I closed the window of the photo and searched for the report. After finding Rick’s autopsy report, I scanned through the details. The man’s head had weighed ten pounds, four ounces. I then searched the Internet for information about bald eagles. The typical maximum lifting power of the large bird of prey was approximately four to five pounds. I leaned back in my chair. Not even a bald eagle could have carried the man’s head high enough to drop it and crash through the rear window of a car.
I rubbed my chin, ran the tip of my tongue under my upper lip, and scrolled down to the section of the article that discussed the bald eagle’s diet. It mainly consisted of fish, but it wasn’t uncommon for the eagles to take advantage of dead and decaying flesh. So, it was somewhat possible that the eagle may have spotted the carnage and swooped down to grab the head. The only problem with that theory was that eagles don’t hunt at night. Their vision is impeccable during the day, but at night, eagles have poor vision.
And then there was still the matter of the weight of Rick’s head…
“What are you researching?” Detective Riley asked and stood by my desk holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee.
““Nothing.” I closed the browser window and grabbed my jacket. “Just heading out for a bite.”
As I headed towards the door, Riley said, “The chief wants to talk to you.”
“Did you say something to him?” I said, with my back to Riley.
When he didn’t answer, I turned around and asked him what he told Chief Hernandez. Riley moved towards the hallway, but I stopped him with a hand on his chest. “If you said anything about…” I glanced around at the others in the office and lowered my voice. “If you told him, we’re going to have some serious issues, Riley.”
“Get your hand off me.”
“Did you say something to him or not?”
Riley pushed past me and avoided my question. “You know, a little trust could go a long way. I’m doing you a favor,” he said as he left the office.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
†
I knocked on the chief’s door and poked my head inside. “You wanted to see me?”
“Shut the door and have a seat.” He motioned to a chair in front of his desk.
I pulled the door behind me and silenced my phone, before taking a seat. “Is there a problem?”
“I’ll just come out and say it, Aaron. You need to talk to a psychologist.”
“Excuse me?” My body tensed and I felt my temperature rise. Fucking Riley! “What makes you think I need a shrink?”
“You’ve been under an increasing amount of stress ever since you took this case. It’s clouding your judgment, and affecting your ability to conduct your investigation in a rational matter. Además, based on evidence collected over the past twenty-four hours, it’s clear this wasn’t a homicide.”
“With all due respect, I—”
“This case is closed, Aaron.” He grabbed a card from his Rolodex and tossed it on the desk in front of me. “I want you to talk to Dr. Kaminsky, and then you’re going on vacation for two weeks. Take a trip, go to the Bahamas, go catch some Astros games. Just take some time to relax and forget about work for a while.”
“I don’t need a vacation, David,” I protested. “Whatever Riley said to you is absolute—”
“Three-headed monsters, Aaron? Chimeras?” He stood up and spread his arms out. “What did you expect him to do? Ignore it?”
“David, it’s—”
“I’ve already scheduled your appointment with Dr. Kaminsky. I expect you to be there.”
“I know how crazy the whole thing sounds, but—”
“Ya largate.” He pointed to the door. “Just go.”
“Fine, I’ll take the leave.” I tossed Dr. Kaminsky’s card on the desk and got up. “But I’m not seeing a shrink.”
“Do you like your job, Aaron?”
I scowled at the chief while thinking about how much I wanted to strangle Riley.
“Let me rephrase that.” The chief grabbed the card off the desk and held it out to me. “Either you see Dr. Kaminsky for a preliminary evaluation, or you can turn in your badge.”
“Oh, come on, man. Seriously?”
“We’ve been friends a long time, amigo, but don’t think I won’t fire your ass.”
That would have put a bit of a rift in our friendship. I could feel the blood rushing to my head. I clenched my jaw, stared at the business card, and then studied the chief’s eyes. I could tell he wasn’t bluffing. I turned away for a brief moment and heaved a heavy sigh before snatching the card from David’s fingers.
“Next time you decide to assign me a partner, at least make sure he’s got actual experience. I’ll see you in two weeks.”
“Riley may not have a lot of experience, but at least he has a cool head.”
I left the chief’s office without saying anything else and returned to my desk. After turning off my computer, I grabbed my unopened pack of cigarettes out of the top drawer and slipped it into my jacket. I could sense several pairs of eyes staring at me as I slammed the drawer shut. Detective Riley returned just as I was about to leave the office.
“I’m sorry,” he said, one hand held out slightly, his eyes empathetic.
“We need to talk,” I said, walking past him.
“Can I call you later. I’m, um, in the middle of—”
“I wasn’t asking,” I snapped at him. I stepped into the hall and headed towards the elevator without checking to see if Riley followed. As I waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive, I could see him approaching from the corner of my eye. I didn’t bother holding the door open for him when he arrived. He had to stop the doors from closing with his body.
