Demons are Forever

by Wynne Hayworth

  “She’s right, Cap. If this basilisk thing is being controlled, it explains a lot. At least about its actions. And it ties in with what we’ve both sensed.”

  The captain looked somber. “I don’t even want to think about something along those lines. But I have to agree that it makes sense.” He rubbed a hand across his face and sighed. “What’s your plan, Doc?”

  Lian drew a breath. “Bait, Captain. Offer it—him—bait. Something he can’t turn down.”

  Buck gave a harsh laugh. “Yeah, like it’s gonna come out just for us because we put a bowl of kibble on the floor.”

  She let that pass. “I’m not talking any bait.” She leaned forward, gazing intently at the captain. “This is a creature that is lured by sex. Additionally, all its victims thus far have been blondes.” She shook her head at Buck, forestalling his angry words. “Could be a coincidence, I know. But…” She turned back to the captain. “I’m blonde. I also have some…abilities in the area of sexual projection.” Fighting back the urge to blush, she met the captain’s gaze head on. “I can call on those abilities pretty much at will, Captain. Our biggest problem is that we don’t know where he’ll go next. We can’t slap surveillance on every Pleasure Pad out there. We need to bring him to us this time. Put me in a Pleasure Pad. Bug the room. Wire the room. Do anything you damn well want to in that room, but then leave me in there. I’ll broadcast—for lack of a better word—some strong sexual impulses. Draw him to me.”

  “Then what?” Buck growled at her. “We don’t know if we can kill this thing. If it’ll sense the surveillance. You gonna be alone with it? I don’t think so and sure as shit it’ll smell a cop under the bed, sweet cheeks.” He looked at the captain then, fury and worry written large on his face. “It won’t work, Cap. It’s much too dangerous. For everyone involved.”

  The captain was silent, his eyes roaming both her face and Buck’s as he thought over what they’d suggested.

  “Plus it wouldn’t necessarily get us the guy behind the creature. If there is one.” Buck threw that out as a clincher.

  “You got a better plan?” Lian barely moved as she spoke. “We’ve come up empty on just about every front there is.”

  The captain sighed, his eyes somber. “Unfortunately you’re right on both counts, Herrick. No we don’t have any kind of plan and yes, we’ve come up empty on this one.” His mouth firmed. “And I don’t like it.” He paused. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean I approve of this plan either. Shand’s right. It’s dangerous.”

  She slumped in her chair, Buck let out a muttered “yessss” and Cheney Fisher chose that precise moment to tap on the door and walk in uninvited.

  “Private party?”

  Resignedly, the captain motioned him in. “At least you knocked. I should be grateful for that, I suppose.”

  Oblivious to the thinly veiled reprimand, Cheney strolled across the room, dragged out a chair and took a seat in front of the captain’s desk. “My incredibly well-developed mental abilities told me you needed me.”

  Buck snorted. “More like you saw us through the window and got nosy.”

  “Yeah. That too.” Cheney was unfazed.

  “Since you’re here, you might as well give us your take on this wild-assed idea these two have come up with.” The captain stared at him.

  Cheney delicately raised an eyebrow. “Wild-assed? My goodness.” His green eyes flickered between Buck and Lian. “One has to wonder how that happened.” A wicked grin danced around his lips.

  Buck shifted uncomfortably. “Shut up, Cheney.” A light touch of color flared in his cheeks. “Just listen.”

  ———

  Lian leaned back in her chair and withdrew a little, letting the men talk over the case in that inimitable cop style they’d perfected. She observed Cheney as the conversation continued, cataloging his style—and his appearance. She’d dismissed him as harmless the first time they’d met. To her, he was. But to other women?

  Well, he was tall. Very tall. Probably played sports in school. First pick for the basketball team, without a doubt. He was lean and rangy, but his shoulders hinted at strength and there was a solid chest under his loose T-shirt. The blond hair was neatly trimmed and overall he presented a picture of “nice guy”. Attractive, an easy smile and comfortable in his own skin.

