The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (35 page)

James swallowed and forced a smile. It felt good to talk about this… to get it out in the open and not worry about being looked at as a freak. “Seeing the moment when she’s dangling right on the edge of dying… I hope she’s still alive so she can watch as we start to eat her.” James trembled with a sick lust.

A look passed over the brown-haired man’s face and James worried that he’d said the wrong thing. “I had no idea that cannibalism was such a popular obsession. There’s nearly a dozen of you here tonight. So many… any more and I wouldn’t have been able to fit all of you into my home.”

“Yeah. And to think I thought I was the only one. I wish they’d picked a bigger girl though. There’s not much meat on her.” James licked his lips as he spoke, nervous and excited. “What part do you want to eat? I want a breast… or maybe a hip.”

Mr. Dee didn’t reply, as his attention was drawn back to the girl. She was moving towards the fat man with the piggy eyes, who had revealed the spit and grill to the excited audience. The girl’s eyes flickered to the spit and for a second it looked as if she might bolt and run, but the fat man grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her close. He whispered something in her ear that seemed to calm her.

“God, what a slut,” James whispered. “She wants it. I can tell.”

The other man made a grunting sound in the back of his throat. “There’s no need to wait anymore, I don’t think. I’ve seen enough.”

James blinked. “What are you talking about, Mr. Dee?”

Dee ignored him, taking a step towards the spit. The fat man with the piggy eyes noticed him and waved him away. “This is my show, Dee. Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

A few men chuckled at the culinary joke, but not the brown-haired man. He just kept coming, even as flames began to jump about his hair and shoulders. The fire flared so bright that many in the room were forced to shield their eyes. They were the lucky ones: they didn’t have to witness Dee’s skin peeling back like burnt bacon. They didn’t have to see his hair sizzle away to reveal white bone.

When Mr. Dee turned to face the crowd, he was a vision of horror. Where once had been a handsome face was now a flame-enshrouded skull. The assembled men stood transfixed, mesmerized by the sight before them. The fat man with the piggy eyes dropped his grip on the girl but she remained where she was, swaying gently, thinking the vision before her was drug-induced.

“My name is Mr. Dee,” he said, his voice rumbling like thunder. “All of you came here tonight because your desire for the pain and degradation of others has taken hold of you. Some of you have killed already, indulging in your sinful lusts. Others have only dreamed of it… but all of you were willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent tonight.”

At this point, James seemed to break free of the hold he was under. He turned and started to bolt for the door. He only managed to take three steps before Dee had opened his mouth and something awful shot forth. Dee’s tongue was like a whip, cutting through the air at an astonishing length. At the end of the man’s tongue was a sharp barb and it was that tore into James’s throat as Dee’s tongue wrapped around the flesh. James tried to scream but it came out as a gargle as his throat filled with blood.

Dee retracted his tongue and continued his sudden assault. He whipped around and grabbed the fat man with the piggy eyes, picking him off the ground despite his girth. Dee dropped him down on the spit, impaling him. The fat man wiggled in pain, unable to free himself.

Dee saw that other men were beginning to react now, some trying to decide whether to run or fight. Others simply wet themselves and began to cry. All of them would die, struck down by the whirling dervish that was Mr. Dee. He sprang into their midst, his fingernails extended until they were like claws, and he wielded these like weapons, disemboweling one and decapitating another. Two more were felled by his monstrous tongue and one even died of a heart attack.

Within moments, Dee stood alone, his black uniform stained with blood and flecks of skin. He panted like a dog, his tongue snaking out to lick at the gory remains that clung to his skull-like face. The magical flames that danced around the bone began to fade and his skin returned, layer upon layer. In the end, he looked quite normal again, aside from the filth that lingered on his clothing and face.

The sound of knocking at the door to his room made him pause. It had to be Trevor—no one else dared to disturb him. He walked towards the door, his boots clicking on the floor. He cracked open the door, revealing little of what lay within. “Yes?” he asked in German. He knew that Trevor enjoyed speaking in German, thinking it somehow made him more like the Nazi he wanted to be.

The blond man’s face twisted nervously. “We killed Richard Nova and searched his home… but the lockbox was not there.”

