The Invocation Read online

  “Huh?”

  “Think about the timeline. The day they think this Cotter guy crossed over was the same day Adam killed those people and Carlos blanked out. Right?”

  Jake tilted back his head. “Yeah. So, what are you getting at?”

  “Well, maybe Cotter needs to occupy a body. If a spirit in our world didn’t have substance, then what would it be?”

  “I don’t know,” Jake answered.

  “If a spirit didn’t have a body to house them in, then it would just be air. I doubt they could spontaneously generate a body. Therefore, they would have to occupy someone’s body.”

  Jake nodded slowly. “Kind of like possession.”

  “In a manner of speaking. Not in the demonic sense, but possession nonetheless. So, Cotter comes through the Ouija board, and then what happens? He finds a body close by.”

  “Carlos.”

  June put up her index finger. “Ask Kenna and Ben if either one of them blacked out at all. Is there any point where they can’t remember what happened? They were holding the planchette, so it makes sense that Cotter entered through one of them first. But maybe that lasted only a moment before Cotter makes his way to Carlos, which explains why Carlos acted out the way he did. It would also explain why he couldn’t remember anything.”

  Jake took a sip of coffee, letting his mind run through the possibilities. “If your theory’s right, then what happens to the person while Cotter is occupying their body?”

  “What did Carlos say about that time period?”

  “He doesn’t remember any of it. He said it was like everything went blank.”

  June shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they go into some void. Maybe they go to the spirit world.”

  “But if that was the case, then wouldn’t Carlos have some recollection of this?”

  “Based on the information we have, that part’s a little sketchy. Still, I like my theory.”

  Jake nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re onto something. It makes sense to me, anyway.”

  “That brings us to Adam.”

  Jake closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to think about Adam. His emotions ranged from sorrow to anger to ambivalence. “If Adam's telling the truth, then basically what happened to him mirrors what happened to Carlos, except in a more extreme way. He did something horrible, out of character even for him, and he has no memory of it.”

  June rested her chin on her folded hands. “I think you may have been right all along about that. You knew Adam wasn’t himself. It’s distinctly possible that if the spirit took over Carlos, then he could have done the same to Adam.”

  “What a mess. So now Adam is sitting in jail awaiting trial for crimes he didn’t commit. Double murder, no less. That’s messed up.”

  June nodded. “Tell me about it. He may have done you wrong, but he doesn’t deserve that.”

  “So, let’s play it out. After being in Carlos’s body, he jumps to Adam, goes on this crime spree, dumps him later.”

  June shook her head. “The time frame doesn’t fit. By the time I reached your house, Carlos was gone, but Adam was still there. If your theory is right, Cotter was in possession of Adam at that time, right?”

  Jake nodded.

  “But you told me Carlos was wandering for a bit, that he wound up a half mile or so from your house before he came back to his senses.”

  Jake nodded. “He was disoriented and wasn’t sure where he was at. Eventually, he figured it out and went home, but there was a gap between when he left and when he came back to his senses. It doesn’t work out. Cotter would have to occupy them at the same time.” Jake sighed. “Just thinking about this makes my head hurt.”

  “We’re missing part of the puzzle. We’re on to something, but we need more information.”

  “I feel bad for Adam. We should do something to help him.”

  “Like what?” June asked. “Petition the authorities to let him go because a malevolent spirit was in control of him at the time he committed those crimes. Oh yeah, they’ll believe that.”

  Jake said nothing.

  “We need to concentrate our efforts on stopping Cotter, or at least finding him. If he killed before, he’s going to kill again.”

  Jake took a deep breath. “Yeah. That’s a safe bet.”

  “I want to be there the next time Kenna contacts Mia. I have questions for her. Then maybe we can put together a plan.”

  Chapter XXVII

  Jake helped June put on her jacket as they exited the Starbucks. He was glad to be with her tonight. She brought sanity to this unreal situation. Her presence made him feel that things were going to be all right. He wished he could express his feelings to her, but that was not his strong suit, and he would wind up saying something that sounded stupid.

