The Dance

by James Goodman

  Anna looked up and down the hall to see if anyone was within earshot.

  “Let’s get you outside,” she said, leading him by the elbow.

  The pain ebbed as they neared the parking lot. By the time they reached his car, it was barely more than a dull throb.

  “Should we call Captain Duke?” He squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger in an attempt to rid himself of the residual pain.

  “And tell him what? Have you already forgotten the conversation we had about this very topic not more than an hour ago?”

  “Yeah, I guess this raging headache is keeping my thoughts a little scattered.”

  “We can call him when we get there. Where are we going?”

  “That way,” he replied pointing southwest.

  I can’t believe this is happening. I’m following a man who is following the voices in his head.

  Anna hoped she wouldn’t regret it. They drove through the city at a near breakneck pace. She began to think Tom was just toying with her as the minutes rolled by. She watched him intently, barely sparing a glance for the houses they passed. His face was drawn and his eyes narrowed from his deep concentration on the road. Her thoughts drifted to the night they spent together and she tried desperately to push the images out of her mind.

  “There,” he whispered, indicating that she should turn right.

  Moments later he pointed at a sprawling one-story house that sat in the middle of a cul-de-sac. It was a beautiful brick home with a neatly manicured lawn. There were only two other houses in the vicinity and all three were spread out on one acre lots.

  Anna grabbed her cell phone as the car rolled to a stop.

  “What are you doing?” Tom turned on her.

  “Calling for backup.” She shrugged.

  “I don’t think we should do that yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we don’t know what we’re going to find here. This could be a murder in progress or it might be something entirely different. Let’s snoop around a little first.”

  “What else could it be?” She was skeptical. “You said yourself, it is the same feeling you had before.”

  “Just humor me,” he insisted before getting out of the car.

  They searched the outside of the house. All of the windows in the home but the front two were sealed and covered. They made a complete circle of the perimeter, but couldn’t find any signs of a crime in progress.

  “Can you smell that?” Tom led her to the back of the house for the second time.

  “Loam,” she said with a nod. “Somebody is trying to cover up a nasty stench.”

  “We weren’t led here to stop another murder. We have been brought to the source. This is that asshole’s house.”

  “I’ll call the captain,” Anna offered, pulling her phone from her belt.

  “Forget that, I say we go in.”

  “You do and the Captain will have your badge.”

  “No he won’t. We have probable cause. The smell here alone is enough to warrant further investigation.”

  Anna just stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Fine, make it quick,” Tom huffed, anxious to see the inside.

  Anna sighed and dialed the number.

  I wonder if he knows just how A.D.D. he really is?

  “Yes, Captain. This is Detective Perez. Detective Wiley and I received an anonymous tip that has led us to a residence. Sir, we believe it is the home of The Puppeteer. Yes, sir, but—yes, but—yes, but—” She shook her head at Tom while Captain Duke grilled her.

  “We are positive there is something amiss in there. We can smell loam, but it is barely enough to cover the stench of decay. No sir. There is no sign of movement in the house. But sir. Yes, sir— We are at two-four-two Frontage Road. Yes, sir— We’ll be standing by.”

  “What the hell? He told us we couldn’t go in, didn’t he?”

  “He wants to set up a stake out and see if we can catch him when he comes home.”

  They walked back to their car in silence. Anna looked over her shoulder at the house one final time.

  “Did you see that?” She gasped. “I saw something move through the living room.”

  “Are you sure?” Tom turned to stare at the house.

  “I’m positive.”

  “Well if you saw him, I bet he saw you.” Tom chewed his bottom lip as he thought of the next move. “He could be destroying evidence even as we speak.”

  “Then I suggest we go stop him.”

  “I’m right behind you.”

  *****

  “Come on, Tom. Get a move on. We have to finish checking the house,” Anna urged quietly.

  Tom didn’t move. He couldn’t. Shock gripped his limbs. The first room he checked revealed a horror he had no way to prepare for. Two children were on display in the bedroom. A young girl, who couldn’t have been more than ten years old, was propped on the bed, lying on her stomach. She had a magazine sewn to her fingers. She shared the room with a young boy who sat at a desk, a pencil held firmly in his hand. Their faces were sewn into a twisted mockery of contentment.

  “I’ve never seen him hurt children before,” Tom said, still unable to pry his eyes away. “I’ve never seen anything like this done to a child, period. How can anyone hurt something so small and innocent, especially like that?”

  “It’s horrible, but if we let him get away, he could do that to more kids,” she said, pointing into the room. “You can feel sorry for them later. For now, you have to help me find the guy who did this to them.”

  “All right.” He nodded weakly. “Let’s take this asshole out.”

  “You mean take him down?”

  “No, I mean this freak show will never see a day of court. I can’t take the chance that our wonderful court systems will find some bleeding heart reason not to put him under the needle.”

  “Tom, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Do you want to stand here and argue with me, or do you want to do the right thing? You know in your heart I’m right.”

  “We’re wasting time,” she conceded.

