Holly sat across from me at a desk in RJ’s office. I’d been questioning her for the last twenty minutes and come up with nothing of interest thus far. “So Viejo never mentioned a Doctor Durand as far as you can remember?”
“No, not that I remember, Detective. Sorry,” she said with apologetic eyes.
“Okay, Miss Williams, well thank you for—”
My phone rang, coming up “restricted.” I grabbed the call.
“Good day, Detective. I see you found one of my little helpers. Do be cordial with him, and please don’t harm him—you know how I detest violence.”
I stood when I heard the voice, sure of who I was talking to. “Durand?”
“In the flesh!” After a brief blood curdling laugh, Durand continued, “Any idea what to make of all those fingerprints that are turning up?”
I was fuming, livid through and through. “You’re enjoying yourself, Durand, very pleased with your games, I’m sure.”
“Of course, dear Doctor Detective. But let us not drift off topic. Perhaps a familiar voice will jolt you to recognition, help you put the pieces together.”
“Chris, are you all right? Are the kids all right?”
A lightning bolt shot through me. “Michelle?! How is it possible? Is it really you?” I fumbled along. “You’re dead…we just buried you. Told the kids…” My voice trailed off. Holly cast me a perplexed, yet sympathetic look.
“I’m alive, Chris. Durand is using clones to—”
“Michelle! Michelle!” I screamed.
“Visiting hours are over for now, Detective. I’ll leave it to you to piece together the clues. Do it quickly though. We’re moving on to a new phase, a New Order if you will, and I’ve saved a place just for you, Detective. So if you have any intention of ever seeing your dear Michelle again, you’ll do just as I say.
“Now, let’s talk about your assignment…”
Chapter 97
My head was reeling from the crazy things I had done, the risks I had taken in cooperating with Durand. A few weeks ago I complained about missing Durand evidence. Three days ago I stole vital evidence for him from the precinct! The next day I was nearly taken down by three Package Express workers as I robbed their warehouse. I had to find a way to free Michelle before I was caught, fired, and imprisoned or maybe killed. For now I was biding my time, ready to pounce if I sensed an opportunity.
We walked down a long hallway, a blindfold and ipod masking my senses as Durand’s men guided me along.
Inside a small, dark room with a closed circuit TV monitor, Durand’s men freed me. There I conversed with a woman I believed was Michelle. It seemed to be her; she said all the right things and looked the part in the flowery pastel dress I got for her last Mother’s Day. But without being able to touch her, how could I be sure? Too few things were as they seemed these last few months.
I spoke to Michelle with enthusiasm, but kept my heart hidden from view. I studied her as we spoke. The mannerisms were Michelle’s, yet somehow different. Forced? Rehearsed? Maybe just Michelle bending under the pressure of the last five months? It was impossible to tell through a TV. I needed her touch to know.
After just four minutes, Michelle and I were shepherded away from each other.
“Enjoy your visit with your beloved, Detective?” Durand said in earnest. “More will follow if you continue to cooperate. Perhaps we’ll even throw in a conjugal visit to keep your spirits up,” he said with a cackle.
“In all seriousness, you have surprised me this last week, Detective. I expected begrudging obedience. Instead, you’ve approached your work with enthusiasm and professionalism. We may yet lure you to the dark side.” Durand’s smile faded. “One more challenge—an altogether formidable one—lies ahead. This final task will require some female assistance. Steer your way through it unscathed and we will kiss and make up.
“But remember, no funny business. Your dear wife’s life hangs in the balance.”
Chapter 98
Melville, NY
Semi-naked bodies abounded. A swatch of fabric here or there to cover a loin or breast or ass. The place was a sea of carnal desire. Tonight’s theme was Rome meets Sodom and Gomorrah, I guessed. Women with heaving breasts and gold-leafed hair adornments mingled with men with fig leaf crowns and tight spaghetti strap sandals. I was far out of my element, and for once I was glad to have Holly with me. She moved with ease and surprising anonymity. Maybe the tight fitting, skimpy toga was enough of a change of context to throw the swingers off—maybe no one cared who they were screwing that evening. It was almost Halloween for Christ’s sake, maybe that was helping this supermodel to go undetected in plain sight.
