The House on West 10th Street

by Helen Phifer

  He drove down into the parking garage; he only lived a few blocks away from Maria on Hudson Street. His apartment was bigger, with a Starbucks and Prêt a Manger on the ground floor. No massage parlours, no boarded up windows and the rent was a lot more. Christina liked it and that was all that counted. They could have downsized, they didn’t need a three bed apartment. The kids they’d longed for had never appeared, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She wanted to live in a spacious apartment, so they did. As he got into the elevator he held the wine and the flowers feeling stupid. What if she wasn’t in? She got pissed with him when he was late home, and sometimes went out to meet her girlfriends for cocktails. The elevator doors opened and he grinned to see his younger brother Adam standing on the other side.

  ‘Hey man, what you doing? You leaving already?’

  Adam laughed. ‘Yeah, well I wasn’t going to wait around all night for you. Besides Christy is in a shitty mood so I figured I’d leave her to it.’

  Frankie frowned; when wasn’t Christy in a shitty mood.

  ‘Are you coming back in for a beer?’

  Adam shook his head and pointed at the wine and flowers. ‘Good luck, I don’t want to spoil your surprise. I’ll catch up with you at the weekend.’

  They swapped places and Adam pressed the ground floor button. Frankie nodded at him then walked down the corridor towards his apartment. He opened the door and sniffed the air which smelt of vanilla and cinnamon. ‘Sorry I’m late, honey.’ He could hear the taps running and walked down to the bathroom. Christy was standing there in her dressing gown, her face freshly cleansed.

  ‘Nice of you to come home.’

  He handed the bunch of roses to her and for the first time she smiled.

  ‘Sorry, you know how crazy work can be.’

  ‘A phone call would be nice, now and again.’

  He had phoned her and left a message, she hadn’t picked it up. He was too tired to fight with her which was what she was edging for.

  ‘Would you like a glass of wine?’ He waved the bottle at her and she nodded. He left her to go and open the bottle. A lipstick stained wine glass was already on the coffee table along with an empty beer bottle. At least she’d offered Adam a drink. He had no idea why she was so angry all the time with him. She knew what his job was like, the long hours. She didn’t complain when she went to spend his pay check at the end of the month, did she? He picked up the wine glass and put it into the dishwasher, then dropped the bottle in the trash. Taking two clean glasses from the cupboard he opened the wine and filled them. He took a huge gulp of the wine, it wasn’t the best thing he’d tasted, but he’d had worse. Then he downed the rest of it, before refilling the glass and carrying them through to her. She was already in the bath as she took the glass from him.

  ‘So what kind of a day have you had?’

  She rolled her eyes at him. ‘Well, obviously not as busy as you. Life is pretty boring when you just have an ordinary nine to five job.’

  He nodded and left her to it. She was looking for an argument and he didn’t have the energy. It would have been nice to come home to something to eat for once. Instead he went back to the kitchen and began to go through the fridge and cupboards to see what he could throw together.

  Chapter Six

  Greenwich Village, 1952

  Emilia checked her reflection one last time. Her long, black hair was the opposite of Mae’s shoulder length, platinum blond curls. She pouted her peach colored lips. Although the lipstick had been a birthday present from her brother last year, she’d been too shy to wear it. However, she didn’t want to look like a wallflower compared to the exotic Mae. If they were going for lunch and shopping she didn’t want to look drab. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She was excited to be doing something so different from the usual baking, reading and wishing her life was better. She also knew that she shouldn’t be so happy to be friends with the girl who was her father’s lover. It was wrong, and she was as guilty for betraying her mother as much as he was, but she lived in the most amazing city in the world and hadn’t really had the chance to explore it. Her brother had arrived this morning, she’d seen him to say good morning to, and then he’d disappeared up to the attic which he’d taken over as his living quarters. He was so quiet; he stared a lot. She didn’t like it and had caught him on several occasions watching her. He was strange, but she left him alone to get on with it. She had no idea what he did in the attic. Every time she saw him he had a leather-bound book tucked under his arm. He didn’t go anywhere without it. She heard the beep of the cab outside and grabbed her purse off the dresser. She ran to the front door and opened it, to see Mae leaning out of the cab window waving frantically at her. Emilia waved back and ran up the stone steps, pulling open the cab door. Mae smiled at her, she didn’t have quite so much make-up on as she had the last time they’d met. Her lips were a pale pink this morning yet were still beautiful. Emilia didn’t think she’d ever really taken notice of another woman’s mouth before, but Mae’s was captivating. She sniffed the air. It smelled wonderful and Mae giggled.

