Life in Death (4 page)

“Holy shit.” She came around the bar and hugged him. He wrapped an arm around her and reveled in the feel of her soft breasts pressed against him and her rose scent.
What a woman.
She smacked a wet kiss on his lips. “Congratulations, love.”

“Thanks.”

She had a big grin on her face. “Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“You want to eat?”

“No.”

“You need to eat. I’ll whip you up a sandwich. Be back in a jiff.” He watched as she sashayed to the kitchen.

He smiled.

She always saw the good in him.

If only his son could do the same.

CHAPTER 4

"Saura, my love.” Edvard kissed the top of her head and took a seat across from her.

"Coffee?”

She poured him a cup before he could answer. She knew him that well.

"Breathe that fresh air," she said. "I love breakfast out here."

As did he. Who could resist the view and cool, crisp air? "What's on the agenda for today?” He brought his coffee cup to his lips and blew.

"April Mascarenas," she said between bites of her eggs. "You were right about her. She's a liability now."

"How do you want it done?"

"I’ll leave that up to you.”

“What about that lawyer… Jefferson Winton?”

“We may still need him.” She looked out at the lake and frowned.

He took another sip of coffee and waited. She had a plan. She always did.

“We may have to leave here and start somewhere else.” That news excited him. Starting over always reminded him of the first time they met in Liberia when they were twelve. She had been bitten by one of the dogs in the village and came into the clinic where his father treated her and he assisted. She had the most unusual pale blue eyes he’d ever seen. But that wasn’t what attracted him to her. He’d never met any girl like her: calm, cool and collected. She wasn’t crying or hysterical. Her demeanor made it easier for them to do their job. He worked with his father to clean her wound and give her antibiotics. Her eyes followed him everywhere as he worked.

The spectacle in the village the next morning drew a large crowd. The dog that bit her had been killed and its head placed on a spike in the middle of the village. The villagers were frightened. They blamed a local witch doctor for the heinous act.
Fools
.

Then, amongst the people in the crowd, he spotted her. A faint smile on her lips told him she knew it had been him and she’d approved of what he’d done. They were inseparable from that moment forward.

Three years later, out of boredom, they followed his father’s maid from the clinic. She’d acted strangely all day and they were curious as to why. They hid themselves from view as she walked to another village. The maid stopped at a hut with a sign in front of it.

Spiritual Healer

I can solve tooth aches, madness fever, genital problems, demons, and more.

They looked at each other and smiled. This would be fun.

The maid announced herself, then entered the hut. They rushed to the door and peered in. The maid sat on the floor, with a small bundle in her lap while the healer stood in front of an altar with a skull, figurines, bones, and candles on it. A large bowl rested in its center. The healer lit candles and chanted. He turned to her, and she handed him her package. He brought it to the altar, carefully unwrapped the bundle to reveal two fingers and a tongue. The offerings were small, like those of a child.

Edvard and Saura’s eyes widened with excitement. Edvard’s heart pounded so loudly in his ears, he could barely hear. The healer placed the gifts in the bowl on the altar, chanted again, and set them on fire. The stench of burned flesh wafted into the air. A short time later, the maid paid him and left.

Emboldened by what they saw, Edvard and Saura walked into the hut. They found the healer seated on the floor as he worked on a poultice.

“Why you here?” the healer asked in a strong accent.

“We want to learn,” Saura said.

He shook his head. “You must leave now.”

“You will teach us or we’ll tell the police what we saw.”

Edvard and Saura stared into the healer’s lifeless black eyes.

He laughed so hard, he almost cackled.

Edvard moved swiftly. He pressed a knife to the healer’s throat. Blood oozed down Edvard’s hand from the pressure of the blade against the man’s flesh. “Look, you ape, you’ll teach us or you’ll regret it.”

“Wait,” Saura said.

“These are the old ways, not for whites,” the healer said.

“If we prove ourselves to you, will that be enough?” she asked.

“Bring me a sacrifice. If you do this, I will teach you.” The healer told them when and where to meet him the next night, as well as what he’d need as a sacrifice. Albinos were highly prized for human sacrifice. They decided to get Lucien, the albino boy in the village. It would be simple to lure him, he with his crush on Saura. They’d use his weakness for her to lead him away from the village.

The next night, Saura used her feminine wiles to entice Lucien from the village to a secluded spot, where Edvard knocked him unconscious. They bound, gagged and carried Lucien to the healer. He moaned and tried to get loose. When they met the healer at the appointed spot, and placed Lucien on the large stone altar, Lucien’s bowels loosened. Edvard laughed. He guessed Lucien figured out what would happen to him.

The healer had them remove the gag and force his mouth open as they poured putrid liquid down his throat. He spat it out the first time. Edvard punched him hard in the face. They tried again. This time, Saura held Lucien’s nose closed, which forced him to open his mouth. The healer had told them Lucien needed to be alive when his organs were harvested for the spells to work.

A few minutes later, Lucien appeared to be in a trance. The healer said the boy wouldn’t be able to move. They removed his bindings at the healer's direction.

Others arrived: men and women, young and old, well or sick——they all came. They danced to the drum beats. Their movements were sexual, from slow and undulating to fast and frenetic. The dancing excited Edvard.

The healer sacrificed chickens and goats. When they reached the climax of the evening, the healer asked Saura to assist him. She took her place beside him at the head of the altar.

