need to get back to Atlanta,” he said.

“I love you,” Evelyn whispered. “We’ll get them back, I promise.”

The Peregrine felt his anger dissipate within seconds of seeing her concerned expression. He grinned and reached out to take her hand. “You’re the prettiest partner I’ve ever had, you know.”

“I’m the
only
partner you’ve ever had.”

“Doesn’t change what I said.” The Peregrine led his wife away from the raging fire, his mind already turning to what would come next. He needed to know more about the Kingdom of Blood and how soon he could expect Camilla to use the spell. Would she return to her house? Or would she know that the security of that place had been compromised? Either way, she had to be stopped… and so did Dr. Klempt.

CHAPTER XIII

A New Ally

Josh sat on the front porch of the plantation house, sipping iced tea and enjoying the smell of a freshly plowed field. He’d worked hard today, using his mighty muscles to do the work of three men. He didn’t mind the exertion, especially not when it was done in the service of a man like Max Davies, who treated his employees as equals, no matter what color skin they had.

“A police man is on the way up,” Nettie warned, emerging from the side of the house with a bucket of water held tightly in one hand. Though she was so thin that her bones rubbed against the leathery covering of her skin, Nettie was a tenacious woman. “You best not be seen out on the porch like that.”

“Is it the sheriff?” Josh asked, not yet rising from the chair. “If it is, I’ll budge… but if it ain’t, I’m comfortable where I am.”

“Uppity, that’s what they call men like you.” Nettie set the bucket down with a thud, looking towards the dirt path that led to the road. A police officer’s vehicle was bouncing along the way, its headlights dancing across the cornfields. It was well past nine in the evening and both Mr. Davies and his bride were upstairs in bed already. “I better go and wake ’em,” she murmured. “They’s goin’ to be terrible upset. They looked tired as can be when they came back from Milledgeville.”

Josh stood up, even though it wasn’t the sheriff. It was the young chief of police, the one who’d only been on the job for a month or so. William McKenzie, son of the police chief in Mobile, Alabama. When the policeman stepped from his vehicle, Josh was taken by how broad-shouldered the fellow was and how dark his hair and eyes were. He looked about twenty-two, but Josh had heard he was closer to thirty. Either way, he was the youngest police chief in Georgia. “How can we help you, sir?” Josh asked.

McKenzie strode towards the front steps, taking in the massive physique of the man before him. He smiled and removed his hat. “Just paying a visit to Mr. Davies. Is he in?”

“He’s sleepin’,” Nettie said, moving to stand beside Josh. “I can go fetch ‘im for you.”

“No need,” someone said from behind her. The sudden appearance of Max made Nettie nearly jump from her skin. He was dressed in a soiled white shirt and dark trousers, his hands covered with grease. Nettie realized that he hadn’t been sleeping at all—he’d been tinkering in that workshop of his. “Good evening, officer. I hope there’s no trouble.”

“No, nothing like that. Could I come inside and speak with you in private, though?”

Max nodded, moving to open the door for the officer. He winked at Josh, making it clear that he’d appreciate it if the big farmhand stayed nearby on the porch. Once inside the house, Max led McKenzie into the sitting room and offered him a drink.

The police chief declined, but did accept a seat when it was mentioned. “Brought along some information that you might find useful,” McKenzie began, removing a small envelope from his left hip pocket.

Max sat down across from him, accepting the envelope but not yet opening it. “What sort of information?”

“Mr. Benson suggested that you and I become familiar with one another.”

“Oh.” Max felt a heat rush across his cheeks. Had Benson compromised his identity with someone else?

“Don’t worry,” McKenzie whispered, sensing Max’s thoughts. “I’m on your side. My brother was murdered when he was sixteen. Gunned down in the middle of a crowded street… and the man who did it walked away scot-free. Not even my daddy’s connections could touch him. I know damned well that sometimes the law can’t touch the real criminals of the world. Sometimes it takes people like you and Mr. Benson to set things right.”

Max pursed his lips but said nothing. Instead, he ripped open the envelope and peered inside. He scanned the words on a property deed, his eyes narrowing. “Mr. Reed Barrows owns more property than I thought,” he said.

