Face Behind the Mask

by Leo King

  Although Dixie saw no outward signs or tells, her gut told her he was lying.

  However, that explanation appeared to sate Connick. “Right. So, Louis, before the mayor’s office puts both of us up on the cross again, let’s find this little nutcase and take her down. And try not to kill her. The last thing we need is the Picayune running a story on the white, ex-military police commander having his men gun down the little black girl.”

  He headed off with Ouellette muttering. “That’s not offensive. Not at all. Asshole.” Then he turned to Dixie. “So here’s what we do. You find out where Hannah Davis is and bring her in alive. Use any means you have at your disposal. I don’t care how unorthodox. Let me repeat that again. No matter what you have to do, bring her in alive. I’ll go deal with the press, the mayor, and anyone else who gets in your way.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  He turned to leave, but then he stopped. “And by the way, congratulations.”

  “Pardon?”

  “The engagement ring you’re wearing. Congratulations.”

  This time, he left.

  Her brow furrowed. “I hate it when he does that.”

  Behind her, Dr. Kindley said, “Yes, yes. Ouellette is simply amazing, isn’t he? Even after all these years, he impresses me when he takes the stage.” His voice was thick with contempt.

  “Hmph. And how long have you known him, to speak of him in the familiar?” She glared back at him.

  He smirked. “Perhaps even longer than you, Lieutenant.” He shrugged and pushed up his glasses. “But what do I know, right? I’m not nearly as intelligent as you, after all.”

  A bad taste rose in her mouth. She really disliked him.

  “You know, Dr. Kindley, I was going to ask your thoughts on Miss Davis, since you obviously lied through your teeth to the DA just now. But then I realized I just don’t care what you have to say.”

  “Oh, I think you should. But then again, you don’t believe in ghosts and goblins, do you? And magic is something akin to pulling a rabbit out of a hat.”

  His glasses began to shimmer as if filled with their own light. “A lot of people died tonight. That’s an awful lot of energy for someone with the right tools to use.”

  She shook her head. This guy was supposed to be a doctor. Why was he spouting nonsense?

  The shimmer faded. “I wonder how much will be released when Miss Davis dies.”

  Her skin crawled as if covered in a hundred tiny bugs. “Only a sicko would see benefit in a child’s death.”

  As he walked past her, his voice got low, almost threatening. “I’m practical with my new tools, nothing else. But what I do is none of your concern. If I were you, Lieutenant, I’d start believing right here, right now.”

  He sauntered off, whistling. She glared at his back.

  What was he up to? Were these “new tools” he was bragging about the ones Ouellette was searching for? If so, Landry needs to know.

  The inside of the psych ward reminded Dixie of the wharf. Blood was everywhere, caking the floors, walls, and ceiling like a macabre coat of paint. Some of the bodies were so badly mutilated that, more than likely, they’d only be identifiable by their dental records.

  She frowned as she worked her way around the crime lab people. How could a ten-year-old girl be capable of this much brutality?

  She entered the common room, where the fluorescent lights flickered. She saw dozens of bodies—some orderlies and some patients. She recognized a few of them: the short patient who had told her where Sam was and the older woman who had quoted Martha Stewart. Like with the Davis family, there were few defensive wounds.

  “Serious mess here, eh, Dixie?”

  Rivette and Landry had joined her. While Landry looked around horrified, Rivette said, “We came over as soon as I got off the phone. Ouellette just filled us in on our ‘mission.’ So we’re supposed to capture a girl who can do all this without killing her?”

  “Yes,” she said, trying not to lose her balance on the gore-covered floor.

  “Well, Dixie, I gotta say that I hate the position we’re being put in.”

  “Duly noted.”

  He folded his arms and scrutinized her. Then he grunted. “So what do we do?”

  Finally steadying herself on a pillar, she said, “Go up front and see if there’s any security-camera footage. Maybe we can get an idea of where she went.”

  After giving a dramatic bow where he nearly slipped, he headed off.

  “Landry?” Dixie called.