  A tiny little door opened in her mind and she probed more deeply, her curiosity stimulated by the nature of his interaction with Buck.

  Buck, she knew, was an intensely private person. What the world saw was what he wanted the world to see. The fact that he apparently dropped those shields with Cheney spoke volumes to her and encouraged her to peer past the surface and into the man beneath.

  Cheney was an AG. The blue spot on the ear was noticeable, and Cheney did nothing to hide it. Again, he presented the “I am who I am” image with skill. His gaze was focused and intense as he listened, interrupted, gestured to make a point and discussed the case. He was intelligent, well-spoken and definitely a good cop.

  These things she could sense with ease. But what was inside? What kind of AG was he?

  Cautiously, Lian opened the door a little wider and let her senses probe the mind of Cheney Fisher.

  She stilled as pictures began to unfold.

  It was enchanting—a fairy glade, lit by a blushing sunset, draped with dewdrops on spider webs and dappled with flowers scenting the air. Soft warmth flooded her and she watched as Cheney, clad in a romantic-looking pirate shirt, open to the waist, strolled toward her, hand outstretched and face alight with a smile.

  His pants were tight, his boots shining—and large glittering wings protruded from his back, framing him, turning him into a perfect picture of sensual delight. It was like looking at an X-rated version of a fairy tale, and she was charmed into smiling back.

  She nearly reached out to take his hand, but caught herself in time and quickly closed the door in her brain. And glared at Cheney.

  Who turned, briefly flashed a smile, and then resumed his conversation without a pause.

  “Yes, I can do it.” He was nodding at Buck. “You know I can do it.”

  Buck’s expression wasn’t encouraging. “That’s all well and good, but you still won’t be in the room with Lian.”

  She blinked. “Do what?”

  Buck narrowed his eyes at her. “You take a nap?”

  “Something like that.” She gazed back, unruffled. She knew Buck’s hostility was a façade covering his fear for her.

  Cheney settled in his chair and smiled impishly at her. “Enjoy yourself?”

  She snorted. “Tell me. What can you do?”

  “Aha.” Cheney grinned. “All kinds of magic things.”

  “Quit flirting and tell her.” Buck growled out the words.

  “Flirting? Moi?” Cheney looked hurt.

  “Cut it out.” The captain looked tired. “Dr. Herrick, Cheney says he can take over a Pleasure Pad for a night. Run it. Be on site for you and nobody will know he’s a cop.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, willing to accept that. Perhaps Cheney was a shifter. “Does that work?”

  “No.” Buck spoke up.

  “Yes.” Cheney’s voice rode over his partner’s. “Yes it works. It’ll get a cop in the building without anyone knowing about it. We could swap out every Pet in the place for a female cop, but I’ll bet you anything you want this thing would know and stay away.”

  Lian nodded. “Agreed. It’s far too clever to fall for that.”

  “You expect me to let you do this with one lousy cop at your back? One cop?” Buck’s tone left no possibility of misunderstanding his opinion of the plan.

  “Not one, Buck. Two.” She straightened in her chair. “Look, here’s the way I see it. If Cheney here can get into the Pleasure Pad without detection, we’re in good shape and have one cop more than I thought we’d have. I know I can send out lures. You know I can do that, Buck. If anyone can draw this thing out to play, I can.”

  “Yeah. So?”

 
“You’ll be my second back up.”

  “I can’t be there, Lian. I can be nearby, but you know I can’t be there or we’ll lose the bastard.” His face twisted.

  “You’re wrong. You can be there with me. All we have to do is let go.” She willed him to understand. “We have a—a link, Buck. If you want to call it that. I can’t describe it any other way. You and I can be in touch with each other from the moment the door to that room closes. No one will know. It’s an additional weapon we have that’ll work in tandem with the surveillance equipment. And also helps guarantee my safety to a certain extent. There’ll be nothing to alert him to what I’m doing unless he’s got something that twigs him to electronics, which I doubt. They’re static. Inanimate. He’s there for sex. He’s focused on the women. He picks his targets apparently at random.” She leaned forward intently. “Don’t you see? He’ll never expect that he’s chosen to walk into a trap. It’s his strength, being so damn unpredictable. It can also be his weakness.”

