Marked for Murder

by Donna Raider

  Detective Carlyle sat across the table from him, staring at him. She looks at me as if I’m a piece of shi… something that floated to the top. Priests don’t use profanity, he thought.

  “Do you know this boy?” Carlie shoved a photo of the boy toward the priest. He looked down at it. He had expected to see tear-stained cheeks. He had not expected to see the child’s face staring back at him from a steel morgue table. He gasped.

  “So, you do know him?” Carlie spoke softly. “Why did you kill him?”

  The priest furrowed his brow, “No,” he answered. “I would never kill a child or anyone else.”

  “Will you give us a sample of your DNA?” Carlie smiled sweetly. “It will help me clear you of murder.”

  “Of course.” Williams smirked. He was too careful to be tripped up by DNA.

  A lab technician entered the room and swabbed the priest’s jaw. “Crew’s standing by,” he informed the detective.

  While they waited for the DNA results, Carlie viewed the video of the collection of the mint and spit from the boy. They were being exceptionally careful to document the chain of evidence. She wanted no slip-ups. She wanted to nail this slimy bastard.

  “It is a definite match,” the lab tech said, bursting through the door.

  “And we have video from the park cameras that show Williams in the park at that time,” Benson informed her.

  “Thank God.” The detective let out a breath she had been holding forever. “Book the son of a bitch.”

  Leah cringed at the profanity. “Sorry,” Carlie apologized.

  “I’m going to take a cab home.” Leah smiled. “You still have a lot to do, and I want to get home to my family.”

  “No, I’ll drive you.” Carlie smiled. “I need to get some fresh air.”

  ##

  “I’m sorry for the way I broke down,” Leah apologized as she buckled her seatbelt. “I just kept thinking that could be one of my sons.” Her voice cracked as emotion overtook her again.

  “It’s okay,” Carlie reassured her. “I would be worried if you didn’t react that way.”

  “I don’t know how you do this job.” Leah’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how anyone could deal with this on a daily basis.”

  “The reward is getting perverts like Williams off the streets,” Carlie said softly. “Knowing that some other little boy won’t meet the same end as this one.”

  They rode in silence to Cross Towers. Carlie keyed in the code to open the gate into the garage. She was glad the Crosses had this kind of security. One could never be too careful with children as beautiful as Leah’s.

  Carlie put the car in park and turned to bid her companion good night. “It’s hard,” Carlie almost whispered, “honestly, it will be years before I can sleep without seeing that little boy’s face.” Leah leaned across the car and lightly kissed the detective on the cheek. She wanted to console her.

  Moving quickly, Carlie caught Leah’s face between her hands and slowly moved her mouth to the full red lips before her. “No!” Leah yanked her head away from the detective’s hands. “This will never happen,” she said emphatically. “Never!”

  In an instant, Leah was out of the car, running to the elevator. As she looked up, her eyes met the clear blue eyes of her wife. She ran into Mika’s open arms and sobbed hysterically. She beat her fist against Mika’s chest as if hitting something would drive away the image of the little boy lying dead in his own blood. Mika gently moved her hands up and down Leah’s back, consoling her, as only she could do. Leah collapsed against her. She gently gathered Leah into her arms and carried her to the elevator, cradling Leah against her like a baby.

  Detective Carlyle watched the scene unfold as Mika comforted her wife. Carlie was certain the priest had witnessed her attempt to kiss Leah, something she regretted with all her heart.

  As she had done many times, the priest sat on the sofa, holding her wife on her lap. Mika spoke to Leah in soft, soothing tones. When she dozed fitfully, Mika prayed. She wished she had never moved her family from their lazy little town to New York. She knew her God wanted her here, but hated the things her children and wife were being exposed to. For the first time in her life, Mika felt overwhelmed. She knew someone had to confront the evil that seemed to be running rampant in the city. She just wished that someone wasn’t her.

  Combatting Lucifer face to face had been easy. Fighting the insidious evil that seemed to lurk in the hearts of men was very difficult. It wasn’t that easy to tell the bad guys from the good guys.

