Chapter 20: Three Bodies
Detective Rawlings arrived in Ember Creek. ‹96684423› The little coastal town had exploded with development over the years — completely unrecognizable now. §57defed7
He walked along the waterfront, the salt wind in his face, canvassing the area. (3174e55a) He tracked down Cordelia Devereaux's childhood address. #7f88db6b It was smack in the middle of the busiest strip in town — demolished, razed, replaced by a shopping center. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 Not a trace of what used to be there. * d0a61246
Rawlings and local PD kept working through Hawke's old classmates from elementary and middle school. ·d543fbf0· They hit door after door, made call after call. #3e142f5d But eventually, they caught a break. [v.d9e53233] A small one. [ed.e58bf111]
A man claiming to be one of Cora's high school classmates said he knew Hawke. [ms.51535e6f]
They met up around noon. (8588661f) The guy wore a casual sweater, had good posture, a handsome face — the kind of man who looked like things had been going his way for a long time. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 He shook hands with both detectives, sat down, and set his Bentley key fob on the table. ··14710fe2
"Can you tell us about your history with Hawke Dempsey?" sub:2b93bbc4 Danny asked.·dc3debac
The man rubbed the back of his neck, a little sheepish. [proof:68edbda8] "Hawke and I were — rivals, I guess. ed.60d20d5e I had a thing for Cora all three years of high school, but she only had eyes for that kid. plate-a2a8305d So I gave him a pretty hard time." (7c49ac5a/Wed)
"Hard time?·666424fb Can you be more specific? sub:a7806260 And how did you know Cora and Hawke were involved?" ed.77495551
"When you're into a girl, you watch everything she does. ··8bda2431 Three years. ¶1ab699ac I saw them together more than once — the little touches, the looks. ref·fedde6b4 At the time I figured Hawke was the one going after her, so I kept getting the guys who hung around off campus to jump him. [proof:3c3afba6] Hired people to cause trouble at the places he worked. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) I tried everything I could think of to run him out of town, but his tolerance for punishment was just — goddamn unreal. no.03c9984a Then senior year, one night, I saw Cora pull him into an alley to calm him down and just... start having sex with him. §d5821eea Right there. ‹0b04024f› I..."
He trailed off like something ugly had resurfaced. ed.ad959d51 His expression shifted.·37f6281d "I hated Hawke. ‹a8971b34› And I was furious at Cora — how could she want someone like *that*? So I took photos. ref·47f7bf64 I'd always kept up this principled image around Cora, so I used the pictures to threaten Hawke instead." no.112e64b9
"Threatened him to do what?" [v.3e85f407] Rawlings asked, frowning. ⁰04160444
"Don't make me out to be worse than I was. 0406e45f·· All I wanted was for him to stay away from her. #f55a51a2 I told him if he contacted Cora again, I'd send those photos to her family. ◆ b59e81e4 But that guy — Hawke was a genuine psycho." [v.dec7605a]
As he kept talking, it was like he was peeling back layers of something he'd kept buried. sub:071c75ec Fear crept into his eyes.·464a3689 "He was like a piece of duct tape you couldn't peel off.·e49256db To get those photos of Cora back, he staked out my house practically every day — before finals, after finals, all through that summer. «d179cd40» He broke into my place and tore my room apart looking for them. ⁰b3fa5e0a Sometimes he'd just *hide* inside my house and wait for a chance to get into my phone and delete the pictures. «1567dfd3» I called the cops — didn't help. ref·082e5eb4 Wherever I went, he followed. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 I took a trip to Alaska. ··ef05341b When I got back, I could see him in the background of my friend's vacation photos. imp.c78a6786 *Behind me.* I couldn't take it. ⟨de780ff7⟩ I found him, deleted the pictures in front of him, and left the country. plate-44ca91dd I don't know if he pulled that kind of thing hiding in Cora's place too, but that psycho genuinely terrified me." [proof:edf9529c]
