“Yes, those are clear signs of a Keeper-killer,” the policeman said thoughtfully as his index finger moved over the tablet’s screen. “I’ll file the report immediately.”
Sophie exhaled, grateful that the policeman believed her, “What happens next?”
“We get a representative from the Ministry of Corrections in Espérer involved, of course. Come with me.”
The policeman led Sophie and Simone behind the counter and down a long corridor at the end of which they turned left. Facing them, was a red door where all high priority cases where dealt with. The policeman opened the red door, ushering Sophie and Simone into a hive of activity. There were numerous cubicles in which detectives were working on solving assassinations of scientists and the disappearances of blue collar workers with hundred-year contracts. The latter meant that more jobs became available to the rest of the population living in the outskirts of Metz. There weren’t any open Keeper-killer cases and everyone was thankful for that -given the consequences whenever there was one.
The policeman knocked on the door to an office at the other side of the room and entered when he heard the cue.
“Chief, this is Mrs. Moreau. She says her husband’s been killed by a Keeper.”
The man who had been addressed as ‘Chief’ seemed dazed for a minute but quickly regained his senses.
“Mrs. Moreau, please take a seat,” he said.
Chapter 6
“What can I get you, Miss?” Rosie asked a meticulous-looking young blond wearing a white lab coat.
Her first day as a permanent worker at Biolance was turning out to be a success. But she wished Joseph were there so that he could ease the burden of her father’s death. But he had lost the contract and wouldn’t be working alongside her anymore. She wondered what he was doing now. Was he sitting at home frustrated by where he had ended up? Or was he planning his next move? He’d been secretive about what he would do if he did not get the contract.
“Scrambled eggs, toast and green tea, please,” the young blond said courteously.
As Rosie passed the order to the kitchen, she resolved to visit Joseph when she knocked off at midday. The customers came and went. She fixed a smile on her face and kept working. The hours crept by until finally noon struck and she was done for the day. A different catering company stepped in as she gathered her equipment. They would be here all night, like she had been the night before. Biolance buzzed at all hours of the day like a metropolis that never slept. There were hundreds of scientists, engineers, lawyers and analysts working twenty-hour days. They needed to eat. That’s what Rosie was there for. When they weren’t working or eating, they were causing messes that needed to be cleaned up by 24-hour cleaning crews. They were sleeping in rooms specially designed for them to stay at work instead of going home. They were working out at gyms that made sure they stayed sharp and ready to do well at their jobs, maintaining physiques that kept them attracted to each other and making babies on bathroom breaks. Biolance was a city in and of itself. And Rosie loved it. She was at the bottom of the chain in this city. But at least she was there. She was a living, breathing, necessary part of the food chain. She provided a service that was needed, fuel for the brains behind Biolance. She had Purpose.
Soon, Rosie’s truck was piled high with all her equipment. She shut her door and began the drive to Outer Metz. Joseph was sitting outside her house when she arrived.
“Look at you. You must be exhausted,” he said.
“I am,” Rosie answered. “It’s so good to see you. I was going to come right over.”
She stood on tiptoe to give him a hug then invited him in for a meal.
“Thanks. I’m famished. Where’d your Mom go?”
“I thought she’d be back by now,” Rosie answered, pulling up a chair for Joseph. “Something’s happened.”
“What are you talking about?”
Rosie stalled, grabbing a loaf of bread from the refrigerator.
“Rosie?”
“It’s really just a suspicion. Maybe she’s wrong. But Mom thinks Dad has been killed.”
Joseph sat up straight, “What?”
Rosie nodded, “He didn’t come home last night.”
“Maybe he’s at a hospital somewhere. He’s been sick lately. Maybe he collapsed and they’re getting him help.”
“Yes but he always has his ID on him. Why haven’t they contacted us?”
“But what makes your Mom think he’s been killed?”
Rosie began spreading a thin layer of peanut butter on the bread. She didn’t want to admit it out loud but knew there was no other real explanation for what had happened the night before.
“The frost on the ceiling,” Rosie said quietly.
“What was that, Rosie?”
“The ceiling in the main bedroom was covered in frost yesterday while my mother was sleeping and began to spread to other parts of the house. We all slept in my room, freezing.”
“You don’t mean…”
“That’s exactly what I mean. He must have been killed by a Keeper.”
An eerie silence settled in the room as Joseph and Rosie thought of the implications of what had just been said.
“If that’s true, then we’ll soon start to see the manifestations of it. A storm here, a fire there. Things that seem to have no clear cause or point of origin,” Joseph said.
He had a fancy way of talking, like he was explaining a scientific report to a lay man. But he said it in a friendly way that made it difficult for people to think he was bragging about having read all those science books he’d found in the dumpsters of Metz when they digitalized the textbooks. Joseph and Rosie were two of the only people who had collected all the books they could find and stashed them away from prying eyes.
“Yes, I guess that’s what will happen next. I just wish I knew where my father is.”
“Is that what your Mom went to find out?”
“Yes. She’s gone to Central Metz to file a missing person report.”
Joseph stood up and walked towards Rosie.
“I’m thinking you have other plans about what to do.”
