Dark Prophecy (36 page)

Dark was being morbid though. His wife, Sibby, wasn’t here, in this cemetery. This was merely a marker to note that she had, indeed, lived. But his wife,
her essence
, was alive in his mind, and always would be.

“Where should I put them, Daddy?”

“Anywhere you want, sweetheart.”

The important thing was that Sibby had a physical reminder of her mother, who had died the day she’d been born. His daughter had no memories of her mother; nothing to keep alive in her mind. Of all the things Sqweegel took from Dark, this was the most heart-breaking. A daughter’s right to know her own mother—the smell of her skin, the kindness of her touch.

“That’s good, sweetheart,” Dark said, watching his daughter place the bunch of roses right next to the grave marker, in the corner where the stone met the earth.

“Is Mommy down there?”

Dark shook his head and crouched down. He placed his hand over her chest. “She’s right there. And she always will be.”

 

 

West Hollywood, California

 

 

Today was move-in day. Dark had spent the previous four days finishing the paint job and assembling furniture before driving up to Santa Barbara to retrieve his daughter. Hello Kitty figured large in the design scheme—not that Dark knew what the hell he was doing. He figured Sibby would set him straight with other suggestions along the way. After the cemetery and a quiet dinner and a trip to an ice cream parlor, Dark tucked his daughter into her new bed, kissed her forehead, and wished her sweet dreams.

He waited in his living room and listened. There was the hum of traffic on nearby Sunset. Someone laughing—drunkenly. The faint
click-clack
of high heels on concrete. A car horn, muted and distant. Normal L.A. night sounds. Nothing out of the ordinary.

After he was certain she was asleep, Dark went downstairs to his basement lair.

He had a video monitor trained on his daughter’s room, along with the best motion detectors available. If so much as a carpet beetle were to amble across her threshold, alarms would sound in the basement. But Dark also had another monitor displaying real-time murder stats. A system powered by experimental software and links provided by Graysmith. It was a command center that would be the envy of any law enforcement agency in the world, and it was right here. In Dark’s basement.

Turned out that it was possible to be a good father
and
a good manhunter. It wasn’t easy, of course. But nothing worthwhile ever was.

Over the past few days, a disturbing pattern in Eastern Europe had presented itself. A sadist who seemed to be able to walk through walls and who collected obscure trophies from his twitching, dying victims.

A few minutes later, the cell phone on top of the morgue table vibrated. Dark hit the green button, pressed it to his ear.

“I’m watching it now,” Dark said. “He’s going to make a mistake soon.”

Graysmith said, “How soon can you be ready?”

“I’ll call the sitter,” he said.

acknowledgments

Anthony E. Zuiker would like to thank: First and foremost my wife, Jennifer. Thanks for cheering me on to direct. To the cast and crew of
Dark Prophecy
, thanks for continuing to make the
Level 26
cyberbridges the best they can be. To Matthew Weinberg, Orlin Dobreff, Jennifer Cooper, William Eubank, David Boorstein, and Joshua Caldwell, you guys rocked this shoot. Not to mention the pig. Oink! Oink! A very special thanks to Duane Swiercyznski. Our second book together. We rock! And last, but not least, Team Zuiker: Margaret Riley, Kevin Yorn, Dan Strone, Alex Kohner, Nick Gladden, and Sheri Smiley.

Duane Swierczynski would like to thank: My wife, Meredith; my son, Parker; and my daughter, Sarah. Huge thanks to Anthony Zuiker for bringing me back into the Darkness, and all of Team Zuiker (especially Matt, Orlin, David, and Josh), who helped me find my way. Dr. Boxer watched my back. And last but not least, Team DHS: David Hale Smith and Shauyi Tai, my longtime partners in crime.

dark prophecy

Starring
Daniel Buran as Steve Dark
Justine Bateman as Hilda
Michael Ironside as Tom Riggins
Tauvia Dawn as Sibby Dark
Aaron Refvem as Henry

about the authors

ANTHONY E. ZUIKER is the creator and executive producer of the most-watched television show in the world,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
, and a visionary business leader who speaks regularly about the future of entertainment. Zuiker currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

 

DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI is the author of several thrillers, including
Expiration Date
, and writes for Marvel Comics. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

also by anthony e. zuiker