I acted casual, relaxed, one arm draped over Holly’s shoulders, the other pumping a Bacardi Rum and coke to and from my mouth. But clothed in a light tunic and on the prowl for new victims for Durand, I felt exposed on every level and couldn’t let go of the thought: Spatick and Commissioner Kelly would crucify me if they got wind of what I was up to.
Our hosts, jovial, masked, and effervescent, had spared no expense. Sand, palm trees, and mood music created a Carnaval atmosphere. At five hundred dollars a couple, with about three hundred in attendance, they could be more than generous in setting the proper mood. There was much kissing and fondling as couples, threesomes, and quartets drifted off to the bedrooms that outlined the large playroom we mingled in.
It was now 11:30 p.m. Holly and I had already talked it up with twelve people, none of them fitting Durand’s explicit physical and psychological profiles. We were in between encounters now, trying hard to be inconspicuous—easier said than done for a cop and a supermodel. Holly relished the opportunity to run her hands all over me and whisper in my ear.
“Bet you never had this kind of fun with Michelle, huh, luv? Out in LA this is considered a G-rated Saturday night for me.”
I stayed silent, uncertain how to react to the come on. I needed to play my part if we were going to pull this off. But I also needed to maintain discipline and self-control around Holly. It was a battle I felt destined to lose.
“I really appreciate your help on this, Holly. There’s no way I could have gotten into this party without you, and I know you’re risking a lot to help me get Michelle back.”
“Come on, baby, you’ve got to loosen up before you give us away,” Holly said with her sexy British accent as she leaned into me, grabbed my buttocks, and slithered her tongue in my mouth. I responded in kind, then ran a hand over her tunic and reached in and cupped her left breast. Holly didn’t flinch. On the contrary, she gyrated her hips and slid her mouth next to my ear. “It’s about time you showed me some attention, Christopher. I was beginning to think you’d never come under my spell.” She nibbled on my ear, caressing it with her mouth and tongue, then slid back in front of me, her face radiating warmth and sensuality. Her eyes locked in on mine as she drew me—body, mind, and soul—in to her. “Play your cards right, Ravello, and you’re in for an unforgettable night.”
Holly leaned back as an equally horny couple approached. He was tall, toned, with leading man looks and a bulge in his tunic. She was five foot four, svelte, and exotic looking: Asian-Philippine or perhaps Hawaiian. Finally, two people who fit Durand’s descriptions.
Holly and I exchanged a knowing glance. Then we dispensed with introductions and small talk and headed towards an unoccupied bedroom “guarded” on each side by musclemen dressed as Eunuchs. Our friends went in first, followed by a couple we hadn’t seen before. Holly held me back for a moment at the door.
“Prepare, Detective, to have your world rocked to its very core.” With that she pushed me into the pleasure room—obliterating life as I had known it.
Chapter 99
Two guards led Michelle towards the security office at The Giver’s facility. They pushed her through the door and into a small room. Inside, one wall was filled with closed circuit televisions that monitored every square inch of the facility. An adjacent wall held racks of guns, ammunition,
handcuffs, knives, walkie-talkies, and Taser guns. Straight ahead stood Jean Louis Durand.
The Giver delighted in seeing his plan unfold. “Michelle, we are approaching a seminal moment for your dear husband, Christopher, and I wanted you to have the best seat in the house for it.” With that he grabbed her and pushed her down in a chair that faced the monitors, before turning to the guards on each side of her. “She’s in your capable hands now,” he said. “See to it that she enjoys the show.”
Durand opened the door and as he was exiting said, “I'm off to play ringmaster. Try not to miss me too much.”
