by Gerald Lopez
“Could the cult in Shelby have taken over the world with their members?” I said.
“Combined with their sister group in Germany they could’ve easily thrown off the spiritual and supernatural balance that we work carefully to maintain.”
“But what about all the wars over religion and people dying over religion,” Alex said. “Do your people get involved in the problems in the Middle East for example?”
“No,” Leticia said. “Those are the problems which plague mankind on a human level. We just make sure that things don’t escalate on a supernatural level. Imagine if the battle that was fought in Shelby had occurred world-wide… I shudder to think what would’ve happened.”
“The numbers of casualties in Shelby may have been small on a world-wide scale, but they were still humans,” Alex said. “And I heard about that club being blown up with people inside, was your group responsible for those casualties?”
“Yes,” Leticia said, “but the people inside were already as good as dead. They’d been drained too much to recover and there was no coming back.”
“They were acceptable losses in battle,” I said. “It sounds cruel, but I was there, and in order for Jerhome, Hans, and me to escape, the power in that club had to be dealt with or we’d have been the ones that were the casualties. And Shelby was a true battle, which is why it helped to have a detective working for you that’s also an ex-soldier, right, Leticia?”
“That’s a very astute observation, Layton, which proves I’ve got the right man for the job.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, “Mother Watkins referred to the female soldiers with Miss Lucy at our final battle as sisters. I thought it was just slang, but they really were sisters—I mean nuns, weren’t they?”
“Yes,” Leticia said. “We do have a secret army of nuns. I trust you’ll keep that information to yourself.”
“Nobody would believe him if he did mention it,” Alex said.
We all laughed, then Alex continued. “What happened to the cult group in Germany and what will you do with Shelby?”
“The group in Germany was dealt with and broken up by our operatives there—and yes, there were casualties. Their grand plan was to align their group with the one in Shelby. That union would’ve been sealed when the Shelby group’s king and the German group’s queen produced offspring.”
“Does Alex need to worry about any of these crazy cult members coming after him?” I said.
“The power base of both groups has been destroyed and the leaders killed. They died rather than surrender, the same as the group in Shelby. It will take them time to recover, if they ever can. Still, Alex may be a living symbol for some of the survivors, so they may try to seek him out. Of course, it would make things easier if his last name was changed.”
“Well, I’m not a real Kennedy by blood anyway,” Alex said. “Speaking of which, what will you do with the Kennedy properties?”
“We’re actually following the original will, and the old mansion and property will go to the Catholic Church. They’re allowing us to go in to do research and a spiritual cleansing first. It’s my understanding that they’re prepared to make a deal with you, Alex, where they would only seek the original property and land leaving you with the newer properties and income. It would be much easier for them if you’d sign a document relinquishing any claim to the original homestead, and they’re prepared to offer you a significant cash settlement.”
Alex looked at me, and I nodded.
“I’m here with you, no matter what you decide to do, Alex,” I said.
“Thank you, Layton. Leticia, I’ll gladly sign over any and all rights to the original Kennedy estate. I won’t further tarnish the good Kennedy name by accepting any financial deals. The only thing I would like—if it can be arranged—is to change my name officially. I’d like to keep the Alexander part, but change the Kennedy part.”
“I can make that happen,” Leticia said. “And I admire your choice, Alex, it’s an honorable one. The church will make things right and follow the Kennedy founder’s wishes. I’m also prepared to offer you a job, Alex.”
“Really? Well I’m certainly in need of one, but what can I do for you, or rather your organization?”
“I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but I’m assuming that you and Layton will be traveling in each other’s company.”
“We’re a unit in every sense of the word, Ma’am,” I said.
“A good one too, in my opinion,” Leticia said. “In any case, we’d love to have someone taking pictorial documentation of some of the things Layton will be dealing with… it’s important to our research. We need to carefully document these groups and everything about them, and you, Alex, are an excellent photographer. I’ve been to one of your shows in Europe and was very impressed. In fact, one of your framed photographs hangs above the fireplace in my home.”
