Two Ways to Die: A Java Jarvis Thriller

by Erin Wade

  She was glad that Ares had slipped onto the bed and was now snuggled against Java’s back. She left them sleeping.

  She can take one day off, Kat thought as she drove away from the lake house.

  Kat stopped by the pet store and purchased a service-dog harness for Ares. This will allow him entry to any place Java takes him, she thought pleased with her purchase.

  As Kat waited for the red light to change, she wished Java would wake and call her. The squeal of brakes yanked her from her thoughts of the blonde. She watched as a black Cadillac ran the stop light swerving to miss a smaller car.

  Looks like Déjà is out today, Kat thought. She decided to follow the vehicle to Déjà’s store and talk to the owner.

  The car made a jerky stop on the parking lot, backed up to the door, and Kally got out. Kat was surprised to see the girl driving Déjà’s car.

  Kat waited a few minutes to see if Déjà would come out of the store. When she didn’t Kat walked inside.

  “Hello,” Kat called wondering where Kally had gone. “Is anyone here?”

  The usual thump-drag sound that always heralded Kally’s approach caught Kat’s attention and she pushed aside the beads to enter the back of the store.

  “Kally,” Kat called.

  “I’m back here Miss Kat,” Kally yelled. “I’m doing inventory.”

  Kat followed the sound of Kally’s voice weaving her way through the endless shelves of voodoo-oriented trinkets and cheap clothing.

  “Déjà,” Kat gasped as she spotted the priestess bound and gagged in a corner. Déjà vu’s eyes widened in terror at the sight of Kat.

  “What’s going—” The whoosh of an ax cutting through the air ended Kat’s sentence.

  CHAPTER 67

  “What do you mean she isn’t there?” Java controlled her need to scream into the phone. “She left me at nine this morning. I’ve been calling her for the last thirty minutes. Her phone goes to voicemail instantly which means it’s turned off.”

  Java reread Kat’s note. “Love you baby. Call me when you wake.” As was her habit Kat had put the date and time at the bottom of the note.

  “She never showed up here,” Chris reiterated. “Should I call Beau?”

  “Give me a minute,” Java choked. “Let me check her bank card and see if she stopped anywhere.”

  A quick check of Kat’s card revealed a purchase of gas then a new harness for Ares around nine-thirty. Java called the pet store and learned that Kat had left a little before ten. She called Beau.

  “Beau, Kat’s disappeared,” Java blurted as the detective answered the phone. “Put out a BOLO on her car immediately. She was last seen at the Love My Pets store on Canal around ten this morning. I’m on my way to the restaurant.”

  ##

  Her Wrangler was still rocking from the skidding stop when Java’s feet hit the pavement. Ares was right on her heels. She ran inside and was greeted by an anxious Barbie and Chris. Beau entered the front door as Java entered the back.

  “Have you heard from her?” Java demanded.

  “No, not a word,” Barbie answered.

  “It’s been almost four hours,” Java dragged her hand down her face fighting back the urge to cry. “Something’s happened to her.”

  “It’s just been four hours,” Beau pointed out as Karen Pierce entered the restaurant.

  “What’s going on Java?” the FBI director scowled.

  “Kat’s disappeared,” Java cried.

  “How do you know?” Karen asked.

  “She left me a note at nine this morning when she left for work.”

  “Because she spent the night with you?” Karen queried.

  “Yes! Yes! Dammit she spent the night with me,” Java bellowed. “That’s the least important thing on my mind right now. Fire me later. Right now, we’ve got to find Kat.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement. “Where should we start looking?” Karen asked.

  “Everywhere,” Java blurted. “Search Jody’s place just in case some rabid sexbot has her. Look at Ames’ church. Something’s not right there. Check out Lindy Rochelle. I’m going to Déjà vu’s store. Keep in touch. Karen you set up the report center. Use my office upstairs. We’ll call you as we clear our search locations. Everyone, bring her back alive.”

