The Body Hunters

by Newcastle, Raven

  Danny let him continue with his monologue. She was learning more about him now than the entire duration of their courtship.

  "You see, my mother eventually found out about my extracurricular activities with the cartel and Angel Faces and she threatened to expose me. Things came to a head when she actually pushed me off the charity's board of directors. She had to go, so she conveniently had a tumble down a flight of stairs. You see, mother was a cold-blooded bitch who cared nothing for the men in her life, only her precious millions. My father drank himself to death to get away from her, and she left me to financially fend for myself, refusing to even help me through college. Since money was what was most precious to her, I thought it fitting that her remains be formed into a diamond."

  Danny suddenly felt nauseous again. "That's the sickest thing I've ever heard."

  "Well enough about me, sweetheart. Let's get back to business." he said, absently waving the gun in her direction, indicating she should keep talking. "Back to the Fed's investigation.Sherry was just a teenage runaway turned prostitute. There's no way that filthy little whore was a senator's daughter."

  "No Gerard, she really was. My old boss at the Bureau asked me to help the agent determine how she died." Danny said insistently. The drug was now in full effect. She desperately tried not to relate that there was more than one agent and prayed she would not mention Stone. "I know you don't believe me, but the agency asked me because I worked as a forensic psychic for them. So, they thought I could help. And then all the other victims came through. I had no idea you were even involved. I really did love you. I just don't understand how the man I knew could have done all this." Danny stopped for a breath.

  "Enough of all this theatrical female nonsense, sweetheart. Continue. Does the FBI know everything? The money laundering? The parent company?"He started kissing her neck.

  "Um, I don't know. They will if they don't know about it already. We were able to locate the parent company of the clinics and the bureau was digging into their financial records. The off shore accounts were found. Statements and such." His touch now made her shake with fear.

  "Anything else I need to know?" He asked politely now kissing her lips again.

  Danny shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

  "Fuck!" Gerard walked away from her much to her relief. "Guess I'm not going to get much out of you after all, bitch!"

  He ended the session abruptly untying her from the chair. Grabbing her by the hair he threw her down on her stomach. In one swift motion he pulled down her jeans and panties and forced her to kneel on all fours. Hands on her hips, he roughly entered her from behind, forcibly raping her, each thrust searing into her like a sharp knife. Danny closed her eyes and tried to shut out what was happening. She knew struggling to get away might mean danger, possibly death for her and Cassie. His slightest touch made her body convulse with disgust. It was hard to believe that only a few short weeks ago his touch was gentle and meant everything to her. Now he was a whole different animal and any trace of the man she had once loved was gone. His actions now were not of love but were to simply show her he was in control. After he finished, he got her on her feet as she pulled up her garments. With the gun still pointed at her head he walked her over to the incinerator.

  "There's your precious fucking agent lover boy, bitch! Ashes to ashes! Maybe you'll join him soon!"

  Danny couldn't hold it any longer. She threw herself forward and dry heaved having nothing else left in her stomach from her earlier episode in the dark room. It was a ruse. She remembered what Alejandro had shown her earlier about the screwdriver, and while bent over she reached down and picked it up. She slid it into the front of her pants and hoped Gerard had not seen her do it. Thank God for skinny jeans she thought to herself, hoping the screwdriver would not fall out.

  Gerard let out a hefty evil laugh at her heaving. Having no sympathy for it, he hurled her towards the door to the dark room where Cassie was waiting with her ear to the door, desperately listening and trying to determine Danny's fate. Opening the door, he kicked Cassie back hard and threw Danny into the room shutting and locking the door quickly. Like an abused animal, Cassie crawled to the corner and Danny crawled after her. Once again the two women were holding each other tightly.

  "Oh God!What did he do to you?" Cassie asked, having heard everything from her side of the door.

  Danny used the heel of her hand to smash the tears out of her eyes. She defiantly refused to let herself cry. "I don't wanna talk about it."

