“Ms. Addison, it’s Detective Dawson.”
“In the office.”
Jacob, Catherine, and Evie entered the room a moment later and we stood silently.
“Guess you were right.”
“I wish I wasn’t,” Jacob countered Liz’s statement. She looked past the trio to the empty doorway.
“Where are the officers?”
“I sent them home.”
“I see.”
I watched this awkward exchange like a tennis match. Now what?
“I’m going to head back to the station to write up a quick report of the evening’s activities.”
“Or lack thereof,” Liz added. “It’s okay, you can say it.”
“I’ll be in touch.” He turned to me at the window. “Mia, can I talk to you a minute?” My heart fluttered. I followed him from the room, resolutely ignoring the knowing expressions on the ladies’ faces.
“Now that you’re out of the investigation,” Jacob started, and I didn’t bother to correct his incorrect assumption, “I was wondering.” He stalled.
“Wondering what, Jacob?”
He stared at the ground. “Would you like to have dinner with me?” he asked in a rush.
“A date?”
His cheeks reddened at my question. “Yes, a date.”
“I would love to,” I answered and our dopey smiles mirrored each other.
“Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” I reached my hand out, then withdrew it, wondering if I should hug him. But he was out the door before I’d made a decision. Guess neither one of us dated much!
Giggling greeted me as I reentered the office. There was no need to ask if they overheard.
“Mia and Jacob, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Liz sang. The other two practically fell over laughing.
“Very mature, guys,” I responded, but my ear-to-ear grin betrayed me. “Anyway, we’ll get out of your hair. Come on, ladies.”
Liz closed the door behind us.
Catherine and Evie took but a step before they stopped and faced me.
“What do you think?” Evie asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Do you think she didn’t come because of the crowd?” Catherine asked.
“I don’t think so. Since she can appear and disappear at will, the crowd wouldn’t really have been a factor, I don’t think.”
“You think she just didn’t want to be interviewed?” Evie asked.
“That’s more likely,” I acknowledged. “She’s an immortal being. Whatever her reason for killing men like this, she’s been around long enough to see technology as the blip that it is. Plus,” I paused.
“What?” Catherine asked.
“It’s unusual for a djinn to act this way – it’s not unknown for them to kill, of course, but so publicly?” I shrugged.
Evie nodded in agreement. “You think maybe she’s not thinking straight, that something’s really wrong?”
“Yeah. I had hoped that she’d come tonight, so we could end this,” I said vaguely. “But if she’s not thinking clearly or logically, then all bets are off.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The next morning dawned with a sense of foreboding and I wasn’t sure why. A couple of scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee later, I turned on the television to see how Liz handled what happened last night. She seemed to shake off the disappointment well enough by the time we left.
“Good morning in the Valley!” Liz began with her normal greeting, again looking chic in a pink halter dress ending just above her knees.
“Thank you to those who tuned in last night to my Facebook Live attempt to interview the Firecracker Killer. If you watched, then you know that unfortunately, he or she did not show up for the interview.” Fake laugh. Guess she hadn’t let it go yet.
“Here’s the thing, everybody. This is too important to let go. So, I’m not.” Her eyes glittered. “Let’s go again, Firecracker. I’m calling you out. You heard me. I think you didn’t show up because you’re afraid to tell your story. Maybe you don’t have a story?” Her face looked ugly in that moment.
“I’ll be back on Facebook Live tonight, waiting for you. If you don’t come, I’ll know you’re scared. Oh,” she added like it just occurred to her. “I have a picture of you now. I’d hate to share that all over social media before you have a chance to tell your side.” She finished her not-so-subtle threat and smiled. I was flabbergasted that she told the world we had the murderer’s image.
“And, of course, for those of you watching, please share this all over social media, just in case the Firecracker Killer simply didn’t know about my invitation last time. We’ll be right back.”
The show cut to commercial and I waited for it. My phone started dinging as texts poured in from Catherine and Jacob. As if I had any idea she would throw down the gauntlet like this. I’d give the woman credit, she was tenacious!
*****
It was Capture the Murderer, take two, that night at Liz’s home. Light from streetlamps glinted off of what I imagined were camera lenses in a couple of cars. That was about it. The circus mostly stayed away tonight; I guess they decided it wasn’t worth the time. Jacob came again, but he wasn’t here in an official capacity and he had no additional officers. Metro was chronically understaffed and his supervisors didn’t believe Liz’s “publicity stunt” warranted allocation of officers again.
Catherine and Evie were also present, mainly because, like me, they were worried that Liz might have truly pissed the djinn off.
Due to the lack of official support, no homes had been commandeered and the three of them camped out in an SUV across the street. They planned to watch the Facebook Live streaming on Jacob’s laptop.
I, however, was back in the office with Liz. She sat at her desk, gnawing on her lower lip. Worried about a repeat no-show performance? Or worried that the murderer would show up?