Dee pursed his lips, noticing that Trevor’s eyes were widening as he spotted some of the blood and gore dripping from Dee’s chin. “I’m positive that Cummings gave the box and its contents to Nova… so Nova must have hidden them somewhere. We just need to find out where.”

Trevor held up a torn sheet of paper. Scribbled on it with a clean, precise handwriting were the words:
Collection in the new Davies property. Much safer there.
“We found a diary of Nova’s. This one was dated a couple of months ago.”

“Davies,” Dee said, as if tasting the word. “He must mean Max Davies, the philanthropist. He and Nova are known associates.” Dee opened the door further and he enjoyed Trevor’s gasp as the bodies of the dead came into view. The fat man with the piggy eyes was still writhing and moaning, and the nearly naked girl was now sitting on the floor. A long line of drool hung from her lower lip, as the drugs continued their work on her.

“Trevor?” Dee asked, bringing the neo-Nazi’s attention back to him.

“Yes, sir?”

“Find out what property Davies has purchased recently. And when you’ve located it, do whatever it takes to bring me the lockbox.”

“And then we’ll go with you to Berlin?”

Dee resisted the urge to laugh. Trevor was like a little puppy dog at times… a sadistic and dangerous one, but still a bit silly. “Yes. Then we’ll go to Berlin.” Trevor turned to do his bidding but Dee stopped him with a word. “Before you go, dispose of these bodies.”

Dee stepped past Trevor, meaning to go and have a drink, but he sensed some hesitation on his underling’s part and turned to face him. “Something troubling you, Trevor?”

“These men… who were they?”

“Scum and deviants. They wanted to watch that poor girl be tortured for their amusement. They didn’t deserve to live, so I did the world a favor and killed them.”

Trevor’s face had gone pale. “And the girl? What should I do with her?”

Dee looked back at the girl and shrugged. “She’s a Jew, I think. Kill her quickly and gently. We’re not animals, you know.”

CHAPTER VI

Makeeda

The Peregrine had been to Richard Nova’s house on many occasions but it had never been like this. Nova had an easy way about him that made Max always feel perfectly at home, but the usually-cozy surroundings now felt cold and dead, like a tomb. At Max’s request, McKenzie had ordered all investigating officers out of the building, giving the Claws room to move.

Will McKenzie stood in the background, his handsome face drawn tight with worry. He was a heartbreaker of the highest order, though his own eyes rarely wandered these days. He was committed to his wife and they were talking openly about trying for a child. He considered Max to be his best friend but he didn’t always agree with the man’s decisions, and he had plenty of doubts about the group that the Peregrine was forming. It was one thing to have a vigilante like Max around, someone that McKenzie trusted implicitly. But this Esper, or Revenant, or even the hulking monstrosity called Vincent… would they be as worthy of faith? In the end, he had to trust Max’s judgment until he knew enough about them to make his own call on the matter.

Revenant had asked for the group to be shown the scene of the murder, and what they found in Nova’s study was an absolute mess, with a bullet hole in one wall, a carefully-drawn chalk outline of a body, and numerous overturned artifacts and furniture.

Sally stared at the scene for a long moment before finally throwing herself into the task of checking for clues. Vincent stayed close to her, lifting heavy things out of her way as she examined the carpeting.

“What are you looking for?” the big man asked, trying not to let it show that he was relishing her scent. She smelled of soap and leather, an intoxicating mixture.

“Well, the police have already dusted for prints, but you never know what they might have missed… a matchbook cover, a chewed up toothpick, almost anything.”

Vincent nodded, keeping his voice low. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Rachel and Max were on the other side of the room. “You’re going to be good at this.”

“What do you mean?” Revenant reached out and picked something up off the floor, bringing it closer to her eyes.

“Being leader. You’re smart, capable, experienced…”

“Not very,” Sally laughed. “I’ve only been doing the Revenant thing for about a year. My father never thought I could follow in his footsteps. I was a girl and the Revenant had always been a man. But I think he’d be proud of me.”

“I’m sure he would be.” Vincent cleared his throat. “Perhaps sometime you and I could… go for coffee.”

