The Paramedic's Doom Read online

  “That’s an awful story,” Dean said. “What woman would want a ring with such a sordid past?”

  “A woman with an appreciation of magic. Your woman will see its value, not just because it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry but also because of the powers the ring passes to its wearer. As long as she has this ring on, no one can attack her from behind and catch her unawares. I would think a hunter would find such a skill very useful in the course of her work.”

  Dean examined the ring again, trying to see if he could sense anything of the charm cast upon it. He didn’t know what to look for, or how he would detect such things.

  “It is beautiful. How much?”

  Dean prepared to wince at the amount.

  “Certainly more than a simple public servant could afford. But for a talented healer and person with other, hidden skills, quite affordable.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense,” Dean said. “I either have enough money saved or I don’t.”

  “I do not have any need for your money, Dean Flynn. What I want is a favor from you.”

  “What kind of favor?” Dean’s cautious wariness, born of his time on the street, raised a warning in the back of his mind. Unusuals took things like favors offered or given very seriously. It was not something to be taken lightly.

  “Nothing you can’t provide I assure you.” Alfonse waved a hand in the air as if dismissing the concerns with a gesture.

  Dean knew he had to tread carefully here.

  “I cannot offer an open-ended favor. I am sorry if that offends you but I could never follow through on a favor that might harm another in any way.”

  Dean reached out to hand the ring back to Alfonse.

  The gnome backed away from Dean.

  “I don’t want it back, I’ve already given it to you. It’s yours now.”

  Dean shot Gibbie a glance and the vampire stepped forward.

  “What are you playing at, Alfonse? I brought Dean here in good faith, not to have him trapped into some sort of unknown bargain.”

  “It is nothing to worry about I assure you, Dean. I would not be so foolish as to trap someone with your pedigree in an unfair arrangement. I only wish you to convey a message for me.”

  “You’ll give me this ring and all I have to do is pass along a message? What’s the catch?”

  “No catch at all. Just tell your father I require a meeting the next time you see him.”

  “I can do that, but the joke’s on you, Alfonse. I’ve never even met my father, at least not since I was an infant. I could pass him on the street right now and not know who he was. I doubt he’d recognize me either.”

  That shocked the little man.

  “How could the sage be wrong?” Alfonse muttered to himself. He turned and paced back and forth in the small room, holding a running conversation aloud with himself. It was strange to hear one person discussing something voicing both sides of the discussion.

  “Perhaps the boy lies.”

  “No, you fool, he doesn’t lie. Maybe the sage knows something we don’t and is trying to deceive us.”

  “What could the sage possibly want to hide from us that would put this at their advantage?”

  “Could it be the father returns sooner than expected?”

  “Yes, that must be it. You know what that means.”

  “I do and it fits. The sage has always been correct but he would want to hide this from any prediction he pronounced. Imagine what would happen if word got out he was coming here, right now.”

  “It would change everything.”

  Dean watched the running discussion, trying to decide if this was for show or if the gnome was actually a split personality. Then the gnome stopped all of a sudden and spun around to face him. It startled Dean so much jumped up out of the chair and stood behind it, placing the seat between himself and Alfonse.

  “We accept the risk, Dean. Whether you know your father or not, will you keep the message safe until you either deliver it or leave this mortal life?”

  “That’s a strange way to put that,” Dean said.

  “Nonetheless, that is the offer. Take it or leave it.”

  Gibbie nodded at him. “Take the deal.”

  Dean considered what the gnome said, trying to detect any hidden meaning or holes in the bargain that might be used against him in the future.

  He could find nothing.

  “Fine, I accept your terms. What is the message for my absentee father?”

  “Simply tell your father, the gnome king requires a meeting with him at his earliest convenience. That is all.”

  “You seem to know everything here, why don’t you tell me who my father is. Maybe I can pass along the message sooner.”

  “If your father has hidden his identity from you, it is not my place to reveal such things. Simply hold the message until the time when you meet him again. That will satisfy the bargain and you may have the ring.”

  Dean nodded. If this guy wanted to part with a priceless antique magic ring on the outside chance he met his father again after all these years, Dean was happy to take him up on it.

  There was still a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind there was more going on here than he could see, but he decided the value was worth the risk and pocketed the ring. He’d come here to procure a ring for Jaz and he’d done it for next to nothing in monetary terms. All he was out was the cost of the gas he spent driving here. He was pleased.

  Dean was so distracted by his thoughts he didn’t hear Gibbie calling his name at first.

  “Uh, Dean, we’d better go.”

  Alfonse had taken to muttering and pacing again, as if no one else stood in the vault with him. The gnome seemed to become more and more agitated as the two guests stood watching. He was speaking in a guttural language Dean didn’t recognize. Alfonse sounded angry and bared his teeth while making a growling noise deep in his throat.

  “Dean, did you hear me? We should be going.”

  “Yeah, Gibbie, I think you’re right. Let’s leave him to his problems for now. I mean, the deal is sealed, right Gibbie?”