The healer instructed Saura as she worked. First, he had her raise one of Lucien’s arms over his head and plunge a wooden spout in just below his armpit. She looked into his eyes. They were vacant. He didn’t scream or moan; he didn’t move at all. Spittle slipped from his open mouth down his chin. She held a goblet to capture the red, almost black, blood that gushed from the wound.

Edvard, Saura, and the healer drank from the goblet. Lucien’s life force flowed into them. Edvard felt stronger, more powerful.

The ceremony lasted several hours. They offered Lucien’s organs to the dieties on behalf of the participants for wealth, prosperity, and to ward off evil spirits. They placed strips of Lucien’s skin and hair onto their bodies and fashioned charms out of his bones for good luck.

By the end, only Lucien’s torso remained, which they threw into the woods for the animals to consume.

Saura had never looked more beautiful to him. They made love for the first time that night. He gave her a very special gift afterward: it was a statue of a man bound in ropes with feathers jutting from his head. His eyes were rolled back in his head as if in ecstasy. She loved it.

That night, their alter egos,
Saura
and
Edvard
, were born.

They never looked back.

CHAPTER 5

No Jack
. The muscles at the back of Kari’s neck relaxed. At least she didn’t have to deal with him yet. Instead, she grabbed her lunch and drove to a nearby park. She ate in her car and listened to light jazz, as kids on the playground laughed and chased each other. For a short time, she forgot about the events of the day, if only for a few minutes.

She had to speak to April today. Kari wanted all the facts before she told Jack, but she wouldn’t wait much longer. He needed to know.

After she finished lunch, she returned to work, parking her car in the smaller lot reserved for their department. As she waited at the crosswalk for the light to turn green, April crossed the street mid-block. Almost as soon as she’d stepped off the sidewalk, a car came from nowhere and accelerated toward her. Kari called to April, but she didn’t hear her.

Kari wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. A sickening thud sounded in her ears as metal hit flesh. Kari screamed. April rolled over the hood and off the roof of the car before she smacked into the pavement. The car sped up, ran the red light, and left the scene of the accident.
Who would do such a thing?
Kari’s stomach lurched, but she forced herself to keep the food down.

She’d never forget that car—a black Crown Victoria, but she could only make out the first couple of letters of the license plate—AP.

Kari raced down the street. People had already gathered around April when Kari arrived, out of breath. A woman in pink talked to a 911 dispatcher on her cell phone. Kari looked at April. Her dress had rode up to reveal ample thighs and red panties. Kari removed her jacket and placed it over April’s limp body. Blood seeped from her mouth. Her eyes stared at the sky. Kari leaned down and took her hand, which was already cold.

“April, it’s Kari. Hang on. Help is on the way. ”

April blinked and mumbled unintelligently.

“Don’t try to speak. Save your energy.”

April grabbed Kari’s shirt and pulled her close.

“Save the kids,” she whispered.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes forever.

CHAPTER 6

“I’ve been waiting for you. Let’s get down to the morgue.” Nicolet stood as Cobb walked back into the office.

“Hold that thought,” the police chief said coming up behind them. “Where have you two been?”

“At the foster parents',” Cobb said.

“Did you go see the social worker?”

“Yes, this morning.” Nicolet leaned on his desk.

“Well, get back down there. One of those social workers just got ran over. Hit and run. She didn’t make it.”

“Oh, hell,” Cobb said.

“Do they have an ID?” Nicolet asked.

“April Mascarenas. I don’t know if this is a coincidence or just bad ass luck.”

Nicolet shook his head. “You know what Einstein said about coincidences.”

“No, tell us, Ivy League.” Cobb grinned.

Nicolet glared at him. “I told you not to call me that.”

“Okay, ladies. Stop the chatter and get down there.”

Visits to the morgue were always a gastrointestinal adventure for Cobb. Cobb, the big, tough, no holds barred ex-marine had a sensitive stomach. Nicolet laughed every time.

They found Dr. Chiba next to a cadaver with its chest cavity splayed open.

“Hey, Doc,” Cobb said.

Hostility rose off him like heat off pavement. He narrowed his eyes and glared at them.

“Do you people ever use the telephone?” His face flushed. “I have more on my plate than just your case, Detectives, but since you’re down here…”

Nicolet and Cobb exchanged looks. They were dealing with Dr. Chiba’s other personality today.

Dr. Chiba strolled over to another cadaver and pulled back the sheet. Patience’s mutilations looked more pronounced now that the wounds were clean.

“The poor girl went through hell. Take a look at these.” He raised one of her arms.

Nicolet leaned in to get a closer look. “Are these animal bites?”

“No, they’re human. I got a consult on this one. The bites are from pre-teens. They were able to tell that from the size and number of teeth in the impressions.” He placed her arm back on the gurney.

“That’s some pretty sick shit,” Cobb said.

“See this,” the doctor said as he spread his hands out over her neck in mock strangulation. “Look at the indentations the hands made. An adult male or maybe a woman with very large hands strangled her.”

Nicolet nodded. “That helps, doc.”

Dr. Chiba replaced the sheet over her body.

“She’s had forced sexual encounters based on the scar tissue I found.” The doctor looked down for a minute, stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “Please get justice for this poor girl.”

Once outside, Nicolet made a beeline to the driver’s side of the car.

“I won’t call you Ivy League anymore if it bothers you that much,” Cobb said once they were on the highway.

Nicolet glanced at him and had to hold back a laugh. Cobb looked sincere in his so-called apology.

“Good. I hate that.”

“What’d Einstein say anyway?”