Lieutenant Taylor Jackson Collection, Volume 1

by J. T. Ellison

  The door to the priest’s side of the confessional was thrown open. The box shook with the force of a body hitting the wall inside. Mary Margaret could see a man’s face, dim and veiled through the partition screen. The door to the confessional slammed again. They were left in darkness.

  Mary Margaret could barely make out the white collar around the man’s throat. Something told her it must be Father Xavier. She whimpered again, trying to get his attention. His head lolled to the side. She wondered briefly if he was dead. When a moan escaped his lips, she breathed a slow sigh of relief through her nose. Neither of them were dead yet.

  She tried to speak through the gag in her mouth, which had loosened.

  “Futther,” she whispered. “Futther, ere ou kay?”

  She was rewarded with a moan, and barely made out the word “devil.”

  “Futther, ere oo okay?”

  She watched him carefully through the screen. His breathing was labored; he was not gagged. Mary Margaret could see a trickle of blood flowing from the side of his head. She could tell his lips were moving, though no sound reached her ears.

  The footsteps came again, and the door to the confessional was thrown open briefly. A hand snaked in and ripped the gag from her mouth. She heard the voice, disembodied, as if she were hearing the Holy Ghost speak aloud.

  “Confess your sins, little one. Confess and be shriven, go to your heaven with an unsoiled soul.”

  The door slammed shut again, but before she could cry out, she smelled gasoline. Heard the flick of the match. Felt the heat as the flames exploded around her.

  “Father,” she screamed, somehow finding the strength to cry aloud. “Father, forgive me, for I have sinned.” The flames grew around her, scorching her hair, filling the tiny grave with smoke. She began to cough, knew she would speak no more. She prayed silently.

  As Mary Margaret lost consciousness, she heard one last word. A strangled whisper. She didn’t know if it was from her God or the priest being immolated with her, but the word filled her with peace, and she stopped struggling against her earthly bonds.

  “Forgiven,” the voice said.

  And the flames took them.

  CHAPTER 40

  He stood watching the flames, a small smile playing on his lips. He raised his eyes to the dark and boiling skies. “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven…”

  CHAPTER 41

  The skies were still roiling with gray and black clouds, and rain continued to pour down. Lightning reached out a fiery hand toward the earth. Nature wasn’t finished with her punishment, but the winds had lessened.

  Downtown Nashville looked like a war zone. Trees, trash, metal—all were strewn around in the streets like litter after a celestial concert, carelessly dropped by receding waves of humanity. People were venturing into the streets to survey the damage, their eyes wide with the excitement and fear that accompanies every natural calamity. The sense of awe was palpable; it was dazzling to be involved in something that they had no control over.

  Workplaces were left with flickering lights or no electricity at all, so many had shut down for the rest of the day. It was better for the people not directly involved in the cleanup to get out of the way. The tornado had cut a swath two hundred yards wide right down the main downtown streets of Nashville, but most of the outlying areas had only suffered superficial damage. There were no reports of deaths.

  Fitz, Marcus, and Lincoln had sneaked off to their respective homes to see if they had taken a hit from the storm. Price had to deal with the law enforcement aspects of helping with the cleanup. He wasn’t very popular with the rest of the detectives in the CID at the moment. After a brief meeting with the chief of police, he’d called in all the off-duty detectives. They weren’t happy to find they needed to go help Patrol work the roadblocks that had been put up around Nashville to help NES get the power back on.

  With everyone gone, Taylor finally felt as if she had some breathing room. She and Baldwin stayed in the Homicide office, planning their next steps. They were still on generator power, working under odd, not quite bright lights. The storm damage was impeding their ability to cross town to Vanderbilt to interview everyone again, and the phones were all down. As with most of the downtown businesses, it appeared the school had been closed down, so the students and administration were scattered.

  After a frustrating hour of waiting, they gave up, decided to take a break and get some food. She was glad for a momentary respite from the case to clear her head and recharge her batteries.

  As they drove out on Interstate 40, circling around downtown, they were impressed at how quickly the cleanup was progressing. Many of the streets had already been cleared. The damage was not as severe as it had initially looked, but many trees were uprooted, and power lines were strewn across the streets.

  Taylor decided it would be best to get out of the way, so she suggested they head back to her side of town to get some dinner. She lived in Bellevue, a small community just west of Nashville. It didn’t take them long to make the drive. The tornado had been confined to downtown. Once past the exits for West End, the streets were relatively clear.

  She pulled into a neighborhood restaurant called Jonathan’s, and they went inside. The place was packed, a beehive of activity. It seemed no one wanted to stay at home; they’d all come out to share the day’s excitement. They made their way through the throng of people waiting for tables at the front door and went into the back bar.

  They’d been making desultory chitchat on the ride over, mostly about the weather. The memory of her outburst had faded away. More comfortable together now, they ordered beers. Taylor brought out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Baldwin.

  Baldwin gave her a grateful grin. “I’d love one, but I quit a few years ago.”

  Taylor gave him a smile and lit the cigarette. “So did I.” She took a couple of drags, crushed it out, and rose.

