by Ted Peters
“Thanks, Dr. Neshat.’
“Khalid. Please call me Khalid. We’re friends now, aren’t we?”
“Yes, Khalid.”
Like a perfect gentleman, Khalid volunteered to make a trip to the beverage table. He brought back fresh tasty treasures of viticulture. Kelly treated him as her hero, having slain the dragon of a crowded room to protect their relative privacy.
“Tell me about your family,” he said.
“Thanks for asking. I’ve got a son, still in pre-school. I’ve got a darling baby daughter, the love of my life. I miss them each day I’m in the lab. I just can’t wait to get home to see them.”
“Why are you here this evening? Why aren’t you home with this lovely family?”
“Well, I was told this social event would be important. After all, NASA and TTU are getting together. So, this is just one evening away from home. It’s unusual.”
“You’ve not mentioned your husband. Are you happily married?”
“I’m married. Let me say that much.”
“Does your husband understand your lab work? Or your Titan theory?”
“No. This is not his field. He doesn’t understand my work. Or me.”
Khalid smiled and sipped his wine, maintaining eye contact.
Kelly followed suit. Silence followed that. They each drank a second time. The silence continued in a slightly awkward fashion that both understood and appreciated. They exchanged smiles.
“I’m overnighting at the Hilton Santa Clara, not far from Great America,” said Khalid. “So are the others from out of town. Would you like to visit me tonight?”
Kelly moved sideways on her chair. “I have to go home. My family, you know.”
“Why don’t you go home. Check on your family; then come to the Hilton?”
“Let me think about it.” She smiled. She took a drink. “I’ve thought about it. Okay.”
“Why don’t you phone me with an ETA?”
“Okay. What number?”
Khalid reached into the left side pocket of his suit coat. He started to remove his iPhone. He let go of it and shifted the action to his other hand. He removed a Nokia from his right pocket.
“Dictate your cell phone number to me,” Kelly requested. Khalid hit a button, looked at the phone, and dictated an area code with phone number. “I’ll put it in my directory under KN, under ‘Handsome KN’.”
Kelly stood up. She dropped her hand on his and squeezed it. Without saying a word she disappeared through the crowd and out the front door.
Chapter 40
NASA
An hour later Khalid was back in his hotel room, the Nokia was lying on the dresser as if waiting for an assignment. He dialed the operator on the house phone. “Would you please connect me with Phee Seng Wu.”
No answer.
“Now, I’m trying to remember his room number. Is it 340 or 440?”
“We’re not supposed to divluge...Oh well. It’s 342.”
“Thank you very much. I appreciate it.” Neshat hung up.
A moment later the Nokia sounded. Khalid picked the phone up, pondering whether this was the call he was waiting for. He tapped “answer” then hesitated, waiting for the caller to speak first.
“Khalid? This is Kelly.”
“Oh, Kelly. How wonderful!”
“I’m in my car. I’m not sure why I am doing this. I told my husband Alex I needed to go back to the lab because I thought I left my computer on in my hurry to get to the reception. That’s against the rules. That’s the kind of thing he understands. He’ll go to bed soon. The kids are already asleep. I am feeling a little uneasy about meeting you. So, let’s just talk when I get there. Okay? It should take me only ten more minutes to reach the Hilton.”
“Of course. I will enjoy some good conversation. Just park. Come straight to room 221. I’ll be waiting.”
When Khalid heard the soft knock on the door, he abruptly ended a conversation on his iPhone. He walked with an air of confidence towards the door. He opened the door slowly, and saw the youthful, fidgety figure of a woman who was attempting to look calm.
“Kelly. How nice you are here.” He spoke with a sophisticated composure. Then he closed the door behind her. With the smoothness of a magician, he locked it with the chain.
“You look a bit nervous, my dear. May I get you a glass of wine or perhaps a brandy? It seems the people at NASA love to give non-practicing Muslims gifts of liquor.”
“Well, maybe a glass of white wine, not too much. Any kind will do.”
“Good. I will join you.”
