Though Abby could have been on the arm of any bachelor in the city, Davis knew that she enjoyed going out alone on occasion. She was fiercely independent and seemed to relish any opportunity to express that. Ironically, the way she dressed gave the opposite impression, basically calling out for male (and female) attention.
Abby rounded a corner, away from the bustling crowds, and stopped next to a silver colored roadster. It was her private car and Davis knew that she adored it.
Confident that no one was watching them, Davis rushed forward, retrieving a length of piano wire from the interior of his coat. For such a big man, he moved quite stealthily, and the wire was around her throat before she’d even recognized his presence.
The girl fought like a wild cat, thrashing madly, but Davis held on tightly. Just when it looked like she might lose consciousness, she threw up her feet and pushed her high heel hard against the door of her car. She used that to shove herself backward, knocking Davis off his feet. He landed with a grunt, Abby on top of him.
Dazed, Stanley let the piano wire slip from his fingers, allowing Abby to roll off and rise to her feet. She was unsteady on her feet and the pain in her throat made it hard for her to formulate the words she needed for a spell. Even so, Davis knew that he had only seconds to spare.
Thankfully, he was not alone.
From the alleyway, two figures shambled forward. They moved with an awkward gait and the foul odor that emanated from them gave Abby a clue as to why: these two dried-up figures were undead mummies, swathed in blood and grime-soaked bandages.
Abby saw the creatures and her eyes grew wide. Though she’d never seen them in person before, she’d heard enough stories from her teammates to recognize what they were: Princess Femi’s horrible creations, mentally enslaved to the Egyptian’s will.
Abby tried to whisper a quick spell but her voice came out in a harsh rasp and the mummies were upon her in that moment, battering her beautiful face with their fists. She fell back, her head slamming against the front bumper of her car.
The last thing she saw before the world faded to black was Davis rising to his feet, a look of supreme triumph on his face.
The score stood 1–1.
Lazarus Gray stared at the sullen face of Abraham Klee, his normally impassive features twisted in anger. “Where is she?” he asked.
Klee, tied to a chair in Assistance Unlimited’s conference room, offered a tired smile. “You have to be more precise. Who’s ‘she’?”
Lazarus closed his eyes, centering himself before continuing. The initial rush of having their plan work out so well had been quickly tempered by the realization that Abby had never returned home. It was now early morning and the group had been unable to contact her. Worse yet, the radioactive isotopes that each member of the team carried in their bloodstream — a last-ditch manner for Lazarus to track them[4] — seemed to be non-functioning in Abby’s case. That meant that someone knew of their methods and were circumventing them.
Lazarus crouched in front of Klee, lowering his voice. He knew that the rest of the group was waiting just outside the door, eager to find out where Abby had been taken. “You and I both know you’re dying, Klee. I can help you with that.”
Klee’s smile faded and he looked agitated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your father’s experiments allowed you to tap into portions of your brain that others can’t… but the price is that you’re aging too fast. Your body can’t take all the pressure you’re putting it through.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I have access to the medical examinations they gave you the last time you were arrested.”
Klee snarled like an animal, fighting against his bonds. Lazarus said nothing, allowing him to tire himself. When Klee finally fell still, Lazarus continued where he’d left off. “Medical science can’t help you… but there are things in this world that can’t be explained by doctor or scientists. I was part of a group called The Illuminati. I’ve seen objects that could raise the dead… and our missing member, Abigail, is a powerful witch. I’m positive we could help you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Did Pemberley say he could do something for you?” A flicker of emotion went through Klee’s face and Lazarus knew that he’d hit close to home. “Or is Constance going to use her money to pay for some sort of experimental procedure?”
“You think you’re a smart guy, don’t you, Gray? But you’re not half as smart as you like to believe. Best thing you ever did was to surround yourself with men and women who were dangerous in their own right. Now that somebody else has gotten the same idea, you’re confused about what to do, aren’t you?”
“So that’s what Constance is up to? Forming her own version of Assistance Unlimited?” Klee said nothing but the way his eyes lit up confirmed Lazarus’ suspicions. “Who else is involved?”
When Klee remained silent, Lazarus abruptly grabbed the man by the ears and twisted them painfully. Klee cried out in shock. “Let go!” he howled but Lazarus only increased the pressure.
“I pride myself on being better than the people I fight against,” Lazarus warned, “But when one of my friends is threatened, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that they’re okay. So I’m going to ask you only once more: Where is Abby and who is working with Constance? And if I think you’re holding back, I’m going to rip one of your ears off.”
“You wouldn’t….”
Lazarus yanked on Klee’s left ear and the man screamed in response. When Lazarus released his hold on Klee’s head, both ears were a shocking red in color. “Talk.”
Klee swallowed hard. He still believed that Lazarus was bluffing but he was in no mood to test the man further. “She’s probably back at Murder Unlimited HQ — it’s over on Holder Way. The team was brought together by Constance and she’s helping to bankroll it but we’re also doing jobs on the side, offering the kind of help to criminals that you do to our victims. So far, we have myself, Constance, Doc Pemberley, some Egyptian queen named Femi and a psychic named Stanley Davis.”
Lazarus stood up, realizing just how dangerous this truly was. Any one of the people that Klee had named were deadly enough on their own but combined… they could pose a serious threat not only to Assistance Unlimited, but every innocent person in Sovereign.
He exited the room, ignoring the cries of consternation from Klee. The rest of Assistance Unlimited stood at attention when they saw him and Lazarus gestured towards Morgan. “Call the police. Tell them we have Abraham Klee and they can come pick him up. Make sure they know that we’ll be coming by when all is said and done to consult about his medical condition.”
Morgan nodded and moved away, knowing from his employer’s tone that there was no time to waste.
Lazarus regarded Samantha and Eun, his eyes narrowing. “Where’s Jakob?”
“He went to get the phone,” Samantha answered. “It rang just a moment ago.”
“I want us to get ready to roll out,” Lazarus said. “A grouping of dangerous criminals has massed on Holder Way and we need to deal with it.”
“We may not be the ones who decide how that happens,” Sporrenberg said, entering the room. His handsome face was grim and Samantha gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. She suddenly had the terrible thought that Abby might have been killed but thankfully what Sporrenberg said next was not quite that awful. “That was a woman who identified herself as Constance Majestros. She says that they have Abby and plan to kill her unless we come to McDermott Pier within the hour. She says that Lazarus isn’t allowed to come.”
4
This was introduced in “The Corpse Screams At Midnight,” The Adventures of Lazarus Gray.