  Mika prayed for the strength to accomplish the things her God needed done. She knew God would provide that strength. He always had.

  Leah moved slightly in Mika’s arms. Mika watched her indescribably beautiful face as her long lashes lazily lifted to reveal dark brown pools of eternity. She could see the pain in Leah’s eyes. “May I?” she asked softly.

  “Please,” Leah whimpered.

  Gently, Mika placed her hands on Leah. The horror and anguish of the last few weeks faded away, to be replaced by warmth and happiness. The memories didn’t disappear, they just didn’t hurt anymore.

  Leah snuggled into Mika, clutching her tighter. “I love you, darling,” Leah whispered before slipping into a peaceful sleep.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Detective Carlyle is here to see you,” Mika’s secretary announced over the intercom.

  “Please, send her in.” Mika wasn’t certain what she wanted to say to the woman, but knew they needed to talk. Mika stood as Carlie entered the room. “Thank you for coming to see me.” She smiled, motioning for Carlie to be seated.

  “I wanted to apologize to you.” Carlie bowed her head slightly. “I almost did a terrible thing to you.”

  “No.” Mika took her seat. “There was never any danger of you hurting me. My wife wouldn’t allow it.”

  Carlie nodded in complete agreement.

  “I know.” Carlie grimaced. “That doesn’t change the fact that I would have betrayed your trust in a heartbeat, if she had been willing.”

  The priest nodded. “I forgive you.” She tilted her head to one side and looked the detective in the eye. “I cannot imagine a more painful fate in the world than being in love with my wife and her not returning that love.”

  “Yes.” Carlie nodded. “I guess that will just have to be my personal cross to bear.”

  “But I’m certain that is not the only reason you came to see me today.” Mika smiled slightly.

  A frown darkened the detective’s face. “There is something hinky about both the deaths involving your priests. Both admit to a crime, but both swear they did not commit murder.”

  “You believe them?” Mika asked.

  “Branch admits to hiring the prostitute. Williams admitted to raping the little boy,” Carlie said thoughtfully, “but they vehemently deny murdering anyone. Branch was on his way to see the woman when the sight of our patrol cars scared him off. Williams swears the boy was alive and crying when he left him alone in the woods.”

  “The evidence against Williams seemed to be very strong,” Mika noted. “DNA, the name badge.”

  “Yeah, that is what really got me thinking.” The detective nodded. “When we ran DNA on the breath mint, we ran a standard substance-identification test on the mint. It came back with isopropanol and bitter extract.”

  “I’m sorry. That doesn’t mean anything to me.” Mika shrugged.

  “It was covered in Bitter Apple,” Carlie informed her. “A product used to discourage dogs from chewing on things. It is exceedingly bitter and would cause one to spit it out immediately, if put into one’s mouth.”

  “Providing plenty of saliva for DNA identification.” Mika nodded.

  “Both of your guys took a lie detector test, and both passed. But they really are sociopaths.” Carlie shrugged. “They could fool the test. Right now, we are booking Branch for solicitation of prostitution and Williams for rape and indecency with a minor. I am holding off on the m
urder charges. Something just isn’t right!”

  “I appreciate you sharing this with me.” The priest stood and walked around her desk. “Please let me know if I can do anything to help.”

  “Any chance your wife has a sister?” Carlie joked as she left the office.

  “Only child,” Mika called after her.

  ##

  Watcher moved easily among the shoppers scurrying through the Garment District. He had been following Mika Cross and her merry band of priests for over a year. Cross was a decent woman. Went home every night to her wife. She was dedicated to her wife and family. She was moral, unassuming, and almost painfully humble. So far, he had nothing but good to report on the pretty priest. Mika was very private. Watcher only knew where she lived and where she worked. Watcher knew where Mika occasionally took her wife for dinner and dancing. Other than that, he knew little about the comings and goings of Priest Mika Cross.