Kelly stood there stiffly, breaths shallow, wondering what she could possibly be thinking? I am a mother, a good mother. I take care of my children, I have never even left them alone in a car with the engine running. And I’m a wife, a pretty good wife. I have never cheated on my husband or even considered it. I don’t think Alex has ever cheated on me. I have never even been tempted before.
Her eyes closely followed Khalid as he walked across the room to a small wet bar where he uncorked a fresh bottle of wine, and took out two glasses. Maybe a drink will give me some time to think. I have been working in this lab since before Bradley was born. Maybe I am just bored and have never admitted it to myself. Alex is the kind of husband every woman wants.
Khalid poured the wine and set the glasses down on the small coffee table in front of a hide-a-bed sofa on the wall directly opposite the bed. There is just something about this man with eyes so brown they are almost black. There’s something about the glowing color of his skin. Exotic, sensual. He talks and moves like no one I have ever known.
“Come sit here, next to me,” Khalid invited her as he sat himself, and then gently patted the place next to him.
Kelly smiled and sat down and reached for her wine. Khalid took his and raised it, offering a toast “to new friends.” Kelly responded in kind, her awkward smile relaxing as she took her first sip.
They talked for a while about little things, nothing. Where she grew up, more about her kids, where he went to school, when did he come to the U.S. He was interested in her work, or so it seemed. That pleased Kelly. Most people outside the lab had no clue what she did or why she did it.
But they both knew it was simply verbal foreplay. Kelly was becoming more and more comfortable; her body language showed it. Khalid had an eerie ability to zero in on what was important to a woman, to listen to her without judgment. Kelly felt herself letting down her guard, sinking into his dark hypnotic stare.
Offering her a second glass of wine, Khalid moved over to the wet bar, grasped the bottle, and walked towards Kelly with the neck of the bottle pointed towards her. He tilted it downward and poured. He set the bottle down and with one movement reached for her hand and drew her up to him. Kelly exerted no resistance, and rose to stand as if being invited to dance. Khalid drew her close to him and gently pressed his lips to hers. Kelly felt herself sink into his body.
In a matter of seconds, the gentleness of the first kiss moved to passion, their arms moving up and down each other’s back, and their kisses that reached deep into the other’s mouth. Khalid removed her beige jacket one sleeve at a time, allowing it to drop at her feet while he carefully unbuttoned her blouse, one button at a time, interspersing his sensuous movements with kisses that made Kelly impatient. Khalid led her, naked, to the bed. As she laid there, he looked down on her with an intensity that Kelly had never experienced before. It sent a bolt of excitement through her now trembling body. Khalid disrobed without ever losing eye contact, knowing just how to use his trim, fit body to get what he wanted.
The next moments seemed to speed by. Khalid came down on her with a force that startled Kelly, but she was wet and ready for him. He wrapped his arms around her body and began to kiss her, moving from place to place on her body as if he could read her mind. Kelly groaned with delight, and returned the kisses, exploring his entire body, ending with his hard, erect penis. Khalid pulled her to him and went into her easily, moving rhythm
ically in and out of her, then in circles stimulating her and allowing her to move her own hips in synchronized motion. Kelly came with a powerful rush; Khalid followed by just seconds. Both groaned and screamed with passionate gasps. Then, they lay still, quietly savoring their pleasure, staring straight upwards at the ceiling. After a few minutes, they turned their heads towards each other, gazed into each other’s eyes and laughed.
“You are an exciting woman, Kelly. There’s a magnificent shower in the bathroom. Large enough for two. Would you like to join me?” Khalid’s words flowed like melted butter.
“Hmmmm……Sounds perfect.”
“Why don’t you get started? Set the temperature just the way you like it. I’ll join you in a moment.”
Kelly rose quietly from the bed and walked slowly to the bathroom, suddenly aware of her nudity. She wondered about Eve in the garden. What just happened? Oh, my God, it was amazing. She felt a chill come over her body as she opened the shower door, and turned the faucet to hot. As the steam billowed up, Kelly adjusted the temperature and stepped in, allowing the streams to relax and cleanse her, and pull her back into her own reality. No one will ever have to know about this. I certainly can’t believe there is a future in this relationship. Maybe every woman needs to do this once. What a handsome man and wonderful lover. But this is not me, not my life. Kelly put her head under the pounding stream, rotating it back and forth while lathering her hair until it frothed up like marshmallow.