  He was chatting with one of the crime lab specialists, so she shouted his name again. “Hey, Landry!”

  “Yes, Dixie,” he said, carefully walking over to her.

  She lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “I don’t know if it means anything, but Dr. Kindley’s been acting very strange. I suspect he may have whatever it is that Ouellette has you searching for.”

  His voice lowered just the same. “Are you sure?”

  “No, I’m not. I don’t even know what tool you’re looking for. It’s just a hunch.”

  He locked eyes with her and then nodded. “Thanks.”

  As he walked away, Dixie scanned the room for any information that could lead to Hannah. She was just about to leave when a familiar white flash caught her eye. She turned just in time to see that same small orb float to the far wall of the room. What she saw took away her breath and made her heart race.

  The letters for “Crazy is only in your mind” had been cut, torn, and rearranged to spell “Stomp out the baby.”

  “Oh, my God,” she said, shining her flashlight on it. “Paul, look.”

  The moment he saw it, he put his hand on her back. “Dixie, we need to get you out of here. Right now.”

  “Yes, please. Get me out of here.”

  They stepped out into the front lobby, which was swarming with uniformed officers and medical personnel. Rivette was on the phone. As soon as he saw her, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Her heart was still racing as Paul said, “Hannah left a written threat for Dixie, Scott. We need to get her to safety.”

  At once, Rivette hung up the phone and took her arm. “Let’s get you out of here now. We can form a plan later.”

  She suddenly thought of Gino. He’d be alone and very vulnerable. “Um, guys, can one of you please go get Gino?”

  Landry waved. “I’ll call him and let him know what’s going on. Then I’ll go get him. Scott, can you bring her to the precinct?”

  Rivette tugged on her arm. “Yep! Let’s go, Dixie. No time for chances.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she said, “Thank you, Paul. Right, Scott. Let’s get going.”

  While Landry got on the phone, Rivette led her to the exit. They met Ouellette at the front door.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked, looking at the two of them. “We have an investigation to run. No time to get coffee, children.”

  Without skipping a beat, Rivette said, “Sir, we believe that Miss Davis is going to target the lieutenant directly. We want to take her and Gino into protective custody.”

  Thanks, Scott, for handling this. She hated feeling this vulnerable.

  Again, Ouellette looked back and forth between them and then said, “Fine. Get them to the precinct. We’ll figure things out there. We’ll—”

  “Lieutenant!”

  Landry was waving frantically. “You need to come and listen to this right now!”

  As if the devil himself were after her, she rushed toward Landry, pushing past other police, hospital staff, and patients, until she was able to snatch the phone away. “Hello? Gino?”

  She was answered with a recording of a song.

  “So never mind the darkness, we still can find a way.”

  A cold needle pricked her heart.

  “’Cause nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.”

  “Hannah!” she screamed into the phone. Almost everyone in the room turned to her. “Hannah! Don’t hurt him! Don’t hurt him, please!�
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  Girlish laughter, followed by Gino crying out in pain, was her response.

  “Gino!” Her throat was parched and her temples pounded. “Please! Hannah! Don’t hurt him!”

  This time, Hannah said, “Hurry home, bitch!”

  Then the line went dead.

  Her balance dropped and so did she, sliding to the floor. Wrapping her arm around herself, she shivered uncontrollably. All she could think about was Gino’s body, bloody and broken.

  And then Rivette was at her feet, gently shaking her. “Dixie? Lieutenant, what’s going on?”

  But she could barely hear him, just as she could barely hear Landry relaying what was going on, or even hear Ouellette barking orders. All she could hear was Gino’s cries.

  He’s going to die! God—someone—what do I do?

  Anxiety flowed through her like a river. She never felt so out of control.

  Then she saw Dr. Kindley staring at her from across the room. She instantly remembered his words: “… start believing right here, right now.”

  Believing. I’ve refused to believe she’s possessed.

  Then Rivette’s words followed: “…go with whatever solution has the least assumptions.”

  She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. If all I assume is that Hannah is possessed, this entire case makes sense.

