Blood in the Marsh (34 page)

He took a bite and his eyes widened. “That’s great!”

Lyra smiled and handed him the slice. “Here, I’ll fix another.”

May-May watched the exchange without a word. When Lyra finished spreading jam on another slice, she licked her fingers and looked at her. “May-May, this is really fantastic. But I guess you already know we didn’t come here just to eat. I really need to know anything else you can tell me about the Adversary.”

May-May nodded and took a drink of coffee. “Seems like there might be something you need to tell me, too.”

Lyra nodded and looked down. “Yeah, there is.”

May-May reached over and touched her hand. “Listen, young Lyra. There’s no need to be ashamed about anything here, you understand? I might be an old woman but I know all about feelings and there ain’t nothing shameful about having them. So whatever it is you just let it out and we’ll find a way to deal with it together.”

Lyra looked up and smiled. “You sound a lot like another friend of mine.”

May-May cut Michael a look. “You mean this big strong man here? Honey, this man ain’t no friend. Why, I could tell that as soon as I looked at him.”

“No, he is my friend,” Lyra protested. “May-May, Michael’s—”

“In love with you,” May-May said, staring straight at Michael. “It’s clear as the sunrise—written right there in his face. Isn’t it, Michael?”

Michael blushed and said nothing and May-May chuckled. “Guess I’m gonna take a little gettin’ use to, ain’t I, Michael Santera? See, I’m too old and too stubborn not to speak my mind. So I call it like I see it. That’s just my way. I believe in being honest and to the point.”

“So do I,” he said. “Which brings us back to why we’re here. Is there something you can tell us that will help us fight this demon or whatever it is?”

May-May nodded. “There just might be. Now you listen real careful…”

Sea Island

Nick still was not back when Lyra and Michael returned from their visit with May-May. Michael walked inside the house with Lyra and stopped in the kitchen. “Listen, I really hate to leave you here alone, but I have to get to work.”

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “Go on. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked as he reached out to stop her from turning away from him. “Lyra, I still don’t think Nick would ever hurt either one of us. God, he’s one of the best friends I ever had. I’ve trusted him with my life. I know he’s a little weird when he goes into killing mode, but that’s because of his line of work. He has to be that way to stay alive. But he’s not the kind of man who would sell out his best friend and the woman he loves.”

Lyra looked up at him solemnly. “I really hope you’re right, Michael, but I’m not going to put all my eggs in that one basket. Maybe I’m wrong, and I hope I am. But just in case I’m going to do what I can to make sure we don’t end up as the next in a long line of sacrificial lambs.”

“You really believe what Mrs. Carter told us?”

“I don’t know. I think so.”

She looked up at him for a moment then put her hand on his chest. “MichaelI’m not sure about much right now. There are a lot of things I have to get straight in my own mind before I can start to figure out what’s true.”

“Does it have anything to do with the missing pages in Lucius’ diary?”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “How did you know about that?”

“Nick told me,” he replied. “He asked if Chelsey or I had taken them.”

“Oh!”

“So?” he asked.

She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. “Just let it go for now, okay? I’ll tell you—when I get it worked out.”

“All right. I guess I better get going.”

She nodded and walked him to the door. “Thank you for going with me, Michael.”

“Sure.” He smiled and gave her a soft kiss.

Lyra wanted to hang onto him, to deepen the kiss, to feel his skin bare against hers. But instead she simply returned the kiss and smiled. “Go on, you’re going to be late.”

Michael reached for the doorknob then turned suddenly and kissed her on the cheek. “See you later.”

Lyra smiled and nodded, then closed the door behind him. She walked through the house to Lucius’ study and opened the door. “Okay, time to get to work.”

Chapter Twelve

Just before noon, Lyra heard the front gate buzzer sound. She went downstairs and pressed the intercom button to the gate. “Yes?”

“Darling do open the gate,” Lexi’s voice came through the speaker.

Lyra grimaced but pressed the gate opener switch. A few moments later she saw Lexi’s Mercedes stop in the circle in front of the house. Leo got out and opened the car door for Lexi. They walked to the front entrance and rang the bell.

Lyra opened the door and looked at them without expression. “Yes?”

“Is that anyway to greet your mother?” Lexi snapped and brushed by Lyra into the house. “God, this place is a mausoleum! How can you stand being here? Do you have anything cold to drink? On second thought, I could use a martini. Where’s the staff?”

Lyra stepped back as Leo walked in, smiling at her like the cat that had just eaten the canary.

“Why are you here?” she asked as she followed them into the living room. Lexi sat down on the couch as if she was afraid it had germs. “Well, we happened to run into Chelsey.”

“So?” Lyra asked, still standing across the room.

“So it would seem that you and your dear friend have had some type of falling out.” Leo commented as he lit a cigarette and sat down. “Lyra, dear, be a pet and have someone fetch us a drink. I’ll have Scotch on the rocks and a martini for Lexi.”

“If you want a drink, fetch it yourself,” she said sarcastically.