  “Kenna and her friends are really beating themselves up over this,” Jake said.

  “They’re just kids,” June said.

  Jake waved his hand. “Oh, I know. I’m not blaming them. They couldn’t have known all this craziness would happen. They got in over their heads.”

  “What did you tell them you were going to do?”

  “Nothing. There’s not much I can do. How can I possibly find this Cotter guy? It’s not like we know what he looks like, especially if he can possess people.”

  June folded her arms as they walked to Jake’s car. “There has to be a way.”

  Jake put his arm around her shoulders. The night was chilly, but mostly he wanted to be close to her. “Notifying the police would be useless. They would laugh at us.”

  June stopped walking. “What about that guy Kenna contacted? Mia’s old boyfriend.”

  Jake paused. “I guess he bought their story. He gave them a message to pass onto Mia.”

  “Maybe that’s someone we can talk to.”

  “Not sure what good it would do. He is a lawyer. He might bill us for it.”

  June chuckled. “I’ll make sure he’s off the clock.”

  They continued walking to the car. Jake let June inside of the passenger’s side, then entered the driver’s side.

  After Jake starting driving, June said, “If I’m right about Cotter being able to jump into a person and possess them, seeing what happened when he was inside Adam, I’m betting he’s still committing all sorts of crime. Maybe we can track him that way.”

  Jake nodded slowly. “Good thinking. You know, you’re really smart. And I just thought you were a pretty face.”

  June punched him in the arm.

  Jake smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. I’d be lost without you.”

  “I’m glad to be here.”

  Jake was driving on a back road to June’s house when he noticed the same black SUV that had been driving behind him since they left Starbucks. It was hard not to notice because there was no other traffic on the road. The SUV kept its distance, about a block behind him.

  He continued to drive until he reached a red light. Looking up at the rear-view mirror, his eyes went wide. The SUV wasn’t slowing down. In fact, it was speeding up, driving straight at them.

  “Oh, shit.” Jake hit the accelerator, but it was too late. The SUV crashed into the back of his car, jolting his car forward. Jake’s Hyundai spun around, only stopping when it hit a curb.

  While the car spun, Jake held the steering wheel to brace himself. An older model, his car was not equipped with air bags. Other than having been shaken from the crash, he felt fine.

  He turned to June, whose face was white. “You okay?”

  June nodded. “I think so.”

  “You sure? Do you think you need to go to the hospital?”

  “No. I’m okay. What the hell just happened?”

  Jake looked out the window for the black SUV. After catching sight of it, like the flick of a switch, he was seething with rage. Through gritted teeth he said, “This asshole in the SUV came straight for us, and instead of stopping, he accelerated. I saw him the whole time. The son of a bitch did it on purpose.”

  “Yo
u sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m going to have a talkin’ to with this asshole.”

  “Jake, be careful.”

  He got out of the car and slammed his door shut. In the background came the sound of June’s door closing.

  He marched to the black SUV. The driver was wearing a baseball cap and was laughing uproariously. Jake saw red. Forget about talking, he was going to beat the snot out of this jackass.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you?” Jake shouted. “You could have killed us.”

  The driver remained in his car, laughing and having a good old time. He gave Jake a middle finger salute.

  Spit flew from Jake’s mouth. “You think that’s funny? I don’t think that’s very fucking funny.”

  The guy in the car continued to laugh and point, bringing Jake’s rage to unhealthy levels. Without thinking, Jake delivered a front kick with enough force to smash the driver side window. Glass flew at the driver, who was no longer laughing.

  Jake flung open the driver’s side door.

  June shouted, “Be careful!”

  Ignoring her, Jake grabbed the man by the shirt and dragged him out of the car. “What’s wrong with you? Why did you smash your car into us?”

  The man chuckled. “Look at that. I got ole Jakey mad.”

  Jake froze. He had never seen this man before. “Do I know you?”

