Purgatory: Sin Series Book 3

Chapter 4

“This is pretty much it.”

Jack Stern drew one last circle on the map spread out on the table. Patrick stood to one side, hand on his chin, gazing down at the points Jack had encircled. There were five altogether, spread out over almost a hundred acres, each one almost the same distance away from the other. Jimmy sat on the bed by the window, staring out at the falling rain, the neon lights of The Blue Whale flickering in the storm.

Patrick looked at him, barely reading what was going through his head, before he returned his attention to the map.

“These are all outside Darville,” he commented, briefly looking at Jack. He had tried to convince him not to join them, but once Jack had learned why they were in Darville, there was no shaking him.

The storm outside was picking up, and Patrick braced himself against the possibility of a power outage. He had three flashlights strewn on the small couch beside the bathroom, ready for just that, but he still prayed that they would be spared any more imitations of their time at the Kurtain Motel.

“True, but according to zoning, these lands are still part of Darville,” Jack explained. “Back in the nineteenth century, only five families made up the general population of the town, the center of which we know now as Downtown Darville. In reality, it was just the town hall and two streets where travelers stayed on their way through Connecticut to Hartford. There were barely more than fifty or sixty people around here at once.”

“So five estates, one belonging to each family?”

“Pretty much,” Jack nodded. “Only three of them are still occupied. The remaining two were abandoned decades ago, before I was born.”

Patrick bit his lower lip and tapped a finger on his jaw, trying to pinpoint where they should start their search for Tara.

“Where were the bodies found?”

“Here,” Jack pointed at Heldon Manor, then rummaged through the markers in his hand and drew a circle in blue around the woodlands behind it. “Heldon’s been closed off since the First World War. As far as the rumors go, it’s occupied by squatters and druggies.”

“We’ll find her there,” Jimmy said from where he sat, his eyes still locked on the storm outside.

Patrick only glanced in the boy’s direction before nodding in agreement. “If there’s one place she could find confessions, it would be a house full of sinners.”

“Excuse me?”

Patrick looked at Jack and shook his head. “Never mind. Is there a way we can get there?”

“There’s a dirt road leading through the woods right up to the front gates,” Jack said. “The problem is, you’re going to run into a lot of trouble driving up there. The Sheriff’s got his eyes on that road.”

“I thought it was a closed case?” Patrick asked. “Why would your father still be interested in the manor?”

“Dad’s a skeptical kind of guy,” Jack smiled. “He doesn’t believe for a second that it was a suicide, and I’m sure he’s gone over the coroner’s report by now.”

Patrick smiled at that. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t come across something he can’t handle.”

“He’s a tough nut.” Jack waved. “Don’t worry about him. Let’s just stick to what we have to do here. So Heldon Manor’s our first stop?”

“Our?” Patrick asked, raising an eyebrow at Jack and giving him a small smile.

“You’re not actually going to keep me out of this, are you?” the young man asked. “Come on, Patrick, you’re going to need me. No one knows Darville as much as I do.”

Patrick eyed Jack carefully, noting the stark difference between the shaken man he had met almost a year before and his ambitious counterpart standing excitedly across the table from him. It hadn’t taken Jack long to get over what he had seen, and although Patrick had come across his fair share of death, he still couldn’t shake off the feelings that rushed through him every time a new body fell around him. He envied Jack’s resolve, motivated by pure curiosity, oblivious to the dangers that he was sure to encounter. Patrick looked over at Jimmy, noticed the boy looking at him earnestly, and nodded at him slightly.

“This is more than enough from your side, Jack,” Patrick said. “You’ve been an incredible help so far. I couldn’t possibly ask you to do anything more.”

“Bull,” Jack responded. “You can’t just drag me into all this and expect me to be happy with the bench. I’m coming with you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”