Slice (The Elledge Family #1) (28 page)

“How’d the zombie apocalypse start?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Lucas do not make this more difficult than it has to be. You can choose one weapon baby!”

“I choose to hide and just wait. What if my weapon doesn’t kill them?”

“You are an over thinker.” I laughed. “Favorite fictional character?”

“I don’t have one. Your turn?”

“Hmm… I would have to say I am quite fond of Aragon and his sexy beard.”

“Aragon and his beard? I can’t even grow a bloody beard… are you kidding me?” He paused. “Fine then… Beyoncé.”

“I didn’t say musician.”

“She’s my choice.” He kissed my shoulder and knocked the clothes over onto the floor. My back touched the floor and he hovered over me. “I like this view.”

“I like it too…”

The knock at the door startled me and Lucas. He looked down at me. “I thought Shia had to go out of town for the day?”

“I don’t know. Just answer the door and I’ll get the clothes off of the floor. I would hate for someone to see this place looking like a pig sty.”

“Yes, master,” He kissed my cheek and made his way over to the door.

“Hello Lucas, Special Agent McMillan has instructed us to take you and Ms. Tucker down to the station for questioning. Could you please gather your things and come with us?”

“Come with you? For what?”

“I was sure she just said questioning.” I heard the male agent state.

“Don’t get smart fucker.” Lucas growled.

“You can make it easy or you can make it hard.” The statement came across as a threat.

“We’ll go.” I said from behind Lucas. “If you could just give us a minute to get dressed it would be appreciated.”

The smell of the roasted coffee filled the air and I wanted to vomit. It was too overwhelming. I sat patiently in the lobby filled with lawyers. I was unsure if I was in need of one. I had no idea why I was here, but I would rather it be over quickly. Lucas had already been taken back to a room.

“Cypress Tucker,” McMillan held a fresh cup of coffee in his hand, it steamed from the mug. “Come this way with me. I swear I will have you in and out of here in a matter of an hour.” His smile made me relax. I hoped that this time would be a good meet. The last few times he had been rude and even though they were all pertaining to Lucas I felt like it was unnecessary. “You have a good weekend?”

“Yes, I caught up on some work and I got some laundry done with Lucas. So it was a good week for me. What about you?”

“Well, I have been doing some work here at the station, mainly investigating my latest serial killer. I think you know him.” McMillan smiled his tight lipped smile and sat down across from me at the table.

“You think I do?”

“I do.” He opened the manila file. “This is a slim version of the shit that has my desk buried in daily. I really just wanted you to get a taste of who you are with before I went ahead and dived in.” He sat his coffee mug down on the table and held up a sheet of paper. “Here is a list of people we believe that he has killed.”

“Oh, please spare me this bullshit.” The words came out harsher than I intended.

“You believe everything he says huh?” He tossed some photos across the table. “It looks like he was with some chick name Persephone Cook about a month ago… Do you know anything about her?”

I rolled my eyes and pushed the photos back across the table.  Don’t even look at the photos Cypress. “Why am I here? I honestly just wanted to get some laundry done and watch a few television shows this weekend. I really didn’t have time to come down here, but I did.”

“You are here because I really want you to know what happens when he leaves someone. I feel like your time with him is winding down.” McMillan nodded his head. “How long have you been with him?”

“I have been with him for over seven months.”

“Wow, that's a big deal for him. You might be a special kill for him.” He took another folder from his desk and handed them to me. The face was his and Persephone's inches from another and his hand was slipped under the green cloth she called a dress. “She is his next one I think. He always has one sitting there waiting in reserve. Is that how he says hello?”

The breaths came out uneasy and unsettled. What the hell was happening? I wiped my face. McMillan stared at me as I wiped the tears. “Why are you showing me these pictures?”

“They are all his exes. I have tried to show you this several times. But you are so in love with this man. Does he beat you?” The special agent sat on the edge of the table. “Does he threaten you? You are protected here you know that.” He placed the box of tissue in front of me.

“No,” I stared at the women. Her long brown hair splayed everywhere and her face was in a pool of her own blood. “He didn't do this.”

“He is a charismatic killer. I can actually give some credit for that. He waits and his charms. He fucks them and then they get fucked over.”

“I know Lucas.”

“You know what he wants you to know.”

“I know that I am done talking to you.” My tears fell on the table.

The white door swung open. “I could have sworn that you had been told to stay away from her?” Mark said. He handed the folder over to the agent. “Cy, come on love.”

I grabbed my bags at this point I needed to be anywhere but here.

“She is being held for questioning.”

“Alright as her lawyer I demand to know why?” Mark demanded.

“You can take her. She has seen everything she needs to see.” He grabbed the photos. “Take these and give them to your boy toy. Let him know we know. Mark… you behave or we will be seeing you next.”

“Oh fuck you.” He spat. “Come on Cy.”

The drive to the apartment could not come fast enough. Mark barely said a word. He sat there staring at the steering wheel. “I’m sorry that he brought you down there.”

“What should I know about Lucas?”

“There's nothing you don't know.”

“Right.” I nodded my head. “I’m tired of guessing the lies. He said that he had not seen Persephone, but those pictures that he showed me...”

“Are to throw you off,” he completed my sentence. “They had not time stamp. They had nothing to say that they were taken when they were messing around. They are working to make you think that there is some doubt in the relationship. Do you love Lucas?”

“Yes.”

“Good, fuck what they say. Take some medicine for your headache and get some sleep. If you see Shia… tell her that I will be by once I head home and sort some shit out.”

