A Touch of Death

by Marissa Dobson

  “He seemed like he fit in, there was nothing out of the ordinary about him, but I could never get rid of the memory of his face. He seemed so ordinary, the cowboy hat and boots, he looked like he had worked on a ranch all day. I could see dark brown or black hair sticking out from under the cowboy hat, and he was over six feet tall and muscular. Well, he’d have to be, to be able to lift me out of the car through the window. He was tanned, and there was a long scar going from his earlobe that disappeared under his shirt.”

  “How many victims are there so far?” Jael asked.

  “Including me, four. Shelly was just after me, and two others. I had Shelly stay with the others who were too scared to leave Thanatos, with the promise I’d scope out the Reaper and return to them.”

  “I’ll need to speak with them as well if I’m going to…” Jael’s words faded. What was she going to do? She couldn’t hunt this murderer herself, and she wasn’t sure Cleg was going to believe her.

  Death stepped forward, placing his hand on Jael’s shoulder. “It needs to be one at a time so that the information isn’t tainted by another’s tale.”

  Maddie looked from Jael to Death before settling on Jael. “Shelly is eager to speak with you, the others are fearful they will be destroyed. Another spirit has put fear into them, telling horror stories that they will be blasted to oblivion, or worse…that the Reaper will leave them to rot in Thanatos.”

  “I’ll help you, whatever it takes. I’ll make sure you can cross over.” Jael reassured Maddie as well as herself. In that moment it finally became clear why her mother put up with the ability, the crazy looks from others, not to mention the spirits. Like her mother, Jael wouldn’t be able to turn her back on those in need, even if they were already dead.

  * * *

  When Jael finished speaking with each of the victims, she was exhausted and depressed. There was a serial killer stalking her town, more importantly a certain type of woman. Jael fit the profile.

  She rose from the chair and stepped toward the counter. She needed another mug of piping hot coffee before calling her brother.

  “Shouldn’t you call Cleg?” Death leaned against the kitchen counter looking delicious as usual.

  She forced her gaze back to pouring the coffee and away from picturing him naked. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. What had gotten into her? “I need a little more coffee, and then I will.”

  “A little more? Woman, you’ve drank nearly half the pot in twenty minutes. You should be able to run a marathon by now. I think you’re putting it off, kochanie.”

  My darling?

  “I didn’t know you spoke Polish. Hell, I don’t speak Polish.”

  “Like you, I speak every language. You recognize the translation?” He was obviously testing her translation skills.

  “Yes, it means my darling.”

  He nodded. “Kochanie, you’re delaying.”

  Plopping down on the bar stool, her coffee mug in hand, she stared at him. “Delaying…you could say that. What the hell am I supposed to tell Cleg?”

  “Nothing over the phone. What needs to be said between the two of you should be done in person.” He nodded at her cell phone on the counter. “Now call him.”

  With a heavy lump in her stomach, she leaned forward, her fingers closing around the cell phone. Now or never, oh how she wished it could be never. Her thumb slid across the screen, unlocking the phone and pulling up her contacts. Throwing caution to the wind, she called Cleg.

  “Jael, this isn’t a good time, I’m working on a case.” The tiredness was clear in his voice.

  “A case of a series of murders of woman in their twenties, blonde hair…”

  “How do you know anything of it?” All of a sudden he sounded alert.

  “Are you confirming it then?” Cleg’s silence answered her question. “Can you get away for a bit? Then I’ll explain.”

  Papers shuffled as if he was trying to find something. “If you can feed your dear brother, I’ll slip away in about twenty minutes, but you have some serious explaining to do.”

  “I’ll see you then.” Ending the call, she glanced up at Death. “He’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

  “Then I will go, call if you need anything.”

  “Call? I don’t have your number.” She started to hand him the cell phone so he could add it.

  He waved it away. “We’re connected, and when you think of me I’ll appear. It’s a safety measure in case you’re ever in a situation where you can’t call for me, but need me.”

  She didn’t like the sound of the implication. “Why would I ever be in a situation where safety is an issue? I’m a paramedic.”

  “It’s a precaution, nothing more.”

  A sudden impression there was more to it than just a precaution lingered in her stomach. Being the Grim Reaper would bring danger to her doorsteps occasionally, maybe more than occasionally. This was her first assignment and she was already thrown neck deep in danger.

  “Jael.” Death’s voice pulled her from her thoughts seconds before he clasped his hand over hers. “Be straight forward with Cleg. He’ll understand, and has something to get off his chest as well.”

  Chapter Three

  Setting the sandwich with a side of pasta salad in front of Cleg, Jael noticed the dark circles under his eyes. How long had it been since he’d had a good night’s sleep, or a hot meal? If she knew things were this bad, she’d have fixed him something better than a cold sandwich.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I was wondering how long you’ve been working this case. The dark circles are screaming you haven’t slept in days, and the way your eyes glazed over I’m wondering when you had something that wasn’t out of the precinct vending machine.”

  He didn’t dispute her words, instead he grabbed part of the sandwich. “Little sister, I believe you are stalling. How did you know of the murders?”

  “Ahhh.” She leaned against the counter. “This is going to sound insane, but I’ve seen the women that have been killed.”

