When the Night Calls

by Rashad Freeman

  “Losing your touch?” Daniel smiled as he followed Victor to their seats.

  “I’m building it. She’ll have her number for me when we get back.”

  Daniel laughed. He looked around the lobby a bit unimpressed. This was his first time in an FBI office yet there was nothing really special about it. Most of the furniture seemed second hand and the few pieces of art on the wall were almost certainly purchased at a grocery store. The most impressive thing in the entire office was the blonde receptionist who looked like she moonlighted as an exotic dancer.

  Within five minutes a portly bald man appeared from around the corner. Daniel sat up a bit as he made his way directly towards them. The man waddled when he walked and bore an uncanny resemblance to Victor.

  “Mr. Montague, Mr. Burgoisse,” the man stuck his hand out as he approached the chairs.

  “I’m Special Agent Lanoux. Remy Lanoux. If y’all follow me,” he turned and scampered back around the corner with Daniel and Victor following behind.

  “Your fucking twin,” Daniel mumbled.

  “What?” Victor asked.

  “Nothing…never mind.”

  They followed the agent into a room which he assured them was not for interrogation, but Daniel certainly got that feeling. There was a metal table in the center with a microphone on it. There were four silver chairs situated around the table and a bright light burning overhead.

  It was obvious Victor had become extremely uncomfortable, but Daniel seemed more annoyed with the experience. He huffed and rolled his eyes, shooting dirty looks to Remy as he pulled the chairs out around the table.

  Victor on the other hand fumbled with his hands as he looked around nervously. He jumped at the slightest noise, squeamishly backing into the wall. Lanoux pulled out a chair and motioned for Victor to sit.

  Daniel laughed to himself. Just minutes earlier Victor was convinced he could fuck the receptionist. Now he was about to piss himself.

  Agent Lanoux began to adjust the microphone. He saw the way Daniel was staring at him and he suddenly felt the need to explain himself.

  “Now we’re just recording dis to be thorough. Nuttin y’all need to worry bout.”

  Daniel glared at him. He had the feeling that Remy was not a man to be trusted. They’d been there for ten minutes already and still didn’t really know why. Remy kept using words like safe and protocol or procedure. Daniel associated these words with the times a load of shit was about to be dumped on someone’s head.

  Remy took off his coat and sat down opposite Daniel and Victor. He eyed them for a moment which only made Victor more nervous, but completely pissed Daniel off.

  “So, what are we doing here?” Daniel asked in agitation.

  “Well, as ya might have heard de’ bureau is assisting de’ sheriff’s office with de’ murder investigations. I hear y’all both been pretty close to dose murders.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Daniel leaned forward.

  “I’m sorry, just dat you’ve known or been in contact wit almost all de’ victims.” Remy could tell that Daniel was annoyed and his accusations weren’t helping. “Mr. Montague, neither of y’all suspects in any way. We’re conducting dis more out of your safety.”

  Daniel ran his hand across his face and rubbed his chin. He considered him for a moment and then sat back. Best for him to play it cool, for now.

  “Now I understand de’ first victims y’all had a lil skirmish wit de’ night dey were found. Is dat right?”

  Victor nodded and Daniel shot him a look.

  “There was no altercation. A disagreement was all,” Daniel jabbed.

  In his eyes they may have not been suspects yet, but it certainly seemed like they were headed in that direction. Daniel knew better than to give him more information than he needed.

  “So when you say disagreement, what do ya mean?” Remy scratched his head.

  “I mean they saw a situation one way, we saw it another. We didn’t AGREE!” Daniel raised his voice.

  Remy scribbled on a notepad quietly. He’d look up from time to time and when he was finish he loudly cleared his throat.

  “So y’all didn’t know de’ victims den?” Remy asked.

  “I thought that was apparent by now,” Daniel replied.

  “Humph! We’ll move on.” Remy tore the page from his notepad and started scribbling on a fresh new sheet.

  “De’ sheriff’s wife, Sherri is it? How did y’all know her?”

