Answering the Call

by Ali Vali

  “That I don’t mind, but you need to do me a favor.”

  “Name it, aside from jailing your enemies in the food industry,” she joked, and Della shook her head.

  “I’ve got other people for that, so concentrate on what and who you love. Tomorrow you’re going back to something you enjoy doing, but don’t ever stop talking to Keegan about everything. That’s the secret to making something last.”

  “And don’t forget to take care of yourself,” Melinda added. “Don’t worry about Mike until you get off work. I’ve enjoyed having him around.”

  “Thanks, Mom, from both of us, but we’ll pick him up tonight before we head home,” Keegan said. “Come by tomorrow and have lunch with me, and we’ll get started on our rough draft.” She went willingly into her mother’s arms. “I love you.”

  “I love all three of you,” Melinda said as she hugged Sept, then Jacqueline. “And this was a nice night to celebrate and give Sept a good send-off to start work again. I know you’ve missed it.”

  “I have a little, and I’m sure it’ll be boring for a while, but I won’t complain.” She crossed her fingers and smiled, but figured she’d just jinxed herself simply by mentioning the word “boring.”

  * * *

  “What was that like?” Terri Schultz asked her daughter Jennifer as she finished preparing dinner. “You’ve wanted this job for so long, and now you’re mixed up right in the middle of it. I don’t like it.”

  “Ma, calm down. It was simply a quick trip out of town to test some evidence.” Jennifer picked a cucumber out of the salad and sat on a stool at the kitchen island. “It’s not a trip to the gallows.”

  She’d grown up in a family of lawyers, but no matter how much her parents had pushed, she wasn’t interested in the firm her great-grandfather had established. She didn’t want to walk a beat either, so she’d picked forensics, applied to work with George Falgout, and persisted until he said yes.

  “The drive up there was good, since I got to pick George’s brain and get to know him better. You don’t often see something like the Perlis case, and that bastard was working the scenes. He cleaned up any mistakes he’d made while the city was paying him to do it.” The realization still made her angry because people would point to Perlis when they wanted to blame the police for something.

  “Sweetie, you’re going to have to let that one go and concentrate on doing a good job,” Chloe Johnson, Jennifer’s partner, said as she put her arms around Jennifer and kissed her. “I’m glad you’re home. How’d it go?”

  Chloe had gone to work for Jennifer’s father and quickly become one of the firm’s frontrunners to make partner, even without the added bonus of dating David Schultz’s daughter. They’d actually met in the courtroom when Jennifer had been the officer who’d explained the evidence against Chloe’s client to the jury. No matter how hard Chloe had tried, she hadn’t been able to rattle her. That had come much later, after their fourth date. Now Chloe could rattle her plenty, but the tone of the questions was very different and very personal.

  “It was okay,” she said, resting her head on Chloe’s chest. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, but I caught up on my caseload so I can spend the entire dinner with the family. No cutting out early, but I can’t say the same for Dad.” Chloe scratched her back and kissed her forehead before hugging Terri. “Thanks for cooking, Mom.”

  “Can’t you use some of your womanly wiles to convince this one to go back to law school? She’s been assigned to her new team for a whole whopping three days, and something strange has already happened,” Terri said, kissing Chloe’s cheek.

  Chloe stared at her with wide eyes, as if Jennifer had lost her mind. “I use those to get her to take out the trash and cut the grass, but I guess I can refocus,” Chloe said, holding her hand out to her. “Come on. Let’s go sit outside so I can seduce you to the dark side.”

  She and her mother laughed, but she wasn’t foolish enough to turn Chloe down. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said when they shared a chaise lounge by the pool.

  “If it’s that I’m shocked you’re sharing war stories with the most overprotective, paranoid mother in the world, then yes, that’s what I’m thinking.” Chloe undid a few of Jennifer’s shirt buttons and slipped her hand inside to scratch her abdomen. “Am I right?”

