Nightmare in Red

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “I…I feel sick,” Mohammad muttered through a mouth forced closed. “Go and get me help. We… we can talk then. Why do you wear that… silly mask?”

  “This is my El Muerto mask. I’ve tortured and killed many of your brethren while wearing it. I thought it would be appropriate to wear my mask this morning too. I wanted you to know who took your life though. If not for wanting to make your death seem natural, I would have taken you some place special where I would have made you beg for death.”

  “What… I…” Mohammad Kader’s eyes widened as his air passages tightened and incredible pain shot through his chest. He reached out to grip the shadow, but it was gone. In moments the already dusky room faded to black as Mohammad clutched at his chest while writhing helplessly into oblivion.

  * * *

  The rear door opened to the SUV. Nick slipped in, taking his mask off as John drove away. “You were excellent, Muerto. I watched your assent to Mohammad’s room on the second floor. You hung on while dislodging the screen and sliding inside. Did you do a Kabuki dance with him before he died?”

  “Damn it, John. Why didn’t you say something before I left to complete my task? The old zombie would have made a great Kabuki dancer. I should have taken my Kabuki mask and wore a cam. When we do Jacob, remind me. I won’t forget next time. This one had to appear very natural but very coincidental… so coincidental the Kaders couldn’t help but think I had something to do with it. I’m hoping our coincidence will help them decide to do the smart thing and take the money without any more coincidences being needed.”

  “You must take care not to become one of the coincidences yourself, Muerto.”

  “We’ll never have normal carefree lives, John. We do what we can, but I’ve accepted my dark side. It would be impossible for me to fade into a conventional life, even as an author. We’re killers. We can put frills around it, paint it in bright colors, but the reality will always be black. That said, we shall team with Payaso to save the country, right wrongs, kill bad guys, and annoy the hell out of our women.”

  “We are very bizarre, but I am very glad you accepted me into your very strange and wonderful family, Muerto. Cala already realizes life inside our circle will be extremely self-contained, dangerous, and in some cases: monstrous. Do you think the police will be coming around later today at the whim of the Kaders?”

  “It all depends on the Kader sane wing of the family such as Ishmael. He will embrace Yoda’s death with an outwardly heavy heart, but inwardly, his soul will be dancing and cheering. They will eventually accept our offer, or eventually so many will die, there won’t need to be an offer. That stuff I gave Yoda is undetectable by anything Pacific Grove CSI has. Besides, when the cops see the old munchkin, they’ll think two hundred years old, clutching his heart, natural causes for sure.”

  “Can the Kaders push for an autopsy?”

  “Probably, but I thought Islam frowned on autopsies.”

  “They are allowed now,” John replied. “Islam makes and changes constantly in nearly everything, but what is moral and right. What it should be changing it holds on to with gripping claws: honor killings, female subjugation and mutilation, to name only a few. We have truly become a death cult. We enter countries like locusts, feeding until we destroy everything, leaving only the empty husk of humanity we claim serves Allah. In my opinion we are lucky Allah does not take a hand in correcting the world’s worst problem. If Allah did so, Islam would be wiped away in a storm of retribution over the misery it has caused.”

  “Speaking of religion, I forgot to ask who they picked for the marital ceremony.”

  “Bill knows a non-denominational minister who is also a practicing Justice of the Piece in Monterey County. Both Dimah and Cala like him. They wish to have him perform the ceremony.”

  “That will of course mean another Fatwa for your death, right?”

  John grinned over at Nick, nodding his head. “I am sure of it. I do not like their chances though of carrying it out. Many will perish before the Kabong.”

  “I’m glad Bill’s taking Dimah with him to his next base.”

  “I noticed you have not spoken about the upcoming summer camp Jean and Sonny want to attend together. Sonny has been haunting your house since the return of Dagger. I saw his eyes beam like flood-lamps when Rachel asked them if they would like to go to a nearby summer-camp in Carmel Valley.”