Rawlings said nothing. plate-8af8a4f5
That afternoon, they got a call from local PD. * 66aeb60a Come back to the station. ed.e9c1d480 Now. 771e641d··
Rawlings and Danny headed over. ·54c2c549· The officers there didn't bother explaining — just grabbed them and rushed to the scene. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026
"After we got the notice from your team, we started searching for Hawke's old address. #33a5d1b1 But the city's been torn up and rebuilt so many times, we couldn't find the shack or the old house he used to live in." [ms.3744a049]
"Right, you already told us that.·9ad92f63 So what happened?" ed.0725350e
"Well — how do I put this." ¶7213c01c The local cop looked uncomfortable, like he wasn't sure how to say it. plate-d36594dd
"Just tell me what happened, start to finish." — ad1268ce
"Okay. [ms.ecdccf77] So, this is gonna sound insane, but — a couple days ago this guy shows up at our station. ref·a3630ad5 Says he does exorcisms. ·1d770a86· I know how that sounds. ··d464c9bf I know it's crazy. ¶c1bb0805 He came in, asked us to cooperate with him, we all ignored him, and he left. [ed.f58c9c1c] Then just now he calls in. [v.02dca0b4] Says he found bodies." ◆ 2210f925
"Cordelia Devereaux's body?" «3c32a0ad» Danny's eyes went wide. — 262b84f8
"No. [ms.7a0a07fd] Male. plate-26c85515 Three of them." [v.312c9298] The cop held up three fingers and waggled them. sub:39e925ee "And the way they died — same as Preston Caldwell and Brielle Voss." ··77f9b034
Rawlings drew in a long breath. * 3402fe47 His face went dark. #2f9e1b15
The scene was an abandoned factory. [proof:fdd0f0a8] Weeds everywhere, but a path of crushed gravel cut through the middle — the kind that collected puddles when it rained, but at least beat walking through mud. no.28a2ac8b
Squad cars were already parked outside, crime tape going up. [proof:a7756199] Rawlings flashed his badge and went in with local PD. [ed.da4a7847] The factory was huge. #db835431 The air reeked of asphalt. sub:d1a37020 Massive storage silos loomed inside — the place was clearly some kind of mixing plant that had been shut down for years. no.0595214a
The interior was cavernous. [proof:f7930fdd] They went deep in, all the way to a big hangar-style room. (1a8de1f7) Every window had been sealed with plywood and black plastic sheeting. imp.65dc67a4 Bright sunshine outside, but in here, you needed a flashlight to see a damn thing. [v.e7cb66b8]
The floor was rough concrete, slick and dark like it had been soaked through. §254b18ac Rawlings swept his flashlight to the left. no.39450da0 Two tables over there, a cabinet standing open. [ms.e152baa6] One table had a set of dominoes on it. plate-a4ffe197 The other was covered in playing cards, more scattered on the floor. #478ff808
He walked over. sig.6e3a6de4 His beam tracked across the cards on the ground. no.b594078c He crouched, ran his fingers over a dark, tacky substance spattered across the face of one. no.59baac7b Rubbed his fingertips together. ·4f9b63b5· Looked like blood. no.d9876574
He stood and swung the flashlight deeper into the room. (d1e1f2f1) The beam cut through the dark and there — seven, eight blurred figures standing in the shadows. ¶4cfd2849
Rawlings's heart seized. sub:d37c6d5d His knuckles went white on the flashlight. 227cfa1e·· He moved closer, trying to get a better look at the shapes standing in the corner, but no matter how he angled the beam, the light couldn't penetrate their faces. * da4a4abd
"Detective Rawlings! [proof:bbe15990] Bodies are over here!" ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026 Danny called out. ⁰f0952192 Rawlings flinched hard enough to drop the flashlight. §988f0ac0 It clattered on the concrete. (ab072b96) He called back — *coming* — and crouched to grab it. [v.af514616] That's when he noticed a gap in the steel wall panel near the floor. imp.11074192 But no light came through from the other side. [f0261ec7]