“Mark, why are you two so different?”

“We aren't blood brothers… which it doesn't matter, but it kind of makes a difference when it comes as. Lucas and I are alike but different in too many ways.” He paused. “Do me a favor and don't tell him about this shit just yet. I know that he has that evaluation coming up and that is important. He is meeting with some campus freak about it.”

“He went to meet Asher.”

“Yeah, he calls him a freak... pot and kettle.” He mumbled. “Alright.” He unlocked the doors as a subtle get the fuck out of my car and smiled. “I will call you later and check up on you. I know the special agent has a special way of making you think that there is something there that isn't. Stupid Fucker.”

“Great,” I mumbled. “I will head up.”

Asher

My head spun lightly. I shouldn’t have been drinking this early this morning. I should have worked on the last few touches of some assignments and finding jobs. But here I was, three bottles into a case of beers and in lazy spell. I had made the couch, my permanent spot on the couch for the moment.

The dinner with Whitney had spun out of control and she hadn’t really talked to me in weeks. But there was not much to talk about. Whitney and I differed in interests and she would have to get over this one. Lucas had become tolerable even to talk to me. I reached for my phone as it buzzed across the table. Mark, it flashed in white letters.

“Yes, master,” I mumbled.

“Don’t be an asshole.” Mark laughed. “What are you doing?”

“I was on a bender this morning. Why?”

“Well, I sent Lucas to your house. Some shit has gone down between McMillan and him. He showed Cypress some pictures of Lucas with another girl. I’m knee deep in legal shit right now and the last thing I want to hear is his soap opera shit right now.”

“Oh and I do?” I could feel the favor before it came off of his tongue. “What do you want me to do Mark?”

“Don’t sound so down Asher. I really would like for you just to talk to him. The FBI has sent a request for a Levenson Test.”

“That’s not good.” I chuckled. “It’s a test that determines rather a person is a Psychopath. News Flash Lucas passes the test like he is the one who wrote it.”

“Well could you test him and give me the results. And hopefully we can see what we are about to face. Is this test good enough to book him?”

“No, tons of people pass the test. In a group of ten at least one has psychopathic tendencies…” I paused. “Most people don’t act on them. Lucas has a low tolerance for anything he doesn’t like. It’s like something irks him to the point of he must fuck it up.”

“Can you test him for me?”
      

“How far out is he?”

“Ten minutes.”

That was no surprise. “Yeah, Mark.”

“Have you found anything out about the pictures?”

“Nothing yet, I’m planning on going to see my mom. I’m hoping that she can shed some much needed light on everything. Why?”

“I was wondering; could you keep me updated with everything on that subject. I know Lucas doesn’t care, but I do. There’s some strange shit happening there.”

“I can do that.”

“Thanks.”
      

The line disconnected and contemplated even the act of getting up. I knew he had passed the test I had never had the opportunity to ask him some key questions though. Perhaps this would be a success filled day.

A nervous knock on the door occurred a few minutes later. I opened it and walked to the couch. “What’s up Lucas?”

“A ton of shit.” He mumbled and he looked around at the dark apartment. “Bloody hell, are you going to rape me. Open the blinds.”

“Chill out.” I laughed. “I heard about the Feds and you. Mark said that you have to take the Levenson test.”

“I do.” Lucas shrugged out of his jacket and opened the blinds and sent a ray of light throughout the whole apartment. His hands went through his head. “They still had Cypress once I left. I have no idea what they are telling her.”

“So you’re worried that she might find out the truth?”

“I don’t need a counselor or fucking therapy.” He spat.

“Then why the hell are you here Lucas?”

“I haven’t figured out yet.”

“We can start with the test.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Then what can I do for you?”

“Are we not friends?”

“I guess.” I mumbled. “Why do you kill?”

“Nice way to break the ice.” He chuckled.

“Or when did you first want to kill?”

“I can answer that for you, the price being one beer?”

“Help yourself?” I opened the cooler next to the couch and slid it over to him.

“You have an actual cooler?”

“I’m having relationship problems.”

He shook as he laughed at me. “Well, that girl of yours is a first class bitch. I mean she had no problem flipping me over to the entire table.”

“Yeah, she is very head strong and most of the time she is very annoying.”

“Alright, here is your answer.” Lucas paused. “I grew up in Ireland and England. But my time in Ireland was tense sometimes. We only went there when Luna had spells. ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease was a bitch to her. And we needed to be around people at all times and more importantly the hospital there was better.”

“I didn’t know that was what she had,” I paused. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, I know it’s not the best way to die, but at least we knew what was wrong with her. So it made it easier to deal with. But anyway, there was this pussy named Seymour. He lived next door to us with this girl named Holly. Holly loved that bloody past. And Seymour was a terror. He would purposely knock over pottery and my mum’s vases. That bloody pussy used to destroy everything in our yard and my mum and pa used to brush it off. I could tell it annoyed her, but she knew that Holly loved that pussy. So one day we sat on the porch of the house and Seymour knocked over her favorite vase. It was one that we had made together when I was a wee lad. And that hurt her feeling more than anything. She cried as still as the pot shattered on the wooden porch. My pa tried to console her in the best way that he knew how, he even tried to glue it back together.” Lucas paused and nodded his head. “But there was no saving it and for the first time this urge I had held inside since I was born came out. I had to kill him. I had to kill him because he needed to die. Some people and animals aren’t meant to live a long life Asher.”

“What’d you do to him?”