Helltown by Dennis O'Neil

Author:Dennis O'Neil [O’NEIL, DENNIS]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780446571074
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2009-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

He parked the Volkswagen behind Tot’s barn.

Just in case …

But he wasn’t really worried. He’d left the SUV miles and miles behind.

Tot was waiting for him in the kitchen. Vic pressed the buckle and, when the mist had cleared, shed hat, trench coat, and shirt.

“Good heavens!” Tot gasped, staring at a darkening bruise that spread from Vic’s inner shoulder almost to his sternum. “What caused that?”

“Bullet,” Vic said. “Without your protective material, I’d be bleeding. As it is, I seem to be okay. It hurts, but I don’t think anything’s broken.”

“I wish I could help you, but I have absolutely no first-aid skills. I’m quite squeamish.”

“No problem.”

“What happened?”

For the next ten minutes, Vic described what had happened at the Fermin homestead.

“Your second foray as a mystery man was not a success, then,” Tot said.

“I sure didn’t cover myself with a lot of glory,” Vic said. “But I wouldn’t say the night was a complete bust. At least, I learned some things.”

“Such as?”

“Well, a smart mystery man would have done a better job of reconnaissance. The dog shouldn’t have been a surprise. Next time, I’ll do more looking before I leap. If there is a next time.”

“Anything else?”

“I think maybe I know what’s happening with Myra.”

“You can’t blame her for shooting you … A masked man at midnight…”

“Not that. The other things. Beginning with her marriage to Fermin. The only way that makes sense is if she was forced into it. And there’s what she said when I entered her room… She asked if I was from ‘the school,’ and she sounded scared.”

“Who could blame her. The mask, the hour…”

“It wasn’t any of that. On the way back here, I finally figured out what was bothering me about Fermin’s property. There was no kid’s stuff—no swings, no seesaws. When I was at Myra’s other house, the yard was a miniature playground. There’s nothing conclusive there, but added to the school remark and the fact that apparently nobody’s seen Myra’s kid. At least, nobody’s mentioned her.”

“The child has been abducted.”

“And is being held hostage. Myra has to be a good little slave or Jackie gets hurt.”

“Nasty. Very nasty.”

“Maybe this explains the third call I made from Fermin’s

office. The answering machine said, ‘Mark Ten-Nineteen.’ Maybe that’s the school.”

“The other call, the second one—”

“That was answered by someone at the McFeeley plant. So we’re seeing a connection between Fermin, Hatch, this Mark Ten-Nineteen, and McFeeley’s. And these guys in black jumpsuits I keep running into are somehow in it, and somebody named Colonel Crate. I heard one of the jumpsuit guys mention that name.”

“What’s your next ploy?”

“I’ll start with good ol’Google, try to learn exactly what business McFeeley’s is in, and who Crate might be. After that… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll visit the school.”

Vic moved toward the staircase. “See you in the morning.”

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