“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, remaining silent so she wouldn’t give herself away by her accent.
When they reached the end of the dock, a string of lights sitting low on the ground turned on. He pointed to it. “This way.”
Luther jumped over a low railing and lifted Roxanne over it after him. She could have easily jumped herself, but they had to maintain Roxanne’s cover and pretend she was human, and he her gallant lover. It was evident that Forrester was watching them. He’d switched the guiding lights on the moment they’d reached the end of the dock.
Luther glanced around as he followed the lights with Roxanne by his side. They were on a path leading not toward the cell block but away from it. They were on the part of the island that was facing away from San Francisco.
As they walked, passing a large building on their left, more lights appeared on the path ahead of them. He glanced behind him and noticed that some of the lights he was following had already extinguished. Motion-activated lamps, he assumed. He had to hand it to Forrester. He was sophisticated and had obviously meticulously planned this exchange, whereas Scanguards had only had an hour or two to come up with any countermeasures. Luther could only hope that his old friends could improvise well and outwit their opponent.
He gave Roxanne a sideways glance. He still couldn’t see her vampire aura, and to him she looked entirely human. Wesley’s spell was working. And he hoped that Wes was right about the length of time the spell would cloud Roxanne’s aura and disguise the fact that she was a vampire. Her life depended on it. His and Isabelle’s, too.
They passed the ruins of the old officer’s club on their right. The water tower came into full view ahead, hovering over them to the left of the path. The old power plant appeared on the right.
Luther kept his eyes and ears open. Apart from the waves breaking on the rocks that surrounded the island and gave it its nickname—the Rock—there were no sounds. A steady cool breeze blew from the northeast, muffling even their footsteps.
The entire setting gave him the creeps. Obviously Forrester was a psycho, choosing a place like Alcatraz. A cold shiver ran down his spine. He didn’t like this place, and didn’t understand why Forrester had chosen it. One could reach the island only by water, which made an escape from it difficult. How was Forrester planning to get off the island with Katie (or rather Roxanne), once he had her? It made no sense. Even if he had a boat waiting for him, he had to assume that Scanguards would be easily able to track his movements on the water and follow him. Forrester was a sitting duck.
Roxanne’s hand on his forearm pulled him from his musings. “There,” she whispered and pointed to a spot in the distance.
He saw her immediately. A young woman dressed in a red period dress stood on a grassy, elevated area about fifty yards past the water tower, diagonally across from the old power plant and dilapidated storehouse. She was gagged and blindfolded. Behind her was a pile of rubble and from what Luther could see, she appeared to be chained to one of the rocks. She stood still, but even from the distance, he could see her chest moving up and down. She was breathing.
He exchanged a quick look with Roxanne, his heart pounding. “That Isabelle?”
Roxanne nodded.
“Good.”
“Welcome!” The male voice was distorted, coming from a loudspeaker somewhere from the right.
Luther’s gaze shot in the direction of the storehouse. He focused on the openings that had once held windows, but the glass had long been removed. Now the wind blew through the empty building, creating eerie sounds and shadows.
“Send Katie closer,” the voice demanded. “To the storehouse.”
Luther nodded to Roxanne, and she slowly walked in the direction of the voice.
“Stop!”
Roxanne stopped in her tracks. Luther held his breath, his eyes darting back and forth from Roxanne to Isabelle. He noticed Isabelle pull up her shoulders in fear. From one of the window openings, Luther perceived a movement, something reflecting for a brief moment. A mirror? Glass? He couldn’t be sure.
The sound of the ocean waves and the wind was louder now. It seemed to hum a rhythmic melody.
“Did you really think I’d fall for your deception?” the voice suddenly said.
Luther instantly shot Roxanne a look, but to his surprise her vampire aura was still cloaked. She still looked human. How did Forrester realize that she wasn’t Katie? From his hiding place in the storeroom he shouldn’t be able to tell. Only when standing within a few feet of Roxanne would he be able to realize that she wasn’t Katie.