A Touch of Murder

by Donna Raider

  He fought down the urge to regurgitate as his wife wiggled into a tight-fitting floral dress. She wobbled around their bedroom awkwardly in spiky heels. He knew she expected him to comment on how sexy she looked. “Um, my love.” He overcame his revulsion and pulled her into his arms. “Why don’t you skip this meeting and stay home with me?” Please, say no, he prayed.

  “You know I would love to do that, dearest,” she said, “but Mayor Cross is counting on me to introduce her to the Chamber of Commerce members.”

  He nodded and walked her to the car. He sighed loudly as she drove away. She was wealthy. She was a good cover, but God, he hated touching her.

  He drove sixteen miles to a motel in Burleson. He parked in the back so no one would see his vehicle from the street. He hurriedly carried his clothes to the room he had rented earlier that day.

  He showered, careful to wash away any smell of the heavy cologne he always wore. He didn’t want anyone to recognize him from his scent. Plain, clean soap was the fragrance of the hour. He changed into his black slacks and black shirt.

  He closed the door of the rental car and checked to make certain no one had seen him. He drove to the meeting. He vaguely wondered what time his wife would return home tonight. As he approached the barn, he slipped the hood over his head. He pulled on the black robe after he got out of the car. While his wife was kissing up to the mayor, he would be accepting the reins of the local chapter of the most powerful hate group in America. They had christened him Bacchus. Not a bad name, as names go.

  He had no idea he was only a pawn in the ongoing battle between good and evil.

  He had arrived early and was surprised to find several others were already there. As he approached the barn door, he heard the bleating of a frightened goat. I hope I don’t have to sacrifice something tonight. He cringed.

  “Master Bacchus.” Several cloaked men and women bowed as he approached. “You are early, but come. Join us in a glass of wine before the ceremony.”

  Bacchus nodded silently to those ministering to him and took his seat on the throne erected for him. He wondered who these men were. He tried to determine their identification from their voices but failed.

  He watched lips smile through the hole cut into the hood worn by a woman—he thought. She poured him another glass of wine.

  Soon the barn filled with black-robed creatures talking in low voices and bowing to him. Although it was cold outside, the wine coupled with the robe and the hood made sweat run down between his shoulder blades.

  “Brothers and sisters,” a resonant voice rose above the crowd and silenced them. “We are here tonight to pay homage to the god that has been sent to lead us. I give you Master Bacchus.”

  Applause and murmurs of approval ran through the crowd.

  Bacchus stood and acknowledged the crowd. He wasn’t certain what he was supposed to do. He merely nodded, then took his place on the throne. Again, applause and approval ran through the crowd.

  “Tonight,” the resonant voice spoke, “we will make our sacrifice to our Master.”

  Bacchus watched as they brought a small lamb before him. Quick hands tied the kid’s feet and placed it on the altar constructed in the barn. He inhaled deeply as someone thrust a knife into his hands.

  “Master, only you are worthy to make the sacrifice on our behalf. Please sacrifice this pure offering to your father for us.”

  Bacchus slowly stepped toward the altar. He wondered who they thought his father was. He prayed the knife would be sharp, and then drew it forcefully across the throat of the lamb. The kid bleated once, and then lay lifeless.

  He stared, stupefied at the amount of blood that had spurted onto his robe and hood. He dropped the knife on the altar and glared at his blood-covered hands.

  Someone caught a large, golden chalice full of the kid’s blood and held it up to him. Surely, they don’t expect me to drink this. He swallowed the vomit that had risen into his mouth.

  He held the chalice high above his head and blessed it. “Father bless this life force that I am about to share with my brethren.” He pretended to drink from the cup, and then passed it to the person next to him.

  He grimaced as the cup passed around the room. Everyone seemed eager to drink from it.

  “We will meet here on the thirteenth of every month,” the resonant voice instructed. “March sixteen and seventeen we will celebrate the Festival of Bacchus in our new home. At that time, Master Bacchus will have much to share with us about our purpose. We will also have a more secure meeting place.

