Roman

by K. J. Dahlen

Both men stood head to head, toe to toe and the tension radiating from them grew thick.

  “Hey guys, back off,” Jerah called out.

  Briar was the first to look away. He shook his head and walked out.

  Moments later, they all heard the front door slam and a car engine roar to life. Then they heard gravel fly as a car squealed out of the driveway.

  The room was quiet for a moment and the tension slowly faded.

  India couldn’t believe Briar just left her here. But he did look upset. She let out a sigh. Obviously, there were issues here she didn’t understand.

  Everyone felt uncomfortable and it was Elliot that finally broke the silence, “When are you going to let it go? Why do we have to go through this every time we get him to come home?”

  “I think we should stick to the reason we’re all here, rather than air our family problems, don’t you?” Cade asked as he clenched his jaw. He turned to India and asked, “What was Briar saying about a jar?”

  India looked from one brother to the others. Taking a deep breath, she repeated what she told Briar but condensed the tale, “I witnessed one of these murders when I was ten. I stayed hidden the entire time. After he left, I took one of the small jars. I hid it and I forgot about it until the other day.”

  “I don’t understand something,” Quinn said. “How could you forget something like a gruesome murder?”

  India turned to look at him. Taking a deep breath, she told them quietly, “I was barely ten years old and my life was abruptly changed forever and not in a good way. Three days after I took the jar, my mother was murdered in a robbery gone wrong. I was put into foster care and I moved away from the neighborhood.”

  “I’m sorry,” Quinn said quietly. “I didn’t know.”

  India shrugged. The pain she thought was long gone surfaced and she found she couldn’t speak for a moment.

  “What happened to the jar?” Cade asked. He had folded his arms across his chest almost as if to steel himself against her pain.

  India turned to him. “I buried the jar in the basement of the building I lived in at the time.” Then she shrugged. “For all I know it’s still there. Not very many people went down to the basement. It was a creepy place fifteen years ago and I imagine it hasn’t changed since then.”

  Cade and Elliot looked at each other then looked at India. It was Cade that suggested, “Shall we find out?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Elliot stood up and reached into his pocket for his keys.

  Cade answered her question, “We can get to Boston, check to see if the jar is still there, and be back in time for lunch.”

  “I’ll get the plane ready,” Elliot said.

  India looked from one brother to the other. “Do you really think it would still be there after all this time?”

  “There is only one way to find out,” Cade replied.

  Chapter Three

  Two hours later, they were in Boston. The plane trip there had been a short one. Elliot had piloted them here and once there, they had taken a cab to India’s old neighborhood.

  Exiting the taxi, she paused for a moment to look at the building she once lived in.

  It looked just as she remembered it. Only now, after years of neglect, it looked almost sad. There was garbage piled up on the side of the building, paint was peeling off the façade, and dead plants dotted the flower boxes on the second and third floor windows boxes. It was just one in a row of many brick houses. The building was four stories high with a set of steps in the front.

  “Is this where you lived?” Cade asked as he looked around the neighborhood. He kept his opinion to himself about the area she grew up in but it was evident from the expression on his face he didn’t think much of the neighborhood.

  “Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouths,” India replied. Hitching her purse up on her shoulder she said, “Let’s just get this over with.”

  They mounted the steps and once inside, India led them to the basement. The subterranean walls were brown with mold and had streaks of moisture running down them. India ignored it and made her way to the left corner of the room. Looking around for something to dig into the earth with she found a slat of wood. The cement floor in this corner had been broken years before. Kneeling on the edge of the floor, she began digging into the dry earth.

  Cade and Elliot looked at each other then watched as she continued.

  India hit something and threw the board away. She brushed the dirt away and lifted out a small ceramic jar. Getting to her feet, she handed Cade the jar.

  Cade studied the jar in detail. Carefully brushing away more of the dirt, he saw the hieroglyphics carved into the vessel. Looking around the basement, he found a box filled with clothing. Dumping the clothing on the floor, he placed the jar in to the box and looked at the others. “Let’s get the hell out of here. We can drop this off at the lab in Raleigh on our way back.”

  India dusted her hand off and led the way out of the basement. When they reached the street, Elliot asked. “Don’t you think we should check with the local police about this? After all, the murder took place here.”

  “Yeah, I suppose we should inform them,” Cade said. “We may need their cooperation in our investigation.”

  Hailing a cab, they went to the nearest police station. As they entered, Cade made his way to the front desk. “I’d like to speak to your captain if I may.”

  The desk sergeant looked at them and reached for the phone.

  A few minutes later, another officer joined them. He was about the same age as Cade with red hair and green eyes. He had a stockier build. “I’m Captain James Kingston, how can I help you?”

  Cade shook his hand. “I think we can help you solve a cold murder case.”

  “Oh? How can you do that?” James Kingston asked.

  “Can we go somewhere a little more private?” Elliot looked around.

  James stared at them for a moment then turned and began walking back to his office. They followed him and when James sat down behind his desk Elliot closed the door behind them. Cade, India and Elliot sat down facing him.

