That Which Survives

by Ciana Stone

  “People don’t always think straight when they’re upset or scared. Besides, has it occurred to you that maybe she’s just another victim? She was almost killed.”

  “I’m not stupid, Ryan. I’ve asked those same questions. And that’s made me also ask just why someone would want to kill her. Obviously, whoever it was knew where she was supposed to be. And is it just a coincidence that her friend winds up dead the very same night?”

  Ryan shook his head and sat down. “I talked with Justin before you got here. They found the van. It was abandoned down in Rock Hill somewhere and set on fire.”

  “They should be able to trace it with the VIN.”

  He nodded and took a sip of coffee. “Getting back to what you said. What if Senna is just another target?”

  “Duh!” She made a face at him. “What have I been trying to tell you all morning?”

  “You didn’t say that! You said she was involved with the murders.”

  “Besides being terminally boring?” she quipped.

  Ryan gave her a nasty look and she shrugged. “So sue me, I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”

  He stood and put his coffee cup in the sink. “I need to make a couple of calls. Why don’t I meet you at the department in an hour?”

  Paige remained seated for a minute, just staring at him. “Ryan, let it go. She’s not worth it.”

  “She’s just acting on impulse,” he said. “She was hurt and Konnor was there and…and she’s just trying to get even.”

  “I don’t think so.” Paige got up and walked over to him. “I saw the way she looked at him, partner. That’s not a look a woman gives a man she’s using to make her boyfriend jealous.”

  “Thanks so much for your concern and support,” he said bitterly.

  Paige put both her hands on his chest. “Ryan, I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m just being honest. If she cared for you the way you thought she did, Konnor Chase wouldn’t have been with her last night. You saw the way she clung to him at the hospital. It’s not just some one-night fling. At least not for her. As far as Konnor goes…well, that’s anyone’s guess, but I’d be willing to bet he’s not the sort of man who hangs around one place for very long. Or one that’s into commitment.”

  “I agree,” Ryan said. “About Konnor, I mean. I like him and he’s one hell of a martial artist, but I don’t see him as the fall-in-love-and-settle-down type. And that worries me. Senna isn’t…well, she’s not strong like you. She’s—”

  “A frail little flower,” Paige interrupted. “Yes, I know. And a flower that you’re better off being allergic to. Ryan, trust me. She isn’t the woman for you.”

  “And I suppose you know who is,” he commented just before she leaned closer, brushing her breasts against him.

  “Oh, you better believe it,” she breathed huskily.

  He knew it was stupid. He knew it was a mistake. But when she leaned in closer and reached down to run her hand over his crotch he completely lost track of his better judgment.

  “Ummm, baby,” she crooned right before locking her lips onto his.

  Ryan couldn’t stop his hands from moving to her breasts. Her nipples were hard beneath the silk of her blouse. He thumbed them in circles and she moaned against his mouth and tore at the zipper of his pants.

  Paige tore her mouth from his and dropped to her knees, sliding his unfastened trousers and boxers down around his ankles. Ryan’s knees nearly buckled when she took him in her mouth. Good god, it felt good. She took all of it, sucking it deep and fast and hard.

  He had to brace himself against the counter. He was going to come any moment. She sensed that and stood, pulling up her skirt as she did.

  Ryan’s eyes traveled south. Her legs were spread. “Christ!” he whispered harshly.

  “Like what you see?” She dropped one hand to run her fingers through the wet folds of her sex.

  “Jesus fucking Christ.” He couldn’t tear his eyes from the sight of her hand.

  Paige smiled seductively, turned around and bent over, affording him full view of her backside. She looked back over her shoulder at him. “You want some of this, Ryan? It’s yours, baby. Front door or back. Your choice—take it.”

  Ryan didn’t have to be invited a second time. Time ceased to exist for Ryan as Paige eagerly provided the wildest, most exciting sexual experience of his life. She was incredible, totally uninhibited and willing to do everything he’d ever dreamed of.

