He ran to the highway ditch just past the edge of his yard. Crouching in the brush, he waited with his loaded shotgun.
When he looked back at his trailer, he could see the light coming through the bullet holes in the side of the trailer. He realized that he would have been killed if he had a bed and not just a mattress on the floor. The dozen bullet holes were placed in a saw tooth pattern stretching across the bedroom just under the windowsill. When he saw this, he started retching up sour stomach acids.
He'd just finished a dry heave when he heard the sound of tires rolling down the road. A car was coasting down the tar without lights and its motor off. As it rolled past his hiding spot, shots erupted from the back seat hitting the area around the bathroom window. James returned fire, filling the passenger area of the car with three rounds of number six birdshot. The car started up amid screams of pain. As the car pulled away, Jim pumped his last two shells into the rear tire area of the car. In the pre-dawn dark, Makinen saw sparks come from the left rear of the car as it settled onto the tire rim.
It was late afternoon when Henry and Al again showed up at Makinen's. James was trying to cork the holes in his trailer with wooden plugs when they pulled up. Henry started the conversation.
"Those look like bullet holes."
"Do they?"
"Arne and his friend John are in the hospital again. They claim to have been shooting rats with a .22 in the dump behind his father's barn. He claims his brother must have thrown away an old box of birdshot. They hit it with a .22 round and the shells went off. Both boys have a dozen pellets in them. You wouldn't happen to have heard anything about that?"
"No. I haven't talked to anyone all day until you showed up."
"It's kind of funny about those boys. They showed up at the hospital with their car all shot up as well. They claimed they were shooting the rats from their car! Do you believe that?"
"Yep. Those boys aren't too smart, you know. If they keep on trying to shoot rats, they could just wind up dead."
"I told them that too. In fact, I told them if they even touched a gun, I would put them in jail for the next ten years just to protect them from themselves. I even have them in jail right now for reckless endangerment and
the firing of a weapon too close to a residence. I talked to their parents. They are going to be in the jail for a while.
"Jim, I think maybe you should visit your kids out west."
"No can do. Just look at all the maintenance I have to do around here, all of these holes to patch. If I left on a vacation, do you really think this trailer would survive? I borrowed the money for it from my father. I don't have any money now, and he can't afford the cost of losing it now that he's retired."
"I'll be watching everything very closely, Jim. I would bring you in for your own protection if I thought it would help. Besides, I wouldn't want you in the same jail with John and Arne.
"You had better take care of yourself. It looks like you're bleeding," Henry added, pointing to Makinen's arm.
"Thanks, Henry. I will"
In the car ride back to the office, Al asked, "Are we in the old west? Why didn't we arrest him?"
"For what?"
"For shooting those kids. That's what."
"You mean for shooting back at someone trying to kill him. You saw those bullet holes."
"Well, how about for lying to the police."
"Exactly what did he lie to us about?"
"We got to do something."
"Yes, we do. Makinen isn't the one who has been lying. So who else has
been?"
"God damn it. You're right! We go after the girl, Shermon and Kawalski."
* * * *
_Hands turn over the next card._
A man lies on the ground. His body pierced by ten swords.
_The hands hesitated at the gruesome sight. Slowly they reach and turn off the light._
CHAPTER 7: The Ten of Swords
Vera woke every morning an hour before she had to get her kids up for school. That hour was the time she had for herself. She put the coffee on and rolled out the stationary bicycle. She turned on the TV to her favorite morning talk show. She rode the bike to the sound of the local news and the smell of brewing coffee. Twenty minutes later when she got off the bike, she modeled her body in front of the living room mirror. She held her arms over her head as she examined her midriff for any signs of giving birth to three kids. After passing inspection, she went to the kitchen for her coffee.
Vera heard a noise outside the window. She saw the backs of some dogs fighting over something in back by the alley. _"Did the kids leave the cover off the garbage cans again?"_ she thought as she went to the back door.
She yelled at the dogs but they continued fighting. She saw what she thought was a white kitchen garbage bag between the dog's legs. She turned to put the garden hose on the dogs but it wasn't coiled up by the back door. Her eyes followed the green hose back to where the dogs were fighting. Carefully, she pulled the hose away from the animals. Once it was in her hands, she turned the water on. The dogs scattered with a series of yelps.
Vera screamed and fainted. Her children found her there and called 911. To the protests of his older sister, Vera's teenage son took a couple of Polaroids of the girl's body before the cops showed up. He was suspended from school for the rest of the week when his study hall teacher caught him passing one of the pictures around to his friends.
* * * *
Henry spent most of the day trying to find Jenny Rossetti. At one o'clock that afternoon, he received a call from Nancy, the dispatcher, to go to the police station at Deer Lake Falls. Henry knew something had happened when he saw the BCA, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, (the state police investigative branch) van parked in back of the station. When Henry entered, he saw Frank.
"Hi, Frank. What are the state cops doing up here?"
"We've got a murder, Henry, a bad one. We're trying to keep things quiet for a while. We need to get as much done as we can before the reporters show up. We'll be in real trouble if we don't have something by the ten o'clock news. If the reporters start a panic, we might never find out what happened."