“Thank you,” Alex said. “If Layton agrees to work for you on retainer, then I’m in also.”
“I’m happy to work for you,” I said. “Seriously though, Leticia, I think maybe I’m needed here and that feels really good to me right now. I’ve had some hard knocks in life, but things are finally turning around for me on every level. So, when do we start?”
“I’m glad to hear that, Layton. Oh, I almost forgot—you’ll have to let me know what you’d like your name changed to, Alex.”
“Shayne,” I said. “I think Alex Shayne has a good ring to it. The name’s strong, reliable and—”
“And eternal… a forever name,” Alex said, “as in together forever.”
“Yeah, together forever,” I said.
“I give my blessing on this happy union,” Leticia said.
“Doesn’t that feel strange to say in a Catholic convent?” Alex said.
“Maybe, but I think you two belong together,” Leticia said. “Besides, I’m not Catholic, I’m Episcopalian. I’ll put a rush on that name change paperwork. I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a room for you on the premises, and we’ll talk some more tomorrow. Oh, hopefully you didn’t get too attached to the Jaguar—it’s a little too formal for your next assignment. But no worries, we have a fleet of vehicles at our disposal, and we’ll make sure you’ll have the right car or truck when the time comes. And before I forget, we’ve tracked down your truck, you’ll be able to pick it up on the way to your new assignment.”
* * * *
Leticia definitely had us figured out. The room she’d prepared for us in a motel style outbuilding on the property had a king-size bed. One bed for two men—smart woman that Leticia. Alex came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.
“Alex Shayne… I like the sound of that,” Alex said.
“To happy days and new adventures together,” I said, turning around and kissing him.
I held Alex safe and sound in bed. Our two bodies felt like one and it seemed like all was right in our new world. Together we would be victorious in all we attempted, I had no doubt of that. Still, I wasn’t one to be naive and knew that our new jobs would take us into dangerous territory where we might make strange and powerful enemies. Instead of focusing on that, though I concentrate on what I had right now. The man who I loved more than anyone else in this world loved me and we were together: Shayne and Shayne together forever.
Epilogue
The next morning, Leticia’s people slid a file under the door for me. It contained details from a secret meeting that had occurred last night at a location in New Orleans. The office of a secret organization had been bugged with a miniature video camera, and I was reading a word for word transcript:
The older man—who we believe to be head of this organization—watched a woman, we know to be his wife, picking up the cards after she’d read them for the two of them. He scratched his chin, then adjusted his glasses, and finally leaned back in his chair looking straight ahead at his guest.
“So Shelby went exactly as the cards predicted,” the man said. “The sisters lost it all and their royal family in G
ermany went down also.”
“It might’ve been easier continuing to deal with them,” his wife said. “They’d agreed to the joining of our two religions.”
“Don’t you believe in those cards you read, woman? I knew they would lose the battle, but that’s okay. We would’ve just been their foot soldiers and I prefer to be a leader.”
“But the cards warn against rushing ahead, my love,” his wife said. “We must show patience and wait until the timing is right.”
“That much is obvious,” the man said squeezing a rubber ball he had on his desk. “What angers me is the carelessness of our people in the field. DeLonn was placed where he was for a reason. He was there to use his potions to mesmerize those people and find out their secrets.”
“The man was a fool,” the woman standing in front of him said. “He acted in haste and put his own desires ahead of our group.”
“Once again you state the obvious,” the man said. “Like mother like daughter. But you did your job well, daughter. It was the others that let you down. That fool DeLonn! He could’ve exposed us all just to avenge his worthless sister. Then when he might have been able to at least befriend the detective, Layton Shayne, he screwed that up too. Nobody ordered him to make a hit on Alexander Kennedy. Stupid move. If DeLonn was in front of me now I would kill him myself. Those island people will need more training to do their jobs for us well. I had too much faith in them because we are part of the same family and it was misguided.”
“And what of me now?” his daughter said.