  “You usually are,” she said, closing her eyes and enjoying the attention. “But you know better.”

  “So what happened? Think carefully before you give me the company line,” Chloe said, pinching the skin by her navel.

  “We made a deal, sunshine, so try again.” She grabbed Chloe’s hand before she pinched harder. “We never know when our jobs will overlap, so I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mom. I went with George to test some evidence—end of story.”

  “More like incomplete story, hardhead. Any particular reason you and George are going that far to test anything?” Chloe moved up a bit so she could whisper in her ear. “You know you’re dying to tell me.”

  “Actually, I’m dying to make out with you, but Mom is probably glued to the window spying on us. So we’ll save that for later, and you’ll be too engaged to ask any more questions.”

  “Are you usually this delusional?” Chloe asked, turning her head and kissing her passionately. “And maybe Mom is trying to learn something from you aside from what you were doing in North Louisiana.”

  “Nice try, but not going to work.”

  “You’re no fun, Schultz. Let’s go eat so we can get naked.”

  She laughed, standing so she could help Chloe up. “You’re definitely the idea person in this relationship.”

  “I’m also the ovulating person in this relationship, so you’ve got some work to do when we get home. With any luck this will be the surprise everyone will be excited about for the holidays.” Chloe held her in place by the belt and lifted her face to request a kiss. “I love you, Officer, so make sure you’ve got your cuffs later.”

  “You live to make me blush in front of my mother, don’t you?” she said but slid her hands down to cup Chloe’s ass.

  “It is one of the things I live for, since your mother gets such a kick out of it.” Chloe wrapped her arms around her waist and pressed the side of her face against her chest. “Thank you for choosing me and introducing me to your family. They and you have been the greatest gifts I’ve ever gotten.”

  “You’re easy to love, baby, and my mother and father love you more than me and Davie. As a matter of fact, I think you’re their favorite.” And that wasn’t far from the truth. Chloe had been in the child-welfare system from age six, so how she’d come through so whole and happy was something Jennifer gave thanks for.

  “That simply means Mom and Dad are very intelligent people.” Chloe kissed her on the chin and gazed into her eyes. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  “I’m always careful, so that’s not going to change.”

  “The scope of what you’ll be doing will change, though, and it makes me a little nuts. We both know George and the people who work for him are the leads for major crimes, which will put you in the thick of it.” Chloe cupped her cheek with a very serious expression. “If you get hurt, I don’t know if I can handle it.”

  “Would it help if we talk about some new terms to our deal?”

  “Like what?” Chloe sounded suspicious.

  “You or the firm can’t be in any way involved with the case.”

  Chloe shook her head, hugging her again. “I want you to talk to me only if something’s bothering you. That’s the deal.”

  “You got it, and the same goes for you.”

  “I will, but tonight I’m only interested in using your mouth for purely pleasurable pursuits.”

  Chapter Five

  Sept finished getting ready by clipping her holster to her belt and her badge on the front. The sigh Keegan let out behind her as she sat on the bed made her turn around and smile. She knelt between Keegan’s legs and kissed her for a l
ong moment, wanting to put her at ease.

  “I doubt we’ll be doing anything that’ll keep us late, so I’ll pick you up tonight.”

  “I’ll get Jacqueline to give me a ride then, so we don’t have two cars tonight,” Keegan said, pressing their foreheads together. “Now start channeling that badass cop I met months ago.” Keegan waved her to her feet and held her hand as they walked down the stairs. Their dog Mike was already in the kitchen since Jacqueline took him on her morning runs.

  Sept was surprised to find her partner Nathan in there as well. “Did you get lost?” she asked, heading for the coffee pot.

  “If Keegan invites me over for a meal, I’m coming. I’m not an idiot, and partnering up with you has been the smartest move of my career so far,” Nathan said, and the sisters laughed.

  “Leave him alone, honey,” Keegan said, pointing to the table so they’d sit. “I need Nathan at full strength to keep an eye on you. You know how you get into trouble if left to your own devices.”

