Blue Light by Night

by Gerald Lopez

  “I’m glad you’re here, Noelle. I’ve been thinking of something I want to run by you.”

  “Go on, I’m listening.”

  “I know that there are some types of yoga that are very sexual, but without any sort of release. It’s all about prolonging the sexual energy.”

  “How do you know about that, Layton?”

  “I had back problems at one point and needed to find a masseur. I wanted a gay one and while doing research I discovered a lot of ideas and philosophies about how the lack of physical release can give your body more energy, or some such thing.”

  “That’s the belief, but what’s your point?”

  “If the yoga class today also believes that stuff about sexual energy, then maybe that energy will be diverted to the bones.”

  “Hmm, interesting conjecture. But you’ll be in the class and won’t be able to check the mausoleum for signs of the blue light.”

  “Yes, but you didn’t say you’d be in the class, Noelle.”

  “No, and they’ll think I’m working on the lecture I’m giving this afternoon. I’ll do it.”

  “Just be careful, Noelle. Make sure no one else is around. And if they are—”

  “I’m just a guest looking for a quiet place to gather my thoughts. I’ll meet you in your room afterward. Try not to let the yoga class wear you out. We do have the formal party tonight.”

  “Damn! I forgot. Are you the guest of honor?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am.”

  * * * *

  I had time to go back to my room and rest a while before yoga. Not feeling comfortable coming back downstairs nude I put on a robe, but didn’t bother with footwear. Passing by Jamison’s portrait, I felt him looking at me and turned to salute him.

  There was a group of about fifteen to twenty nude people outside on the patio. I recognized Jessica and Monique. Margo was also there, which I didn’t expect. Which was dumb of me since Alex had mentioned that it was both his sisters’ function earlier. There was another face I recognized, Hans from the German bakery. The baker looked good out of clothes. He didn’t look as heavy as he did in his bakery uniform. His body was firm—he had a belly, but even that was firm. A handsome, tan, muscular, bald man was standing next to him. Their physical closeness to one another made me think the bald man was probably Hans’s aforementioned partner.

  Glad to see you made it, Layton,” Jessica said, as she walked my way nude except for her heels.

  I had to laugh out loud. “You’re ever the stylish one, even nude, Jessica.”

  “Don’t worry, I take the heels off for yoga.”

  I looked down to admire her shoes, but something else caught my eye. A gray hair in an area she hadn’t thought about doing a dye job on. That made me take a long look at her under the guise of flirting.

  “If you’ll excuse me, Layton. I need to say hello to someone.”

  I checked her out from the back as she walked over to a handsome, silver haired man standing off to the side. The lady took good care of herself, but there were small things that gave her away. Once I knew what to look for I noticed many telltale signs. Even firm and toned skin tended to show signs of age. Her heavy makeup was probably done on purpose to further hide those signs. But why go through all that trouble. It wasn’t as if she was an elderly woman, just older than she pretended to be. Unless there was another reason for hiding her age—time to find Margo.

  “Hey, Layton,” Hans gave me a friendly slap on the back. “This is my partner Jerhome.”

  Jerhome and I shook hands.

  “I’d never want to be in a hand wrestling contest with you, Jerhome,” I said. “You have one hell of a firm grip.

  “Nice to meet you too, Layton, and you’re no slacker when it comes to firm handshakes. If you’ll excuse me. Hans, I’m going to find a spot for our yoga mats.”

  “Hans, I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said.

  “No, I wouldn’t think you would’ve. I was gonna mention the yoga class before, but then everything with you, Alex, and Delonn happened. In the excitement of hearing all about that I just forgot, sorry. Remember if you should need a friend or two, you can count on Jerhome and me.”

  “Hello you two,” Margo said.

  Margo had walked up, which gave me a chance to check a theory. She had no gray hairs down below, unlike her sister. And while she wore little makeup in an attempt to look plain, she had fewer tiny wrinkles around her eyes than Jessica.

  “So nice to see you again, Margo. Although I didn’t picture you as a practitioner of nude yoga,” I said.

  “My sister asked me to go along with her to the first yoga meeting she attended quite a while back, and I just couldn’t say no. The nude body is a work of art and as such, nothing to be ashamed of, wouldn’t you two gentleman agree?”

  Hans and I both agreed.

  “I think we’re about ready to begin,” Margo said, “we need to find our spots.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, Layton,” Hans said before going to join his partner.

  “I don’t have a mat,” I said to Margo.

  “Of course you don’t, but we have an extra one already laid out for you.”

  She took my arm and walked me to our spots in the front. Unlike her sister, she was barefoot and had lovely, young, unblemished feet. My mat was placed in between Jessica and Margo and Hans and Jerhome were directly behind us.

  In front of our group were the instructors. Two perfect specimens of our species. The female was slender with perfect breasts. The man had six pack abs and a cock that was fairly long, even soft. They began putting us through our paces. I’d tried traditional yoga once with the ex, but these instructors were doing moves that seemed to have more in common with the Karma Sutra. Every move they did brought attention to their impressive bodies. Both were completely spread from both the back and the front several times. And we were attempting every one of their moves. Hans and his partner were seeing more of me than some of my past lovers had ever seen. Looking at the male instructor and the other men in the group was making me feel a sudden rush of sexual heat. The kind of heat you feel through your entire body when you’re incredibly turned on by someone, or in the middle of hot sex.