  ##

  Java breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled onto the parking lot of Déjà’s store. Both Kat’s car and the priestess were there. “Thank God,” she swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat and reported to Karen that she had eyes on Kat’s car.

  “Where’s your leash, fellow?” Java patted Ares as the dog insisted on following her into the store. “Maybe the Priestess of the Dead won’t mind if you’re not on a leash. Stay close.”

  “Miss Java,” Kally beamed as Java and Ares entered the store. She walked around the counter for a hug. Ares moved between Kally and Java as a low guttural growl escaped his throat.

  “Ares, down,” Java commanded. The dog obeyed but continued the low rumbling.

  “I’m sorry, Kally,” Java apologized. “He’s a little overprotective of me.”

  Kally nodded. “It’s okay. My dog’s the same way.”

  “Kally is Kat here?”

  “No ma’am,” Kally frowned. “Reverend Ames picked up her and Miss Déjà vu earlier this morning.”

  “Where did they go?” Java asked leaning against the counter. Ares held his position between Kally and Java.

  ‘To the church, I think,” Kally frowned. “People don’t keep me informed of their coming and going.”

  “Are you doing inventory today?” Java asked examining the open journal on the counter.

  “Yes ma’am,” Kally pulled the journal away from Java. “I just finished counting all these buttons.” She gestured toward the bowl of buttons.

  “Oh, don’t let me interrupt you,” Java smiled. “Go ahead and enter your tally.”

  “Thank you,” Kally grinned as she marked four lines then a diagonal line.”

  “So that stands for five buttons?” Java queried noticing that all the tallies were exactly alike.

  “Yes ma’am,” Kally beamed.

  “I guess I’ll catch up with Kat and Déjà at the church,” Java strolled to the door. “If I miss them, please ask Kat to call me.”

  “I will,” Kally assured her.

  Java returned to her vehicle, Ares jumped in and they drove away.

  ##

  Kally rushed to the back of the store. Gone was the limp she had affected for so long. Déjà watched her through hooded eyes. Kat lay in a puddle of blood. “Probably dead,” Kally mumbled. “And I wanted to watch her die.”

  She picked up the ax she had used to kill Kat and stood over Déjà. “You lied to me,” she screamed. “You told me the potion would make me invisible, but it doesn’t. They all saw me as they died.” She raised the ax over her head. One good hard blow would de-brain Déjà vu.

  “Kally,” Java screamed, “put down the ax.”

  Kally turned. “You’re smarter than I thought,” Kally grinned menacingly. “But, hey, the more the merrier.”

  “Kally put down the ax, nice and slow,” Java reiterated.

  Kally hesitated as if confused. “You can see me!” She cried.

  “Of course,” Java mocked. “Everyone can see you.”

  Kally swung around to face Déjà raising the ax high over her head. “You’re a fake,” she screamed at Déjà vu.

  “Kally, stop!” Java yelled.

  As the ax started its downswing, Java fired her Glock. The shot cut the ax handle in half. A furious Kally turned toward Java. “I can beat you to death with this ax handle,” she growled.

  Java shot her in the leg, but she continued to advance toward the agent. “Kally, don’t make me kill you,” Java begged.

  Kally lunged forward and Java fired ripping off the arm wielding the ax handle. Kally grabbed her shoulder where her arm had been then stared stupidly at the blood spurting from it.

  J
ava called for an ambulance as Beau and the team burst through the front door.

  CHAPTER 68

  Java stared into the cold waters of the lake. She couldn’t live without Kat. She didn’t want to live without Kat. She reread Kat’s last note to her. “Love you baby. Call me when you wake.” A chill swept over Java like nothing she had ever experienced. She’d never imagined life without Kat.

  “Hey, you’re going to catch a cold standing out here,” a soft voice spoke behind her and Java turned around.

  “Oh baby, you’re crying.” A soft hand caught Java’s and pulled her into the house in front of the fire.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” Java choked. “As much as I love being an FBI agent the price is too high.”