  “Will you order me some fried clams? I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “No problem.” He watched her walk away and saw many heads turn as she pushed through the crowd. He started berating himself. He knew now why he was interested in staying on this case, and it wasn’t only the murders themselves.

  Taylor wove her way to the bathroom, grateful to find it empty. She stood in front of the mirror, pretending to smooth down her hair. She could have easily let Baldwin head to his own home, but instead she’d invited him to dinner. There was something about him that made her want to stay in his company. She’d lashed out at him earlier more from fear than anything else. When he’d offered to be there for her if she needed him when they were out on the steps, she’d had a yearning so strong it felt like a blow to the chest. Something about Baldwin had gotten under her skin, and she was furious at herself for letting that happen.

  At the same time, she wanted to fall into his arms, cry on his shoulder, try to explain the frustration, the pain she was feeling. She was lonely. He was the nearest attractive warm body, even if he was screwed up.

  She gave herself a once-over in the mirror. Knock it off, Taylor. This isn’t right. She nodded to herself in reluctant agreement and went back to Baldwin.

  The kitchen had worked quickly; there was a plate of fried clams in front of her seat. She sat, noting that Baldwin had not started eating his cheeseburger. Manners. Hmm.

  Suddenly shy, she dug into her food. The clams were perfect, crunchy and smooth. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. She noticed Baldwin was eating his burger like a man condemned, enjoying each bite as though it were his last. It brought her up short, and she started laughing.

  “You know, they’ll make you more if you want.”

  “I feel like I haven’t had a chance to relax and eat in months. You know, the other night at Mulligan’s was the first time I’d been in a restaurant for almost six months. I thought I’d savor the moment.”

  Taylor saw the opportunity. “I’ve been wanting to ask how you were feeling. You seem to be�
�What’s a good way of putting it…?”

  “Better?”

  “Yes. Better.”

  He took a careful bite of his burger, giving himself a moment before he had to answer. “I guess you could say this case has caught my interest. I have a gut feeling it’s not over by a long shot.”

  “The case. Of course.”

  He gave her a long look, and her stomach tightened. What the hell was she doing?

  “Or maybe I felt like you saved my life, and I owed you one.” He looked straight into her eyes, marveling at their chameleon qualities. In the darkness of the bar, they were lavender, her pupils dilated. She had a sexy, come-hither quality that he was having a hard time denying. He’d never seen anything so exquisite in his life. Realizing his interest probably showed on his face, he hastily turned away and shoved some fries in his mouth.

  But Taylor had caught the moment of unguarded emotion. She didn’t know if it was gratefulness or attraction, but she reached over and touched his arm.

  “I’m glad you stayed with it.” She left it at that and finished the rest of her meal.

  They sat quietly, not feeling the need to talk. They’d come to some tacit agreement in their silence. Yes, the attraction was there. Yes, they both felt it. No reason to push anything.

  Taylor ordered another round of beers. As they were set in front of them, her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and frowned.

  “Price,” she told Baldwin, who nodded. He knew their brief idyll was just that, though he was sorry they couldn’t spend a little more time together away from the case. Maybe they’d found Jill Gates.

  “Hey, Captain.” He could see the muscles in her shoulders tense. “Where? Okay, we’re on our way. Yeah, I’ve got Baldwin with me. He’ll come along.” She hung up, took a last swig of her beer.

  “Price wants you to come with me to a scene.” She was frowning, her attention already pulled away, and he felt the lack of it keenly.

  “What scene? Did they find Jill?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. St. Catherine’s Church caught on fire. They thought it was a lightning strike from the storm until the firefighters found two bodies shoved into a confessional. They were burned to death.”

  CHAPTER 42

  They pulled into the parking lot at the church, weaving their way through the fire engines. Large crime scene spotlights showed the church exterior. It was made of harled white stone and had suffered only superficial damage, but curls of smoke were still drifting through the air, a smoldering perfume clinging to the parking lot. Taylor saw Sam standing by the entrance of the church. She looked grim, was giving directions to two men with a heavy gurney between them. They went to join her.

  Sam gave the two a sideways glance. “What took you so long?”

  “So long? Price only called me ten minutes ago. We came immediately.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” She frowned, nodding. “I’ve already pulled them out, and we’re taking them back to the office.”

  “Want to fill me in? Price didn’t give me any details.”

  Sam kept nodding. She was smudged with soot and had a faraway look on her face. “Yeah. Let’s go over there.” She pointed to Taylor’s car and started walking. Taylor and Baldwin followed. “Sorry to be short, but this is freaking me out.”

  “Sam?” Taylor said sharply. She was getting a little freaked out, too. Sam never got flustered at a scene.

  “I’m okay, T, just a little rattled. Baldwin, are you Catholic?”

  “No. I’m Episcopalian. At least I used to be. Why?”

  “Just wondering. I’m Catholic. This isn’t the way I’d like to go. I don’t think I’ll make it to confession for a while. Taylor, do you have a cigarette?”

  “You’re going to smoke at a fire?”

  “Hey, give me a break, okay?”

  Taylor gave her one and lit it for her. “You mind filling us in?”

