Phoenix

by Roy A. Teel, Jr.

  Howard stood up and said, “I’m not a killer, Alice.”

  She leaned back in her chair and said, “Then you better find one before you either end up in prison or in flames.”

  He walked out, and as he closed her chamber door, he pulled his cell phone and pulled up his contacts.

  Santiago’s was hopping with activity when John pulled into the parking lot at five thirty. He saw Jim’s car backed in near the entrance, found a spot, and backed his truck in and got out. Sam and Jim were sitting in a corner of the bar away from the noise with a bucket of iced beers. They were each drinking one as a young college aged waitress in a short skirt and low cut top put a glass in front of him with a wedge of lime.

  “Mr. Santiago told me to bring this to you, Agent Swenson.”

  John looked at the beautiful young redhead with perky breasts and a big smile and asked, “Do I know you?”

  She laughed and pointed at her name tag and said, “My name is Sally. Sally Jones. Mr. Santiago hired me and some of my sorority sisters to help out here at the bar.” John looked over to see Javier sitting on a barstool near the end of the bar on the quiet side near Jim and Sam. He waved at John and smiled then went back to the newspaper he had clutched between his old fingers.

  John thanked Sally and then looked at Jim and said, “I only need one guess as to what school the girl and her friends go to … and who recommended they help Javier.” Jim let out a belly laugh as Chris came through the doors of the bar to the squeal of several of the young women and a group hug. He joined them at the table, and Sally brought him a Coke Zero.

  Chris looked at John’s glass and said, “I thought you were having what I’m having?”

  John took a drink and said, “Javier had other ideas. I will drink my tonic water while you drink your Coke. So … you got your friends jobs here?”

  Chris nodded, pouring the soda into a glass with ice. It was still loud, and Chris had to raise his voice a bit and said, “Well yes … Karen and I came down for dinner a few weeks ago, and Javier was having a hard night. He had a lot of people and little staff. So, Karen and I helped out, and after the rush was over, I recommended that he get some help. I made a few calls over to the school, and the next thing I knew, Javier had a staff.”

  Jim laughed and asked, “So, are you going into the fuckin’ food and beverage business as a side job?”

  Chris shook his head, taking a drink of his coke and said, “No. Not at all. Karen and I wanted to help out, that’s all. So … does someone want to tell me why we are here talking about a killer?”

  John pulled out his tablet and ordered the others to take out theirs. Sam and Jim’s were on the table, and Chris pulled out his, and John said, “I’m beaming you all an encrypted file.” A few seconds went by as the three looked it over and listened to the audio on their wireless headsets.

  After a few minutes, Sam said, “There is a three second delay between the movements of the killer and the voice.”

  John nodded, and Jim looked up from the tablet, took a swig of his beer, and said, “The person doing the killing is male. The voice belongs to a woman, well disguised, but a woman nonetheless. She’s ordering the killer around and talking to the victims and Howard at the same time.”

  Once more, John nodded, and Chris asked, “Okay, I get it now, but the killer knows in advance who his target is and what he is to do long before he grabs the people and then does what the woman on the other end of the microphone is saying.”

  “That’s right,” John said. “This is no ordinary killer, folks. Someone likes killing and doing it with fire, and someone else has the target list and is calling the shots.”

  Sam asked, “Okay, so we basically have two killers. The chick has the list and the grudge, and the guy is carrying out the murders. How the fuck are we going to catch both of them? Can you unmask the voice?”

  John shook his head and said, “No. I’ve tried, but there is no way to do it after the fact. I would have to have my equipment on scene at a murder to unmask the voice, and even then there would be a time delay. The victim would be dead long before I could crack the code.”

  Chris was watching the screen very closely and said, “No. The killer is male, and he isn’t speaking … or … he isn’t literally speaking. His body language is telling me more.”

  John looked at Chris and asked, “Tell me what you see.”

  Chris said, “I can’t put my finger on it, John. I’m telling you that the body language of the killer just doesn’t work with the voice. It’s as if the whole killing has been choreographed.”

  Sam said, “What? Like a dance move?”

  Chris nodded, and Jim said, “Well, if that’s a dance move, it’s the deadliest I’ve ever fuckin’ seen. And unless we want others to dance with this devil, we better figure out who the fuck is behind the voice and the killings.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Tell me when murder doesn’t

  have a darker side to it.”

  It was half past six when Judge Alice Walker emerged from her office and walked down the corridor to the private elevator that lead to all of the judge’s chambers in the building. She walked out into the hallway, and a bailiff pressed the call button on the elevator, and the doors opened right away.

  Alice stepped in, and the bailiff said, “Good night, Your Honor.” As he pressed the lower level parking garage button and stepped back into the hall, the doors closed, leaving Alice alone in the elevator.

  Janet Winston was dancing away with two men she had met at a local club off the Sunset Strip. The music stopped, and she fell into one man’s arms and said, “Phew … I think I’m getting old.” There was light laughter as Janet walked back over to her small booth and sat down. She had the remains of her dinner on the table and was picking over it when her cell phone rang. The voice on the other end of the line was unfamiliar.