  Hours passed, with Paige firmly in control. When his orgasm finally arrived, he felt, for the first time in his life, that the earth had actually moved. Both of them nearly collapsed. Ryan pulled out of her, breathing hard. At that moment the phone rang. Ryan reached over and snatched up the kitchen extension. “Yeah?” He hoped he didn’t sound as breathless as he felt. “Hey, Justin, what’s up?… Yeah, give us twenty minutes.”

  He hung up the phone. “They found the owner of the van.”

  Paige grabbed a handful of paper towels, wet them at the sink, and cleaned herself. With a grin she grabbed her handbag and scooped up the still-wet papers from the table. “Let’s ride,” she grinned.

  * * * * *

  Jackson Township

  Senna woke to find herself alone in Konnor’s bed. She rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It wasn’t even six. She rolled back over and closed her eyes but after a few minutes gave up on the idea of going back to sleep. She got up and pulled a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt from her overnight bag and went into the bathroom.

  When she came out of the bathroom she went looking for Konnor. He wasn’t in the house and she wondered where he’d gone. She poured herself a cup of coffee then went to the back door and looked outside.

  The morning sky was overcast and frost glazed the wooden deck and dusted the grass of the yard beyond. Aside from a couple of birds that pecked at a half-filled feeder hanging from a limb of one of the trees near the deck, there was nothing moving.

  Senna leaned back against the doorjamb, sipping her coffee and thinking about the prior evening. Konnor hadn’t talked much during the ride to his house and she hadn’t interrupted his silence. She was trying to come up with a reason why anyone would want to harm her. By the time they reached his house, she was still clueless.

  Konnor waited until she had showered before he asked her about what happened. She admitted that she thought she knew one of her attackers, but had no proof. He had seemed to want to ask her more but didn’t. Instead, he suggested she get some rest. He took her to his bed, but didn’t try to initiate anything sexual. She fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe and protected.

  She straightened as she saw him run up from the woods that bordered his yard. He slowed when he reached the edge of the yard and walked the rest of the way to the house.

  Senna watched him, admiring the way he moved so gracefully yet with such strength and solidity. He saw her and raised one hand. She moved away from the door and sat at the table. He entered, peeling off his sweatshirt. Beneath it, the white T-shirt stretched over his chest was wet with perspiration.

  He kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks as he walked to the laundry room. When he returned he was naked, drying his face with a towel. He stopped beside her, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to shower then I’ll fix breakfast.”

  “I can do that,” she offered.

  “It isn’t necessary.”

  “But I’d like to.”

  “Okay. I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

  After he left the room, she let out her breath and stood. Seeing him naked made her feel as if someone had suddenly jacked up the heat in the room. She didn’t quite know how to take her own reactions. She had never felt such a strong attraction for a man before and it was a little unnerving.

  Trying to think about something besides his muscular, wet and naked body, she started looking around to see what he had to eat. By the time he returned she had two omelettes, a pile of toast and broiled potato slices ready to go on the
table.

  “Looks good,” he commented as he came up behind her.

  She turned and handed him a plate. “Let’s just hope it tastes good. I’m not exactly a world-class chef.”

  They sat down and Konnor dug into his breakfast. Senna picked at hers. She was not a big breakfast person and at the moment her mind was still on Konnor’s body. “I really should be going,” she said as she took her plate and cup to the sink. “I have a ten o’clock class.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said.

  She frowned and set the dishes down. “But I have to.”

  “All right,” he said after a moment. “I’ll take you.”

  “Thanks.” She gave him a quick smile then went into the bedroom and changed clothes. When she came out he was sitting on the couch in the den.

  He slapped his hand on the couch cushion in invitation and she took a seat beside him. “Last night I asked what you remembered about the time you spent in Iraq prior to your parents’ deaths, but we were interrupted before you could tell me. I’d like to try and do that now.”

