To Matty's place.
*****
Matty had a beautiful apartment in a brown brick building that was at least a hundred and fifty years old. Alexis knew Matty had the third floor all to herself and was probably paying out the nose for rent. Matty's parents had some money, but for her to afford a place like this, she must have zero college debt and a second job. That or she had negotiated one hell of a starting salary out of graduate school.
Alexis parked on the street in the single open space and ran up the steps to the ornate door. It was amazingly wide, almost twice the width of a normal front door, and had a beautiful beveled glass window. Through it she saw a wide staircase and a suited man well into his fifties sitting at a desk. He looked bored as he flipped through a Fish & Game magazine, and with his head down, Alexis could see a ring of white hair framing a large bald spot on the back of the man’s head. She opened the door with a grunt.
"Hey there. Can you ring Matty Rindahl's for me? I'm Alexis, her old boss and dancing buddy." Matty flashed that killer smile.
This time, it worked. The old man sat the magazine down immediately. "Of course, miss." The old man picked up a phone from the desk and dialed Matty's number from memory. He probably dialed these apartment numbers ten times a week as the residents needed cabs, or dry cleaning, or delivery food. He let it ring until it went to voicemail.
"No answer?" Alexis asked.
"No, miss. Perhaps she's on the phone? It's going straight to her messages." The old man had a voice that reminded her of a cartoon character. Come to think of it, he looks like a cartoon character too.
"Would you mind if I just went to her place and knocked? Her office said she called out today and I want to make sure she's okay." Alexis hit him up with the smile.
The old security guard made a showing of it being no big deal, "Of course! Head right on up these stairs until there aren’t any more to go up. Her door is on the left. Only one on the floor."
"Thank you. You're a fine young man," Alexis said with a wink as she scooted by his desk and up the stairs.
I bet he's looking at my butt.
She was right.
*****
Alexis crested the top step of the building's stairs and started down the hardwood hall. She could see the door that belonged to Matty. Apartment 301.
Alexis reached the broad, white door and gave it a solid triple-whack with her knuckle. She waited patiently, excited to see Matty.
There was no answer. Alexis knocked on the door again, this time adding two extra knocks to show her excitement.
A minute passed and still no answer.
"Hey, Matty baby, it's Alexis. Can you open up for me?" Alexis hollered into the jam of the door. Her eye caught something small.
What the hell is that warp in the wood? Alexis saw a crack in the wood that marked the edge of a bulge. It was right about at eye level where the door met the jam. Right about where the chain would be on the other side. Is that bulge there because the door was forced open? Without thinking, Alexis grabbed and turned the knob, suddenly in a mild panic. The large brass knob held firm. It was locked.
She's gotta have a key here somewhere. Matty's like that. Alexis lifted the small, oval rug at the base of the door but there was nothing below it. She got up on the tips of her toes and felt along the top of the door jam, hoping there was a key hidden there, but like the rug, there was nothing. She looked up and down the hallway. There was a small round table at the end of the hall below a large window. On the table was a potted plant.
There. It's there. Alexis left the door with the strange bump on it and trotted down to the table. She lifted the potted plant and sitting below it, like Bilbo's ring at the bottom of the river, was the key to Matty's apartment. Alexis snapped it up off the dusty white doily and went back to the door. The key went into the lock effortlessly, and she turned the knob. The door swung in with an ominous creak.
This is how horror scenes start. Or how horror movies end for dumb characters. Shit.
The door opened up and revealed a kitchen that was updated to look modern, despite the antiquated feel of the high ceiling building. A small kitchen table just inside the door had a bottle of prenatal vitamins on it, not too far from a bottle of vodka. Between the two was an empty glass.
Oh, God. What have you done, Matty? "Matty?!" Alexis hollered into the apartment. Her voice bounced off the cold walls and came back at her. Her echo sounded lonely. Alexis left the kitchen and walked down the lone hallway. Immediately, she passed an empty bathroom. It was dominated by the presence of a massive claw foot tub. Alexis let herself into the bedroom after announcing herself once more, and that room too was empty.