“That’s right. Nobody’s been in their main home for several days, but I dug that out of the records for you. A smaller place, well outside the city limits. Has a huge cellar and it’s located next to an old cemetery that was abandoned years ago.” McKenzie scratched at the dimple in his chin. “Nobody makes it out there unless they’re going there intentionally. You can’t get anymore out-of-the-way than that.”

“Do you know about Dr. Klempt?” Max asked.

“No.”

“He’s a sadistic madman. He’ll be looking to find Camilla and Reed—I’ve managed to find out that he’s got a room at the Manzini Hotel downtown. I was going to check it out… but if you are willing to help, I’d love to pass that on to you so I can drop in on Mr. Barrows during the day tomorrow.”

McKenzie smiled eagerly and Max was suddenly seized by the image of the police chief as an eager puppy, ready to please. “Hell, I can be there tonight if you want.”

“No. He’s too smart to go after Camilla at night. He’ll wait for daylight, just like I want to. Make your move at dawn and you’ll catch him unawares.” Max sighed, rubbing his temples. “So… how much do you know?”

“Mr. Benson helped me through a bad time in my life, Mr. Davies. He says you’re aces with him and that’s more than good enough for me. So I don’t know if you’re the Peregrine, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure maybe you were. He’s the only mystery man operating in these parts, after all.”

Max studied him, finding no trace of deception in his eyes. “Camilla Barrows is a vampire,” he said, amused to see a brief flare of disbelief from McKenzie. The police officer shoved away his doubts, however, and merely nodded for Davies to continue. “Klempt is equally dangerous. He’s an occultist and will very likely have some nasty surprises waiting for you. In fact, it might be too dangerous to have you go after him at all…”

“I can handle it,” McKenzie assured him.

“I don’t doubt that you’re capable enough. I want my partner to go with you, though—just in case.”

“What’s his name?”

“He’s a she, actually. And she hasn’t taken an adventuring name yet. I’ve trained her well, however. She can help you.”

McKenzie thought it over and nodded. “Can she meet me at the hotel around 5 o’clock?”

“She’ll be there,” Max answered, though he knew that Evelyn would despise rising so early. “And thank you, Mr. McKenzie… it’ll be nice to have someone in law enforcement on my side for once.”

* * *

“Goodness, you certainly don’t give a girl much time to rest, do you?”

Max patted his wife’s knee as he sat on the edge of their bed. Her silken nightgown fit her enticingly, but he was too tired to pursue anything physical at the moment. “I think it’s better for you to handle Klempt.”

“You don’t think I can stand up to the vampire?”

“The vampire’s going to be asleep, hopefully. Even if she is awake, she’ll be weakened. We both know how horrible Klempt can be… I wouldn’t be sending you if I didn’t think you were capable of stopping him.”

Evelyn drew her knees up and smiled. “It’s the first time I’ll be going out on my own…”

“Nervous?”

“Excited, actually. Like the first day on a new movie set.”

Max leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Break a leg.”

CHAPTER XIV

The Infernal Doctor

Klempt rose at four, washed himself in a basin of cold water, and began to dress. He wore a dark suit, each of the pockets containing the items he thought he would need to destroy Camilla and her servant. A pistol loaded with silver bullets, several crucifixes, a vial of holy water and a knife soaked in a virgin’s blood… these things would do the trick, he suspected. Just in case, a sturdy wooden stake and mallet completed his arsenal.

He took a long time fixing his hair, smoothing it back just so… before moving on to wax his moustache. Klempt was vain enough to acknowledge his attractiveness, so he enjoyed the primping that was part of his morning routine. Regret still lingered in his heart, however, making him long for his home in Milledgeville. He had grown comfortable there, believing that he was finally closing in on the end of his long trek towards absolute power. Now, he was on the run, seeking to claim what had been stolen from him. No doubt, his machinations back at the hospital would come to light soon enough… assuming the worms didn’t devour their way out of their host first.

As the first rays of sunlight streamed in through his window, he stepped out into the hall—and came face-to-face with a dark-clad beauty whom he recognized immediately as the girl who had invaded his home. At her side was a police officer who brandished a service revolver, its muzzle pointed directly at Klempt’s face.