§
The six of us spilled out of our chauffeured stretch limo, laughing, kissing, and groping as our chaperones guided us—still blindfolded—into the compound. Holly started in the lead then came back to the crowd. She removed her blindfold and those of the other two women amid a chorus of carefree giggles and gyrations. I peeled the men’s blindfolds off and weaved through the crowd.
“Right this way to tonight’s second act of ‘carnal knowledge.’” A few twists and turns later I led the group to the evening’s last stop. All in our party looked around in amazement. I watched as every set of eyes filled with desire. The last of the chaperones backed out of the room, locking it behind him. “I told you you’d all like it, didn’t I?” then paused for effect. “And the best is yet to come,” I said. The group followed me on a tour of the expansive room, the ladies running their hands over the shiny stirrups of the exam tables that doubled as kinky sex stations. They shared a knowing look and lustful leer as the men watched, dumbfounded.
“Here, Kim, let me help you settle in. That particular model maximizes penetration angle, both forward and rearward,” I said with a smile as I helped Kim then Kikki into position. Holly did the same with the men. Steve took his place in iron shackles suspended from the faux dungeon wall. Tony, the taller of the two, ambled onto a rack and smiled at Holly as she secured him in place.
Kim was the first to suspect something was amiss. Her beautiful Asian face contorted, then assumed a look of Doe-eyed innocence. “How are we gonna have fun all spread out like this?”
A well-concealed electric door slid open with a hiss.
In stepped Durand and one of his men, Durand dressed from head to toe in black. “Good evening, friends, thank you for coming. You are among the lucky few who will lead mankind towards the New Order. Our festivities will now kick into high gear. Sit back and relax—if you can.”
Durand turned, facing me with an icy stare. “Glove up, Doctor. We have specimens to process.”
§
I did as I was told, donning the skull cap, mask, gown, and gloves that were provided me. Durand did the same. It had been a year since I wore scrubs, but despite the bizarre circumstances, I felt strangely at home and at peace with myself.
Perplexed, Holly yelled, “What the hell—?” as Durand’s man restrained and gagged her, dragging her through the electric door.
“Let’s begin with this one,” Durand said as he stroked the man’s upper arm, “Tony, I believe, is it not?”
Our victim struggled to break free, biceps, shoulders, and torso straining against his restraints. Durand plunged a syringe into his jugular and delivered the paralytic medication succinylcholine.
Kim looked on in horror as Tony went limp. “Tony! Baby!”
Durand ignored Kim’s pleas and those of the other two captives.
“Please do join me, Detective. The right side of the table is all yours. I’ll take this side,” Durand said as he settled in on the left. Two men came through the door. The surgical assistant wheeled two Mayo stands into place filled with instruments as the other man, dressed in scrubs, slid a cart adorned with masks, syringes, and inhalational anesthetics to the head of the bed. The man moved quickly, first to secure a tube down Tony’s throat, and then to administer general anesthetics.
Kim and the others screamed all the louder as they struggled to free themselves from the same fate.
I honed in on Durand as I settled into place. “It’s been quite a while. I’m sure I’m rusty.” Creases formed at the edge of his mask, hinting at the hideous smile that lurked beneath.
“Quite all right, Detective. I shall be your guide. Continue to trust in me and I assure you; we shall be unstoppable.”
I had no other choice. Comply or never see Michelle again.
I had always tried to bend life to my will, with the same result, heartache, pain, and death for those I loved. I couldn’t handle being a failure anymore. There had to be a better way, one that freed me of the pressure of always being in control, one that ended all our suffering and led to rebirth.
Durand and the surgical assistant finished prepping and draping Tony, dabbing excess Betadine from his skin. I wasn’t sure why they took all of the normal surgical precautions; this patient was not expected to outlive his surgery. “Let’s take a liver and pancreas from this one, Detective.”
My eyes met Durand’s. They were cold, hard, and empty. He flicked his head from the assistant towards me. A glistening blue, number twelve, titanium scalpel appeared before me. I stood rigid and still. “A midline incision to start with, Doctor,” Durand instructed, a suction catheter posed in his gloved hands. I stared at the freshly shaven abdomen, hovering just above it with my scalpel.
