by Rees, Kevin
It was late in the afternoon when two vehicles took up position on a disused piece of land behind the morgue. It was innocuous, considering its purpose. Sam sized up the outside — two oversized cooling units built into the wall facing them, no windows, and the grey door at the front seemed to be the only entrance.
They ducked behind a low ridge as a police van pulled up. The driver stayed inside while another man got out. Eddie moved slowly and tracked him through binoculars. There was something familiar about him, something he’d seen before. His hat was pulled down low over his face, and he wore the heavy yellow jacket most cops wore with Police stitched into the reflective material. As Eddie watched, the figure took his hand out of his pocket briefly to close the van door. He gestured frantically to the others. Maya and Sam crawled forward.
‘See who I’m seeing?’
Eddie passed his binoculars over to Maya.
‘A policeman? So?’
‘You take a look, Sam.’
Maya passed the binoculars over. Sam took them and adjusted both wheels until he had sharp focus. ‘Hello.’ He saw immediately what Eddie had seen. ‘How the hell did he connect the dots, and why would he be interested in Karl’s body?’
‘What is it?’ Maya demanded, snatching the binoculars back from Sam. She peered through the eyepieces, having to re-adjust them again. ‘What are you seeing?’
‘That man... Look at his hand.’
Maya saw immediately. ‘Pelach!’ She waved the rest of the team forward.
Sam was grinning. ‘Some payback, don’t you think?’
‘What are you seeing, Commander?’
The request came from a woman who lay beside Maya. Without a word, Maya passed her the glasses and pointed to the policeman. The woman hissed as the hand came out of his pocket again. ‘Its him...’
‘Father,’ Maya finished for her.
She started to rise and felt Sam grip her arm tightly. Maya was about to rip it away when she saw an expression of genuine pain between the deep lines on his face and realised he, too, was suffering. She lost all doubt as to his loyalty and sank back down.
‘What now?’ Eddie whispered.
Suddenly, Father turned and looked directly towards the low ridge. The team ducked down quickly. Had he caught Eddie’s voice on the light breeze? Eddie turned slowly towards Maya, who had her back to him. He looked over her shoulder to Sam who seemed transfixed with his woman. Jealousy, like a viciously sharp hook, arced up the back of Eddie’s head and set itself firmly at the front. Bitch, he wanted to scream the word. She was offering herself like a cheap whore to Sam. Eddie glared at his friend.
‘Eddie, get over here.’
A voice spoke from somewhere far away. Get over here, it echoed. The scene dissolved around him and so had the pain. Maya’s face was inches from his. There was a concerned look on it that made him incredibly happy. He looked over for Sam and saw he was crouched by one of the vehicles with the others. Eddie blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
‘What’s up?’ he asked. His senses felt dulled.
‘One of Father’s mind tricks. He sent out a trap to see if it could catch a rat,’ Maya said.
‘What kinda trap?’
‘Tell you later. We need to move, come on.’ Maya re-joined the group leaving Eddie to follow.
Sam glanced up, grinning at Eddie, who simply nodded and sat down opposite the man who moments ago had tried to seduce Maya.
‘Okay, old son?’
Eddie gazed coldly at the man sitting across from him. Father’s trap had left him with an overriding desire to kill Sam at the first opportunity.
‘Eddie?’ Maya whispered. ‘Whatever you felt, or thought you saw, was a projection Father created. We all felt something, didn’t we?’ She got nods from the team. Only Sam remained still, staring strangely at him.
‘Look, I’m okay,’ Eddie said with some frustration stiffening the edge of his mouth. ‘We need to move. Father is in there so we have to assault!’
There were murmurs of approval from the three men and woman. Sam and Maya remained silent, watching Eddie stare vacantly at the ground as the plan was agreed.
They got out their weapons and checked them, pistols and two MP7s, which Maya and Sam took and hid under their clothing. Eddie took one of the pistols. He checked and cocked it. Sam stood back, watching Eddie. He wanted to be wrong, but there was something in the look he gave him that was verging on hostile. Whatever mind-grenade Father had thrown had missed him and caught Eddie squarely in the head. Sam would watch out for him, but something told him to be alert and hope Eddie didn’t do anything stupid, which they would both regret.