  Cassie pushed the issue anyway, her fear for her own safety turning into outrage for Danny. "That bastard raped you didn't he?"

  Rape! How many victims had Danny pursued justice for over the years? Even in her brief career as a cop she had comforted victims offering them words of encouragement. Yet in an ironic twist of fate somehow she had become the victim, the statistic. Along with her fury, she felt a bit of shame for even getting herself into this situation.

  Cassie reached out and touched Danny's hand, her words heartfelt and genuine. "Danny, I am so sorry this happened to you."

  "Cassie, this is between you and me, OK? If we get out of this situation, this didn't happen. Do you understand me?"

  Cassie nodded, a promise to keep Danny's secret. "You have my word Danny. I won't tell a soul."

  Danny cradled Cassie and in her mind repeatedly called Aiden’s name hoping by some miracle their connected psychic abilities would bring him to her.

  Chapter 20

  Deep into the early morning hours just before dawn, Aiden maneuvered the Crown Victoria in front of Gerard's mansion haphazardly. He had stopped so abruptly that the tires squealed against the blacktop of the driveway, leaving a trail of skid marks. Harshly shifting the sedan into park, Stone exited the vehicle, his huge hand slamming the door loudly on his way out. Waking the neighbors should have worried him, bus he was in the moment and he really just didn't give a damn.

  He walked a slow path around Danny's Camaro, which was still parked in front of the garage. He reached out and touched the hood. On feeling its coolness, he became frantic. It was obvious that the vehicle had been immobile for hours. As much as she claimed to love the hot rod, there was no way she would have left it if she was packing up and leaving the house for good.

  Not really expecting an answer and with his Glock and flashlight in hand, Aiden rapped on the front door. From outward appearances he had deduced that the house was empty. The only light that seemed to be on was a small table lamp near the front picture window. He tried to glance through the glass pane's sheer covering. Everything looked eerily still. After several moments with no movement within the shadowy manse, Stone smashed the glass bordering the wooden door, reached his hand inside and turned the doorknob.

  Gun drawn and flashlight lighting the path, Stone stepped into the ominous space. He immediately checked the security alarm unit on the wall parallel to the door, but luckily it was deactivated. Whoever left the house last left in a hurry and had not bothered to even set it.

  Free to investigate without worrying about local police interference, at least until a nosy next door neighbor reported a strange car in front of the house; Stone searched the living room for an overhead light source. He moved cautiously along the wall, careful not to disturb anything in the unfamiliar darkened space.

  His heart nearly dropped to his feet when he found the shattered vase, broken crystal figurines and a puddle of blood on the floor. Kneeling he swiped the soup can lid-sized puddle with his gloved fingers. Apparently it had occurred several hours before because the blood had turned a dark burgundy and was still tacky to the touch. Several large dribbles orbited the larger stain, while across the room a smaller splatter stained the tile floor. Mindful of not contaminating the crime scene, Stone stepped around the forensic evidence

  Deeply disturbed by the sight of the blood, he surmised that the amounts on the floor were not enough to be life threatening. He knew he was just trying to convince himself that Danny was alright. The de
vil was busy tormenting him with the horrifying things that could possibly have happened to her, or worse. His overactive and terrified imagination kept summoning the grisly images of Sherry and the other victims. He shoved the horrific images aside. If she was still alive he needed to be focused and clearheaded. He would not be any help to her if he was a basket case.

  He continued his sweep of the house. He ran up the stairs and started rummaging around for anything that would give him a clue as to where she or the doctor might be. He lingered in the master bedroom, jealousy sinking its teeth into him at the sight of the king-sized bed where she had once spent her nights snuggled next to the monster. She has to be alright he thought determinedly. There were a lot of unfinished feelings to explore between them.

  Downstairs, He rambled through Gerard's office. He found miscellaneous bills for credit cards, his Bentley, and the utilities, but nothing indicating a safe house. Jamming open a locked desk drawer he uncovered several pre-paid cellular phones, still wrapped in the hard plastic packaging.

