Cajun Fire

by Rick Murcer

  “We can’t keep going away from our strengths and expect results. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen soon. We need to do more.”

  “Tell me what you want, Manny. I’m a little stumped here,” said Josh.

  “I will, since you asked. Chloe, Alex, and you need to head to the lake. The scene, if there is one, has to be processed, has to be done right with the three of you in charge. That’s what you do.”

  Shifting, he faced Barb, Braxton, and Belle. “You three need to go to work on the two who tried to kill Sophie and me. You know how a good interrogation is done, and profiling that interrogation could help uncover who was behind that little dance. Hopefully that will lead to something.”

  “And what the hell are you and Sophie going to be doing?” demanded Josh.

  “I started to tell you that I know someone who might fit our bill for a hacker-type. Sophie and I are going to take the jet and find out if I’m right. We’ll be back in about four hours.”

  “Okay. It sounds like you’ve thought this through,” said Josh. “I like this approach, and I think you just taught me something.”

  “I did, huh?”

  “You did. I still have things to learn about seeing the big picture. By the way, where are you going?”

  Sophie grinned. “I’d like to say he’s taking me out for great Cajun shrimp. But I think we’re headed for Colorado and the Florence ADMX Super Prison.”

  CHAPTER-25

  He’d anticipated this. It wouldn’t be long before the Feds and their new super team put some pieces together and made a few educated guesses about what was to come. They had been easily manipulated to this point, but he suspected that was about to end. New teams take a while to gel—he knew that from experience.

  No matter. He’d keep following what he knew to be the proper path toward the goal of balancing the scale of justice. His scale.

  Lifting the old chrome handle, he exited the Chevy and stood in the ever-waning light of the late New Orleans afternoon. The heat of the day dissipated with the light.

  “Ahh. What is life if not constant evolution and change?” he whispered.

  Looking up and down the street for a fourth time, he saw only a couple of young kids riding their bikes away from where he stood. Other than that, he was alone.

  Leaning back against the car, he resigned himself to wait a few more minutes to make sure his solitude wasn’t an illusion. Caution eliminated mistakes. Cases in point were the people in the warehouse, dear Lucretia, and all of the others over the last four years.

  While killing was still on the unsavory side for him, doing what was necessary was not.

  Rhodes’s thoughts shifted in another direction as he continued to wait for the right moment.

  His final undertaking needed to be handled with effort and concentration, particularly with the advent of invasive technology over the last few years. He had to stay careful. Focused.

  He hadn’t enjoyed expending effort on diverting law enforcement. But it had to be done. The less they discovered, the less time they had to discover it.

  Were they sometimes incompetent? Perhaps. Easily mislead? Yes. But fools? Certainly not. Especially Agent Manny Williams. He’d have to watch that one, at least for another day and a half.

  The other members of the ACTU were talented in their own rights, including their leader, Agent Joshua Corner. Some were even dangerous, but Williams was the straw that stirred the drink. Yet, Williams had weaknesses that would lead to his downfall, his failure to catch a killer. He would finish his task, and the media would explode into their usual uninformed frenzy, telling the world what he’d done and the Feds would be left holding their dicks. Including Agent Williams.

  The profile regarding the profiler extraordinaire was straight forward.

  The man was tireless, a true workaholic when turned loose, and he was most certainly out of the cage now. According to the research dating back from his days as a detective, he had “the gift.” Williams understood people, their motivations, and their anger. Which probably led to a few expressions of rage of his own.

  All of that came in handy in Manny’s line of work. However, for all of his assets, Williams also held two explosive intangibles. One made him dangerous; the other was his Achilles heel.

  Manny believed in the existence of God, the afterlife, Heaven. This outlook could lead him to be a little lax in regards to his own personal safety—he was saved, after all.

  Fair enough. There was a part of Rhodes that hoped God did exist. But how could that be true, given the lack of justice on this planet?

  “Wrong there, I think,” he whispered.

  Yet . . .

  The Achilles heel for this team was their regard for human life, especially true for Williams.

  He laughed out loud. In a manner of speaking, he and Agent Williams were one in the same regarding that. He wondered just how far the Fed and his team would go to see that mission of justice and protection accomplished. It may come to that.

  Reaching into his pocket, he dialed the number he’d been waiting to call his whole life.

  “Yes?” answered the smooth voice.

  “Are you ready?”

  There came a small, amused giggle. “I was born ready. Tonight, then?”

  “Yes. Tonight. At the time we agreed upon.”

  “Has the money been moved into my account?”

  “You’ll find that it has.”

  “That’s appreciated. Good luck with your endeavor.”

  The phone then promptly went dead.

  He stared at the throwaway, realizing there was now no turning back. Yet, had there ever been?

  He tossed the phone through the open window of the Chevy. He then pulled the lighter from the pocket of his khakis, hesitated while scanning the area one last time, and then flicked his finger, the golden fire-starter coming to blue-tinted life.

  “Goodbye, old friend. Onward and upward.”

  He threw the lighter inside the vehicle.

