Free The Portal ~ Large Print by Christopher Allan Poe Page B

scared, and you’re about to go off half-crazy.”
    Vivian wanted more than anything to just tell her. But Jarod’s deformity and lightning storms? The radio in the room upstairs? It was too much. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it.
    “I have to get him back tonight,” Vivian said.
    “Cody is going to grow up without a mother. Do you want that?”
    “Of course not.” Her voice shook.
    “Then help me. Why do you have to do things the hard way?”
    “I’m not trying—”
    “Better yet, you tell me why it’s even smart to bring a gun. What if you killed somebody? What then?”
    Despite the wind, Phil’s screams echoed in her mind louder. “He murdered those boys in front of us.”
    “That’s no excuse for you to become a murderer, too.”
    “Dammit. He’s not human.” The words slipped out.
    “You should have thought of that before you married him.”
    “That’s not what I mean.” She paused, trying to think of a way out of this mess. Only the truth came to mind. Erika deserved at least that. “After he killed those kids last night, I shot him in the head. He stood back up and pulled Cody from my arms.”
    “Excuse me?” Erika gave her a look, and she knew that she’d just blown it. “Are you trying to say that he’s not a human being?”
    “I’m not sure what he is.”
    “I knew something was wrong with that man.”
    Wait. She couldn’t have heard right. “You believe me?”
    “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
    “And sound like a crazy person?”
    Suddenly, Erika looked around as if realizing some truth. She turned and began speed walking over to the man. “Hey.”
    “What are you doing?” Vivian followed close behind. “I don’t know about this guy.”
    Erika waved her away as they approached the sedan.
    “Yes?” he said. The trunk lid was down, but it was still cracked.
    “How much for all the guns you have in there?” Erika asked him.
    “That’s going to be pretty expensive. Are you sure you—”
    “Yeah,” Erika said. “And we want all of those exploding bullets, too.” She motioned to the money in Vivian’s hand with her eyes, so she handed it to him. “We’re getting Cody back tonight.”
    Vivian nodded.
    “Then that leaves only one more thing.” The man closed the trunk, reached into his back pocket, and flashed a badge. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law.”



CHAPTER 16
    M inutes passed like days in the cinderblock room. On the far side of the desk at which Vivian sat, a video camera rested on a tripod. A trail of wires led from it to a blank television screen. She dropped her head into her hands. For the last year and a half, some version of this moment had haunted her dreams. How could she have let it come to this?
    A buzz preceded a loud click, and the steel door opened. Carrying a file in one hand and mug in the other, a giant officer, maybe six-five, entered the room. He looked as though he spent every waking moment lifting weights.
    “Why am I still here?” Vivian asked.
    “We’ll get to that.” He set his items down, rolled up his sleeves, and placed his badge face-up. The gun holstered under his arm seemed as menacing as he was. “I’m Detective Torres.”
    “It’s been almost three hours.” Did they know that she’d given them a phony ID and social? The license photos were nearly identical, and Erika had been prepped, but what if they ran her fingerprints? She needed to hurry this up before they realized that she wasn’t Sarah Hoffman. “Please, I left my son with the babysitter.”
    “I’m sorry about that,” he said. “This may take some time.”
    “How long?”
    “That depends on you.” He turned on the television.
    Her face filled the screen. She wiped a smudge from her cheek, but it didn’t help. Covered in a layer of sweaty grit, she looked guilty of any crime they wanted to throw at her.
    “Where’s Erika?” she