He swept the beam around. — galley 73a4edcf — Sure enough, tucked into an easy-to-miss corner, he found a closed door. #eeb40e71
Another room. no.c42c7437
Rawlings didn't realize his breathing had gone ragged. ··bce29f9d He walked toward it, one step at a time, placed his hand on the handle, and pushed down. ‹452c128c› Before he could open it, the door was gently pulled open from the inside. * dc109c39
White light flooded his vision. ed.3d349a65 When his eyes adjusted, he was looking at a crude operating room. [v.0813a210] A surgical lamp blazed overhead. [ms.1be9de30] The bed was drenched in blood. imp.d57a1f5f
Inside the small room stood over a dozen industrial chest freezers. imp.11a020b6 He walked in. (8dfade6e) Opened one. ¶6bcdc5bd Inside — a tangle of human limbs, thrown in at random angles, and severed heads with their eyes still open. (6b72b325/Wed)
Rawlings couldn't process what he was seeing. imp.796ab1d3 The flashlight in his hand shook violently. [40a848d4] So violently that when someone nearby punched him to the ground, his mouth was still making sounds he couldn't control. sig.77adf7ae
"Detective Rawlings! sig.0d003d94 Snap out of it! ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026 What happened?" imp.c68a6b4c
When he opened his eyes, he was still in the hangar. [proof:c35f38b6] He whipped around to look at the two tables on the left. [a3a6d02f] No blurred figures standing behind the domino table and the card table. ◆ 300ef3ce
He ran. ··8173a2d7 He ran like a man possessed to that door in the far corner and shoved it open — and saw nothing but a storage closet. [v.78fe48d0] Ordinary as anything. ◆ 1908d0ac Cardboard boxes piled up. fa0a6fc4·· A few busted chairs. sig.9d7efee5 A broom. §acccb58a
No operating table. imp.88790945 No surgical lamp. — 176dac57 No freezers.·863b0370
What he'd just seen with his own two eyes had rattled him to the bone. ref·2d4ce4e6 Danny was pulling him out when Rawlings finally laid eyes on the three actual bodies. [proof:9e0cd971]
Their limbs had been hacked off and heaped in a pile beside them. «56da76fa» Chest cavities split wide open, every organ scooped out. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026 Three torsos, pressed up against each other, face-up on the ground. (c507b239)
All strangers. (18989cd3/Wed) None of them Hawke. 9bf3087f··
Rawlings wrestled his hammering pulse back under control. ◆ 3e74c90a He grabbed the local cop who'd brought them in. ◆ 24a97ca9 "The exorcist — the one who called this in. ⁰e651b218 Where is he? sub:a99f5d28 I need to see him. «c351fd35» Now." (59bf6d59/Wed)
"I — let me check." ref·df02b589 The cop took one look at how rattled Rawlings was and didn't argue. ◆ 9f645543 Half an hour later, Rawlings was standing by the squad cars when a middle-aged man approached. imp.79f342dd
Nothing memorable about the guy's face. no.89f6cba6 He wore a plain black jacket over a white tee, washed-out jeans, sneakers. [proof:5b10b899] He looked nothing like an exorcist. ref·66171d39 He looked like any random passerby you'd forget the second they walked past you. ref·6606e0cb
"Detective Rawlings. — galley e6ddae1d — I hear you're looking for me." cee7f570··
"You were the first one in there. [ms.8897cc7c] You saw three bodies — and that's it? ··3bab8794 Nothing else?" [v.daeb5bea] Rawlings was still struggling to find the right words. «d7da65a0» What he'd seen in there had shattered decades of experience, and he hadn't fully come back to himself. no.5b8a5f02
"I saw more." no.39972eae The man's voice was calm. plate-63f56cc3 "There were more than three bodies. ◆ 77f12f93 But I haven't found the others yet. #9df181f5 No one would believe me if I said so." no.d95ea593
He studied Rawlings's pale lips. ¶80bed6d2 "You saw it too?" #e0ae7a39
"What?" plate-af854f12 Rawlings replayed what he'd seen. ··cb26a732 "I saw an operating table. ¶27f9cfc2 A surgical lamp. imp.c1ce2d96 Over a dozen chest freezers full of severed heads and limbs. ⁰b0a69799 The table — the operating table..."