  ‘Chanel No 5, I never leave home without it. Do you like it?

  Emilia nodded.

  ‘Good in that case we can call into Saks and pick some up for you. Whilst we’re there we can find you a red lipstick. Every girl needs a red lipstick and my neighbor Gina works in the beauty department, she’ll find you the perfect shade. You wouldn’t believe how many red lipsticks there are to choose from.’

  As the cab drove along Fifth Avenue, Emilia had to pinch herself, she’d only ever been along here once before. The thought of going into Saks and buying beauty products made her stomach churn, she’d never done anything like it. Her mother had always frowned upon the women who made up their faces. What would she say if she went home smelling like some exotic creature with ruby red lips and eyelashes as black as coal? Suddenly she didn’t care one little bit, she was an adult now. She would do what the heck she pleased.

  The cab pulled up outside Saks and she got out while Mae was busy paying the driver and giggling at something he said. A warm arm pushed underneath hers and she was being pulled in the direction of the huge, brass, doors. A doorman pulled open the door for them.

  ‘Well look at you Miss Mae, as pretty as ever. How are you this fine day?’

  ‘Thank you, Fred, you look pretty fine yourself. I’m good, how are you?’

  He grinned and tipped his hat to them both.

  ‘All the better for seeing you Miss Mae, have a grand day.’

  Emilia smiled at the man, she thanked him as she passed through. She had no idea what she’d been expecting, but when she stepped into the brightly lit store she gasped. It was huge, there were so many different counters, selling so many different things. She leant in close to Mae and whispered.

  ‘How do you find what you need?’

  Mae laughed. ‘Trust me honey, five minutes in here and you’ll know where you want to be.’

  Two hours later they were walking out of the store, Mae with her huge shopping bags over one arm. Emilia had one small bag clutched between her fingers, inside was a bottle of Chanel perfume, a red lipstick, face powder and some eye make-up. She stole a glance at her reflection in the shop window and did a double take, Gina had made up her face perfectly. This was certainly not the face of the woman who walked into the store. Mae hadn’t stopped chattering the whole time and Emilia loved it; all her reservations about her were gone. She loved how talking to her new friend was so easy, she just wished that Mae wasn’t her father’s lover. It sort of put a dampener on the whole thing because it was strange, she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she was betraying her mother. Mae hailed another cab and they climbed in. She gave directions to the diner and Emilia was glad, her stomach had begun to growl in the most unladylike manner. She’d been too nervous to eat breakfast earlier and had begun to regret it the louder her stomach protested. As they walked into the diner she inhaled the air which was filled with the smell of pizza dough,
garlic and herbs.

  ‘Smells good doesn’t it? I told you I knew the perfect spot for lunch. You might not be able to move much after one of Toni’s pizzas though, but trust me. It’s worth it.’

  They took a seat in a booth which looked out onto 42nd Street; people were hurrying by on their way to work, shopping, sightseeing. Mae was chattering to the waitress who stood there listening intently to what she was telling her. Emilia felt a little intrusive, just as Mae was friends with Gina she must be friends with the gum-chewing, young woman. She heard her name mentioned and realized that she was staring at the pair of them.

  ‘What’s up, Em, cat got your tongue?’

  She shook her head. No-one called her Em, yet it sounded so right coming from Mae.

  ‘Sorry, I was daydreaming.’

  The waitress winked at her. ‘Now that I am an expert at, I daydream all the time. I’m still waiting for my big acting break. One day I’ll be just as famous as Mae and it will be my name on that billboard across the way.’