Chapter 41
NASA
The shower door creaked open. Kelly giggled, anticipating an overture from Khalid. She apologized for being lost under a mound of suds, but invited her lover to enjoy the luxury with her. She scooped up a handful of lather and playfully offered it to him, intending to decorate his chest. As she did, she moved her hand down his arm, and discovered a strange object in his hand—cold and hard, large, metal, sharp-edged.
Kelly let out a chilling scream, quickly muffled by the strong sinister hand of Khalid. The scream was abruptly interrupted as he severed her larynx with the precision of a surgeon. Oh, God. Brad-baby, Angel, Alex….I don’t want to leave you. God forgive me. She could not fight back.
The butcher slit her throat from nearly one ear to the other. Her eyes bulged with terror, but only momentarily. Blood gushed from her mouth, streaming down her chest, flowing downward, mixing first with water and then with semen. As life left her, her body slipped in staccato movements along the shower wall until it slumped lifeless onto the tiled floor.
Khalid’s knife had a ten-inch blade, smooth on one side, saw toothed on the other. After stretching Kelly’s body as far as he could on the shower floor, he made an incision just below the navel. Blood flowed like the Mississippi. Into the incision he pressed the knife, cutting through tissue. Once he’d reached the spine, he severed it, using the knife as a saw. The corpse was now in two pieces. Khalid looked down at Kelly without emotion. He turned the shower temperature to cold and left it running.
Khalid had already planned what would happen next. He opened both of his suitcases. He removed the contents, placing clothes and sundries in large sealable plastic bags he had brought along. He assembled his computer and desk ware, closing them in his large brief case. He returned to the bathroom to check on the severed body on the shower floor. Nearly all of the blood had been washed down the drain. He studied the matter for a moment after shutting off the water.
He tamped the lower half of Kelly’s corpse with one of the hotel towels. Then he moved the legs toward an open plastic trash bag. Once they were stuffed in the bag he sealed it. He placed this full bag into another, top in the bottom, and sealed that. This should prevent blood seeping out. He lifted the double bag up and fit it into one of the open suitcases. Then he returned to the bathroom and repeated the procedure with Kelly’s torso. Soon he had two suitcases, each bearing half of a human corpse.
His eyes scanned the room. Have I forgotten anything? He walked to the closet. Out of the left pocket of his suit coat he withdrew the Nokia. Then he threw the Nokia into one of the suitcases and closed both lids. He locked the combination locks on both.
Chapter 42
NASA
When he had finished dressing and combing his hair, Neshat put tight plastic surgical gloves on his hands. He removed the plastic liner from the sitting room waste basket and shoved it into his pants pocket. Then, Neshat left his room and walked up the fire stairs to the third floor. He knocked lightly on Room 342. No answer. Then, he knocked harder. Finally, the door opened a crack.
“Oh, it’s you,” said Phee Seng Wu, dressed in his sleeping clothes. He opened the door and let his late night visitor enter. “My, but it must be important at this late hour.”
“Quite important, my friend,” said Neshat while chaining the door. He sat. Wu sat. Neshat spoke. “How far have you gotten in developing the hook up between our transmission program and the satellite system?”
Wu smiled. “I’ve made considerable progress. Our program is ready. Once the satellite is in orbit, I expect it will take only a short time to establish our communications link.”
“Where do you keep our program?” asked Neshat.
“Right here.” Wu picked up a USB thumb drive and waved it with a smile.
“Thanks,” said Neshat. “That’s all I need to know. Without a further word, Neshat grabbed the slightly built Chinese man and threw him down upon the bed. Neshat leaped up onto his back and placed his right knee squarely between the prone man’s shoulder blades, rendering him helpless. From his pocket he withdrew the plastic bag and forced it over Wu’s head. Wu struggled. He began to yell but the bag muffled his sound. Wu’s head turned to the side. When his mouth opened to inhale the bag was sucked in. When he exhaled he coughed. After two minutes the struggle lessened.