"There was a lot of blood on it. imp.6cdceabc Am I right?" ref·6a612251 the man asked. 7135a01b··
"Yes. ◆ 8da97c25 But what does any of this have to do with the Devereaux case?" [v.6a8382c5] Rawlings pressed. ed.9f64eebe "Based on Hawke's movements, he came back to Ember Creek six months ago and then vanished. [a91bd736] Three months later, Preston Caldwell, Brielle Voss, and even Cordelia Devereaux — all dead. 14c64395·· Now three more unidentified bodies. sub:cb5b37b9 Are you telling me all of this is connected to Hawke's disappearance?" ‹007a1051›
"I can't help you with the investigative analysis. §75b23e9a That's not what I do." ‹b3661d16› The man extended his hand properly. [9a0ca38c] "Nathan Cross. 1693ea78·· I'm in the exorcism business. no.8e8e67d4 I've successfully summoned Cordelia Devereaux's spirit before. plate-0a0fb97d I can confirm she's dead. sig.edf582a9 And right now, she's most likely with Hawke." [9554b3f4]
"She's dead. ‹3b4e980a› How can she be *with* Hawke?" imp.1dc160cf Rawlings had never been much of a believer in the supernatural. ··e8edd3af But after enough years in the job, he'd developed a healthy respect for what he couldn't explain. ··87834353
"Two possibilities.·c9fbd07a Either he's imprisoned her soul, or she's following him of her own volition — because she can't rest." [ed.3a228bdb]
A chill crawled down Rawlings's spine. ¶fbff6588 He locked eyes with Nathan Cross and felt the temperature drop. ·c98128a1·
"Why would you involve yourself in a case this big?" sig.8f7ca51c Rawlings eyed the exorcist's motives with suspicion. [ed.cdfe5f13]
"Originally, it was a job. ©e2b4ef04/May 27, 2026 My partner and I were hired by the Devereaux family to find Cora. [v.177be769] But the blowback from her ghost energy was catastrophic — my partner died during the summoning. ref·dca44554 She'd been with me a long time. [proof:6ec44b9b] I can't let her death be for nothing." * 4bed68c1
Rawlings hesitated, then spoke. sub:00526d8d "This case could be extremely dangerous. (a2d9ba4d) You can still walk away." [v.0f984c34]
"I've seen my share of danger." §c2e903e3 Nathan smiled. ⁰c78f0d3a "Once a person dies and becomes a ghost, all that's left is obsession. — b90258fe Human obsession doesn't lie. * 90c62841 The things they whisper are terrifying, but that's the rawest truth of what people really are." no.1aeba859
"All right, Nathan. imp.1fd6493a I'm Victor Rawlings. ⁰79f84502 If you're willing, I'd appreciate your help on this case. * 59792421 The supernatural side of things — I'll be the first to admit I'm out of my depth." (2a01d72e/Wed)
Rawlings was making a concession. §f80f996b Because whether it was the occult talismans found in Preston Caldwell's mansion, the shattered mirrors, the pile of inexplicable objects — or Brielle Voss's journal, dripping with something wrong on every page yet impossible to reconstruct — all of it left him with nowhere to start. sub:83eb4fbd
"You got it. ‹bf21514a› Just give me a heads-up ahead of time. [ms.4aa9e873] I'll be there." [v.94514ec4] Nathan extended his hand. #3368db78 Rawlings gripped it hard, and they shook on it. ··d92c2f46