  Mae giggled. ‘Shush Susie, I’m not famous. This is Clarke’s daughter by the way, she’s my new gal pal.’

  Susie scrutinised her and she felt the heat as the blush rose up from her neck.

  ‘Nice to meet you Em, say hi to your Pa for me.’

  Mae gave their order whilst Emilia was wondering how on earth Susie knew her father, but too afraid to ask. It seemed everyone knew him better than she did.

  Chapter Seven

  He squatted on the floor, unzipped his bag, then pulled out the antique board that was allegedly made from wood taken from an actual coffin. He’d stolen it from the weird, little occult museum on East 9th Street last month. There were so many tales regarding the Ouija board and most of them were untrue. It was all a matter of how far you were willing to go with it. He wanted to go all the way, he didn’t want to summon his Aunt Patsy who’d died of a heart attack two years ago. Why would he? She was a mean old bitch when she was alive. He didn’t see that being dead would improve her attitude any. Knowing his luck she’d probably put in an appearance, but if she did she’d soon leave when he summoned who he really wanted. He’d thought long and hard about whether he should even attempt to do this. It was dangerous. He didn’t doubt that, but he wanted the power and the energy that only the darkest of demons could give to him. He was more than willing to trade his soul if it meant he got what he wanted. Placing the board on the kitchen counter – the same one he’d left his first offering on – he ran his fingers over the cool marble. How easy the blood had pooled on it. How easy it had cleaned off. It had been three years and he wondered if it had been too long. He’d never expected to have a mental episode after it. The police had picked him up days later and, unable to talk much sense, he’d been given a psychiatric evaluation and thrown in Greystone’s Psych Hospital. He’d been amazed the cops had never matched any of the evidence to him. Lucky or unlucky for him the guys who’d caught up with him hadn’t wanted too much paperwork so they’d driven him straight to the hospital where he’d been kept indefinitely until he proved he was as normal as he could be. At first he’d been so angry about it and then he realized it was to his advantage. He had somewhere warm and dry to sleep; he got fed, meds and counselling. There was no trace of him to link him back to the murder this way, yet if he’d been left out he’d have been compelled to kill again. He couldn’t inside, it would raise too much suspicion. At least this way the heat had completely died down. The Torso Killer had gone to ground as far as they knew. He bet they were hoping he was dead. The apartment had been sealed up luckily for him. No one had wanted to rent it. He’d smiled as he’d listened to the realtor trying to sell him something else, too afraid to admit the reason the apartment wasn’t for rent. They might not know about the murders in 1952 that took place inside it, but he did. Whoever the current owner was must be a superstitious person, as they were losing out on rental in a prime area of Manhattan. All things considered it was perfect. If he was quiet and didn’t alert the neighbors whenever he visited he should be able to come and go as he pleased. He didn’t put the planchette on the board, he wasn’t ready. It was never a good idea to leave them laid out together when not being used. He’d seen it with his own eyes once when he’d left it on the board and walked away. It had begun to move all on its own. He didn’t want to summon anyone other than the dark forces when he was ready to begin his reign of terror.

  Pulling the book of Dark Magic from his bag he placed it next to the board; all he needed was candles. Lots of them, but he would get them later from his van. He didn’t bother flicking on the lights, despite the fact it was gloomy and hard to see. He wouldn’t risk using them in case any observant neighbors noticed and rang the cops. Just in case, he took the rug and, rolling it up, he lay it across the bottom of the door. That should block out any light from his flashlight or candles. The walls in the lounge had been painted over since his last visit, giving him a blank canvas to start again. In the 1950s when the first murder occurred, the cops had broken down the door and found the entire apartment’s walls covered in pentagrams, drawings of winged, horned beasts, and line upon line of Latin. He doubted any of the original drawings still existed, but he would peel back any layers of wallpaper and check under the carpets, just in case. Three sacrifices were needed before the incantation and summoning could begin. He just hoped that the huge gaps between them wouldn’t make a difference.