  And finally, Tania’s words rang in her head: “If she’s possessed, I’ll know, and I can help.”

  Opening her eyes, she pulled herself to her feet. She had to take a stand. “OK, I know what I need to do.” She grabbed the receiver, tucked it under her chin, and dialed Tania’s number.

  “Dixie?” Rivette asked. “What do we do?”

  The other line started ringing. “I want you to bring the car around so I can get home. I’m sure that by the time we do, Ouellette will have the entire SWAT team there. But I need to meet someone.”

  “What are you doing?”

  She didn’t answer him because Tania had picked up. “Thank you for calling La Croix Voodoo Shoppe. How may I help you?”

  Dixie breathed a sigh of relief. “Tania? This is Lieutenant Olivier. I’m going to need your help with Hannah Davis after all.”

  She swallowed hard.

  “I’m ready to believe.”

  By the time Dixie got back home, being driven by Rivette and Landry, at least a dozen police cars, an ambulance, and an armored SWAT vehicle surrounded the upscale apartment building. A police helicopter was flying around, shining a spotlight on the upper windows. Several news stations and a growing crowd of people were gathering outside.

  As soon as they parked, she headed to the mobile command center. Among the several officers, Ouellette was inside, standing near a hostage negotiator. Ouellette was wearing his Kevlar jacket and looked ready for war.

  “He’s pulling out all the stops,” Rivette said.

  Dixie tapped her commander on the shoulder. “Expecting another wharf incident?”

  He spun around. His face had the same intensity as it had that night. “Not taking any chances. But enough of that. Gino’s still alive. The negotiator is on the phone with him right now.”

  She hurried over and grabbed the phone from the negotiator. “Gino, baby?”

  “Dixie?” He sounded pained and weakened.

  “Baby, what’s going on? Are you OK?”

  “I’ve been better. But I’m alive.” He sounded hoarse.

  In the background, the negotiator and Ouellette started arguing over procedure. She shut them out. “How badly are you hurt, honey?”

  His chuckle turned into a coughing fit. “That little girl. She really beat me. I think she broke my arm. She didn’t get you, though, right? That is all that matters.”

  Her hand started shaking. It was a struggle to keep the phone still. In the background of the call, she could still hear “November Rain” playing.

  Calm down. If you panic, he’s dead.

  “What is Hannah doing right now? Can you see her?”

  “Yes. She’s in the front room. She’s dancing. Lewdly.”

  Tears dripped down her cheeks. “Can you get into another room?”

  “I’m trying. I’m in the hallway. Crawling to the bedroom. Will—AHHHH!”

  She cringed as his cry was cut short, her throat constricting until she could only breathe tiny huffs. For an awful moment, there was total silence. Then someone picked up the phone.

  “Is that you, Lieutenant?” It was Hannah.

  With every ounce of will she possessed, Dixie steadied her nerves. “You know it’s me, Hannah.”

  “Good. I was just about to break your boyfriend’s neck, and I wanted you to hear.”

  “No!” she wailed into the receiver.

  Everyone in the command center stopped what they were doing. You could hear a pin drop.

  Then Hannah laughed. “Gotcha! Happy Halloween!”

  Every nerve in Dixie’s body tingled. Every part of her shook. She was certain that her heart had stopped and then restarted.

  Ouellette reached over and flipped the call to speakerphone. Then he gently took the phone from her hand.

  “Listen, Lieutenant, it’s really simple,” Hannah said. “Come see me alone, and your bo-hunk lives. I get so much as a hint of the police coming up here, and he’ll be dead before you blink.”

  Then the line went dead. Slowly, Dixie turned to face everyone. They were watching her with concern.

  “What does she want with you?” Ouellette asked.

  Her voice shook. “I think… I think she wants to kill me.”

  The look on his face became almost murderous. “No way are you going up there, then.”

  “Lieutenant, if you can get Miss Davis to release the hostage, we can proceed with a raid,” the hostage negotiator said.

  Just when it seemed like Ouellette was about to tear into the man, Rivette said, “Actually, Commander, it’s a valid plan. No one can get into a suspect’s head like Dixie. All she has to do is distract her until we get Gino to safety. Then we can nail her.”