"What the fuck?" Alexis spun and walked back into the kitchen, turning into the adjoined living room with its three huge paned windows. She could see the fire escape through the glass, and almost laughed at how bad the view was. That'll cut down on the rent a bit. One of the windows to the fire escape was open, and Alexis went over to investigate. Maybe she's sitting out there thinking about life? Alexis stopped short of the windowsill. Despite the setting sun, her eyes saw tiny flecks of red on white, and she froze. There was blood on the sill.
Alexis backed up, nearly falling on the couch. She turned towards the door and her entire body stiffened. The back of the thick door was indeed damaged. Where the chain had been was a crack in the wood and on the floor behind the door lay the broken security device. More alarming than that were the blood streaks. Long, jagged finger marks of raw, coagulated blood were on the door, as well as a clear pattern of spatter where digits had been severed.
With shaking hands, Alexis reached into her tiny purse and began to dial 911. Somehow instead, she called Abe.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Abe
"Hey, Alexis," Abe said casually into his phone.
"Abe? What the? I was trying to dial…" Alexis said in a voice that was obviously cracked with fear and tension.
What the fuck? "Alexis, are you okay? You sound scared; is something wrong?"
"Yeah, uh Abe, I'm at Matty's place and something is wrong. Something is like, really very wrong. I was trying to dial 911 but I guess I dialed you by accident instead."
"911? Is Matty hurt?" Abe got up from the couch and started towards the massive staircase. Tesser's room was up the stairs, and the dragon would want to know.
"I don't know. I just let myself in using her spare key. She didn't go in to work today, and she hadn't answered her phone, and I was stuck in traffic, so I came over."
Abe waited for her to continue but she didn't. "Alexis?"
"Sorry. I... Abe there's blood all over the inside of her door. It's finger streaks. Like someone had some fingers cut off. I can't tell if they were hers or not. And Abe, there's vodka on the table, and an empty glass. I think she might've been drinking."
Abe stopped at the top of the stairs. Tesser won't like that at all. Shit. I don't want to be the one who pisses off the dragon. "But no body? Signs of a larger fight?"
"There are specks of blood on the windowsill too. I have no idea what happened Abe. I think I need to get out of here. I need to call the police. Do you think Tesser had anything to do with this?" Alexis sounded near to panic. Abe could hear her short breaths and felt like he could hear the pounding of her heart through the phone.
"Lord no. Tesser wants that woman safer than all the gold in Fort Knox. Plus, he's been here the whole time. Leave the apartment. Go downstairs. Does the building have security?"
"Yes. Some old fart."
"Okay. Tell the old fart you found blood and let him deal with it. You'll need to hang around and sign some kind of witness statement. I'm going to tell Tesser, and we'll be right over, okay? Just text me her address when I let you go." Abe took a few more steps towards Tesser's closed bedroom door.
"Okay. Abe?"
"Yeah?"
"If something bad happens, I know this is like, weird to say, but I'm like, really into you. I know there's an age differen
ce, but… you know. Abe, I've got a real bad feeling about this."
Abe smiled and felt a tickle inside his chest. "I'm really into you too, Alexis. Stay calm. I'm going to get Tesser."
"Okay. I'll text you in a minute."
"Okay. Bye." Abe hung up the call and took a deep breath. He rapped his knuckles on Tesser's bedroom door. I'm not sure what to say here, but I hope to God Tesser isn't one of those kill the messenger types.
Tesser opened the door. He was in one of Abe's Deadmau5 shirts. It was a smidge tight on him, but it looked good. "Yeah?" The man said with a hint of sadness.
"Tesser, I just got a call from Alexis. She's at Matty's place," Abe said, steeling himself.
Tesser perked up. "And? What did Matty say? Can I call her?"
"Something happened. Something bad maybe. We don't know."
Tesser's gold eyes narrowed and a flare of red could be seen deep within. "Something bad? Is Matty hurt, Abe? Did she hurt herself?"