“Yes, I do,” Rosie said determinedly. “I’m going to Espérer to talk with Captain Reeves.”
“The police are probably going to do that themselves.”
“I don’t care. I want to look her in the eye and let her know what a great job she’s doing taking care of us.”
“It’s not her fault. She can’t possibly keep an eye on all the Keepers all the time.”
“Sure but what do they do all day? Murders happen all the time while they’re in their perfect little world, pretending they’re fulfilling their Purpose. For all we know, I could be next for landing this contract.”
“Well, I’m going with you,” Joseph said resignedly. He couldn’t let her go on her own.
“Of course you are. Someone needs to keep me in check,” Rosie answered.
She was grateful for Joseph’s companionship. Ever since they had become close, she never had to do anything by herself.
“Oh, I have something to tell you,” Rosie said.
“What’s that?”
“Well, I’ll be earning a lot more now that I’ve landed the contract. Plus the lawyers seem to prefer my menu and some items on yours. So they’re willing to fund a few extra shifts. I was thinking about a joint venture.”
“With me?”
“Of course, who else?”
Joseph seemed to be holding back tears as he shook his head in disbelief.
“You would do that for me? You could be earning an arm and a leg, you know. And the paperwork ---.”
“Don’t worry about the paperwork. If I hire you as an employee, I won’t have a lot of red tape to cut through. But we’ll split the profits equally.”
“Wait, how did you know the lawyers like some items on my menu?”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on what sells, what doesn’t and who buys what for five years now. You’re great at coming up with an i
nteresting menu. I’m great at the business side of things and making sure customer service is done right. We’d make a great team.”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“Say you’ll do it.”
A smile spread across his face, “Of course I will.”
Rosie stepped towards Joseph and wrapped her arms around him as Sophie swung the door open, dragging Simone behind her.
“They’ve filed the report,” Sophie said immediately.
She didn’t take her coat off.
“It still feels like Siberia in winter in here,” Simone said.
“What do you know about Siberia, Simone?” Rosie chided.
She didn’t want to talk about her father’s case just then. She wanted to preserve the goodness that had just passed between her and Joseph. A bit of good news in a long stretch of monotonous days that offered no relief from the drudgery of Outer Metz.
“Plenty. I read about it yesterday,” Simone was saying.
“Simone,” Sophie intervened. “Go to your room and do your work. I’ll come and check it just now.”
“Have you told him?” Sophie said pointing at Joseph once Simone was out of earshot.
“Yes. We’re going to see Captain Reeves right now.”
“Captain Reeves? Don’t cause any trouble, Rosie. She’s the one person who might be able to help us.”
“That’s why we’re going to see her.”
Sophie sighed, “I know how confrontational you can get. Keep an eye on her, Joseph.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be back before you know it. But what did the police say?”
“They’ve contacted the Bureau of Corrections in Espérer. Apparently, a representative from there’s coming over tomorrow morning.”
“Well, they’re taking their time,” Rosie scoffed.
“Nothing they can do will bring him back alive, Rosie,” Sophie said.
She sounded tired and looked like she had aged ten years. Rosie could see her mother was already feeling the loss and only wanted to give Maximilian a decent burial so that she could grieve. But Rosie wasn’t ready to grieve just yet.
“We’ll be back soon, Mom.”
Chapter 7
There was no way to get from Metz to Espérer and back except on foot, which restricted the number of people who actually travelled between the two cities. The Journeymen didn’t go to Espérer unless they needed to.
Rosie and Joseph needed to. They trekked through the forest between Outer Metz and Espérer, walking briskly.
“Do you really think we’ll make it there and back before daybreak tomorrow? I have to be at work in the morning,” Rosie said.
Joseph was thoughtful, “I think it’s possible if we get help from the Keepers. They could take us home once we get there. It’s a good thing they don’t have to walk everywhere.”
“They only use their powers when it’s absolutely necessary.”
“It’s absolutely necessary that you get to work on time tomorrow.”
Rosie sighed, “That much is true.”
They walked briskly through the greenery, regularly stopping to catch their breaths as they leaned on the tall trees that rose from the ground. The tops of the trees shaded them from the afternoon sun. At first the plants appeared still and inanimate but the closer they got to Espérer, the more they met large shrubs whose leaves spread out flat against the soil as if offering Rosie and Joseph a carpet to walk on. The shrubs were showing them the way to Espérer.
“Have you ever passed through here before?”
“No, never,” Joseph said in awe of the hospitable shrubs.
They saw small, wispy whirlwinds littered with soil and twigs dancing the Russian Polka. The whirlwinds stopped for a few seconds to bow to them courteously.
Rosie was enjoying all this immensely when she saw something strange ahead of her.
“Joseph, look.”
She pointed to what looked like a man staring down at an area beneath a tree. The man splayed himself on the ground, oblivious to any inquisitive eyes. Then he shifted until Rosie could only see his curved back.
“What’s he doing?” Rosie whispered, as they dropped onto their bellies.
“He’s lying on the ground in fetal position. I think he’s crying. He keeps repeating something.”
“What d’you think he’s saying?”
“I don’t know, Rosie. I can’t read lips.”
