Next Move, You're Dead - Book 1 of the Next Move, You're Dead Trilogy

by Linda L Barton

  Hell, the entire time we were bustin’ our asses to solve those murders, all them assholes from the mayor’s office on down kept pushing us to make an arrest. The only thing, they cared about, was the mayor looking bad during an election year, John chuckled silently to himself.

  “Let’s see what I can remember. He pulled up to the curb in that fancy silver car of his. I saw him first and walked over to see if he wanted a date. He was a real asshole and didn’t want anything to do with me,” the sting of his rejection was still fresh in her mind.

  “Did you see what he looked like?” John hoped to keep her talking so he would not have to respond to her questioning eyes.

  “No, it was dark, and he stayed in the shadows. Besides, he kept the inside of his car dark. You know, like the dash lights were all the way down or something. Anyhow, he told me he wanted to talk with Trina, so I told her to get her ass over to his car. All, I know, is that car he was driving cost a lot of money, and I mean a lot!”

  “Did you notice anything special about his voice? How about an accent; did he have an accent?”

  John knew this was probably going nowhere, but he pressed onward.

  “Come on Monet; is there anything special about him you can remember?”

  “Yeah, as a matter of fact, he did say something strange. He told me he needed a goddess to fulfill his needs. Now, what’s that supposed to mean? Trina was not some damn goddess! She was just a whore like the rest of us. Goddamn, son-of-a-bitch wouldn’t know a real woman if he saw one; goin’ for a little bitch like her...” Monet’s voice trailed off, as she realized her complaints went ignored.

  John perked up. Goddess, why did he use that term? Maybe it has something to do with the name he uses.

  John smiled since Erebus was not a name he would quickly forget. “Monet, I want to thank you for your help. I think you may have come up with what I needed.”

  “I did, well...uh...if you say so.” Monet had no idea what she had mentioned to help, but she was glad.

  “So, does this mean I get my money?” She held out her hand and smiled.

  John reached into his pocket, pulled out the two one hundred dollar bills, and put them in her hand. “Thank you, Monet, I’ll take you back now.”

  John pulled out of the parking lot and drove back to the corner where he found her earlier.

  “Hey, hold on. Aren’t you sure you wouldn’t like a little fun first?” Monet was in no hurry to go back out into the cold. Besides, she found the idea of being with a good looking, and a clean-smelling man quite appealing.

  Monet was tired of the foul stench of alcohol and sweat as a man lay on top of her. “Couldn’t we just consider it part of the original deal?”

  “No, thank you. I don’t have time for fun, but I do want to thank you for your time. Come on, let’s get you back.” John kept his eyes forward, so she did not see the look of disgust in them.

  Neither one spoke the rest of the way back. As he pulled up to the curb she, turned and was about to ask again, but changed her mind.

  “Thank you, Monet. Take care of yourself, okay?” John wanted this to end as soon as possible.

  Monet opened the door, slid out, but leaned back inside before closing the door. “Are you sure?”

  However, before she could say any more, John held up his hand. “Like I said, I need to get going. Thank you again, Monet.”

  Of course, this made her angry, as she was tired of men turning her down. “Fine, I guess we both got what we needed!” She slammed the car door then stepped up on the curb.

  John pulled back onto the street, and as he drove away, he heard Monet yell, “Your loss, Asshole!”

  John hated to be rude, but she gave him no choice. As he drove away, he looked through the rear view mirror in time to see her flip him off, and stomp back to the doorway where some others gathered, trying to stay warm.

  “Man, she’s a piece of work,” John laughed to himself. “Oh well, I got what I needed, but now I need to find a computer and do some research.”

  John knew he was not ready to face Kathy yet, so he tried to think of a place where he could use a computer. The library closed two hours ago and going to the Department was out of the question.

  “I wonder if that Internet Cafe a few blocks from here is still in business?”

  Chapter 31

  The Death of Love

  The drive home was a blur for Kathy, as she could not even recall the drive home when she pulled into the driveway. To watch John leave with a prostitute was the most painful thing she had ever endured. It was true; the pictures, all of it was real.

  “He’s running around with those…,” she could not even bring herself to say the word. It hurt bad enough to think of John cheating on her but to cheat on her with them. She shuddered at the thought of him being with one of them and then coming home to her. The thought made her stomach turn.

  He could have caught a sexually transmitted disease, and then brought it home to me!

  Kathy had heard of cases when a man would contract an STD and then give it to his unsuspecting wife. Maybe she should go to the doctor, but just thinking about it made her laugh to herself.

  “Yeah right; how would I explain that to Dr. Cho? She’d believe I had lost my mind,” Kathy chuckled at the image of her doctor’s face when she explained why she wanted to be tested.

  “I need to get inside the house before the neighbors see me talking to myself and call to have me taken in.”

  She turned off the ignition and grabbed her purse. “I’m never going to solve this by sitting out here feeling sorry for myself.”

  ***

  Relieved the Internet Café was open; John pulled into a parking space and turned off his car. Good, I sure hope I can find what I’m looking for online.

  “Good evening, sir. May I help you?” The employee standing behind the counter looked barely old enough to have a job, let alone be working this late at night.

