Return of the Devil's Spawn

by John Moore

  “You mean in this condo, with y’all?” Zach said.

  “Absolutely,” Piper said. “That would be so much fun. Please say you’ll stay. Please, Maddy.”

  “I’d be happy to. Thank you, Alexandra, Tom. But there’s something that has been bothering me since you picked us up at the airport,” Maddy said.

  “What is that?” I asked, worried.

  “You have an engagement ring on your finger,” she said. “When did Tom pop the question? When is the wedding? Have you set a date? I want to know all of the details.”

  We laughed loudly. Passersby raised their plastic cups to toast us. Piper spoke up, “Alexandra, tell them how he proposed. It was too cool how he did it.”

  I glanced at Tom. He had a gigantic smile lighting his face. “He asked me on the first night we moved into this condo,” I said. “This place holds special meaning to both of us. On this very balcony, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and ever since, I have been the happiest woman in the city.”

  Maddy giggled, “That’s so romantic. When is the wedding?”

  “We haven’t set a date yet,” I said. “We plan to get married at the Aquarium of the Americas and have a reception here.”

  Tom interrupted. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you. We’ll have to have the wedding September 5. It’s the only day we can use the aquarium. Is that day alright?”

  I got goosebumps at the thought. That was less than three weeks away. “Oh my God, that’s perfect.”

  Maddy jumped out of her chair and ran over to hug me. “That’s so exciting, and we’ll be here to see you get married! I can’t wait.”

  Tom turned to go back inside to start cooking. He stopped and said, “Alright, it’s settled. Zach and I will work on getting the land in LaPlace or some other place to farm, and you girls plan the wedding.”

  “OK,” I said. “But we agreed to keep the wedding small. It won’t take long to get everything arranged. So, as soon as we find a piece of land, we want to get going on setting up the farming operation.”

  Our plans made, Tom cooked the shrimp and we had a great evening sitting on the balcony planning our farming and farmers’ market operations. I was excited to do more than write about easing people’s suffering. I was doing something about it—something that didn’t involve Mexican or Columbian jails. And Piper would get a valuable education. I didn’t imagine she’d grow up to want to farm, but it never hurts to know where your food comes from—or, for that matter, how most people on the planet earn their daily bread. She might spend her life in front of a screen, but she’d be aware of what other kinds of work were like.

  When the morning sun declared a new day, I got a cup of green tea and went to the balcony to watch the French Quarter re-tool for another day. Maddy joined me with her own cup of green tea. It tasted great with Sweet Treat stevia in it. I’d developed a taste for it over the last few weeks, plus I knew it would help detoxify my body.

  I could tell that Maddy had something troubling her and wanted to talk to me about it. “What’s on your mind?” I asked, though I was sure I knew the answer.

  “I am worried about Zach being back in New Orleans,” she said. “He was doing well in Indiana. This town holds too many memories of his past life. New Orleans seduces people to surrender to their hidden vices because of the city’s anything-goes attitude.”

  “I know, Maddy,” I said. “We are all concerned. He just has to stay busy working on getting our organic farming operation going. There is plenty to do to keep him busy. While Tom is at work today, why don’t you and Zach go to some of the fruit stands around town and get to know the local market?”

  Maddy stretched out her closed hand for a fist bump. “That’s a great idea,” she said. “I know where several are located. He’ll love doing that and so will I.”

  It was time for me to roust Piper and head to the Café du Monde to meet Mandy. It was such a beautiful morning, we decided to walk. Shortly after we crossed Royal Street, I noticed two men following us. I recognized them immediately. They were the CIA contractors Alric Jaeger brought in the interrogation room with him when he questioned me. Why the hell were they following me now? Were they after Piper? I had a bad feeling about their intentions. I didn’t have my .38 with me because I didn’t think I’d need it. Piper noticed them too, but I whispered to her to ignore them. They followed us to the café and sat at a table by the door.

