Answering the Call

by Ali Vali

  Nathan came in and dropped to her other side, placed his hands on her shoulders, and squeezed. “What did the bastard say?” he asked.

  “What bastard?” Keegan asked, then seemed to understand when she sat up and held her. “I’m here, and I’m all right. Nathan, there’s a glass on the nightstand. Can you get her some water, please?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, pulling back and wiping her face. “I didn’t mean to freak out and scare you.”

  “You’re the steadiest person I know, so it must’ve been something important for you to come looking for me.” Keegan brushed her hair back and kissed her. “Tell me.”

  She drank the water Nathan had gotten from the bathroom sink and told them about the phone call and what the person had said. “Once I realized you weren’t there, I panicked.”

  “Was the call just to scare you? Like a practice run before they really try to hurt someone close to you?” Nathan asked, sitting on the bed.

  “Perlis did the same thing, and it turned out to be bullshit, so this might be more of the same. The orishas might be different, but the crimes are basically the same. The way the caller threatened, though, made me believe someone had been hurt. It sounded like a done deal.”

  “The fucker is sick, so this was all to throw you off. Maybe those reports we’re waiting on have something to them, and this diversion is to lead you away from some answer we’re about to find,” Nathan said. “Keegan not being at the restaurant was just a lucky break on their end.”

  “We’ll find out eventually, but right now you need to get off my bed before I lose my shit again,” she said to Nathan, and Keegan finally laughed.

  “Go ahead and call your date and tell her we’ll be there in a little while. After all this, we deserve a little downtime,” Keegan said, and Nathan took the hint and left them alone. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She gladly welcomed Keegan on her lap after she sat on the bed. “If I hadn’t gone completely insane, I would’ve scanned and searched the area. The only way this bastard figured out where I was is by watching.”

  “It makes me feel special, then, that you came looking for me instead of doing that.” Keegan kissed her after she spoke. “I am sorry that happened.”

  “I really don’t know how I’d handle it if something really did happen to you.” She held Keegan for a while longer before they were ready to go. “Thanks for having my back, Nathan,” she said when they got downstairs. “Park in the same spot, and we’ll meet you there.”

  “Okay,” Nathan said, tapping his phone in his hand.

  “Problem?” she asked as Keegan leaned against her and she held her hand.

  “Judy’s not answering, so I guess she’s already there,” he said, but his tone held no conviction.

  “Let me call,” Keegan said, moving to the phone. Sept and Nathan stared at each other while Keegan spoke to the maître’ d and the kitchen staff, and no one had met Judy Rollings. “She’s not there.”

  “We’ll drop you off and go check on her,” she said, and Nathan walked out as if anxious to go. “Once I escort you inside, don’t leave until I get back. I don’t care what’s going on,” she said to Keegan. “I’ll come back for you.”

  “Okay, but call me and let me know what’s happening. I’m worried about you, and it’s already been a strange night.”

  She walked Keegan into the kitchen at the restaurant and apologized to the staff. Before she went back outside, she called her father and explained the situation. Sebastian dispatched some units to Judy’s house and said he’d wait for her follow up. Nathan turned the lights and siren back on once they were on St. Charles Avenue, and he drove like he’d made the trip often.

  “What the fuck?” he said when they saw the blue lights flashing from the multiple police cars outside Judy’s house.

  “I called my dad to make sure Judy was okay. I’m sure she’s inside pissed at both of us and only a great meal will get us out of trouble.” She got out, and Joel came and held his hands up.

  “You called this in?” Joel asked.

  “It was only a check,” she said, and the realization hit her. “What’s going on?”

  “Someone else called this in, and we were the closest unit,” Joel said and scratched the back of his head. “I was getting ready to call you guys.”

  “Why?” Nathan asked, sounding as helpless as she had right after Hunter’s call. Joel held his hands up when Nathan started to walk past him.

  “We’ve got another altar.”