  “I need to use one of your computers to get online.”

  “It’s $6 for the first hour, then...”

  John cut the young man off before he could continue. “Fine, I won’t need it longer than an hour. I’ll be at the one along the back wall. Please be sure I’m left alone.”

  The young man shook his head and returned to his paperwork.

  John sat at the console, pulled up the search engine and typed in the word Erebus. He was surprised to see Greek Mythology come up.

  The first entry stated: Erebus - the primeval god of darkness. An elemental, being; a substance of darkness, rather than a man-shaped god. His mists encircled the underworld and filled the hollows of the earth. Often used metaphorically for Hades, he is the son of Chaos, a primordial god.

  John read the entire post, and then read it a second time. “What is all that crap supposed to mean?

  Does he think he’s a god? Well, I guess that explains the goddess statement. He did refer to Trina as a goddess. The questions swirled with the force of a tornado in John’s mind.

  “She was beautiful with her emerald green eyes; Erebus said about Trina. Wait a minute; it can’t be that simple, can it?” John stated in a near whisper.

  Once John found the website for the local newspaper, he looked for pictures of the murdered prostitutes.

  “I’ll be damned; they all had green eyes! Why didn’t we notice that before?” he whispered, trying to contain his excitement.

  Tired of all the dead ends with hanging questions, John decided to look at one more thing.

  “I wonder…” He went to the day they found the lawyer’s wife and pulled up her picture. “Shit, she had green eyes also!”

  What does this mean? I have to get out of here and find that asshole. Erebus, god of darkness, more like God of Scum! The words screamed in John’s mind.

  Once he finished, John cleared the browsing history and closed everything down. He then returned to the counter where the young man was s
till reading a book.

  “Are you done already, sir? I hope you found what you needed.”

  John took six dollars from his wallet and threw it on the counter. “Not at all; I only managed to make more questions for myself.”

  The young man picked up the money and put it in the register. “Would you like your receipt?” He tore the receipt off the register and handed it across the counter to John.

  “No thanks; just throw it away.” John rushed to the door and quickly went outside to his car.

  “Why green eyes? What a strange turn of events,” he said to himself, as he drove away.

  The young man watched John drive away through the large plate glass window. “That man needs to learn how to relax, or he’s gonna have a heart attack.”

  ***

  The look of agony on Kathy’s face thrilled him when she returned home. It had surprised him she would go back to where the creatures were. Perfection. For John to arrive then leave with the creature, while Kathy watched, firmly secured the next move in The Game. It’s all playing out better expected.

  ***

  Kathy closed the front door, checked the door lock, and reset the alarm. After she had set her purse and keys on the table in the foyer, Kathy walked to the kitchen to make herself some tea.

  “Oh, John, what were you thinking?” No sooner had the words left her mouth than she knew the answer. John seemed trapped in a new reality, and unwilling to escape.

  Drinking, hiring prostitutes, and creating a file accusing her and Tom of collusion, these are all signs of a troubled mind. John had never shown signs of this other lifestyle, so why now?

  Kathy reached for the teapot then walked to the sink to add water when the telephone rang.

  “Please be John!” She dropped the teapot in the sink and ran for the telephone. “Hello, John?”

  “No, it’s Tom. I gather you still haven’t heard from him?” Tom was also disappointed John had not come home yet.

  “Oh, Tom, I haven’t spoken to him, but he...” She was not sure how to tell Tom what she had seen earlier.

  “Kathy, what’s wrong? Did you see John today?” He could tell by her voice the answer was not going to be good.

  “Kathy, you need to tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on!”

  She braced herself and swallowed before speaking. “Tom, I went back to where the prostitutes work this evening. I want to see if he was there. I don’t know why I did, but I...”

  Tom was shocked she would go back after his warning. “Kathy, I thought I told you to stay away from there; it’s not safe.”

  It terrified Tom at the thought of her being there alone after dark.

  “I know, I know, but I had to find him. Oh, Tom, I saw him! He pulled up to one of those women, and she got in with him. I just sat there and watched them drive away!”

  Kathy felt nauseous, as the image of John with that woman formed in her mind. “Why is this happening? I don’t understand!”

  “Kathy, I know this all feels like the end of the world, but there has to be a logical explanation for it. John loves you; I can’t believe he would do something like that. He was probably questioning them about the Everett case. When I told him to take some time off to recoup, I never thought John would continue with the investigation. I’m sorry; I should have found something else to keep him busy until he lost interest. This is entirely my fault.”

  Tom wished he knew how to help, but he was at a loss himself. After examining the pictures and folder several more times, Tom was still no closer to a solution. In all of his years in law enforcement, he had never seen anyone caught up in such a mess. “I’m sure he’ll come home soon.”

  Kathy was not so sure he would. Surely, John would never accuse her of a cover-up, and then be running around with prostitutes if it were not true. She did not want to worry Tom more than he already was, so she tried to act brave.

  “You’re right; it has to be a misunderstanding. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be okay. I was about to make myself a cup of tea when you called. I promise to stay home tonight and relax. Thank you for your friendship, it means the world to me.”

