“Whatever. I think you might need to talk with Dr. Pearlman. He has some wonderful medications that will cure that kind of crazy talk,” Kyle said, fishing the instrument into the hole he’d created in Sammy’s stomach.
“If that’s what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night,” she muttered her favorite response while she caressed Gloria’s face. “Just keep them dancing for me.”
“What did you say?” He looked up abruptly.
“Nothing, I am just ready to see them Dance,” she answered a little too quickly.
“It will be just a few more minutes; I am almost done here,” he assured her, working feverishly inside Sammy’s abdominal cavity.
“No rush, my love. I have waited thousands of years. A few more minutes won’t kill me.”
“Seriously, we can go talk to Dr. Pearlman after we get home.”
Kyle pushed the ends of several pieces of line out of Sammy’s mouth. He measured about three feet before he clipped the leftovers and sewed up Sammy’s abdomen.
“Can I put the good song on now?” Nina asked impatiently.
“Hey, this is a good song,” he replied, moving his shoulders in rhythm with the music. God knows it’s better than that Hindi crap she likes so much.
“You know what I mean,” she said tersely. “I need to hear my special song when you make them Dance.”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Kyle nodded with pride as he looked down on his creation.
This is going to be the greatest Dance yet.
Chapter Eight
“Why the long face?” Detective Wiley strolled into the office just as Jack hung up the phone.
“Where have you been?” he returned softly.
“Here, there, and everywhere,” Tom laughed.
“Seriously, that was the chief. He said he’s been trying to get a hold of you all morning.”
Tom’s smile vanished. “What happened?”
“We got another one.”
“You’re shitting me.” He let out a low moan. “It’s only been a couple of days. Are they sure it’s him?”
“Same M.O.” Jack confirmed. “What the hell? He used to only do this once a month when the moon was full. It seems like he’s decided to change the pattern.”
“Oh, this is bad. Have you heard anything from the lab yet?”
“No, but we don’t have time to check on them right now. We need to get out to the scene.”
“When did they find the bodies?”
Jack grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “Come on, I’ll tell you on the way. They’re waiting on us to process the crime scene so they can move the bodies.”
They walked through the precinct in silence, winding their way through the throngs of officers and offenders waiting to be processed. They took the elevator down to the parking garage. Tom’s internal clock felt as if it were winding toward eternity before they finally reached their sedan.
“So, give me some particulars,” Tom said as he slid behind the wheel of his car. He tapped the steering wheel while he waited for Jack to get himself situated in the passenger seat.
“A co-worker of one of the victims stopped by about six this morning to pick up,” Jack flipped through his notebook, “Sammy Rossi. When he didn’t get an answer, he became concerned and began looking in windows.”
“Did he enter the house or just phone it in when he saw them?”
“He just called it in. The arriving officers called us as soon as they recognized our boy’s handiwork.”
“God, I hope we catch this guy soon.”
As they drove the rest of the way in silence, Tom mentally prepared himself for what they were about to see.
“We’re here,” he announced unnecessarily as they pulled into the driveway.
Four black and whites were parked at various angles outside the home. A barricade of yellow police tape kept the reporters at bay near the edge of the yard. Fucking vultures, Tom thought as he ducked under the tape and closed the gap to the front door with a brisk gait. They gave solemn nods to the other officers as they made their way to the bedroom.
“Oh, dear God,” Jack mumbled, following Tom into the room.
Gloria and Sammy Rossi were stripped and bound in the middle of the room. Sammy was posed, kneeling in a pool of blood that spread from around the couple with his head pressed against Gloria’s stomach. Gloria’s arms were stretched to either side, palms facing the ceiling. Her head rested on her shoulder, downcast, and pointed at the smiling face of her husband. Everywhere their skin touched, fishing line was used to ensure it stayed that way. They stared at each other with those twisted smiles sewn into place.
“I wonder if he would be willing to wear that same smile on his face when we put him under the jail,” Tom said bitterly.
“You’re a funny guy.” Jack snorted. “Ah, if only it were really that easy when a case is this cut and dry: Catch them, kill them, bury them in the basement.”
“It would sure cut down on the paperwork.”
“What do you think he used to do that?” He pointed the blackened blood that covered the ceiling.
“Who the fuck knows?” He grunted. “I’m sure the coroner could shed a little light on that, but at this point I care less about what he used as I do about keeping him from doing it again.”
“All right people,” Jack said in his best authoritative voice. “You know the drill… let’s get this room processed.”
“You following me around?” Tom asked when he caught sight of Anna Perez snapping pictures of the bodies.
Anna’s head spun around to address the voice. A wave of recognition swam across her face when she saw Tom. She rolled her eyes and resumed her work without acknowledging him.
“Oh, it’s going to be like that is it?” Tom shrugged. “Come on, Jack. Let’s show her how real detectives work a crime scene.”
