Eurwyn relayed the message to the other two and Curtis looked through the window and saw Janux’s scooter at the same time as he heard it throttling down and stopping. She was here. Not only that, but Curtis could now hear the sound of another vehicle approaching. He pulled out his Glock, checked it was loaded, and hooked it into his belt ready for use.
Janux unlocked the front door of the bach, leaving her motor-scooter in full view. She opened a couple of windows and then the back door, standing in the doorway and waving to Curtis and Jack. She knew they were there since Eurwyn had sent a message assuring her they were aware there was a vehicle approaching.
She had put on the jug to make herself a cup of strong coffee. Then she looked around her old home. She loved the bach and knew her heart was here – always would be – even though Roscoe was not.
Baxy parked hurriedly at the bach, went to the front door and knocked. He’d known for a while that there was another vehicle trying to catch up with him and he had to hurry. He didn’t want Janux to be either rescued or killed by someone else before he’d done what he came to do.
“What are you doing here, Baxy?” Janux said, suddenly uneasy. He was supposed to be their ally now, wasn’t he?
“I’ve come to warn you,” he said. “There’s someone else on their way here. I saw the dust in my rear-view mirror.”
Janux didn’t know whether to believe him or not. “So you’re my friend now?” she asked.
Baxy pushed past her into the bach and grabbed her by the arm, kicking the door shut with his foot. “We’re going to have some fun,” he said, after putting a hand over her mouth and dragging her into the bedroom. “You know – the fun we didn’t have last time. I can tell you’re the kind who likes to party.”
Janux struggled with all her might to free herself from his grasp but Baxy had arms like tree trunks. She also sent an urgent message to Eurwyn. Baxy’s here, I need help right now. She couldn’t even scream. But as he let go to handcuff her hands behind her back she let out a shriek before he tied a gag around her mouth. Then he started to tear off her clothes. She tried to kick out at him but it was no use. He threw her face down on the bed and tried to rip off her jeans with one hand, the other one holding her. Her top was already on the floor, in shreds.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a voice said from the doorway. It was Curtis, holding his pistol out in front of him.
Baxy stopped in his tracks and looked down at the floor. “Sorry,” he said weakly. “The master – he told me I had to do it. He said we needed the money.”
“You’re a fool, Baxy Hurzy. Here, Jack, take my gun and keep an eye on the creep - if he tries to leave shoot him. Now give me the keys to these handcuffs, you idiot.”
Curtis unfastened Janux and helped her to get dressed in some clothes from her wardrobe.
“You know there’s another lot coming, don’t you?” he said. “You seem to be popular today, Trainee Assistant.”
“Can’t I just be Janux today?” she said, rubbing her wrists.
He smiled. “But we’re working, aren’t we? Anyway, me, Jack and Eurwyn are all here for you, so try not to worry. And don’t forget to message Eurwyn as soon as you can.”
Within minutes the red SUV was parked outside Janux’s bach as Curtis and Jack watched from the shed. They’d taken Baxy out there with them after hiding his jeep behind it. Curtis knew the RJD were already set up in a van a little further round the coast with at least four men to arrest the potentially violent criminals.
Spryz Frurster, the tallest of the three, hammered loudly on the door. “Janux Lennan, we’ve come to give you some very good news,” he called.
Janux went to the door and opened it. “What good news is that?” she said, pretending innocence.
“You’ve been specially chosen,” he said, laughing as Vandy and The Controller got out of the SUV and came over. “Meet my best friends.”
Vandy laughed too and he and Spryz then pushed Janux inside and went in after her.
The Controller was frowning as he followed them in. “We have some important questions to ask you. But first tell us where Baxy and his jeep are.”
“I don’t know,” Janux lied.
The three men sat down and watched her intently. She remained standing before them and sent a message to Eurwyn straight away. Tell them to come now. They’re all here in the lounge.
“What is your full name?” The Controller asked.
“Janux Lennan,” she replied, wishing Curtis and Jack would hurry up and come in.
“Thank you,” The Controller said. “We always have to be sure, you see – that you are the one we’ve been seeking. You are no doubt aware that for the whole of your life you’ve been breaking Ryxin law?” He got out a cigarette and lit it with a silver, flip-top lighter.
“I was born the way I am,” she said. “And I have done no harm to anyone through having a gene even if others say I am not allowed it.”
“That’s the point I’m trying to make,” he said, looking at her coldly. “Your family allowed you to live, knowing you had the gene. Whether you used your telepathic powers or not is no concern of ours. You knew having the gene was against King Dymon 3rd’s edict and should have handed yourself into our authorities once you were old enough to think for yourself. But obviously you decided to secretly live outside the jurisdiction of our ancient Ryxin law. Well, the time has now come for you to be sentenced, Janux Lennan. One by one, all around the world, women like you are finally being brought to justice. I find you guilty of the most serious and brazen flouting of Ryxin law. Had you voluntarily given yourself up you might have received leniency. But you chose to keep on breaking the law every day of your life, hoping our authorities would never know. That is why I must impose on you the harshest penalty we have. Spryz, you may take over now.”
