𝗣 𝗬 𝗥 𝗢 𝗠 𝗔 𝗡 𝗜 𝗔 | BOOK THREE

N I N E

[graham eaton]

I sit in the Ambulance, a pen in my hand as I try to decipher the code again. Although the letter was addressed to me on the front, the actual letter itself, two pages long as it is, was written in code. The symbols were the same as the first letter, but instead of using the same code, they were jumbled. Atticus approaches me and the paramedic who patches me up.

"You need oxygen, Graham. That letter will still be there later. Right now, you need to recover." He says.

I shake my head and look up at him.

"No, Atti, you don't get it. When I was in there, they knew I was coming. My name was spray painted all over the place. The letter was addressed to me. They were waiting for me. They knew about Dad and Zeke. They knew more than we think they know." I say.

Atticus raises an eyebrow and watches me carefully.

"How much did they know?" He asks.

I exhale and think back on the building. Before it burnt down, my name was plastered all over the walls.

"They knew enough about me. And who knows what else they know about me. I just want to figure this letter out to see what they have to say." I say.

He nods. He takes the letter from me and the pen and paper. He sits at the ledge of the ambulance and fills it out for me.

"Lay down and let the Paramedic do her job," Atticus says.

I exhale and nod, leaning back.

"But I'm a registered Nurse. I know what to do for burns." I say. "And besides, it isn't that bad."

The paramedic who stands over me raises an eyebrow and winces.

"It might not be bad, but it isn't good either." She says. "You're an RN?"

I nod and smile at her as she treats my burn.

"Yeah. I got my Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and Double Majored in Fire and Rescue Sciences." I say.

She raises an eyebrow and smiles.

"Wow, you were busy during college, huh?" She asks.

I nod and shrug. While in College, I double majored and played on the football team, basketball team, and the baseball team. When I wasn't at practice, I was in the dorm working while rest of my friends went out to parties during the weekend and got blackout drunk. The only time I ever went to parties was to drive my friends home. While they were away at parties, I was usually sitting in the dorm room finishing my papers or studying for my next exam. College was intense, but it was the best four years of my life. And two of which were spent with my little brother. His dorm mates were best friends with mine so they all usually came to our dorm, one of the larger dorms due to us originally having a fifth dorm mate who dropped out two days before classes started. When they came over, I was fortunate enough to get to spend time with Atticus. Atticus also double majored with the Fire and Rescue Sciences but instead of taking the RN program, he studied and became an electrical engineer. His program was only two years so we graduated at the same time and came home.

"College was tough, sure, but nothing I couldn't handle. It was fun really, exhilarating. And, I graduated Top of my class. Made Mom really proud." I say.

She smiles and nods.

Atticus jumps to his feet at almost the exact second that the Paramedic finishes her work.

"Thanks," I say, sitting up.

I grab my jacket and climb off of the stretcher, jumping out of the ambulance.

"I got it!" Atticus exclaims, running towards me. "I cracked it. This is big—bigger than us. We have to tell Dad."

I raise an eyebrow and take the latter from him, reading it.

"Did you like my trick? It was an old building with some questionable history within it's walls. And the good thing about fire is the evidence is almost completely destroyed. You could search in the rubble of a burnt building for decades and find nothing more than a singed piece of hair that could belong to no more than a dog. Within this letter is the location of my first two prisoners. If you want them to survive, you are going to follow my rules. I only have one rule—no news. You cannot show this letter to the news. If I see one report about this on tonight's news, the death of one of these prisoners is on you. I'll keep in touch. —Ghost."

I lift my eyes and run to my Father, handing him the letter.

"Can we analyze this? Get any data on fingerprints or anything like that?" I ask, crossing my arms.

I chew on my thumbnail, watching as he reads the letter, scanning over it a few times more.

"He's a genius. He—He understands fire and what it can do. If I were a betting man, I'd say he wrote this letter while wearing gloves but I'll have Nita check it out. I'll get the results to you before the News tonight. I'll call you so be watching for your phone." He says.

I nod. I walk to the fire engine and climb inside. Chief Williams climbs in, followed by Atticus. He sits across from me and nods to the driver. The engine drives away from the smoking embers of the burning building, knowing that the storm tonight will extinguish it entirely.

"This letter—it's big. It's bigger than any one person can manage. And it's only getting bigger from here. Now I have absolutely no clue how this asshole managed to attach you to the case but I'm behind you, 100%, in anything you have to do to make this all stop." He says, his thick Boston accent warm and kind. "Your Dad—he's been a real good friend. We met when you were just a boy. I had just been instated as Chief of the Department. Your Dad threw this huge party for me, had my wife make those cupcakes you boys loved so much. I tell you all of this because I like you boys. You've got heart. I don't want some numbskull with a kink for fire messing all of your hard work up. You've worked to hard, lost too much to lose something this big. I'm with you—no matter what."