Lexi blew out her breath and stood up. “Lyra, I have really had it with this high-handed attitude of yours. I don’t ask much of you and god knows you give precious little in return for all I’ve done for you, but you could at least show a little common politeness to Leo. He is a very dear friend and means a great deal to me, and I won’t have you treating him so disrespectfully. Honestly, sometimes you act like a child. I tell you, if you were, I’d just have him take you across his knee and paddle you good. Maybe that’s what your problem is—I was just always too good and gentle with you and now you just walk all over me like I’m just a—”

“Save it!” Lyra interrupted her. “There’s no one here to impress with your ‘I’m such a wonderful and devoted mother’ act and I’ve never bought into it.”

Lexi gasped as if she’d been slapped. “Leo! Can you believe how she speaks to me? After all I’ve done for her—all the sacrifices I’ve made, all I’ve given up, the hell I suffered so she would have a wonderful life, the—”

“Shut up!” Lyra yelled. “Just shut the hell up! I’m so sick of your whining and your phony act I could scream! You’ve never given a fat shit about me and you know it. I was nothing more than something in your way—something you had to hide away down here on the island so that I wouldn’t embarrass you or get in your way. You never sacrificed one thing for anyone, Lexi! You’re so wrapped up in yourself that you can’t see beyond your own reflection, so just stop!”

Lexi’s face was red with anger. She opened her mouth to speak but Leo cut her off. He jumped up, grabbed Lyra’s arm, and jerked her up close to his face. “I absolutely cannot tolerate this behavior, my darling.”

“Well tough shit!” She slapped him as hard as she could. “Get your filthy hands off me!”

Leo smiled and looked at Lexi. “Why don’t you sit and try to relax, my dear? I’ll deal with your ill-mannered child.”

He pulled on Lyra’s arm and she kicked him. “Let go of me! Now!”

He smiled and dragged her kicking and screaming into the next room and shoved her toward the sofa, slamming the door behind him. “Now, I think it’s time you and I came to an understanding, my pet.”

She stumbled and fell back on the sofa from the push. Slinging her hair back out of her eyes, she glared at him. “I’m not your pet and I don’t want you in my house so get out or I’ll call the police and have you arrested!”

He laughed and crossed the distance between them in two steps. Lyra jumped up to get away but he grabbed her long hair and yanked her around to face him. She balled up her fist to hit him in the face but he caught her fist, crushing her fingers in his.

With her free hand, she tried to claw his face. Her hand raked down his neck and she felt the chain around his throat. Grabbing it, she pulled the medallion out and looked at it. Her eyes widened as she saw the markings and she turned it over to look at the back.

Swallowing back the fear, she looked up at him. “What do you really want, Leo? You’re not in love with Lexi. She’s the only one foolish enough to think you are, but that’s because her ego’s so overinflated that she can’t imagine anyone not falling for her. But you don’t care about her. So what do you want?”

“I want you,” he whispered.

Lyra’s mind went into high gear. Stalling, she looked away for a moment. “Why?” she asked as she looked up at him. “You don’t even know me. I’m not glamorous, famous, or witty. What could you possibly want with me?”

“I want to save you,” he said, loosening his grip on her hair and running his hand down her back.

She shook her head. “Yeah, right, and I bet you have some swamp land for sale, too.”

“Ah, yes.” He smiled. “I forgot. You dream of the handsome magician, Nick. Of being in his arms and having babies and growing old.”

She wasn’t about to clue him in that she knew he was conspiring with Nick or that she was not in love with Nick. . “So what if I do?”

Leo walked over and knelt down in front of her. “Lyra, you are young and innocent and you do not understand. I beg you to hear me out and consider my proposal.”

Lyra felt like she could scream, from both fear and hatred. But she forced herself to be very still and stare at him evenly. “You do realize that you sound insane, don’t you, Leo? You’re lucky there’s no one else here, otherwise you’d probably be committed for psychiatric observation because you definitely sound delusional at the very least.”

“You simply do not understand, my darling. But do not worry, I will explain everything to you. All I require from you is simply that you hear me out..”

Lyra suddenly couldn’t stand anymore. She jumped up and backed away from him. “That’s not going to happen. Not now, not ever. Just leave me alone, Leo. Find someone else to play your games with because I’m not interested.”

“But you will be,” he said as he took a step toward her. “If you will just listen..”

“Get away from me,” she hissed and stepped back.

“You heard her,” Nick’s voice came from behind her.

Lyra whirled around and saw him standing in the doorway. His jaw was clenched and his eyes blazed. Her own eyes widened as she saw the fury on his face as he looked at Leo.

Leo smirked and sauntered across the room to sit down. “Well, well, the valiant Mr. Zampella, riding in on his mighty steed to save the fair princess. How quaint. Tell me, Mr. Zampella, how do you feel about the rather lascivious tales Chelsey is spreading around about our little Lyra here? Or have you heard them? Well, it seems Chelsey is under the impression that our little darling here has some wild passionate affair going on with not only you but the stalwart Detective Santera as well. She is positively livid about it. Why, I do believe she is angry enough to scratch your eyes out, Lyra darling.”

Nick’s eyes blazed. “You’re not wanted in this house, Count, so get the hell out before I throw you out like the garbage you are.”