  “You may not know me, but I sure know you, Jakey.”

  Jake did not take his eyes off the man, but could feel June’s presence behind him. He narrowed his eyes, getting a sick feeling in his stomach. “How do you know me?”

  “You managed to get under my craw, Jakey-boy. You and me, we got unfinished business.”

  A sudden thought came into Jake’s head. “Cotter.”

  The man narrowed his eyes. After a few moments, he grinned. “Well. Well. Very impressive. You’re not as dumb as you look, and God knows you couldn’t be. Yeah, I’m Cotter and I’m gonna make your life hell. Then I’m going to kill you.”

  “Just like you killed those people when you were inside Adam’s body?”

  Cotter narrowed his eyes. “Catchin’ on quick, I see. Well, those were the ones the police know about. Let’ just say I’ve been a busy boy. Some people got in my way. People like you.”

  “Why are you here?”

  Cotter shrugged. “Why not? You see, life dealt me a shitty hand. Nothing ever went the way I wanted it. But now, I can do whatever the hell I want, and there’s not a damn person who can stop me. Hell, I can commit the worst, most heinous crimes you can think of, and I’ll never get imprisoned for it. I’m living the dream, brother.”

  June stepped forward. “You don’t belong here, Cotter. What you’ve done is an abomination. You need to go back to where you came from.”

  “Look who it is, the nice piece of ass from the other day. You know, you’d be much better off with me than this piece of shit. Trust me, I’d show you a real good time. I’ll have you coming back for more. They always do.”

  Jake grabbed his arm. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

  “And what are you gonna do, Jakey? You think you’re all bad. You’re nothing. I’ll mess you up.”

  “I’m going to stop you. Right here and now.” Jake glanced at June. “Stay back.”

  Just as she was moving away, Cotter threw a sucker punch that clipped the side of Jake’s head. The blow staggered him, but he had been hit harder than that before. Operating on instinct, he shot in for a double leg takedown and drove Cotter’s back into the asphalt, giving him time to clear his head.

  Based on how he reacted, Cotter had no clue on how to fight off his back. Jake quickly transitioned to the mount position, pinning Cotter down and pelting him with punches and elbows.

  In between the blows, Cotter reached up and poked him in the eyes. It clouded Jake’s vision. His eyes watering, he could do little to stop Cotter from slipping out of his grasp.

  Jake got to his feet, blinking hard. He was about to shoot in for another takedown, when Cotter pulled out a knife.

  Cotter flicked out the blade, but Jake was at a safe distance.

  “So, what are you gonna do now, Jakey? I’ve been lookin’ into you. I know all about how you’re this professional fighter, like that’s supposed to impress me. You see, I play dirty. Let me tell you, those rules don’t apply here.”

  Jake stepped back. He was going to have to change his tactics. Cotter’s knife changed the dynamics of this fight. What Cotter wasn’t taking into account was that he knew more than just mixed martial arts. Joe had schooled him on self-defense since he was nine.

  Jake feinted left, and Cotter swiped at him with his knife. Jake countered with a stiff kick to his leg, causing Cotter to step back. When he came forward again, he had a noticeable limp.

  Cotter snarled. “So that’s how you want to do it?”

  Jake nodded. “Yeah, that’s how I want to do it.”

  Jake kept himself at a distance. Cotter tried to stab at him twice, and each time Jake was out of range of the knife. On the third attempt, Jake punched him on the side of the head just above the ear, wobbling Cotter.

  Seizing the advantage, Jake followed up with short punches to his ribs and then a roundhouse kick to the head, which sent Cotter to the ground.

  He went to seize his knife hand to disarm him, but Cotter slashed his shoulder. Jake grunted in pain and scrambled out of the way. He had to get the knife out of play, but Cotter was savvy and had anticipated his move.

  Cotter was now laughing. “You liked that one. I betcha you don’t see that trick in the cage. Come on, darling. Let’s dance.”