  It was Cade who began, “A couple of days ago India brought a story to my brother Briar.”

  “Wait a minute, can you tell me who you are first?” James asked.

  Elliot reached into his pocket and brought out a business card. “My name is Elliot Rivers and this is my brother Cade and she is our witness, India Carsten.” Handing the card to James he said, “India and a friend witnessed the brutal murder of a woman fifteen years ago. The woman was discovered and identified eleven years ago as Jenna Kramer.”

  James swiftly turned his head to stare at India. He knew the name Jenna Kramer. Her mummified body made the papers when it was discovered. Her murder case had never been solved and now he had a witness in his office. “You couldn’t have been very old when Jenna was murdered.”

  “I was ten,” India told him.

  “Can you remember where she was murdered and dissected?” James asked.

  India nodded. “I don’t think I could ever forget.”

  “Then why didn’t you come forward fifteen years ago?” James asked.

  India stared at him and admitted, “I was ten years old and what I saw that night scared the crap out of me. I had nightmares for years that somehow the man I saw that night was going to find me and do to me what he did to that woman. Then my mother was killed three days after I saw all this and I had to deal with the foster system and I had to leave town. I had other things to worry about.”

  “You didn’t have any other family to go live with?” James asked.

  India raised her head. “Yes I had other family but they hadn’t wanted me before I was born and they didn’t want me then either. I went into the system at ten and by the time I was seventeen, I’d lived in seven different foster homes.”

  Cade glanced at Elliot and they shared a look. They hadn’t known her story before now.

  James continued to watch h
er face and body language. He couldn’t find any deception in either. “Can you show us the warehouse?”

  India nodded. “It was the old feed mill warehouse by the docks.”

  James stood up. “Let’s go check it out.”

  Twenty minutes later, they got out of his car and stared at the warehouse. Part of the building had caved in and the roof was covered with sea gulls but India led the way. Once inside the building, she led them over to the staircase on the left wall. The staircase looked rickety and no one trusted it, so they stood at the bottom and waited for India to tell them about that night.

  “T.K. my best friend back then was hiding on the second floor when we heard a commotion on the main floor.” She pointed where they were hiding. “As we weren’t supposed to be here, we hid ourselves but we wanted to see what was going on.” She motioned toward the far wall. “We heard him come in from the water side. He brought her in from that door.” She pointed to a broken doorway on the opposite side of the building. “There was a table already laid out. We didn’t see it before then. When he brought her to the table, he tied her down and woke her up. She was truly terrified. We couldn’t hear what he was telling her but as he tore her clothing off she began to beg for her life.” India walked toward the spot where the table had been fifteen years ago. She was caught up in the memory of what happened that night.

  She looked up to the second floor and pointed to a spot on the second floor. “We had moved over to there when we heard her screaming. There used to be a line of barrels there and T.K. and I hid behind them.” She turned and stared at the spot in front of her. “When he had her undressed he picked up a huge knife. It was a fancy blade. I don’t think I’ve even seen one like that before.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “Her screams grew louder as he began to cut her. He started at her right shoulder and cut toward the middle of her chest. Then he went to her left shoulder and met the other cut in the middle. There was blood everywhere and when he cut down her belly her screams got so loud.” She paused and closed her eyes as she shuddered. “She was begging for him not to kill her and we saw him raise the blade above his head. He touched the blade to her throat and then we could see her blood dripping from the cut he had just made. We heard one last scream but it was different. She gurgled more than cried out. Then we couldn’t hear her anymore.”

  “Did the blood pool on the floor?” James asked.

  India shook her head. “No, he had dug a hole in the ground and the blood drained into the hole.” She moved over to a spot and pointed with her shoe. “I think the hole was right here.” She wandered back to the spot the dissection took place. “While he drained her blood, he began chanting something in a foreign language, then he began cutting her organs out and placing them in the jars. He had four small jars. When he was finished with that, he raised the blade up in the air again. When he brought it down on her throat, we could see her head separate from the body. He carefully picked it up and placed it in a large clear jar of liquid. We could hear the splash. Then he began wrapping the body in bright orange linen. When he was finished, he picked up the jar with the head and took it outside. When he came back, he picked up her body and took it outside. We thought we’d better get out of here before he caught us so we sneaked down the stairs and ran for the door. I stopped and went back to the table. I just wanted to see for myself if what just happened actually happened. When I saw the blood, I knew it was real.

  “I heard his footsteps coming, so I grabbed one of the jars and took off for the door,” India finished up her story and kept staring at the place in front of her. The table was gone now but the memories were still vivid in her mind.

  Cade, Elliot and James were silent for a moment at the horror she and her friend had witnessed.

  James walked over to the spot India had pointed out where the blood drained from her body. Kneeling down, he brushed away the top layer of dust to show that the area underneath was a different color than the dirt surrounding it. James looked at the others and said, “I’ll need a forensic team to determine if there is blood here.” He stood up and joined them. Looking at India he asked, “What is your friend’s name? We’ll need to contact her as well and see if your stories match.”

  India nodded. “Her name is Theresa Jonas. She used to live three blocks from here but that was a long time ago.”