“Doctor…”
My hand wavered for a few seconds before I finalized my decision. My blade pierced skin and subcutaneous tissue, Durand drinking up the blood with his catheter, cauterizing as we went along.
There was no turning back now.
Below the subcutaneous tissue was the abdominal cavity, home to the precious organs Durand was so intent on harvesting. Durand's suctioning skills were piss poor—my hands were drenched in blood as he coaxed me on. A tiny ember of me had awakened and was enjoying performing surgery again after so long. Durand was oblivious to it all.
“Excellent, Detective. Your skills seem quite intact,” Durand murmured. “Now for—”
“Boss, we’ve got a problem!”
Our heads snapped to attention, locking in on Gerry Buehler as he stormed into the room. Hours earlier I learned of Buehler’s involvement with Durand’s work. Kevin and I had gotten at least some things right.
“What is it?” Durand demanded.
“The cops have us surrounded.”
“What?” Durand said incredulous as he looked from Gerry to me. I ripped off my gloves, flinging them on the surgical drapes that covered the rest of Tony's body.
“I’ll take care of this. Grab a couple of guns and ammo, Gerry, and meet me upstairs, quickly,” I said.
Durand, regaining his composure, nodded his approval.
“Go ahead. I’ll send the guards after them, and then assist you upstairs. Hurry!”
With that, Gerry and I raced off to the fight of our lives.
Chapter 100
Michelle stared at the TV monitors, her mouth agape as she tried to process what was happening. The call from Durand came in, “Everyone get out here on the double and kill the intruders, now!” Guards grabbed guns off the rack behind Michelle and sprang past her on each side, the last one locking the door from the outside as they exited.
The scene unfolded on the monitors before her. The police and FBI had the place surrounded. They’d be inside in no time, she hoped.
“Durand! You’re surrounded, give it up!” King’s amplified voice boomed through the ground floor rooms.
“We’re not coming out without a fight, RJ,” I yelled as I peeled off two shoots. The bullets ricocheted off the police cars in front of King.
“What the—? Have you gone loco, Ravello? We’re on the same side, boy, remember?”
“Not anymore, RJ. I’m not wasting my time with the NYPD or the Bureau anymore. You guys are the reason Michelle was kidnapped and killed. You never let me go after Durand the right way after the attack on her. I could have nailed him before this all spiraled out of control,” I yelled as I ripped off another shot in King
’s direction.
“Chris! It’s me,” Kennedy bellowed. “You can’t do this. I know you’re out of your mind with grief over Michelle, but this isn’t the answer. You’re gonna get yourself killed…. Think about the kids. What are Christine and James gonna do without you?”
“Traitor! I figured out it’s been you all along, Kev. You’re Durand’s cop on the inside! No wonder he’s been able to keep a couple of steps ahead of us. None of this would have happened without you.”
“Chris, you’re not thinking straight. Come on out so we can talk this over. How could I be in with Durand,” Kennedy said as he stepped forward from behind the squad car. His hands were raised near his chest. He was completely vulnerable. “How do you explain Durand almost killing me if we’re in cahoots?” Kennedy pleaded.
My 9 mm semiautomatic answered for me. I lit into Kennedy, two shots ripping through his chest. Blood splattered everywhere. Kennedy flew back over the car. Hands lunged at him, pulling him behind cover.
§
I jumped back from the window, then ducked down low as bullets riddled the wall behind me. Durand stumbled alongside me, out of breath. The spray of bullets stopped.
“Impressive, Doctor Ravello. But let’s grab your wife and get the hell out of here while we can. We’ll take the tunnel and live to fight another day.” Durand leaped up, then ran full tilt. I raced behind him, through the labyrinth’s many twists and turns, wondering where the hell we were.
Footsteps were crashing towards us—closer, closer.
Durand flicked a few wall switches along the way. Walls shifted, barriers appeared from nowhere. What the hell?! This was not to be believed! Navigating this place by myself would have been impossible.
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