"We don't know. Alexis said there was blood in the apartment and Matty is nowhere to be seen. She's calling the cops and then sending me Matty's address so we can head over."
Tesser turned and searched for his shoes. He found them quickly and slid them on. "I know where she lives. We slept together at her place. It's not far from here. Will you come with me? It might be dangerous, if something bad has happened."
Dangerous? What could be dangerous? "Yeah, I'll go. I've been working on a couple new spells. I think if you're around, I'll be able to cast them."
Tesser's eyes were still flared red, but the glow subsided after he calmed a bit. "Thank you, Abe. Let's go."
The two ran down the stairs, but Abe stopped at the bottom. "Hey Mr. Doyle!" Abe shouted up into the cavernous stairwell. "Mr. Doyle!"
"What have I told you about shouting?" Mr. Doyle said from the top of the home. The old man leaned over the railing, looking frailer than ever.
"Sorry, Mr. Doyle. Something bad has happened to Tesser's girlfriend, we think. We're headed over to her apartment to see what's going on. Keep your eyes peeled. I'll let Ellen know on the way out."
Mr. Doyle looked speechless. "Very well then. Good luck, boys. Losing a loved one is the hardest thing to recover from. I hope it is not as you fear."
Tesser turned and looked up at Mr. Doyle, his hand still on the front door knob of the house. "Thank you, Mr. Doyle. While we are gone, please be careful."
Mr. Doyle nodded from his perch atop the landing rail.
Abe looked back to Tesser as he turned the knob and pulled the wide door inward. Abe was shocked to see several men standing outside the door on the stone steps. Who the fuck are those guys?
The men all wore what appeared to be black tactical gear and were armed with incredibly heavy-duty weaponry. They looked like a SWAT team. The man in the front, whose hand was still poised to knock on the door, wore a simple black suit. Abe could see the grip of a large handgun on his waist under the suit coat. The rest of the men behind him all raised the muzzles of their guns several inches, prepared to lift them higher to fire on the two men inside the house. To fire on Tesser and Abe.
Tesser dropped the tilt of his head a bit, furrowing his brows. Abe could feel a shimmer coming off him, a vibration as the dragon somehow flexed an unseen power. The hair on Abe's neck stood up as if electricity was coursing through the room.
"You are Tesser, correct?"
"Who are you?" Tesser asked, sniffing the air innocuously. High above, Abe heard Mr. Doyle disappear from the landing, his feet dragging on the thick carpet.
"I am Mr. Host. I need you to come with me," the suited man replied.
"You are not a lawman, and I go with no one. Answer my question. Who are you?" Tesser said angrily, his hands balling into fists. Abe felt the thrums of stored potential energy again. If Tesser were to uncork whatever he's building…
"Sir, there's no need to be rude. If you'll just come with us, we have information that might interest you. It's about a woman we believe you care about," the man named Mr. Host said.
"You know what happened to Matty?" Abe asked behind Tesser.
Mr. Host's creepy eyes never left Tesser's. "We do indeed know the state and whereabouts of Miss Rindahl. I can guarantee her safety, as well as the safety of your cohabitants, Mr. Tesser. All you need to do is agree to inflict no harm on my men."
"Dude, Tesser, can you agree to that? This dude knows what happened to Matty."
Tesser sniffed the air again, this time more obviously. He started to nod his head, as if remembering something or approving of a scent on the air. "Your scent. It's the same scent as the men behind you."
"We must be wearing the same deodorant. I need your answer, Tesser. The longer we wait, the more danger Miss Rindahl is in."
"I remember you. I don't remember where I remember you from, but I remember your scent. Right before I fell asleep." Tesser said quietly, almost angrily.
"Tesser, don't do anything stupid; I don't wanna get shot," Abe said, taking a step away as he felt that intensity grow again. The chandelier above the dining room table nearby began to vibrate slightly.
Without taking his eyes off Mr. Host, Tesser spoke: “Abe this man is Veil-Born. From another plane of existence. Not human, not animal. He's unnatural. He is other."
"Nonsense," Mr. Host replied.