Janux looked over at Spryz who leered at her with a fixed stare. Then he stood up and took a large, wooden-handled hunting knife out of the sheath attached to his belt. He held the knife in front of him and slowly walked towards her.
Tell them to hurry, she messaged to Eurwyn.
Now all three men were on their feet. The Controller stood blocking the front door and Vandy barred the one leading to the hallway. Janux wished Curtis would hurry up and come to her rescue. Any minute now she could be dead.
Spryz stopped a short distance in front of her, holding the knife pointed at her chest. “Lie down on the floor, Janux Lennan,” he said. “I am now going to carry out your sentence. There is no use trying to get away. Just do as I say and lie down – come on, hurry up.”
Janux could hardly breathe. The silver knife gleamed as if it had just been polished and the blade looked super sharp.
Spryz moved closer, becoming even more menacing. “Get down now, you filthy aberration,” he hissed at her. His eyes were bulging and he was smirking and raising the knife to scare her into obeying him.
A very strong smell of peppermint wafted into the room. Spryz must have noticed it too. He looked away for an instant, towards the hallway, and Janux saw his face change.
“Put the knife down, Spryz Frurster,” Curtis called, shoving Vandy in the back so he went staggering across the room, hit a bookcase and landed in a heap on the floor.
Curtis was now holding his Glock 17 at chest level with both hands stretched out in front of him as the handbook had said to. He pointed it straight at Spryz. Jack was right behind him, a large knife held out in front of him with both hands. The Controller opened the front door and stepped outside before anyone could stop him.
Curtis kept his gun on Spryz, and he put the knife on the floor as he was told to while Jack stood over Vandy keeping the knife pointed at his head.
“One of them is getting away,” Janux said, uncontrollably shaking.
“It’s okay, Janux, he won’t get far. The RJD are out there with a van. This despicable lot are going to be taken away and tried by a proper Ryxin court who will apply true Ryxin justice. Not the outdated k
ind of cruel judgements this lot have carried on believing in for their own benefit.”
They herded Spryz and Vandy outside, and once the would-be killers saw the two pale blue RJD vans with their logo of the planet Ryxin on the sides, and eight RJD officers training Glock pistols on them they realised this was the end of the road. The Controller was lying face down on the grass, his hands handcuffed behind his back.
After the RJD had driven their vans away with the prisoners inside, Curtis, Janux, Eurwyn and Jack went out to the back shed to see the handcuffed Baxy. They had to decide what to do with him now.
“You could be charged with attempted rape and murder,” Curtis said. “But then you showed bravery in saving Eurwyn here, from death. I want Janux to tell us what she wants to happen.”
“I think Baxy is still going to be easily influenced by his master, Sly Onyx,” Janux said, “and while that continues to happen he’s a dangerous man. Therefore he must no longer live under the same roof as Sly and will never be allowed to visit him. Those are my conditions.”
“You have shown mercy, Janux Lennan. I know I don’t deserve it but I thank you. Sly has been my master for a long time and my father taught me from a child that I must obey.” Baxy started sobbing and hung his head.
Eurwyn went over and stood by his side. “You saved my life, Baxy. If you do what Janux has said, I’ll stay with you. If you don’t then we can say goodbye now.”
“I’ll do as Janux says.”
“So what are you going to say to Sly Onyx?” Curtis said.
“I’m going to tell him he must find someone else to look after him as I’m marrying Eurwyn once she’s divorced her husband. He’s been having an affair with a Human woman on the mainland. When Eurwyn told him she knew about it and wanted a divorce, he said yes. I’m going to start my own fishmonger’s business down at the wharf. Look, Janux, I’m sorry for what I did to you. I really am. I’m sorry.”
Then Curtis delivered the final verdict. “Baxy Hurzy, you have heard what you must do. I am now adding my part of your sentence. You must report once a week to me as a representative of the RJD, and be on a good-behaviour bond for two years. If you stick to those conditions you will avoid the Ryxin court system. I’ll be informing them today of the decision we’ve made. Do you agree to these conditions?” Curtis demanded.
Baxy hung his head. “Yes, I agree. Please forgive me, Janux.”
Janux looked at him and briefly nodded. That was all she could bring herself to do.
CHAPTER 30
At the trial two weeks later, the committee of six watched the video evidence and listened to the pages of reports read out by an RJD clerk on behalf of PI Curtis McCoy and his Trainee Assistant PI, Janux Lennan. The list of all the employees of The Controller and how they earned their money was read out by the leader of the committee from the leather-covered notebook Curtis had found.
The committee unanimously agreed on the guilt of the three men. The Controller and Spryz Frurster, both pure-bloods, and the half-blood Vandemon (Vandy) Legox had murdered Nayxana Vasco and Saeran Marwry. Vandy alone was responsible for the first murder, of his ex-girlfriend, Oonagh Bleyis. He had hated the thought of Oonagh having a baby to a Human male when he believed he should have been the father. Curtis knew many Ryxin males would agree with him, but until the Human law was changed it had to be obeyed. All three were also charged with the attempted murders of Eurwyn Nepase and Janux Lennan.
