by Paris Morgan
“We’re more alike than you’d think. I’d love to meet her one day when this is over.”
“Maybe.” I nodded, no longer in the mood to be a matchmaker. “It all depends on where the Gemini killer pops up and when.”
I walked away from the devastation one person had created because of an accident almost twenty years ago. I just wished I could walk away for good.
Epilogue
Wanted: Horror Movie Extras—to participate in real life action sequences. Requirements are a thirst for blood—the squeamish need not apply. Using a knife in unique ways up close and personal on the movie set would be helpful.
So far, my method of hiring recruits had gone unnoticed by the Dynamic Duo, as I liked to think of them. They were proving far more insightful as to how I liked to plan things than I had anticipated. Maybe this next month’s weapon was common enough to throw them off the scent.
My secretary was used to my unusual requests, and had taken all the applications from an office in the movie district that couldn’t be traced back to me. Then she ran them through a system to check for anything that sent up red flags. Those were the ones who got an interview with me.
There was also an essay that each applicant had to fill out to be considered. If you were planning to commit murder, how would you do it so that you didn’t get caught? Is there someone you hate enough that if you had the weapon mentioned above, you would use it if you saw them?
The answers to these questions were very enlightening, and helped me to find those who were willing to do anything for revenge, or to satisfy the bloodlust in their souls.
If they weren’t killers yet, it was my job to make sure that they fulfilled their destinies by becoming one.
If you enjoyed reading Taurus, then please consider leaving a review, and be ready to read Gemini for another thrilling story with Leslie and Ryan, as they attempt to beat the Zodiac Master at his own game.
A Note from the Author
Do you want to know when the next book comes out or to get to know me better? Feel free to stalk me on all the social media sites. (No real-life stalking because that’s just not cool.) Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you.
-Paris Morgan
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Paris Morgan
Gemini
Murders of the Zodiac
Book #5
Copyright © 2019 Alathia Paris Morgan writing as A. P. Morgan
Gemini-Murders of the Zodiac Book 5
This is a work of fiction and in no way is meant to portray actual people, names, places, events or situations. The ideas were from the author’s own imagination and any resemblance to people living or dead is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of quotations for articles and reviews.
Editing by: Rebel Edit & Design
Book cover: Widget Wyvern Studios
Interior formatting: That Formatting Lady
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
A Note from the Author
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my sister-in-law, Liz, and her sister, Kate. The best set of twins that I know. You showed me the twin thing was not only real, but that it’s an entirely different language than the rest of the world speaks.
More from Paris Morgan
Murders of the Zodiac
Aquarius Book 1
Pisces Book 2
Aries Book 3
Taurus Book 4
Gemini Book 5
Cancer Book 6
Leo Book 7
Virgo Book 8
Libra Book 9
Scorpio Book 10
Sagittarius Book 11
Capricorn Book 12
Surviving Death
Witness Protection Book 1
Writing as Alathia Morgan
Against Zombies Series
Moms Against Zombies Book 1
Military Against Zombies Book 2
Co-Eds Against Zombies Book 3
Churches Against Zombies Book 4
Geeks Against Zombies Book 5
Governments Against Zombies Book 6
Infected History Series
Infected Waters: A Titanic Disaster
Infected Poppy Fields: A WWI Disaster
Infected Storm Troopers: A WWII Disaster
Writing Romance as Pepper Paris:
Summer of Love
Carter: Summers of Love 1
Kelly: Summers of Love 2
Wade: Summers of Love 3
Jay: Summers of Love 4
Chapter 1
Janna
It had been a long day already, and I just wanted it to be over. Your birthday was supposed to be the one day when things didn’t suck. I mean, really and truly, how was I to know that half the staff was going to get laid off? I’d squeaked past the lady handing out the pink slips by just three cubicles.
Then I’d been told that my parents were coming to see me this weekend with important news. It could only mean that a new prospect for my future husband had been chosen. Maybe I should’ve done what my sister had done and moved all the way across the country, away from them.
It started to rain as I pulled into my driveway. Great. Just another thing to add to my list of birthday blues.
The dash read 6:55. If I hurried inside, I could get the groceries on the counter before she called.
I sighed. There was no way to avoid it. I hated the rain. Not just a small dislike, but a true, deep hate. Some people had phobias about snakes or spiders. Mine was rain.
Pushing the umbrella through the crack in the door, I squeezed out of the car without getting wet. Now to balance the umbrella, lift the trunk while keeping the rain off, and collect the groceries. “Why did I have to get paper instead of plastic?”
It was time to decide if I really wanted to be eco-friendly with bulky sacks or use plastic in the future.