  “Well, okay, as long as you promise to stay home. The last thing, we need, is for something to happen to you. I know John would never forgive himself, and neither would I. Now, go make your tea, and we’ll talk in the morning. Hopefully, you’ll have some good news for me.” Tom tried to lighten the mood, but he knew she was not going for it.

  “Yes, that would be wonderful. I promise; I’ll try to relax. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Tom.”

  They both hung up the telephone.

  Kathy walked back to the sink where she realized the water was still running. She filled the teapot with water and put it on the stove to heat.

  “I need to relax.” Kathy knew she had a few minutes, so she decided to go upstairs and change into her nightgown.

  ***

  He watched Kathy on the telephone then as she went upstairs to change her clothes. He marveled how she still had faith in John after everything he had done. In the past, others were quick to turn on their loved ones, but not her. She was strong, and he admired that about her. He relished these moments, in watching the unraveling of a relationship was a pleasure.

  “You still may have faith in him, my dear, but he has lost his faith in you. It’s a shame you must die. You’re one I would truly be interested in playing with again.”

  Chapter 32

  Goodbye, My Dear

  John was shocked by this discovery. Each of them had green eyes, but how is that important?

  He shook his head trying to clear his mind. Erebus had painstakingly planned each of his moves, so how was this important?

  Honestly, the only thing, John wanted, was to look into the bastard eyes and... “Yeah, I need to stop lying to myself. I don’t want to arrest Erebus; I want to see the fear in his eyes when he realizes he’s about to die.”

  “You don’t deserve justice; you deserve death! It’s only a matter of time, you bastard!”

  ***

  John was glad to be back at the motel. “Man, this day has been something else.” He set his keys and cell phone on the dresser and saw a menu from a local pizza restaurant lying there. He could not remember the last time he had eaten, so he decided to order some dinner. John dialed the number and ordered a pizza, with a bottle of soda.

  “That will be $15.62. It will be there in a half hour,” the young woman said in a cheerful voice.

  “That’s perfect, thank you.”

  John hung up the telephone. “I’ll take a hot shower, eat, and get some sleep; now that’s the ticket!

  John had just finished undressing when the telephone rang. “Hello.”

  “Good evening, John. Are you done for the day?” the voice teased.

  “As a matter of fact, I am. I must admit I’m glad you called. I’m closing in on you and thought you might like to know,” John snickered.

  “You are, oh how wonderful! I was wondering when you would begin to figure things out. I’m glad you decided to join the game. I do look forward to our time together.”

  “So am I! I caught on to your little clue...the green eyes?” John hoped this would get his attention.

  “Oh, so you figured that one out did you; excellent! Yes, I have always had a fondness for them. They have always held a fascination for me.”

  “Yeah, and I found out what your name means as well. What a load of crap! You’re as much of a God, as I am. You’re nothing, but a murdering asshole and I’m going to enjoy destroying you!” John felt the strength surge back into his body.

  The soft laugh hit John between the eyes. “Oh, John you still do not understand who I am, do you? No matter, we still have time. You have all the clues you need; now it’s up to you.”

  “Don’t worry, Erebus; I won't let you down. We’ll play this game out to the end.”
<
br />   “Good, John, I look forward to it. Oh yes, I nearly forgot; Kathy is quite upset with you. I felt sorry for her as she watched you drive off with your new friend earlier. The look on her face was full of agony, and I must say I almost felt sorry for her.” Erebus paused, allowing John a moment to comprehend his words.

  “You need to know Kathy is following your every move. She knows what you’ve done, and where you’ve been since her return.”

  Erebus pressed on not allowing John to speak. “How does it feel to know your wife is always cleaning up after you?”

  He always enjoyed playing out these moves. It made him feel like a cat playing with a helpless mouse. “She saw you drive off with the creature tonight and did nothing. The poor thing only sat there and watched you drive away. The once you left, she returned home. I wonder why she rushed home, was it to plot her next move with your Captain. They must be tired of covering for you,” he waited patiently the reality of the situation to sink in.

  Each word slammed into John with such a searing flash it nearly consumed him. “She’s following me?”

  It was bad enough he had to deal with this asshole, but now Kathy. John had hoped this thing with Kathy would keep until he caught Erebus, but now, “You leave her out of this. She’s my problem, not yours!”

  “Very true, John, I would never want to come between a man and his wife. I only thought you had the right to know. We don’t want her interfering in our time together, now would we?”

  It was all playing out just as Erebus had planned. Pride was the best weapon to use on someone like John. The response was always the same; attack and never question.

  “Don’t worry, I won't let anyone or anything come between us, and our game, Erebus.” John’s head was pounding as he spoke the words.

  “Good, I’m glad to hear that. I’ll let you return to what you were doing. Goodnight, John, until we speak again.”

  John stood transfixed with the dial tone in his ear. “She’s still doing it! Why can’t she just leave me alone?” John knew there was only one thing for him to do; he had to confront her tonight.

  ***

  Kathy was glad to be home. The tea was warm and relaxing. It was what she needed after a long and horrible day.

  “John, why is this happening? What happened to change you?” Kathy whispered as she took another sip of tea.