  Sam took a long drag and coughed slightly. “Fire department got the call right after the storm rolled through. Everyone figured a lightning strike started the fire. The guys went in full bore with the hoses, but it wasn’t too bad. Seemed to be confined to the nave and chapel. They put it out, but there was that smell, you know?”

  They did know. The unmistakable sweet, sickening smell of burnt flesh had invaded their nostrils as they’d drawn close to the doors of the church.

  “So they get the flames put out relatively quickly and start looking around. They followed the burn pattern to the confessionals and found them inside. The woman was on one side, the priest on the other. They’re pretty charred—it looks like the fire was started in the confessional, or damn close to it.”

  Taylor was running through the scenarios when Baldwin jumped in. “So it appears intentional? They were murdered?”

  “Seems that way. They have an ID on the priest. Father Francis Xavier. He wasn’t burned as badly—his wallet made it through pretty much unscathed. The bishop confirmed he was doing confessions today. He told me he was new to the church, recently moved here from Boston.”

  “What about the woman?”

  “She’s a mess. It looks like she was bound, her arms were behind her back, and there was a little bit of cording around her wrists that made it through the fire. But there’s nothing on her as far as ID. They searched the church. There’s no purse or anything that looks like it would belong to a woman.”

  “Are you going to try and do a dental on her? Match it to our missing girl?”

  The question was lingering in the air around them. No one wanted to say the name out loud in case it would become truth, crystallized by meeting the air.

  “I’m going to have to. She’s burned up pretty badly.”

  “I’ll call and see if her parents are already up here. They’ll need to get her dental radiographs for us ASAP.”

  “Thanks, Taylor. I’ll post her first thing in the morning.”

  Sam reached over and gave Taylor a hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and turned back to her van.

  Baldwin turned to Taylor, who looked stricken and suddenly very tired.

  “Do you think it’s her?”

  Taylor sighed. “Yeah.” She pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed. “Fitz? It’s Taylor. Just wanted you to know. We may have found Jill Gates.”

  CHAPTER 43

  The parking lot was full, people rushing about, yelling, panicking. The air smoldered, the scents of smoke and death lingered. A shiver of excitement went through him. It was happening, just as he planned, as he’d been told.

  “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar…”

  He turned away. So much left to do.

  CHAPTER 44

  Jill woke when the needle pricked her arm. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision, focusing on the stinging in the crook of her elbow. She started to cry, then felt herself melt away into the darkness again.

  She knew the drugs were making her hallucinate. She thought she was sitting in a massive green courtyard, even though she knew she was in the bed. She tried to get her bearings, looking first right, then left, but her head felt as if it was tethered in place. Her arms were bound at her side. She could only look ahead, to the expanse of green grass in front of her. There was a shadow there, a woman swaying like a cobra mesmerized by an unknown song. She tried to speak, to ask where she was, but no words came out. The shadow shifted, slowly, so slowly, side to side, and Jill heard the sound of sobbing. The woman was sad. So very sad. And suddenly she was gone, and the shadows lifted, leaving only a blank wall of green in their place.

  Jill heard a voice in her head. She knew it came from the woman. She was angry now, crying and yelling. Her voice faded in and out, and Jill tried so hard to hear what she was saying, but only snatches of the woman’s voice came to her. “I will tell,” said the voice. “I will tell them what you’ve done.”

  Another voice joined the mix, this one somewhat familiar, deeper, comforting. Was it soothing the woman,
trying to calm her? The voice of the woman grew fainter, and Jill could hear the gentle voice, quieter this time. “You will be honored.”

  THE

  FIFTH

  DAY

  CHAPTER 45

  Taylor and Baldwin shivered in the parking lot of the church. It was barely morning and exceptionally cool, overcast, and breezy. A few times through the night, hot cups of coffee appeared magically at their elbows, borne in on a tray by a young man Taylor didn’t recognize. Despite her distaste for straight coffee, Taylor had accepted the steaming foam cups gladly, holding on to the precious warmth and choking down the bitter liquid. Baldwin had been sucking down cup after cup and was jumping around like a child on Christmas morning.

  Taylor took in his appearance with a smile. “Baldwin, you’re a mess.”

  He gave her a hurt look and bent to examine his reflection in the side mirror of her car. He took a halfhearted swipe at his hair, which was standing on end and pointing off in every direction like a broken compass needle. He had two days’ worth of stubble darkening his jaw and cheeks, and his eyes were bloodshot from the smoke and lack of sleep. He hadn’t felt so alive in months.

  “Yeah, well, you look great.”

  Taylor blushed and turned away. She knew he was full of it, but didn’t argue. The mark of a true southern belle: Never put aside a compliment. She ran her hands through her hair, smoothed the mass into a messy ponytail. Gave him a smile.

  Though it had been several hours since the fire, the reek of burnt flesh was pervasive, even without the bodies present. Taylor had been smoking all night trying to get the smell out of her nose. She’d succeeded only in giving herself a sore throat. Her voice had lowered an octave. The chill, the smoke, and the slight cold were catching up to her. She popped two Advil Cold & Sinus pills out of their blister pack and swallowed them down with the remnants of coffee sloshing around her cup. She wrinkled her nose; it had gone cold.