Then another sound made him whip his head up. Was it the other one? If not already dead, he would be soon. No way would he be up and moving. He’d hit him hard enough take down a man twice his size. No, it must have been something outside.
He went back to the table where the woman, now alert, stared at him with eyes wide in terror. He wanted to pause and savor the moment. That look never got old. He counted on the rush it gave him each and every time he had one ready for the main event. He smiled down at her and started to pick up one of the gleaming instruments from his side table.
Another sound pulled his gaze away from her terrified face, and he frowned as he put the instrument down. The old bastard obviously had more in him than he thought. Well, he wouldn’t for long. Turning away from the woman, he grabbed a mallet from the workbench near the stainless table and started for the stairs.
When he’d seen these two on his doorstep he’d actually laughed, immediately sensing how much fun they were going to bring to the game. And they had, at first. Now they were both starting to get on his nerves. One couldn’t be quiet and the other didn’t have the good sense to lie there and die. As usual, he would have to take care of everything himself.
He had one foot on the bottom step when something hit him full on and knocked him backward and very nearly sent the mallet flying. He kept his grip as it dawned on him it was that damned dog. Fury turned his vision red, and he swung the mallet with everything he had.
*
Circe heard Zelda yelp, and the sound spurred her forward. She knew coming inside was a bad idea. As the minutes had passed while she sat in the car, she’d worried more and more that Diana was in danger. It hadn’t been hard to talk herself into following her inside. She might not be a cop, but she wasn’t exactly a layperson either. Their search training included what to do in a hostile situation, and this certainly qualified as one of those. With Zelda beside her, they could help, so that’s what she’d decided to do.
Like Diana, she’d crawled in through the window and opened the back door for Zelda. The look of dismay on Diana’s face when she walked into the kitchen and saw them would have stopped most people. But Circe hadn’t had time to do anything other than follow when Zelda’s head did the telltale snap as she raced for the basement stairs.
Circe was certain of only one thing: the basement held human remains. Strangely, the dead didn’t show themselves to her, so she had nothing to go on other than Zelda’s nose. In all their time together, Circe had learned much about Zelda, including the fact that she wasn’t wrong when it came to finding the dead. If she was on scent, she would find remains.
Everything went silent after Zelda’s yelp came up from the basement, and at the sound of her dog’s cry, Circe’s heart constricted. If anything happened to Zelda, she didn’t know what she’d do. If that woman hurt her dog, well…
She raced to the open basement door, but before she could go down, Diana grabbed her arm and yanked her back. “Are you crazy?” she hissed. “Brenda could be standing down there with a gun ready to blow your head off.”
“Zelda,” Circe said, and her voice broke. She wanted to sound tough and ready to fight. It didn’t work. She was terrified for her best friend and ready to face a gun to protect her.
“I know, I know. It won’t help her if you race down there unprepared and get yourself killed.”
“I need to get to her.”
“And you will, but not until I go first. We don’t know who all is down there. It could be Brenda or her boyfriend or both. I’m certain they’re dangerous, and you’re not tearing down the stairs unprepared. Let me handle this, it’s what I do.”
Her heart was pounding and adrenaline was flooding her body. She needed to get to Zelda, and at the same time she knew Diana was right. Her grand plan to help had just blown up in her face and might very well have killed Zelda. How would she ever be able to forgive herself?
Diana must have seen those concerns in her face. She quickly kissed her on the cheek and then whispered in her ear. “Go outside and watch for the backup I called. Let them know I’m downstairs and so are the perps.”
She wanted to argue her case to rescue Zelda more than anything she’d done in her life. She didn’t. Diana was right, and the best thing she could do was go outside, wait for the officers coming to assist, and pray Zelda was going to be all right.
“All right,” she whispered back and reached out to give her a hug, even though she knew this was the last time and place to bother with affection. She didn’t care, she had to touch her. She needed physical reassurance. “Be careful.”
Diana nodded, kissed her quickly one more time, and then disappeared down the stairwell. Circe prayed it wouldn’t be the last time she saw her alive.
Chapter Twenty-four
Diana didn’t pause to make sure Circe followed her directions because she didn’t have time. Zelda’s rush down those stairs had eliminated any hope of surprise. Brenda and her boyfriend were sure to be waiting for them with guns locked and loaded. Holding her position until backup arrived would still be the wise course, except she was worried what would happen to Paul here in the house of crazy if she didn’t get down there right now. And Zelda, if she was being completely honest. She was as worried about the dog as she suspected Circe was.
Her nerves were tingling as she took the steps carefully, one by one. As she moved down each step, the stairwell opened up and she swept her gaze across the room, capturing everything in an instant. Lisa lying strapped to a stainless table next to a smaller worktable, cutting tools lined up on it with military precision. A drain fitted in the middle of a concrete floor in a full-sized room. Numerous glass jars filled with dark liquid sitting on shelves lining a wall. A sink, a hose, and Zelda, unmoving on the hard floor. Finally, Paul, his arms handcuffed around a support post and a gag in his mouth. Desperately he yanked his head to the left, and for a moment she didn’t understand.
