Witchy Woman - Book 2 - The Necromancer

by Pamela M. Richter

  When a person is struck by a lightning bolt it can leave a big ugly scar, but sometimes it leaves beautiful tracings that almost look like an elaborate tattoo of a leaf or tree branch. Mike had seen some examples. He wished he could see if Heather had been touched electrically in that way.

  He shook his head and almost laughed. What a sad excuse to see the beautiful Heather’s skin. He could just imagine what she would say if he told her he wanted to see her chest to find out if the lightning left a tattoo. Especially if he came on all earnest, acting like it was just an interesting scientific fact he wanted to explore.

  She’d probably sock him. Hard.

  He had to admit he could be ‘aloha nui loa’. Crazy about the girl. She was feisty, cute, and so much fun to be with. In his mind she reminded him of a tiny, beautiful fairy or elf, she was so dainty and elegant. And could she ever swear when she was upset!

  When they were surfing and she fell off of her board, she didn’t realize he heard her as she floundered in the ocean, tenaciously getting back on the ‘dam, fucking,’ surfboard. She was muttering, ‘I swear I’ll fucking chop you up into firewood,’ and then let out a really brilliant and astonishingly unusual string of swear words as she stubbornly struggled back on the board to try the waves again.

  It cracked him up.

  Most people just thought Heather was another pretty model, with not a deep thought in her head, but Mike knew better. Since he had access, like all the news reporters at the TV station to do research, he’d investigated Heather. He’d found she was a minor tycoon. She’d made a substantial fortune as a young model, but instead of socking it away in a bank or 401k, she’d sunk her earnings into fee simple real estate in Hawaii. She owned and managed several apartment builds on the windward side of the island.

  The refrigeration door, which was very thick and heavy, finally clicked open. Freezing mist boiled out of the unit. It sure is cold, Mike thought, hoping he could find the eggs fast. If not, they’d find him in the morning; a frozen popsicle collapsed on the floor.

  There were many shelves, but luckily each one was labeled. Blood. Embryos. Sperm. Ovum; that was it.

  The staff had placed the vials in alphabetical order. Satinov!

  He reached in to grab the glass vial, then almost screamed when it burned his hand. “Holy hell,” he murmured. Burned twice in one day. Once by the smoldering heat from the handrail in the stairwell, and now by trying to grab an object way below freezing temperature. He’d been stupid, in too much of a hurry, but lucky as well. That vial could have stuck to his hand and caused a lot of damage.

  He saw metal tongs clamped to the side of the freezer unit and picked them up. Then he ran to a paper towel holder on the other side of the room and grabbed a handful. On the way back he saw a cloth towel on one of the desks and took it.

  Carefully removing the Satinov, Michelle container with the tongs, he placed it on the paper towels and rolled it up inside. Then he wrapped the whole package in the towel. It was small and he stuffed it in his pocket for safekeeping.

  Then Mike had an idea. He took the tongs and pulled out the shelf that said Sperm. He found Satinov, Omar. He pulled out the vial containing Omar’s sperm, holding the object away from his body with distaste. He found a trash can and dropped it inside. Then he stirred the can’s contents with the tongs until the vial was totally hidden. Those little guys would die soon, he thought with some satisfaction.

  Just as he was preparing to leave he saw some bright lights moving toward him through a doorway. People were coming!

  Feeling panicked, like a guilty thief, he did the only thing he could think of. He ran to the other side of the room and hid under a desk.

  Three people entered the room with bright torches, lighting up the room. Even so, Mike believed he was safely hidden in the shadows.

  He listened with interest as a woman spoke to her co-workers. “Yeah. It was real funny. Dr. Franz is trapped in the elevator when he realizes the clinic’s live specimens are going to unfreeze and disintegrate in a few hours. He starts shouting so loud that Julie, the receptionist, gets alarmed and shouts back at him. He tells her to run to the main hospital and get help to transfer the frozen live specimens to the main hospital lab.”

  Another voice: “The unit’s unlocked!”

  Original voice: “Someone’s in trouble. Here, let’s be quick. This stuff is valuable.”