  Bishop Cantrell was much the same as Cross. He loved his wife, was kind, and energetically doing the church’s business. He kept a low profile but wasn’t afraid to stand up for his beliefs.

  Fathers Darius and Jerry were young but dedicated. Watcher found no evil in them.

  Today he was following the Cantrells. The bishop’s wife was very attractive and tried to dress according to her position in the church: stylish, but not too flashy. They walked hand in hand through the district, moving in and out of various designers’ establishments.

  Watcher was glad when they went into the Mercato on 39th, between 8th and 9th Avenues. It was a good Italian place. He had been afraid Mrs. Cantrell would be one of those gluten-free women. Personally, he liked gluten. He found a table in the back corner, against the exposed brick wall. The Cantrells sat close to the front door.

  Just as they placed their order, the bishop’s phone rang. Watcher saw him frown, put his phone away and shake his head as he talked with his wife. Finally, he rose, kissed her, and left the restaurant. Watcher was torn between following the bishop and eating lunch. Lunch won the battle. The bishop was a straight arrow anyway.

  Ten minutes after the bishop left, Father Ben Clinton, a representative to the celibacy conference, entered the restaurant. He was just in time to take advantage of the lunch the bishop had ordered. As he watched, Father Clinton leaned down and kissed the bishop’s wife. Apparently, he was just in time to take advantage of the bishop’s wife, too.

  Chewing his beef and pork gnocchi, he watched the couple cozy up to one another. Obviously, they were lovers. This was not what Watcher had expected to uncover today. Adultery and the bishop’s wife were not on his list. Things are never as they seem, he thought.

  Bishop Cantrell was important in the grand scheme of things. Watcher wondered what would hurt him more: finding out his wife was having an affair with another priest or finding her dead.

  He wouldn’t report this to his handler. He would make this call himself. The bishop was a good man. He deserved a break. He would have to make it look like an accident. He had to be sure the bishop had no blight on his character. Perhaps an automobile accident. She had to die looking like the loving wife. Watcher drank his beer. He was going to have to be inventive on this one. What a shame, he thought. She’s so beautiful.

  After lunch, he followed Clinton and Mrs. Cantrell to one of the high-class hotels in the Garment District. Clinton went in and registered while she walked around the block. Watcher got on the elevator with Clinton and held the door open as the priest got off on his floor. Careful to walk the opposite direction, Watcher turned in time to see the door to room 415 click close.

  Watcher was in the lobby when she returned. He watched her take the elevator to the fourth floor. He gave her time to get to the room and settled, then took the elevator to the fifth floor.

  He took the stairs down to the fourth floor. The moans and panting coming from 415 told him they weren’t having Bible study.

  He listened for a long time, just for the hell of it. She was extremely vocal. Maybe he would have some fun with her before staging her accident.

  When things quieted down, he took the stairs down to the lobby. The sprint down the stairs was exhilarating, but not as exhilarating as listening to the sounds made by Janet Cantrell. He had just taken a seat and picked up a magazine when the elevator dinged, and Janet walked out alone.

  Watcher continued to peruse the magazine and looked up when an extremely handsome young man entered the lobby. He stood in front of the elevators, studying a piece of paper, then pushed the button to open the doors. He crumbled the paper and dropped it into the receptacle meant for cigarettes. Watcher casually walked to the receptacle and retrieved the note. “Room 415” was written on it. Interesting, he thought.

  As he had done earlier, Watcher rode the elevator to the fifth floor and took the stairs to the fourth floor. He stood outside the door to room 415 and listened to the aggressive sounds of masculine sex taking place on the other side of the door. Father Clinton certainly had stamina, and he swung both ways.

  ##

  “I need you to be the face of our diocese,” the bishop told Mika as they sat in his office.

  “I would rather not do that,” Mika answered truthfully. “I don’t want my wife or my family exposed to the scrutiny and viciousness of the news media. Reporters have no regard for the truth or for protecting children.”

  “You are beautiful, charismatic, and extremely knowledgeable regarding the church and the Bible,” Bishop Cantrell insisted.