“Do you think she’ll show up tonight?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “She clearly didn’t take the bait the first night, but the way you goaded her—”
Liz hung her head. “Yeah. I hope that wasn’t a mistake.”
“Do you actually want her to show up or not?”
“Yes,” she answered, that hungry look back in her eyes. “Are you ever going to tell me how you figured out the murderer is Juni’s sister?”
The question was asked offhand but I heard the real question. “Probably not,” I admitted. “What makes you ask about it now?”
“I think there’s stuff you’re not telling me.”
“Everybody has secrets.”
“Indeed.”
We stared at each other, both trying to read what the other was hiding. Did she know something? I walked back through our conversations; I didn’t believe I’d let anything slip.
You guys ready? Five minutes until go time.
“You ready?” I asked Liz. “That was Jacob checking in.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered. I gave her a thumbs-up and walked back to the guest room where I stayed last time.
Liz’s image glowed from my cellphone screen. I was seated in a bean bag chair, legs akimbo, the light from the screen all that was on in this part of her home. Again, I kept the sound off, but could hear her voice from the other room as the Liz on screen moved her lips.
“Welcome back to everyone who chose to join me again tonight.”
There were some comments but it was definitely not flying fast and furious like before. I guessed much of the audience also stayed away.
“A few people have questioned whether it was smart of me to challenge a murderer the way that I did.” I winced in the dark. Liz smiled.
“Probably not. But, when you want to get the story.” She shrugged with this admission. The comments below were a mixture of admiration for her gutsy move and chiding her for being an idiot. I was undecided at this juncture. I
still believed what I told the ladies the other night. Our best bet was to bring Juni’s sister to us.
Liz continued to talk but I was no longer listening. Something changed. The air felt heavier. I’d actually never met a djinn before. I didn’t know if this meant her essence had arrived. Liz still chatted as though nothing had changed. I wondered if it was my overactive imagination.
POP POP POP POP POP
Guess not. I bolted from the chair at the firecracker sounds, a hair after I noticed Liz’s smile slip. The murderer was in the house.
“Hello? Is that you? Firecracker Killer?” Liz’s voice wavered only a bit when she called out.
I crept to the edge of the bedroom door, peeked around the corner. The house remained dark. Popping sounds filled the air.
“Hello? For those watching from home, you can hear the familiar sounds that have preceded the Firecracker Killer’s entrance on the prior three videos,” Liz continued in her newscaster voice.
I entered the hallway and made my way toward the front office.
“I hear the popping but I still have no visual on who exactly is present,” Liz told her audience. “Hello? Please identify yourself,” Liz instructed the apparent presence.
I almost laughed but didn’t want to give away my location.
No verbal response but, if anything, the popping sounded louder. It felt like a jackhammer in my skull. Something must be about to happen. I reached the final corner before the office. I rounded the corner, saw the office entrance five feet before me.
The air at the office door shimmered.
“Something is happening!” Liz told her audience.
I took a few tentative steps forward.
“A shape is forming in the doorway,” Liz reported.
An outline of a figure appeared.
“There’s someone—” She stopped speaking.
A feminine form had fully materialized.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“There’s a woman. She has long brown hair, black eyes.” She stuttered on this descriptor. “Tan, maybe bronze skin.” She paused as the popping stopped. Silence filled the house.
“Are you Juni’s sister?” I broke the silence and the woman turned. I recoiled from the anger on her face.
“Mia, what are you doing?”
“Who are you?”
The woman did not speak but Jena floated in my mind. I stepped closer, could see into the office now.
“Jena?” I asked.
“Jena? Who’s Jena? Is she Jena? What are you doing, Mia?” Liz spun her laptop in our direction and stepped around the far side of the desk, intent on regaining control of her interview. I only had a few minutes.
The woman, Jena, took a single step toward me.
“You don’t have to do this,” I told her. I lowered my voice. “We’re like you; let us help you.” Jena’s face remained impassive. Liz’s did not.
“What are you saying? Mia, what’s going on?” Liz stepped within touching distance of Jena and a blinding light engulfed the room.
I waited for my eyes to readjust when the light vanished. Jena was gone. Liz lay on the floor. I moved toward her as the front door opened.
“Mia?! Liz?” I heard Jacob’s voice and then hurried footsteps. I was cradling Liz’s head in my lap when Jacob, Catherine, and Evie rushed into the room.
Relief flashed across their faces, presumably that I was okay, and then worry replaced it as they saw Liz.
“She’s unconscious,” I explained.
Jacob pulled his cellphone from his pocket to call for an ambulance. Catherine and Evie hung back.
“What happened?” Jacob resumed the detective role, and I gave a modified version of events. He quirked an eyebrow when I stated that I came around the corner and saw a woman standing in the doorway of the office.
“You didn’t see or hear anything prior to that?”
“Just the popping noises.”
“She just appeared?” Disbelief dripped from his words.
“I can only tell you I came around the corner and she was there,” I insisted, which was a version of the truth.
“Stay here,” he ordered and left to check all the windows and doors of the house.
