Blue Light by Night

by Gerald Lopez

  I drifted for a moment while things were connecting in my mind. For once since I’d arrived I was thinking clearly. The eyes might give me the answers I was looking for in this case. But I needed to do some research regarding something I’d learned in high school.

  “Layton, where are you? We were talking about trust.”

  “Oh yeah, sorry, babe. An idea about this case just jumped into my mind. It’s been bugging me ever since I first came here to the mansion, and I think I’ve just about figured it out.”

  “And?”

  “And I’ll tell you everything once I’ve connected the dots more completely. But if I’m right then Jamison Kennedy’s will may come into play. Now, What were you saying?”

  “Okay, I get the hint—change of subject”

  “How’s about we go back to the issue of trust,” I said. “To put it simply, if you can’t trust yourself, trust me. When I leave this town I’m taking you with me, so be packed and ready. And we may need to leave quickly… just pack the essentials. Can you arrange for someone to come get your photos and stuff? The bed too, it’s sexy.”

  “Yeah. The staff here is good at packing things for me. And I have a storage unit just outside of town where I keep frames and supplies. The bed and things will fit in there. Do I get a say in any of this?”

  “I thought you just said that you didn’t trust yourself,” I smiled and then kissed him.

  “The one thing I’m sure about is my love for you, Layton. I’ll be packed and ready. But we don’t have to worry about all that right this second, do we?”

  “And here I thought you were a good boy.”

  “Well, right now I’m feelin’ bad and like I want more of that ass.”

  “It’s all yours, babe.”

  We proceeded to have if not a “good” time, a hot and sexy one.

  * * * *

  I needed to get up, but I couldn’t bring myself to let Alex out of my arms.

  “Guess, I’m gonna have to be the strong one here,” he said as he rolled over to get out of my grasp, then pushed on my back trying to get me out of bed. “The sooner you go do your research, the sooner we can get out of here.”

  “You’re right. Give me a kiss to strengthen me.”

  Alex kissed me on the lips, then pulled me out of bed.

  “I gotta get the help in here and tell them what to do, so go,” Alex said.

  “Okay I’m going.” I smiled and blew him a kiss. “Keep your fingers crossed that my hunch plays out and start packing. I’ll meet you for tea at two.”

  Alex laughed. “I still can’t believe a big soldier guy like you enjoys tea.”

  “What’s not to like? I told you I have a sweet tooth. Now stop trying to distract me.”

  As I put my towel over my shoulder and headed toward the hidden staircase I took one last look at him. He was lying back in the bed half-naked, the thin sheet covering very little of him. There was a smile on his face and he was looking straight at me. That smile would turn the strongest man to mush. I ran and jumped on the bed next to him then planted a wet kiss on his lips before I leapt up again and left.

  * * * *

  After leaving Alex, I showered again quickly to get cleaned up, dressed, and packed my things. There was no reason for me to come back to the old estate. I’d opted for wearing long khakis, a T-shirt, and deck shoes, sans socks. As soon as I finished loading the car, I left and headed for the town’s library, which was right off Main Street. When I arrived, I grabbed my laptop bag and exited the car. The building was small and had the typical stone facade often seen on libraries. It was raised on a cement foundation, which acted as a basement. Upon entering, I walked up to the help desk where a handsome raven-haired man was working.

  “Good afternoon,” the man said. “My name’s Ross Wagner. How may I help you?”

  “Good afternoon, Ross. I’m Layton. I’ve been doing some research on the local Kennedy family and was wondering if you had some historical photographs or records of them.”

  “We have those type of records in a special room downstairs, dedicated to the founders and history of Shelby. If you’ll follow me, I’ll gladly take you there.”

  “Thank you,” I said, noticing that his smile was lasting too long.

  He gently nudged me to a wide staircase, which led downstairs. His hand lingered around my waist and slid down to my ass before leaving my body.

  “I haven’t noticed you visiting our humble town before, Layton.”

  “That’s because it’s my first time in Shelby. I’m just here on business.”

  “As you can see, the library continues downstairs. We’re small and need to utilize all our space. Originally, some of the people in town wanted the space downstairs to be used as a type of social hall. But we’re a library, not a social hall.”

  “Good for you, Ross. Libraries are more needed than social halls.”

  “I’m glad to hear you think that way.”

  He took my arm and we walked down past a row of books to a small room which we then entered. There were glass display cases inside with old photographs and artifacts. Two large portraits of Jamison and his wife were centered on the facing wall with smaller portraits of their three sons to the right of them. Filing cabinets were against the left wall and there was a round table with chairs in the center of the room. I pointed to the cabinets and looked at Ross. His response was to push me against the wall and kiss me, using his tongue to explore my mouth. It was hot—he was a good kisser, but this wasn’t gonna happen. I needed his help, but there was Alex to think about, so I pushed Ross away as gently as I could. It was time for me to use a little finesse and play along until I could get out of this graciously.

  “Mmm, Ross, that was hot, man.”

  “You inspire me, Layton. It’s not often that a man like you comes through town. Do you have time for any pleasure in between work?”

  “What makes you think that I’m your kind of man?”