  Mandy was waiting for us, dressed in her customary black attire. “Hi, Alexandria, hi, Damphir,” she said.

  Piper loved anything vampire, so she liked the name Mandy had given her. I thought the name fit Mandy better because she really was half human and half vampire. Half of her life she’d spent in barrooms and bedrooms. Now she was spending the second half in dark back rooms full of devil-worshiping cult members. She was a mixture of light and dark, and dark was winning.

  Mandy had gone all out with her outfit. She wore black jeans with threadbare knees and a matching all-black spaghetti strap half shirt. She’d put lavender streaks in her hair since we’d last seen her. She’d accessorized her outfit with a wide leather wrist bracelet with silver spikes protruding and a black leather belt sporting large silver rings dangling by her waist. But it was her bright red lipstick that stood out against her pale white skin.

  Piper sat next to Mandy, and I sat facing the two CIA jerks who’d been following us. I wanted to keep an eye on them while we visited with Mandy. “Mandy, I love your outfit,” Piper said. “You look like you just stepped off a movie set.”

  I secretly agreed. She looked like she could have been an extra in the Night of the Living Dead remake. “How are things at Superior Sugar?” I asked. “Are sales still growing?”

  “Yes, they are,” she said. “But we are losing a little momentum. Garrett says we need you and Charlotte to keep our marketing fresh with new ideas, and I totally agree with him.”

  “Have you hired anyone to replace Charlotte in marketing?” I asked. “I’m sure there are plenty of talented people who would love the job.”

  “We did hire someone that you and Piper both know. You remember Amanda? She’s working for us in our marketing department. She’s young, but Garrett seems to think she has a brilliant future.”

  “Really?” I said. “I thought she was more of a fine arts type person. Does she know marketing?”

  “I think her background was art, but she’s a graphic designer these days. She’s learning but could sure use the help of someone like Charlotte. Will you talk to her about coming back to work for us, Alexandra?”

  The two CIA guys left their table and disappeared on the street toward Jackson Square. I wanted to follow them, but I had to ask Mandy questions about the group she was hanging out with. The ritualistic nature of the murder in the Quarter seemed to be cultish. If Bob Broussard wasn’t the killer, then maybe Mandy knew who was.

  “Mandy, that is going to have to be between you and Charlotte,” I said. “She makes her own decisions. Call her and ask her. She may be willing to do contract work for you. Now, I want to talk to you about the ceremony Piper and I witnessed the other night.”

  Piper sat up in her chair like a child whose mother had just put a bowl of ice cream on the table. “Yeah, it was so cool. I loved all of the candles and the chanting. What were you trying to do?”

  Mandy giggled a little.“The ceremony is used to summon the power that exists in each of us,” Mandy said. “We put the picture of Bob Broussard on the altar because he is our inspiration. He conquered the demons inside and became his authentic self.”

  I choked back the urge to barf, needing to play along with her to get her to cough up more information about the cult. “What do you mean Bob conquered the demons inside? It seems more like they conquered him.”

  “Oh, no, Alexandra, that’s just not true,” Mandy replied. “Bob was brought up living a lie. He wasn’t allowe
d to meet his real mother or even speak her name. He had to hide his Caribbean roots and his natural voodoo faith. He found a way to discover himself and cleanse himself of the unnatural life he’d been living.”

  I couldn’t sit there and let her justify the murder of innocent women without question. “But he killed seven women. How did that cleanse him?”

  Mandy looked at me and stroked the purple streaks in her hair. She allowed a smile to creep up the corners of her mouth. “Each of those women was guilty of cruelty toward their children. The newspapers didn’t report it and the police didn’t investigate it, but Bob studied each of them. Most were married to or sleeping with rich men who used their money and political influence to cover up their crimes. They’d all beaten their children. You see, Alexandra, Bob had friends in the police department too. He’d take them drinking in the Quarter and they’d share the details with him. He was careful and smart, so he took his time to stalk and isolate each girl. They were just like his mother and they got what they deserved just like her.”