Neshat kept pressure on his back and made sure the bag was tightly sealed. Time passed. Activity ceased. The Beijing scientist was breathing no more.
Neshat released his pressure and removed the bag. He carefully arranged Wu Phee Seng’s body with his face in the pillow. Some drool spilled onto the pillow case. Neshat smiled. He pulled the blankets over, making it appear that Wu had died in his sleep.
Neshat put the USB in his pocket and departed.
Chapter 43
NASA
Back in his own room, Neshat picked up the house phone and dialed the front desk. “I have changed my travel plans. I need to drive to San Luis Obispo for a breakfast meeting. So, I need to leave now.”
“But, it’s only two o’clock in the morning,” said the desk clerk.
“I know this. But I think prudence dictates that I get on the road. Would you kindly ask a porter to come and get my luggage? I’ll check out and then pull my car up to the front door.”
“Certainly, Mister Neshat.”
Leaving the suitcases and bags in the room, Khalid slung his brief case strap over his shoulder and took the elevator to the first floor. After checking out and placing his folio in his inner suit coat pockett, he went to the parking lot and pulled his rented Cadillac Escalade to the front door. The porter placed all the luggage, including the two suitcases, into the car through the hatch door. Khalid placed a ten dollar bill in his hand and drove off into the night.
He had no intention of driving the Escalade south to San Luis Obispo. Rather, he drove northward on US 101 toward the city. In the Bay Area, “the city” means San Francisco. At San Antonio Avenue he exited and looked for a closed grocery store or filling station. He pulled into a Safeway parking lot and drove to the rear of the store. He stopped at the dumpsters. He removed the two suitcases and deposited them with the other trash. Soon he was back on US 101, again heading north.
Chapter 44
Chicago
Leona’s plane touched down at O’Hare at 6:45 am. Minutes later she walked through the Arrivals door pulling her Convertible Carry On. She spotted Graham’s waiting CR-V and approached it. Graham exited from the driver’s door and came around to the side walk. Th
e two kissed briefly but held the embrace for a much longer time. Leona looked up into Graham’s eyes and spoke. “Grammy, I’ve missed you.”
“Ditto,” replied Graham. He then opened the right front door and invited his passenger to get in. He placed the suitcase in the trunk and soon they were on the road.
“Did you check your voice mails?” asked Graham.
“No. What’s up?” asked Leona.
“Better call Angie right now.”
“It’s early. She’s probably still in bed, even if she’s an hour ahead in Detroit.”
“Just call her immediately.”
Leona hit speed dial and connected. “Angie, what’re you doing up so early?”
“Leona,” said Angie, “Did you spend time with Kelly last evening at NASA?”
“Yes. We had a some great moments reconnecting. It was so good...”
“Leona, Kelly’s missing.”
“What?”
“I got a call during the night from Alex. He said Kelly didn’t come home. When did you last see Kelly?”
“Well, it was just before I left Moffat Field for the airport. Maybe ten o’clock.”
“Alex told me she came home and then said she needed to return to the lab to turn off a computer or something. I think that was later. Do you know anything about this?”
“No. Nothing. Sorry.”
“Alex is worried sick, as you can imagine. He called the lab. Nobody saw her. He then called the police. I’m worried too.”
“That makes both of us.”
The two continued their exchange for a few minutes and then hung up with promises to keep each other updated.
Graham pulled his car into the parking lot adjacent to Trinity Church. He stopped right in front of the parsonage, situated right behind the church building. He carried Leona’s suitcase up the porch steps. Both Leona and Graham nodded to the black sentry through the picture window, Midnight the cat watching all parking lot activity from her lookout post atop the couch. Graham held the door for the lady to pass into the house. Buck, the Siberian Husky, had heard the door unlatching and was already waiting to see who might be entering. The two humans were greeted by a wagging tail and an undulating Husky torso, signs of welcome on the part of canis familiaris.