"What can I do?"
"I need to find out everything you know about Jenny Rossetti."
"Damn. I've been looking for her all day. What happened?"
"I trust you, Henry, so I'll tell you what we have. You know this is all preliminary."
Frank waited till he got Henry's nod in reply, "Around 7:30 this morning she was found dead in a backyard. She was killed at least ten hours earlier and dumped in the yard."
Frank paused and gave Henry an inquiring look, "So, why were you looking for her?"
"She filed a sexual assault complaint against her teacher. I've been checking on it. I thought she was lying. I was going to see if I could find her and find out why."
"Could the teacher have killed her?"
"I don't see how. I have been having a car drive by the teacher's house every hour or so and he was home last night. I talked to him yesterday afternoon and he wasn't even thinking about the girl at that time."
Anxious to find out more, Henry continued, "Come on, Frank. We've worked together before. You know me. What is it about this case? You owe me."
Frank checked quickly for anyone who could be listening. He said,
"Okay, Henry. You know the people and the area. You might be able to help me get started. Remember, nothing has been verified in the lab."
He took out his notebook. Referring to his notes, he continued.
"Rossetti's body was found around 7:30 AM by Vera Johnson, wife of one of the Johnsons in the accounting firm of Johnston and Johnson. By the time the local police could secure the crime scene, both she and her children had disturbed the area around the body. The body was found naked and split open from the neck to the crotch with what looked like a chain saw. The lab will be checking on the gouges left on the pubic bone and ribs to see if they can place a manufacturer and model to the saw. T
he body had also been partially eaten by neighborhood dogs. I checked with the town police and that area of town had been known to have problems with dogs. The paper ran a story last week about a poodle being attack and killed by the other dogs in the neighborhood. The person who killed the girl also washed the body with a garden hose from Johnson's house. During the cursory examination of the body, it was noted the corpse had been bled dry. No significant blood was found in the yard. The degree of blood loss was not consistent with a massive trauma death of a chain saw attack. So here is what we think we know now. Rossetti was murdered by being bled to death some time last evening. Her body was split open with a chain saw either to hide the manner of her death or remove something the killer wanted or needed. The body was then taken to a place where it would be found. Finally it was washed with the garden hose and left for the neighborhood dogs to chew on."
Henry's only reply was a very quiet, "God!"
* * * *
At the law firm of Bodonavich, Finch, and Heiminen, James was escorted to a conference room. Sandra Thomas stood to shake hands with him. They tentatively examined each other. The lawyer trying to judge how well the man would stand up in court, the man trying to decide on whether he could trust the lawyer.
Early in their meeting, Sandra decided that Makinen would be one of the
few clients she had who would more than hold his own in any court procedure. The only thing that bothered her was a small shiver that started behind her neck every time she looked at Makinen.
It took her till the end of the meeting before she could place the feeling he gave her. She had brought her children to the State Zoo. They had spent a long, tiring day covering the different exhibits. She had stopped to clean a candy smear from the corner of her daughter's chin when she felt a cold shiver in the small of her back. She looked around. Seeing no one near, she look at the exhibit they were standing next to. On the other side of the visitor fence, she saw the big cat. The tiger was watching them with a studied indifference. As the big predator watched them, the cat stretched displaying her huge claws. The lethal display and casual indifference that could turn in an instant to death increased her uneasiness. As Sandra hurried her children to the next exhibit, she felt those indifferent eyes track their movements.
She again looked again at Makinen. She saw behind the veiled eyes the indifference of a predator who was only held in check by a thin fence of restraint.
Sandra suddenly felt pity for Kawalski and Shermon. No matter what happened in court, they had disturbed the wrong person. She watched the eyes of the predator cloud over at the end of their meeting. A sad smile appeared on Makinen's face. He was now just an average person constrained by society into the role of a normal citizen. Sandra then wondered how many other _ordinary_ people she had met over the years who were something totally different behind their facade of normality. She decided that she never wanted to know. She felt comfortable behind the facade.
* * * *
James sat in his father's sauna. He let the heat soak through his mind and body. The sweat stung as it penetrated his wounds. He used the heat-induced lethargy to channel his mind until the pain became a slight annoyance separated from his thoughts. Something was missing from what was happening to him. He knew about Kawalski, Shermon, Jenny, and the punks that attacked him, but he knew there had to be someone else. He wouldn't put it past either Kawalski or Shermon to get Jenny up to making charges. He knew that if they had, when he had started pushing back, they would have been prepared to come directly after him again. So they had to be opportunists trying to use Jenny's complaint against him.
But who had put Jenny up to lying? She would never have come up with the idea herself. Who else was involved? He let the steam relax him as he let his mind drift over the last week. He felt a thought nudge at his mind. But when he tried to zero in on the thought, he saw in his mind's eye the curve of Lori's back and the sway of her hips as she slowly walked away.
James knew that nothing else would now break past with his memories of Lori. He threw another ladle of water on the rocks and contemplated the swaying of her body in the swirling steam.
Jim left the sauna relaxed. He saw the sheriff's car parked in front of his parents' house. Inside, his mother and father were seated at the kitchen table drinking coffee with Henry. He said, "Sauna's free," and poured his own cup. His parents took a couple of towels and left for the bath.
