by Amy Cross
Across town, in the olive grove, Evangeline Mediaci's dead body lay on the ground. Her eyes were wide, looking up at the blue sky, and her bloodied mouth was open as if she'd been on the verge of screaming. A little further down her body, her chest had been torn open and her ribcage had been cracked. Broken ribs, covered in blood and meat, were poking up among the tall, gently swaying grass.
Part Thirty-Four
I
When it came, the scream rang out across the whole town.
Within seconds, people ran out of their houses, but mixed in with the immediate shock on their faces was another reaction as the same thought struck them all:
“Not again. Please, not again.”
“What the hell was that?” Kate asked, hurrying out of the store.
“I don't know,” Jennifer replied, “but... I'm sure it was nothing.”
“It's never nothing on Thaxos,” Kate pointed out, turning to her. “It's always something bad.”
***
In the olive grove, Evangeline's body lay undisturbed.
Undiscovered.
Warm morning air rustled the grass around the dead girl's torn-open chest. A gnat buzzed through the air and landed briefly on one of the bloody ribs.
***
“What is it?” asked Eva Shaw, as she and several other townsfolk stood in the main square. “Let me see!”
A little further away, resting on the ground as blood drained into the gaps between the cobbles, a chunk of fresh, glistening meat was slowly drying in the sun. Attached to the meat at one end was a section of flesh, and just enough of a shoulder to leave no doubt in the minds of the locals.
It was part of a human body.
“How utterly disgusting,” whispered Muriel Wetherly, taking a step back. “In all my years, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this!”
“Out of the way!” a voice called from the back of the small crowd. Stopping as soon as he reached the front, Albert Wood stared at the piece of meat. “There's nothing to see here,” he continued, turning to the others. “Everyone get back to what you were doing, I'll get in touch with -” He paused suddenly as he realized that there was no-one he could contact. Everyone was waiting for him to continue, but he felt as if he was frozen.
“Get in touch with who?” Muriel asked. “The police? What police? There's no-one in charge, not since Inspector Tarud was killed! It's chaos!”
“There's a judge,” Eva added, turning to look toward the cantina. “He arrived just a day or two ago, he's got a room right up there. Maybe he can help.”
“It's either that,” Albert muttered, “or go back to Count Le Compte and beg for his assistance.” With that, he hurried toward the cantina.
***
“I'm sorry to disturb you,” Albert said, as soon as the door began to creak open, “but we -”
He paused as soon as he saw the old, thin face of the man on the other side.
“My name is Albert Wood,” he continued, “I'm a local... Well, I mean, I'm very sorry to disturb you, but we have no police officer on the island and, it's just that... A situation has arisen. I understand that you're a judge from the mainland, and we were hoping you might be able to help us.”
Jonathan Quill stared at him for a moment, before slowly a faint smile began to crack across his leathery features, exposing a set of unusually sharp, yellowing teeth.
***
“There can be no doubt,” Quill said a short while later, kneeling next to the piece of meat in the town square. “This came from a living person. Or at least, they were living until very recently. It's still warm, and that's not just from the sun. Tell me, is anyone missing?”
“We're making a check now,” Doctor Lassiter said, standing a few steps back. “It shouldn't take long, there aren't that many houses here.”
“The missing individual will be a female,” Quill replied, reaching down with a gloved hand and gently turning the chunk, so he could get a better view of the torn muscles at the top of the chest area. “Young, maybe early twenties. Average weight and height, I'd imagine, and...” Picking a long hair from the caked blood, he held it up to the light. “Blonde, I think.”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite.”
“Well that narrows it down,” Doctor Lassiter continued. “There are probably only ten or twelve people on the island who fit that description.”
“You will find that one of them is missing,” Quill continued, wincing a little as he got to his feet and leaned on his cane. “I regret to inform you that, based on the amount of blood that has been lost, I find it quite impossible that the victim is still alive. Also the violence of the incident makes it quite clear that this was a frenzied and violent attack.”
“That had already occurred to me,” the doctor replied, glancing across the square to see that a small crowd had gathered outside the cantina. “I haven't said much to the others yet. The town has been through so much lately. I don't suppose there's any chance an animal was responsible?”
“I doubt it.”
Lassiter sighed. “Then this is another to add to the list.”
“There have been many deaths?” Quill asked, turning to him.
“Apart from Inspector Tarud, there was Father Gregory, and just two nights ago Nora Graves took her own life. Three people in barely a week.”
“I see,” Quill replied. “I had heard that Thaxos was a busy island, but I must admit, I did not anticipate quite this level of mayhem.” He glanced up at the mansion, high up on the hill overlooking the town. “Then again, anywhere that is close to the Le Compte family is bound to experience such tragedies. They had a certain knack to these things.”
“There's nothing to link any of this to the Le Comptes,” Lassiter pointed out.