  Chapter Eight

  Maria decided to walk to the station. It was one of those cooler, fresh mornings that she loved. Summer in the city could be unbearable, she was definitely more of a winter gal. She tugged on her Nikes and slung her purse over her shoulder, she was on a health kick. No more burgers, pizzas or burritos but lattes she couldn’t live without. As she turned to check everything was switched off, she spotted the flowers and once more wondered where they’d come from. As she ran down the apartment block steps, she noticed a town car parked opposite – a brand new Mercedes. The only person around here that ever used town cars was Miss Green and she paused, waiting to say good morning to her before she walked away. The rear door opened and out jumped the security guard from Harrison Media, smiling at her. Not sure what was going on, she turned around just in case he turned out to be Miss Green’s nephew or something. She smiled at him, then carried on walking not wanting to get into some awkward introduction. She didn’t get far before she felt a hand tug at her arm; she moved fast throwing it off and spun around. He was standing directly behind her grinning.

  ‘That’s a bit rude. I send you flowers for saving my receptionist’s life, then come to visit and you turn your back on me. You could at least say hello.’

  Maria looked at him, he was older than she’d guessed yesterday. His eyes were a little crinkly around the edges and his blond hair was peppered with silver strands. ‘Excuse me? What do you think you’re doing? And how the hell do you know where I live?’

  She was already wondering what else their brief encounter had revealed about her to this perfect stranger who she’d never set eyes on before yesterday.

  ‘I know everything.’

  ‘Well, how about I take you to this little precinct I know, we can have coffee and you can explain yourself better.’

  She was standing with her arms folded, glaring directly into his eyes.

  He laughed. ‘Well that’s a first. You buy a girl some flowers and come to ask her out to dinner. A simple yes or no would suffice.’

  ‘Look mister, I don’t know you. Thank you for the lovely flowers, but I don’t care too much that you’ve gone to the trouble to find out where I live. They have laws against that kind of behavior you know?’

  He shook his head. ‘Who do you think I am?’

  ‘I have no idea, possibly the world’s worst security guard judging by yesterday’s showdown. Shouldn’t you have been doing your job instead of pissing around on a treadmill?’

  He let out a loud laugh. ‘I like you, Maria, you’re funny. I’m sorry, you have this all wrong. Pl
ease let me introduce myself.’

  He held out his hand for her to shake. ‘Harrison Williams.’

  She gripped it as hard as she could. Holy crap, I hope he’s not friends with the Commander.

  ‘Maria Miller.’

  ‘Yes, I know. I wanted to thank you properly for yesterday. I’m not a stalker, I own a media company. I have people on my payroll who know things and if they don’t know then they sure as hell find them out.’

  She stared at him, not sure whether to arrest his sorry ass or whether she should be flattered.

  ‘Why don’t you let me give you a lift to work, if that’s where you’re heading? We can talk in the car and you can decide whether or not to come out for dinner this evening.’

  ‘I’m fine thanks, I like to walk. On my own. It helps me to clear my head before the start of a shift.’

  His smile disappeared, which made her realize that most people don’t say no to him. Well, he would have to learn. She didn’t care about his business or how much money he had.

  ‘What about dinner?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, I have no idea what time I’ll be finished and I’ve already made plans to go out for a drink with a friend.’

  He smiled. ‘Tomorrow?’

  She shook her head. ‘It was nice meeting you, Mr Williams, have a nice day.’ With that she turned and began to take the biggest strides she could to get as far away from him as possible. Her cheeks were burning; she’d never been hit on so openly in all her life. It was crazy – she wasn’t going to agree to get in a car with a man she didn’t know. Did he not realize she was a homicide detective? How many bodies had she attended of women and men on first dates or picked up in a bar by total strangers. Hell no, it wasn’t happening. Her life might not be amazing at the moment, but it didn’t mean she wanted it to end. Shaking her head she carried on walking, trying to get rid of the image of Harrison Williams floating around in there. Whether she wanted to admit it or not he was attractive, but so was Frankie – that didn’t mean she threw herself at him whenever she could. She hoped today was going to be better than yesterday. For her a good day would consist of no homicides and not having to shoot someone.