She plans on a barbecue dinner and turns on the grille before going in to clean up. Washing up in the kitchen, she lights her spicy candle and pulls a marinated steak out of the refrigerator. Pairing it with a beautiful fresh salad she wonders at the pleasure of simple things. She thinks back on days not so long ago when there would not have been anything to eat, let alone something fresh and wonderful.
The backyard grille makes the perfect meal so simple. She shakes up a fresh herb vinaigrette and savors every nuance of the flavors her grandmother's love has provided. She cleans up the dinner dishes along with those left over from breakfast and settles down to watch a movie.
Just as she decides on a channel and gets cozy on the couch, she hears a knock on the door. Who in the world? No one knows where I live… Her heart skips a beat as she realizes that only one person does.
She hopes it’s him, and then she realizes she is a total mess and feels more tentative about checking the viewfinder. She should run and check herself in the mirror, but too much time has passed; she has to answer it before he leaves.
James waits on the doorstep, shuffling his feet back and forth, he looks a bit nervous. She opens the door and he stands there smiling widely.
"Oh, I was not expecting company," she says, brushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
He laughs; "Apparently not," and he brushes another loose strand of hair off her cheek. His eyes are laughing as he gestures, she has something on her cheek.
"What?" She asks; sure she is a disaster, she looks at her reflection in the mirror. There is a streak of dirt on her cheek and her hair is in tangles.
"Well, I’m just a vision"... She blushes and backs up, urging him to come in. He follows her and she excuses herself. When she returns he’s sitting on the couch waiting with a carton of ice cream and a couple of spoons.
"Sorry, hope you don't mind I took it upon myself to find the silverware. I brought you a treat, and thought we could just spend a little time together."
She’s clean now and her hair is brushed and up in a ponytail. "I was just getting ready to watch a movie, you want to join me?"
"Sure sounds perfect," he says. "I brought you my favorite since I don't know what you like yet, hope it's ok."
"What’s your favorite?" she asks, and smiles as she recognizes the brownie chunk that is already in her freezer. "Oh, we are the perfect match!" she says as she retrieves her own container from the kitchen freezer. Laughing, he feels much more relaxed than he should with someone he barely knows.
There’s no pressure with him, though she remembers the kiss and is sure he does too. She feels comfortable just resting against him in the dark of the evening. They stay together on the couch as the final credits roll, and she bounces up suggesting they go for a swim.
"I don't have anything to wear," he says gesturing toward his jeans and button-up shirt.
"Oh that’s ok, you know my backyard is private," she says, laughing. "No, really...I have my grandfather’s stuff here, I know something will fit you."
"Perfect!" he says standing to accept a pair of black swim trunks as she points him toward the bathroom. Changing into her new green bikini, she quickly braids her hair back up.
She meets him in the front room and is taken back by the huge scar on his side. She walks toward him and he turns in an effort to hide the injury from her. He is a bit sensitive about his accident she realizes so she says nothing.
Throwing a towel at him she runs for the back door. He follows and picks her up, tossing her into the pool, noticing how light she feels in his arms.
Splashing him as she comes to the surface, they wrestle and play for an hour before she climbs out of the pool and offers him a beer. He stares at her body as she gracefully lifts herself onto the tiled decking.
The fabric of her suit accentuating her curves so he can see the perfection of her breasts responding to the cool air. "Damn," he says as he hears the emergency ring of his cell phone through the patio door. Rushing in to find out who would use this number on his night off, he drips water all over the floor.
His partner is on the other side of the line telling him he needs to get to the station immediately. He looks at Amber, who is staring at him questioningly, and apologizes as he grabs up his clothes. Knowing this is a true emergency, his heart is racing as he quickly dresses.
"I am so sorry, this usually doesn't happen. This is my one day completely off call and I am not supposed to be disturbed unless it’s a major issue. There is something big going on"... He says, more speaking to himself at the end, than to her.
"It’s okay," she says, trying to disguise her disappointment. "So this is the down side of seeing a cop." Were they actually seeing each other? It sounds nice in her thoughts, but she is not sure if it is too soon to vocalize.
He smiles at her, kisses her forehead and says "Yep, this is the down side of seeing a cop, hopefully you’re not scared away. Get a good night's sleep and pleasant dreams."
He is not aware of how that statement feels like the most desirable thing in the world, or how it seems that him saying it has the ability to make it so. She closes the door behind him and takes a deep breath. It feels so good to give in and let go, but it is also desperately scary.
Bloody Murder
James Wolfe gets to the office and is met by his entire team, with boards already set up and covered with the photos and maps used during major cases. There are three photos pinned on the board, each photo is an image of an attractive young woman, all dark-haired and light-eyed beauties.
