CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ian, Ghost, Nine, and Gaspar pushed through the throngs of onlookers, reporters, police officers, and firefighters. Seeing someone they knew, they pointed to Fire Chief Bankston and nodded.

"Boys. Is this your case?" he asked.

"Not sure," said Gaspar. "We think it might be connected to the young woman who died recently near the ballpark. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Sick is what happened. He was chained to an old water pipeline, door was blocked with a chair and a few large logs, then it was all doused in kerosene. It didn't take long for it to go up. This whole shack was just kindling and should have been torn down. Folks a few streets over saw the flames and called 911."

"Any ID on him?" asked Nine.

"Nothing yet. We're hoping to get something from dental records."

"Chief!" yelled someone.

"I'll be here if you need me." He walked away, waving at the men. That's when they felt a shadow over them and turned.

"I thought you could use my help," said Noah. "I did not want Julia to have to be here."

"Brother, we are glad to see you," said Ian. "Let's get a bit closer and see if you can get a read on the man."

Noah walked closer to the still-smoldering smoking shack and stopped, covering his mouth and nose. The smells were atrocious, assaulting his entire system. The others did the same, covering their faces.

"He is here," said Noah. "Let me see if he will speak with me." Noah took a few steps, watching as a young man stood, looking at his surroundings.

"This shit creeps me the fuck out," said Ghost.

"Yeah, but it helps us get to the end," said Gaspar.

"Do not fear me," said Noah to the young man standing near the water pipe. He looked down at his hand as if expecting to see the chains that had bound him to his death.

"Should I fear you? Did you kill me?"

"No, son. I did not kill you. Did you see who took you?"

"No. I don't remember anything other than walking into my apartment, then waking up in the dark, chained to this pipe. My chains are gone. Am I alive?" Noah swallowed, staring at the young man, and shook his head.

"I am sorry. No."

"It's okay. I don't think I'd want to be alive after that. I could smell the kerosene. I kept begging for the person to speak with me, to tell me why they were doing this to me, but they said nothing."

"What is your name, son?" asked Noah.

"Gifford. Gifford Macklin. My friends call me Giff. I'm a student at UNO." Noah nodded, pursing his lips.

"Will you allow my friends to see and speak with you?"

"Are you the only one who can?" he asked.

"For right now, yes. But if you say it is okay, they will speak with you as well." The young man nodded, and Noah waved them over. "This is Gifford, Giff."

"Giff, I'm sorry this happened," said Ian. He nodded at the older man, still staring at his hands. "Did you hear anyone? See anyone?"

"No. I told the big man that they refused to speak to me. I was home from my classes, and that's all I remember."

"Classes?" frowned Nine.

"I'm a student at UNO," he said. "Funny thing is, dying in a fire was almost my worst fear. Before I felt the fire, I had this thought that it would be okay because I would die from the smoke first and not feel the flames. I think I was right. I'm grateful for that."

"There's always something to be grateful for," said Ghost. "Giff, did you have any enemies? Anyone who maybe was bothering you at school or work?"

"Not me," he smiled. "I'm a total teddy bear. Or I was."

"What were you studying?" smiled Gaspar.

"Divinity. I was going to be a minister," he said, grinning at the men. "I guess that seems kind of old-fashioned, but I've always known it was what I was supposed to do. I tried to talk to the person, but they wouldn't even give me a grunt." He turned, looking around at the environment.

"Is there something you see?" asked Ian.

"No. I think I'm supposed to go now," he said. "There's a man over there that says it's time for me to leave. Whoever did this, will you tell them that I forgive them?"

"I will tell them," said Noah. The young man nodded at them, smiling as he seemed to vanish in a cloud of light and gold dust. "I will tell them as I have my fingers around their neck."

"He wasn't very big," said Ian. "It could have been a man, woman, or teenager that did this. It wouldn't have taken much to overpower him."

"Maybe, but he said he walked into his apartment, and that was all he remembered. Someone had to have gotten him from his apartment to here. That takes strength," said Ghost.

"True," nodded Nine. "Let's take a look at the area. See if the cops or firefighters have found any tire tracks, any signs of someone dragging a body. If they did, we might find some hairs or clothing scraps. Let's find this killer."

Five hours later, as dawn began to appear over the horizon, the men were still searching the area, trying to find a direction or area from which the body was brought to the cabin.

"Over here!" yelled Ian. The four men ran toward him, standing where he was near a dirt trail. "It's feint, but you can see narrow, small tires like from a motorcycle."

"That's not a bike," said Ghost. "That's a moped."

"Is that not a bike?" asked Noah.

"Not in this lifetime," growled Ghost. "But it does explain how someone got him here. They could have strapped him to the back, maybe even tied his wrists around their waist and dragged him the rest of the way. Where do the tracks come from?"

"Over that way." Ghost nodded, walking in that direction.

"Then that way we go."