  “Mrs. Winston, I see you like to trip the light fantastic with strange men. Do you think it’s wise to be gallivanting around given the state of your divorce?”

  Janet was looking around the crowded bar and asked, “Who is this? Where are you?”

  There was a sigh, and the voice on the other end of the line said, “Does it really matter who or where I am? I can see you. I’m looking at you right now, and I can tell you that there is someone else here waiting outside as he couldn’t get in, and he’s been taking pictures.”

  Janet sat up in her booth and smiled big, looking around the club and said to the caller, “So, shoot away, fucker. What are you? Another one of my husband’s private DICKS?”

  “No … I’m just sending you a message that discretion should be utilized given the situation of your divorce.”

  Janet stood up in the booth and lifted the short low cut rhinestone covered dress, flashed her nude ass in the direction of the dance floor, and said to both the caller and the people in the club, “Who wants a piece of this?” She let out a loud laugh, and several men and women walked over to the table. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to snort some coke off a toilet seat while a couple of strangers fuck me up the ass.” She ended the call and promptly began to make out with a man and a woman.

  Saul Winston sat amongst a small group of friends he had invited to his home at Phillip’s advice but wasn’t in the mood for company. He had few friends of his own, most were his wife’s friends and had hung around for the money that Saul was more than happy to throw around. He spotted Terry Baskin walking slowly and seductively in his direction. He watched her until she was only a few feet away and commented, “Terry, that’s not a dress. It’s floss.”

  Terry laughed and said, “Why leave anything to the imagination, Saul? You’ve been on set with me and Janet many, many times. You’ve also fucked me ten ways from Sunday with her.”

  Saul nodded and asked, “Have you seen or talked to her?”<
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  Terry slid down onto his lap and laid her head and red hair on his chest, as well as her large, manmade breasts, and said, “Oh Saul, why are you wasting your time worrying about what Janet is doing?”

  “I asked you a question.”

  Terry sat up, frowned, and said, “I had dinner with her and some friends last night.”

  He looked at all of the people dancing and laughing, paying little or no attention to their host, and said, “I just wanted to know, that’s all.”

  She slid her hand down onto Saul’s crotch and asked, “So, you want to fuck me?”

  Saul nodded and called out to his butler, “Clovis, the party is over. Please see to it that my guests are seen out.” Clovis was an imposing figure at six foot two and was classically trained in the UK. He’d been Saul’s servant for nearly two decades. His black skin against his white shirt and tie were set off against the red vest he was wearing, and he was the closest thing Saul had to a best friend. And even he didn’t know of Saul’s diagnosis.

  Clovis nodded and asked in his British and West Indian accent, “Will there be any other young ladies joining you outside of Ms. Baskin?”

  Saul looked around and asked Terry to pick three, saying “I don’t want to be alone, and you wear out fast in my bondage room.” She walked over to several young women dancing together, and Saul saw her whisper in their ears. Two of them looked at him with dread in their eyes. The other, a young, black girl he’d never seen before, was nodding as Terry returned with the others in tow.

  Terry said, “I think you know everyone here.”

  Saul shook his head and pointed to the young girl. “Is she of age?”

  Terry nodded, and he asked, “Does she understand what I want and will demand of her?” She shook her head and said, “The rest of us do. We’ll let it be a surprise. Do you want introductions?”

  He shook his head and said, “No. I’d rather leave names at my dungeon door. Take them to my game room. These two already know the drill.” Saul was pointing at two very well endowed young women, one oriental and the other Mexican, who both nodded slowly. He laughed and said, “Relax, girls. You know that I will pay you handsomely in the morning when I am finished with you. Besides, you two do bondage and S&M in porn all the time. You’re pros.”

  One of the women said, “The bondage in porn is fantasy, Mr. Winston. The bondage in this house is a nightmare.”

  Saul nodded and said, “That’s true. That’s so true.” He looked at Terry and said, “Strap the young one and the Mexican to the knee boards, nude. The Asian … put her on the cross.”

  Terry nodded and asked, “And how do you want me, Saul?”

  He looked her up and down and said, “Nude. I’ll work on you after I have played with them.” Terry led the women off as Clovis cleared the house of the rest of the guests.

  Saul heard the young girl ask, “Where are we going?”

  The Mexican woman asked, “Have you ever done any S&M scenes?” The girl shook her head. “Well, you’re about to get a taste of the real thing. Saul likes to hurt women, and in return, we get paid a lot of money to let him do it.”

  Saul heard the young girl’s voice trail off in pleading tones as the four women disappeared.

  The late evening air was still and heavy as Janet swayed a bit as she walked down the outdoor stairs from Tease at 17383 Sunset Boulevard. The club was located on the second floor of a strip mall that was near the corner of Sunset and Pacific Coast Highway. She was still staggering when she heard a familiar female voice call out to her.

  “You can hear the surf crashing on the beach tonight.” Janet nodded her head, looking around, but couldn’t see the person addressing her. “You really tied one on didn’t you, Ms. Fanny? Did you get fucked while snorting coke?”

  Janet looked around and responded, slurring her words, “Hey. I know you. You’re … um … I know your voice. Where are you?”