  He picked the lock to a metal file cabinet, the bottom drawer yielding at least $100,000 in hundred dollar bills, the money wrapped in fat rubber bands. In the top drawer he discovered several flash drives along with passports, each with Gerard's photo but with a different alias. This was exactly what the Bureau was looking for as proof of the human trafficking case. However, it wasn't what he needed to locate Danny. He also located a laptop computer. He booted it up, but it was password protected. Not sure if it was booby trapped with a program that would erase the hard drive if it was broken into, Stone let it be. He would communicate its existence to Lucius who could get the FBI hackers on it.

  Aggravated that he had not uncovered any leads, he was headed back out the door when a slight glint of yellow caught his eye. Stooping down, he recognized the object as Danny's engagement ring and picked it up. The slightly yellow diamond seemed to glow, calling to him. On impulse he removed his gloves and closed the ring within his fist.

  Like a desert mirage, the setting became wavy and distorted until he found he was face to face with the blonde woman from Danny's earlier visitation in her car. She was in her sixties, the traces of her youthful beauty still present in her face. Behind her eyes lurked a hollow sadness. She had a regal, sophisticated air about her. He found himself following her through a large mansion, the likes of which spoke of old money possibly passed down through the generations. Painted portraits of her forefathers draped the walls, precious antiquities filling the residence. The woman sat at a large mahogany desk, papers stacked before her. A photograph featuring a stern-faced older man, Aiden assumed was her husband, rested on her desk. Looking at the computer he was shocked to see what she was logged into The Angel Faces Network.

  The door to the home office burst open and a young man, with perfectly coifed blonde hair, forced his way into her office angrily gripping a fist full of legal documents in his hand. He recognized the man immediately as the future Dr. Gerard Wolfe.

  The equation came together in his head. The woman was Wolfe's mother. For confirmation he turned to the ethereal woman, Martha Wolfe, as she sadly nodded her head yes.

  Like a motion picture playing before him, Gerard quarreled with his mother so heatedly that Aiden thought they might come to blows. In a tantrum, Gerard pushed everything off her desk in one bold move. The papers drifted in the air like snowflakes while the large old computer lay in a busted heap on the floor.

  Aiden fast forwarded a few more years. In her robe and slippers, Martha walked through the second floor of the darkened house arguing with her son once again. Shouting, he followed her as she tried to descend the long decorative staircase. Monstrous intent was showing in his eyes. He snatched her arm, twisting her around to face him. Frightened, Martha cowered away from her raging son, her frightened visage reflected in his maddened hazel eyes.

  With a smile on his face, Gerard callously shoved his mother down the wooden staircase. Like a ragdoll her body contorted into the most unnatural positions as it descended the stairs. She came to rest at the bottom of the steps, her neck twisted at an obscene angle with a trickle of blood dripping down her mouth. Her blue eyes were looking up at her son Gerard. They were blank, staring beyond him and the living world into eternity.

  Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, Gerard strolled down the stairs gleefully. With two fingers, he touched her neck for a pulse. Seemingly satisfied with the result, he carefully stepped around her body before leaving through the front door.

  Sweating with his heart pounding in his ears, he ascended from the spirit realm, his limbs trembling. He felt like he had been rudely awakened from a bad dream, the urge to vomit at the back of his throat. Steeling himself against his body's betrayal, he stood up, his urgent mission at the forefront of his mind. Back in the Crown Victoria, he placed a call to Lucius, bringing him up to date on the latest developments, including Wolfe's murder of his mother. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Lucius at that particular factoid. His mind was probably in the same place Aiden’s was. If Gerard Wolfe could kill his own mother, what would that mean for Danny?

  Nonetheless, he pressed Aiden to continue his pursuit. Lucius informed him that he had the FBI Hostage Rescue Team en route from Quantico to be on standby in Phoenix in case they were needed. The elite tactical team specialized in resolving crisis situations and would be useful if a rescue was needed. With the video of the drugs being distributed, the wiretap information, and the new development of the link behind the clinic's parent company and massive donations to Angel Faces, there was now enough evidence to execute the warrant, and he was coordinating with the other field offices to hit all the clinics simultaneously. Even with all the effort, it still didn't get them any closer to discovering where Danny had disappeared to.