It was agreed. The woman — Sam found out her name was Bethan — would drive the van and wait, leaving the three men, Maya, Sam and Eddie to walk across the open ground to the entrance of the morgue. There was no sign of Father. Maya was edgy. She suspected the Bloodeater had his own interest in her father’s body. Interests she didn’t want to contemplate, but knew he had his own black ritual in mind.
The six covered the ground quickly. Sam took care of the driver in the police van, who appeared to be drugged or hypnotised. Eddie pressed up against the metal wall of the building. He was surprised how cold the surface felt. The outer flesh of the mortuary seemed to be mimicking its clients. Sam tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the door. A flash of rage must have passed across Eddie’s face causing Sam to recoil with a look of puzzled surprise. Sam gave a slow thumbs-up. Eddie returned the gesture and swung back to the lead man.
They moved quickly, one behind the other, like a snake cutting a path through grass. No weapons were on show, but all fingers rested on trigger guards. Maya reached the door first and tried it. It was a swipe-card system and key-code. She banged on the door, expecting someone to answer. One of the men took out a small silver disk and motioned for her to move back. He stuck it onto the lock and pressed a button. Within a few seconds, a potent acid reduced the lock to a smouldering ring.
Maya went in fast, almost slipping in a pool of blood from two bodies laid out casually on the floor. The upper torsos had ID badges attached to grubby, green scrubs, announcing Bill and Jerry were no longer employees, but residents of the morgue. Father hadn’t time to play with the bodies and had simply torn them both into two pieces. The others followed in cautiously.
Eddie moved over to a desk housing the booking register and skimmed through the pages for recent entries. ‘If he’s in here, they’ve put him in number seven.’
The team moved down the corridor, checking everything methodically before reaching the double doors of the autopsy room. Sam moved to the front and held up his hand, counting down from five.
They burst into the room.
The smell of death and bleach was overpowering. Suddenly, a scream had them all turning. The body of one of the men flew like a missile, hitting them with enough force to knock them all onto the floor like bowling pins. Eddie took the impact of the man’s head onto his nose and heard the sickening snap of bone. Through the tears welling up in his eyes, he saw Father emerge from behind the door. Eddie knew they had made a lethal mistake and tried to bring his Glock up on target as blood started to pour down the back of his throat.
‘Shoot him!’ Sam yelled, letting off a controlled burst of fire. But Father moved with incredible speed. Before Sam could pull his aim, the Bloodeater had pushed another man into his line of fire; the bullets tore into the soldier’s body killing him instantly. Sam froze. He turned and looked towards Maya, who was still struggling to get to her feet. Father seized the opportunity to kick out, catching the bodyguard under the chin, snapping several teeth and nearly severing his tongue. Sam crumpled, letting go of the gun, which clattered to the floor beside him.
‘No!’ Maya screamed, and managed to let off three bursts. Two of the bullets found their target, entering Father’s side and sending him staggering backwards.
Eddie pulled himself up slowly and saw the MP7 lying next t
o Sam. He dived for it.
Father bellowed with pain and lurched back towards them. The last remaining soldier jumped on his back. He had a knife in his hand and stabbed it hard into Father’s neck. The blade sank into the tough flesh, releasing a gush of sticky white fluid. Father screamed again. He reached up, grabbing the man by the head and pulled him over his shoulder. The soldier hit the floor with sickening force and lay gasping. Before he could save himself, Father brought a heavy boot down onto his skull. The collapse of the bone rebounded off the walls. Maya snarled at the satisfied smile on the Bloodeaters face.
The distraction was enough for Eddie to pick up the weapon, steady himself and take aim. He flicked the selector to full auto and squeezed the trigger. The burst of bullets hit Father in the stomach, ripping through the jacket and sending him cartwheeling backwards to the double doors. He slid down the wall with sticky white fluid leaving a trail on the tiles as his body came to a stop on the floor.
Maya dropped to her knees, sweat and blood covering her face. Sam moaned in pain near her. She reached out a hand and rested it on his shoulder. Eddie saw her gesture and swung the MP7 towards the man, his finger tightening on the trigger.