  “You’ve come into your abilities then.” He took a bite of the sandwich and watched her.

  Her knees went weak. “You knew? How?”

  “Mom sheltered you, she didn’t want to have to deal with it until you had to, but yes I knew. I have an ability of my own that I’ve kept hidden.” Cleg polished off the rest of the sandwich before rising. “Jael, you need to sit for this story.”

  She followed Cleg to the sofa on weak knees, anxious to get the whole thing over. The air chilled around her, forcing a shiver. Sinking down onto the sofa she pulled the crochet blanket around her shoulders.

  He sat down at the end of the sofa. “Mom always tried to shelter us from the supernatural, to protect us from the decisions she made. During puberty, my powers formed and she could no longer hide the truth from me. I’m basically a human lie detector, it’s helped me get where I am. I can also force people to tell me what I need to know. When I went to mom about it, she tried to tell me I was just more in tune with people. I knew she lied. That’s when everything came out. Jael, I know you’re the Grim Reaper.”

  She wasn’t surprised by his ability. After all, she knew it was impossible to lie to him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Mom asked me not to. She did it to protect you. After she passed, I knew he’d come to you. I knew when you were ready you’d tell me, then I could tell you the whole story.”

  “He? The whole story, there’s more?”

  “He as in Death. Knowing mom died without unleashing your powers, she’d left it to Death to do it.” Cleg shook his head, as if unable to believe their mother would do it. “As for the whole story, yes there’s more. Haven’t you ever wondered who our father was? You get your abilities from Mom’s side, but mine are not from her.”

  Over the years, Jael had wondered who her father was. It was one of the only sore spots between her and her mom. “I asked her years ago but she wouldn’t tell me. Does this mean our
father is like Mom was too?”

  Cleg looked away from her, as if he worried how she would take what he was about to say. “Mom didn’t tell you because she feared you’d think less of her. She was young, in college for her nursing degree, when she met a man who she thought could give her the world. He was handsome and treated her like a queen, everything she always hoped for. In the end he lied to her about who and what he really was, and by the time she found out she was already pregnant with us.”

  “Who was he? Have you met him?”

  “I haven’t met him in person, I’ve only spoke to him on the phone once. He is Lucifer, the Devil.”

  The Devil? Cleg had to be joking. Shock, anger and more emotions than she could name passed through her like a speeding bullet. How could they be the children of the Prince of Darkness? She always believed it was a myth to keep everyone on the right track or fear going to Hell. Now she felt uncertain and off balance. One day she was the daughter of an average single mother, a paramedic, and now her whole life had been flipped upside down. How was she supposed to put the pieces together again and move past all of this? Where there more surprises lurking in the dark? What else wasn’t Cleg and Death telling her? She wasn’t a little naïve girl that had to be sheltered. If this was supposed to be her life, she had a right to know everything.

  “Jael…” Cleg knelt in front of her, shaking her shoulders until she glanced up at him. “Are you listening to me?”

  She blinked, pushing away the cobwebs. Completely lost in thought, she hadn’t even noticed Cleg had moved. “What?”

  “I’ve never seen you like this, are you okay?”

  “Okay?” Shaking her head, she met his gaze with wide eyes and a touch of anger. “No, I’m not okay. How the hell will things ever be okay again? I am the daughter of the freaking Devil!”

  With a cool breeze, Death appeared before her looking slightly amused. For once she welcomed the visit. Maybe he could shine more light on the whole barbaric situation. “Well, I see you’re handling this well.”

  “Why was everyone keeping secrets from me? Damn it, I hate being kept in the dark, but more importantly it’s my life and I had a right to know!”

  Death’s appearance made her forget that others couldn’t see him, so to Cleg she most likely looked like she was screaming at thin air. Cleg probably thought she had cracked like their mother, but what she had to say to Death couldn’t wait.

  Death held his hand out as if to say don’t blame me. “It wasn’t my place to tell the story, it was your mother’s.”

  “He’s right, it was Mom’s story to tell,” Cleg added.

  Cleg coming to Death’s rescue wasn’t the only thing that confused her. “You can see him? Wait…why can you see him but no one else can? I looked like I complete lunatic when I asked the nurse to remove him from Mom’s hospital room. She couldn’t see him, and thought I was insane.”

  “Unless I choose to appear among them, humans can’t see me. If you remember correctly, my words were, I wouldn’t recommend that, when you threatened to call security,” Death explained.

  “Then why can Cleg see you?”

  “I see him because of our heritage.” Cleg stood and walked to the windows. “Jael, I’m the heir to our father’s throne.”

  The air was forced from her lungs. She felt lightheaded as if she had left her body and was watching everything through someone else. Her body forgot how to function, to breathe. “What?” It came out more of a whisper than she planned.

  Her twin brother stood by the windows, the sun making his blond hair look golden. He looked like an angel, authority pouring off him. It wasn’t just because he was the top detective of Crystal Falls Police. She couldn’t believe he was the heir to Hell.

  “It’s not like I wanted this. Just as you’ve been dropped in your destiny, it seems as though I’ve been too.” Cleg didn’t turn to look at her.

