“You think you can bargain with the devil? You made that cheap pact the moment you decided to use your charm to sell these girls. There’s no room for negotiations.”
Robin was dead weight and Geno couldn’t hold her for long. She slid to the floor and he fell to his knees, begging and pleading. It didn’t do an ounce of good. A huge red hand picked up the unopened bottle of vodka that had been left on the coffee table for Robin. With a mighty swipe, he plunged the neck of it through the top of Geno’s head with such force that the cap was visible in his throat. He fell forward, lifeless and face down.
The devil returned to the den to pick off the other men. Weak-kneed, they were too frightened to run and still hid in the darkened room. When the monster went after Geno, they’d thought they might be spared.
They were wrong.
One-by-one, he made sure they died hideous and painful deaths. All the while, the music blared out a crazy beat that muffled their screams just as it had muted Kendall’s earlier cries. The last man finally got the nerve to run. He fled through the backdoor, escaping into the yard. In his frenzied haste, he tripped and fell on a piece of metal sheeting that sliced deeply into his neck, severing his carotid artery. He looked up at the devil briefly, as the blood spurted from the wound. Still enraged, the monster used the corrugated metal to slice his head completely off his body. The forceful blow drove the metal through the vertebra and a full six inches into the ground as the head rolled away.
The horrible sexual predators were all dead and the demon’s rage was satiated, but it wasn’t over. Flickers of light caught Alec’s attention and he curiously looked around the yard. There were more than twenty spiritual beings in the enclosure, all female. Each one cried and pointed to the ground where they stood. Alec watched them inquisitively as his grandfather suddenly appeared by his side. Again, Martin Saguache only stood by his grandson as he puffed on a pipe. He didn’t interfere or speak to Alec, he never did, but he seemed to communicate with the women’s ghostly spirits. They turned their attention back to Alec and pointed at the ground. One-at-a-time, they slipped beneath the dirt before rising again.
It dawned on him that this was a burial ground. These women had also fallen prey to Geno’s ruse. He’d brought them here and left them to die at the hands of these violent men. After they’d been used cruelly, the men had buried them here, believing they’d never be found. Alec quickly dug up the closest shallow grave, exposing the body of a partially decomposed corpse. Her purse and shredded clothing rested beside her. The spirits had not crossed over—they needed closure and for the sorry men to pay for what they had done.
He wanted to dig up all of the bodies, but he worried about Kendall and Robin. Kendall was in shock and badly in need of medical attention. She had suffered greatly in the time it took for him to find the home and rescue her. Her physical and emotional injuries were severe. He returned to her then and, as he knelt beside her, she recovered for a brief moment.
“Are you an angel? Am I dead? Did those men kill me?” she asked the questions tearfully. “You’re very beautiful. Are you an angel?”
“No, you aren’t dead, Kendall, but they planned to kill you if you didn’t die from the experience. They would’ve buried you in the backyard with the other women Geno brought here.”
“Other women?” she asked with fear and trepidation.
“Don’t feel ashamed; you weren’t the first to fall for his deceitful, dirty tricks, but you are the last. Let’s get you out of here, but you can’t leave just yet. You need medical care. You must wait for the police to get here. You have to let them know to look in the backyard. Be sure to tell the police everything. Let them call your parents and don’t be afraid.”
“What about Robin? Did they get her?” she cried hysterically.
“No, she’s safe. This is not your fault, Kendall. You fell prey to a violent ring of deviant predators. You didn’t deserve what happened to you. Try to remember that.”
Alec lifted her easily and carried her outside to her car. Kendall was naked and bleeding badly from the many wounds on her body. She sobbed bitterly, in pain, fear, and shame, as she clung to him and took comfort in the wings that surrounded her. There was a stadium blanket on the floorboard and he covered her with it before returning inside for Robin. She was passed out on the floor where Geno had let her fall and blissfully unaware of the harsh future she had escaped. She was oblivious to the pain and humiliation her best friend had suffered. She stirred when he picked her up, but was too sick from the combination of alcohol and roofie to speak or focus. He placed her in the backseat with Kendall and, having her friend near, quieted the hysteria for a short while.
