Buch lesen: «Her Secret Christmas Agent»

Chapter 1

You are going to die.

Mitch Everlock stared at the message written on butcher paper and taped across the chemistry classroom’s high-tech SMART Board. Its red letters were dripping as if they’d been drawn with blood. Judging from the unmistakable scarlet hue and the metallic tang permeating his classroom, it was blood. His arms were full as he held his travel coffee mug in one hand, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder, and a pile of heavy books in the other hand. All of which he wanted to hurl at the red-lettered message. As former Special Forces and a current Trail Hikers secret operative, he wasn’t afraid of or shocked by the grisly message meant for him.

He was annoyed as all get-out.

The boldness of the blood writing, in the midst of the buildup to the holiday season, infuriated Mitch. He didn’t care about his Christmas, but if his students saw the message it’d scare the Santa Claus out of them.

Dropping his armload on the laboratory counter, he ignored the beaker of candy canes he’d knocked over and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket to take a few snapshots of the message before he used speed dial to call his second place of employment.

The Trail Hikers was a clandestine government shadow agency that officially didn’t exist, except for those who worked for it.

“This is Claudia.” Claudia Michaels, the CEO of Trail Hikers and his sister-in-arms, answered, her voice strong and commanding over the connection. She, too, was a war veteran; a retired US Marine Corps General.

“Good morning, Claudia. Mitch here. Our Rainbow Hater’s raised the ante. Now he’s threatening to kill me.” He told her about the fifth message from the entity they’d named the Rainbow Hater. So far there wasn’t conclusive evidence linking the hate crimes to the cult that had formed in Silver Valley last year, but several law-enforcement agencies, to include the FBI and more locally, Silver Valley PD, believed the crimes and cult were connected. The cult, known as the True Believers and originally based in Upstate New York, had regrouped in Silver Valley after prison sentences had forced its leaders into hibernation for two decades. The threats at Mitch’s school had a definite True Believers Cult “feel” to them. The cult had become a most unwelcome presence in otherwise serene Silver Valley, a quintessentially American town in South Central Pennsylvania.

As he sent Claudia the photos via text, he filled her in on his impressions. Since he was a Trail Hikers’ agent, he had the training to handle it himself, which was what he wanted.

“Let me get involved, Claudia. Trail Hikers will solve this twice as fast as Silver Valley PD.”

“We expected this, Mitch. Do as we’ve planned. Let SVPD collect the forensics. Don’t touch it.” Claudia was right—Silver Valley boasted one of the top local forensic teams in the state. It was all thanks to their police chief’s insistence on thorough training and his ability to ensure their budget received the necessary allocation each fiscal year.

“Are you sure I can’t help? Let me take care of this and we’ll catch the bastard in no time. If I need assistance I want TH at my back, not local cops. Plus, you know word will get out and the last thing we need is a bunch of upset parents, especially right before the Silver Bells Ball holiday formal. We’re only a few weeks from Christmas break.”

“SVPD is the best, Mitch. And this is happening in their jurisdiction, their high school. What we suspect, who we suspect to be behind this, is irrelevant at the moment. We’re months away from taking the True Believers down. The focus now has to be on the Rainbow Hater.” Claudia’s tone was crisp as she continued to spell out the Trail Hikers’ involvement with monitoring and eventually eliminating the potentially deadly cult currently setting up shop on the outskirts of Silver Valley. “Remember, the highest levels of law enforcement are on this, but they’re staying hands-off as long as SVPD and TH can work it.”

“They’re probably putting one of my kids up to this, Claudia. I don’t take well to anyone bullying a student.”

“Which is why you’re being targeted, and why you’re the best teacher they could be messing with, for our sake. Inform Principal Essis and let her call in SVPD. If you have any problems, you can go directly to Colt.” Claudia referred to the formidable SVPD chief of police, Colt Todd.

Mitch heard her sigh over the clear line and understood in that moment that she was as frustrated as he. They should have caught the cult members by now, but they were hardened criminals and had been slippery, outsmarting the laws that had put them behind bars over twenty years ago.