  They searched from room to room. Each one occupied, but none of them with their suspect. By the third room, Tom didn’t even flinch when he met the eyes of yet another victim frozen in the act of performing some mundane task.

  “He’s not in here,” Anna stated the obvious.

  “Come on. Let’s check the garage.”

  Anna followed him through the kitchen. She motioned for him to open the door as she leveled her gun over his shoulder.

  Tom flicked on the light. “Well, would you look at that?”

  “How cute,” Anna said as they stepped into the garage. She rounded the back of the car. “His tag says, ‘On Dancer’. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “I quit trying to think like a psycho months ago.”

  “Where does that lead?” Anna pointed to a closed door to the right of the one the just came through.

  Nice to see she pays so much attention to what I’m saying.

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Tom opened the door to reveal a set of steps.

  “I’m going down there. You cover me from the top of the stairs.”

  “Anna, I would be more comfortable if you let me go down first.”

  “Oh, spare me your macho bullshit.”

  “Hey, it wasn’t a slam. I would say the same thing if I were standing here with Jack.”

  Anna looked away at the mention of his old partner’s name.

  “I have already lost one partner and I don’t intend to live through that again,” he continued. “Your being a woman has nothing to do with it.”

  She drew a deep breath and held up her pistol. “Well then, go get ‘em, big boy.”

  Tom gave her a lopsided smile as he moved passed her. The stairs creaked and groaned beneath his feet. By the time he was halfway to the basement, his heart was beating so fast he could actually feel it vibrate his
ribs.

  Calm down, man. If he’s down here, you’ll deal with it. There’s no sense getting worked up about it.

  Tom stepped into the basement office and quickly scanned the room. Even with the fishing wire sewn into his face, he was able to recognize the man behind the desk as Brian Pearlman.

  “All clear,” he called up to his partner. “I think there is someone down here you would like to meet though.”

  “What are you talking about?” She hopped down the stairs two at a time.

  She stopped short as she caught sight of the twisted smile of their one-time suspect.

  “I guess we can rule him out as an accomplice,” Tom smirked and flicked at one of the strings that held the doctor’s head to the back of the chair.

  Anna nodded her agreement. The picture frames that adorned the walls had caught her attention. Tom noticed that some were empty, while others held scenes that were a menagerie of cut up photographs, pieced together to form scenes of everyday life.

  The frame in the middle caught her eye and she moved closer to read it. “Tom, you have to come see this.”

  Joining her side, his brows furrowed as he stared at the framed, hand-written poem.

  The Power Within

  My arm grows tense with anticipation

  Your eyes grow wide with the realization

  The light on my blade, cold and pale

  The fire in my eyes, a reflection of hell

  I whisper it’s time to face your sins

  You cringe at my smile as the knife slides in

  Your blood burns hot as it splashes my face

  My heart skips a beat as it quickens its pace

  You start to twitch, shiver and shake

  I wait in patience for the last breath you’ll take

  My ecstasy soars straight for the sky

  My power is building as your body dies

  Thank you my friend, your help was divine

  Transferring the power, from your soul to mine

  Anna shook her head. “Does he really think that killing gives him the power to steal souls?”

  Hell maybe it does. The image of the see-through woman popped into his mind.

  Aloud he said, “Who knows what goes through the mind of guy like that?”

  “I’m sorry, Tom.” Anna turned to face him slowly.

  “For what?”

  “I swear I saw someone moving in here or I would never have asked you to disobey a direct order.”

  “I know you did. Don’t worry about it. Captain Duke may have been all over my shit if I had pulled this by myself, but if both of us thought it was the right thing to do, what’s he going to say about it?”

  “God, I hope you’re right, because I have a feeling he is going to be pissed.”

  “So what else is knew? I will deal with Duke.” Tom pulled his cell phone out.

  “Captain Duke, this is Tom,” he said before taking a deep breath. “Yeah, we have a situation over here. I know you did, but—” Anna grimaced as Captain Duke’s screams roared out of the headset. “But— Yes, sir. Okay, we’ll be here.”

  Tom hung up the phone and turned to his partner. “Um, he says to sit tight he’s on his way.”

  “Great,” she muttered as she followed him back up the stairs. “I can’t wait for that ass chewing.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “What do you mean we can’t go back?” Kyle was wide eyed with concern. “All of my stuff is in there.”

  “The police know that house is the place you called home. They will be watching and waiting for a chance to catch you there,” Nina replied nonchalantly.

  “What about my things?”

  “I told you to grab your bag. Anything else you may have left behind can be replaced.”

  “Well that bites,” Kyle said in disgust. “What are we gonna do now? Where are we gonna stay?”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that too much. A man of your obvious talents never goes without a home for very long.”

  A wicked grin crept across his face as he realized what she was implying.

  “Yeah, I’ve never been a big fan of being homeless.” A sudden thought crossed his mind and his grin faded. “I just don’t understand how they found us. We were so careful.”

  “They had help. I can assure you of that.”