And then she understood just before an arm slashed down toward her face, a silver scalpel barely missing her cheek. She whirled in time to see a man, his face distorted with rage, coming at her again.
Her single thought was to stop him. She had no idea if Brenda was here too, and if she was, where? It didn’t matter. At the moment, the threat was this man and the fury he directed solely at her. She pulled up her arm, gun in hand. But before she had a chance to shoot, he charged, hitting her with all his weight, and the gun went flying. Diana had made a rookie mistake of misjudging her aggressor.
The scalpel was her foremost concern. He was dangerous with that weapon in his hand, and she had to get it away from him. As he charged at her again, the scalpel front and center, she stepped to the side and hit him in the back of the neck. When this was all over, she was definitely going to thank Paul for insisting on the martial-arts lessons he pushed down her throat on a regular basis. The next Saturday morning she gave up for the lessons, she’d do so smiling.
Whirling, she readied herself for the next assault. The guy was quick on his feet, and just as she’d done, he whirled and launched himself at her again. This time she was ready. The scalpel went flying and they tangled, falling to the ground. The rage in him was evident in the fight. He punched, clawed, bit, and screamed.
As they rolled and fought, each trying to get purchase on the other, he somehow got his hands on the scalpel again. Before she realized what he’d done, he plunged it into her shoulder. She screamed as pain, hot and intense, roared through her body. For a split second, she loosened her grip on him, and he took the opportunity to free himself.
He stood over her panting, the scalpel dripping with her blood. “You stupid bitch,” he ground out. “You stupid, interfering bitch. Say good-bye to your boyfriend. You won’t be seeing him again.”
As he came toward her for the kill, she actually saw his face for the first time. Shock rendered her speechless as the truth hit home and a bullet shot from the stairwell hit Brenda in the shoulder.
*
Paul rubbed his
shoulders, trying to ease the pain created when she’d tied him to the posts. Brenda was screaming incoherently as she was cuffed, spittle flying while she cursed. She looked nothing like the woman Paul had dated and lived with, nothing like the obsessed woman who’d stalked him for months. Dressed in men’s clothing, not wearing a trace of makeup, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, at first glance, she looked like a man. Even her voice sounded different, at least part of the time.
It was like being in some bizarre movie with a plot line that made no sense whatsoever. Except it did in a strange way. The domino pieces were suddenly falling into place. In the time he’d been in this house, and particularly down here watching the odd transitions from woman to man to woman to man, he’d come to understand so much. And it made it him sick.
The second he was freed from his restraints, he raced to Lisa’s side. She was sitting on the side of the table that moments before had held her captive. She started to cry as he reached for her.
“You came for me,” she cried against his shoulder.
“I’ll always come for you,” he said against her hair.
He helped her down from the table. She was unsteady on her legs and he didn’t blame her. He felt the same way. Getting out of the way of the responding officers, they both sank slowly to the floor, their backs against a concrete wall. Diana, with Circe holding a towel to her wound, sat on the bottom step. At their feet, Zelda rested, having regained consciousness.
He looked around at the horrors of the room and shuddered. He’d come so close to losing Lisa, and it was his fault. He’d let this woman, this insane woman, into his life, and it had almost cost him everything.
“You okay?” Lisa asked him.
Paul put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “I don’t honestly know. I’ve never encountered one of these before.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m not surprised. They’re quite uncommon.”
Of course she’d know. This was her area of expertise. “How did I miss the signs?”
“These people are quite adept at appearing normal. Brenda, particularly when she was with you, had to have been a pro at keeping control. She kept the man, whatever his name turns out to be, well under wraps.”
“You think it was just the two of them?”
She hugged him tightly. “We’ll find out. Someone with expertise in multiple personalities will evaluate her, and we’ll know soon enough.”
He rubbed his hands over his face as the gravity of what had just happened washed over him. “She…he…almost killed you.”
She kissed the side of his head. “But she didn’t, and that’s what counts.”
*
Circe didn’t think she’d ever been this scared before now. She’d gone outside fully intending to wait for law enforcement, but that decision lasted all of about two minutes. She couldn’t stand it. Both her woman, and that’s how she thought of Diana, and her dog were in there with insane people. Their lives were in danger, and she didn’t intend to stand around sucking her thumb.
It finally hit home who the dead were asking her to help: Lisa. They had tried their best to warn her, and until she’d stood outside on Brenda’s porch she hadn’t been able to see it. While Diana might be in danger too, she had skills and training. Lisa didn’t. All she had was a friend who could hear the warnings of those who’d fallen at the hands of the killer who now held her captive. She spun on her heel and retraced her steps.
Back inside, she realized she had to have some type of weapon, and she’d spotted Will’s gun. He was still out cold and wasn’t going to be able to use it, so she decided it was fair game. She took a few precious seconds to figure out how to take the safety off and then quietly, at first anyway, made her way down the stairs. All she could see, when she got down enough to have an open view of the big room, was Diana and a man fighting on the concrete floor. When he plunged a sharp instrument into Diana’s shoulder, her cry of agony nearly undid Circe. First her dog was hurt and now Diana. No way could she stand by and just let it happen.
