Into the Night(60)

“Maybe.” She squared her shoulders. “I’m going in first. Cover me?”

“Right.” He nodded briskly. “Let’s do this.”

Macey pushed the door open and she rushed inside.

*

“YOU STAY OUT HERE,” Tucker directed. They’d finally arrived at the museum, but the place was dark and quiet. Tons of people lined the streets but the museum... It’s like a grave. “I’m going to check the back of the place.”

“Macey and Jonah are inside.” He knew it. They’d had a head start on him and Tucker. They had to be in there.

Tucker glanced at the building, and then he slid toward the front door. He put his fingers around the handle and he pushed it open.

Not locked.

“You cover the front,” Tucker said again, “and I’ll get the back.”

The guy rushed around the building. And Bowen pulled out his backup weapon, more than ready to face any threat that came.

His gaze strayed to that unlocked door.

Was Macey okay in there?

He took a step toward the door.

*

THEY CREPT UP the stairs. The place was as quiet as a tomb. Macey remembered her way around, thanks to her previous trip, so she knew the business office was located on the second floor.

The displays were turned off. The mannequins and animatronics were all still. In the dark, they created big, hulking shadows. Creepy as hell.

At the top of the stairs, she turned to the right.

Then she heard the stairs creak behind her, beneath Jonah’s feet.

He immediately stilled.

So did she.

“His office is to the left,” she said, barely whispering the words. She had a flashlight in her hand, one that she used to sweep out around her. A few more feet and she was at his office. The door wasn’t shut. Macey walked right in, with Jonah behind her. He pushed the door closed and then flipped on the lights.

Only they didn’t turn on. She took a step forward and heard something crunch beneath her shoe.

Macey’s flashlight swept the scene and she saw the destruction. Every computer there had been smashed. Glass and broken hard drives were scattered on the floor.

Her flashlight danced over the material once more. “Guess someone didn’t want us to see what was on those drives.” She hoped that Jonah could still recover the information. “We need to search this whole building,” Macey said. “We have to make sure he’s not still here.” She pulled out her phone and called Bowen. His line rang once, twice.

“Macey, where the hell are you?”

“Inside,” she told him, keeping her voice barely above a whisper. “Second floor—in the office. But the place is wrecked. Every computer here is smashed.”

Bowen swore. “I’m right outside the building, in the front. Tucker is around back.”

So they had the place surrounded. Good. “Jonah and I are going to search all the rooms.”

“Macey...”

She could hear something nearby. A faint moan.

“Someone’s here,” she whispered to Bowen. “I have to go.” She shoved the phone into her pocket and picked up her flashlight again. Jonah was already on the move. He’d left the office, following that low moan.

And, up ahead, she could see that a light was flashing. On, off, on, off. The strobe light. Everything else in the building was pitch-black, but the strobe light had power in that display room.

How the hell is it still working? And I swear...it wasn’t on a few minutes ago.

Jonah entered first. The strobe light kept flashing, and the moaning was definitely coming from that room. Jonah’s flashlight aimed to the right, catching the mummy there.

It was moaning.

She saw Jonah’s shoulders sag.

“Just a special effect,” he muttered. “Just—”

Someone lunged from the darkness, racing right at Jonah and slamming into him. Jonah lost his grip on his light and it went flying.

A man was screaming, yelling, and Jonah’s gun went off. The thundering blast was deafening.

*

WHEN HE HEARD the gunshot, Bowen grabbed for the front door. He raced inside the darkened building, and he immediately saw the flash of lights coming from the second floor. He grabbed for the banister and rushed up, barely hearing the squeak of stairs beneath him. His heart raced in his chest, and he couldn’t get up to the second floor fast enough.

“FBI!” Macey’s voice called out.

She’s all right. She’s all right.

“Freeze!” Macey shouted. “Put down the weapon now.”

Bowen burst into the room behind her. The strobe light was flashing, and it made the scene before him appear to be in slow motion.

Macey stood with her body braced. Her gun was aimed and pointed at her prey.

Jonah was on the floor, but his weapon was still in his hand, and his gun was also locked dead center on his target.

Peter Carter.

Peter’s shoulder was dark—was that blood? Bowen couldn’t tell in the flickering light, but he could see the gun clutched in Peter’s shaking hand.

“Ac-accident...” Peter stammered. “That’s what it was... I don’t care what you think... I never meant to kill her!”

“Peter, drop the gun,” Macey demanded. “Now.”