  Piper had turned pale listening to Mandy’s version of the Quarter Killings. “It wasn’t his place to judge them,” Piper said. “Maybe they were good people who’d taken a wrong turn in their lives. They might have chosen a different path if given the chance.” Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke. Mandy had no way of knowing Piper was speaking about her own mother.

  “So,” I said, “do all of the members of your group have similar backgrounds to Bob?”

  Mandy looked away from Piper, confused by the tears. “Not really, but they have all given their power away to people, alcohol, or drugs.”

  Piper stood and said, “Alexandra, can we go now?” Her tears were starting to flow freely. She needed to get out of there.

  “Sure, Piper,” I said. “I’m sorry, Mandy. I’ll give you a call in a day or two and we can talk more about you and your group.”

  Piper and I left the Café du Monde on an uneasy stroll back to the condo. I knew she’d been thinking about her own mother’s choices in life that led to her drug addiction. Hearing Mandy talk so casually about a vigilante punishing people for their bad choices upset her. Sandy could have been one of the Quarter Killer’s victims if she’d lived in New Orleans. She may have never beaten Piper, but she’d certainly put her in harm’s way.

  I suggested we do a little shopping before we went home. I thought retail therapy would take Piper’s mind off of her mother, but she wanted to go to Jackson Square to listen to the street musicians. We took the short walk, and the morning air blew our hair slightly. I noticed she’d added some additional colors to her hair as undertones. They were a bit too trendy for me, but she looked adorable.

  There was a jazz group playing a bluesy rendition of “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home.” The man playing the giant tuba stood behind a guitarist playing a Fender electric connected to a small amp. Two other musicians sat next to him with a trombone and a trumpet. They tapped their feet in unison to keep time. A small crowd of tourists and locals gathered to listen to the sound of New Orleans welcoming all to this great city. The musicians had placed a hat in front of their perch on the bench for admirers to place money in while they played. I handed Piper a five-dollar bill to drop in as the group concluded their number. After they finished, we watched the artists paint for a while. I persuaded Piper to sit for a caricature drawing, but she insisted I join her. The artist asked us what our interests were and we told her about Piper’s computer habits and my commitment to organic food. The final drawing showed our exaggerated facial features with Piper hacking away at a computer and me juggling fruits and vegetables. We took our drawing and headed home.

  When we arrived at the condo I was shocked to see Sophia standing at my door with the two CIA men who’d followed us to the Café du Monde.

  Chapter Fifteen:

  Blue Sky

  I stopped dead in my tracks. When Sophia noticed me she turned to the stalkers and said something to them. I could only surmise that it was for them to stand down so she could talk to me first because she began walking toward me. Her steps were small and tentative, but her manner of dress said it all. She wore a blue suit, her badge displayed in her coat pocket and her gun strapped to her side. This wasn’t a social call. She was here on official business.

  “Alexandra, sorry to barge in on you without a call, but I had no choice,” she said and looked back at the two men standing at my front door watching us closely. “Actually, we need to talk,” she added, correcting herself.

  Piper moved a little closer to my side and a half step behind me. “What’s going on, Sophia?” I asked. “Why were those two following me this morning? What do they want from me?”

  She extended her hand to shake mine, and said, “Can we go inside to talk? It would be better if we got off the street.”

  I’d learned that guys like the two standing at my front door don’t bring good news and that it was useless to ignore them. I trusted Sophia, and if she wanted us to go inside the condo, it was a good idea. We went in and sat at my kitchen table. Piper kept her eyes on the two men like you’d watch coiled snakes as you pass them on a trail through the woods.

  Sophia took the floor while the men in black sat in silence. “I know you’re wondering why we are here, so let me get right to it. You’ve met Don and Will before. They were working with Inspector Jaeger seeking to make a case against Victor Ivanovich.”