Evie and Catherine moved in closer.
“What really happened?” Evie whispered.
I shook my head. “Wait until we’re alone.”
Flashing red and blue lights penetrated the window blinds. A few seconds later, emergency responders entered the home, followed closely by backup law enforcement. The EMS folks checked Liz’s vitals – strong, it appeared – and lifted her onto a stretcher to carry to the ambulance. Catherine, Evie, and I watched in silence as they headed toward the door.
“Do any of you wish to accompany her?”
Catherine looked at me and Evie before answering the EMS woman in the affirmative.
“Thanks.” I gave her a quick hug and she left with the ambulance. Evie and I remained in the office, leaning back against the desk, waiting. I imagined Jacob was not done with me yet.
Sure enough, after speaking with the backup officers briefly, he asked us to follow him outside. The officers were securing the scene. It was not clear a crime had been committed, or if the reported woman was the killer, but they weren’t taking any chances.
Jacob indicated I should sit in the passenger seat of the SUV, while he got behind the wheel and Evie clambered into the backseat.
“What did you see during the streaming?” I asked.
Jacob gave me an inscrutable look then opened his laptop. “I recorded the video. This is what we saw.” He pressed play. I watched the familiar opening, as Liz chattered. Popping sounds. Liz asking the murderer to show herself. Her look of surprise followed by a description of the woman. Then a muffled voice in the background. I was thankful you couldn’t distinctly hear what I said. Liz questioning me, standing, spinning the laptop. I sighed in relief when the laptop stopped halfway around and faced the window. Jacob glanced at me sharply. Liz asked her final question, “Mia, what’s going on?”, the bright light flashed and the video stopped. It all happened much faster than I had thought.
“Mia, what was going on?”
I stared at Jacob, considering my response. “I’ve already told you what I saw.”
“Why did Liz ask you that?”
I faltered this time. “I don’t know.” Weak. I knew it and Jacob knew it.
“Who is Jena?” Jacob stared at me through narrowed eyes.
I tried to think of a good explanation.
“It’s not a trick question,” he said drily.
“She’s Juni’s sister,” I finally answered.
“The one you mentioned before,” he confirmed.
“Yes.”
“Are you ready yet to tell me how you found out about her?”
I swallowed audibly around the lump in my throat. “No.”
“What else aren’t you telling me?”
“I can’t tell you anything else.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
I remained silent.
A knock on the window broke the uncomfortable silence. Jacob started the car and rolled the window down.
“Sir. We were able to restart her computer.” The officer handed Liz’s laptop through the window. Jacob thanked him and rolled the window back up. The laptop actually appeared slightly singed; it was a miracle they were able to restart it.
Jacob opened the laptop, woke it from sleep mode, and clicked on Documents. His eyes scanned the rows and columns of icons. I couldn’t see the details from here. Was he looking for something specific? He clicked on an icon and instead of a document, a video opened. Liz staring at the screen. Jacob hit play.
“Hello, this is Elizabeth Addison, coming to you from Las Vegas. As many of you know, I have been hot on the trail of the Firecracker Killer. This unknown person, recently identified as a woman, is possibly the sister of a woman murdered by the Firec
racker Killer’s first victim.” Liz paused in the video and Jacob’s eyes burned on me.
“If that sounds confusing, just wait. Today this case took on dimensions I never imagined.” My mind raced to figure out what she was about to say. Liz’s eyes practically glowed from her excitement, so I knew it must be big. On screen, Liz gulped a big breath. “I recently learned that there are supernatural beings living in Las Vegas.”
My sharp intake of breath matched Evie’s as Jacob muttered, “What the—”
Liz continued. “I have reason to believe that the murderer is not actually a woman after all, but a djinn, otherwise known as a genie. This previously believed-to-be mythical being—” Liz continued to talk but her voice had been replaced by a high-pitched whine in my ears.
How did she find out? And then I remembered my conversation with Catherine and Evie on the doorstep to Liz’s house. Could she have overheard us somehow? I tilted my head back as a vague recollection of a security camera at her door floated to the surface of my memory. Did it have audio? Could she have turned it on to eavesdrop on us?
I tuned back in to Liz talking to the camera. “I also have reason to believe there is at least one supernatural being in the Valley capable of bewitching. This woman – whatever she is – can bend you to her will. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” On screen, Liz gave a final smile. “That’s all I have for now, but I’ll be back when I have more to report.”
“Did she post this anywhere?”
“That’s your reaction to the video?”
“What reaction did you want to see?” I asked softly.
“Maybe one more of surprise,” he answered. “Like those of us who don’t already know about the existence of these beings.”
“You believe her crazy ramblings?” I asked with an arch of an eyebrow.
He didn’t buy my nonchalance. “I heard your reaction when she said the killer is a genie. Don’t insult me by trying to pretend otherwise.” Hurt shined in his eyes as he looked at me; I dropped my gaze to my lap.
“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted.
“Evie, can you give us a minute?”
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