  “What are you two up to now that you’re back to wearing the capes?” Jacqueline asked, pouring everyone orange juice.

  “We’ll be back in rotation, so we’ll work cases as they come in,” she said, her stomach growling when Keegan took a breakfast casserole out of the oven. “Hopefully, I don’t have to chase anyone after I eat my weight in that.”

  Nathan’s phone rang, and she laughed, thinking of how obnoxious Della considered being interrupted during any family dinner. “Sorry, it’s Royce,” he said, mentioning their supervisor. “Yes, sir.”

  He stayed on the phone for five minutes and pinched the bridge of his nose when he wasn’t writing anything down. “What?” she mouthed, and he put his finger up. “We’ll be there in twenty.”

  “What?” she asked again, reaching for her jacket.

  “I don’t want to tell you,” he said, glancing at Keegan’s breakfast. “But we have to go.”

  “Nathan,” Keegan said, filling two paper plates and handing him one. “Take care of her, or I’ll sic my grandmother on you.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I promise not to take my eyes off her.”

  “Be careful, and call if you get a chance,” Keegan said, kissing her again. “If you’re not too late, we can have the big talk with Jacqueline.”

  “You got it. Have fun at work today,” she said, kissing Jacqueline’s cheek since she’d wandered over at hearing her name. “No hints until I get back, so cut Keegan some slack.”

  Nathan was in the car shoving casserole into his mouth when she joined him and waited for him to swallow before asking questions. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” she asked, and he shook his head.

  He slapped the blue light on the roof and took off down St. Charles Avenue, headed for the interstate. “Royce said some fucker called in asking for you and got bitchy when you didn’t come to the phone. After Royce talked to them, he or she gave up an address.”

  “He or she?” She took a bite of breakfast, thinking this would be her last meal for some time.

  “Royce couldn’t tell since they used one of those voice manipulators. He said it could’ve been his mother and he wouldn’t have recognized her.”

  “Did our mystery person give a hint as to what this was about?”

  “No, but the address is in New Orleans East, a block from where we found Tameka Bishop.”

  “Fuck,” she said, and Nathan nodded. This nightmare couldn’t be starting over already. “Royce,” she said, calling him and hearing a lot of talking in the background. “Shut that scene down if you haven’t, and call George, but tell him to wait until I get there.”

  “Already done, and I’ve got plenty of uniforms out here locking down a block perimeter. The news folks are already here, kid, and they’re asking some pretty informed questions.”

  “Your tipster most probably made more than one call then, and if they did, it’s only going to make this harder.” Nathan reached the on-ramp and gunned it.

  Alex Perlis had chosen New Orleans East because it’d been pretty much deserted after Katrina, and now months later it wasn’t much better. The water had stagnated here longer than anywhere else, so the area still had that gray, desolate feel about it. Some people had come back, but not enough to put anyone remotely close to where Tameka had been killed.

  “Just get here, and I’ll call Sebastian,” Royce said and hung up.

  “This is too close to Perlis, and there’s no way we got the wrong guy,” Nathan said.

  “I won’t argue that point, but this sounds like Perlis minus the phone call. He called but not until he’d killed numerous times.” She ate the rest of what Keegan had given her before calling her. “Hey, have Jacqueline drop you off at work and take you home. We might be late, but I’ll call you if I’m going to be real late.”

  “You’ve been back like thirty seconds, so what can keep you out late already?”

  “I’ll tell you later, but I’m headed to a crime scene in New Orleans East. Don’t put a lot into that statement, but this could be more involved than I was expecting on my first day.”

  “I love you, so please be careful.”

  “I love you more, so keep those pretty eyes open.”

  It took them another fifteen minutes to reach the first blockade Royce had set up, and the uniform made them walk in. She would’ve complained, but Royce had given explicit instructions to keep the crime scene as uncontaminated as possible.