  Senna leaned back and closed her eyes. She didn’t have trouble remembering what happened prior to her mother’s death. In fact, it was all as clear as if it had happened yesterday. “Well, my father was working with a colleague from Italy, authenticating and dating artifacts and my mother was busy with two English researchers compiling a Sumerian dictionary. I pretty much just hung around the house listening to tapes and reading. There wasn’t a lot to do.”

  “Do you know if your father was working on anything in particular at that time?”

  “Actually, I think the trip was kind of a spur of the moment thing. This friend of my mother’s called and said she and some man were going to be there working on the dictionary and asked if she’d come over and give them a hand. My father had been in Iraq a number of times. He was considered something of an authority on Sumer, but I don’t remember anything specific he was doing. Maybe Min would.”

  “Min? Your aunt Minora?”

  “Yes,” she nodded. “She and Dad were very close. Well, she and Mom, too. Min’s a pretty remarkable person. She was the youngest of three children. There was Graham, my dad, and Min. Graham was killed in an expedition in the Yucatan when my dad was in undergraduate school. He was a medical researcher and was on an expedition concerning a plant extract. Anyway, Dad was a junior in college and Min was a junior in high school. Despite the age difference, they were always on the same wavelength, if you know what I mean.”

  “And they confided in one another?”

  “Oh, yes.” She smiled as she remembered. “My mother told me that it was a good thing she’d been friends with Min before she and my dad got married or she would have been jealous. But you can’t know Min and not love her. She and Mom were like sisters.”

  “I’d like to speak with your aunt, if that’s possible.”

  Senna straightened up and turned to face him. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Min never really got over the death of my parents. You’ve got to understand. They were all the family she had left. When they died and I…”

  “And you disappeared,” he finished the sentence for her.

  She nodded. “It almost killed Min from what I’ve been told. After I was found, she was so protective. It was like she was afraid to let me out of her sight. I guess she was scared something else would happen. She eventually overcame it but it wasn’t easy. Anyway, the point is, I don’t want her to be upset.”

  “I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

  Senna considered it for a few moments. “How about this? I’ll speak with Min and see if she remembers anything. It won’t be as bad coming from me. If she does then I’ll ask her to talk to you.”

  “Fair enough,” he agreed. “Do you need to go by your house before class?”

  “Oh shit!

  “What?”

  “My car! Everything was in my car. I left to go see Nolan from the university.”

  “That’s not a problem. I’ll take you to your car then follow you to the university.”

  “That’s not necessary, Konnor. Really.”

  “Yes, it is.” The tone of his voice squelched any thoughts she had of arguing.

  “Thanks.” She gave his hand a squeeze.

  He returned the gesture and pulled her over to him. When their lips met she wanted to tell him she had changed her mind. She would let them fire her for not showing up for work. All she wanted was to stay there in his arms. But she couldn’t find the courage to act on the desire. Not for fear of losing her job. She could always find work. Her fear was of losing herself.

  The shrill ring of the phone interrupted them. Konnor got up to go to the kitchen to answer the call. “Hello?… Yes, she is… No, she has a class at ten… All right, where?… Yes, she’ll be there.”

  She stood when he returned. “That was Paige Landers,” he said. “They found the men who attacked you and want you to come in and ID them.”

  Senna nodded mutely, feelings a sick lump form in the pit of her stomach. “I have to call Dr. Aldridge and get him to have someone fill in for me.”

  He nodded and she went to the phone and made the call. As soon as she told Dr. Aldridge what had happened, he immediately told her not to worry. He would personally see to her classes. He offered his support and asked her to keep him informed on when she would return to work.

  Once finished with the call, she turned to see Konnor holding her coat for her. “Ready?” he asked.

  “As I’ll get, I guess.”

  He helped her on with her coat and escorted her outside to the car. She stopped just before getting in and turned to him. He sensed her anxiety and smiled at her, tracing one finger along the side of her face. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right there with you. It’ll be okay.”

