When he woke up, with his heart pounding in his chest, Pemberley was startled to see that he was no longer alone. A woman sat in the only piece of furniture in the tattered room: a straight-backed chair that smelled of sweat and urine. She wore a black dress and veil, looking like she’d stepped in on her way to a funeral. Her gloved hands twisted a handkerchief and she kept her face turned away from him, preventing him from seeing through the mesh of her veil.
“Who are you?” Pemberley demanded, sitting up and drawing away from the woman.
“My name is Constance,” she answered in a genteel voice that put Pemberley at ease. “And I’m dreadfully sorry for having entered while you slept… but I wasn’t sure you would see me otherwise. I understand that you’re a physician of great skill.”
“I am. Do you have need of one?” Pemberley was on better footing now: he knew that anyone who sought him out was desperate and most likely on the run from the authorities. That meant that he held the power and could profit quite nicely.
“Badly.” Constance leaned forward and Pemberley smelled something foul emanating from beneath her veil. It reminded him of putrification. “A few years ago, I had the misfortune of crossing paths with Lazarus Gray and his Assistance Unlimited. I was left with a criminal record and a horrible affliction.”
“If you’re looking for plastic surgery, I can do that. I’ve given new faces to more men than I can count.”
“But can you make me beautiful again? I don’t want to just be… no longer a monster… I want to be desirable again.”
Constance set aside her handkerchief and produced a small photograph. She gave it to Pemberley, who stared at it with appreciation. The woman in the photograph was certainly attractive, with full lips and dark eyes. Her high cheekbones gave her an aristocratic look, which was doubly emphasized by the haughty expression on her face.
Swallowing, Pemberley look up and said, “I’ll need to see the extent of the damage.”
Constance nodded, her demeanor becoming one of extreme reluctance.
Pemberley smiled, trying to put on his best bedside manner. “Come, come. I’ve seen far worse, I’m sure.”
Constance reached up and removed her veil, revealing a visage so terrifying that Pemberley gasped and covered his mouth.
It looked like someone had thrown acid directly into her face, leaving her features a ruined mess. The tip of her nose was elongated, like a piece of dripping caramel, while her left eye no longer had a bottom lid. The pink tissue was exposed as a result. The right eye bulged like it was about to pop and her lips were nothing more than a discolored band of flesh.
That this was the woman he’d seen in his dreams was undeniable.
Gathering his wits, Pemberley cleared his throat. “Gray… did this to you?”
“I was obsessed with my appearance,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears. “My father was a chemist who had discovered that certain oils produced by virgin girls at the moment of their death could be used to stave off aging. That photograph you’re holding was taken of me when I was 43 years old.”
Pemberley looked down at the picture again, trying to imagine that the beauty he was looking at was now the horror who sat before him. In the photo, Constance looked no older than 25, if that.
Constance continued speaking, her voice growing a bit angrier with each word. “When they came into my father’s laboratory, he tried to fight them but one of them — an Oriental — kicked him, knocking him into a shelf full of chemicals. They splashed over both my father and myself. He died from his wounds but I… I was left like this. They tried to put me in jail for conspiring with my father on the murders but I had enough money that I was able to bribe a guard and escape.”
“And now you want your face back,” Pemberley said.
“Yes. And revenge.” Constance suddenly moved forward, kneeling at Pemberley’s feet. She reached up and took his hands in hers. “You and I have both been wronged by Assistance Unlimited. You have the brilliance and I have the money… we can strike back at them.”
“How?”
“By becoming their opposites. They have a group filled with members who each have a dangerous specialty. We can do the same! I’ve already recruited a few, in fact. Men and women who are ready to pit themselves against Lazarus Gray’s minions!”
Pemberley hesitated. He’d love to see Assistance Unlimited brought to their knees but going head-to-head with them didn’t seem like a bright move on his part.
Switching the topic, he reached out and touched Constance’s ruined face. “One thing at a time. First, we should focus on this.”
Constance was about to speak when the door to the room burst open. The tavern owner’s eyes were wide with fear. “They’re here! Damn you, you brought them here!”
Pemberley rose. “Who’s here?” he demanded.
“Assistance Unlimited! And now we’re all doomed!”
Chapter III
Criminals United
Lazarus Gray ignored the mutterings of the tavern owner. His companions had spread out to search the entire establishment, as they had every other public house in Holly Falls. He felt something in his bones, telling him that Pemberley was still in the area.
Over the years, he’d learned to trust his instincts.
He had wandered into the back room of the bar when he spotted a flash of movement out of the window. He moved over quickly and his eyes widened: there was Doc Pemberley, all right, though he was not alone. A woman in black was with him and they were hurrying towards a car that was parked at the end of the block.
“Outside! Now!” Lazarus shouted, not waiting for his companions. He burst out the rear exit, coming out into an alleyway. Sprinting as quickly as an Olympic athlete, Lazarus came around the side of the building, quickly gaining ground on his quarry.
Pemberley spotted him and let out a strangled cry. His fear gave the evil physician a burst of speed and he hurried past Constance, coming perilously close to her parked car.
Lazarus drove himself onward, digging for his last reserves of speed. He threw his body into the air and stretched his fingers as far as they would go. He made contact with the back of the woman’s collar and yanked her to the ground. She landed beneath him and quickly began fighting like a hellcat.
Lazarus pinned her arms down and caught a whiff of something foul from beneath her veil. He barely had time to wonder at its source when Pemberley’s foot slammed into the side of his jaw. The cowardly doctor had come back for the woman not out of any real sense of chivalry but because Constance had the keys to the car.
It took a few seconds for Lazarus to regain his bearings and in that time Pemberley dragged Constance to her feet. They were just getting into their car when a series of bullets began to riddle the vehicle’s side. Morgan Watts was an ace shot but he failed to hit the tires before Constance slammed her high-heel against the accelerator. The car left skid-marks on the road as it rocketed forward.
Morgan lowered his pistol and muttered a series of curses as Eun and Abby ran to his side. They had been on the second floor when Gray’s shout had come and even with their speed, they’d arrived too late to be of any help.
Eun slammed a fist into the palm of his other hand. “I knew we should have left somebody outside in case they made a break for it!”
Lazarus, sporting a bruise on his jaw, walked towards them. “I was supposed to be watching for such a thing,” he said. “And I obviously didn’t do a good enough job.”
“Nobody’s perfect, Chief. Not even me.” Morgan grinned and Abby laughed at her friend’s humor.