“You had a job to do for us and you did it well,” the man said. “I am pleased. But I am not pleased that your life was put in danger. If not for that dog faced fool from the convenience store rescuing you, then all would be lost. You are now ready to take your place as priestess of our people and you will be watched over by more worthy guards.”
“What about Layton Shayne and the organization Miss Lucy represents?” his daughter said.
“In time I will deal with Layton Shayne,” the man said. “Not today or tomorrow. Maybe not even until years from now. I will wait until he feels safe, and secure. At a time when he no longer sees the need to watch his back, we will be there and ready. At that same time our people will march on the organization run by Leticia Carter and we will destroy them completely and utterly. But not yet, not now. Let that day come as a surprise. The day they will bow before Sandoval Marchand.”
End of transcript.
* * * *
So someone had survived the Shelby fight, someone from a powerful family. I looked down at the name of the survivor. A name I knew well: Monique whose last name was Marchand. She’d been rescued from the club. Alex was still sleeping, but I’d have to tell him about Monique being alive. Still, I agreed with what Leticia had written in her accompanying note. This new group was in no rush to come after me or Alex. They were working to rebuild their own group. She merely wanted me to keep the information in the back of my mind and always be aware and cautious. She had an agent inside that was taking care of things with a team. So I was free to start on my next case and new adventure.
# # # # #
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About the Author
Gerald was called to write at various times in his life. When he was young, the writing consisted of plays and short stories. Then he explored the fine arts and literature, earning a bachelor’s degree in the latter while minoring in art history. In his studies he was fascinated by and enjoyed analyzing characters, their personalities and motivations. To him it’s always been the characters who make a story special. Once again writing has taken hold of him. In the past it was just an amusement, but now—for Gerald—writing is a passion to live, eat, and breathe.
Other Books by Gerald Lopez
Dueling Divas (an Avondale Story)
Murder, mayhem, and love all find their way into The Next Club Superstar singing contest.
Dead Men Tell Tales (a New Eden Tale)
A contemporary tale of murder, ghosts, and romance set out West.
Blue Light By Night (a Layton Shayne Mystery)
A supernatural mystery set in a small town in Louisiana. Also, first book in a series.
For Love Of: Tangi
A heartwarming and often funny story of a young man’s coming-out and finding true love.
Green Eyes Cry, You Die (a Layton Shayne Mystery)
More supernatural suspense. This time, Layton Shayne must locate a green-eyed statue that has the power to create zombies
Miss Lucy and the Pussy Brigade (Miss Lucy Case Files #1)
First spin-off from the Layton Shayne Mysteries. Hilarious read involving the supernatural, crazy agents, and a bunch of cats.
All Queers Must Die
In a world where no one is who they seem to be and everybody has secrets… how do you find the truth? Bart Farrow is a man determined to get to the truth of what is going on in Maynard Shores.
Lost Bitches: an Abel Kane Mystery
Private detective Abel Kane is on the case. And he is willing and able to do what it takes to get the job done. What starts off as a seemingly simple dognapping case turns into much more when the mob, a pretty female call girl, and several hunky men get involved.
For Love of: Colt
Colt and Tangi are in love and they’ve survived being crowned homecoming kings. But if they’re expecting the craziness in their lives to settle down—they couldn’t be more wrong. Even though members of Colt’s football team, the cheerleaders, and the entire high school become involved in the couple’s romance, Tangi and Colt persevere. And Tangi stands strong when the time is called for him to do so. All… for love of Colt.
Black Hearts Dance (a Layton Shayne Mystery)
Detective Layton Shayne and his partner Alex are back, and working on a new case. While out with friends, the two catch the eye of a mysterious older woman who hires Layton to investigate the hauntings on her estate, Carson Court. Not only is Layton intrigued… he also feels compelled to take the job. New surprises greet him and Alex at every corner as they meet the hunks and mysterious citizens living in and around Carson Court. Layton knows to listen to his instincts, but this time could that lead to trouble of a supernatural nature in a house with a dark past and secrets desperate to come out?