‘Eddie, what are you doing?’ Maya screamed. Her voice was almost lost.
‘He’s trying to take you away from me, Maya. And you… you’re all over him. Look at how you’re caressing him, wanting to fuck him!’ Eddie screamed at the woman.
Neither noticed Father had opened his eyes and was staring at Eddie.
‘You’re wrong.’ She was becoming angry. ‘I chose you, not him. Listen to me. I want you —’
The sound of the double doors slamming shut had them both whirl around, guns raised to their cheeks. Where Father’s body had been propped against the wall bleeding out his vile essence onto the floor, only the yellow jacket marked the spot where his body should be stiffening in death. Empty of its occupant, the jacket showed Eddie and Maya’s shots passing through the devils body. Somehow he had lived through the hail of bullets. And somehow they had lost him again. Maya and Eddie shared the emptiness of spirit that crushed them in different ways. A moment, which could have turned the course of their history, had been lost by Father’s distraction and trickery. Eddie stared silently at the wall where Father’s blood was turning into a transparent jelly. Sam’s moans were lost by the howls of grief coming from Maya in the cold, sterile room of the morgue where she found her father.
Eddie dragged himself towards her and held onto his woman, as she softened in his arms, he reached down and placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. The former bodyguard’s moans became quieter until they eventually stopped as he drifted back into unconsciousness.
31
Aquino had recovered from the blow Jarvis had inflicted by the time the car came to a stop outside his residence. During the journey, his disquiet had grown as the reality of the failed gamble to rid himself of his traitorous Praetor played out all future scenarios in one long succession. Each possibility had its own intricate strengths and invariable weaknesses. And both options lead to an unavoidable conclusion. He had underestimated Thoragan badly.
Aquino pushed open the door of the vehicle and ran into the house, ignoring Cotrane’s protest to wait for Jarvis to secure the area first. He wanted to apologise, and wanted to resolve the pain and anger on his wife’s face as she left Thoragan’s house.
‘Giselle, where are you?’ His voice boomed beneath the domed ceiling as it echoed up the marble staircase. Aquino counted the seconds off in his mind. Even when she was angry, Giselle would respond with some reply, even if her language were considered inappropriate at times for a president’s wife. Aquino began to sense a small tickle on the back of his neck — something was wrong.
The guards entered behind him. Cotrane saw Aquino’s hand was gripping the banister so tightly it was turning a deathly white. He seemed drawn to a spot along the corner of the staircase.
‘Sir, are you all right?’ she said, moving to stand in front of him
Aquino needed a few seconds to make his mouth work to form the words. ‘Cotrane, I think my wife is up there...I think something’s happened to her.’
‘Jarvis, go up and see. I’ll stay with the President.’
Jarvis drew his weapon and walked cautiously up the stairs. He watched for movement above his head, aware two sets of eyes were tracking him below. As he rounded a curve, the president’s wife appeared at the top of the landing.
‘No!’ Jarvis gasped taking a step back in horror.
The once beautiful Giselle Aquino stumbled towards the banister with her arms waving blindly in front of her. Nothing remained where her eyes had been except two bloody holes someone had gouged out of her skull. She made no sound, except for the laboured rattle of a woman fighting for her few remaining breaths as she staggered forward. Out of her mouth, blood and saliva dripped over torn lips like silvery molasses. Even from where he stood, the guard could see her teeth had been crudely ripped out and her tongue severed. There were deep gashes on both sides of her head as well as several open slashes all over her body. Jarvis heard himself shout to her as he sprinted up the stairs. Her desperate hands found the low rail. Giselle Aquino didn’t pause, or briefly contemplate; she leant forward and let momentum carry her over. She fell through empty space for a second before her skull made contact with one of the ornate marble steps. The impact shattered the thin bone killing her instantly. Three screams combined into one, echoing howl. They watched in horror as her body began an uncontrolled tumble — head over feet — like a rag-doll thrown down in anger. As Giselle hit every hard step, the crisp snap of delicate bone reached up to the dome and dropped back down between Cotrane and Aquino. Her body came to rest two steps above her husband. Her head, broken and bleeding, was resting on top of her shoulder. The bloodied sockets stared at him accusingly; Aquino swore he could see her lips move. She was saying — you did this to me, Gabriel.