Revenant blinked in surprise, momentarily forgetting about the tiny object she held in her gloved fingertips. She looked up at Vincent and smiled. “You’re asking me on a date?”

Vincent colored slightly and he stiffened, letting his hair fall over his face like a curtain. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean… I know that you would never…”

Revenant reached out and touched his arm, her fingers lightly brushing one of the numerous scars that lined his body. “Vincent. It’s okay. Coffee sounds nice.”

“I don’t want to scare you,” he muttered. “I usually do that with girls… well, everyone, really.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not scared of you. You’re a really sweet guy.”

Vincent said nothing, though his heart was hammering within his chest. It was a peculiar form of un-life he possessed, but at this moment he felt more alive than ever before. He wondered if she knew of the men and women he had lashed out against, killing them. He wasn’t evil by nature, but the world was so cruel that sometimes he had been cruel in return…

“What do you have there?” the Peregrine asked, stepping up. Vincent pulled away and Revenant held up a small slip of paper. It looked like it had been the corner of a larger sheet but had been ripped away. A small bit of handwriting could still be seen:
1342 Trinity Avenue
.

“I found this and it doesn’t look like Nova’s handwriting, not from what you’ve shown me.”

Max studied it. “It’s definitely not his, you’re right about that. I know this address, though… it’s a rather nice home that was for rent until very recently. The new owner was mentioned in the society columns but there was no picture, and he hasn’t been spotted out and about… at least not that I know of.”

“What is his name?” Vincent asked.

“Dee. The paper didn’t mention his first name, just said that he was a businessman from Germany.”

Esper wasn’t paying any attention to the other three. She was wandering around the room, lightly running her fingertips over every surface. Now and again, she caught a flash of something in her mind’s eye, a brief glimpse at the struggle that had taken place here: she saw four men, one of them a blond with the bearing of a leader; she saw Nova, pinning a bug to a piece of wood; and she heard a man’s name, whispered with fear by the gunmen: Dee.

“Mr. Dee,” she said aloud. She turned to face the others, who were now staring at her. “The man who masterminded this whole thing… his name is Dee.” Rachel felt very proud of herself until she saw the faintest hint of a smirk on Revenant’s lips. “What?” she demanded, feeling embarrassed.

The Peregrine held up the piece of paper that he’d taken from Sally. “We found this piece of paper with Dee’s address on it. But you just confirmed that we should seek him out. Good job.”

Esper crossed her arms over her chest and let out a harrumph. Her anger dissipated quickly as she saw the humor in the situation, and her telepathy caught a new arrival coming up the stairs. “They’re bringing somebody to see us,” she said.

McKenzie, who had watched all this in silence, got moving at once. He met one of his officers at the head of the stairs outside, his eyes taking in Negro beauty that was accompanying him. With chocolate-colored skin and long curly hair, the girl was breathtaking. She wore a slinky black dress and pearls about her throat.

“Sorry to bother you,” the officer said, “but she said it was an emergency that she sees Mr. Nova, and when I told her about his murder, she insisted on being taken to the officer in charge.”

McKenzie looked at her, seeing an intelligence in her eyes that startled him. It wasn’t that he was unused to encountering beautiful women who were also intelligent—his wife certainly qualified in both regards—but there was an air of the savage around this woman, making her keen intelligence stand out all the more. She looked ill at ease in her clothing, making Will think she’d be more at home running about in a loin cloth.

“Can I help you?” he asked. “I’m Will McKenzie, the police chief.”

“My name is Makeeda,” the woman said. She spoke fluently but there was definitely an African accent to her words, and Revenant moved forward quickly, having recognized it immediately.

In Makeeda’s native tongue she said, “Sister, welcome.”

Makeeda’s eyes widened considerably and she swiftly fell to her knees, answering in the same language. “The Revenant! The Undying Ghost! I am not worthy to lay eyes upon you!”

Sally resisted the urge to smile at the looks of astonishment on the others’ faces. “I get this all the time back home,” she tried to explain. She knelt at Makeeda’s side and helped her up. “There’s no need for that, sister. I’m just here to help. You knew Mr. Nova?”

“No… I never met him. But Daniel told me about him. I was coming here to try and get Nova to help me, but then I heard about what had happened…”