  Victor suddenly sat up and squirmed in his seat. Daniel raised his eyebrows, but Remy didn’t notice. He didn’t seem like a very competent agent.

  “It’s a small-town, Agent Lanoux. I’m sure you know that,” Daniel replied.

  Remy looked up from his notepad and shot a glance at Victor. “I guess it is a small town.”

  “Now can y’all tell me about de’ night y’all found Sheriff Lawson?”

  “Tom is the person that notified the authorities about his death, not us,” Daniel said.

  “Yes, let’s talk about dis Tom.”

  “What about him?”

  “Well he’s mentioned here in de’ police report, but no one has been able to get a hold of him. It’s almost like he’s a ghost,” Remy opened a manila folder and sat a stack of papers on the table.

  “Well I don’t know what to tell you. He was there and he’s been staying in the French Quarter on…”

  Daniels pager blared loudly interrupting him. He looked down and didn’t recognize the number.

  “Is there a phone I can use?” Daniel asked Remy.

  “On de’ wall behind ya.”

  “One moment, I have to take this,” Daniel huffed.

  He stood up and grabbed the phone from the wall. It rung a few times and then Sandra’s voice erupted from the other end.

  “Sandra, can it wait? I’m busy.”

  “Daniel! Come quick, we’re at St. Mary’s. We were in a crash. It’s Monica,” Sandra’s hysterical voice shot through the phone like a bullet.

  “What! You’re where? I’m on the way.”

  Daniel dropped the phone and darted out of the door. He tore down the hallway leaving Victor and Remy staring at each other confused.

  St. Mary’s was a level one trauma hospital a few blocks away from the field office. Daniel didn’t bother to get his car and just ran the length at full speed.

  He darted in through the automatic doors almost taking one off the track. He slid into the front desk and banged his fists on the top.

  “I’m looking for Monica Montague; she was in a car wreck.”

  The nurse at the front counter started typing into the computer. Daniel impatiently reached across the counter and snatched at a clipboard.

  “It can’t be that hard!” he yelled.

  “Daniel, Daniel!” Sandra’s voice echoed from down the hallway.

  Daniel rolled his eyes at the nurse and ran to meet Sandra.

  “Where’s Monica? Is she okay? What the hell happened?” Daniel ranted off a string of questions.

  “Well yes, Monica is okay. She’s in room Thirteen B.”

  Sandra was still talking as Daniel ran around her and headed for the room. He slung the door open and stormed in.

  “Monica!”

  “Over here, Daniel,” she responded softly.

  Monica was lying in the bed propped up on a few pillows. She looked almost normal. She had a few scratches on her face and an IV, but aside from that there was no hint that she’d been in any kind of accident.

  “Are you okay?” Daniel lowered his voice and knelt beside the bed. He brushed the hair from her forehead and gave her a kiss.

  “I’m fine,” Monica started. She sniffled then turned her face into the covers.

  Daniel grabbed her hand trying to console her. She moved her free hand towards her stomach and began to cry. He rubbed her arm and whispered in her ear.

  “It’s okay; everything is going to be fine.”

  He followed her arm down to her hand that was res
ting on her stomach. A morbid realization suddenly dawned on him. Something he hadn’t even thought about before, he’d been so concerned with Monica’s health.

  “Oh my God! The baby, is the baby okay?”

  IS LOVE ALIVE

  Daniel woke up to the smell of cooking eggs. Over the past three weeks this was something he’d become accustom to. Monica cooked and cleaned several times a day, even when nothing was dirty and no one was hungry.

  Ned told Daniel this would pass, but he feared he was losing his wife. Her constant cleaning, the non-stop cooking. She wouldn’t even acknowledge that she was ever pregnant in the first place.

  Daniel slowly sat up in bed and rubbed his face. Weeks had run by in a blur, weeks with nothing but the death of his son to battle. The murders had stopped; the investigation was at a standstill. He’d suspended operations at the office and as far as he could tell Victor wasn’t in a hurry to go back.

