Continued from Part Five

Ian Buckell sat on a metal folding chair in the FBI field office in Boston, after the SIB agents dropped him off.

Ian had confessed. Sort of. He told them  he fabricated a rendezvous of the world’s worst criminal minds in Jamaica, sabotaged the plane and the parachutes, and ejected into the sea. In truth, he’d trusted Jalzabel’s word, and the demon betrayed him along with the rest of the Guild of Heroes.

The FBI Agent said, “Okay, Buckell, why did you do this?”

The truth would land him in an insane asylum. “I don’t know.”

Half the agent’s unibrow raised. “You killed thirty-two of your friends and you can’t even explain why?”

Ian sighed. “Would you believe the devil made me do it?”

The agent grimaced. “Cute. You’re one sick puppy, Buckell.”

The door opened and a balding man in his forties entered. “I’m Special Agent Markum. The suspect is coming with me. We have a few questions for him in DC.” He handed the interrogator a folder.

The Interrogator nodded. “He’ll be ready for transport within the hour.”

Jalzabel laughed within him.

“No!” screamed Ian. “I won’t go!”

The interrogator sneered. “You’re sure in a  position to be making demands.”

“But!”

Jalzabel took control and cried out, “He’s in league with the devil!”

Jalzabel whispered in his ear, “Not quite what you were going for, was it?”

Markum and the Interrogator exchanged glances. Markum said, “Of course I am, and the devil doesn’t have jurisdiction over you, does he, Emperor Napoleon?”

The interrogator chuckled. “Be sure and get him a psych evaluation.”

Ian sat down and sighed. No friend or ally could bail him out. He’d killed them all.

###

Slumped in the rear of his captor’s car, Ian scowled at the back of Markum’s head. “You’re heading the wrong way.”

Markum laughed. “Professor, you know we’re not going to the airport.”

“Where are we going? I don’t understand why you’re doing this. I was going to take myself out of the picture. I’d have done it already, if not for those SIB Agents.”

“Oh, believe me, that was part of the plan. But, we’ve actually got work that requires you breathing. You see, you didn’t quite finish the job on your friends.”

Ian blinked. “What do you mean? They never reached Miami, and I doubt they crashed into the ocean.”

“They missed their target. With one exception, they’re all alive.”

Ian’s face lifted. Yes!

Markum chuckled. “But Jalzabel will take care of that.”

Jalzabel’s voice came out of Ian’s mouth. “Yes. What have they been able to get done in the past three days?”

Markum snorted. “Try two hours. For every day there, a month goes by here.”

“Have they any idea where they are?”

“Last I heard, no.”

“Excellent. Let’s insure they don’t find out until it’s too late.”

Continued…Next Monday

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