"We think we have a serial killer," says his partner, Jackson; quickly outlining the known facts. "These girls..sorry women... are all from nearby towns, but their bodies were found down by the river.
They’re clean and well cared for, though each has been missing for nearly a year. They have recently given birth and each had her throat and wrists cut deeply. The medical examiner says they were bled out during childbirth.
The time of death and birth are simultaneous and all three succumbed within minutes of each other. Their bodies show no other signs of injury and there’s no sign of the babies. The killer didn’t even bother to bury them, they were left mummy style on the river bank with their arms crossed carefully. This looks very ritualistic and to be honest, is really creeping me out."
"How is it possible that three separate women gave birth at the exact same time? Under these seemingly impossible circumstances, were there drugs or medical assistance involved?" James asks.
"The toxicology reports are not in, so we don't know much yet, but something strange happened for sure."
"Are there any leads?"... James asks.
"Nothing... except burned areas where it appears the killer set some kind of flash fires, though we don't understand how or why these fires burned so hot. They don't seem to have anything to do with the bodies. Trace is running the soil to see if the missing were burned but there don't appear to be any remains at this time. There is nothing else to go on except the extremely high temperature needed to cause those scorch marks. We are looking for traces of an extreme accelerant."
"This is a strange one, that’s why we called you in instead of waiting. We didn't want you to come in the morning with all of this and not have been in on the early processing. We know how hands-on you are and you have to be here for this... not that other guy... This is your case James... we need you."
James sits down at his desk, thinking about the rarity of murders in this part of the city, and the strange circumstances of this case. These poor girls were all less than twenty years old, their lives tragically cut short in such a cruel way. What of the missing infants? There hasn't been a nasty want-to-be Voodoo cult in the area in a long while. That is just what this one is looking like, some kind of sacrifice gone to extremes.
There are sometimes pretenders who not understanding the religion, are enticed by what seems an easy way to access a tremendous source of power. True practitioners take serious offense to the messy evil deeds
of these murderers.
This type of case tends to get pretty messy and the press loves sensational crimes that can be pinned on one religion or another.
James knows his team looks to him to lead, and though he is still on light duty from the accident with a temporary replacement supposably taking on the field work, he knows the men will only look to him on this one.
He gratefully feels ready to tackle the challenge. Heading in to let the sergeant know of his decision, he is met at the door.
"Sent Matthew home this evening after I took the call; knew you wouldn't want an outsider taking your place on this one. We need your intuition and people skills; James, I hope you're ready this may be a rough ride."
James knows he is good at his job, extremely perceptive when it comes to people and motivations, often seeing things that others miss. He’s immediately drawn to ideas that most would never consider. He has an understanding of cause and effect which makes other investigators jealous. The perception, intuition and care with which James works his cases has made him something of a hometown hero.
Taking his leave, he heads down to view the bodies and discuss the case with the medical examiner. James never leaves anything to chance. Wanting to see if there is anything he can gain from the bodies outside the basic facts of their deaths.
As he walks into the room, Joanna; the medical examiner, looks up from her work and gives him a smile he can feel more than see behind her mask. She is happy to see him on the case, though not at all surprised. Joanna was pretty sure she would see him before the night was through.
"What do you think, he asks her. "Anything telling in their expressions or body positioning?"
"Nope, they actually seem to have been pretty relaxed when they passed despite being in the later stages of childbirth. Very little stress in their faces and the eyes are clear of the typical petechia that comes with the intensity of pushing on the small capillaries of the face and eyes. It’s actually kind of strange, they did successfully birth naturally, each had some tearing and the typical trauma of a difficult birth, but otherwise they seem completely comfortable. There must have been some kind of drugs used to keep them relaxed, but won't know for a while on that one."
The similarities between these girls is startling. Though not identical by any means, they are about the same height and weight with shades of blue and green in their eyes and long straight dark hair. There is no questioning that this killer has a very specific type. He is particular enough that it may become his downfall.
There is little else for James to do tonight, so he heads home to get a couple hours of sleep before heading out to view the crime scene under the light of day. He doesn't want to miss anything in the darkness, and the crime scene has already been processed by his technicians and photographers.
He also wants to wait for the first site map to hit his desk so he has all of the information on their findings as he walks the scene. His injuries are still healing and he needs to take his time and get some rest even though he professes loudly to the contrary. James is not yet a hundred percent and long hours cause him great discomfort.
Still suffering from the night of dancing and drinking, he gives in to his weakness. Amber is so irresistible; it has been a long and lonely time since any woman has made him feel so helpless. He needs this as much as he fears it, the time has come for him to feel alive again.
He takes his pain pill and sleep comes easily. He does not wake until the sun gives him reason. He is revived and feeling ready for the challenges of the day. Calling his partner he sets up a meeting at the dump site, stops for coffee around 6:00 am and gets an egg sandwich for the road.
