A mural was painted on the backside of the building. Stella stepped backward away from the building to get a better look.
“Marcus did this,” she said, pointing to the building.
“Explains how he knew about the place,” Ashton said.
“No. No one named Marcus did this. Gimp did all this.”
“Gimp?” Ashton asked.
Stella walked over to the building and ran her hand over where it looked like someone had scribbled a letter. “Marcus did this. I’d know his signature anywhere.”
“Gimp did this,” Steve said again, almost sounding angry.
“Where is this Gimp?” Ashton asked.
“Gimp don’t keep a schedule. He shows up whenever he wants to or if he’s got his hands on extra clothes or food or sometimes when he just wants to paint.”
“And is that Gimp’s car?” Ashton asked.
“Yeah. That’s Gimp’s car.”
“Where is Gimp?” Stella asked. “Please.”
“Gimp went inside. The painting he’s working on is up on the second floor.”
“Can you show us? I’d really like to see it,” Stella said.
“I don’t know. Gimp doesn’t like people watching him work. He has a bad temper and gets mad and yells.”
“We won’t tell,” Stella said, trying to ease the man’s fears.
He gestured for them to follow and headed inside the crumbling building, jogging up a set of stairs. He gestured down the hall. “Second room on the right. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” Stella said and started walking.
Ashton stopped her again and moved her behind him.
“He’s not dangerous,” she whispered.
“He had blood on his coat, Stella. We don’t know what he is.”
Ashton eased down to the room with his gun pointed at the ground and stepped into the room.
She followed behind him and gasped.
Marcus was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. The side of his face was bruised and swollen.
Ashton moved to him and rested his fingers at his pulse before pulling out his phone. He dialed 911. “This is Special Agent Ashton Bennett. We need an ambulance.”
“We’re at some run-down abandoned building in the woods behind the hospital. We have one person bleeding and unconscious on the second floor. Send an ambulance now and be advised this is a homeless camp.”
“Marcus.” Ice-cold fear wrapped around Stella as she dropped to her knees beside him. “Marcus. Can you hear me? Help is on the way.”
Ashton pulled Stella back out of the way and handed her his phone. “Go down and show them where we are. I need to try to stop the bleeding.”
Ashton took his jacket off and held it over the wound on Marcus’s chest.
Stella stood frozen.