  Nathan took three steps back until he hit a police car. “She’s dead?” he asked in barely a whisper.

  “Do you know her?” Joel asked, and Sept saw George walking up. “We haven’t been able to find any kind of identification.”

  “She’s one of us,” Nathan said, grabbing Joel by the collar and shaking him, then just as quickly letting him go. Sept shook her head when Joel tried to hold him back, keeping him out of the house.

  He moved into the house, pushing people out of the way. Sept was right behind him and went down to the floor with him when he reached the front room. If this was Judy, their killer had taken their time and done much more damage than at any scene before. Nathan glanced down at her naked and mutilated body and ran out.

  “Don’t let anyone near her, and get all these people out of here,” she said to Joel and followed her partner out. She found him in the front retching into the grass. “Nathan, come on.” He followed her compliantly, and she motioned for the EMS crew that had shown up to take him. They helped him rinse out his mouth and gave him a place to sit.

  “We weren’t like you and Keegan yet, but we could’ve been,” he said, and the tears came as fiercely as hers had. “She didn’t deserve that.”

  “You’re right. She didn’t. I need you to sit right here and let me take care of this.”

  “No. I’m not leaving her.”

  “Nathan, please.” She placed her hand on the back of his neck and bent to get at eye level with him. “I’m not cutting you out, but you’d do the same for me. This is too important to let emotions overrule your head. We owe her more than that.”

  “You want me to go get Julio?” The way Nathan was shaking made her want the medics to sedate him, not send him off anywhere.

  “Just sit and try to drink something. I’ll have someone go get Julio.” He nodded, and she called Julio, who promised to meet her there to save time. “Who called this in?” she asked Joel.

  “I had the guys cue it up for you,” Joel said, waving over one of the cops outside. “Go get the recorder.”

  Sept stepped back in the house and pressed Play. It was the same mechanical voice from her call and the same voice as in all the other 9-1-1 calls.

  “The warrior’s protégé wants so badly to earn a place by her side.”

  “Um.” The operator hummed, and the voice stopped. “What’s that mean?” the operator asked.

  “Tonight he can join the game since he’s paid the admission price. Go to this address, and he can collect his prize.”

  The call ended, and Sept punched her fist into her palm. Nathan was a good man, and while she’d never met Judy Rollings, she was sure she was a great match for him. That chance would never come, and she’d help Nathan get over the pain whatever way she could.

  “Hey, baby,” she said when Keegan answered the phone. “Don’t leave alone, and I’ll send one of the boys to get you if I’m not done. I know I promised to take you home, but this might take a while.”

  “What happened?”

  “The phone call I got wasn’t about you but about Nathan’s date. All of these murders are horrific, but this one is a nightmare.” She nodded to George and Jennifer as they moved to the body.

  “How’s Nathan?”

  “He’s me an hour ago. I don’t want to leave him alone too long, but Rollings deserves my full attention.” She took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the coming hours. “I love you, so please be careful.”

  “I
love you too, and whoever comes to get me, have them bring Nathan with them. He’ll feel better if he talks about it, and you’re right. He shouldn’t be alone.”

  “I love you for showing me every day why I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Try to have a good night. I’ve got to go.”

  George glanced up from his crouched position by the body. “What the hell?”

  “Maybe it’s the killer’s love of the police, but this is way beyond overkill.” She tried not to simply stare at the body, but it was hard not to. “This pretty much guarantees this son of a bitch doesn’t make it to a trial.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chloe Johnson stared out her twentieth-story window, ignoring the files on her desk and thinking of Jennifer and how she enjoyed this new job with George and major crimes. Most of the cases Jennifer was assigned to were tied to Sept Savoie, and that was the only reason she felt better about the whole thing.

  The lights of the downtown area were beautiful, but Chloe knew that only ever seeing the worst of the city they both loved would change Jen, and she feared the distance it might cause because of it.

  “Hey,” she said when she saw Jennifer’s name on the cell.