  “We can run her name and try to find her. You said you took one of the jars on the table, what did you do with it?”

  “She buried it fifteen years ago but we dug it up this morning,” Cade told him. “We’re taking it back to North Carolina and taking it to a lab in Raleigh we’ve worked with in the past. If you like we’ll send you the report we get from them.”

  “I would like a copy of that report.” He turned to Cade and Elliot. “Okay, you’ve told me about this murder, can you tell me why you brought it to my attention?”

  “We may have found proof that this is the killer’s first murder,” Elliot explained. “Our group may have linked this killer to at least nine other murders.”

  James nodded. “Let’s find this friend of Miss Carsten’s and see where we go from there.” He paused then added, “I hope you guys don’t mind my being involved in this case.”

  “Captain, if we minded we wouldn’t have brought you in on it,” Elliot replied. “We try to work with local police departments every time we get a case. It did happen in your jurisdiction.”

  James nodded. “Okay then, let’s go see if we can find Miss Jonas.”

  Two hours later, India knocked on a door across town. According to the phone book, this was where Theresa Jonas lived. She heard footsteps coming toward the door and suddenly India was nervous. She hadn’t see T.K. in a long time. They had reconnected a few times since they were ten but hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years now. What would she do if the other woman didn’t know her, or want to know her anymore? They had shared a friendship once but they also shared a terrible secret too.

  The door opened and India found herself looking at her friend. “T.K., is that really you?” India whispered as she stared at the African American woman facing her.

  “You have got to be India Carsten. Damn girl, you’re all grown up now aren’t you?” T.K. reached for her friend. They hugged briefly. “Oh my gosh, it’s been a lifetime. Where have you been?”

  India smiled. “It has been a while hasn’t it? How have you been?”

  “Oh you know, same old stuff.” T.K. looked behind her and commented, “Who are your friends?”

  “Can we come in first?” India asked.

  T.K. stepped back and allowed everyone to enter her apartment. She closed the door and India introduced the men with her. “This is Cade and Elliot Rivers and Captain James Kingston.”

  “May I ask why you are all here?” T.K. asked. She thought she knew why but she wanted someone to say the words.

  “We are here to ask you about the murder you and India witnessed fifteen years ago,” Cade told her.

  T.K. closed her eyes for a moment as she swayed a little. Her dark skin looked ashen. When she opened her eyes again, she stared at India. “I knew this day would come one day. I guess I almost prayed it would.”

  Chapter Four

  When everyone was seated, T.K. turned to India. “Why now? What brought you back here now?”

  “I found an article on another murder in Savannah. The killer’s M.O. was the same one we witnessed fifteen years ago. When I looked even further, I found six or seven more murders. I went to a friend of mine, Briar Rivers and he steered me to his brothers. They run the Rivers Foundation and hunt down dangerous people. Anyway, they looked even deeper than I had and found three more murders. Cade figures we saw the first murder.”

  “Oh, my gosh…” T.K. whispered. She turned her head to stare at Cade and the others. She got up and walked over to the window. Looking outside she was silent for a moment, then she said, “I had nightmares for years after that night. Every time I would close my eyes, I saw the killer’
s face.”

  “Would you be willing to sit down with a police artist and give us a description of this guy?” James asked.

  T.K. turned to face them. “I can do you one better.” She walked down a short hall and a moment later, she came back with a sketch pad. She handed it to India.

  India opened the pad and gasped in astonishment. There on the paper in front of her was the face she saw in her nightmares. She slammed the book shut and passed it to Cade. She got up and walked over to where T.K. stood. Wrapping her arms around the other woman, she held her tight as tears ran down her face. After a moment, she let go and turned to face the others.

  “You are quite the artist Miss Jonas,” Elliot told her.

  “Thank you,” T.K. said. “His face has haunted me for years.”

  “How did you get so much detail for one meeting?” James asked.

  T.K. turned to him. “It wasn’t just one meeting. The man came back the next day and the day after that. He seemed to be looking for something but he never found it.”

  “How do you know he came back?” India gasped.

  T.K. looked at her and said, “I had to go back the next day. I couldn’t find you but I had to know if what we saw really happened or not. The table was gone but I could still smell the blood in the air. I went to our hiding spot and while I was there, he came back. At first, he searched the area where the murder took place, then he expanded his search. He ripped the lower level apart but he never found what he was looking for.”

  “He was looking for the jar I took the night before,” India whispered worriedly.

  T.K. sighed as she nodded. “I knew you shouldn’t have taken that damn jar.”

  “You said he came back the night after that as well?” James asked.

  “That was the night he almost caught me. I went back again the second afternoon. My mind wasn’t any closer to accepting what happened. I heard footsteps coming up the steps. I slid under a pallet and as I laid there, I saw his shoes coming toward where I was hiding. I was so scared I couldn’t move. His shoes stopped within three feet of where I was. I could feel him looking over everything. I don’t think I was breathing at this point. Then I saw him move away and I could hear his footsteps going back downstairs. I heard the door open and close but I still couldn’t move. I stayed under the pallet all night long.”