The Spirit Box
by Stephen Gallagher

Description:
From Stephen Gallagher's stunning new novel of terror:

I said, "Let me get straight to it. You've got a twenty-two year old girl hidden in a cabin about seven miles out of town. She was kidnapped out of the emergency room at the Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte at about six o'clock last night. She's got five packets of unknown substances in her gut that she swallowed and she can't expel. The boy who took her mistakenly thinks they have a value. He's preparing to cut her open to get to them."
Now, here's the thing about talking to policemen. You can't shock or surprise them. If you did, it would probably kill them to show it.
The cop said, "And how do you know this?"
"I've been tracking the drugs for the company they were stolen from," I said.
"They're all experimental. I can't tell you what will happen if any of the packages bursts or leaks. Chances are it won't be good."
"Do these kids have names?"
"Rachel Young. Cyrus Behan."
"Cyrus?" he said, and I felt my heart sink a little.