“Thank you,” Kendall whispered hoarsely. “You saved us and I can never thank you enough.”
“What will you tell the police, Kendall?”
“I’ll tell them everything. I’ll tell them to look in the backyard. I’ll tell them the men would’ve buried us there with all the rest,” she acknowledged as she wept softly. “I don’t think I will tell them about you though. Oh, how I want my mother; I’ve never needed her so much.”
“And, you’ll be reunited with her, Kendall. Hold on for a little while longer.”
Alec returned to the backyard and dug up another corpse, assuring the spirits that their bodies would be found and their family members would find closure. As a last measure, he went back inside the house and dialed 9-1-1, uttering indistinct sounds of someone in trouble. He left the phone off the hook so the call could be traced to the home on Tchoupitoulas. Then, having done everything he could to end the nightmare for the most recent victims, he walked away.
Chapter 28
When Lieutenant Albright arrived at the crime scene on Tchoupitoulas Street, he waited for his primary consultant before he began. The foot-soldiers had already been through the house and held a lively and crass discussion about it while standing around in the front yard. He listened to their colorful comments while he waited for Vivien Simon to arrive. When she did, they entered the house together. He appreciated her keen eyes and liked to hear her comments.
“That took some force to accomplish,” she said when they discovered the first body. It was of a young man with a vodka bottle driven straight through his skull. Vivien took pictures of everything in the room, including the victim. “This looks like a college dorm room,” she commented next, but that was as far as they got. One of the officers outside had discovered Kendall and Robin in the car and came inside to get them.
“Is Coroner Davis on the way?” Bright asked before the officer could speak.
“Yes, he’ll be here in five, but you need to see and hear this, Bright. So does your consultant,” the officer said as he motioned to the car parked at the curb.
Kendall, naked and wrapped in an LSU stadium blanket, was in shock. Her face was white and looked eerily pale against the bright purple and yellow school colors. She gripped the cover tightly and it effectively hid the injuries she’d suffered during the vicious attacks. Robin was still passed out beside her, but there was dried vomit on her face and clothing along with the sickening sweet smell of roofies. It had taken a while before anyone understood that the girls were part of the grisly murders discovered inside.
“You have to check the backyard. Please, you have to check the backyard,” Kendall cried out repeatedly. It felt as if no one was listening. She locked eyes with Vivien, holding her attention and reaching for her hand. “Please, you have to listen to me. Check the backyard.”
“What’s your name and why are you here? Did you witness what happened here?” Bright, always after the facts, asked roughly, ignoring her mutterings.
“I am Kendall White from Mandeville and I am what happened here,” Kendall replied, sobbing raggedly as tears streamed down her face. “Please, I want my mother.”
“Kendall, have you been injured,” Vivien asked, looking closely at the terrified young girl, sensing that something was terribly wrong.
“I was gang raped
and cut up in there,” Kendall sobbed bitterly as she opened the blanket.
“Get the medic over here now!” Bright yelled out the order.
“Was your friend injured too?” Vivien asked gently.
“No, but she was drugged heavily. They got to me first and would have had her next.”
“How many were there? What happened here?” Bright interrupted.
“Please, just check the backyard. They’ve been doing this for a long time. Please, call my mother. I want my mother,” she continued to sob pitifully.
The medic came to look over her injuries and insisted that she needed emergency room treatment immediately. Bright knew that she did and reluctantly watched as the young girls were carefully placed in the back of the ambulance. He’d only seen one body so far, but coupled with the girl’s condition, even that was pretty damn bad.
“I’ll see you at the hospital, Kendall,” Vivien promised as she squeezed her hand one last time. “Don’t worry; the hospital will notify your parents.”
