“Jenna wonders why no one told her about Darla’s relative being a voodoo priestess.”
“Because we’d decided not to make use of that woman, so it didn’t need to go any further. We were actually protecting Darla’s reputation from things going south with her relative.” I pulled the SUV into a spot close to Lisa’s dance studio. “You understand it’s a need-to-know-basis in order to protect the innocent.” I climbed out, walked around and opened Kendra’s door, and then gave her a hand for balance as she slid from the seat, her feet settling on the ground.
Lisa rushed down the sidewalk to meet us. She locked Kendra in a big embrace. “I’m so glad you’re here. There’s so much to share with you. I canceled all of my afternoon dance classes for the day and all of the morning classes tomorrow, also.” She broke away from Kendra to squeezed me in a quick hug. “Let’s go inside.” She looped her arm through Kendra’s and led the way.
I had to wonder how Jenna was taking Lisa’s affectionate welcome. How would I feel being unable to talk or touch the people I love? Hard to imagine.
* * *
Kendra
Jenna walked along on the opposite side of Lisa as we entered the dance studio. “Tell her that I’m here and that I’ve missed her.”
“Jenna wants me to tell you that she’s here, on the job, and that she misses you.” As soon as we strolled through the hallway to the kitchen in the back, Lisa dropped my arm.
She waved a hand, signaling for Derek and me to have a seat at her table. “I’ve got hot tea ready, or I can make it iced tea. What’s your pleasure?”
“Iced, if it’s no trouble,” Derek said.
“Ditto for me,” I said, and while Lisa prepared the teas, I added, “I want to add that Jenna told me earlier she hoped we could get together sometime soon, so you and she could have a private conversation, even though it would be through me. I told Jenna that I’d be honored to be her translator to you.”
Lisa paused with her stirring and glanced over her shoulder at me. “That would be perfect. Thank you, Jenna, for thinking of it.” She turned back to her task.
Derek glanced at me with a raised brow and I gave him a quick smile.
“So, can you fill us in on any details we’ll need to know on what’s expected of us?” Derek asked. “And how soon can we meet and get this Buster busted?”
Lisa chuckled. She carried a tray of ice teas and a platter of frosting-filled cookies to the table.
“O.M.G. You are going to adore Lisa’s homemade chocolate coconut cookies. They are just like a Mounds bar.” Jenna hovered over the cookies, her hands busy making it appear that she devoured all the cookies, even though she never touched a one.
“You won’t have to bring anything but yourselves. Dress for the outdoors. We will be meeting tonight after the sun sets.” She passed out the glasses of tea before sitting down. “Jenna’s favorite cookies. Please help yourselves.”
“Jenna mentioned these tasted like Mounds bars, and she’s been hovering over the platter of cookies like she’s pounding them down. She’s excited for us to try them.” I reached for one at the same time Derek did, our hands collided and we all chuckled. “Guess we’re excited too.”
Lisa’s gaze wandered around the room, I assumed looking for Jenna, and then she settled on me. “NaNa Rosa wanted me to give you a heads-up on a few things that will happen during our Re-resurrection Ritual. Firstly, we’ll summon the required Gods and Spirits. Secondly, we’ll be offering an animal sacrifice.” She glanced between Derek and me. “Please know this is something that will need to be done as we summon a dark spirit who requires a fresh kill. NaNa Rosa will use a rooster and wants you to think of it as a butcher readying a fowl to be consumed, as it will be later.” She paused for a moment, searching my face, her head tilted to the right, most likely looking for our reaction from her information.
“She’s worried that part will upset you, Sparky,” Jenna said. “That’s her worried expression.”
“I understand, and we both accept the sacrifice part,” I spoke for Derek also. He arched a brow at me but said nothing. “What else will happen?” I asked. “Will we need to chant?”