  “That isn’t a decision you have to make right now,” Kat pulled Java to the sofa and sat down in her lap. “It’s because one side of my head is shaved, isn’t it?” Kat teased.

  Java ran her fingers along Kat’s head where stubble was beginning to grow. “Even half bald you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Java murmured against soft lips. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  “I know how you feel,” Kat leaned her head against Java’s breast. “I thought I would die when you disappeared,” she said.

  “Kat, on our last case you were shot,” Java stroked what was left of Kat’s soft dark hair. “You were in a coma for over a month from Kally’s ax blow. This job is too dangerous. There are too many crazies out there. Besides I’m certain Karen’s demanded meeting with us tomorrow is to request our badges and guns.”

  “Honey we weren’t targeted because we’re FBI agents,” Kat pointed out. “Melody had the hots for you. She had no idea you were FBI. She truly had a screw loose.

  “Kally got her jollies from bashing peoples brains out. She had no way of knowing I was FBI. She started that nonsense to throw authorities off her trail. She was trying to point the finger at Ames. She told the psychiatrist that she had no religious or ethnic reasons for who she killed. They were simply the easiest to get to. Except for Rogers all were poor and didn’t even have good locks on their doors. She killed because she loved the sound and smell and the total look of terror on the victim’s face just before her ax crushed their skull.”

  “I know,” Java sighed heavily. “But the job is what puts us in harm’s way. We wouldn’t associate with those people if we were Jane Doe citizens.”

  “And how many others would have died if we hadn’t caught them?” Kat pointed out.

  Java nuzzled her face against Kat’s neck. “I know you’re right,” she whispered. “I just love you so much.”

  “I know baby,” Kat kissed her.

  ##

  “You ready for this?” Kat asked as they stood outside Karen’s office.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Java faked a smile and knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Karen called rising to meet her two best agents. “Kat, it’s wonderful to see you looking so good. Java, thank you both for coming.”

  “Um, you act like we had a choice,” Java groused.

  “You really didn’t,” Karen grinned. “I want to thank you both for your exceptional work. I’ve put you in for the FBI Shield of Bravery. Both of you have earned it.”

  “Thank you,” they chorused.

  “That being said,” Karen pulled an official looking document from her file folder and slid it slowly across her desk toward Kat and Java. “Please explain this.”

  Java placed her badge and Glock on Karen’s desk.

  “It’s my marriage certificate,” Kat muttered.

  “Yes, I can see that,” Karen said. “It shows that you are married to—”

  “Me,” Java interrupted. “We’ve been married for the last four years.”

  “I can see that,” Karen huffed. “When were you going to tell me about it?”

  “Need to know,” Java quipped. “You had no need to know.”

  “If I’d known,” Karen glared at them, “I might have been better prepared to protect you. As it is, I’m being forced to remove you from the team.”

  Java caught her breath. Suddenly it did matter to her that she was an FBI agent and she knew Kat loved the job as much as she. She wanted to beg Karen to let them stay, keep them in the loop, let them catch criminals.

  “The powers that be have instructed me to give you your own teams.” Karen continued. “Congratulations Agents Kat Lace and Java Jarvis, you are now Assistant Special Agents-in-Charge. ASAC for short. You’ll have two teams of four reporting to you. Each of you will be responsible for a team and you can use them together or separately. You will still report directly to me.”

  Java was speechless. “It seems my wife doesn’t know what to say,” Kat laughed. “So, I accept our new assignments on the behalf of us.”

  “What about payroll?” Karen asked. “Name changes?”

  “No,” they chorused. “Let’s keep it simple.”

  “Um Karen, is there any chance we can have Barbie and Chris,” Java found her voice.

  “If they put in for transfer, I’ll approve it,” Karen nodded. “I have a feeling they wouldn’t like working with any other leaders anyway.”

  “We’ve accumulated a lot of vacation time,” Kat said. “We’d like to take a month off before we begin putting together our new teams.”

  “Effective immediately you are on vacation,”

  Karen grinned. “But only for one week. I need your teams staffed and running by the end of the month.”