"He said he'd guarantee our safety. We just can't hurt his men."
Tesser spoke once more, "He is his men, Abraham. One and the same, made of the same non-flesh. If we agree to his bargain, then he gains leverage. He can then kill us or harm us at his leisure, and we are bound to his daemon's deal."
"Daemons? What? He is his men? Could you be any more fucking vague?" Abe asked as he took a step back behind a coat rack, as if it would stop automatic gunfire.
"He's right," Mr. Doyle said from the stairs above. Abe turned and looked up. Mr. Doyle had returned and stood a few feet away, holding a pocket watch at arm's length. The steel disc swung erratically from the still arm of the elder mage. Oddly, the watch repeatedly swung towards the doorway where the strange men were as if they were magnetic. "This is an Asmodean compass. It senses those from beyond the veil. It hasn't ticked in years, but now it feels like it's coming apart at the seams. These men are not men, they are devils, Abraham. Evil made flesh."
"Well fuck you," Mr. Host said bluntly. He had a look of extreme irritation on his face.
Abe looked back and caught the glimmer of movement outside one of the living room windows. More men were moving about. Things. We're fucking surrounded.
Tesser snarled an ultimatum, "Well, Mr. Host, I think I'll strike a new bargain with you. You tell me exactly where Matty is and I send you back beyond the veil in a pool of your own blood."
Mr. Host shook his head, disappointed. "Tesser, the world is different now. They don't care about magic, or gremlins, or boggarts, or dragons like you. It's money and greed. That is our domain. You've lost this world already and you slept through the fight like a slumbering princess. It's been a long time since we put you to sleep, but we haven't forgotten how. You wouldn't want us to ruin this nice house and kill these poor fools, would you?" Mr. Host suddenly looked… different. Indistinct and thorny in a way that defied physical explanation. Abe found his hands shaking and his mouth dry.
Tesser's eyes flared brighter than ever, and Abe felt his heart throb so powerfully, it felt like it had stopped beating entirely. "Let's see you try to make me sleep again."
The blink of an eye later, Abe was shocked at how loud the gunfire was. It almost distracted him from the pain of the bullets as he fell to the floor.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Spoon
Spoon was sick. Very sick. At least that's what he told his Captain at the station a couple of days ago. He needed some time off, and his union rep told him just how to phrase his request to get it without raising too many questions. Spoon needed the time off to get his head straight, to pull it out of his ass, and get away from this Tesser obsession.
I'm good now though. I took a couple days off, I checked in with a department shrink, and I feel better. I still can't explain why I got so fucking obsessed with this European dude, but I'm good now. Better. I'm back to work in the morning, my boss never found out I was up to weird shit, and I collared my perp. So what if he turned himself in, I closed the case. All is well again in Spoonville.
Spoon was driving down the street in the Back Bay in his cruiser, his window down and letting in the chill autumn evening. It was dark, and he was making one last trip down Tesser's street to wash his hands of the whole affair.
Just one last wave goodbye.
Spoon slowed his cruiser several blocks away when he saw three very peculiar black SUVs double-parked in the street Tesser’s home. They looked exactly like the vehicles the Secret Service used when the President was visiting.
Oh, fuck me. He's some kind of dignitary. That's why he was setting off all my alarms. That makes so much sense. Probably some Bulgarian prince on vacation in Beantown.
Spoon stopped his unmarked cruiser entirely when he saw the crowd of heavily armed men at the front door of the home. Three large males wearing tactical gear stood on the steps behind a man wearing a black suit. Even in the darkness of the impending night, Spoon could see that they were equipped for war. They had M4s, wore full head-to-toe armor, and were ready to fire. The man in the suit at the door looked cool as a cucumber.
Several more men, dressed in the same uniforms, stood at the vehicles, watching the neighborhood for movement. Moving around the front of the house were two more of the men. They flanked the front door and were getting a firing angle on the interior through the massive windows. Several more could be seen forming a perimeter around the SUVs and the house. Without thinking, Spoon picked up his phone and dialed his Captain's office. Spoon knew he'd be there.
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