  Mike watched them place the containers with their fragile organic specimens into a basket. They were working fast and soon were leaving. He waited until they got out the door and then followed them. They weren’t using the clinic stairwell, so there had to be another way out of the building. He saw the three people go out of another door, and then they were walking over a short bridge that went from the fertility clinic to the main hospital. Since it was dark, he never would have known about this alternate escape route.

  The door had a lock, and it was closing automatically as the hospital workers left. He ran and grabbed it just in time. Then he reached blindly in back of him, feeling around on a desk. He found a ruler and secured it between the door and the jam, so the door would would remain unlocked.

  Excellent, he thought. There was a way to get Michelle out of here without using the front door to the fertility clinic. Maybe they could avoid Omar altogether.

  Mike patted his pocket, making sure the precious package was safe, feeling the cold seep through the paper towels, and his jeans, cooling his skin.

  He went to the stairwell and started down, thinking that maybe the hotel they were staying in tonight had a freezer. The other option would be to go directly back to Rod’s company Lear Jet and put it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator there.

  They’d have to move fast if they wanted to keep Michelle’s eggs alive. From what Heather told him, Michelle didn’t even believe she could have children. These might be her last chance.

  Chapter 19

  The Karate chop Omar used on Michelle is called a chuto strike, used in Shorin Ryu. It is dangerous. Incorrectly used it can cause temporary or permanent paralysis, or death.

  Omar was a master in many forms of the martial arts, and he was careful. He didn’t want to harm Michelle, just put her out temporarily so he could hide her until Rod, Heather and Vincent admitted defeat.

  When she collapsed in his arms, he picked her up like a doll and studied her face intently in the light of the dim flickering candle he had dropped. She was breathing fine, just unconscious.

  He had a little trouble maneuvering because, although she was slim, she wasn’t a small woman, and he needed to back up on the stairs and then open the door to a patient floor. He’d dropped the candle when he struck Michelle, so he could catch her. The candle guttered out, and the inky blackness of the stairwell made it that much harder to negotiate.

  Of course, Lucifer was making a disturbance, biting Omar’s arm and trying to scratch his face. The noises the cat made would alarm the nurses, Omar thought. Lucifer was howling and spitting, between lethal sounding growls.

  Omar had a strong impulse to throttle the little animal, but endured the hostility, knowing that the cat would be a life-line for Michelle when he had her totally under his control. He could use the cat as leverage. Threaten to hurt or kill it if she gave him trouble.

  He had the trump card with him, as well; the ultimate object to control Michelle. The diamond. When gave it to Michelle on the island of Kauai, he still believed that she would eventually care for him, follow him, and be his chosen mate to help rule over his vast empire. He foresaw that she would be the ultimate Wiccan priestess. Now he knew that in her hands the diamond would give her way too much potential power. If she ever learned to use it, she would be genuinely formidable.

  Omar shifted Michelle over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and finally got the door open. It wasn’t as dark on the patient floor because there were windows in the rooms that bled light into the hallway. He went down the hall, peeking into each room. Finally he found an empty one a
nd rolled Michelle off his shoulder onto the bed, grimacing with relief. She wasn’t exactly light, being almost six feet tall.

  Now the cat wasn’t making much noise, Omar noted. Lucifer had jumped on the bed, back hunched, fur standing straight up, and seemed to be guarding her. He was growling and spitting, which Omar found amusing.

  Omar decided to hide Michelle in plain sight. He’d take her back to her hospital room once the four who came to save her had left for the night. After all, he was legally her husband. If he told the staff he didn’t want Michelle to have visitors, his word had to be obeyed. He was paying enormous bucks for the medical services. He’d made it clear he expected his wishes to be followed precisely.

  He just had to wait until Rod, Heather and Vincent left. It would be a while. They were still climbing in the stairwell.

  ***

  Heather jerked on Rod’s sleeve. He stopped climbing and turned.

  She whispered, “The professor is way behind. He needs a break. I’ll say I need to rest for a minute. Give him a little time to recover.”