  “There are refreshments and wine in the outer room. Please overindulge yourselves.” The voice laughed loudly.

  Everyone cheered and surged toward the outer room.

  Bacchus found himself standing alone at the altar. He looked at the limp body of the lamb and the blood that covered the floor. What have I gotten myself into? He groaned inwardly.

  ##

  Leah didn’t bother putting her car into the garage. She drove it to the front door of the hacienda and quickly went inside to see her wife and children. She was shocked to find the usually festive house silent. She pulled off her heels and walked into the great room. Mika was lying flat on her back on the floor. She was sound asleep. The babies were on their stomachs, sleeping on their mother’s breasts. Mika had a protective arm over each of them. A broad smile graced Leah’s lovely face as she savored the sight of her wife and babies.

  As if sensing their mother’s presence, the babies began to stir. Soft gurgles and cooing sounds woke Mika. They nuzzled Mika, making suckling sounds.

  “Sorry, kiddos,” she said, laughing, “you’ve got the wrong parent.” She sat up, still holding the twins to her chest. “I bet Queen Mommy is on her way home now to feed you.” She spoke softly as Eden and Aaron mewled back at her.

  In one easy motion, Mika stood. Leah always marveled at the strength of her wife. She was certain few women could rise so easily from a sitting position on the floor with two babies in their arms. A shiver ran through her as she thought of Mika’s strong arms around her. It had been too long.

  “Hey, there,” Leah said softly.

  Mika’s blue eyes sparkled as they met hers. “I have missed you.” Mika smiled. She walked to Leah and kissed her longingly. “I think these two are really ready for you to be home.”

  “Have they had their baths?” Leah asked as she transported all of them to her bedroom.

  “Yes, my queen.” Mika grinned. “We fell asleep waiting for you to come home.”

  “Where is everyone?” Leah changed into her pajamas, leaving the front open so the babies could nurse. Mika placed them on her lap.

  “Our married children are in their homes. Since it’s Friday night, Nana, Wanda, and Vonda took the younger children to the movies.” Mika settled on the love seat beside her and watched the babies nurse. “Jacob and Rachel went off together. I think they are commiserating about their love lives.”

  “Jacob!” Leah raised a questioning eyebrow. “Who?”

  “No idea.” Mika kissed her behind the ear. “I hope it’s a woman. I did a lot of praying about Jennifer and Sara. I wasn’t certain God approved of a mortal until he let me save Jennifer. You know we’re supposed to reproduce.

  “I’m fairly certain Rachel and Lucas are in love.”

  Leah nodded in agreement. “Apparently, Jacob’s love isn’t reciprocated. He has been moping around here since before the babies were born. Have you spoken with him?”

  “No. He will talk with me when he’s ready. He has his hands full trying to open his own law firm in Godly.” A frown wrinkled Mika’s forehead. “Is there any chance it is Lexi? She would make a nice addition to our family.”

  “No,” Leah said. “I have asked him about her. He said she’s in love with someone else. He isn’t attracted to her, anyway.”

  “Looks like their tummies are full and they are asleep.” Mika stood and took the babies from her wife’s arms. She stole a glance at Leah’s gorgeous breasts, a
nd then blushed as she realized Leah had caught her. “Oops, caught lusting.” Mika grinned.

  She took the babies to the nursery and turned on their intercom so they could hear them if they cried.

  Leah was in bed when she returned. Mika brushed her teeth and slipped into bed beside her wife. Leah’s pajamas were still unbuttoned. She snuggled against Mika and kissed between her breasts.

  “I noticed mommy admiring my breasts.” Leah kissed her soundly. “I do need some help with this excess milk.”

  A moan emanated from deep within Mika’s throat. “May I?”

  Leah pulled Mika’s face between her breasts. “I would be so upset if you didn’t.”

  Later, Mika lay still in her arms. The scent of Leah was overpowering. She smelled like honey and magnolias or a flower garden after a spring rain. Mika loved the way she smelled.

  “Are you awake?” Leah asked.

  “Yes. I am just enjoying the wonderful fragrance of you.”