“No. You will not need to say anything. Our followers will say the words and perform their part of the ritual. You and Jenna will be inside a circle of protection to keep you safe. There will be drumming, a fire, smoke, dancing, the sacrifice, and lots of chanting. The only thing you’ll have to do is drink a tincture from NaNa Rosa. We all partake in it, that ensures our safety from the dark spirit being called into action.”
“We don’t need to know specifics?” Derek pushed his chair away from the table. “The last time I was involved in a voodoo ritual, people died from what they drank.”
“Tell Derek to back off. Lisa would never lead sheep to a pack of wolves.” Jenna stood next to Derek, hand on hip, tapping her foot soundlessly on the floor.
“Derek, I trust Lisa, so does Jenna. This ritual is not going to be like what you described to me on the ride over. NaNa Rosa doesn’t deal with the Dark Arts.” I looked at Lisa. “Right, Lisa?”
“She doesn’t, but she does have to summon a dark spirit for this ritual, only because the dark spirit draws the darkness out of the soul-sucker first before we can destroy it. Tonight’s ceremony has been performed a few times, and each time NaNa Rosa has been able to destroy the soul-sucker. There will be plenty of light spirits present as well for protection.”
Derek exhaled and then sighed. “So where do we meet and when?”
Lisa left the table and went into the hallway. Papers shuffled, and she returned carrying a sheet of paper. “Here’s the location. I’ve marked the place where you’ll park your vehicle. I forgot about telling you to bring a flashlight, you’ll need it down the path. The ritual takes place at midnight in an open area of the forest. Be at this location by eleven-thirty for preparations.”
Derek studied the sheet of paper. “This forest appears to be connected to the wooded area of my home.”
Lisa smiled. “NaNa Rosa is all knowing. During the ceremony, the light spirits will protect your forest from any intrusion of dark spirits or dark energy, other than the one called upon during the ceremony. You will never have any negative entity on or around your property after tonight.”
Derek glanced, wide-eyed, at me.
Jenna giggled. “Talk about a moose in the headlights.”
“Is there anything else we should know before tonight?” I asked.
“That’s it. You’ll notice a large campfire when you come to the opening in the forest. We’ll be waiting for you there. Don’t be afraid. Everyone in attendance knows what to do to keep you and our world safe.” She rose from the chair and walked around the table to me.
I stood and received a hug. “Thank you for giving us a clear picture of what to expect tonight. You have no idea how much this means that NaNa Rosa and her followers are willing to help us.”
“It isn’t just for you and Jenna, it is also for all the innocent souls that have been compromised by a gluttonous enemy of the light. We are honored to be of service.” She walked us to the door, and then out to the vehicle. “I’ll see you tonight.”
* * *
Derek
We took the elevator up to the fifth floor of the FBI Building and found Darla at the reception desk. “Is Jackson back?” I asked.
“Well, hello to you, too, Mr. Knight.” She smiled and glanced from me to Kendra. “Hello, Ms. Spark.”
Kendra acknowledged, “Good afternoon, Darla.”
“Director Powers just walked through. Let me check to make sure he can see you.” She tapped in a number on the digital desk phone and turned away for a moment as she spoke to him.
“Do you want to come with me, or would you rather go check in with Tressa about her finds on Buster?” Our gazes connected and my focus dropped to her soft smiling lips, reminding me of their taste. Then an image of us in my hotel room against the door, in my bed, and then in the shower…
I made a quick adjustment, pulled Kendra to my side, entwining her fingers in mine as we hustled down the hall.
“Thanks, Darla,” Kendra called over her shoulder, giggling under her breath.
I squeezed her hand. “So, you caught me in thought.” I chuckled. “Is that such a bad thing?”
“The only thing bad is we aren’t somewhere we can remedy the issue your thoughts created.” Then she squeezed my hand.
We stopped outside Jackson’s door and I whispered in her ear, “The issue is ongoing. Do you have a remedy for that?” I kissed her cheek, and when she turned and met my lips with hers, I lost control all over again. My hands framed her face and as her slight moan vibrated my tongue, my body rocked.