“And, Mitch?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Stay the hell out of SVPD’s way. They’re going to be sending in an undercover officer, according to Colt. Work with whomever it is. But watch your six in case whoever wrote those words turns out to be crazy enough to follow through on his threats.”

“I pray for the opportunity to face him.”

Claudia chuckled. “I’m sure you do, but you know our ground rules.” She hung up.

Rules. Yeah, he knew them. All too well.

Mitch called Principal Essis and waited for her to come, his fingers itching to take a sample of the blood on the whiteboard. Claudia was right. He had to always give the appearance of being only a chemistry teacher. His vocation was teaching and he didn’t want to risk losing the best job he’d ever had, besides serving as a Marine. Working under contract to the Trail Hikers during school breaks used the skill set he’d gained in Marine Recon and, while he enjoyed it, teaching was his first love.

Watching students’ eyes light up when they got the meaning of a chemistry equation or solved a lab problem on their own was what he relished.

Which made him want to employ his other abilities in the most effective manner: to catch whoever wanted Silver Valley High School to stop supporting its teen LGBT club.

* * *

“I’m ready for whatever you need me to do. I haven’t done any long-term undercover before, nothing more than a few weeks. But I know I can do this.” Nika sat in a government-issue office chair at the Silver Valley Police Department and watched the team leader for the Rainbow Hater case at Silver Valley High School, Detective Bryce Campbell. “I have to ask, though, why me? Why not one of our younger officers?”

Bryce blew out a long breath. “There’s more to it, Nika. We think the hate crimes against the Rainbows club and teacher Mitch Everlock are somehow connected to the True Believers.”

“I saw the morning report. Leonard Wise is out and free to live here if he wants to.” Wise had been the leader of the True Believers in Upstate New York two decades ago. His prison term was up, and several of his former cult members had been released from prison, too.

“Zora feels horrible about all of this.” Bryce looked as miserable as Nika knew his fiancée was feeling.

“It has nothing to do with her. Wise is sick and would have set up somewhere again. He found her first, so he settled on Silver Valley.”

“Yeah, but...you know.”

Bryce didn’t have to elaborate. Nika did know—when Bryce’s fiancée had been only twelve she’d been a potential victim of the cult. She’d reported the cult, and Wise in particular, saving herself and many other girls. Zora had been moved to Silver Valley and started a new life with her adoptive family. But last year Wise had tracked her down and sent Zora’s mother to Silver Valley to go after the daughter she’d betrayed. Bryce, Zora and SVPD had worked together last Christmas to stop a serial killer who’d targeted Silver Valley’s female ministers. Nika wasn’t privy to all of the details but Zora had somehow worked in disguise to catch the Female Preacher Killer. She’d drawn her biological mother out and was instrumental in having her committed to a mental hospital, where she should have been when Zora was a young girl—before the True Believers Cult had held Zora and her mother hostage.

“How is Zora? This Christmas is going to be a lot different for you two.”

Bryce grunted. “We’re doing the minimum for Christmas as it’s the last week before our wedding. You have a date yet?” He shot her a collegial grin.

She grimaced. “No. Every time you ask, my answer will still be the same, Bryce.”

“Right. Well, you’ve got a few weeks to find a date. So, back to the Silver Valley High case. We’ve got someone who’s got a hard-on for the LGBT club and Mitch Everlock in particular. You go in there without your usual makeup, your hair plain, the right clothes, you’ll pass for a high schooler. Have you seen some of those girls? They’re like cover models. They all look twenty-five, whether they’re freshmen or seniors.”

“I doubt they all look that mature, but go on.”

“There’s a student whose mother is really into the meetings that the cult is holding, over in the trailer park.” The trailer park on the edge of Silver Valley had been purchased by Leonard Wise last year and occupied by his fellow former True Believers founders. “This mother is the only one we have a concrete connection to.”

“What’s the student’s name?”