  As the flames began to caress the seat and then rise to the dash, he walked the fifty feet to where the old Dodge pickup truck awaited him, his mind electrified with thoughts regarding the next morning.

  CHAPTER-26

  Sophie felt her stomach clench, stronger than usual, as the FBI’s jet banked west and then north. They’d just taken off from Louis Armstrong Airport.

  Instinctively, she reached toward the seat beside her, anticipating Dean’s large, strong hand would envelope her own and make this flying crap more bearable. In fact, Dean had made a couple of those trips almost enjoyable. On those occasions, she hadn’t even experienced a tinge of nausea. Not so today.

  When she had realized what she’d done, she pulled her hand back, shaking her head, hoping upon every hope that she wouldn’t go there again.

  Too late.

  It had been a few hours since she’d really allowed the abyss, filled with guilt and pity, to drag her down deep, threatening to drive her insane with grief. Allowed? Like she could stop it.

  His bearded face rose up and stayed where her mind’s eye could see him. She wanted desperately to touch the tiny crow’s feet at the base of his big eyes, to stroke his beard the way she did after they’d made love. To kiss his full lips once again would be akin to the heaven Manny spoke of.

  She needed to breathe in his special scent that helped to make him wonderfully Dean.

  How much more of this can I take?

  Just when the heartbreak was about to bring about another teary-eyed shower of Biblical proportions, he was beside her, holding her hand, talking softly close to her ear. She looked up, her eyes wide with unnatural anticipation. Then she smiled, shaking her head.

  “Damn, Williams, can’t a girl go insane in peace every so often?”

  “Well, you can go there if you want. I actually think I might remember the way down that road. I’ll sit here and wait for you to get back, if you’d like.”

  Unbuckling her seatbelt, she rested her head on his
thick chest, his heartbeat slow, steady, and strong. It seemed to almost blend with the sounds of cutting through the air at twenty-five-thousand feet. The effect was calming, if not hypnotic.

  After a few minutes, the demons retreated and she sat up, kissing Manny on the cheek.

  “Sometimes, Manny, just sometimes, I want to be where he is. If your God was as loving as you say, that place would boggle my mind. Just seeing Dean one more time would probably boggle it even more . . . I mean, to really see him.”

  She watched the quiet, intense cloud appear in Manny’s eyes. It was only alive for a moment, then it disappeared—but some moments were lifetimes and that cloud had shown her that. Her best friend was still in pain.

  He pulled a little closer.

  “I know what you mean. I was afraid I’d not remember Louise’s face or the touch of her hand or the color of those incredible eyes. Even the sound of her voice when she called my name. That her memory would run to some bottomless recess of my mind and that she would be an insignificant shadow. Especially after Chloe and I were married.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing could be further from the truth. We had a connection that was one of a kind. Just like the one I have with you and Alex and Josh and, of course, with Jen and Ian and Chloe. I think we need those others to survive when a part of our heart is ripped away. They help us keep it together and give us a little resolve.”

  “You didn’t always think that, right?”

  “I didn’t. Do you remember the day you and Alex came over dressed in your own special baseball outfits? You stepped out of the vehicle, and after a month of wondering what the hell I was going to do without her, I suddenly knew. I had to get to it again. Not for me so much, but for Jen and you two. You had always counted on me because you could. It was my turn to let you carry the load.”

  “Yeah. That was a sweet outfit too.”

  Sophie sat up, her stomach rumbling, and reached over to pick up the bottle of water resting in the cup holder. She didn’t know how many men on the planet were like Manny. Probably not many. Maybe there was something to this guardian-angel stuff. He’d saved her from more desperate situations than she could count.

  They were on that road again, but she felt her angst melt away.

  “Thanks again, Manny. I’m good for now. Let’s get our asses in motion here. We’ve got a killer or killers to find.”

  Manny got up and moved to the seat across from her. Trusting her words, she suspected, he had already gone back to cop mode.

  “You’re right. I hope splitting up like we have, and what we do next, works.”

  “That’s where she comes in?”

  He nodded, his hair moving as he did. “She’ll give us more insight on what’s going on here than we can ever glean on our own, I hope. It’s at least worth a shot.”

  “So why do you think that? I know her complete mind shift has people curious on how a confessed serial killer can do that, but what’s the real deal with her?”

  “Still a good question. Do you remember when we took her into custody and we had a series of interviews with her?”

  “Of course. I had a few nightmares because of what came from her mouth. Especially the animal-killing thing when she was younger.”

  “I did too. But the part of those interviews that has stuck with me, other than what I believe to be a complete reversal of her psychology regarding life, was the fact that she found ways to visit and interview dozens of serial killers. A couple of those names on her list had greater aspirations than following their perverted sexual desires to stack up bodies.”

  “You mean the two who wanted to make a bigger statement than watching someone die by their own hands or even by some dumbass suicide bomber?”

  “I do. Even though she made good notes on the interview with those two, I think she knows more. I think, given their delusional narcissistic needs, they bragged and told her more than they think.”