“Indeed, and I never suggested that they might be responsible.” Quill replied, “merely that death and misery tend to accumulate in their vicinity, the same way that moths are drawn to a flame. I do not know about some of the deaths that you mentioned, Doctor Lassiter, but I am certain of one thing. Whoever killed this poor woman before us, they were also responsible for the death of Inspector Tarud.”
“Hang on, you can't -”
“I am quite certain.”
“Based on what? Lassiter asked. “As far as I can see, there are no links at all. The style, the type of victim -”
“I have experience in these matters,” Quill told him, “and I am absolutely sure. First, though, we must find the body of this young woman, and then I think you will have all the answers you need. The fact that part of the girl's corpse has been left out like this seems, to me, to be something of a challenge. It's as if the killer was proud of what he had done, yet why not leave the rest of the body at the same time? Did he want to eat it? Did he have some other plan? Did he simply want to make us work a little harder?” He paused for a moment. “Or she. The killer might be a woman.”
“I know I might seem a little old-fashioned,” Lassiter replied, “but I would have hoped that a woman couldn't possibly be capable of such barbarity.”
“You would be surprised,” Quill told him. “No suspects can be ruled out. In fact, I'm tempted to suggest that -”
“Evangeline!” a voice shouted from the distance. Moments later, Leonard Mediaci ran into the square with an expression of pure panic in his eyes. He looked around at the people gathered nearby, desperately searching the crowd for the one face he was seeking. “She hasn't been home all night!” he continued, clearly close to tears. “She -” He stopped as soon as he saw the chunk of meat on the floor, and all the color seemed to drain from his face before finally he fainted, landing hard against the cobbles.
“We have perhaps identified our victim,” Quill continued, turning to Lassiter. “Now we must determine who killed her, and put the killer to justice.”
***
The gnat crawled along one of Evangeline's exposed ribs, momentarily getting caught in a patch of sticky blood before continuing on its way and then taking fl
ight again, rising high into the morning sky.
II
Stepping inside, Estella turned and pushed the door shut. She stared at her gloved hands for a moment, before hearing footsteps nearby and turning to see that Jacob was approaching.
“Have you been out all night, M'am?” he asked.
“I... No,” she said after a moment. “I was merely up very early and decided to go for a walk. I thought perhaps it would clear my head after everything that has happened recently.”
“Very good, M'am,” he replied, heading over to her and helping with her coat. “Will you be taking breakfast as usual?”
“What is Edgar doing?”
“I believe he is not presently at home.”
She turned to him. “He didn't come back?”
“Not that I'm aware of, M'am.”
“So he's still out at the stones?”
“I couldn't say for certain, but I imagine that is his most likely location. He did seem rather unsettled when he left last night.”
“Yes, he did,” she replied. “Still, I thought he'd come home at dawn, at the latest.” She paused for a moment. “I think I shall miss breakfast this morning, Jacob. Somehow I... I don't feel as if I'm very hungry.” She reached into her pocket to take out a handkerchief, but in the process she disturbed another piece of cloth that she'd stowed away earlier. As the cloth fell to the floor, it opened to reveal a thick, glistening blood stain.
“M'am -” Jacob began.
“It's nothing,” she said quickly, reaching down and grabbing the cloth before stuffing it back into her pocket. “I shall take care of it myself.”
“If you require a doctor, M'am -”
“No,” she said firmly, “that's the last thing I need. Under no circumstances are you to call for Doctor Lassiter, is that understood? I don't...” She paused, filled with panic. “I don't want to see him.”
“Of course, M'am.”
“I simply...” She paused again, trying to think of an explanation, before realizing that she had no need to explain herself to a manservant. “I'm tired,” she said finally, “and I must sleep. See that no-one disturbs me, not even Edgar if he should happen to show his face.” She headed toward the stairs. “Not that I imagine he'll be back any time soon, or that he will want to see me. Evidently he has far better things to be doing with his time.”
“Of course, M'am,” Jacob replied, watching as she made her way upstairs. Once she was out of sight, he looked back down at the floor and saw that the cloth had left a small dab of blood. Leaning down, he took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe the blood away.
***
“Goddamn filthy stuff,” Joshua muttered as he continued to scrub his hands in the bathroom at the rear of the workshop. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the very last of the blood from under his fingernails, even though he'd already been hard at work for half an hour. Already, his hands were starting to feel sore. “I swear, if I have to -”
“Are you okay in there?” his father called out.
Turning, Joshua watched as Albert shuffled through the doorway.
“I'll be out in a minute,” Joshua said. “Leave me alone.”
“What are you -” Albert stopped as soon as he saw that the water in the sink was running slightly red. “Son, is something wrong?”
“I cut myself on one of your stupid machines,” Joshua continued. “Don't worry, it's just a scratch. I'll be fine.”
“Of course you will,” Albert said quietly, still staring at the bloodied water. “There's been... Something's happened in town, did you hear about it?”