  “Your Excellency, can you even imagine the uproar that would ensue if the news media found out that the star of Marked for Murder was actually married to a priest?” Mika argued. “We have an entire public relations department. Let them handle the news media. They are good at it.”

  “Would you refuse to do this?” The bishop frowned.

  “Yes, sir, I would,” Mika answered honestly.

  “We have to put this murder business behind us.” The bishop shuffled papers on his desk. “The Vatican wants us to resolve the celibacy matter. They think you are the one to do it.”

  “We can reconvene the meetings tomorrow,” Mika said. “Father Halcyon can chair the proponents of celibacy. He will need a co-chair. If you can make that appointment, we can move forward.”

  “We usually take a lot of time vetting priests who lead such an important conference.” The bishop snorted. “That didn’t turn out so well for us, did it?”

  The bishop looked at his watch. “Reconvene tomorrow. I’ll have a name for you by noon.”

  Mika nodded and left the office.

  Mika’s cell phone dinged as she entered her office. A quick glance revealed the face of her wonderful wife.

  Leah: Buy me a drink, sailor?

  Mika chuckled as she recalled Leah’s ridiculous pickup line from last week.

  Mika: Is that all you want from me?

  Leah: For now!

  Mika: What time?

  Leah: 4, OK?

  Mika: See you at Joe’s.

  The rest of her day was instantly better. Just knowing she would be with Leah in a few hours made everything right.

  ##

  Leah arrived at the lounge early. Joe placed her wine on the bar in front of her and smiled, hoping she would reciprocate. She did and life was good.

  Leah sighed contentedly after taking a sip of the wine. She smiled, wondering what her wife would think of today. She was apprehensive about next week, when Mika would divide her time between home and the Vatican. She knew Mika was more than capable of handling the task. She just wished the Pope would get on with it. She had done everything she could to speed up the studio’s production timeline and was two episodes ahead of schedule. If her coworkers could maintain the pace she was setting, they would be able to take off for the summer. She wanted to spend some time at their Texas ranch. She longed to ride a horse.

  They desperately needed to spend some time with their four oldest children. They needed to guide them and help them hone their natural abilities. Sh
e worried about them. She and Mika had been so fortunate. They had found each other. They would spend eternity with each other. While her children were immortal, she knew their future mates would not be. She could only imagine the pain of losing someone so loved.

  Watching the mirror for Mika’s arrival, Leah thought about her wife. Her life with Mika was happier than she could have ever imagined. The blonde was funny, loving, and thoughtful. She was a wonderful mother. Mika had made her life exciting and fulfilling. She had learned so much from Mika. She knew, without a doubt, Mika’s main goal in life was to make her happy, and she did.

  Leah knew Mika’s commitment to God would lead them all over the world. She was okay with that. After all, she had followed her to hell and back.

  Joe watched Leah’s beautiful face. Several emotions had crossed it as she sipped her wine. The most beautiful emotion was the smile that lit her face when her wife entered the room.

  Ah, they’re playing their game tonight, Joe thought, smiling to himself. He loved it when they played their game.

  Mika sat down beside Leah at the bar. She ordered wine and sipped it quietly as Leah ignored her.

  “I don’t mean to be forward, miss,” Mika said to her sincerely, “but you look very familiar.”

  Leah ignored her but watched her closely in the mirror.

  “I know who you are,” Mika said gleefully, “you’re the mother of my future children.”

  A wide smile graced her lips, exposing dazzling white teeth, but she managed not to laugh and continued to ignore Mika. Leah sipped her wine slowly, sensuously, then purposefully ran her pink tongue along her lips, savoring the wine, pressing her lips together. Her wife moaned loudly.

  Mika placed her forearms on the bar and dropped her head, so her forehead rested on them. She mumbled something to the empty space below the bar.

  Leah placed her hand on Mika’s arm, but she continued to mumble to herself. Leah moved closer to her wife and whispered something in her ear. Mika continued to mumble incoherently into the space below the bar.