  “That’s the way I understood it. Gnomes work on verbal contracts and it sounded settled to me. Come on let’s go.”

  Dean followed Gibbie back through the winding passages to the entrance to the underground bunker. He was glad the vampire knew where he was going. Dean might have gotten lost before he found his way back on his own.

  Gibbie pressed a panel on the wall and the concrete door slid back revealing the long passageway back to the parking garage.

  A shout and a loud crash behind them made both Dean and Gibbie jump through the doorway. More shouting followed the crash and the two of them picked up their pace as the concrete door slid shut, silencing the increasing sounds of destruction and shouting behind them.

  “I hope I don’t regret you getting me into this, Gibbie.”

  “I’m sure nothing more will come of it. Plus, you’ve got the perfect ring for Jaz. I say celebrate the easy win.”

  Dean wasn’t sure he agreed with Gibbie. Everything had a price and there was no such thing as an easy win where Unusuals were concerned.

  Chapter 6

  Dean arrived at work early later that day to be greeted by the delicious smell of whatever Freddy was cooking for dinner. The zombie chef stood working his magic in the station’s kitchen over in the far corner of the squad room.

  “Oh, my God, Freddy that smells good. What is it?”

  “Pan Roasted Salmon served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. You’ve also got a side dish of roasted red peppers sprinkled with feta cheese. Sit down and I’ll bring you a plate before you start work.”

  “I’ll be right there. I need to put some stuff away in my locker.”

  Dean headed back to the men’s bunk room and his locker. He dialed in the combination on the padlock he used to keep his gear safe when he wasn’t there and pulled open the locker door.

  Reaching into his pocket, Dean pulled out a small jewelry box he’d bought for Jaz’s engagement ring. He popped open the lid and ran his fingertips over the beautiful blue sapphire set into the ring’s white gold band. It was a beautiful ring.

  Closing the lid, Dean put it on the top shelf in his locker, closed the door and closed the hasp of the padlock. The ring would be safe here, especially since Jaz had the run of his apartment, on the rare occasions she stayed over at his place. He didn’t want her to stumble upon it in some hiding place at home.

  Returning to the squad room, Dean sat at the table just as Freddy arrived with a plate of steaming food. His mouth watered and he grabbed his fork and knife to dig in. The salmon’s pink flesh was moist and flaky, almost melting in his mouth. Dean didn’t usually like fish, but when Freddy made something, it was typically worth giving it a try. The zombie chef was the best-kept secret in the Elk City fire service and the paramedics of Station U planned on keeping it that way.

  As Freddy shambled back to the kitchen to make another plate for Dean’s partner, Barry, Dean raised his can of soda in the air.

  “My compliments to the chef, Freddy! You have worked your kitchen mojo yet again.”

  “Thank you, Dean. It is my pleasure as always.”

  Barry slid into the seat next to Dean and grabbed a fork to stab a piece of salmon off of his partner’s plate.

  “Hey! Get your own,” Dean protested as Barry popped the bite of fish into his mouth.

  Barry’s eyes closed while he savored the morsel.

  “Man, that’s good. Hurry up, Freddy. I want to finish before our shift starts.”

  “Don’t rush him, Barry. You know things fall off him when he moves too fast.”

  As if to punctuate the point, Freddy’s right ear fell to the floor while he hurried back with Barry’s plate
.

  “That’s on you, Barry. You get to re-attach it before we start work.”

  “Totally worth it,” Barry said around a mouthful of his dinner.

  Bill and Lynne had the shift before them tonight. Dean finished his dinner and watched as the two of them completed the final items on their shift checklist to wrap up their day. Bill came over and sat down to eat as soon as the clock struck six.

  “Move over, Dean. I’m so hungry; I could eat an entire ocean of salmon.”

  “Long shift?” Dean asked.

  “Yeah, we had a few more of those strange behavioral calls you told us to keep an eye out for. Every one of them was the same. They each were racked with guilt over their past sins and wanted to atone for them.”

  “I got an email Tammy sent while I was off,” Dean said. “Are they all still centered around the same area downtown?”

  “All but one. We picked up one woman down by the riverside near the water treatment plant. We figured she’d wandered away from home in a stupor and ended up there.”

  “That is strange,” Dean said. “I’d hoped we might be able to localize the source of the problem and track down our sin eater to keep him from affecting anyone else.”

  Barry stopped eating long enough to add a thought.

  “You know what is next to the water treatment plant?”

  “What?” Dean asked, unsure where his partner was headed with this.

  “The main sewer outlet for the city. I used to work for public works before I got into the academy and transferred to the fire department. That pipe leads directly back to the downtown sewer hub. It’s big enough to walk upright inside, too. What if our sin eater is hiding out down there to keep out of sight. The lady in question could have fallen under his spell and ended up getting away to wander out by the river. It would have been easier for her to get out that way than return to the surface downtown. Climbing up a ladder in the sewers and lifting one of the heavy metal manhole covers from below is no easy task.”