She broke away, and said, “To be continued, later. Jenna says we need to get inside. Now.”
I exhaled a gasp. “You sure have crappy timing, Jenna.” Another adjustment made to my ever-tightening pants, and then I rapped on the door.
“Enter,” Jackson called.
I opened the door, allowing Kendra to enter first, and then closed the door behind us.
Jackson leaned on the corner of his desk. His eyes narrowed and jaw squared in tension. He waved us over. “Come, sit, there’s been an incident. Well, more like a traumatic development.”
“More than what we had in Wilmington?” What could possibly be more than that at this point?
“During the meeting with Gimbel, he got a call from an informant. The message he received was Shay Saunders got the boot. Anyone that experiences the big boot never comes back to talk about it. They simply disappear.” Jackson went rigid, sprung up from the desk, and stiffly strode to the window. “Gimbel’s reaction to that news took me by surprise. Ray and Luke agreed with the odd lack in his emotion.” He turned his head long enough to glance at me. “I agree, we need a team checking on Gimbel. Perhaps they can work with North Carolina’s Police Internal Affairs Office. I’ll set that up.” He turned toward Kendra, and his body relaxed. “Is Jenna with you today?”
“Oh, yes, she’s the one that prompted us to hurry into your office. I think she overheard the phone conversation you just had.” Kendra folded her hands on her lap. Her white slacks, soft lavender tank, and short white blazer denoted her demure manner.
His head jerked back and he frowned. “Jenna, you are not supposed to be listening in on my conversations. Show some respect, young lady.”
I looked at Kendra for some support, anything she might add to stand up for Jenna.
“Jenna was under the impression there’d been a woman’s body found just before your flight landed,” Kendra said. “You were on the phone discussing it with DCPD.”
Jackson went rigid again. A deep sigh escaped as he stepped around his desk and then slumped into his large leather office chair. “A woman’s body washed up near a marina on the Potomac, close to where you found Kendra last week.” He peered at me a moment then continued, “I dispatched Ray and Luke to the site. The body was discovered about an hour ago. I just sent our coroner and forensic pathologist to the scene. The first responder, a D.C. Police Detective seemed to think it might be Tory James, as he personally knows her.”
“Why in the hell would she be in D.C.? This doesn’t make sense.” I checked my watch, almost three p.m. Friday, and calculated back to when Tory left the Wingate Hotel Wednesday night. “She’s been missing for like forty-two hours. I guess the body could be her, but why would anyone move her here?”
“It doesn’t make sense to me, either. That’s why I decided not to bother you with any of this yet, not until we know her identity for certain,” Jackson stated.
Kendra spoke up, “Jenna says Tory could have flown here on her own. She had plenty of time to make the arrangements. She was most likely picked-off after she arrived.”
Jackson studied Kendra a minute. “Would you want to visit the scene and see if you can get anything in case it is Tory?”
“Of course. Jenna thinks it’s a good idea also. If it isn’t Tory, maybe we can still gain some information to help whoever the woman is.” Kendra arose from the chair, her gaze settled on me. “We should hurry.”
Chapter Twenty
Kendra
We walked onto the crime scene at three-thirty p.m., according to one of the CS investigators who marked down the time as we stepped across tape lines.
Derek followed me toward the body. “No one will disturb you for a bit as long as I play watchdog and hold them at bay, but you won’t have long.”
I couldn’t dally anyway, knowing most spirits want to enter the light vortex as soon as they see it.
“Tory’s standing next to her dead body, waiting,” Jenna said. “Who do you think she’s waiting for?” Jenna hurried to her before I answered.
“Tory’s spirit is there.” I glanced at him and then back to Tory and Jenna. “We’ll do our best to get the story of what happened.”
He glimpsed toward Tory’s body. “Don’t look at the body. Get the details of who took her, and why she was tortured. I’ll keep everyone away as long as I can.” He nodded and strode back toward the investigators and coroner.