  “I believe the rest of our family is home,” Leah said as the sound of Nana and Vonda, checking on the babies, came over the intercom. She turned off the monitoring device.

  Leah played with Mika’s hair as she held her in her arms. Mika snuggled deeper between her breasts. “How long?” Mika moaned.

  “Two more weeks.” Leah ran her fingers through her wife’s soft blonde curls. “Can you get away for ten days?”

  “Nothing is as important as ten days with you.” Mika planted kisses on both her breasts.

  “Oh, Mika,” Leah moaned. “I’m dying.”

  “Um, it gets more difficult every time.” Mika kissed her soft, desirable lips. “It’s because I love you more every day.

  “How was your meeting tonight?” Mika changed the subject. Talking about how much they wanted each other only made it worse.

  “Good.” Leah shrugged. “The chamber president is a queer little duck. She is extremely wealthy, but dresses very inappropriately. Dress is too tight and not very stylish. She seems nice enough.

  “She is a size twenty but sees herself as a size eight. She giggles, wiggles, and makes little impromptu dance moves that would be cute on a woman half her size.”

  “What’s her name?” Mika asked.

  “Delta Davis. She said she comes from old oil money. Her father was a state senator.” Leah frowned as she recalled how the woman had told her everything about herself in the first fifteen minutes. “Her husband is named Harlan. He’s the manager of Walmart. She owns the local real estate office.

  “Is it okay if I take Trudy to the mayor’s office with me? I am going to need all the help I can find to get this town straightened out. I’m surprised Benton Finley wasn’t jailed years ago.”

  “Of course, darling.” Mika kissed her again. “Lexi and I can handle our office until she can hire a new secretary.”

  ##

  Jacob straightened the books in his law cabinet. He had been in business a month and had handled one civil case. He had won, but he wanted something to totally engage his mind and keep his thoughts off Raíña-Kaya.

  He leaned back and closed his eyes. Instantly he was on Regina Madre. He looked around. He hadn’t meant to transport himself. He was just thinking about the planet and the woman. He had made no conscious effort to transport to the planet

  With all his heart, Jacob prayed that God would forgive him for returning to the planet. A soft humming sound caught his attention. He stepped back into the cover of the heavy foliage around him.

  Raíña-Kaya followed the path that led to the pool. She was alone. Although it was pleasantly warm, she still wore his jacket. She stopped in front of his hiding place.

  “Are you here, Jacob?” She held her breath, hoping the scent she had picked up was the dark-haired man. “Jacob, son of Mika and Leah, are you here?

  “Please be here,” she whispered.

  “I am here, Raíña-Kaya.” He stepped into view. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, no, don’t be.” She smiled warmly as she moved close to him. “I brought you here.”

  “I don’t understand.” Jacob fought the desire to touch her.

  “I asked God to bring you to me. I wanted to speak with you.” She held her head high as if daring anyone to question her request.

  “I wondered how I got here.” He smiled, happy that she wanted to speak with him.

  “Why did you leave?” She tilted her head slightly, waiting for his answer.

  “I was afraid I was the serpent in your garden,” he answered truthfully. “I didn’t think God wanted me to be here.”

  “You are not the serpent.” She smiled. “I have met the serpent. He is nothing like you.”

  “Don’t trust him, Raíña-Kaya.” Jacob was almost frantic. “Don’t believe anything he says. He is evil.”

  “What is evil?” She watched him closely.

  He realized she had no knowledge of good or evil. She had obeyed God and refrained from eating of the tree of knowledge. Only good filled her life. I must do nothing to change that, he thought.

  “There are those who do bad things to others,” he tried to explain. “They try to hurt them.”

  “What is hurt?” She held his gaze, trying to understand.

  “Hurt is when there is such a loneliness it causes an empty, hollow feeling inside your chest.” He described how it had hurt to leave her. “Sometimes you can’t sleep or eat. Everything ceases to matter except that awful gnawing desire to be with someone.”

  “You hurt me, Jacob,” she said sadly.