  "What about Ramirez?" Aiden asked. "Have you gotten in touch with him?"

  Lucius heaved a heavy sigh. "It would be best if you went to the apartment and saw for yourself." As soon as he stepped into Danny's apartment, he knew what Lucius meant by having to see things for himself. His hopes of seeing her smiling face again sank a little bit lower. Flashing his shield to the Agent who had arrived before him, he stepped into her apartment.

  Danny's tidy, cozy apartment now looked like a madman had run amuck. The sofa was turned over, along with her antique coffee table. Her precious family heirlooms had been scattered about the floor, the floor pillows uprooted from their positions. The desktop computer was savaged. The hard drive was ripped out and smashed with a blunt object. Ramirez's own laptop had also been vandalized, the electronic insides gutted and the monitor shattered. Her apartment had been completely ransacked. It was a depressing sight to say the least.

  "No sign of Agent Ramirez?" He asked, scanning the apartment for a trace of the rookie.

  The agent sadly shook his head.

  "Not a trace. I'm going downstairs to check in with my supervisor."

  The Phoenix agent shut the door leaving alone with his morose thoughts. He bent down to pick up one of her family artifacts from in front of the sofa. She had told him days before that the porcelain doll had been one of her grandmother's favorites. Luckily the fragile piece had survived the destruction.

  When reaching down, Aiden discovered Ramirez's shield. There was no way Alejandro would leave voluntarily without it. Clutching it in his fist, felt the chill associated with an object belonging to the dead.

  Once again Stone found himself submerged in the spirit realm. He was still in the apartment, though it was still intact and it was only hours before. He bore witness to Alejandro's shock when Wolfe kicked his way into the apartment and felt the sheer helplessness as the doctor maliciously murdered him. He observed the sudden presence of an unidentified blonde woman and Gerard binding her wrists. Gerard made a brief phone call before he methodically began tearing the apartment apart, presumably looking for evidence condemning him.

  A little while later another man showed up and helped Gerard move Alejandro's life
less form. They tossed Alejandro and the woman in the back of an SUV. Taking a cue from Danny, Aiden followed them downstairs and noted the vehicle's make and model and license plate number.

  Revived and alert, he awoke with renewed purpose. If he could locate Gerard's accomplice, he may put him in the direction of where Danny was being held.

  Rob's slumber had been plagued with nightmares, the ghastly work he'd done with Gerard the evening before coming back to haunt him. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the dead FBI Agent's eyes staring up at him, the thin streams of thick blood as the surgical saws did their dirty work and the sickening crunch when Gerard wrenched the agent's head from his body. His sleep had been stop and start, and he was never able to stay asleep for longer than a half hour. Guilt ridden, Rob left the bed, careful not to wake his wife. He hopped in the shower, attempting to cleanse the stain of the deed off his body. Hours later he could still smell the burnt pork-like smell of the poor man's roasting flesh as if the odor was clinging to his skin.

  When Gerard had enlisted him into this human trafficking hell, Rob thought it was a good way to make a few bucks under the table. Truth be told, he did owe Gerard for helping him with his little drug problem and sweeping the information under the rug. However, Rob never knew the tax being in league with Gerard would take on his soul.

  Beneath the veneer of the good doctor with the proper etiquette and expensive tastes, Gerard was evil incarnate. The doctor was a chameleon, adept at concealing his sinister ways from view. When Rob joined Gerard's business, he may as well have sold his soul to the devil. The man was ruthless, making life and death decisions for the unfortunate women involved in the cartel like he was judge, jury, and executioner. To him the women were not people but products, and if one of his products stepped out of line, then there was a terrible price to pay. Many were the times that Rob had aided Gerard in digging graves for hapless women who had the audacity to speak up for themselves.