Davis finally arrived to examine the bodies. By the time Kendall and Robin left in the ambulance, he’d been through the home and into the backyard. He had a lot to say when Bright and Vivien joined him. As Vivien had done, the first thing he notated was the force it took to drive a bottle through someone’s cranial bone. He was even more befuddled when he examined the body with no head. It looked pretty much the same as a stepped-on roach.
“You know, he was dead before his head was crushed. It makes you wonder why the killer felt it necessary to squash him like a bug,” Davis said as he knelt down to examine the body. Vivien was busy taking photos for Bright even though an additional team would document the scene.
“What makes you say that?” Bright asked.
“His face is here. It was ripped off before the final act of stomping his head. See, this is his face,” Davis said as he picked up the piece of flesh that retained a nose and chin. “From the looks of things, the person responsible penetrated the throat and head cavity by shoving his hand up and into the soft tissues. Then, with great force, he pulled the face off. That would have killed this man instantly. It’s just odd that it wasn’t enough to satisfy him,” Davis explained. “It’s the same with the one in the backyard. His carotid artery was already sliced open. He would’ve bled out shortly. Instead, his attacker sliced off his head denying him those few extra seconds. It’s just very, very odd and vengeful.”
The coroner continued to make plenty of comments and observations while Bright and Vivien listened closely. The murders were indeed bizarre and extremely punishing, even vengeful, as Davis had noted. On the other hand, if the dead guys were responsible for the burial ground in the backyard and the torture Kendall has suffered, they certainly got what they deserved.
Vivien was finished documenting and photographing the scene and anxious to get to the hospital. Bright nodded his consent. He couldn’t leave at the moment. Since the case also involved a mass grave site, the FBI was called and would assume jurisdiction. Lieutenant Albright wasn’t happy about that, but it was procedure.
He had plenty of time to think about it while he waited for the caravan of large blue SUVs to arrive. Bright agreed with his officers that it was one of the worst crime scenes he’d ever witnessed. It wasn’t only the gruesome murders, six in all, he could handle that. It was the twenty-nine corpses in the backyard. According to Davis, the women were all near the same ages as Kendall and Robin. There was no telling how long this had been going on…and right under their noses. He wondered why someone in the neighborhood hadn’t noticed anything or been suspicious. He trusted that Vivien would get to the bottom of it; she was a damn fine investigator and consultant. She’d find out how they got here and how they managed to get away before they ended up in one of the shallow graves. Now, he understood why it was all the young girl could talk about.
“But, how in the hell did they manage to get away?” he silently wondered. “What happened to stop the brutal assault on Kendall? And how in the god’s name had she known about the mass grave behind the home?”
From the evidence discovered so far, Kendall White had never set foot out there. Only one man had made it out the door and he was lying dead, his head removed by a piece of metal roofing. The entire situation reminded him of the odds that Vivien Simon had faced in a dark alley not so long ago. In all reality, she should’ve died that night. He shuddered involuntarily as he thought back on it. Vivien had sworn someone came to her rescue. He wondered what Kendall would say.
When Vivien got to the hospital, she flashed the credentials that Bright had made sure to supply when she became a member of his official team. Although not a badge, it allowed her to follow the investigation. Kendall was in surgery and Robin was awake and in a small ER exam room. After inquiring about Kendall’s condition, it was explained that the staff surgeon thought he could repair most of the torn flesh and a plastic surgeon had been called in for the more intricate work. None of her injuries were life-threatening and, although she’d have scars, she’d live. Next, Vivien entered the exam room and stood beside Robin’s bed. Their parents had not yet arrived, but they’d been notified. Vivien took Robin’s hand in hers.
“Can you tell me what you remember and how you ended up at the home on Tchoupitoulas Street?” she asked softly.
“Please, tell me about Kendall. How is she and why isn’t she here with me?”
“All I can say at this moment is that Kendall’s in surgery, but as I find out more, I’ll let you know. Now, please help me understand what happened. Tell me how you got to Tchoupitoulas Street,” Vivien repeated.