  Buck tugged on his lower lip as he turned the idea over in his head. “You think you can broadcast your lures and still keep in contact with me on that level? That’s a helluva lot of multitasking, Lian…even for you.”

  She lifted her chin. “I know. You’ll have to help me, Buck. You’ll have to meet me halfway. I don’t even know if we can establish a contact from a distance, let alone sustain it. And I doubt we’ve got time to run experiments. We’d have to pick a Pleasure Pad carefully. Get the right location so you and I aren’t too far apart physically.”

  A loud clatter from the squad room outside made them all jump and screens leaped into life along with the sound of voices buzzing and chair scraping.

  “Fuck.” Buck and Cheney were on their feet seconds before the captain, and out the door just as rapidly.

  The captain was pale as he looked at Lian. “You’re right. There is no time. We’ve got another one.”

  She swallowed. “We go with the plan then?”

  “I don’t see another choice.” There was pain and frustration in his gaze, mixed with worry. “It’s on your shoulders now. Set it up any way you want it. But get it done.”

  Lian nodded and left the room.

  Chapter Nine

  Late the following afternoon, Buck ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he sat with Cheney in the precinct and went over the plan once again. They’d pushed aside the carnage that was this monster’s latest kill.

  Buck worried he was becoming immune, because his brief look at the newest crime scene had done nothing but make him more anxious than ever about Lian’s plan.

  “I can do it, Buck. So can she. Will you stop spazzing yourself into knots? It won’t help.” Cheney’s voice was calm, belying the concern in his eyes.

  “It’s a half-assed plan at best and it puts Lian right in the hands of this killer.” A quick vision of yesterday’s victim flashed through his mind and he winced. “You think I want to see her end up like—like—?”

  Cheney’s lips tightened. “She won’t. Neither of us is going to let that happen.”

  Buck wished he was as sure as his partner, but then again there was a niggling issue of his emotions adding to his stress. He was falling hard for the good doc and he knew damn well it was muddling his rational way of thinking.

  “Ah, fuck it.” He leaned back and stared at his partner. “I’ve got it bad for her, you know.”

  “I’d never have guessed.” Cheney’s mouth curved wryly. “Other than the fact you can’t take your eyes off her, you’re guarding her like a St. Bernard with overdeveloped responsibility issues and I reckon she gives you a hard-on when she breathes.” He grinned. “God help us if she farts. You’ll go off like a goddamn rocket.”

  “Thanks for your understanding and support there, buddy.” Buck glared at him. “Wait ’til it hits you like a ton of bricks. Ain’t a damn thing you can do about it. One minute your life is rolling along like always and the next—you’re road kill. Flattened in one instant of time when everything shifts and takes you someplace weird you’ve never been before.”

  Cheney chuckled quietly. “Well, I reckon Shakespeare probably described falling in love a little more eloquently, but I get the point.” He flexed his shoulders. “I doubt it’ll happen to me though.”

  “Oh yeah? You got an immunity pill?”

  “Of course. It’s all about control.” Cheney tapped his head. “I go where I want, not where anyone else takes me.”

  Buck shrugged. “Time will tell.”

  Cheney turned the conversation back to their plan and together the two men pored over notes, some hastily scribbled, others thick files on victims. Both could feel time breathing hotly down their necks. The killer was escalating, without a doubt.

  Finally Buck leaned back and tapped a finger on the top sheet. “Okay. So this is the Pad we’ll use. Gantry Cooper runs a clean house even though it’s on the fringes of the Bogs. We’re in the killer’s general area, if he sticks to his previous locales, but far enough out of the worst places that we can set up a task force nearby without sending all the rats back underground and betraying our presence.”

  Cheney winced as his chair scraped the floor and he stood. “I’m out of here. I’ll go pull in Gantry, tell him what’s up and persuade him it’s in his best interests to cooperate fully. I won’t get many arguments. Everyone’s getting nervous now since word’s spreading. Business is probably taking a hit so it should be a done deal by noon.”