  After the session was over I felt like I needed a cold shower.

  “I hope the session didn’t tucker you out, Layton,” Margo said.

  “Oh Margo, of course it didn’t,” Jessica said. “Layton is all man. Margo, why don’t you go and check on the food for the party tonight.”

  “Until tonight, Layton,” Margo said before leaving.

  Monique walked up and took Margo’s place. “Good job, Layton, you managed to keep up almost perfectly,” she said. “With a little practice you could be great.”

  “Damn! I see Margo waving to me from the verandah,” Jessica said. “I’d better go see what’s wrong. I should’ve known better than to leave things in her hands. I’ll see you two later. Try and behave, Monique.”

  As soon as she was gone, Monique began running her hands along my stomach. “You are in good shape, Layton. If you decide you’re tired of Jessica time at the mansion, I know of a happening late night party myself. Maybe you’ll even get some of the answers you’re here to find. You know where I’ll be this evening.”

  She gave my ass a pat as she left. I turned to see Hans and Jerhome behind me.

  “She was right about you being in good shape. Those instructors ran us through the mill,” Jerhome said.

  * * * *

  When I got back to my room Noelle was waiting. I was grateful she was dressed. She actually looked very nice in a striped, off the shoulder shirt, white shorts, and sneakers.

  “Do you have a formal dress for tonight, Noelle?”

  “Of course. Just because I was naked when we first met doesn’t mean I haven’t been provided for on this mission.”

  “And the bones, were they glowing?” I said. “God knows that yoga class must’ve generated some sexual energy.”

  “N
ot as much as you might think. The bones were barely glowing blue.”

  “But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, Noelle. Is it possible they needed to get warmed up or that the energy was being diverted from them to somewhere else? Another vessel of some sort.”

  “Someone could be storing up the energy for a specific use,” she said.

  “In your research, have you found any clues to what could be used as the other vessel, Noelle?”

  “Bones seem to be important in this religion and there are plenty of them in these parts.”

  I sat down in the chair and put my feet up. “If they could use any old bones this place wouldn’t be so important. So it must be specific bones… maybe the bones of their ancestors.”

  “The bones in the mausoleum could be ancient,” Noelle said, “and they may have even been brought here from somewhere else. That isn’t uncommon.”

  “There was something I noticed today, but I’d like a second opinion, if you don’t mind.”

  Noelle sat on the bed. She had a curious look on her face. “I’m all ears, Layton. It’s not romantic advice is it?” She smiled.

  “I don’t need help in that arena. My mind has been working on overtime concerning the Kennedy sisters. Have you noticed how Jessica just piles on the makeup and has her hair dyed a ridiculous color, and Margo is the exact opposite?”

  “That’s not unusual in women.”

  “Do you think it’s possible that nothing we’re seeing with them is true or real? That it’s all artifice to deceive. And the way the women dress and do their makeup is deliberate and well thought out. Have you looked at their faces, I mean really looked? Not to mention their bodies.”

  “No, but it sounds like you have, Layton. What exactly are you getting at?”

  “This may sound ridiculous, but what if Jessica is the older of the sisters and Margo the younger. I was told that Jessica always learned things faster than her sister, which would make sense if she were in fact older.”

  Noelle was silent and I could see she was carefully thinking about what I’d said.

  “None of it sounds ridiculous to me, Layton. It makes perfect sense and isn’t even all that unusual in history.” She stood before continuing. “Traditionally, the older sister would be the leader or high priestess of a female-centered cult religion. But it would also make her vulnerable. Some ancient groups would disguise someone to look or act like her when traveling or in a dangerous situation. In this case they’ve switched ages and places in their family. Do you know what this means, Layton?”

  “Yes. No one is who he or she seems to be. It means that since they were very little they’ve been trained to act either older or younger than they actually are. This religion or cult, whatever it is, has taken over their lives from the beginning.”

  “No, Layton. The cult is their life and purpose for being. They were born to their positions. We just don’t know what those positions may be. Priestess or leader. In either case, there is almost always a king or high priest to keep the important bloodlines going.”

  “Do you think he knows?” I said, thinking about Alex.

  “No, Layton, I don’t. Alex’s sisters definitely run the show. If he is to be a future leader or king, Alex is unaware of it for now. There’s a reason they didn’t want him here today. He’s an innocent. The blood of an innocent would be very strong and powerful. Women are in charge here, but the man has his part to play when it comes to breeding.”

  “DeLonn mentioned Alex was an innocent too. Is that common lingo?”

  “In religious circles it is,” Noelle said. “I’ve been briefed about the DeLonn incident. He may have used the word innocent describing Alex but he wasn’t part of whatever the sisters are involved in.”

  “Noelle, when you mention breeding and bloodlines, you’re not implying incest are you?”

  “No. At best, they would have a hand in picking his future bride whose bloodline is equally as important.”

  “And who, I’m guessing, would have to come from an equally powerful family. This has been going on for a very long time, hasn’t it?”