He knew she was right.
Jarvis hurtled down the stairs, pulling up sharply when he saw the crumpled body.
All three stood transfixed as Giselle Aquino’s blood began to ooze along the step and trickle down onto the one below.
‘Sir, we have to move. The person responsible may still be in the house.’
‘He is, Cotrane,’ Aquino stuttered. ‘It’s my fault. Oh my god... look at her! That’s my fault.’
‘Jarvis, sweep upstairs,’ Cotrane ordered. ‘I’m taking the President to the study and locking the door. Be careful, don’t take any risks.’
Jarvis ascended the stairs again; his gun pointed out in front. Below, Cotrane forced Aquino away from his wife to the door of the study. Instinctively, she checked the room before ushering her charge in and sitting him down in a chair. She locked the door and stood quietly, trying to detect her partner. Jarvis was as silent as a panther when he needed to be. The only sound Cotrane detected was the rapidly increasing thud of her heart. She went through a mental checklist of who would do this to Aquino’s wife. Surely, Thoragan couldn’t have made it ahead of them and killed Giselle? Someone had taken time to do this. And where was her protection? A loud knock made her jump.
‘Ma’am, it’s me.’
Cotrane unlocked the door and let her partner in. Jarvis was vibrating with adrenalin.
‘Report?’ Cotrane urged.
‘I found three men dead — two of ours, and the president’s aide. Multiple wounds on all of the bodies, each one would have been immediately fatal. This was made to look like a Bloodeater attack.’ Jarvis stated, flatly. They’ve also destroyed the alarms and communication.
‘Made to look like? You don’t think it was?’
‘Unusual this far into the city, and they’d have to penetrate our security. No, Ma’am. There were puncture holes in each of the bodies, as if something had been used to kill them first. There were some tears and gouges around the entry points of the wounds. My guess is our men were expertly incapacitated before they could retaliate; otherwise there should
have been some Bloodeater casualties...’ he took a moment, as if the enormity of the day was starting to catch up with him. ‘I knew them — good guards. They couldn’t have been taken that easily, not by a few Bloodeaters.’ Jarvis looked at Aquino, who sat silently in his chair. ‘How is the President?’
Cotrane was about to speak when a low noise alerted them. There was movement outside the door. Jarvis looked down and saw the light pattern broken by someone standing outside. They both quietly backed into the room with their weapons raised and ready to fire.
‘You can drop your guns. No, don’t turn around, or your precious president dies!’
‘Praetor Thoragan. For once doing your own dirty work?’ Cotrane said, allowing bitterness to edge her voice. A thousand questions spun around her head. How could he get into a locked room? And how did he get here so quickly? The act this morning, he was playing them all along.
‘Open the door, Miss Cotrane and let my associate in. Do it now, please. And you,’ Thoragan said, addressing Jarvis. ‘Kindly drop your gun.’
‘No sir! I will not relinquish my weapon. If you shoot me, Miss Cotrane will kill you.’
‘Then the President dies. Goodbye, Aquino.’
‘No, stop!’ Cotrane yelled. ‘Look, we’re dropping our weapons. Jarvis, that’s an order.’ She could see the look of disbelief cross her partners face as her weapon fell from her hand. She shook her head knowing what he was about to do.
Jarvis spun, aiming his weapon at the source of Thoragan’s voice. The single shot deafened everyone in the small room. Cotrane looked up and saw disbelief carved onto Jarvis’ face. The guard continued to aim his gun as his body convulsed violently before he collapsed disgorging brain matter and blood over the carpet.
‘Miss Cotrane, would you please unlock the door.’ Thoragan spoke calmly. The shot had brought Aquino out of his daze. He stared at Jarvis, twitching on the floor.
‘Thoragan, did you kill my wife?’
‘Your assumption was correct the first time, sir. In fact, you killed her, or so it will seem.’