  “Okay.” Buck nodded and stood as well, collecting the paperwork into one untidy bundle. “I’m gonna shove all this into a drawer for now. We’ve got everything we could possibly use out of it. From here on—I guess we work on intuition, magic and prayer.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” Cheney’s voice held a note of amusement. “Don’t sweat it, Buck. She’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah. Easy for you to say.”

  “Gonna name the first kid after me?”

  Buck gave his partner the “eat shit and die” look.

  “Just asking, my friend. Just asking.” He walked away.

  Buck wished he had Cheney’s certainty about the outcome. But all he could think about was Lian lying at the mercy of a killing monster who wanted to fuck her brains out and then tear her apart.

  He gulped down nausea at the mental images he couldn’t keep under control. Then he took a deep breath. He had to keep this shit under control. So he’d gone and done the unthinkably stupid and fallen in love with Dr. Lian Herrick, who was about to offer herself as bait to the worst serial killer they’d run across in several generations.

  She’d touched his other self, fucked him into semi-conscious bliss, and was everything a man could want in his life.

  If this operation worked, he’d have to follow that train of thought and see where she stood on the whole continuing relationship thing.

  But right now, he needed to focus, and focus fully.

  Taking advantage of the empty room, he closed his eyes for a moment, standing completely still and forcing his brain to settle down. Tiny flickers of fire that he knew represented Lian still licked at the edges of his thoughts and for a moment he opened that door and felt the light brush of her mind against his. She was thinking of him too.

  Okay. So they could reach each other on a different plane at a distance. That was reassuring and Buck relaxed a little. He sensed her absorption in whatever she was doing, although he couldn’t get a fix on her location. But at this point it didn’t matter. She was calm, concentrating on something and he could almost feel her excitement mixed with a dash of apprehension.

  That was good too. She wasn’t treating this as casually or as lightly as she’d like him to believe.

  He knew those feelings would keep her alert, add an edge to her that she might well need if he couldn’t reach her in time.

  Ah fuck. This was madness. The killer was insane and Buck was about to put his woman into the clutches of some invisible, undetectable monster with the full support of his par
tner, his captain and most of the damn precinct.

  Yeah. They were all fucking insane.

  ———

  Lian walked out into the sunshine between the two Fu Dog statues and stared thoughtfully at the small pendant in her hand. She’d taken time to stop by and visit Karl in response to his text message and found him putting the finishing touches on it.

  “You need this, doll.” He’d known she’d come into the lab before she’d said a word.

  “I do?”

  “Yeah.” He pushed his goggles up on his head and looked over at her. “The more I got to thinking about this bugger you’re taking on, the more I realized I might be able to toss in a bit of help.”

  “Anything you have will help, Karl.” She crossed the room to stand beside his tall chair and looked down at the assorted electronic bits and pieces that surrounded a beautifully carved piece of jade.

  An arm crept around her and cupped her butt cheek. “Gotta keep these buns intact, precious. Some day you may ditch the cop and drag me off to your bed. Where you’ll do terribly wicked things to me, hopefully for weeks on end.”

  Lian gently removed Karl’s hand and put it back on the arm of his chair. “Don’t hold your breath, sweetie.”

  “Cruel, cruel wench.” He chuckled. “Anyway, this is my little gift.” He picked it up and threaded a thin silver chain through the bale. It really was quite lovely.

  “Mmm. Nice.” She studied the light as it delineated the carving of a Chinese symbol into the green stone, shades of darker jade shadowing the peaks and valleys created by a skilled artisan.

  “It’s the symbol for life.”

  “Ah. Okay.”

  “And…” Karl paused dramatically, then turned the piece over, showing her a small engraving inset into the silver backing. “This—this is the pièce de resistance.”

  “And this is…?”

  Karl stroked a finger around it. “Inside here is my kind of magic. It’s a prototype, mind you, not tested on anything other than a rat or two. I figure we got plenty, and who cares about rats anyway, right?”