Clutching the bags to my chest, I pulled the door down as the umbrella dipped, and a big drop landed on my forehead.
I’d already been hit, so the only thing to do was make a run for it.
My heels sank into the wet ground with each step as I hurried to the awning for protection. As I stuck the key into lock and opened the door, something felt different.
Pushing the feeling aside, I threw the limp bags on the counter, hoping they didn’t break open.
The dish towel on the oven door was my only hope of getting the droplets off my face. I could deal with the rest once it was gone.
I took a deep, relieved breath. My parents could never understand why I couldn’t tolerate the rain, but showering and swimming didn’t bother me at all; it wasn’t the same thing. I couldn’t explain it, and the only person who’d ever gotten it was my twin sister Keanna.
Her name brought a smile to my face as the microwave clock changed to 7:00 and my cell phone rang.
Sticking my hand in my purse to search for the phone, I saw a reflection in the door of the microwave. I had just enough time to turn, phone clutched in my hand, to see the large knife as it plunged into my heart.
As I looked my killer in the eyes, I knew this was it. The end to the worst birthday ever as the clock showed 7:01.
***
Keanna
Today had been one of the best days I’d had in ages. The sun was shining, and work had gone great. Plus, it was my birthday. How could that not equal a great day?
Well, there were a few downsides, like my parents and twin sister living across the country from me, but nothing to really dampen my spirits.
My twin and I had conversed on a regular basis, yet it was always more fun to share a birthday call together. It was lonelier when she wasn’t with me, but I knew that somewhere out there was someone who not only understood me, but was a part of me.
I had exciting news to tell her that she wouldn’t have guessed unless our twin connection had let her know that something was going on.
People didn’t believe in twin connections, but I did. On many occasions even though we lived miles apart, if something happened to the other one, we could sense it. There was no logical explanation and I was just happy to have a link to one other person in the world. If only I could get her to move out here to Salem, Oregon, with me, things would be perfect.
I lived in an apartment alone, because after living with a twin who knew what you were always thinking, it was hard to adjust to having a roommate.
With the promotion I’d received today, I’d splurged on a few extras, like ice cream and a personal-sized cake. Unlike my sister, I used plastic bags because they could be reused for so many things. There were even places that took them to recycle them.
My watch alarm beeped: 6:55 p.m. I was just minutes away from hearing her voice and telling her my good news. The three flights of stairs didn’t seem as bad when I was looking forward to something.
I pushed open the apartment door and flung my keys in the dish by the door. Toeing off my shoes, I sighed with pure happiness. My feet were thanking me and dinner was going to have to wait until I’d had my birthday cake.
It was a small, one-bedroom apartment, and I wanted to be comfortable when she called.
One minute didn’t give me much room to change, but I pulled on a T-shirt before I dialed her number.
A noise startled me from behind and I turned to see him standing there with a knife in his hand.
“What the crap?” I screamed as the knife landed squarely through my heart.
He just stood there as the phone connected to silence on the other end, and my body slid to the ground as the clock ticked over to 7:01.
***
The neighbors called the police, who arrived on the scene as the blood pooled under my body, growing cold.
“Hey, look, she was making a call when the murder happened. Whoever was on the other end may have heard it.” Officer Jensen, his nametag offered, picked my cell phone up.
“Well, don’t just stand there, call them back,” the other officer, Gomez, barked.
I giggled at the obvious conclusion by Officer Gomez. Wait, I could see what was going on? Wasn’t I dead? I’d felt the knife hit my heart. Okay, well, maybe that was an exaggeration.
My body was lying on the floor at my feet, so I had to be dead, but how could I see what was going on? Why weren’t the police doing more to bring me back? That must be the reason my spirit was still here instead of moving on to the afterlife, to alert the police. Alert them to what, though?
I went to sit on my bed, but sank right through it. “What the hell?” I muttered as my body was absorbed by the mattress.
This wasn’t going well, but Officer Jensen had gotten hold of someone on the other end of the line.
“My sister.” My hand flew to my mouth. “She doesn’t know.”
“Right, sir. Well, this number was the last one called by our victim.” His head shook back and forth. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know who the next of kin is?” After a few moments, Officer Jensen hung up and turned to his partner. “That was an officer on the phone. The victim’s sister was also found dead in an identical incident. They’re both dead.”
“Identical killings happening to identical twins? That sounds like too much of a coincidence to me.”
I’d been in the process of trying to figure out how to rise out of the mattress until his words hit me. Identical scene…both dead.
“That’s why I’m floating around like this, I have unfinished business. How do I find my sister’s ghost? We need to be together for this, whatever this was.”