  Jake nodded slowly. Blood oozed from his shoulder. He couldn’t tell how badly he was wounded, but it hurt like a bastard.

  This time, Jake moved in quickly, feinting with his right hand. When Cotter made a move to block it, Jake seized the wrist of Cotter’s knife hand. Holding the knife away, he landed a series of kicks to Cotter’s ribs which dropped him to his knees. Jake landed five consecutive punches with his right hand while holding the knife away with his left. Blood gushed out of Cotter’s nose.

  Jake applied a kimura to Cotter’s right arm. As he twisted Cotter’s arm back, applying pressure to his elbow joint, Cotter dropped the knife. Jake rolled him over, continuing to apply pressure to his elbow joint until Cotter howled in pain.

  Jake couldn’t resist. “I guess you’re not used to this on the streets.”

  Jake let go of Cotter and grabbed the knife, harmlessly tossing it near June, making sure it was out of Cotter’s reach.

  Cotter stumbled backward, holding his right arm, which dangled loosely. Jake would have liked to have done major damage to his limb, making it unusable for the foreseeable future, but he had been preoccupied with the knife.

  Cotter kept backing away, but Jake was not about to let him escape. He would finish this tonight.

  In the background, a dog barked. Jake glanced up and found an unleashed Rottweiler trotting down the side of the road. Cotter moved toward the Rottweiler. It growled as it approached. Jake narrowed his eyes and followed Cotter, not about to let the bastard get away.

  “Come here, doggy.” Cotter motioned with his fingertips and made a smooching type sound.

  The dog kept its ground, all the while growling at Cotter.

  “Nice and easy. I got a treat for you. Just come on over here, and I’ll take care of you good.”

  “What are you doing, Cotter?” Jake asked.

  “Don’t you worry about that,” Cotter said.

  Jake was worried. He had no idea what Cotter was up to, but one thing was certain, he was up to no damned good.

  “Come here, big guy,” Cotter said.

  The Rottweiler slowly approached. Cotter put out his hand, and the dog licked it.

  Cotter went slack. The dog growled, then charged at Jake.

  From behind June screamed, “Jake, watch out!”

  He couldn’t react in time. The dog knocked him to the ground an
d began trying to bite his neck.

  June wrapped her arms around the Rottweiler and tried to pull it away from Jake. He took the opportunity and kicked at the dog, but not before it bit his hand.

  The Rottweiler turned on June and growled at her. It jumped on her, knocking her off her feet.

  Jake ground his teeth. “Son of a bitch.” He scrambled to his feet and dove, laying a shoulder tackle on the dog, causing it to tumble out of the way.

  Keeping one eye on the Rottweiler, Jake extended his hand and lifted June to her feet. “You okay?”

  June grabbed her elbow. “I think it bit me. What the hell is wrong with this dog?”

  “I think Cotter’s taken control of that dog.”

  The dog circled around them. For all of Jake’s fighting experience, he had no concept of what to do against a dog. He got into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself and June if it attacked again.

  The dog barked a few times, then made as if it was going to attack, only to back away at the last second, as if it was playing with them. It raised its head and howled. The Rottweiler urinated before trotting away.

  “What the hell,” June said.

  They slowly approached the man as if he was a rabid animal. Jake’s head started to spin with the craziness of tonight’s events. It all had happened so fast, and little of it made sense. The only thing he was certain of was that what Kenna had been telling him was true. Cotter was alive and he was dangerous.

  The man was on his knees, a blank stare on his face.

  Jake stopped a few feet from him. “Hey, bud.”

  No reaction.

  June nodded toward the man. “He’s out of it. Look at his eyes.”

  The man looked horribly frightened, confused, unsure of what was going on, and altogether incoherent.

  Chapter XXVIII

  “What are we going to do?” Jake asked. “Before long, a car’s gonna drive past here and see the wreck. They’ll call the police for sure.”

  June stared into his eyes, a fierce look of determination on her face. “We have to leave.”