  “When I help spirits cross over, where are they going? Am I cursing them to Hell?”

  “I swear you’re not.” Death held up one hand, palm facing her, as if pledging the truth. “If they’re meant to go to Hell, they would go immediately. There would be nothing holding them back. Spirits don’t get a chance to take care of unfinished business when they’re going to Hell.”

  “Then how…”

  Death came and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “Kochanie, you and Cleg are like two sides of one coin. You could say the good and bad of the world. Cleg has a choice to take his place as heir or not, and if he embraces his destiny he has the choice as to what to do with Hell. When the two of you were born, your destinies where divided between both of you. It’s a forewarning on what will happen, but only the two of you can make the choices.”

  “What choices?”

  Death’s thumb teased along her knuckles in a comforting yet somewhat intimate way. “This is not the time. Right now you need time to digest this, and there are spirits that need you.”

  “You’re right. Maddie and the others need me to focus, but I have one question.” Jael looked to Cleg. “Did Mom know who she slept with when she conceived us?”

  Cleg turned from the window and nodded. “She knew and didn’t care, she loved our father. It wasn’t until after she was pregnant that she realized the danger. I don’t believe she ever stopped loving him, instead she put our safety in front of her own feelings. Our father’s enemies are numerous and dangerous. If they find out we live, they will hunt us down like prey.”

  “Now that you’re both aware of your destiny and Jael’s abilities have been unleashed, you will come into additional powers,” Death said. “Ones that will keep you safe from your opposition, safer if you choose to work together instead of against each other.”

  Jael turned to Death. “I can’t turn my back on Cleg.”

  “As I said, those are things only the two of you can decide. Whatever path the two of you choose, I will be by your side, kochanie.” Death brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

  “Jael, I don’t think you understand if I can’t fight my destiny I will be a threat to you.”

  She turned her head to look at him with such speed she might’ve been possessed. Twins against each other. Was that truly what her destiny might hold? Looking at Cleg, she doubted she’d live through it. There was little chance she could actually turn her back on him, and less of a chance she could go up against him. There was something about the way Death spoke that made her think if Cleg chose to embrace his dark side that it would be up to her to kill him. She couldn’t do that. He was her twin, part of her.

  “Cleg, you’re not evil. I know you’ll do what is right. Look at you, you’re a cop for heaven’s sake, you fight evil, you don’t join it.”

  She wanted to go to him but something held her back. There was a tiny seed of doubt deep within her that she didn’t want to admit to. Death had already proved to her that it was nearly impossible to turn away from destiny, and she didn’t know what the Prince of Darkness was offering Cleg to sway him.

  “As you my sister are a paramedic, you’re supposed to save people from death not help them find it.” Cleg dragged his hand through his short hair. “There’s nothing fair about any of this, so let’s just forget it for now.”

  “Very well.” She was thankful to move on to something else. She needed time to let everything she’d learned sink in before she could make any decisions about her future. “Can you confirm there’s a serial killer then?”

  “Yes.” Cleg nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket. “It was only confirmed this morning when the third victim was found. The media has not picked up on any of this yet but it’s only a matter of time. You mentioned Maddie, I’m assuming you’re referring to Madeline Darcy. She was the first victim and was found three days ago.”

  Only three? The police were missing one of the bodies, since Jael knew of four victims. “Maddie has two pink highlights around her face,” Jael told him, wanting confirmation they were talking about the same person.
>
  “Here.” Cleg walked toward her and held out his phone.

  She slipped her hand from Death’s and took the phone. A morgue picture of Maddie filled the screen. Maddie looked so much younger, her skin pasty white.

  “That’s her.” Even seeing Maddie as a transparent figure moving around the condo hadn’t drove it home that the girl was truly dead, but the picture of her on the stainless steel table did.

  “Scroll over and verify the other two.”

  Her finger slid over the screen, bringing up similar pictures of Shelly and Jamie.

  “You’re missing Annabell.”

  Cleg shook his head. “There’s only three women and I hope to keep it that way.”

  “Annabell was killed last night off Johnsonville Road. Have you figured out why he’s skinning them alive? Any clues as to why he’s keeping the skin?”

  “For each woman it’s a different part skinned. On Maddie it was her stomach, Shelly her left thigh, and Jamie the right thigh. The department’s shrink believes he’s eating it.” Cleg shuttered. “The M.E. has discovered there’ve been bites taken out of each of the women. What no one can figure out yet is why there’s no defensive wounds on any of the victims. It’s the missing piece of the puzzle since the autopsy shows their throats were slit after he skinned them.”

  “He used a neuromuscular blocking drug,” Death explained. “I believe it might be vecuronium. If he didn’t slit their throats they would have died anyway, vecuronium would have paralyzed the diaphragm making it impossible to breathe.”

  Jael’s stomach churned with the thoughts of their last minutes alive. It had to be horrific, and they were stuck in limbo until the bastard was caught. It was her job to help them find peace.

  Cleg was facing them, but he seemed to be looking through them, staring off into his thoughts. “I’ll have the M.E. check the blood work. If that’s what he used, it would show up since they died before it could be processed through the system. It might also make him traceable. The people with access to it would be limited.”