  “I’m nearby, Janet. I asked if you got what you wanted in the club.”

  Janet swung her bag wildly and said, “Well, I don’t have on

  any goddamn panties, and my ass hurts like a son of a bitch, so yeah. I snorted some coke while two guys ... I think it was two, maybe three guys. Shit. I didn’t even know any of them. What’s it to you?” Janet leaned against the railing of the stairs looking around and called out, “Where the hell are you? I know your voice, but I can’t see your face.”

  She slid down to the ground, and the female voice asked, “It’s late, and you’re hammered. You’re not even thinking about driving like this, are you?”

  Janet pulled herself up. Her dress was hiked up, and she was nude from the waist down. She started walking in the direction of the voice and said, “What business is it of yours? Huh? Who asked you? I know your voice. Where are you?” She kept walking away from the sound of the beach in the direction of a dark alley, and as she did, she moved from light into darkness.

  “I’m right over here.”

  Janet looked into the alley but saw only blackness. She walked a little further and said, “I can drive. My car is back over on the other side of the club. Who are you?” She stumbled in the darkness and landed flat on her face.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder, and the female voice said, “Ouch. You landed right on your face, dear. That’s going to leave a scar. Such a beautiful, sexy woman with an unseemly scar on her face.”

  Janet lifted her head and saw a slender figure leaning over her. She rolled onto her back and said, “Jesus! The whole fucking place is spinning.”

  “Wow! So, do you want to throw up here or at your home?” Janet was able to sit up on her hands and realized after a few seconds that her dress was up, and she was sitting nude on the ground.

  She said, “Shit. I think I just sat my perfect ass in fuckin’ glass.”

  The shadowed figure reached and helped her up. After she was on her feet, the woman said, “Come with me. I will get you home.”

  Janet was being led by the hand and said, “We’re going away from my car.”

  “Don’t worry about your car. I’m sure it will be discovered later.”

  There was a red Porsche parked near her, and Janet got in the passenger seat and then the female got into the driver seat. Janet asked, “Where are you taking me?”

  The woman laughed and told her to relax. She said, “You’ve been in darkness, and I promise you, you are going to see a light really, really soon.” Janet was leaning against the passenger window as the driver turned out onto Sunset.

  “I’m cold.”

  The female driver said, “Don’t you worry about it. Things are going to get really, really warm for you in just a few minutes.”

  Sara and Karen were sitting on the deck when John and Chris came into view. Karen was sitting with a glass of wine, and Sara had a scotch. Chris looked at Karen and said, “You’re not twenty-one.”

  Karen looked at him and said, “I have more education than you. We’ve had one hell of a day, and while I might be nineteen chronologically, I feel thirty-five tonight.”

  John laughed under his breath and looked at Sara and said, “Contributing to the delinquency of a minor?”

  Sara nodded, taking a sip of her drink and said, “Guilty as charged, Agent Swenson.” She put out her wrists and said, “Take me away, sir. I’ve been a bad girl.” They all laughed, and Karen dropped the robe she was wearing and jumped into the pool nude.

  When she came up from under the water, she turned to Chris and asked, “Well, it’s just after midnight, big guy. You want to jump in here and swim with me, or am I going to be all alone?” Chris looked at John and Sara, who both nodded, and stripped off his clothes and jumped in.

  Sara laughed and said, “We have to have the most open household in the world.” John sat down on the chaise lounge next to her and asked what she meant. She laughed and said, “My best friend and best doc
tor is a nineteen-year-old woman. Her fiancé is a strappingly handsome, well hung stud who walks around the house in the nude when he’s not on duty, and then there’s you.”

  John leaned over and smelled Sara’s breath and asked, “How many of those have you had?”

  “Not enough.”

  John asked, “What about me?”

  “You … mister stud, walk around nude all the time with all of these beautiful women around you, who are nude, too, and you don’t pay any one of them a bit of mind.”

  John laughed and said, “I see. So, I’m strange because I see you, Karen, Jade, Jessica, Barbara, and I’m supposed to be somehow moved by that?”

  Sara stood up and walked over to the bar and put her glass in the sink. She called out, “It’s twelve-thirty a.m., kids. Don’t stay up too late. You both have early days. Now, if you will excuse John and me, I’m going to take him into the bedroom and have him fuck my brains out.”

  Chris let out a laugh, and Karen shushed him. “You be nice, Agent Mantel, or I will sleep in my room here at the house, and you can use your hand to get off.”

  John looked at Chris and said, “We are controlled by women, brother. Our lives are controlled by women.” Sara was pulling him along when he suddenly stopped. He looked back at the pool where Chris was pulling himself up out of the water and onto the pool deck. “That’s it … that’s the missing key to the murders. The male killer is being dominated by a woman.”

  Chris was putting on his robe and said, “Yeah … but I thought we already covered that?”

  John shook his head and said, “We have the idea down. We don’t have the killer nailed down. We need to speak with Howard Cohen first thing in the morning.”

  Chris pulled a bottle of water from the wet bar and said, “Okay. What are we going to talk to him about?”