“I haven't heard a damn thing about anything,” Joshua replied, starting to dry his hands only to spot more blood. “Damn it...”
“There's another body,” Albert continued. “Or part of one, anyway. They found it in the middle of the town square, they think...” He paused, with tears in his eyes. “It's so awful, but they think it might be poor Evangeline Mediaci.”
At the mention of that name, Joshua froze for a moment, before slowly turning to his father. “What did you say?” he asked finally.
“She's the only person who can't be accounted for,” Albert told him. “They're double-checking now, and looking for the rest of her body, but it looks like... Well, I'm sorry, son, I know that you and Benjamin both knew her very well. I remember the days when the three of you were at school. I used to see you walking home together.”
Joshua paused for a moment. “Yes,” he said finally. “Yes, we did.”
“I don't know what this island's coming to,” Albert continued. “Things have always been difficult, what with the Le Comptes and all, but lately it seems as if no-one's safe. First Father Gregory, then Inspector Tarud, and now poor Evangeline. Not to mention Nora Graves. Sometimes I wonder whether...”
“Whether what?” Joshua asked, swallowing hard.
“Whether things can go on this way,” his father replied. “It's just not possible, is it? Something's got to give or the whole of Thaxos is going to go up in flames. Either the Le Comptes have to go, or... Or the town will have to move. I just don't see it working out this way anymore. It's too late for the likes of your mother and me, of course, but you younger generations. Maybe it's time you started thinking about making a new life elsewhere.”
“Do you think the Le Comptes are responsible for Evangeline's death?” Joshua asked.
“I think they need to feed,” Albert replied. “They're animals, they can't help it.”
After a moment, Joshua nodded. “You're right, they are animals. They're disgusting, foul creatures and now they've obviously killed Evangeline. It's as clear as anything in the world that they're responsible. They think they can get away with whatever they want, including murder. First a priest, then a police officer, now one of the most beautiful girls on the whole island. Who will they kill next, a newborn baby? A pregnant woman? They have no shame!”
“Steady on,” Albert continued, “we still don't know for certain that -”
“Of course it's them,” Joshua continued, grabbing a piece of wood and breaking off a sliver, before trying to pick dried blood from under his fingernails. “It's Edgar or his sister, or maybe that werewolf. I guarantee you, one of those three killed Evangeline, or maybe all three of them together, but they'll never admit it. It's true, though.” Still trying to use the sliver of wood to clean the blood away, he began to drive the sharp end further under his nail. “This stupid -”
Before he could finish, he let out a gasp of pain as the wood went too far, breaking the nail and sending it flying across the room.
Wincing with pain, Joshua held his hand up, as blood dribbled down his finger and onto his hand.
“I'm sure you're right,” Albert said after a moment, “but what can we do about it? We can't stand up to the Le Comptes. They think they can get away with murder, and they're right. They can. We have to face facts. This is their island, and while we live here, we're subject to their whims.” With that, he turned and made his way out of the room.
Sighing, Joshua watched for a few seconds as more blood ran down from his finger, and then he got to work, scrubbing as much of it away as possible. No matter how hard he worked, however, he felt as if he could never get his hand clean again.
***
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Madeleine whispered, crawling back under the soft white sheets and making her way over to Benjamin. She planted a kiss on the side of his face as she pressed her naked body against his. “Bed isn't only for sleeping, you know. It's time for part two of what we started last night.”
“Hey,” he replied, opening his eyes and smiling. “You're back.”
“Back?”
“I woke up in the night and you were gone,” he told her. “It's weird, I felt really drowsy all night, but I definitely woke up at one point and there was no sign of you.”
“I was right here,” she replied, kissing his shoulder.
He stared at her for a moment. “No, you wer
en't.”
“So where do you think I was?” she asked.
“I have no idea, but Madeleine, you were definitely gone.”
“Was I?” she continued, kissing his chest as she reached down and placed a hand on his bare, tight chest. “Oh, you know what? I forgot, I did get out of bed for a short while. I went for a little wander in the garden, just over to the fountain.” She began to run her hand down onto his belly and then further, until she took his manhood and felt that he was already hard. Letting out a slight giggle, she began to caress him, and a moment later she felt him become harder still. “I was feeling thoughtful,” she continued, kissing his chest again, “and I didn't want to disturb you, so I just popped outside for a few minutes. The night air can be so invigorating, can't it?”
“But I woke up twice,” he replied, “and you were still gone the second time.”
“Then maybe I was a little longer than I thought,” she added, as she continued to gently stroke him while slowly tightening her grip. “I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was being timed.”
“It was just strange, that's all,” he replied, reaching up and putting a hand on her side, as she adjusted her position and pressed her breasts against him. “You're normally such a sound sleeper.”
“And you normally don't ask so many questions.” She pressed her crotch against him. “Do you feel how much I want you?”