As soon as the elevator doors shut, Riley apologized again. “I’m sorry about your meeting with the chief. I just felt—”
I shoved Riley against the elevator wall and held my arm across his chest. “I don’t give a shit what you feel, you son of a bitch!” I pushed away from him and pointed at his chest. “You screwed up big time. I ought to kick your ass right now.”
“Is that a threat? Because if it is, I think—”
“You think what? Plan to tattle-tell on me again, like a little five-year-old? What the hell is your problem, Riley?”
“Maybe I’m just tired of you treating me like a rookie.”
“Well get used to it, you prick. You are a rookie.”
Riley responded with a contemptuous glare as the elevator doors opened. Two police officers stood by waiting to step inside. One of the officers greeted, “How’s it going, Sanders?”
“Just enjoying another lovely day on the force,” I said, stepping out of the elevator.
The officer laughed and responded, “I hear ya, brother. You have a good one.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Riley followed me outside. I grabbed my pack of cigarettes from my pocket and ripped away the plastic wrapping.
“I was only trying to help you. I mean, come on. Put yourself in my shoes.”
I pulled a cigarette out of the box, held it between my lips, and searched my pockets for my lighter. Then I pulled the cigarette away from my mouth. “You wanted me to give you a chance to trust you,” I said, patting around for the lighter. “and I did. I took a huge risk by telling you something personal, and my theory that…” I shook my head. “Oh, hell, just forget it.”
“You have to admit that it does sound insane.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I couldn’t find my lighter, so smoking to relieve my nerves would have to wait. The cigarettes went back in my jacket. “You think I want to believe a monster is running around loose in Austin? Of course I don’t believe it. I’m not crazy.”
“You sounded convinced to me,” Riley suggested. “So, why bring it up?”
“That’s the difference between you and me. You take things too literal. Me? I don’t rule anything out until I’ve had a chance to analyze every possibility, as farfetched or unbe
lievable as it may sound.”
“If that’s true, then why didn’t you consider Mr. Luther’s assumption that it wasn’t a homicide, and that an animal had killed those kids?” Riley waited for me to answer, but I didn’t say anything. “It turns out he was right.”
Riley was right about that, but I didn’t want to admit it. So I changed the subject. “Why didn’t you talk to me before going to the chief? My job is on the line now, thanks to your dumb ass. And also, thanks to you, I have to see a shrink or lose my badge.”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t act so surprised, Riley. You probably hoped the chief would can my ass.”
“That’s not true. If I’d known he was going to—”
“If you ever expect to earn my respect as a real partner, you’d better start learning how to communicate with me. I’d respect you a hell of a lot more if you would’ve just gotten in my face and told me I was nuts. Instead, you went behind my back and—”
“All right, I think you’re nuts.”
“Excuse me?” I hadn’t expected that.
“I think you’re letting an eleven-year-old kid manipulate you into believing something that never happened. I don’t know anything about your childhood, but—”
“That’s right, Riley, you don’t. And for your information, I don’t believe everything that kid tells me. I’m not an idiot, but you can’t ignore the fact about our dreams. How do you explain Cody knowing the details? There’s no possible explanation, except maybe some kind of connection.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with Saint Hedwig.”
Riley cocked his head. “What does that have anything to do with this case?”
It was a good question. “I don’t know… maybe nothing. But that kid and I have some sort of connection. I just can’t understand it. Maybe he’s got some sort of…” I stopped myself after thinking of the possible ramifications.
“Some sort of what?” Riley pressed.
“Forget it,” I said, walking away. “It’s not important.”
“Where’re you going?” Riley called out. “You can’t just leave me hanging like that.”
“Based on past experience, that’s exactly what I’m doing.” I kept walking and waved without looking back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cursed
Cody sat alone on a bench, while the other boys played outside behind the youth home. Two of the younger boys worked together to build a large castle in the sandbox next to the swing set. Another pair of boys threw a football back and forth in the yard next to the playground. Other boys pushed a merry-go-round and hopped onto it as it gained speed; they laughed as they held on to the handles and rode the round metal contraption.
Cody sighed and got up from the bench and walked, head drooped, to the swing set next to the boys playing in the sandbox. As he climbed onto one of the swings, a boy yelled, “Hey, queer, catch!”
Before he could react, a football struck Cody in the face, the impact knocking him backward off the swing. When he landed, he hit the back of his head on the ground. He could hear the boys laughing as the world spun around him. When his vision cleared, he saw Joseph and a few other boys standing around him. Joseph sucked in a mucus-filled snort and then spit in Cody’s face. “Ooooh!” the other boys responded with laughter.
Cody wiped the mucus and saliva with his shirt and scooted backwards. “Leave me alone, you creep!”
The small mob of boys continued to laugh and point at him.
“Whatcha gonna do about it?” Joseph yelled back.
“I’m warning you.” Cody picked himself up off the ground. “Leave me alone.”
“Oh, I’m scared,” Joseph mocked. “You gonna tell your mommy and daddy on me? Oh, that’s right. You can’t because they’re dead.”
“Shut up!” Cody screamed. He tried to spot one of the staff members, but none of them was anywhere nearby.