Chapter Nine
“Good morning, sunshine.” Nina’s voice was filled with joy as she watched Kyle sit up in his bed.
“Wow, I had some twisted dreams last night,” he said through a yawn.
“How so?” A concerned look spread across her face. “Does the Dance give you bad dreams?”
We’re not getting into that this early in the morning. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.
“I was…” He looked down at the sheets as he struggled with what to say.
His mind was filled with a thousand voices singing in what sounded like Arabic. His heart beat to the rhythm of their song. It’s that Hindi shit she played. It’s gotten under my skin.
“What is it, lover?” Nina pressed.
“Never mind, it’s not important,” he assured her before kissing her forehead.
She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Seriously, you look troubled. Talk to me.”
“That music,” he began as he averted his gaze. “That strange music you like to play. I think it’s starting to mess with my mind.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You’ll get used to it.”
“But, what if I don’t want to? Why do we have to play it?”
“I told you before, it’s important to me… to us.”
“What makes it so important?”
Nina stared at him, studying his face in silence.
“Well?” he asked again when she didn’t speak up.
“I’m not sure how to explain it. I wish I could, but I fear any attempt on my part to do so would be… counterproductive.”
“You think I’m stupid,” he barked and pulled himself the rest of the way out of bed.
“Hardly, my dear. It’s just…” she paused. “Complicated. I promise that if you give me enough time, you will truly understand.”
“Why can’t you just tell me?” He whined. “I’m no dullard. Hell, I’ve been to medical school. You think I can’t grasp anything you want to tell me?”
“It’s not that at all. It’s just too soon. Please be patient with me a little longer,” she begged.
“Whatever,” he said as
he stormed into the bathroom.
Nina followed him. “Don’t be like that, lover.”
“Then don’t treat me like an idiot,” he snapped, turning on the faucet. “I love you. I’d do anything in the world for you, and this is how you repay me?”
“Kyle, listen to me. It’s because of the way I feel about you that I have to be so careful with what I share.”
“Oh, I guess that makes it all right then,” he replied sarcastically.
“I just want everything to be perfect, so we have to take this slow. When you’re ready, you won’t need me to explain these things to you.”
Kyle looked over his shoulder at her as she rubbed his back. “What am I going to do with you?” he finally asked.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you would never ask.”
“Let me guess,” Kyle laughed. “You’ve already found someone new for us to play with?”
“You were so magnificent last night; I can’t wait to see you do it again.”
“Is that a fact?” he asked, caressing her face. “When do we leave?”
“Consider us there. But before we leave, I have another request.”
“Anything for you, my love.”
“Do you think you can make them both Dance while they’re still alive?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Kyle agreed with a devilish grin.
*****
“That was a great dinner, baby.” Carlos Ruiz pushed his chair back from the table.
“Thanks, I’m glad you liked it,” Michele said as she started to clear the table.
“Do you need some help with those?”
“No, that’s okay. Your show is about to come on. Go on into the living room. I’ll take care of this.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and left the room.
Michele hummed to herself, carefully stacking dishes in the sink. She gazed out the window while she rinsed a plate. The sun was going down and she loved the way their backyard looked at dusk. In the fading light, the trees cast beautiful shapes on the lawn.
The sky swirled with colors as darkness slowly claimed the day. A few rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, struggling to stay on the plane for as long as they could.
A movement near the back fence caught her eye. She could just make out a dark shape sliding over the top as the light from the sun died away. Without help from the sun’s rays, she found herself staring at her own reflection in the window.
What was that? Am I imagining things?
Michele reached for the light switch on the left of the sink, turning it off so she could see outside.
Squinting, she leaned over the sink and pressed closer to the window, scanning the yard for anything amiss. At last, a dark mass emerged near the base of the fence.
Is that a dog?
She watched intently as the mass started to move. The shape stretched and grew until it took the form of what looked like a man.
Is my mind playing tricks on me?
The figure was tall and thick, but the shadows seemed to cling to it, preventing her from making out more detail.
Michele shielded her eyes with her hand, pressed still closer to the window in an attempt to see what the thing really was. The moon punched holes in the cloud that covered it, spilling light into the yard. She gasped when the shadows were chased away to reveal a face smiling at her from across the yard.
The figure ran toward the house at a full sprint and threw himself against the window. She shrieked and stumbled backwards, sending dishes shattering on the floor. She could hear the man laughing as he pressed his face against the glass, fogging the window with his breath. The wild look in his eye told her that he wasn’t going to go away.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” Carlos called from the living room.
“Carlos!” she screamed in panic. “Get in here!”
He ran into the kitchen and flicked on the lights. He stared at the broken dishes in the floor, and turned to her as she cowered beside the refrigerator.