  Dixie’s lips quivered as she smiled. Thanks, Scott. You’re a great guy.

  Ouellette clicked his jaw several times. “Fine, but we do this by the book, or our careers are dead. You, negotiator, get your ass back on the phone and get the hostage ready for release. Rivette, you and Landry cover Olivier and wait to extract Gino. First sign of trouble, though, go in with maximum force. And I don’t care what Connick said. If you have to, bring the girl down.”

  It took only a few minutes for Dixie, Rivette, and Landry to get into their Kevlar vests, both men helping her get dressed. By the time they were done, the negotiator had an answer from Hannah.

  “She’s agreed to let Gino go but demands that the lieutenant go unarmed.”

  Ouellette said, “Bad idea. But it’s your ass, Olivier, so it’s your call.”

  Putting on her badge, she said, “I’ll be OK. You do your part, Commander. I’ll do mine.”

  Then she motioned to the negotiator. “Tell her I’m coming in, unarmed.”

  As Dixie, Rivette, and Landry stepped out onto the top floor, they saw Tania leaning against the wall. She was in a full indigo-colored bodysuit and had a dangerous look in her eyes. All hints of charm and sweetness were gone.

  “You didn’t tell me it would be this hard to get up here, Lieutenant.”

  “I didn’t know. Sorry.”

  “Who the hell is this?” Rivette asked as both he and Landry reached for their sidearms. “How the hell did she get here? The whole floor is shut down.”

  Dixie held out her arm. “Stand down, men. I invited her. I think she can help.”

  “A civilian? Really?” Rivette sounded disgusted.

  She ignored him. “Tania, tell me you can help.”

  Tania folded her arms under her chest. Her gaze was intense. “I can’t guarantee yours or anyone else’s safety, if that’s what you’re asking. But I can feel it. You’ve got a krabinay in there—a real strong one. And it wants to kill.”


  “What the hell is a krabinay?” Now Rivette sounded even more frustrated. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

  “I think we should just let the lieutenant do her job,” Landry said. He seemed very calm for someone usually so nervous.

  Nodding, Dixie said, “Landry’s right. I need to try this out first. Tania’s coming with me. Stick to the plan. If this goes bad, do what the commander ordered, even if you have to kill the suspect.”

  Rivette gritted his teeth, his face getting red. “Fine! But be careful, OK, Dixie? You aren’t just risking your own life anymore.” He motioned toward her stomach. “Don’t be stupid.”

  She was grateful to him once again. “I won’t take any risks, Scott. Thanks. Just watch my back.”

  “You know I will.”

  As Dixie headed toward her apartment, she filled Tania in on the situation. When she was finished, Tania said, “This is unusual behavior for a krabinay. It sounds like someone forced it into Hannah and is ordering it to kill specifically to send life energy back into the spirit world. Like a ritual of sorts.”

  Dixie nodded, remembering Occam’s razor. She’d just have to trust that Tania knew what she was talking about. “Hannah wants me to go in alone, so wait until Gino’s out before you do anything.”

  “All right. But you must keep the krabinay busy. I have to touch the host in order to do anything. If it sees me coming, we’ll have a bloody fight on our hands, one I can’t guarantee you’ll survive.”

  “Understood.” Something told Dixie that wasn’t a bluff.

  Once at the apartment, Tania hid behind some nearby potted plants while Dixie gingerly opened the door. “Hannah, it’s Dixie. I’m coming in, alone and unarmed.”

  Hannah was in the hallway, standing on an unconscious Gino, his right arm unnaturally bent. Her hair covered much of her face, showing only a wide, sick grin.

  “Hey, there. Thanks for stopping by. I got bored playing with your man-steak. So, here!”

  Jumping off, she pushed him across the floor like a curling stone. Dixie barely stumbled out of the way, landing against the dining-room table as she lost her balance. Gino slid out into the hallway, hitting the wall with a heavy thud. He groaned and then fell silent.