“Flip a coin to see who calls the parents,” Officer Gomez commanded.
“Ugh, that’s terrible,” I huffed. “They don’t even care that my sister and I are dead.”
Finally, I managed to float up and above my body again. Maybe if I just said her name it would bring us together. “Janna, Janna, Janna.”
Nothing happened. If only Janna didn’t live miles away in Winston-Salem.
My body flew out of the house. The speed which I covered the entire U.S. was amazing. It was almost a blink, but I could see everything in detail, even at those speeds.
“Keanna, is that you?” The ghostly figure of my sister tried to hug me, but our spirits kind of melded together. “Are we dead?” Her voice wavered.
Then we were sent back to my apartment so quickly, I felt dizzy.
“I think so. I don’t know what happened. Do dead people really become spirits like this?” I shrugged, because I had no idea what the answer was.
“At least we’re together again.” Janna smiled weakly.
“Of course, twinsy. Even in death, we can’t be separated,” I agreed as we faded from the scene.
***
Angel
The Next Day – Houston, Texas
Today wasn’t a day I could afford to be late. I had plans later, and my boss wasn’t known for his generosity. He had given me and my sister a rare chance to leave work early.
As soon as work let out, we would be heading straight to the airport to catch our flight to Hawaii in celebration of our twenty-fifth birthday. We not only worked together, but lived side-by-side in a duplex so that we could have our own space, but we were close enough that we could be right there for each other.
“Angelina, hurry up. If you don’t get your suitcase in the car, we’re going to be late,” I hollered at her from our adjoining door.
Normally, we would have driven to work separately, but there was no point in paying extra to park both of our cars in the airport terminal. Since I was the oldest, I felt it was my responsibility to make sure that we got out of the house on time.
“There’s something I need from the car before we leave,” Angelina called back, dragging her suitcase to the front door.
“Don’t be long. We can’t give Henry any reasons to make us stay late at work,” I warned, opening the front door, dragging my suitcases with me.
Parking them on the porch, I fumbled in my bag for the keys when a noise from behind distracted me.
“Angelina, I’m locking up. Do you have everything you need?” I turned to see what she was doing, but instead of my sister, there was a man standing there.
He brought his arm up, a knife in his hand. I immediately thought of the stabby pose from the Psycho movie as his arm came down at me.
The knife made a squelching sound as he pulled it out of my heart. Before I could be excited that I was still alive, he plunged it in again, twisting it a little before pulling it out.
Angelina, having heard her name, came racing over.
I watched helplessly as the figure turned and began stabbing my sister in the same fashion. Each pump of our hearts brought the moment of our deaths closer.
My last thought before our lives spilled out onto the porch rug was…Why? We didn’t even get to go on vacation.
***
Nyree & Elissa
Waco, Texas
It had been a great birthday reunion already, even though our actual birthday wasn’t until tomorrow. I was so glad that my sister was staying the weekend with me. With our jobs and schedules, it made it difficult to connect sometimes, and we just wanted a few days to hang out.
We snuggled into bed
and spent hours catching up. We were each other’s best friend, and it was nice to start a sentence when the other person could finish it just by hearing the first few words.
I woke up and looked at the clock: 3:45 a.m. At 3:50, it would officially be our birthday. A trip to the bathroom, and then I would poke her to say Happy Birthday.
My feet hit the cold tiles, I hurried through the dark room and out to the hall where a small stream of light came from the bathroom window. So many years ago, I’d taken my first breath only moments after my sister took hers.
I finished up and hurried back so I could poke her.
The covers were warm, and I snuggled in, spooning her.
“Hey, it’s time,” I whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to shake her.
She didn’t respond. Worried, I rolled onto my back and snaked an arm out of the covers when I realized that someone was standing at my bedside.
I couldn’t see anything, but the air moved around me, and I felt something hit me in the chest again and again as I fought for breath. This wasn’t right. It was our birthday, and we hadn’t had a chance to enjoy it fully yet.
The clock read 3:50 a.m. as the figure above me watched me take my last breath.
“It’s done,” the voice spoke into the phone. “Three wounds for each woman, with the symbol left in several places.”
***
Niña & Pinta
Springfield, Missouri
Our family, immediate and extended, had gathered in the evening for cookout. Being history buffs, my parents had thought our names were hilarious. So when they found out they were having twins, we were named after Christopher Columbus’ famous ships. My aunt had been expecting as well, and she named her baby Maria. Every time we would have a family gathering, someone would call out Niña, Pinta, and Maria, just to hear them said together.