  “That’s worth checking out,” Dean said. “I think the two of us should head that way if we get a break during the shift.”

  “We can try if things are slow enough.”

  Dean winced. Paramedics were superstitious and saying the shift would be slow was as bad as saying it had been quiet lately. It was just asking for trouble.

  This time was no exception.

  The first call came in two minutes later.

  As the tones sounded on the overhead speaker and the dispatcher began giving them information for the call, Barry shoveled in two more bites of the salmon before grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

  The dispatcher’s dispassionate voice read out the details while Barry dashed into the ambulance bay.

  “Respond for a behavioral emergency in the alley behind 3247 State street.”

  Dean had already climbed into the cab and started the ambulance. He dialed in the location on the computer sitting between the front seats in the ambulance.

  Barry climbed into the passenger seat and picked up the mic.

  “U-891 responding.”

  “Received, U-891. Be advised, CERT responder called in the patient. He is still on scene.”

  Dean laughed.

  “I’ll bet you ten dollars that is Gibbie.”

  “I’m not even going to argue with you. Who else would it be? The others would have called us directly.”

  Five minutes later, they pulled up next to the alley. It was dark and there was no light in the narrow street between two high-rise buildings. Dean pressed the switch on the dashboard’s control panel and activated the ambulance’s floodlights on the driver’s side. It helped but he still couldn’t see very far down the alley.

  “There’s Gibbie’s van,” Barry said, pointing out the beat-up white van parked across the street.

  “I told you. If dispatch’s report is correct, he’s probably down in the alley with the patient. I can’t get the lights angled right from here to see very far. Grab the flashlights while you unload our gear. We’ll take extra lights in with us.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Dean popped open the driver’s door and walked to the back of the ambulance. Barry met him there after grabbing the lantern flashlights with their leather shoulder straps. They would help illuminate the alley as they got deeper inside.

  After loading their bags and the heart monitor on the stretcher, the two paramedics wheeled their gurney to the mouth of the alley.

  Dean walked in the lead and switched on his flashlight, letting it hang down at his hip on its strap. He pulled the stretcher into the alley while the light shined ahead down the narrow gap between the buildings.

  The alley turned to the left ahead. Dean switched to guiding the stretcher with one hand while directing the beam of the flashlight with the other.

  “Gibbie, it’s Dean Flynn. You down there?”

  “Dean,” Gibbie’s voice came from the darkness ahead and around the corner. “I’m so glad you’re here. I saw someone who looked injured, so I parked and followed him into this alley. He’s very upset and I can’t calm him down.”

  Another voice sounded, a male’s voice but high pitched with strain and tension.

  “Who’s out there? You can’t have what I know. I can keep a secret. I promise I can.”

  Dean took a tentative step forward towards the bend in the alley, trying to angle his light so he could see. Despite getting closer, the light seemed to reach a point and then stop. It was as if something swallowed up the light.

  “I can’t see you, whoever you are. My name is Dean Flynn. I’m a paramedic. My partner and I are both here to help you.”

  “I can’t trust you; I can’t trust anyone.”

  A shuffling and then sounds of a struggle came from the strange area of darkness.

  “Gibbie, I can’t see what’s happening.”

  “I’m trying to hold on to him. He tried to flee but I grabbed him.”

  Dean stepped up to the corner and shined his light around it. The light stopped as if hitting a black wall a yard away from him. No matter how he moved the light, he couldn’t get it to penetrate into the darkness ahead.

  A grunt and a crash of what sounded like trash cans knocked over came from ahead.

  “Barry, I’m going in there. Gibbie needs help. If we’re going to assist this guy, we need to detain him. Draw up some haloperidol and have it ready. We’ll see if we can bring whoever it is out and use it to calm him down.”

  “Dean, you’ll be blind in there.”

  “Hopefully, he’ll be blind, too. I don’t know what’s causing this darkness but it seems to extend into the rest of the alley. If I need help, I’ll call for you. Be ready with the med.”

  “Be careful, dude.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.”

  Dean kept the flashlight on as he stepped forward into the wall of darkness. Part of him expected to bump up against an actual wall.

  He didn’t, though. The only thing that happened was a sudden and total lack of light around him. He couldn’t see the glow of the city in the sky above him anymore and if his flashlight was still on, it’s light was being swallowed as well.

  Following the sounds of a scuffle from up ahead, Dean walked forward, both hands extended before him attempting to intercept any obstacles. He shuffled his feet rather than taking standard steps, trying to avoid tripping over anything on the ground.

  “Gibbie, I’m coming, but I can’t see anything at all. What’s happening?”

  “He’s stronger than he looks, Dean, but I’ve got him.”

  Dean followed the sound of the vampire’s voice until he something bumped into his leg. He crouched and felt a shoe or boot.

  “That’s me, Dean,” Gibbie said. “I’ve got my arms wrapped around him and I’m holding him on my lap. He’s kicking something fierce, though.”