He doesn’t want to waste time making breakfast; he’s excited to be on the chase again. His senses are on overdrive. There is something about the challenge and the mystery of the hunt getting into his blood, circulating through him as his pulse races. He was born to do this job; it is truly what he lives for.
Witchy Ways and Coffee Grounds
Amber wakes early on her first day of work. The excitement within her bubbling to the surface and making her nerves itch. She begins this day with a bit of Yoga in the back garden and the hope that it will help her to relax a bit.
She has been neglecting her stretching and the body focus feels wonderful. Showering and air drying, she puts on a new purple skirt with her white tank. Accessorizing with the purple scarf tied up in her hair. She hopes Rissa is as wonderful to work for as she seems on first appearances.
Though Amber enjoys espresso quite fervently, she has never had the opportunity to make the beverages herself. She fears she will make disgusting coffee and get fired.
This job is a new opportunity and she is anxiously looking forward to the peaceful and fragrant environment instead of a smoky bar or the stale perfume and sweat-laden strip club air.
As she walks through the door Rissa's encouraging smile gives her strength.
"Well you showed up, that’s half the battle won already, the last girl I hired disappeared and never even called to explain why she didn't want the job! " Rissa laughs and the sound puts Amber at ease almost instantly.
Rissa walks Amber through the process of pulling a good shot of coffee and explains the crucial aspect of that wonderful skiff of foam on top proving the shot is of the highest quality. Amber gets it right almost immediately and her confidence grows as the day progresses.
She’s actually quite taken with the artistic nature of the process behind a great espresso drink, and the variety of different concoctions people find appealing. Every cup is savored with the same almost religious reverence by the recipient their evident pleasure making her glow with pride. Amber can't believe how different her life has become this past week.
Though the shop was quiet when Amber first discovered it, this day is full of new faces and colorful characters. Amber meets local fishermen looking for ways to ward off bad gator hunting or stalls in their fishing success, housewives looking to increase the intensity and drive of their husbands, and schoolgirls looking for ways to irritate their parents with pagan and other religious goodies that will make them seem mysterious and worldly.
The morning hours are bustling with quick stops by those on their way to work, grateful to retrieve the nectar of the gods that keeps their day moving in the right direction.
Amber notices that a few people are taken to the back room by Rissa, and they are there awhile before returning to the front of the store. Many have serious expressions and some are in tears as they leave.
Amber realizes now is not the time to discuss what she has seen, but for the first time she senses there is more to Rissa than she knows. The woman smiles at her as she passes, but there is something else in her expression, a darkness beneath the kindness, a presence pushing at the fabric of her gentle veneer. There is the blood.
Amber knows with her instinct rather than her intellect that the answer is in the blood. The thought means nothing to her on the surface and is gone a moment after she recognizes it.
Rissa joins Amber at the front of the store mid-afternoon and expresses her appreciation at having someone so quick to pick up on things helping her out.
"You did great today, only one register goof and the coffee was great! Customers love you! I knew they would... Sorry for the moody earlier, sometimes what I tell people is not what they want to hear and it can get heavy on my heart."
Amber looks at Rissa and seeing only the sweet and spunky woman again finds herself feeling at home. With no signs of the dark swarm hiding behind Rissa's eyes, her discomfort is long gone and forgotten.
Discussing the events of the day, deeply involved in their conversation the girls are in their own little world. A young and handsome man comes running through the door, breaking the calm. He is anxious and has obviously been running some distance, there is sweat marring his white button up shirt and his nice shoes have been scuffed.
He blurts in a panicky voice, “I need something for my wife, she thinks she’s losing the
baby! This can't happen again, it will ruin her. We lost our son when she was almost eight months and she’s sure it’s going to happen again. There’s no sign anything is going wrong, she’s just sure, and I need something to make her believe everything is okay!"
Rissa takes him to the back and makes up a sachet with a variety of herbs. "This, she says, will protect the unborn," she makes another and puts them both on silk ribbon for the mother to wear around her neck. "One for the unborn and one for the mother. To keep her strong, calm and to help her to sleep in peace. Give these to her and send her in to see me, I will soothe her nerves." Rissa gives him a reassuring pat and sends him on his way.
Amber asks Rissa "is this a normal day?"
Rissa answers that "expecting the unexpected is the way of her world. This is a not a small town, but it does suffer from small town superstition, and in some ways it makes it easier for people to come looking for a small bit of spiritual healing when times get rough. They hope that in some small way the burden can be taken off their shoulders. There is a down side to being considered a gypsy or a witch... not everyone is pleased with my practice, nor does every client find what they are looking for when they come to see me. There may be those who don't find my presence a benefit or a kindness."
Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) Page 3