“Rachel Boyle. You need to get in there and see what you can find out. I’m not saying become her best friend, because from what Mit—Mr. Everlock—has told us, she’s pretty withdrawn. At least, over the past semester she’s withdrawn.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s the Rainbow Hater, Bryce.” She didn’t call him on the fact that he’d referred to Everlock by his first name. It was obvious he and the science teacher must know one another outside of the case. “We don’t even know for sure if the Rainbow Hater is attached to the cult.”

“No, we don’t. But it’s the best lead we’ve got right now, Nika.”

* * *

Three days after having his life threatened by the latest bloody message, Mitch took a long look at his first-period class. He made sure he made eye contact with each of the twenty students. He hoped they each knew that he was here for them, whether it was about chemistry or personal matters. Especially if they were being coerced by the True Believers Cult members to commit a crime.

“Who can give me the resulting compound, given the variables we introduced into our lab experiment?” Mitch switched on the SMART Board, scrubbed clean of the tape goo from the hate message. As the digital whiteboard booted up he took another chance to peruse his smartest group of students. Period one, Monday through Friday: high school seniors, all but one or two destined for the top universities in the state. Many would go out of state, maybe one or two to an Ivy League. Acceptances hadn’t been sent out yet, but he’d seen enough seniors to have a good feel for where each would end up. He felt so damned privileged to be teaching the best of the best.

The thought of any of them being involved in the hate crimes left the taste of bile in his mouth.

“Anyone? What did you do this weekend that’s making you so tired on this fine Monday morning, folks?”

A raised hand. Amy Donovan, the class favorite. Not a teacher’s pet, but the class’s go-to girl on how to keep the labs safe and accurate. She was also the senior class president and a cheerleader. Silver Valley High’s all-American girl.

“Amy.”

“It’d be ammonia.”

“That’s right. Anyone else want to add your observations from last week’s lab? Neel, I remember you had several questions about the Bunsen burner.” The roll of laughter didn’t embarrass the first-generation Indian American who sat straighter and flashed a bright white smile.

“Jeffrey helped me with that just fine, Mr. Everlock.”

More laughter. Neel had accidentally singed his eyebrows with a Bunsen burner at the beginning of his junior year.

Had it been almost two years with this group already? They’d been the best Mitch had ever taught.

“I’m going to miss you losers over the holiday break. But we’ve still got three more units to get through in our textbook. Let’s keep the discussion going.” They all grumbled over their laughter at his teasing. They knew they were cherished, he suspected.

Mitch never got enough of the youthful energy. This class more than the others was special to him because they all wanted to be here, to go wherever their brains could take them. Which, for a good portion of them, would be very, very far.

Hopefully not as far as a war in Iraq or Afghanistan, where he’d been.

Using the techniques he’d learned through therapy sessions with his counselor, Zora, he took a deep breath and let go of the images of smoke and blood that filled his head as he was transported back to his time in the Middle East. The harrowing memories wanted all his attention—but he had a class to teach.

I’m in Silver Valley, Pennsylvania. I am safe. Today is Monday and it’s a B day on the school schedule.

The practiced reminder of reality settled him.

“Mr. Everlock?” Bright blue eyes reflected no notice of Mitch’s brief return to what had been his hell on earth.

“Shoot, Gabi.” Gabriella Boland had that line between her carefully shaped eyebrows, the line that meant he’d better pay attention. The straight-A student and senior class homecoming queen was as formidable in chemistry class as she was on the basketball court, where she hoped to lead her team to the state championships as she had last season.

“When are we going to get into how we can use chemistry to help the environment instead of making compounds that harm it?” Her face was innocent enough, her question valid, but could Gabi be the teen who’d written the message earlier? The one who’d left notes last semester, leading up to the last few weeks of school before summer break?

Keep your cool.

He hated how the threats were making him suspicious of every one of his students. It was like being back in the war—he couldn’t trust anyone.

