A Killer's Paradise: FBI Mystery Thriller (Jo Pullinger Book 13) by Thomas Fincham

Author:Thomas Fincham [Fincham, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2026-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

SIXTY-ONE

“Oliver, why are you down here?” Beatrice asked.

The janitor shrugged. “I finished all my work for the morning. Thought I ought to take a little break.”

“I didn’t even know this place existed,” said Beatrice.

“Yup,” Oliver chuckled. “That’s the whole point. It’s my safe haven. A place to get some quiet time and remember the old days.”

The old days? Jo thought.

Oliver had been working here for twenty years. He knew this hidden basement existed. He knew how to get inside. Maybe there were other things he knew.

Maybe he had information about Stanrose-Innis.

But was that even important? Maybe. Maybe not. But it couldn’t be as important as finding Ted. Nothing could be.

“It’s good that you’re down here, Oliver,” Jo said. “Would you stay put for a bit?”

Oliver nodded. “What’s the alternative? Go upstairs and clean some more? I’ve still got fifteen minutes left on my self-imposed break.”

“All right, cool.” Jo gestured at Beatrice. “Step into the hall with me for a second, please.”

She and Beatrice walked out of the room. They stood against the far wall of the corridor.

“Shouldn’t we tell him what’s going on?” Beatrice muttered.

“Of course,” Jo said.

“So why are we out here?”

“Because I need to ask you to do something for me,” Jo went on. “I need you to stay here, with him. You can get him up to speed. And you can also figure out what else he knows.”

“About what?” asked Beatrice.

“Stanrose-Innis. Find out whatever you can about the history of this place. It might be useful information to have. In the meantime, there are still some people I need to find.”

Beatrice bit her lip. “But… your arm. And you still don’t have your gun.”

Jo shrugged. “I’ll be fine. And I’ll try and be back as quickly as I can. You should be safe down here until then.”

“What if someone shows up?”

“We passed quite a few rooms on our way here,” Jo pointed out. “And they’re all pitch black. Shouldn’t be hard to find a hiding place.”

Beatrice took a breath and finally gave Jo a nod. “All right. I’ll stick with Oliver. It’s better than going up there.”

Beatrice shuddered. Jo smiled.

“Good luck, and stay safe,” she added.

“Same to you,” Beatrice answered.

They went back into the room.

“Oliver,” said Jo. “If I wanted to get back upstairs, how would I go about it?”

“You came in through the cave, huh?” Oliver laughed. “Walk out the door there and go left. Follow the hall until it ends, and then turn right. Walk just a little more, and you’ll be at the stairs.”

Jo thanked the man. She gave Beatrice a final nod of encouragement. Then she exited, turning left and moving swiftly down the hall. She turned her phone’s flashlight on again, dodging bits of old junk that were scattered around.

Soon, she spotted the end of the hall ahead of her. As she approached, the hum of machinery grew louder. It was directly to her left.

She opened the first door she saw and found another large room, much warmer and drier than any other spot in this basement.

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