Her hands were trembling as she brought the gun up, waiting for a clear shot. The man gave it to her as he stood and backed up a few steps. Diana was holding her shoulder, and the look of astonishment on her face surprised Circe. She followed her gaze and saw what had shocked her into inaction.
A man hadn’t just stabbed Diana; it was the woman, Brenda. Oh, she was dressed as a man and even looked like one, but it was most certainly her. It didn’t make sense, and at the moment, it didn’t need to. What mattered was stopping her before she hurt anyone else. As she charged Diana again, with what Circe could see was a scalpel held high, she didn’t hesitate. She pulled the trigger.
She was aiming for Brenda’s head. Her skills with a handgun being what they were, she hit her in the shoulder. It was enough. The scalpel went down and so did Brenda, screaming in what had to be pain and certainly shock. Circe had to bet she wasn’t expecting a dog handler to take her down.
Circe didn’t need to do anything else once Brenda was down because suddenly people were everywhere. The backup Diana had called for earlier had just arrived. A little late but welcome just the same. She let one of the officers gently dislodge the gun from her hands. She hoped she never had to hold one again.
She checked to make sure Diana was okay, then saw to Zelda. As she picked up her big head, Zelda’s eyes opened. That was enough to make her cry, and she cradled her dog and sobbed. She’d never been so grateful in all her life.
Diana was able to make her way over to the bottom step, where she sat down heavily. Her shoulder was bleeding, and so Circe put Zelda’s head down gently and then took off her button-down shirt, which she pressed against the wound in Diana’s shoulder.
“You’re going to get cold,” Diana said as she leaned into Circe.
She glanced down at the tank top she’d worn underneath. “Sweetheart, I have so much adrenaline running right at the moment, it’ll be a week before I get cold.”
“Thank you,” Diana said softly.
She kissed her cheek. “No, thank you.”
Diana’s laugh was bitter. “For what?”
“Oh, baby, for everything. For not dying. For charging in to save my friend. For being in my life.”
“Don’t forget, I like your dog.”
In spite of everything going on around them, Circe laughed. “Yeah, that too.”
Epilogue
Being able to see dead people sucked, and that’s how it had always felt to Circe. Until now. If her life had been different she probably never would have met Diana. Six months after that day in People’s Park, where the bodies of three young women had brought them together, she couldn’t imagine a day without her in her life.
She was pretty sure Lisa felt the same way about Paul. All it had taken was a serial killer with multiple personalities to make their lives complete. Who knew?
“Well, what do you think?” Diana draped an arm around her shoulders.
They were standing in Circe’s driveway and looking at the beautiful house that had risen from the ashes of the one that had burned down. At first they’d believed Brenda had burned the house because of Paul’s interest in Lisa. As it turned out, it hadn’t been Brenda but Bryce, her male personality, who’d not only burned the house but had broken the window and cut the gate locks because he was pissed off that Zelda and Circe kept finding his bodies.
Brenda had done her own bit of torching. For her it was Diana’s house she’d put a match to, as well as being responsible for the vandalism to her garage. She was furious about Paul’s interest in Lisa and also about Diana’s close relationship to Paul. It didn’t matter that their partnership didn’t extend beyond friendship and work. Anyone she perceived as interfering with her obsession with Paul threatened her.
In the end, the doctors found three distinct personalities: Eve, Brenda, and Bryce. It would probably be years before they understood the why behind her fractured psyche. Not that it mattered. As a
serial killer, she would spend the rest of her life behind bars. Certainly the bars of a psychiatric facility but bars nonetheless. She wouldn’t be surprised if Brenda became a psychiatric favorite, given her obsession with the ancient text she was convinced would eventually give her everything she wanted as long as she completed a series of bloody rituals.
At least they were all free of her threat, and Will, who’d taken a significant blow to the head, had fully recovered. She couldn’t hurt any of them again. Paul and Lisa had been able to explore what everyone who knew them declared to be true love. If they weren’t married inside of a year, Circe would be shocked. Right now, they were on a plane headed for Vancouver and a long weekend enjoying the beauty of Western Canada. Will was back doing whatever it was that Will did and also checking in every so often to make sure his favorite niece wasn’t getting herself into any more trouble.
Today, she and Diana had important things to do. It was letting-go day.
“I think it’s beautiful,” she said and couldn’t help the quaver in her voice. This had been her home, and when it was burned to the ground, the loss had broken her heart. But as it had risen from the ashes and once more grown beautiful, her feelings had changed. So, it appeared, had Zelda’s, as she now sat in the car waiting for Circe and Diana. She smiled as she looked over at the beautiful stained-glass front door and freshly painted shutters. It was still a home, just not hers any longer.
“It’s looking pretty great. You sure you’re okay with this?”
She turned and smiled at Diana. “One hundred percent.” She dropped her gaze to the engagement ring on her left hand, and her heart soared. “Come on. Let’s go meet the attorney, get the sale papers signed on this place, and go home. We have a wedding to plan.”
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Necromantia Page 22