  “You promise?”

  “Scout’s honor.” He gave her a salute.

  She smiled and slid into the passenger seat. When he got in and started the car she turned to him and raised her right hand.

  “What?” he asked as he looked at the position of her hand.

  “The Boy Scout salute.”

  “You were never a boy scout.”

  She smiled and raised one eyebrow. “As much as you, it seems.”

  He grinned and put the car in gear. “I can see that I’ve underestimated you, Dr. Laserian. Remind me not to do that again.”

  * * * * *

  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

  Crime Lab

  “I got your message,” Ryan said as he entered the lab. “What’ve you got?”

  “I take it you were at the scene,” the technician, Ron, asked.

  “Yeah.” Ryan tried not to let the memory of it take shape in his mind. Like Van Dorn, Nolan Weston’s body had been sliced to ribbons before he was killed. Like Van Dorn, the cause of death was decapitation. Also like Van Dorn, an index finger had been severed and used to write a series of symbols on a scrap of papyrus.

  “Then you know the coroner found a metal sliver embedded in the bone of the spinal column.”

  “I read the report,” Ryan said. “What’s your point?”

  “My point is, if this latest fragment matches the one we found on Van Dorn then we have a direct connection between the two murders.”

  “Did you find out anything about the first fragment?”

  “Actually we found some really interesting things. Check this out.” Ron pulled a photograph out of a folder and handed it to Ryan.

  Ryan looked at the photo. It was of a bronze sword with a curious design. A curved grip flowed into a blade. There was no guard separating the hilt from the blade, and the blade itself was unlike any sword he’d ever seen. It extended straight out from the hilt for about a foot then dipped down to form a crescent shape. He read the caption at the bottom of the photo. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Ancient Babylon.”

  “Ancient Babylon?” He looked at Ron. “What does this have to do with
the fragments found at the scenes? Unless you’re going to tell me that the weapon used was this one, and it’s been stolen.”

  “Read the rest of it,” Ron advised.

  “The blade is inscribed in cuneiform script that translates as ‘Son of Enlil-Nirara, King of Assyria’.” Ryan cut Ron a look. “Okay, there’s bound to be some point I’m missing here.”

  Ron grinned and leaned back against the table. “That sword is still in the Metropolitan. But the fragments we found are almost identical to the material composition of that sword…only much older. The experts at the Museum are in a tizzy, man. They seem to think our fragments came from a sword almost exactly like the one in the picture, and if that’s so then there’s a very expensive piece of history being used to whack people.”

  Ryan considered it for a bit. “Okay, so we have someone who has an ancient sword. Does that narrow the field as to where we look for a suspect?”

  “Man, a sword like that would cost millions! And there’s one other thing. The inscription.”

  Ryan looked at the photo again as Ron continued. “There are similarities in the script on the sword and the symbols on the killer’s notes.”

  “You mean the notes were written in cuneiform?” Ryan looked at him in disbelief.

  “Not only the symbols inscribed in blood, but also the writing the blood was hiding. So far we haven’t had much luck with it, though. We’ve called in the Bureau and they’ve got an expert in cuneiform scheduled to look at it to see if he can decipher it. But there is one clue the museum guys were able to pass along. The word Enlil seems to appear on both notes.

  “Enlil?” Both of Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “Who or what is that?”

  “I thought you might ask,” Ron picked up a folder and handed it to Ryan. “So I had this sent down from Washington.”

  Ryan opened the folder and glanced at the first sheet of paper inside. “Thanks, Ron. Is there anything else?”

  “That’s it for now, chief. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know when anything else develops.”

  Ryan nodded. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Ryan returned to his desk and opened the folder. The information was on a Sumerian god named Enlil. He was described as the king of the gold, or the universal sovereign. According to general mythology, Enlil slept on a mountain, secure in his power over the world, and didn’t want to be disturbed. He had quite a temper and he imposed his will regardless of the wants, desires or needs of others.