  “Hi, honey. I don’t have much time, but the last call out is going to take most of the night, so don’t worry and wait up for me. You need your rest.”

  She smiled and placed her hand on her abdomen. They’d both been swamped at work, but they never missed the chance to try for what they both really wanted. She’d planned to share her trip to the doctor that morning with Jen tonight, but that would have to wait. “You too, so don’t volunteer for anything else tonight. You’re already doing enough.”

  “Are you still at the office?” The voices in the background of wherever Jennifer was were subdued, as if they were all being respectful of the scene.

  “I was getting ready to leave, and I’ll try to wait up for you if I can.” She cleared her throat when Jen started to interrupt. “Ah, ah, ah,” she said, and Jen laughed. “I said I’ll try, but you know what the news does to me. It’s like a sleeping pill in video form.”

  “Make sure you turn it on, and then I won’t worry if you’re sleeping. I love you, and I’ll try my best to get there.”

  She disconnected the call and started packing her bag. “Hey, Chloe.” Her assistant poked her head in, and she flinched in surprise, thinking she’d left already. “Sorry. I was getting ready to go, but you have a visitor.”

  “Visitor?” she asked, not really wanting to be stuck here any longer.

  “Or pest.” She saw Roger Smith’s handsome face in her doorway. They’d graduated together and had been study partners from the beginning. “It’s all in how you want to look at it.”

  “Get in here, pest,” she said, smiling and holding her arms out. By luck they’d ended up in the same building, and they had lunch at least once a week. Roger had grown up pretty much like she had, and while they shared their success in work, Roger hadn’t found the same in his personal life. “I missed you this week.”

  “Believe me, I’d much rather have been here, but Gretchen roped me into a case I don’t want any part of, and it might piss Jen off.”

  “That’s tough, buddy, but I can’t see Jen getting pissed at you no matter what. I’ll talk to her if she has the bad manners to prove me wrong. Believe me, I have ways of bending her to my will. Above all else, I think she finally understands that everyone deserves a defense thing.” She went back to packing her bag and finished so they could get out of there together. “Are you free for dinner, or do you have a hot date lined up?”

  “Come on. Let me feed you,” he said and bowed deeply. “As far as the hot dates, I’m convinced that all the gay men in New Orleans are completely insane, especially the really good-looking ones.”

  “Way to generalize, drama queen,” she said, taking his arm.

  “Please. You thought that until you met Ms. Wonderful. Where the hell is Mr. Wonderful, I ask you?” he yelled in the darkened hallway and threw his other arm over his eyes.

  “Shut up, you nut, and don’t make me resort to setting you up again.”

  He gazed at her with a mortified expression. “Please, no. That last guy owned a snake, and I’m not talking about any kind of fabulous physical trait. I’m going to find the love of my life like every other person in this new age of modern technology.”

  “As compared to olden-times technology?” she asked and laughed when he stuck his tongue out at her. “All right. I won’t tease you no matter what, but if you say eHarmony, you should know they won’t find matches for spawns of the devil.”

  “If you’re referring to my awesome gayness, there’s no devil spawn about it, but I am talking about internet dating.” He walked her to her car and took her bag and opened her door before getting in. “That way I figure, it’d be faster to click and delete instead of waste time and money on drinks. All the alcohol is murder on my pores.”

  “Poor, poor, pitiful you,” she said, and he stuck his tongue out again. “And you never know. You could pointedly question a hot cop on the stand, then take her home. Oh, wait, that was me.”

  He snorted and smiled when she took a right on Poydras and headed to Ruth’s Chris for steaks. “I’m still shocked you made it to the second date before chewing through her pants and that she hasn’t figured out you’re drugging her to like you.”

  “That was mean,” she said, waiting for the valet to open her door. “But sadly true.”