  The houses lining both sides of the street were all still abandoned, and some appeared vandalized, which was ridiculous. These people had lost everything, and now that the water had receded, addicts had flooded their homes, looking for a place to shoot up. The police were having to canvass this area again, but instead of drowning victims, they were searching for dead junkies.

  “This place is creepy during the day, so can you imagine at night?” Nathan said as he flipped his pad to a new page.

  “Let’s have patrols beefed up and round up some of the crank heads around here. It’s iffy, but one of them might’ve seen something,” she said and stopped to stare at the next block down. The house where Tameka had died would definitely be her next stop. “Hey, John,” she said to the sergeant at the end of the cracked driveway. “Send a couple of guys to that house and lock it down too.” She pointed to the place, and he nodded. “Tell them not to go in, and we’ll be over when we’re done.”

  She entered the house before Nathan and walked to the center of the first room. The scene was like stepping back into Perlis’s nightmare. “Should we get in touch with Dr. Munez?” Nathan asked.

  Dr. Julio Munez was a professor of sociology that centered on religious studies, but he was a devout believer in Santeria. It was the religion Perlis had twisted to get what his sick mind wanted, helped by the voice in his head he called Teacher. Perlis had killed his wife and son, then had killed numerous times in the name of what Sept and Nathan had learned were the Santeria orishas, or gods. The altars Perlis had constructed were his way of getting his family back, each one dedicated to an orisha that would bring him closer to that goal.

  Julio had helped them navigate the scenes they’d come across when Perlis was on his killing spree, and he’d also helped introduce them to the leaders of his faith within New Orleans.

  “Can’t hurt, so hopefully he’s not in class.” She put on some booties and stepped close enough to see the victim’s face. The beam of her flashlight highlighted the dust particles floating in the air, but Sept didn’t recognize the dead woman. The scene, though, was more than familiar, down to the red candle and the numbers drawn on the woman’s head and feet. It would’ve never occurred to her that Perlis had a partner, but perhaps Teacher wasn’t in his head and was someone real who wasn’t with Perlis when they caught him.

  “It’s the same but different,” she said as she stood next to the body studying the room.

  “What’s different?” Nathan asked, standing across from her.

  “Perlis did what he did to open some door betwee
n our world and the world of the dead to talk to the wife and child he sent there. Every crime, with the exception of the first two, were these altars he erected for these gods. He was methodical, but he evolved as he went, adding the messages we found.” She pointed to the candle, stone, and folded clothes. “All that matches, but this scene seems more organized somehow. And they added the statue of St. Anthony. If Julio’s willing, we need to get him out here.”

  “I called him, and a unit’s on the way to pick him up,” Nathan said as he wrote something down. “Do you think Perlis’s lawyer is going to use this to try to get him out?”

  “No way in hell that works, but if he had an accomplice he’s going to be keeping that sick bastard company on death row if he misses him that much.” She wanted to start picking stuff up, but she had to wait for George and his crew. “I’d rather set my feet on fire, but we’re going to have to pay Perlis a visit.”

  Perlis’s mental stability had only deteriorated during the months he’d been in lockup, and she’d heard the medical staff had no choice but to start medicating him, if only to keep him from beating his head against the walls of his cell. He’d been trying to quiet the voice in his head he kept accusing of making him mad. Sept had thought it was all horseshit, but maybe Perlis’s playmate was sending a message of how much Perlis was missed.

  “Sept.” She recognized her father’s voice outside.

  “Put some booties on and come in, and if Uncle George is with you, have him join you.” She took one more glance around the room to see if anything else was out of place in a space where everything was out of place. The dead woman with the religious stuff around her was the only neat spot here. “Look familiar?”

  “Holy shit,” Sebastian said, combing his hair back in apparent frustration. “We just got the media to not lead with all this crap, and we get a copycat?”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” she said, waving to George and Jennifer. “I doubt you’ll find any, but go ahead and dust for prints.”