  Rod nodded, although he desperately wanted to get to Michelle as fast as possible, and they both sat down on the stairs.

  Vincent puffed up to them.

  “I needed to rest from the climb,” Heather told him.

  “Whew. Me too,” Vincent said, panting deeply. He gratefully sat down as well.

  Since their footsteps were not clanging on the stairway any longer, when they heard angry snarls and yowls, there was no mistaking where it came from. Just a few floors above them. No mistaking what was making the racket: Lucifer.

  “I’ll run up and try to catch him,” Rod said.

  “Wait!” Heather said. “He may have encountered Omar.”

  Rod just shook his head and took off. He was a tall man and he sprinted up the stairs, going up the higher levels quickly. As he did so, he searched for any sign of the little white cat, but he didn’t see Lucifer.

  He ran up another flight and almost bumped into Mike on a landing, who was rushing down the stairs.

  “Did you see Lucifer?” Rod asked.

  Mike shook his head and they both started down together, moving the cell phone lights into the corners to see if he could be hiding somewhere.

  “We heard him squalling, but he’s disappeared again,” Rod said.

  “I got the eggs,” Mike said, holding up the package triumphantly so Rod could see.

  “Excellent.”

  “I also trashed Omar’s sperm contribution.”

  Rod laughed. “Good riddance to bad rubbish. That’s terrific. Great job!”

  Mike told Rod about the alternate exit to the clinic that he’d found on the twelfth floor. “Now we have to get these little eggs to someplace cold fast, or they’ll die.”

  Rod nodded. Then he stopped abruptly when he saw the Tenth Floor sign on a doorway as they descended. “I’ve gotta go see her. Make sure she’s all right. You can tell the others I’m on the tenth floor.”

  “Man, you shouldn’t go alone,” Mike said. “No doubt that guy, Omar, is dangerous.”

  “I have to. Right now,” Rod insisted.

  Mike bobbed his head. “Okay. I understand. But the guy throws lightning bolts, man. He probably turned out the lights here in this clinic somehow. The professor thinks he caused the stairwell handrail to become fiercely hot. And just two nights ago I saw a beautiful girl, named Wendy, fall from his apartment. He probably had something to do with her death. So I’m coming with you.”

  Rod nodded and opened the door to the patient floor. “Okay. Let’s be very quiet and sneak a quick peek.”

  “Not that I’d be much help, anyway,” Mike muttered. “Especially if Omar’s has these strange supernatural powers and decides to kill us both.”

  Rod surprised him by laughing. “Two birds with one stone. How could he resist? Except he has nothing against you, Mike. Maybe he’ll let you survive.”

  “Very funny,” Mike said under his breath, but he realized he really liked Rod. The guy hijacked his company’s Lear Jet all the way from Japan to rescue his girlfriend in Mexico. He’d risked his job with a big corporation. It was an audacious and hazardous undertaking, to free the woman he loved from a madman.

  When they got on the patient floor Rod indicated to the left. Mike understood that he’d be checking all the rooms on that side. Rod would do the other side.

  It didn’t take long.

  “Did you see her?” Rod asked Mike.

  He shook his head. “I think I saw Leilanie, the little Hawaiian girl who was implanted with three embryos. The room next to hers was empty, so I believe that’s where Michelle was.”

  They snuck by the nursing station in the middle of the hallway. When the nurse asked crossly who they were and where they were going, they didn’t answer.

  “Michelle’s probably trying to run away from Omar,” Rod whispered, when they got past the nurse. “Taking advantage of the dark, like we are.”

  They nodded at each other and ran for the stairs. “She’ll have to be somewhere in here,” Rod said.

  If Omar didn’t get to her already, Mike thought, but he didn’t say anything.

  They started down again. Abruptly, all the lights went on, almost blinding them with brilliance, since their eyes had adjusted to darkness. They were both blinking and squinting as they jogged down.

  Mike tentatively touched the stair railing with one finger. It was vaguely warm, but felt soft, like the metal had lost its firmness. He didn’t feel it was safe to hold onto.