“That’s something you can explore in your environmental studies at college, Gabi. For now, we’ll focus on getting our study guides in shape to tackle the final exams in six months. Mine and the IB’s.”

A collective groan rose at the mention of the International Baccalaureate exams that had, for this class, replaced the Advance Placement—AP—exams. Mitch held up a hand. “It’s the end of the first semester for me, too, folks. You’re not the only ones with a full load. You think I wouldn’t rather be getting my Christmas shopping done?”

Immediately wisecracks flew across the room, the students snickering as though they were back in middle school. Mitch ignored it. This was Mitch’s sixth class of seniors since he’d left the Corps, gone back to college and started his teaching career.

The bell rang and the classroom emptied. Mitch had two periods without class in front of him, almost two full hours. Instead of using the valuable time to grade homework or to prepare his lessons for the chemistry review, he had to go to SVPD and put in a full report of what had happened in his classroom since when the notes started last March. He’d given the responding officer his take and then been asked to leave the classroom while a forensics team did their work. It had chapped his ass to be cut out but he’d complied. As far as the SVPD was concerned, he was a normal high school teacher.

“Are the Rainbows still having their holiday celebration, Mr. Everlock?” Rachel Boyle had hung back when the other students had rushed out. Now she stood in front of Mitch’s desk, her close-shaven head a stark contrast to her large brown eyes and expertly made-up face.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t we?”

Please, please don’t let it be Rachel. Or Gabi. Or any of my students...

She shifted on her feet. “I heard that some parents were stirring up the pot again.”

“Which parents would that be?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. They didn’t say.”

“Who’s ‘they,’ Rachel?”

“Just some of the kids at lunch. The hot gossip is that you’ve been getting warnings from the principal to cancel the Rainbows.” Her stance remained neutral but he couldn’t discount the concern in her eyes. The Rainbows had taken Rachel in as a sullen, shy freshman and helped her build her confidence to become the strong young woman who stood before him. A bright student who’d been dropping in her scores, showing less and less interest in her academics. Lately the Rainbows seemed to be all she cared about.

Mitch sighed. “You know I’ll never let them cut the Rainbows or any of its programming from the schedule. And Principal Essis is never going to let anything happen to the club, either. Silver Valley High is about inclusion, period. You know that and enforce it better than I do, Rachel.”

“I know you’re behind us, and most of the teachers are, but some of the parents are crazy, you know? They think the Rainbows turned their children gay, lesbian, bi or trans, and they’ll do anything they can to shut it down.”

“I can assure you, Rachel, that Silver Valley High will keep the Rainbows going as long as I’m here. And Principal Essis is supporting us, too.” He looked at Rachel. She dated boys but had shared at one of the Rainbows meetings that she’d joined because she understood what it felt like to not fit in, and wanted to support all students at SVHS. She wanted to support the group.

“Excuse me? Mr. Everlock?” A girl Mitch didn’t recognize had walked into the classroom via the back lab entrance behind him. He hadn’t heard her approach and it rattled him.

Where was his training?

“Hi. I’m Nika Collins.” The girl held out her hand to Rachel. “I’m new, my family just transferred.”

Mitch’s instincts went on alert. A midyear transfer? In senior year? This had to be the undercover officer Claudia had mentioned.

“Hi.” Rachel gave her a little wave and started talking to her. Mitch used the moment to check out the new “student.”

“I’ve already completed my credits to graduate but since we moved here before the end of the year the district wants me to attend class until graduation. We moved from Iowa.”

She was good, really good. With no makeup and flawless skin, her face easily passed for a teenager’s. Her clothes were adolescent typical, too, from her form-hugging polo shirt to her low-slung skinny jeans and Sherpa-lined suede boots. But those biceps and the overall athletic build that accentuated her feminine curves, her most definitely adult woman curves, confirmed his suspicion. As a civilian teacher, he wasn’t supposed to know about it; Claudia had informed him as a Trail Hiker. He had to play dumb, but he also had to be prepared in case the True Believers started to pull their crap again. Principal Essis had been notified, too, and he knew that many of the faculty would expect nothing less with such serious threats.