  I gave them each a cold, distant glance, and said, “I remember them.” I looked back at Sophia, relaxing my expression slightly.

  She continued, “After Jaeger died, Interpol assigned Victor’s case to me. At first it didn’t make any sense why I was assigned the case. Then Don contacted me and asked me to meet with him and Will at their office in New York. I’ll let Don tell you why I was chosen as the Interpol case agent.”

  Don, a man in his early forties, mildly attractive by most standards, spoke with a slight British accent. His associate Will’s looks were very guy next door. He had close-cropped brown hair combed to the side. They wouldn’t stand out in any group. They didn’t look like cops, more like men who worked at a big-box home improvement store.

  “Will and I have been investigating Victor Ivanovich’s activities for more than a year,” Don said. “He crossed our radar as a mild threat to United States national security when his hacking farm stole the identities of three generals assigned to the Pentagon. Recently he has become much more dangerous.”

  “You don’t need to tell me how dangerous Victor is,” I said. “He’s a maniacal killer. But you still haven’t told me why you are in my house.”

  Sophia knew I was irritated by their intrusion. She tried to ease the tension in the room. “Your home is beautiful, Alexandra. We appreciate you allowing us to come in. I’m afraid the circumstances of our visit aren’t pleasant though. So, please listen to what Don has to say.”

  Don spoke again, “Miss Lee, we know that Victor murdered Inspector Jaeger. We also know that Victor was after this young lady.” He pointed to Piper. “She is a talented hacker herself. We know all about Victor’s plan to force her to work for him in Russia. We also know she hacked into the FBI database as recently as yesterday.”

  My eyes flew wide open and my jaw dropped. I turned toward Piper, who had hunched her shoulders and closed her eyes. “Is that true, Piper?” I asked.

  She looked up at me and said in a trembling voice, “Yes. I thought they might have some information about the murders in the Quarter.”

  “You see, Ms. Lee, we have a problem,” Don said. “She’s broken several federal laws.”

  I swung my head to Sophia. “Aw, come on. Interpol and the CIA don’t show up at my door talking about Victor because Piper hacked into the FBI server to find out who’s killing people in the French Quarter. What do you really want?”

  Sophia snarled at Don and Will, moving her chair a bit closer to mine. “If you don’t tell her, I�
��m going to. Which is it going to be?”

  Don cut his eyes to Will and nodded his head. “We aren’t with the CIA. We are independent contractors working for another government agency. The details of our employment aren’t important. We have learned that Victor has hacked into several of our Department of Defense weapons manufacturers’ servers. He’s stolen sensitive information about weapons systems in production now. He’s offering the plans to the highest bidder. We know that in addition to China and Russia, North Korea and two terrorist organizations are bidding to acquire the information.”

  “Terrorists? Which terrorist groups are you talking about?” Piper said.

  “ISIS and Al Qaeda for certain. We know there will be others,” Will said.

  “I get it,” I said. “It’s important to stop Victor, so why don’t you just go pick him up?”

  “It doesn’t work like that. We can’t just arrest him. We don’t have the proof. We want to catch him in a crime in the US where he’s looking at some serious jail time in an American prison. Then we can turn him into an asset, make him tell us who he’s been dealing with in those countries and in the terrorist groups. He would be a vital source of intelligence in America’s fight against rogue regime elements and terrorists,” Don said.

  Sophia had lost her patience with Don and Will and interrupted their sketchy tale. “Alexandra, we need your help. Victor has teamed with Bart Rogan. ACC considers you a threat to their chemical business. They realize that there is a movement brewing in the United States toward eating more organic foods and away from processed food, fast food, and sugary beverages. They consider your website and ability to spread the word as a growing threat that may be the beginning of a large movement. They want you stopped, and as you know, Rogan is ACC’s hired thug. He’s teamed with Victor to combat you and Piper. They know how good Piper is and they are scared. Don and Will’s superiors want to trap Victor as he and Rogan go after you.”