  “Yes, I’m sure of it. We need to be careful, Layton. They have a great deal of power on both the earthly and the spiritual planes.”

  “I need to get my job done and quickly. I’m not sure I know how to fight what I think could turn into a supernatural battle, Noelle.”

  “You become a supernatural soldier. And you do what a soldier must do to win. Find allies and warriors to win the cause. And have faith that you’ll be victorious against a powerful enemy.”

  Chapter 23

  Honest Conversations

  There was still time before the evening festivities, so I opened my laptop to do some research on Jamison Kennedy. I read again about how the man was a humble but charismatic Christian preacher well respected in his community. There was mention of his piercing eyes and his marriage to a woman from Germany. So I was right about that one. She was from a good family with a history going back to ancient Rome. They had sons, the oldest of which inherited the homestead. Closing the laptop I lay back on the bed thinking about what I knew about Jamison. He didn’t trust his wife or her people… at least not one hundred percent or else he wouldn’t have that provision in his will leaving everything to the Catholic church. Maybe his wife didn’t act the way he felt she should act. As a religious man he may have expected too much from her.

  Either way I hadn’t run across any evidence supporting my thoughts. Hmm, something didn’t sit right. I needed to look at those portraits again and it was still too early for people to be coming back for Noelle’s talk so I’d have time to look at them alone. Still dressed in my robe, I left my room and walked downstairs to the portraits in the hallway. A scurry of workers were walking around setting up for the party. Noelle would be doing her talk in one of the rooms, but I just wasn’t in the mood to hear it. A restlessness was growing inside me and I knew why. The answer to everything was right in front of me, practically hitting me in the face and I couldn’t see it. Frustrated, I went back to my room and took a long soak in the clawfoot tub. Relaxing a while, my thoughts turned to the tub in New Orleans and the time Alex and I shared together in it. He was already a part of me and I missed him. My bed would feel lonely tonight without him in it.

  * * * *

  The fit of my tuxedo was impeccable. Jimmy and Francisco were probably enjoying each other’s company right now. The last time I saw them they already seemed like an established couple, comfortable around each other and joined at the hip. It made me miss Alex again and I wondered where he was and what he was doing right this minute.

  By the time I made it downstairs most of the guests had arrived for cocktails. I followed the flow of people into the octagonal dining room, which had pale gold walls and slightly darker gold curtains. The pale colors made an elegant contrast to the dark wood floors and antique furniture. The rectangular dining table featured a colorful collection of sweets, cheeses, and other appetizers. I noticed Hans in the corner with his partner. Like me, both men wore tuxes.

  “Hello, Hans, Jerhome. Are any of those delectable looking treats from your bakery?”

  “Nope, Layton, can’t say that they are,” Hans said. “The Kennedy family uses the club’s catering services.”

  “Well, I’m sure they’re not as good as yours,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

  “The really sad thing,” Jerhome said, “is that the club’s chefs are pretty darn good. It wouldn’t hurt so much if they were just plain bad.”

  “True enough,” Hans said. “You should try their stuffed portobello mushrooms, they’re world-class.”

  “I guess when you’re asking guys to don their monkey suits, the food has to be as you say, ‘world-class,’” I said.

  Hans and Jerhome both laughed. “The Kennedy sisters like to put on a good show,” Hans said.

  I saw Jessica enter the room, she looked surprisingly well put together. Her dress was actually more understated than
I was expecting. It was a simple, fitted, black spaghetti-strap dress with sheer lace panels on the sides, her hair was elegantly pulled back. I excused myself to say hello to her.

  “You’re looking very fine this evening, Jessica. I was on my way to try the portobello mushrooms when you distracted me,” I said, as she draped her arm around mine.

  “Why thank you for the compliment, Layton. Let’s fix you a plate.”

  We walked to the table where she placed a variety of delicacies on a plate for me. All the while greeting people and making introductions… the perfect hostess. Once my plate was full, she signaled for the man with Champagne to come our way. There was a clip on the side of my plate into which she placed the Champagne flute.

  “One of the more clever inventions,” Jessica said. “It also helps keep broken glasses to a minimum.”

  “I agree. I’ll have to remember those clips when I’m hosting my next formal event.”

  Jessica let out a loud laugh. “Oh, Layton.” She said, leaning even closer to me.

  “Hey, I might surprise you,” I said. “For all you know, I may host fancy cocktail parties every night.”

  “I doubt that, and if it were true, you wouldn’t interest me at all.”

  She led me to the double parlor. The black tuxes and fancy gowns people wore took center stage in these rooms with their white walls and curtains.

  “Hello, darlings,” Monique said as she blew air kisses to both of us.

  “Aren’t you the sparkling belle of the ball tonight,” I said.

  “I do love to sparkle,” Monique said, slowly turning for me to see all of her skin-tight, full-length pink sequined confection.

  “And it’s evident that the sparkle loves you,” I said with a flirtatious grin.

  I noticed familiar faces as the ladies introduced me to various guests. Most of them had been in the yoga class earlier. It was fun to see which ones looked better nude and which ones looked better clothed.

  “You missed an interesting talk on sexual energy, Layton,” Monique said.