The court heard how Vandy received $5,000 from The Controller for the killing of Saeran Marwry, assisted by Spry Frurster. Spryz Frurster received $5,000 for the killing of Nayxana Vasco, assisted by Vandy Legox.
Their sentences were then read out by the leader of the committee, who stood and faced the court.
“We, the committee appointed by the Ryxin Justice Department, find all three accused guilty of murder. You will all receive the death penalty – death by drowning, ten kilometres offshore at Moa Bay, tomorrow at dawn. We now order the three prisoners to be taken from the court and locked up to await their execution. Each prisoner will be allowed one visitor only.”
There were howls of protest by the accused. “We were working for the good of our species,” they ranted. “We were following King Dymon’s edict.”
The leader of the committee called for silence and once again stood to address the court. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have heard how an ancient edict from King Dymon 3rd was used as an excuse to terminate the lives of these innocent Ryxin women who had committed no crime. There is an attitude among many Ryxin men that this gene is still forbidden and therefore any woman with it is inevitably transgressing Ryxin law.
“This kind of attitude has to stop. King Dymon 3rd made this law on planet Ryxin and we are now living on planet Earth. The Ryxin Justice Department no longer recognises King Dymon’s edict and therefore it no longer applies on Earth. We see the suffering this ancient law has brought upon our womenfolk and we wish it to be known that there must be a shift in attitude from the past. All Ryxins living on Earth must know that the old laws no longer apply.
“You murdered three innocent women and have been found guilty by your own kind. You showed no mercy to them and therefore our committee, as representatives of justice for all Ryxins on Earth, will show none to you.”
The Controller turned to face the leader of the committee and the whole courtroom fell silent. “You will never change the minds of true Ryxins,” he said, staring with a look of hatred at the leader. “King Dymon 3rd was a noble king. Long live the king.”
He received no support from his fellow accused, who hung their heads in shame. Then the three prisoners were led out of the courtroom to a waiting van.
“You deserve to die,” Eurwyn called, between her sobs.
At dawn the next day the sentences were carried out. The three men, tightly bound, were put into a motorboat with three male members of the committee. When they were out far enough the three of them would push the prisoners, one by one, into the icy sea where they would soon drown.
Jack watched through his high-powered binoculars. “Well, that’s done then,” he said at last, turning to Curtis. “Justice has been served.”
“But the women will never return to us,” Curtis answered.
As they turned to walk away, the most senior RJD official, wearing a smart navy-blue duffle-coat with a hood, came and joined them.
“This woman, Lodax,” he said, taking a small book out of his pocket. “Our informants tell us her real name is Doxal Frurster, niece of Spryz Frurster 5th. She was a spy for The Controller and was working from Dublin. The only reason she wasn’t put to death was because she was employed as a telepathy-gene spy. Her job was to find other women who had the gene and add them to the list. They were then picked off one by one. Doxal’s reward was to be permitted to live but only as long as she kept working for them. Apparently she made her real money by selling herself to Ryxin men for a high price.
“You probably noticed how Lodax was a late addition to the list not long before she supposedly went to Ireland on holiday? She was going back to headquarters once her job on the island was done – she couldn’t afford to stick around for too long in case she was bumped off by a zealous pure-blood who didn’t know her true identity. There weren’t many who knew who she really was.”
“So who added her name to the list and why?” Curtis asked him.
“From what we’ve been told, an order came through from Ireland condemning Lodax to death. She wasn’t aware that someone had accused her of helping women on the list to avoid elimination. So who knows what happened to her once she returned there.
“Spryz Frurster wanted to be top pure-blood on the island and that’s why he, The Controller and Doxal were working together. Vandy, a half-blood, was also used by them because they knew how much he wanted status in their group. Of course they pretended they wanted others to help them with the killing of the women, but somehow one of them always got there first. They didn’t want the money going astray.”
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br /> Curtis nodded. “And what’s happened to Claudette?”
“She drove the van the day Nayxana Vasco was killed. Vandy Legox, whom she was still in love with, asked for her help and she gave it. I think she was afraid not to do what he wanted. But because she’s Human she was arrested by the H-police and is to be tried on the mainland by the Human Government Justice Department. Her lawyer is going to plead that she was suffering from Battered Woman’s Syndrome and hopes to get her off relatively lightly. She’ll probably be given a six-month stretch in the medium-security Prison for Human Females and ordered not to ever return to Muritai Island. The lawyer will say she wasn’t entirely responsible for her actions. Good ending for Oskin Vasco though – he was released from prison one day before his trial was due to begin.”
Jack came over and stood beside Curtis. “It’s all over now. Well done you two.”
“With your help too,” Curtis said. “Both you and Ixola played a part in the solving of these heinous crimes.” He turned to Janux. “What do you think, Assistant PI? I’m going to recommend your promotion. Well done, Janux.”
She smiled at him, knowing this was just the beginning of a long and exciting career.
Curtis took her by the hand and they walked back to where his Fiat was parked. “Come on, darling – let’s go home.”
THE END
Nayxana Alien Woman Page 19