  When they got to where Heather and Vincent were sitting, Rod told them that Michelle wasn’t in her room on the tenth floor, and Lucifer was still missing.

  “Maybe she got past us down stairs while we freed Mike from the elevator,” Heather said.

  They went down fast, hoping to encounter Michelle, but when they got to the bottom and came out into the Lobby they hadn’t found her.

  There were quite a few people in the lobby now. Several maintenance men, by the look of their outfits, hospital staff workers, and people carrying in electrical equipment with long electrical cords dangling all over the place. Electricians were on ladders, checking the light fixtures. There were two policemen in the lobby as well.

  Rod immediately went to the front desk and asked Julie if she’d seen Michelle.

  She gave him a brilliant smile. “No. No patients came down here. But Mr. Satinov went upstairs to find you all.” When she mentioned Omar’s name her lips drew up in a dreamy smile and her cheeks got hot pink.

  Yuck, another one bites the dust, Heather thought. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to be female. How anyone of her gender could be attracted to Omar was a mystery to her. He might be extraordinarily handsome, but she’d found him creepy the first time she’d met him in Hawaii.

  “Must have missed Omar,” Rod said, easily. “We went to the tenth floor, where Dr. Franz said Michelle’s room was, but couldn’t find her.”

  “Maybe Mr. Satinov took her to his room on the third floor.”

  “He’s staying here?” Rod asked.

  “Yes. You can visit him tomorrow, if you’d like. We finally got all the lights and electricity on in our building. The equipment was fried. The police are here because they believe it’s sabotage.”

  “Do you have a pen and some paper?” Rod asked. “I want to send a note to, ah, to Mrs. Satinov. It’s a surprise for her husband, so the note’s ‘For her eyes only.’”

  Julie smiled. “They’re such a wonderful couple. Of course. I’ll make sure it gets to her.”

  Vincent watched Rod write something down on a pad of paper. Rod folded the paper in half and handed it to Julie. Then Vincent whispered, “Time to go.” He nodded in the direction of the policemen, who were looking at the four of them with acute interest.

  Since they were the only non-hospital people on the premises, and had been there at the time the electricity went out, Vincent’s assessment seemed prudent.

  The most vital fact for retreat
ing now, though, was that Omar knew they were here.

  Julie turned to Mike. “Dr. Franz said to tell you he’d be here to see you tomorrow about your patient, Mrs. Satinov. Right now he’s extremely busy, checking on his surgical patients.”

  The four started walking to the door.

  “Michelle’s right here, somewhere in this building. This is so frustrating,” Heather whispered. She could almost feel the speculative eyes of the policemen imprint on her back as she went past them.

  When they got outside, they huddled together.

  “What did you say in the note for Michelle?” Heather asked Rod.

  “I told her we all were here in Mexico. Said her father, the professor, could hardly wait to see her. I said her doctor, Mike Kapahu, came from Hawaii to see how she was doing. I told her we wanted her safe and well and back in Hawaii.”

  “Sounds good,” Heather said. “At least she’ll know we’re here and who we’re supposed to be. She must be so scared right now.”

  “Any ideas about what else we can do?” Rod asked.

  “We might be able to go into the regular hospital behind this clinic,” Mike said. “Cross the bridge from there and come back into the fertility clinic that way. I left the door blocked open, so it’s unlocked.”

  “It might have worked if the lights were still out. But we’ll be noticed, and probably thrown out, this late at night,” Vincent said.

  Rod sighed. “I think Omar found Michelle and hid her. Maybe in his own room. And now he knows we’re here. He’ll be waiting for us.”

  Mike held up the stolen egg package. “We need to find some dry ice, even regular ice, and put this in a freezer, pronto.”

  Heather glanced at her purse, realizing she actually missed little Lucifer poking his head up to look up at her. She hoped he was somewhere safe.

  They gloomily trudged to the end of the block, turned and walked another long block and turned again, toward the main hospital entrance. They could see a red sign further along the road to another entrance, La Entrada Emergencia, and went that way.