Joseph crept closer to the man, inching his way forward on his belly. Finally, the man raised his head, one knee still resting on the ground. Joseph could hardly believe his eyes. He knew that face. Quickly, he slipped a mobile phone out of his pocket, aimed and took a picture.
The man got up, took one more look at the ground and walked away somberly. Joseph stayed on his belly for a long time, waiting for the man to get as far away as possible. Minutes later, he crept towards Rosie -not quite sure what to say.
“That was Lieutenant Nick Blade.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. It was him.”
“What do you think he was doing?”
Joseph thought for a moment, then said, “He was kneeling in front of a patch of soil, the way Journeymen do at graves.”
All color drained from Rosie’s face.
“You don’t think ---?”
“I think we should find out what’s buried under that tree, Rosie. Tomorrow. When we come back with the Metz police.”
“Why tomorrow when we can find out now? What if there’s nothing there? We’d have brought the police all this way for nothing.”
“Then we’ll come back alone. It’s getting late now. We have to head back or get to Espérer as planned.”
“I can’t go to Espérer now knowing that man killed my father!”
“Keep your voice down,” Joseph whispered. “We don’t know that for sure. Let’s go home.”
“I’m digging up that grave.”
“Rosie, listen to me ---.”
Rosie was already on her way to the grave. She ran to the patch of earth and began pushing the dirt away with her hands. She did it carefully, not wanting to disturb her father’s remains, not knowing just how shallow the grave was. Joseph quietly knelt beside her. There was no point in arguing with her. They worked with their hands until they realized whatever was there must be hidden slightly deeper under the soil. Taking a thick branch that lay nearby, Joseph drove one end into the ground and began scooping the soil away.
The sun had sunk when they finally uncovered a layer of plastic shimmering in the light of Rosie’s torch. Joseph stopped digging as they searched for each other’s faces in the dark. The plastic was see-through and all Rosie had to do was shine the torch on the discoloring face that was tightly wrapped in it.
Joseph took her by the hands and pulled her up. He quickly replaced the soil on the grave. They didn’t say a word as they walked away.
PART III
THE PROMISE
Chapter 8
The tension in her body seems to subside whenever I touch her. I press my lips on her forehead as she closes her eyes, relaxing in my arms. My lips move to the bridge of her nose and descend until they are against hers. Hers are soft, the softest I have ever tasted. She’s not wearing lipstick but they are a dim shade of pink. The tip of my tongue grazes her bottom lip. And she opens her mouth invitingly. I slide my tongue inside her mouth and feel it mingle with hers. Her kiss is patient and yet, hungry. There’s no rush. We could do this all day. And yet, I want her now. We strike a balance between love and passion in a delicious dance we’ve been doing for a while now.
When the kiss ends, we’re both a bit breathless. She opens her eyes slightly -her black lashes fluttering once, twice- and places her hand on my chest. This alone makes my heart beat even faster. She notices the change and looks into my eyes, hers flashing a dangerous green. They never cease to amaze me, the different sides of her. There’s gentle Dana, the one everyone sees. She conducts the assemblies at the academy. She’
s there at the Savvy meetings at Château de Confiance. She’s my friend and confidant. There’s fierce Dana, the warrior. I wouldn’t want to be in her crosshairs. Then there’s the Dana I see in bed. The woman who has an unquenchable thirst for lust. She’s downright sinful sometimes. The things she makes me do to her…, the way she grabs my hair right before she cums, screaming, “Oh, John. Don’t stop.”
She’s nibbled her way down my chest now. The sensation nearly knocks the air out of my lungs. She takes me in her hand, stroking me and licking the tip of my member. I just want to explode right there on her tongue but she doesn’t let me. She presses her finger near the tip of my throbbing manhood, easing back a wave of pleasure I was easily getting swept up in.
She moves up my body, every inch of her taut, curves calling out to me. As she leans her head against mine, she whispers something in my ear.
“You don’t wanna do that right now,” she says as she mounts me.
There’s a knock on the door of my apartment just when I slide into her.
“Damn,” I say, utterly disappointed.
“Hush. Let’s just ignore it.”
“Sergeant Howard? Are you there? Lieutenant Blade is asking for you.”
Dana is perfectly still when she hears Blade’s name. She knows it must be important. As she rolls onto her side, I caress her thigh and tell her I’ll make it up to her.
“I’ll be right there,” I shout to the voice at the other side of the door.
The apartment is so small that my voice easily reaches outside my bedroom to the messenger. This is how I like life. Compact and simple. The only complicated thing in my life is Dana. But that’s perfectly fine with me. She accepts me as I am, and I her. Most importantly, she knows I’ll always be there when she needs me.
Chapter 9
As I arrive at Château de Confiance, I’m wondering why Blade has called me here. The messenger was only told to summon me and was given no further details. Whatever it is must be on need-to-know basis. I step into the large living room and find Blade settled in a sofa, looking quite straight-faced as he usually does. He stands and extends a hand. I grip it firmly and he offers me a seat.
Freeze: A Dystopian Urban Fantasy Military Romance (The Great Keeper Series Book 1) Page 3