  “Not the drugging part. Ms. Shultz is disgustedly and madly in love with you. Besides, she’d get fired if they ever popped a surprise screening on her.” He held two fingers up, and the maître ’d sat them by the open windows that overlooked the nice alleyway outside that led to more bars and restaurants. “How’s she holding up running with the big dogs?”

  “She looks like a big kid heading to camp every day, so she’s great. Because, I, like you, am an evil attorney, it limits our conversations at home. We don’t talk about most cases, so there’s no conflict, but she’s definitely loving it.” She opted for her usual petite filet and potato, with sparkling water.

  “And you?” he asked after ordering. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m trying not to nag, and since Sept Savoie is leading most of what she’s working on now, I’m not as concerned anymore.”

  He held his hand up, and she stopped talking. “Don’t say anything else, since hot cop is causing a conflict between us. My new case, where more than anything I’m window dressing, is Alex Perlis. Gretchen and Fred are taking the lead, but they brought me in to fill the last chair at the table. If the jury sees we can sit next to him without cringing, they might not kill him.”

  “Wow, small world, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he said, taking a sip of his beer. “Considering Jen’s new position, I tried to keep my distance, which is usually impossible since I love tough cases. Hell, I was a tough case for years, but this time Gretchen didn’t give me a choice. Now I’m representing the creepiest human I’ve ever met, and Gretchen has loaded me down with research.”

  “Shut up before you get yourself into trouble. And I’ll talk to Jen on your behalf. Had she heard it from anyone else, I’d fear for your life, but I was serious about her understanding what we do and why we do it.” She took his hand and squeezed. Roger understood her and what she’d been through more than anyone.

  “Thanks, and please know I realize how weird this is. It’s bizarre that my client had a job that’s now being done by my best friend’s partner. It doesn’t get any weirder than that.”

  “I feel for you, buddy. I’ve represented some real doozies in my time, but Perlis is truly evil.” She smiled at the waiter.

  “Everyone has at least one redeeming value or trait, but I’m still looking when it comes to this guy. Hopefully Jen won’t have to deal with anything remotely close to what he did.” He stopped talking and ate some of his salad, and she did the same to keep from commenting. “I did, though, get to m
eet someone famous.”

  “Don’t tell me Brad Pitt is going to play him in the movie. That’ll totally change my opinion of him. I don’t care how many houses he builds to bring the Ninth Ward neighborhood back, that would be unforgivable.” She followed his lead and stuck her tongue out at him, and he made a disgusted face when he saw her mouth was full of leafy green things.

  “Brad Pitt will probably play Sept Savoie, that hunky thing. If anyone should’ve been born a man who then would fulfill my every fantasy, it should’ve been her.” He pointed his fork at her when she started to open her mouth again. “But I digress. The writer Nicole Voles is all over Gretchen and this case. She’s writing a book about it.”

  “From what perspective, I wonder?” She nodded when the busboy cleared her salad plate. “I read one of her books, and it was enough to see she was anti-police.”

  “I can’t answer that, but Perlis fascinates her. No matter what, you know I’m firmly in the pro-cop camp.”

  “Thanks, buddy,” she said, and they stayed clear of work for the rest of their meal. Now she prayed Jen made it home early enough for them to talk. He kissed her cheek and refused a ride home since he didn’t live far. “Call me, and we’ll do this again soon since Jen’s been working so much.”

  “I will, and I love you,” he said, hugging her tight. “And your little secret is safe with me until then.”

  “What?”

  “Girl, you’re glowing, and I’m already planning all my spoiling. I insist on being called Aunt Roger.”

  “I haven’t talked to Jen yet, so I’m not confirming anything.” She kissed his cheek again and stayed in his arms, enjoying the scent of him. “And I love you too, Aunt Roger.”

  * * *

  Hunter watched from the other side of the street as the two old friends said their good nights. Most of the other games were about random patterns. The victims might’ve fit a pattern the original killer found necessary, like all blond women or gay men. The psychology behind their choices indicated their hatred of their mothers or urges they wanted to suppress, but random was the rule.