  “You could’ve slapped my hand off your ass, but you didn’t,” he said.

  “I’ll have to see if I can make some time, Ross. But right now I need to hurry and do that research. Do you have a card with your cell number on it?”

  Ross got a card from his pocket and slid it into my front pocket, taking the opportunity to grope me.

  “Why wait till then, Layton, this door locks.”

  He turned to grip the knob, but couldn’t turn it. Once he let go of it the door opened.

  “Sorry to interrupt, boys,” Anjelica said. “Hello, Layton, just the man I was looking for. Hi, Ross, someone upstairs was looking for you.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, Layton. Hopefully, I’ll see you later.

  I just smiled as he left the room.

  “Saved by ‘the’ Anjelica,” I said, smiling at her.

  “Like Jimmy was saved by ‘the’ Layton.”

  “He was… and by a hunky Italian cop too. I’m sure the two of them are all nice and cozy right now.”

  “Like you and Ross were getting before I burst in?”

  “No, not like Ross and me. He was trying to have his way with me until you saved me.” I laughed out loud. “So, are you here as spy or friend?”

  “As a friend checking on a friend. I called the old Kennedy estate trying to find you and Alex told me that you were here. What are you doing here, Layton?”

  “I’m checking a theory.” I pointed to the portraits of Jamison Kennedy and his bride, then to their sons’ portraits.

  “Do you care to share that theory, maybe I can help?”

  “Are you sure you want to get more involved helping me than you already are?”

  “At this point what’s the difference, and you know that Jimmy and I are friends. He called me from a pay phone on the road to let me know how you helped him in New Orleans and to tell me to watch myself. My sister knows that Jimmy remembers about the cult now and she found out I was with him the first time he saw the blue light. One of the cops on duty the night Nia died told her. S
he’s looking for you too… it’s time for them to get rid of loose ends. And the cult isn’t happy about their club in the woods getting blown up. They know you were involved along with the bakery owners. They also suspect I may be helping you.”

  “Did Sophia tell you all that?”

  “No, but I’m nosy. I overheard her phone calls. They’re out to get you, and me too, seeing as how I’m now a loose end. They’ve got to suspect that I’ll help you even more than I have.”

  “Why are they worried about you helping me. You and Sophia are sisters?”

  “We may be sisters, but I was never indoctrinated in the cult. I guess I didn’t measure up somehow; and I’m grateful for that. Besides, Sophia is aware that I like Jimmy and you. She knows I’ll try to warn you as well as help you.”

  I trusted her; I had since the first time we’d met. She was a good sort, who was risking a lot being here with me… it was time to share my theory.

  “Thanks, Anjelica. Okay, here goes, look at the eyes in the portraits.”

  “What about them?”

  “It’s all about their eye color. Ever since I saw their portraits in the old mansion something has been bothering me. But I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, except that I felt it was staring me in the face. It was there whenever I passed Jamison’s portraits, the eyes staring at me, trying to speak to me. Then I remembered something I’d learned in high school. It’s all about genetics and recessive traits. In particular, eye color in families.

  “Blue eyes are recessive. Both Jamison and his wife have light blue eyes and yet all three of their sons have brown eyes. Maybe one brown-eyed son could be explained away, but not three from two blue-eyed parents. That is, if these portraits are accurate.”

  “We can find the answer to that quickly enough,” she said, pointing to the file cabinets against the left wall. “The library keeps pertinent information about the Kennedy history and copies of original documents here. I remember doing research for a school paper and citing several of the documents. Some of the photos of Jamison and the others in the display cases may be tinted to reflect eye color.”

  “Well then, let’s get to work, partner,” I said, putting my laptop on the round table.

  We started by looking at the photographs in the case. The eye color in the few tinted pictures reflected the eye color in the portraits. I booted up my laptop and with Anjelica’s help managed to pick up the Internet. While I retrieved a copy of Jamison’s will that I’d made before leaving the old Kennedy mansion, Anjelica looked through files.

  “Here we go, Layton. This is a verifiable document which describes Jamison Kennedy’s eye color as being ‘strikingly blue’.”

  She set the file down next to me and I looked through it. The article was copied from a newspaper of the day. A second file hit the table and a third. These mentioned the sons’ eye colors as brown.

  “Does all this information help?” Anjelica said.

  “Yeah, if we can verify Mrs. Kennedy’s eye color, we can determine who the rightful heir to the Kennedy estate is, since Jamison’s will left everything to his blood-related children. Without any blood related children the Catholic Church gets it.”

  She tossed another file at me. “That’s the wife’s info.”

  Taking out my cell phone, which had miraculously survived the club ordeal, I dialed Leticia, who answered right away. I then gave her the quick version of what I’d discovered.

  “It’s very probable that Jamison Kennedy had no heirs,” I said. “Meaning we go back to his original will, which left everything to the Catholic Church. It should be possible to do some sort of DNA test to prove everything.”

  “I’ll have my people get to work on that right away,” Leticia said. “Job well done, Layton. What you say has the ring of truth to it and going back to that original will means things can be brought to order there. Be extra careful and watch your back while you’re in Shelby.”