Jenna had a conversation going. “You just said Gimbel is behind your capture and torture? Why? Where does Vinny fit into all of this? How about those teens?”
Gimbel? That didn’t make sense to me. Was he corrupted by Vinny, on the take?
“I don’t really know about all of Vinny’s criminal activities, I only know that I was investigating what happened to my sister, Kelly. She was a WPD Detective and told me about her undercover work with Vinny Merretti. I thought it was him that killed her. She was getting too close to some of the stuff going on with the ships.” Tory stared down at her body. “They wrecked me. My parents will go through hell all over again, after losing Kelly four years ago.”
I accidentally glanced down and then couldn’t stop from staring at the mutilation, cuts and body part removals, tons of bruising. I would never be able to un-see Tory’s horrifically tortured body. My breath caught. I gasped as my vision thankfully blurred from the gathering moisture. Tears rolled down my face as Tory continued talking with Jenna.
“One of Vinny’s guys flew here with me to give your FBI agents some info. Arnie was someone that had cared more about me than himself. Thugs were also on the plane to D.C. Those cruel pricks shot Arnie and left him on the side of the road to die.”
Derek stepped toward us, which meant we only had seconds of time left.
“Do you have any idea who the thugs worked for?” I asked.
“Gimbel.” She stared at me. “Yeah, he’s the responsible party for my sister’s death. His dumb-ass brute told me as much. He had no idea anyone would hear that from my lips.” She gazed down at her body again. “Yeah, they even took my lips.”
A light glowed in my periphery, and a voice called to Tory. Jenna studied the warm glow for a moment and then turned away.
“That’s Kelly.” Tory waved her hand toward the light. “She’s been waiting for me. Maybe there’s a way we can give you more information. I’m not sure how this works. Gimbel should burn in hell for what he’s done, and I never suspected, until his heavies burned my ears with it.” Again, she pointed toward her body.
I wouldn’t look.
She continued, “I’d say he’s far worse than any cartel on the east coast. He has long reaching connections and plenty of guys that would kill for him. Be careful. Don’t trust anyone that you personally can’t vouch for.” She sprinted toward the light and jumped the last step, into her sister’s arms. The light cracked like a hit of lightning and then vanished.
Derek wrapped an arm around my waist and walked me off the site. To anyone watching, he appeared to be consoling me. He was in
some regards, but mostly, I shared every lick of information that came out of Tory or Jenna’s mouth.
“Gimbel.” Derek shook his head, jaw tensed, lips pressed tight. “That gut-rot son-of-a-bitch.”
Jenna floated beside me, and said, “From what Tory shared about Gimbel, he’s one hell of a psychopath. The worst kind. He’s got a lot of loyal fans, like my father, who’d do anything for him because they don’t know he lives a dark-side, plus he’s got a lot of fans from his dark-side, who’d do anything for him because they are scared shitless to step out of line and die, like the guys that tortured Tory. That might also include Vinny.”
I told Derek about Jenna’s analysis of Gimbel, and then asked, “So, what’s Vinny’s part in all of this? Is he the latter kind of fan to Gimbel?” I searched Derek’s eyes, his face, looking for something deeper regarding Vinny. “You and I are still alive after being captured on his ship. I don’t believe Vinny is a killer. He could have chopped us into little pieces last week at his nightclub but didn’t.”
Jenna dropped her feet to the ground and matched our pace. “What if Vinny is only a front for some of Gimbel’s dirty sidelines. Gimbel’s got to have plenty of leverage on Vinny.”
I shared what Jenna said to Derek as we climbed into his SUV.
“With no sleep, it’s too much for me to process on the endless possibilities of Gimbel. I’m calling Jackson and filling him in on what you and Jenna found out. But, you and I are going to my place for some sleep. We have a big night tonight, and I don’t want you too weak to stand strong against Buster.” He used the speakerphone on the SUV and made the call to Jackson. He sounded stunned.
Malevolent Page 15