After sitting down, he commented, "You know there is someone else involved in this thing."
Henry took a sip and replied, "Yes, I know. He just killed Jenny."
"How do you know it's a he?"
"I don't know for sure. But the way she was killed took strength."
Henry finished his coffee. "You be careful. Whoever killed Jenny is dangerous."
Henry got up to leave. He looked carefully at James as he drank his scolding hot coffee. Henry was just about to offer James police protection until they could find the killer, then James looked up from his cup and met Henry's stare. The look froze Henry in place until James spoke.
"You be careful too. You're going to have to find him."
Pulling himself together, Henry said, "Thank your parents for the coffee."
"I will."
As Henry left, he wished in the back of his mind that the killer would come after James before he found him. All he would get from the courts was life in prison. From James, he would get retribution. But he was a policeman, he would find him first.
* * * *
_The hands turn over the card._
In the light of the solitary lamp, the upside down figure of a cloaked man, head bowed, leaning on a staff with his left hand and holding aloft a lamp in his right, can be seen.
_A slight tremor shakes the hands as they leave the card. A chill penetrates the shrouded room._
CHAPTER 8: The Hermit reversed
The killer opened the refrigerator door, reached behind the food piled in front. He caressed the Saran-wrapped bundle before he pulled it out of the fridge. He gently cradled the bundle. His hands stroked the package, all his, forever, came the thought. His mind drifted back in time. He again was prying open the ribs, watching the slow beating of the heart. His left hand felt the slow throbbing of the organ as his right slit open the artery. Again the warm fluid filled the chest cavity, immersing his hands. Once more the final weak flutter tingled his left hand. He rubbed his face against the cold organ feeling the firm muscular tissue through the plastic wrap. He walked over to the refrigerator. He slid the plastic wrapped heart behind the leftover pot roast and closed the door. The killer then went to a shelf filled with pictures. His eyes scanned the array of faces till they stopped on one photograph yellow with age, a picture of a young girl with a smiling face.
The killer had always known he was different. His strict abusive father and shrewish wife had kept his differences in check. He always remembered the joy he experienced at funerals, his mother's at age six, his father's fifteen years ago, and his wife's five years ago. His laughter at his mother's funeral had earned him a beating that night by his father. By the time his father had died, he had learned the skill of pretending grief. The fear of retribution had kept him in check until just a few years ago. Driving along a rural highway, he came upon an accident. The car had skidded off the road and into a large tree. He stopped his car and went to the wreck. Inside was a man gasping for breath, pinned between the crumpled dash and the seat. A trickle of blood dripped from the side of his mouth. His eyes had a panicked, dazed look.
The killer reached into the wreck and touched the clammy face. He started to giggle at the man who attempted to scream for help between gasps of air. The killer heard another car pull to a stop behind him. His hand covered the dying man's face suffocating him. By the time the _Good Samaritan_ got to the car it was over. The killer collapsed next to the wrecked car, his shoulders shaking with stifled guffaws.
The _Good Samaritan_ patted the killer's back. He said, "That's all right. You did what you co
uld. It was just his time. Let me help you back to your car."
He let the _Samaritan_ lead him to his car. There he sat until the silent laughter stopped. The sadness on his face was genuine when he answered the questions of the local deputy sheriff about the wreck. He was truly sad the death had happened so quickly.
Jenny was the first time he had done the whole killing himself. He had chosen her because she reminded him of the first girl he had ever fucked, years ago. He had bribed Jenny to come with him with free beer and a fifty-dollar bill, then he drugged her beer with a barbiturate. After she had gotten sleepy, he had walked her to his basement. In her dazed state, she helped him remove her clothes, thinking sex would be coming next, not death.
As she drifted deeper into unconsciousness, he got his tools, a knife, hack saw, bolt cutters and a pair of wire snips. He carefully slit the skin between her white breasts. The blood was less then he imagined. He was happy when the cutters worked to cut the ribs apart. He hadn't wanted to mess the incision with the saw. The wire snips opened the artery and then it was over!
Next time he would do it when they were fully conscious. Maybe it would last longer if they were awake? He missed in Jenny's eyes the fear he had seen in the eyes of the man in the car wreck. But now he needed to get a new refrigerator for the basement! He couldn't have anyone reach into the fridge for a beer and pull out the heart, besides he would need the room. He knew who he was going to bring to his basement next and the one after that and the one after that and the one...
* * * *
Sandra and Lori hit it off immediately. After the first few sentences, they each seemed to know what was going through the others mind. Sandra was the first to finish a sentence started by the other. At the end of the meeting, the handclasp turned into a hug.
Lori drove back to the school buoyed by the feeling of meeting a true friend. Even the snarling comments of Kawalski at her taking a half-day of personal leave didn't bother her mood. She smiled when she thought of the surprise everyone would get on Friday. Sandra had told her that she would time the serving of the subpoenas so Kawalski, Shermon and the school board members would all receive them that afternoon. Lori decided to stop by James' place after school and tell him the good news.
The Duce of Pentacles Page 5