  “Sonny’s still working on Phil and Clarice. They told him no immediately when they heard who suggested the camp idea. Maybe they believe I’m planning on becoming a camp counselor in reality instead of as a joke. Poor Sonny has it bad for Jean. I didn’t know ten year olds could get so involved. I don’t say anything, but I doubt his parents know he’s at our house when he spends the day getting martial arts training along with the knife throwing contests. I always said I would never do anything without another parent’s permission, but Sonny reminds me of me, only he has parents. Besides, I can only take small doses of those two cardboard cutout parents.”

  “I think Jean wants you and Rachel to adopt him.”

  “I don’t know about that. Sonny’s been beating her with the knife throwing lately. They’re just about level in skill. Jean doesn’t like it. Luckily for his sake, when Sonny wins, he knows Jean’s temperament well enough to either not say anything or play it down. I don’t allow any martial arts competitions other than practicing the jujitsu holds and throws I’ve been teaching them. Deke’s already adopted him. Sonny sneaks the little beggar treats when he thinks I’m not watching.”

  John sighed. “It is good to have such mundane family thrills to speak of. I wonder if Sonny has a plan to gain permission for the camp.”

  “He’s quiet but resourceful. My guess is he plans on blackmailing one of them to gain a foothold.”

  “I wonder who might have suggested such a thing. You do not suppose it could be the Daughter of Darkness, do you?”

  “Jean wants him to attend camp with her in the worst way imaginable. Does that mean she would skirt parental authority to create a scheme allowing Sonny to go with her to camp? You betcha’. I believe they’re working every angle they can find on Phil. I’m almost tempted to help but I know it would be the worst example of parental misconduct in history.”

  “Yes, I am certain your ranking in the parents’ hall of fame is heavy on your mind. You kill without hesitation, Muerto, yet you hesitate to break an obscure parental code of conduct?”

  “Yes, I kill without hesitation or remorse, but I also wash my beard stubble down the drain because it grosses Rachel out. My advice is not to spend any time puzzling out the incongruities in our very strange crew, John.”

  “I have never considered it in quite that way. You are right, Muerto. Is that why Phil and Clarice Salvatore are still alive?”

  “Absolutely. Phil nearly ended his chances of watching Sonny graduate from high school. He took the hint I gave him when he admitted to practically spying on me. I doubt there’s anything those two toads do apart. Only time will tell what they’ll come up with as Sonny and Jean get older. They’re going to become an old cliché - I can’t stand the sight of them, and I can’t shoot them in the head. Actually, they don’t bother me that much. It’s just they pissed Rachel off to the point she’s ready to hire me to kill them. I think they’re kind of funny.”

  “I believe as Rachel. They are not to be trusted. I trust little Sonny completely. He could have ratted us out on a number of things to his parents. I don’t want killing Sonny’s parents to become a necessity, so the less we come into contact with them the better. Since they think they’re riding high in the social circles around here with the county club you got them accepted into, maybe it will keep them busy.”

  “Maybe.” John drove in front of Nick’s house. “Thanks for the ride. That was a very satisfying late night treat.”

  John chuckled. “I’ll be Gus. ‘Only you could say satisfying late night treat about another heinous murder, Muerto’. Ten o’clock at the point?”

/>   “Oh yeah. I’ll bring everything with me. We have to honor poor old Yoda with a wake.”

  “Indeed.” John drove away.

  Nick shouldered his bag. He glanced around with professional expertise at the surrounding houses in the misty predawn darkness. When he saw there was no movement, sound, or vehicles with clean windows rather than fogged ones, so he moved to his door. He heard an anxious Deke. Nick smiled, closed his eyes, and listened intently not to Deke’s pawing, but to the hushed wisps of material stirred by the anxious Deke. I feel a disturbance in the force, Deke.

  “How in hell did you roll your Mom into allowing Sonny to stay over, Dagger? Better yet, how in hell did Sonny get his folks to allow him to stay in the house of the enemy?” Nick smiled as he heard a hushed ‘Damn it’ from Jean.

  The door swung open to reveal the infamous Dagger and her sidekicks the Dekester and Tagalong Sonny, dressed all in black, including Ninja masks. “How did you know this time, Dad? We controlled our breathing, made sure Deke was at the door as if nothing was happening, and we aren’t wearing anything that smelled.”