Claudia wouldn’t have had to tell him this gal was undercover, though. The new “student’s” appearance, along with his gut instinct, which was rarely wrong, clued him in. He had to give the undercover operative kudos—the kids wouldn’t think twice of her except as a new classmate.

He hoped like hell his instinct wasn’t letting him down now, because this woman was hotter than hell and he hadn’t ever glanced at one of his students and felt a physical attraction before.

“Mr. Everlock, Nika’s going to come to our Rainbows meeting this afternoon.” Rachel’s voice brought Mitch back to the classroom.

“Glad to have you, Nika.”

“Sure thing.”

Rachel checked her phone. “I’ve got to go or I’m going to be late for French. Madame Kramer is doing a big finals review today. I’ll see you later, Nika.”

“See you.” Nika wiggled her fingers just as Rachel had done, looking every bit the new, slightly awkward student who wanted to fit in.

Once they were alone in the classroom, he waited for her to speak. He had to. To make sure.

“I think you know who I am, Mr. Everlock.”

“Do I?”

She looked carefully around the classroom before she held out her hand. “Nika Pasczenko, SVPD.”

* * *

Mitch Everlock was going to get his due. It was only a matter of time. They were still holding the Rainbows meetings.

As he watched the students head to their next classes from his spot in the school parking lot, some leaving early, some skipping, his blood boiled. He’d been warned that it might not be so easy to sway Mitch Everlock. What the stupid teacher didn’t realize was that the messages telling him to end the Rainbows weren’t a joke. This was about the truth, what was best and right and true for everyone in Silver Valley. Whether they wanted to believe it or not.

No officals had been out to the farms to test the blood, not yet. He knew they were slow, but it was taking them a long time. He fully understood, though, that the SVPD would eventually show up asking for samples of their most recent slaughter.

He was already ahead of them. The blood he’d used was from last year. He’d frozen it after he’d met Mr. Wise at the New Thought meetings, just in case he’d be able to use it for a future escapade. And he had.

“Do you have time to talk to the folks from Agriculture today?” His assistant’s voice came over the car’s hands-free speaker. He hated distractions but had to pay his bills for the time being.

“Of course. Anytime. Let me know what works for them.”

“Will do.”

The government oversight was constant. The state and federal governments didn’t trust him to run his own damn farms any longer. Before long, it wouldn’t matter.

When he’d found out about the Rainbows at his very own dinner table he knew that his support of the New Thought planned community hadn’t been in vain. All of the meetings he had attended were going to pay off. He missed the meetings but trusted Leonard Wise. It was better for him to study at home now, while he helped Mr. Wise prepare Silver Valley for what was coming.

Leonard Wise was always right. He was a brilliant man who had come to save Silver Valley. It all made sense. Silver Valley High School was a nest of lies, the way the innocent children of their community were being indoctrinated into society’s evil ways. The Rainbows club’s existence only cemented it.

He’d done what he had to: sent adequate warning that the likes of their sick morals wouldn’t be tolerated. That stupid chemistry teacher thought he was so smart, so savvy, helping the kids get into faraway colleges where their sinful lives could be lived out without their parents watching over them. And there was another problem. Most of the parents in Silver Valley were just as stupid and blind as their children.

But he saw what was happening. Leonard Wise and his brave teachings had enlightened him, given him a reason, a purpose. He was going to bring down the Rainbows and all the students in the group. Mr. Wise would be so pleased, because it would help bring more members to their effort. Once the Rainbows were gone, and the school wasn’t able to function, the parents would be forced to see that their children were running wild. That they needed discipline. That their girls needed to be dedicated to New Thought and to bring new members into the fold in the best, most pure way. Through perfect births.

But first he had to take out the man at the center of the Rainbows. The idiot teacher who was poisoning the children with the same sick lies that were plastered across all the newspapers and internet.

Mr. Mitch Everlock.