“Don’t think badly of her, but Kendall stole her mother’s car. She not a bad person; she just has a lot of spunk and energy and gets bored easily. We sort of ran away to the city to have an adventure. We only had a little cash between us…we met Geno and, after a lot of appletinis, he invited us back to his place. It seemed like a good idea at the time. He was a college student and very nice; it would save us from having to get a hotel room. We’d been drinking a lot, but I got sick almost immediately. He left me in the living room and took Kendall to a back room. We were both into him, but she insisted that she’d go with him first. I was too sick to care at that moment and just wanted to sleep it off. The music was loud and I passed out on the sofa waiting for her to come back. I felt drugged. When I woke up, I was here. I don’t remember much else.”
“You’re sure that’s all you remember?” Vivien gently prodded as she realized that the girl had no idea how close to death she and her friend had been. She was passed out the entire time, unaware of the atrocities Kendall had suffered. “Did you see anyone else?”
“Well, I think at one point Geno came back for me, but I was too drunk to walk. He let go of me and I slid to the floor. I heard loud roaring or something, but it could’ve been the music. Someone carried me to the car, but before and after that, everything is pitch-black. I’m sorry. I don’t really know what happened and I’m not completely sure that it happened that way. I’m sorry. Will Kendall be alright? I overheard the nurses say she was in surgery to repair the damage. What happened to her that she needs surgery? She’s my best friend and we were supposed to look out for each other. I feel miserable that I passed out and wasn’t there for her,” Robin cried with worry and fear for her friend.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Vivien tried to reassure her. “I’ll stay until she gets out of surgery and until your parents arrive.”
“But, you haven’t told me what happened…,” she sobbed hysterically now, “please, I need to know.”
“Geno was a very bad person, Robin. He took Kendall to some very evil men in the back of the house and they raped and hurt her pretty badly. That’s all I can say for now, but she is getting help and she will survive this. Stay strong for her; continue to be her best friend.”
By the time Kendall was in recovery, Robin’s parents had arrived. Kendall’s parents were in New York when they got the news and would arrive the next
day. Robin’s mother and father were hysterical, angry, and confused as to how the girls had ended up in a New Orleans hospital. Robin confessed their adventurous plans, but she didn’t know any more about Kendall than what Vivien had told her. She couldn’t answer the plethora of questions. All eyes turned to Vivien.
“I can’t tell you more until I speak with Kendall. Please, let me do my job to find out what happened to her after she and Robin were separated.”
Vivien went inside the intensive care unit where Kendall was resting and lightly sedated. She stood by the bed for some time before Kendall startled awake, sensing that someone was there and fearful that it was one of the men who had assaulted her. She cried out fearfully and Vivien took her hand.
“It’s alright, Kendall; you’re safe now. You remember me; I was there when you were put in the ambulance. I know it’s difficult, but I need you to tell me what happened when you were alone with Geno. Robin told me everything up to that point. Can you start there, please?”
“Did you check the backyard?” Kendall asked in panic.
“Yes, we did. Don’t worry. The graves were found and you and Robin escaped. Those men are all dead and will never hurt anyone again. Now, please tell me exactly what happened after you went with Geno.”
“Oh, thank god you found the graves,” Kendall sighed with relief. Then, she cried pitifully as she recalled the events that took place after the door closed behind her. She told what happened in its entirety. Vivien let her talk it out and listened attentively without asking any questions. The injured teenager stopped at the point where the man currently raping her was flung through the window.
“How did that happen?”
“I don’t know, he was there on top of me one minute and the next he was flung through the air,” Kendall admitted worriedly. She hadn’t intended to mention the one who protected her, but it had come out in the retelling. Vivien recognized that her statement sounded very much like the one Latisha Miller had made, very much like her own statement when her attacker was flung through the air and crashed against a brick building. Vivien was certain that her angel had rescued the young girls.
Crescent City (An Alec Winters Series Book 1) Page 17