  Nick sniffed the air around each of the ten year olds. Sonny was smiling sheepishly while Jean merely stood with a scowl and arms crossed. “I smell dog. Deke, did these two use your blanket in a lame attempt at disguise?”

  “Enough about Deke. How did you know it was an ambush and that Sonny was here?”

  “I listened. Deke was pawing the door with first one paw and then the other. I heard his paw graze someone on either side, causing their clothes to rustle ever so slightly. Since I didn’t figure you were straddling Deke, I deduced the presence of your sidekick. I’m going into the kitchen to sip one before I get some sleep. Come with me you two rascals and tell me how this sleepover took place.”

  “You’re really good, Mr. McCarty.”

  “For the hundredth time, just Nick will do, Sonny. I like your manners, but they’re not needed with my name.” Nick poured himself a Bushmill’s, sipping it with satisfaction. “Now… who wants to start?”

  “I overheard my Dad tell Mom he was going to get fired from the passport office,” Sonny replied. “I don’t want to move away from Dagger. Could you maybe use your contacts to help my Dad?”

  “Did overhearing the conversation happen last night after I drove you home?”

  Sonny shrugged. “Yes.”

  “And was it then after John picked me up that you were brought back over to the house?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see,” Nick said as Jean giggled. “Let me take a wild guess and say your folks suggested you stay overnight after they noticed you overhearing their conversation.”

  “They’re using me, Nick. I know that, but I still don’t want to move away,” Sonny stated. “Can you help him keep his job? Dad even called late to ask if I’d told you about him probably getting fired. I told him I hadn’t had a chance to mention it yet. He was surprised and asked if you were home. I told him sure, would he like to talk with you. I knew he’d say no. Then he blurted it out that it was important for me to ease it out into a conversation. I never told him you were out of the house. I knew you were on mission.”

  Uh oh. “Dagger?”

  “I didn’t say anything,” Jean insisted. “I still haven’t said anything.”

  “What mission are you talking about, Sonny?” Nick turned to face the boy. Sonny, to his credit didn’t look away. The damn kid talks like he’s twenty instead of ten. No wonder he gets along so well with Jean.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care. I know you do good things for America, Sir. I know you can’t talk about them. My folks are scared to death of you, probably for good reason. They also know you have influence in places where they keep or get rid of government appointees like my Dad. I appreciate everything you’ve taught me and worked with me on. I don’t want to move away even if it means asking you to help my Dad, who probably doesn’t deserve it. He’s a good guy, Sir. He just looks a little too hard for the easy way to do things and it usually gets him into trouble.”

  The visions of ten year olds sharing secrets about his life as a government assassin flashed through Nick’s mind in an unwanted panorama of thought. He looked over the black clad ten year old Ninjas with a cynical eye. Like Rachel always says, ‘I’m going to hell’.

  “Please, Dad?” Jean tugged on his hand.

  “I will do what I can, but it all depends on the truth as to why he’s being considered for firing. I promise to look into it tomorrow morning, Sonny. Please don’t take this talk about missions or what I do lightly, kid. Your folks are right to be scared to death of me. You should be too, but I see that you are under thrall to The Daughter of Darkness. Be careful. Jean will tell you this is not a game. I can see right now the two of you are going to be a force I’ll have to reckon with if I do keep you in the area, Sonny. If I do succeed on your behalf I expect you to be more circumspect about how you speak of the goings on in my house or about me. Can you do that? I can tell you understand honor. I would like your word on it.”

  “Yes, Sir. I understand. You have my word I will never betray you or your family.”

  Nick held out his hand and Sonny shook it. “We’re your family too from now on. You two get to bed… in separate rooms.”

  Jean gasped but Sonny stifled a laugh which earned him a head slap. “Dad!”

  “Get moving, Daughter of Darkness. I can see the Dekester wants to go for a spin around the block. I’ll be going to the beach for a meeting with my associates at 10 am if anyone would care to go.”

  Jean stopped as she reached the kitchen entry. “Did you write any today?”

  “Two thousand words as usual.”

  “Are you still going to call it ‘Dark Interlude’?”