“What’s it like to see your parents ripped to shreds? I heard they were eaten by a lion and had their heads bitten right off.” Joseph laughed. “I think it’s all bullshit. I don’t believe any of it. I think your dad killed your mom and then blew his own head off with a shotgun. They probably couldn’t stand having you as—”
Cody screamed and tackled Joseph to the ground. “Shut up! Shut up!” He punched Joseph multiple times in the face. “I’ll kill you!”
The older and bigger youth pushed Cody off him. One of the other boys kicked him in the side, which prompted more kicks from the other boys. Cody screamed for them to stop, and yelled for help. He tried to crawl away, but it just resulted in the boys kicking him harder. He curled up in the fetal position and received a swift kick in the face. Another boy stomped on his ear. Cody cried in pain and pleaded for the boys to stop the assault.
The beating finally ceased and the boys backed away slowly, but they had already done their damage. Blood oozed from Cody’s nose and ears. Then he saw someone standing over him. He couldn’t tell who it was because of how the sunlight blinded his vision, creating only a silhouette. Then a dark cloud floated in front of the sun, revealing a man holding a large boulder over his head.
Cody’s eyes grew wide. “Aaron? What’re you doing?”
“I’m sorry, Cody,” I said. “But you have to die.”
A loud crash of thunder muffled the boy’s screams as I threw the stone down, crushing his head.
†
I jolted up from my bed at three in the morning. Rain slapped against the bedroom window. A flash of lightning illuminated the room while I sat on the edge of the bed, my sweaty forehead resting in the palms of my hands. A strong chill coursed through my body as the image of me killing Cody burned in my mind. I closed my eyes for a moment and then got up to get a cold glass of water in the kitchen, my eyes squinting as I turned on the light.
I opened the refrigerator door and stood there, just staring at the contents inside for a moment. I changed my mind, and decided to grab a beer instead of the pitcher of water. Shutting the refrigerator door, I pressed the cold aluminum can against the side of my face, and leaned against the counter. The numbing feeling helped ease my nerves a bit. I pulled the tab, slowly poured the contents into a glass, then crushed the can and tossed it into the sink. I would rinse the can out and toss it in the recycling bin in the garage later.
I set the glass on the coffee table in the living room and turned on the television, but the cable was out… again. Why I continued to subscribe to the piece of crap cable, I had no idea. I took a swig of beer and shut off the television. Then the cell phone rang in my bedroom.
“Take a vacation he says,” I mumbled. “Meanwhile I’m still getting calls at three o’clock in the morning.”
I tilted my head back, drank more beer, and set the glass on the coffee table. The phone rang a couple of more times. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”
I rubbed my face as I entered the bedroom, and by the time I reached the phone, the call had already gone to voicemail. It was Maria Jimenez, which I’d found odd. Why would she call me in the middle of the night?
I waited for the voice message prompt to appear, and called her back when it hadn’t. She picked up after the first ring.
“I’m sorry for waking you, Detective.”
“No, it’s okay. I was already up.”
“We’re having a bit of a problem with Cody. Would you mind coming to Saint Hedwig.”
“Right now?” I sat on the bed and glanced at the clock. “It’s almost three-thirty. Besides, as of yesterday I’m off the case.”
“What?”
“I’m on mandatory vacation thanks to trusting Riley with some theoretical information about my case.” I turned on the lamp by my bed and added, “Which, by the way, is also officially closed.”
“Really?”
“It’s no longer a homicide matter, since everyone is convinced a big cat killed those kids. Maybe even Cody’s parents.” That wasn’t far from the truth. “I wa
sn’t given all of the details before my sudden involuntary vacation, but I’m guessing Parks & Wildlife and Animal Control are taking over.” I stood up and returned to my beer in the living room. “So what’s the problem with Cody?”
“He had another nightmare.”
“That’s what you called me about?” I fell back onto the couch, grabbed my glass of beer, and crossed my feet on top of the coffee table. “I thought they had counselors there for stuff like that.”
“Yes, but he’ll only talk to you.”
“Okay.” I wondered why he would say that and sat back up on the couch. “Are you there right now?”
“Yes.”
“Did he tell you anything about his dream?”
“No. Why?”
“Never mind. I’ll be there within the hour.”
†
A security guard in a raincoat approached my vehicle as I pulled up to the guard station. I showed him my badge and noticed he was a different guard than the one I’d been used to dealing with. He motioned for me to roll down my window.
I lowered it about an inch and yelled. “It’s pouring outside! Can you open the gate for me?”
“I need to see identification, sir!”
I showed him my credentials. “Detective Sanders, Austin Police Department!” The howling wind and the rain hitting the roof of my car made communicating with the guard difficult without yelling. “I should be on your list!”
“Hold on a sec!” The guard ducked inside the security booth and ran his finger down a clipboard. He then pressed a button to open the gate, and waved me by.
I parked the car in front of the youth home, where I found Miss Jimenez standing with a large umbrella. She held the umbrella over me as I got out of the car.
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