  Every day seemed the same, a gray world that he no longer understood. Daniel had lost friends and family before, but this was different. He’d lost himself. A hole now burned in him, one that he constantly tried to fill with liquor.

  Sluggishly, he stepped out of bed and dragged his feet into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and stared into the mirror. The face that looked back he hardly recognized. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair sprouted wildly like a rabid dog. He sighed and brushed his teeth trying to will some life back into himself.

  After he was done, he stepped out of the bathroom and wandered into the kitchen. Monica stood at the front of the stove; she was wearing a sundress and humming along as she cooked.

  This was how Daniel’s life went for the next few weeks. Nights of drinking followed by breakfast and hardly a word between him and Monica.

  One morning Daniel decided he’d had enough. He was determined to make Monica face the reality that he’d been living with. As he stepped into the kitchen, he cleared his throat and she looked up at him.

  “What are you cooking?” he asked, already knowing her answer.

  “Good morning, sleepy head, just making you a little breakfast,” Monica smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Victor called. He asked if you could call him back when you got up.”

  Daniel sighed and grabbed a piece of bacon. He pulled out a chair and took a seat at the kitchen table.

  “Did he say what it was about?”

  “Nope, just asked if you could call him,” Monica sat a plate down in front of him and poured a glass of orange juice.

  “Thanks. So, um when are we going to talk about this?” Daniel asked half-heartedly as he bit into another piece of bacon.

  “Talk about what, hun?” Monica smiled at him obliviously.

  “Our child, Monica! Our son, the one you seemed to have forgotten about,” Daniel raised his voice.

  Monica narrowed her eyes and stared into him. In one stride she stepped across the kitchen and slapped him hard in the face.

  “I didn’t forget! I just…I just,” she stammered, then grunted and stormed out of the kitchen.

  Daniel sat quietly at the table. He finished his breakfast then set the dishes into the dishwasher. Ned had told him not to push her, but he was never one to follow advice.

  After fifteen minutes he made his way back to the bedroom. Monica was sitting on the bed staring at the floor. When he walked in she glanced up at him then quickly looked away.

  “Monica, I’m sorry. I know this is a tough time for you,” Daniel said.

  He knelt in front of her and reached out for her hand. She pulled away and rolled her eyes.

  “I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it up again,” Daniel pleaded. He slowly stood up and walked off.

  Monica looked after him for a moment and then returned to staring at the floor. Daniel headed into the bathroom and closed the door. He took off his shorts and stepped into the shower. The water had just hit his face when Monica walked in.

  “I’m heading to the store. Sandra will be by in a few to drop off some papers,” Monica said.

  Before Daniel could respond or even nod, she turned around and stormed out. Daniel sighed and buried his head under the water. He leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. The front door slammed, and he groaned to himself. He’d really done it this time.

  He leaned his head back and gargled water in his mouth. He spit it out onto the shower floor then fell forward against the wall.

  The last few months of life had taken their toll on him. He felt tired and defeated, like he was in a never-ending struggle with failure. Every day was a different hurdle that got taller and taller. He was left exhausted and as his mind wandered, he started to doze off.

  The phone suddenly rung loudly and Daniel snapped awake.

  “Shit!” he mumbled to himself. “I was supposed to call Victor.”

  He reached out and grabbed a towel. He quickly dried off then grabbed a new pair of shorts and darted into his bedroom. As he grabbed the phone he could hear the other end hanging up.

  “Damn it,” he murmured.

  He started to dial Victor’s number when the doorbell rang. Daniel sat the phone down and headed to the front door. The enormous silhouette laboring outside was a dead giveaway of who was on the other side of the door.

  Daniel cracked the door and poked his head out. He was still partially wet from the shower and shirtless wearing only a pair of gym shorts.

  “Sandra. Monica said you’d be stopping by. You have some papers to leave?” Daniel tried to sound as polite as possible.

  “Oh yes I do,” Sandra replied as she moved Daniel aside and entered the house.