  “Yes. It seems appropriate lately. I’m thinking of reading portions of it to your Mom, the romance critic because my assassin Diego is cultivating a love interest.”

  “You should call it ‘Dark Desire’ then or ‘Dark Dummy’.” Jean giggled and ran for the stairs with Sonny on her heel.

  “Now you see why I never answer questions about my books from family, Dekester. Let’s go. Let me grab the waste bags and leash.”

  * * *

  Rachel awoke to fingertips tracing random patterns on her bare back. She moaned. “Oh my. That feels nice. What time is it?”

  “Nearly 4 am,” Nick replied, sliding closer, and exploring more. “I changed and fed Quinn. I had dual Ninjas in hiding to assault me on my way in this morning. It seems Phil gave Sonny a mission to recruit my help in keeping his job. I guess you smelled something rotten when he was offered for an overnight visit.”

  Rachel turned in Nick’s arms, kissing him with fervor. After a few moments, she breathlessly broke away. “I… did, but I figured it could wait for morning. You can tell me… all about it then. For now, I feel something else I’d like to take care of.”

  “Agreed.”

  * * *

  Nick finished a scene where Diego’s duplicitous love interest runs afoul of an East Coast mobster, requiring Diego’s intervention. Rachel entered the kitchen where Nick and Deke shared a space at the table. She wound her arms around him as he leaned away from the keyboard.

  “That was a nice sleep interruption. Did you sleep at all after?”

  Nick reached around to draw Rachel onto his lap. “I slept for nearly four hours. I wanted to get five hundred words done before walking to the beach. I’m meeting my Unholy Trio companions there. Want to come? I’m getting the Ninja duo awake soon for breakfast.”

  “I have a dentist appointment at eleven. Can you take Quinn with you?”

  “Sure. The Ninjas expressed some interest in going with me. Unless they want to go to the dentist with you, they will be going with me. I’m making them French Toast. Would you like me to make you a couple?”

  “No, but thanks,” Rachel initiated a heated kiss good morning which evoked a hands roaming launch of erotic intent from Nick. Rachel gasped and twisted out of Nick’s g
rip and on to her feet. “Where are you going? I thought we were only starting.”

  “Fix my coffee and start the French Toast. I’ll go awaken those two ten year old terrors. I remember you mentioning Phil using Sonny for the purpose of retaining your services as job security.”

  “Sonny knows if Phil loses his job, they’ll be moving, leaving two heartbroken youngsters saying goodbye forever. I have been enlisted to prevent this Romeo and Juliet tragedy. I warned them I would have to check on the reason someone wishes to pull the plug on our resident political social climber.”

  “He’s probably in the middle of another lackluster job performance. It’s hard to kiss anyone’s ass when you’re in charge of the Passport Office in San Francisco.”

  Nick grinned. “That is very true, dear. Go on. I’ll start breakfast. I believe I’ll wait until I’m on the beach before I call Paul and see if he wouldn’t mind looking into poor Phil’s job problem. I hated asking for anything on Phil’s behalf but I like Sonny. Plus, if I don’t want Jean to disown me as any kind of a dad, I’ll need to keep her boyfriend’s Father employed.”

  “I don’t know if you’ll ever find out, but I bet Clarice is behind it, whatever it is.”

  “If I stick my neck out and Paul’s, you’d best believe Phil and I will have a chat about his performance issues on the job. That supervisory position at the passport office was supposed to be a chestnut he could simply visit a couple times a week. Paul already told me it was gift job.”

  “I hope it’s something simple.” Rachel left on kid roundup.

  “Nothing is ever simple when dealing on behalf of a schmoozer.”

  Rachel edged around the doorway again. “Is that even a word?”

  “Of course. So is obfuscation. They’re often used in descriptions of the same person, one as a job title, the other as an occupation.”

  * * *

  “This French Toast is great, Dad.”

  “Thanks. We have to leave on our walk to the beach in ten, so finish and go brush your teeth, and whatever else you need to do. I’ll talk to my friend in government while we’re at the beach, Sonny. I bet your Dad called you again already, didn’t he?”