Leo sneered and stood up slowly, brushing a speck of imaginary lint off the sharp crease of his linen slacks. “I really hate to cut this short but I do have other matters to attend to. Lyra darling, I will look forward to our next encounter. Do have a pleasant day.”

He walked out of the room and down the hall. “Lexi darling? Come, we must be off.”

Lyra didn’t bother to see them out. She turned to Nick with a puzzled expression. The hate on his face when he looked at Leo seemed so genuine that it confused her. She knew she had heard him and Leo make a deal, yet he acted and behaved as if he truly did love her. She didn’t know what to believe anymore and it made her more frightened than anything had up until this point.

Nick put his hand on the side of her face. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and tried to hide the revulsion she felt at his touch. God, how was she ever going to make it through this?

Wednesday—Sea Island

It was just before three in the morning when the call came. Lyra rolled over and fumbled for the receiver. “Hello?…Yes, can you hold on?”

She got out of bed and threw a long T-shirt on then went down the hall and tapped on Michael’s door. “Michael?”

“Come in.”

She opened the door and looked in, seeing him in bed. “The phone’s for you. It’s your captain. He said it was important.”

“Thanks.” He sat up and grabbed the phone. “Santera here… What?… Sure, I’ll be there.”

Hanging up the phone, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Some fishermen found the body of a girl in the river.”

Lyra’s eyes widened, as much from watching him get out of the bed and reach for his pants as from what he said. Without meaning to, she stared at him as he pulled his pants up over his bare body. Nick walked up behind her just as Michael was reaching for his shirt. “What’s up?”

“Business,” Michael replied. “Dead body in the river. Couple of fisherman found it.”

“So why call you in?” Nick asked.

Michael shrugged. “Guess I’ll find that out when I get there. Talk to you later.”

He walked past them and headed downstairs. Lyra looked up at Nick and he smiled at her. “Well, we’re up so you want to get some coffee?”

She shook her head. “I think I’m going back to bed. Three in the morning’s a little early for me.”

“Oh! Well, sure,” he said and stepped out of her way. “Sleep well.”

Lyra just nodded and hurried back to her room, the memory of Michael’s naked body foremost in her mind. Between that and the knowledge there’d been another murder, chances were she wasn’t going to get much more sleep.

Brunswick

Michael walked in and sat down at his desk. The body the fishermen had found turned out to be one of the girls that had been reported missing the last couple of weeks. He dreaded contacting her parents and giving them the news.

The coroner had listed the cause of death as blood loss. The carotid artery in her neck had been punctured and she had been raped. There was an odd pattern of cuts on her body and her nipples and external genitals had been cut off, as had her ear lobes and eyelids. There were numerous bites on the body that the coroner had identified as coming from human teeth. Apparently, the bite wounds were inflicted after death.

Michael couldn’t remember seeing a more gruesome sight, nor could he imagine people being so savage and brutal. He also could not figure out how he was going to deal with this. The girl had to have been killed by the group of people who were followers of Leo’s; but he had no idea how to even being to explain that to his captain. It sounded so bizarre that he wasn’t sure anyone would believe him.

His phone rang and he snatched it up. “Santera.”

“We have something you might find interesting,” a male voice said. “Listen.”

Chelsey’s voice came on the line. “Michael?”

“Chelsey?” he asked, his heart jumping in his chest. “Are you all right? Where are you?”

“Please, help me!” she cried. “I don’t know where I am. I can’t see and they won’t untie me. I’m afraid, Michael. Don’t let them hurt me. Please!”

“Chelsey, listen…”

“No, you listen.” The male voice came back over the phone line. “If you want to see your pretty friend alive and unharmed you’ll do exactly like I tell you. You got it?”

“Yes,” Michael replied, looking around to make sure no one was paying any attention to his conversation.

“Okay, you come alone and you come unarmed. We’ll be waiting at the visitor’s center to the island. One hour. And Detective? If we see anyone with you or even smell a cop anywhere around, the girl will die.”

“I’ll be there,” Michael said calmly. “Alone.” The phone went dead and he hung up the receiver then picked it back up, thinking about calling Nick. But he changed his mind. This was something he’d have to do alone. He couldn’t take a chance on getting Chelsey killed.

Sea Island

Nick started to open the door of the study but found it locked. Muted voices came from inside the room. “Lyra!” he called as he wiggled the handle. “Are you in there? Lyra?”

After a few moments, she opened the door.

“Why did you have the door locked? Who were you talking to?”

“I didn’t realize it was,” she replied as she turned her back on him and went to turn off her computer.

“So who did I hear talking?”

She avoided looking up at him. “I guess I was talking to myself.”

“What are you working on?” he asked as he looked over her shoulder.

“Just taking notes,” she said, turning the monitor off. “This could make a fascinating case study, you know. I don’t remember ever reading about anything like this.”

“Spoken like a true researcher.” He smiled and walked over to sit on the couch. “Also like someone who is learning to overcome her fears.”

She walked over and sat down beside him. “No, they’re still there. It’s just that I can push them to the back of my mind when I’m working. So what have you been up to? You’ve been closed up in your room for hours.”