  “Oh, no! I would never hurt you,” he cried. “I would rather die than hurt you.”

  “You caused this feeling you described, in my chest,” she insisted. “When you left, you hurt me.”

  “I never meant to hurt you,” he whispered. “I left to keep from hurting you. To obey God.”

  “It is okay with God, if you are here,” she said joyously. “I have spoken to him about you many times. He says you are good.”

  “Walk with me.” He held out his hand to her.

  She looked at his hand, not understanding what he wanted.

  He took her hand in his. He carefully watched her eyes to see if what he was doing was okay. He laced her fingers between his.

  Her eyes fixed on their joined hands. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. She smiled hesitantly, then broadly, as he smiled at her.

  “It’s called touching,” Jacob explained. “In my world, we touch the ones we love.”

  “Touch?” She shrugged her shoulders. “What is love?”

  Just as she had no concept of evil, she had no concept of love.

  “Love is when one being cares for another being.” Jacob thought carefully before jumping off the proverbial cliff. “When a man loves a woman, he only wants to be with her. He desires no one else. She fills his thoughts and dreams. He thinks about her all the time.

  “She is the most important thing in his world. He will do anything to make her happy. He only wants to be with her. He wants to touch her. He wants to hold and kiss her. He wants to protect her and please her.”

  She nodded, pondering this new information.

  “So,” Jacob exhaled softly, “touching is a way of showing love. Don’t your people touch?”

  “Only when we are procreating.” She smiled shyly. “Otherwise, there is no reason to touch. I do like holding your hand.”

  They walked for hours. He told her about his family, how brilliant they were. He laughingly told her about the new babies, how proud his mothers were. “They act as if each new child is their first. They get so excited. We all do.”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “Grax is the same way. He has many children. He loves each newborn as if it were his first. Like your mothers, Grax is a wonderful parent.”

  A darkness passed over Jacob’s handsome face. “I really must return home,” he said.

  “I will go with you.” She looked into his eyes.

  “You can’t do that,” Jacob insisted. “What would the children do w
ithout you?”

  “Of course, the children.” She frowned. “I could not leave them forever, but I could visit your planet. Take me with you, please.”

  “I want to so much,” he moaned. “I want to more than you can even imagine.”

  “If you don’t take me,” she said with a smile, “you will hurt me.”

  “B-But Grax…” Jacob stammered.

  “He won’t mind, as long as I return in time for bed.” Her eyes sparkled.

  “Of course.” Jacob fought the pain in his chest.

  ##

  Jacob transported them to his new office. She looked around the room, turning in a circle to admire everything in the office.

  “This is beautiful,” she sighed.

  “Queen Mommy decorated it.” He smiled.

  “Take me to Queen Mommy,” Raíña-Kaya commanded.

  “I’m not certain how my family will feel about me bringing you to Earth.” He grimaced. “Why don’t you have dinner with us, then I can break it to them gently?”

  She looked at herself in the mirror. “Should I be more covered, like you?”

  “Yes.” He laughed. He dressed her in a pair of tight jeans and a sweater. A pair of loafers completed the look. “There, you’re perfect.”

  She studied herself in the mirror, and then released her silky blonde hair. It fell in beautiful waves around her shoulders.

  “Do you like to look upon me, Jacob? Do I please your eyes?”

  “Oh, yes,” he breathed. He smiled, thinking how she had rephrased his mother’s teasing line to Mika.

  Before he realized what he was doing, Jacob leaned down and kissed her softy. She stepped into him and pressed her lips harder against his, marveling at how wonderful his lips felt on her own.

  “Hey, bro…” Rachel’s greeting died on her lips as she witnessed her brother kissing the blonde goddess.

  “Rachel!” Jacob jumped away from Raíña-Kaya as if she had shocked him.

  “Queen Mommy.” Raíña-Kaya bowed low to Rachel.

  “No,” Jacob explained. “This is my twin sister, Rachel. She just looks like my mother, except for the blue eyes.”

  “Yes,” Raíña-Kaya said, smiling slightly, “I can see the difference now.”