  “Eramael.” He grunted. “What are we going to do about him?”

  “I will think of something. I just need some time to collect my thoughts.”

  Kyle fell silent, letting the smell of pine trees fill his nostrils.

  Fresh air is overrated. I don’t see how people can stand to breathe this shit for very long. He was disoriented, standing in the middle of a forest. The trees surrounded them so tightly he couldn’t even see the sun. He was lost, but not afraid. He was sure Nina knew where she had taken him.

  “At this point, I don’t know what good it will do us to find a new home. That son of a bitch will just bring the cops down on us again as soon as we get comfortable.”

  “I know, I know,” she huffed. “I’m just not strong enough to shield us and still have enough clarity of thought to do anything else.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing, lover. I am just thinking aloud.”

  “Hey,” he said suddenly, his brows furrowed with deep thought. “If he can find us, why can’t we find him?”

  “I— I don’t think it’s possible,” she lied, not wanting to pursue his train of thought.

  “Bummer.” He sighed. “I bet between the two of us, we could take him out once and for all.”

  “You are probably right and it may come to that before everything is all said and done, but I would be more comfortable attempting something like that when you were a little stronger.”

  “Ah, come on, Nina. You know you’re a bad ass, and as for me, I’m bulletproof.”

  “It won’t be bullets you need to worry about with him.”

  “Wait a minute.” Kyle tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean ‘more comfortable’? Which is it, Nina? Can you not find him or do you just not want to?”

  “Don’t be like that, lover.” Nina tried to soothe. “He would be tough to defeat on our terms, but if we took the fight to him—”

  “We would have the element of surprise. You pop us in behind him and I will pounce on his sorry ass before he knows what hit him.”

  “It’s not as simple as that.” Nina wasn’t sure which of them would be more surprised if she took Kyle to where Eramael dwelled.

  “What—? You think he’s better than me?” Kyle’s lip twitched.

  Nina stared at him slack jawed. “Now you’re just being irrational.”

  “You do. You do think he’s better than me. Would he do everything that I do for you? No, or else you would still be with him. Oh, I get it, now… you’re protecting him. You know I can take him down and you don’t want to see me do it.”

  “Stop it, Kyle. You are spouting off rubbish and you know it. Can you hear what you’re saying?”

  “Yeah, I hear every fucking word coming out of my mouth. I don’t give a shit who or what he is. I want to tear that asshole limb from limb. I’ve heard him laugh. Now, I want… no, I need to hear him scream.”

  “Please calm down, lover,” she said softly. “Nothing good can come of this.”

  Nina wasn’t sure what to do. She had never seen the wild look in his eyes before directed at her.

  Is he going to attack me?

  She heard the rumble as it began in the pit of his stomach. By the time it left his lips, it was a primordial roar that unnerved her to no end. He began to stomp and jump, waving his hands in the air wildly. Drool and foam escaped his snarling lips, flinging loose in long strands as he thrashed about. He balled both his hands into fists and held them, shaking, in front of his down turned face. He suddenly threw his head back, arching his chest high and let out another roar.

  Kyle leapt at the tree closest to him and started swinging. A cloud of bark a
nd splinters erupted around him as he wailed away. The tree finally gave way under his assault. It groaned a final protest before it cracked and fell.

  Sweat and dust covered his body. He stood there, panting heavily, staring at his bloodied knuckles. “I’m a force to be reckoned with,” he whispered.

  Nina took a tentative step towards him. “I know you are, lover,”

  “I’m sorry about that. I—I just couldn’t stop once I got started,” he said without turning to face her.

  “Don’t let it trouble you. You have been under a lot of stress lately. These things happen.” Nina hoped they didn’t happen too often.

  “You’re not upset with me?”

  “Of course not, lover. I am here to help you with the bad times as well as the good.”

  “I didn’t scare you?”

  She honestly wasn’t sure what answer he wanted to hear. “Did you want to frighten me?”

  “No, I— I don’t know what I wanted.” His voice broke with hesitation.

  “Why would you scare me? I know you love me and would never do anything to cause me harm. Isn’t that right?”

  “Yes, I love you more than anything else in this world.”

  “Good,” she said after a sigh of relief. “Now, let’s get you indoors while I think of a way to keep Eramael from wreaking havoc on our lives.”

  “I’m ready when you are.” He wrapped his arms around her and braced himself for the jump.

  “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it would be easier for us to walk if you weren’t holding me so tightly.”

  “Walk? Where the hell are we?” Kyle looked around in confusion.

  “The good doctor was kind enough to leave us a little place in the woods. It is just on the other side of those trees. We should be safe there for now.” She pointed to her left.

  “Dr. Pearlman? I thought you said the police thought he was their man. Wouldn’t they be staking out his houses?”

  “They already paid the cottage a visit and gave up on it as a dead end.”

  Nina watched him closely as they walked. How could someone go from unbridled rage to cool and collected in a matter of seconds? If I can’t figure out a way to control his mood swings, he may not outlive his usefulness.