  Sophie thought about what Manny was suggesting. She sighed. “You know, I think I like chasing down weird-ass serial killers better than this terrorist thing. They’re straightforward with their purpose and almost always do their thing alone, you know?”

  “I get that. But how different is what we’re doing, really? We have to strip these people down to the simplest motivations and logic. Just like before, except on a deeper level. If possible. I think she gets that better than us,” said Manny.

  “So I agree these assholes are more complex in how they do what they do, and way more covert. Guys like Argyle wanted us to know who he was. It was a game, and he totally enjoyed the confrontations we had with him. And he wasn’t the only one who did it that way.”

  “I know what you mean. But I think we are getting it, and what you say is true. These people would love to stay shadows, ghosts,” said Manny.

  “Great. We’re freaking ghost hunters.”

  “We are. That’s not all either. We’re money hunters too. I suspect there is far more money at work here than even with the likes of Argyle. Those people who attacked us didn’t do it as a community service to Criminals Anonymous. More available money means more folks involved, at least to help these people accomplish a step in their plan, then boom, erase that loose end and on to the next level. We find the money trail and we’re on to something. I think Braxton and Barb might give us our best chance to figure that out.”

  Sophie rubbed her eyes, feeling a little more fatigue than she thought she should, but hell, what a day they’d had, and flying twice on the same day was more than draining to a person with her phobia.

  “So where does she come in regarding all that?”

  The plane veered a little left as the copilot told them they were beginning their descent into Colorado.

  “I’m banking that Anna Ruiz has seen more than she knows.”

  Sophie hoped he was right. Even she could feel the hourglass draining.

  CHAPTER-27

  Alex stood beside Chloe and Josh as they watched the long, sedated reptile rest leisurely on the narrow beach. It was some forty feet from where the three of them stood on the north side of the big lake. It could have been more, to suit him.

  The vivid smells of fish and decaying weeds reminded him that this wasn’t Michigan. That and the heat. Even in the late afternoon, Louisiana was still Louisiana.

  He wiped at his brow with his right hand where even more sweat had accumulated, his forensic kit resting comfortably near his feet.

  “Well, at least the Orleans Parrish Animal Control people were able to save the gator’s life,” said Chloe. “But they’ll have to drop him off deep in the swamp; he now has the taste of human meat on his menu.”

  “That works for me. They wouldn’t have had a choice if he’d eaten more of the body. I told them I can figure out what happened to her, I think, as long as most of the remains are here,” answered Alex.

  Josh cringed. “She’s missing a leg, an arm, a part of her abdomen, and about half of her face . . . and you call that ‘mostly there’?”

  “Hey, I’ve dealt with worse. Luckily her body was still attached to her head. Hey, did I ever tell you about that decayed body I had to process on my first rodeo? We found it in a hot, steamy warehouse loft sitting in a bit of gasoline. Damn. I mean the smell alone was a killer, but all of that green slimy bio―”

  “Okay, Downs. I get it,” said Josh, raising his hand.

  Alex smiled. “Crap. You just ruined a good story. But I suppose we’d better get to work.”

  Chloe moved beside Alex, wearing her own smile. Alex was suddenly struck by how beautiful she was, even in this situation, and what she’d meant to Manny over the last two years. Yep. He supposed he would lose another hand to protect either one of them.

  “This woman fits the APB and description, minus the previously mentioned body parts. Alex, you’re spot-on; we need to get rolling with this,” said Josh.

  “Right-o,” said Alex and headed toward the picnic table where the body was laid out.


  Chloe stepped up next to him. “I’m going to help you go over it while Josh leads the NOPD going door to door.”

  Alex stopped and turned to Josh. “What about the forensic team?”

  “Awaiting your instruction.”

  After thinking about that for a moment, he nodded. “Okay, it’s like we said on the way over. Tell their boss to start with tire tracks on any road or turn-out within two miles of this spot. Someone had to have dumped the body somewhere close.”

  “Will do.”

  “I also want them to check for footprints. I need casts of everything. I doubt seriously that we’ll find any fibers on her or what’s left of the plastic she was wrapped in, because the body was in the water, but I suspect she was transported in an inconspicuous manner. Check for anything . . . hell, even fresh paper byproducts from candy wrappers or cigarette packs. They’ll know what you mean. They also might look for impressions in the dirt, maybe he laid her on the ground while he wrapped her up.”

  He rubbed his chin with his prosthetic, still getting used to it being out of the sling. “You know, there could be blood traces as well. Have them check each place they stop for that too. This isn’t a sandy beach, at least not much of it, so there could be traces on the rocks.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I’m still thinking. We’ve already sent DNA samples, along with strands of clothing and a piece of that plastic to the NOPD’s lab, as well as fingerprints, so they can get started. They need to analyze that material in a hurry.”

  He refocused on Josh. “You know, we could use access to any tapes from surveillance cameras, private and public, installed anywhere around here. Then have it feed to our system. I know this location is off the beaten path, another reason whoever dumped her chose this area.”

  Josh saluted. It reminded Alex of his favorite wench, Sophie, and her reaction to instructions.