  “A week’s longer than I expected,” Java huffed.

  “I need to fill you in on The Basher case,” Karen said. “It seems Kally, her father and brother were all involved.

  Kally confessed to everything. She was involved from the beginning. She hated her own mixed family and butchering other mixed families was an outlet to keep from killing her own family. Budro followed her one night and discovered what she was doing. She convinced him to join her in her murderous rampages.

  “According to Déjà vu, Kally never had a club foot and was in her early thirties. Her childlike behavior and failure to grasp social norms made her appear to be much younger.

  “Kally will spend the rest of her life in the women’s prison for the criminally insane. Budro will get lethal injection.”

  Karen handed Java her gun and badge. “I admire that you were willing to turn these in for the woman you love, but please don’t pull that stunt again.”

  “Karen, do we have to hide our marriage?” Java asked.

  “No, I think your team will be proud to know Kat wasn’t cheating on her husband and you weren’t sleeping with someone else’s wife,” Karen said. “By the way Kat, who is Marcus Lace?”

  “My older brother,” Kat laughed.

  Java caught Kat’s hand pulling her to her feet. “We’re on vacation. Let’s not waste a minute of it.”

  They stopped at the door and turned to their director, “Thank you, Karen,” they chorused.

  ##

  “We have one whole week,” Java hugged Kat as they walked onto the deck of their home. “Where would you like to go?”

  “I’d like to be in my own personal little bit of heaven,” Kat tiptoed to kiss her wife. “I’d like to spend the next seven days right here with you and Ares.”

  “How do you always read my mind?” Java laughed opening the door to their home. She swept Kat off her feet and carried her over the threshold. “Welcome to my world Kat Lace. It was definitely built with you in mind.”

  The End

  A Woman to Die For

  By Erin Wade

  Good caffeinated coffee is like a fine woman, if they don't make you climb the walls every once in a while, something is missing . . .

  Erin Wade from A Woman to Die For.

  Chapter 1

  Katie Brandt wasn’t just any pretty woman. She was that woman one dreamed about. The one with long dark hair and flashing brown eyes that danced when a smile spread across her full red lips
. She was that woman men and women would die . . . and kill for. She had it all: beauty, wealth and charisma. She even had something she didn’t know about, a stalker!

  Dr. Shaylor Copeland was the first to reach the woman as she stumbled into the emergency room. She collapsed into Shaylor’s arms. Trained personnel moved efficiently to stop the bleeding from Katie’s nose and stitch up the gashes across her torso.

  ##

  Shaylor’s shift ended at two in the morning. She walked to the cafeteria for coffee. Maybe a cup of the strong liquid would keep her awake until she reached home. She carried the coffee with her as she took one last look at Katie Brandt.

  To Shaylor’s surprise Katie was sitting up, her head resting on a stack of pillows. Her penetrating eyes were surveying her room.

  “You’re awake,” Shaylor smiled as she approached the woman.

  “And alive,” Katie scoffed.

  “Yes. What happened?” Shaylor pulled a chair to her bedside.

  “You are?” Dark Belizean brows accentuated the question.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Shaylor blushed slightly. “I’m Dr. Shaylor Copeland. Everyone calls me Dr. Shay.”

  A twisted smile played on the woman’s full lips as she scrutinized Shaylor. “I’ll call you Shay.”

  “Call me whatever you like,” Shay chuckled. “Can you tell me what happened to you?”

  “Um, yes. My husband tried to kill me.”

  Something turned over in Shay’s stomach at the thought of Katie being the victim of domestic violence.

  “The police will be here in the morning to take a statement,” Shay informed her. “You need to file charges against him.”

  “Don’t you know who my husband is?” Katie scowled.

  Shay shook her head, no.

  “He’s Dr. David Brandt, your chief of staff,” Katie seemed to shrink into herself.

  “Dr. Brandt isn’t married,” Shay pointed out. “I know because I date him.”

  “Yes, you and every other female in this hospital. If you’d be kind enough to leave, I’d like to rest.”