“What happened?” he asked softly, kneeling down to her. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Look at the window.” She pointed with a trembling finger to the other side of the kitchen.
His head snapped in that direction, but only a reflection of the room greeted him.
“Turn off the lights; there’s someone out there,” she whispered, breathing heavily.
Carlos did as he was instructed, but the window was still empty.
“There was someone out there,” she cried. “I swear to you. You can still see the fog where he was breathing on the window.”
He nodded thoughtfully and walked out of the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” she asked frantically.
“To check it out.”
“Don’t go out there,” she pleaded, rising from her hiding spot. “Just call the cops, Carlos.”
“Nah, there’s no need to bother them. It was probably just some kids goofing around.”
Michele followed him to the living room, wringing her hands. “It wasn’t a kid. I saw him. It was a man, a big man.”
“Then he is going to be sorry he picked this house to pull that ‘peeping tom’ bull shit,” he snarled as he pulled a pistol out of his desk drawer. He checked the clip to make sure it was loaded and flicked off the safety
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt.
“Yes, I do. This is my home. I’m not going to let some nutcase make us afraid to be here.”
“Don’t leave me by myself.”
“Look, if we let him know we are afraid, he’ll just keep coming back. There are some sick people out there that really get off on this shit.”
“But I am afraid. Please, just call the cops.”
“If we wait for the police to get here, he will definitely get away.”
“How do you know he isn’t already gone?”
“Well, I guess there is only one way to find out.” He winked, stopping to kiss her before he slipped out the front door.
She pushed the door shut behind him and moved to the window, watching her husband search the front yard. She closed the curtain when he disappeared from sight. Pacing in the living room, she felt panic threatening to take over. Her imagination ran wild.
Footsteps rang out on the front porch and she froze. When the door didn’t open immediately, she grabbed the phone. I don’t care what he says. We need the police. They get paid to take care of—
Suddenly, the door swung open, causing her to scream and drop the phone.
“Calm down. It’s just me.” Carlos laughed. He closed and locked the door behind him.
“Was he still out there?”
“No, I didn’t see anything out of the—”
Michele’s scream interrupted him.
“What the hell?”
She crumpled to the floor pointed behind him. “Be—behind you,” she managed.
Michele watched in impotent terror as her husband spun around and leveled the gun at the stranger’s head with lightning speed. But before he could squeeze the trigger, his arm yanked violently downward and the gun clattered to the floor. He rubbed his arm as he stared at the man, who hadn’t moved a muscle.
“How did you do—?”
The man punched him in the side of the head, sending him crashing to the floor, unconscious.
“It’s not nice to play with guns,” the man declared with a smile.
“Please!” Michele sobbed. “Please don’t hurt us. Take anything you want.”
“Oh, I will.” He winked at her. “There’s no need to cower down there. Here, let’s get you on your feet.”
He reached down with his left hand and picked her up by her arm. When her feet left the floor, she began kicking at him.
“Two living partners,” the man said. “This ought to be interesting to say the least.”
Chapter Ten
Tom held his breath, counted to
ten, and let it out in a long sigh. He checked his hair in the review mirror. After running his fingers through it, he reached for the handle of the car door, but hesitated when he noticed how bad his hand was shaking.
“Man, I picked a hell of a time to quit drinking again,” he whispered, wondering if he was going to be able to conceal the tremors.
He took a few more deep breaths before pushing the door open. He had been in a lot of uncomfortable situations in his life and couldn’t understand why this one was getting to him so much.
“I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.” He looked up and down the sidewalk to see if anyone was watching him.
He clenched and unclenched his fists several times in an attempt to get his shaking under control. He finally gave up and just shoved them into his pockets as he strolled up the sidewalk towards the house. His heart beat a little quicker with each step he took.
Damn it, man. This ain’t your first rodeo. Get a grip on yourself, for Christ’s sake, he chastised himself before reaching for the doorbell.
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened to reveal a tall man with broad shoulders, looking at him with the dumbest smile Tom had ever seen. Adding insult to injury, Tom had to look up to see that horrible smile. The guy was huge. A flash of recognition swept across the man’s face and he extended his hand in welcome.
“Ah, you must be Tom,” he said without letting his smile droop for a second.
“And you must be Dan,” Tom replied, shaking his hand.
“Come on in. They will be ready in a few minutes.” Dan moved out of the doorway and signaled for Tom to follow him.
Tom gritted his teeth and stepped into his very own version of hell on earth. He tried to keep the forced smile on his face, but soon feared that a fake smile would make him look more pathetic than no smile at all.
He followed Dan into the living room and flopped down in the only recliner in the room. This was no easy feat with his hands still in his pockets. He wondered, a little uneasily, if Dan could feel how bad his hand was shaking when he greeted him at the door.
The Dance Page 5