  Daniel wasn’t sure what was more surprising, her audacity to just come in or the strength with which she did it.

  “Well come on in,” he said as he banged into the wall.

  “Yes, yes, Daniel, very exciting times for Monica. We must keep her focused,” Sandra blabbed as she headed towards the kitchen. “These murders and what not, we can’t let her unravel.”

  “And the loss of her child, no?” Daniel responded with resentment in his voice as he followed her into the kitchen.

  “Oh yes, of course that too.”

  The phone rang again and Daniel excused himself as he headed back to his room. He dove onto the mattress and grabbed the handset that he left on his pillow.

  “Hello?”

  “Danny, why the hell didn’t you call me back?” Victors voiced boomed.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry Monica’s agent is here. Kind of got caught up.”

  “Have you heard from Remy?” Victor sounded nervous.

  “You mean that backwoods ass agent from N’orlans,” Daniel mocked his Cajun accent. “I haven’t heard a peep, why?”

  “I think he’s following me.”

  “Victor, seriously? This isn’t the time.”

  “Shit, Danny, what should I do? I’m staring at some unmarked car outside of my house right now.”

  “Oh, Daniel,” Sandra’s voice echoed into the room.

  “One moment, Sandra,” Daniel yelled back. “Look, even if he is following you, you’ve got nothing to hide. You haven’t disposed of anymore dead bodies, have you?”

  “Danny, what the hell?”

  “I’m joking. Look, you just need to relax. I’ll round Tom up later and we’ll grab a few drinks. We can talk then.”

  “Yeah, yeah that sounds good,” Victor stuttered.

  It had been a while since they’d been out and Daniel needed it as much as Victor did. Victor agreed and seemed to cheer up at the idea. They hung up the phone and Daniel grunted as he left to return to the kitchen.

  “Okay, Sandra, what do you need?”

  “Oh well…” Sandra paused as she turned around to face him. “Have you been shirtless this whole time?”

  Daniel rolled his eyes and started to respond, but was cut off.

  “You know that’s very unprofessional of you, borderline rude.” She gazed at him with a sense of disgust in her eyes. “No matter, I will say…I’ll
be quick,” she stepped towards him.

  “Yes, please tell me what’s so important,” Daniel said.

  “Well this is the new contract from the publisher.” Sandra said as she reached across him and sat a stack of papers onto the counter. Her arm brushed against his stomach and she shrieked. Daniel shook his head and stepped back.

  “What else, Sandra?” he raised his voice.

  “As I was saying we have to keep Monica from getting too stressed,” Sandra inched closer as Daniel backed into the counter.

  “You know your attire is very inappropriate, Daniel,” Sandra said as she moved forward. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “I can see your.... I can see you,” she slid her hands down his side and grabbed him.

  Daniel jerked back, slamming his head into the cabinet. Sandra giggled as she pressed her weight on him pinning him against the counter. Although Daniel had killed people for a living at one time in his life, her presence was intimidating. It was like being stalked by a grizzly bear.

  “You’re absolutely disgusting, Daniel. How dare you wear something so trashy in the presence of a lady?” she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and stuck her tongue out trying to lick his ear.

  “I want you, Daniel! I want you to take me now!”

  Daniel tried to push her off him, but she laughed, easily controlling his escape attempts. She pressed herself onto him further and moaned.

  “You dirty man. You dirty, dirty man,” she slapped him.

  “Sandra, what the fuck are you doing? Get off me!” Daniel yelped.

  “Not until I’ve had a taste,” she started grinding her body on him and moaning louder. “Ah, Daniel, this is what I need. Give it to me, please give it to me,” she crooned and pushed him further into the counter, almost suffocating him.

  With all his might, Daniel pushed her away, barely slipping out of her grasp. He turned around to speak, but she was right back on him slamming him against the refrigerator.

  “I want you, I want you now!” she bellowed in his ear.

  Daniel quickly side stepped her and ran around the island. “Sandra, what the hell is wrong with you?”