“Raise your hands, doctor,” the officer commanded.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I repeat: raise your hands or I will shoot.”

Klempt did as he was told, but a smirk played upon his lips. “I’m surprised to see you again, Miss Peregrine. Does the absence of your usual companion mean that he died in Milledgeville?”

“He’s hale and hearty,” the woman replied icily. She moved forward and began to search Klempt’s pockets, pulling forth his weapons and dropping them to the floor. “It would take more than you to kill him.”

“You smell like him,” Klempt hissed in her ear. “Does he rut with you? Is that the key to your success, my dear? Sleeping your way into his good graces?”

“Pig,” Evelyn replied. She stepped back and glanced over at McKenzie. “You heard him admit to attempted murder—and he’s got enough weapons here that you should be able to put him away for quite awhile.”

The chief nodded, gesturing towards the stairs with his pistol. “Get walking, doctor. We’re going down to the station. And don’t make any funny moves. Two more officers are downstairs, just waiting for you to make a break for it.”

Klempt, hands still raised, began to walk ahead of them. “Miss Peregrine… do you have any idea about the forces I serve? They are older than humanity and their power is so great that the stars themselves bow down before them.”

Evelyn tried to ignore him as they began to descend the stairs. There was something in his tone that made her shiver… madness, yes, but also… certainty.

“Anyone who tells you that the universe is not a cold, chaotic place is a liar. There is no purpose… no rhyme nor reason… when we die, our bodies rot and turn to dust. Worms burrow in through our flesh and live in the empty sockets of…”

“That’s enough,” McKenzie warned.

Down below, Klempt could see two more uniformed men waiting. The frightened hotel clerk peeked out from behind a closed door, eager to have the whole sordid affair over with. Klempt imagined the clerk’s one positive impression was that this occurred early enough that most of the guests were still asleep. “No. It’s not enough. You’re going to arrest me. You’re going to put me on trial… and in the end, I’m going to fail my masters. I’ll never know their perverse touch… smell their putrefying flesh… or receive the gifts of power over others. That’s. Not. Right.” Klempt turned around when he reached the bottom of the stairs, dropping his arms. “Look at me, Miss Peregrine. This is not a game. This is my existence… and yours.”

Behind the doctor, the other officers were drawing their weapons. Klempt smiled cruelly, his lips parting.

“Doctor, put your hands up and move towards the exit.” McKenzie swallowed hard, sensing that something awful was about to occur.

Klempt, his eyes still locked on Evelyn’s, threw himself towards McKenzie. He howled like a banshee and at the last moment Evelyn could have sworn that he deliberately placed his own mouth over the barrel of the gun. When the police chief pulled the trigger, flecks of bone and red-gray matter exploded from the back of the doctor’s head. Klempt’s body whirled around, jerking like a marionette whose strings had been unexpectedly cut. His eyes stared out above a bloody hole where his mouth had once been, and those eyes—full of madness and hate—seemed to somehow follow Evelyn as the body slammed to the floor.

Evelyn’s screams were matched by the horrified clerk, bringing the guests bursting from their rooms. The sight they received when the first of them arrived in the lobby was one of sheer chaos.

It was a fitting testimony to Klempt’s view of the universe.

CHAPTER XV

Father’s Lament

“Cursed the ground where dead thoughts live new and oddly bodied, and evil the mind that is held by no head.”

Max Davies let the words drift through his mind, continually replayed in his father’s strong voice. He was seated behind the wheel of his car, driving down the bumpy dirt road towards the Barrows’ second home. His car’s motor had been specially modified to be almost perfectly silent, making his approach a stealthy one. The quiet also gave him ample opportunity to think about his current situation.

Now that Benson had come into play, the Peregrine’s mission was shaping up quite differently than before. He now had a police officer who would run interference for him and give him ready access to evidence… but it also meant that more people than ever before knew about his dual identity. Should he eventually abandon the mask entirely? The nation’s papers were full of stories about men like Benson, fighting the good fight openly. But there were plenty of others who still lurked in the shadows… and given the caliber of foes that Max usually faced, perhaps it would be best to remain hidden lest his friends and family be at continual risk.