  “Will do,” I said. “I have a feeling all hell is fixing to break loose in this place. I’ll be in touch.”

  Putting the phone back in my pocket I shut down my laptop and stood up. “Time to go, Anjelica. We need to get you someplace safe.”

  I grabbed the files on the table and put them in my laptop bag before heading out. “I’ll make sure these files get back here when we’re done with them, Anjelica.”

  “It’s awfully quiet down here, I’m used to seeing at least a few people doing research,” Anjelica said.

  “Maybe it’s too quiet.” I held my arm up to keep Anjelica from walking forward, then I took a look around the corner of the room. There was a pale blue light emanating from the top of the stairs. “We’ve been found. Is there a back way out of here?”

  “There’s an emergency exit at the far end of the room,” Anjelica said, grabbing my arm and moving between rows of bookshelves toward the back of the room.

  We made it to the emergency exit quickly, but when I tried the door it was somehow blocked from the other side.

  “Hello, hello,” Sophia said. “Come on out and make it easy on yourselves.”

  I looked toward the stairs and saw her dressed for work. We were just something to take care of before her shift as hostess started. Her hands were glowing blue.

  “I get you killing me, Sophia,” I said, “but you know the others won’t let Anjelica live—she knows too much. Are you really gonna help people who’d kill your own sister?”

  “I’m a priestess, my only priority is serving the blue light. Family doesn’t matter.”

  “Unless it’s the Kennedy family,” Anjelica said.

  “They’re our royalty and the keepers of the blue light. Other families exist only to serve them.”

  We tried to hide at the ends of bookshelf rows. I whispered to Anjelica, “We’ve got to find a way to defend ourselves.”

  “It’s a shame Anjelica interrupted your time with Ross, Layton. I was hoping he’d get an energy rise out of you that I could absorb. Oh well, I don’t need it to do my assigned task.”

  “So, that’s why he came on to me so quickly, and here I thought it was just ‘cause of my good looks.”

  There was nothing I could find to use as a weapon and we were in the last row between the bookcases and a wall. The only things around me were books, a mid-size mirror on the wall, and framed photographs of historic Shelby. But the mirror might be able to help… the blue light was just light after all. The blue glow in the room was increasing—I had to think fast.

  “What do we do, Layton?”

  Anjelica was worried, and I suddenly had an idea. “Quick, start knocking down books from the shelves to form a barrier in front of us,” I said starting to push books off the shelves and the shelves themselves onto the floor in front of us.

  As Anjelica continued piling books, I grabbed the mirror off the wall. “Whatever you do, stay behind me, Anjelica.”

  “Okay, no problem.”

  I kept the mirror hidden to the side behind the pile of books which only reached to our knees. Sophia came into view and in her hands were two large blue light orbs—I had to time things perfectly.

  Sophia aimed at us, Anjelica screamed, and I went into action. By the time the beams of light were heading our way I had lifted the mirror, and it reflected the blue light back at Sophia, who screamed in agony.

  Anjelica dug her fingers into my arm strongly as she watched her sister being consumed in blue light. Sophia screamed loudly as her body burnt up until there was nothing but black dust. Taking Anjelica’s hand, I dragged her away and we both ran up the stairs and out the front door without looking back. Seconds later we were in the Jaguar and Anjelica was in shock and shaking.

  “Oh my God, Layton. My sister’s dead!”

  “Be grateful she is, or you and I would be nothing but black dust.”

  “You’re right.”

  I saw her take a deep breath and compose herself quicker than I thought she would.

  “It’s okay. I’ll be okay. Can you drive
me alongside my car, so I can get my bag?” She pointed to a beige car and I drove to it.

  It took her only a second to retrieve her large duffel bag and get back in the Jaguar.

  “This is definitely a war we’re in, but you’ve seen worse than this, right, Layton?”

  “I’ve seen some bad stuff, but nothing like this shit.” I was still shaken up and had to be careful not to speed as I drove.

  “Layton, where are we going?”

  “To a friend’s house. Somewhere safe, I hope.”

  Chapter 26

  Safe places

  “Can you trust this friend of yours?” Anjelica said. “Are you sure they’re not in the cult?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. In war, Anjelica, one has to be sure of who your real friends are and which places are truly safe.”

  “Is there such a thing as a safe place in war?”

  “No, not really. Most places can be vulnerable, that’s why you have to be sure about your friends. Being in an empty field surrounded by loyal friends is sometimes safer than a stronghold that can be breached.”

  “Can I have both, Layton? I like to have the odds in my favor, how’s about a stronghold filled with friends?”

  “Sounds good to me. Speaking of friends, maybe Jimmy will be in a place to help you for a while. At the least, maybe the two of you can help each other.”

  “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of his new romance with the Italian.”

  “I smiled and pulled up to Mother Watkins’s house. Anjelica put her hand on my shoulder and shot me a sad look.

  “Oh, Layton, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to show disrespect for what Jimmy had with you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We had an understanding when he left. Grab your duffel bag, you may need it—I have somewhere I need to be soon.”

  * * * *

  Mother Watkins and Anjelica were laughing their heads off at my expense.