by Gary Starta
* * *
Celeste did not care for the way her owner was behaving. It deeply disturbed her that Marlene was digesting one pill after another. The process had started to cause Marlene to wobble as if she was off balance. When Celeste finally began to hear the auditory accompaniment of Mollini’s rambling, the feline realized the Anderson family was now in grave danger.
Celeste catapulted herself towards the living room located adjacent to the kitchen and the gutted first floor bathroom. The cat pawed furiously at the digital communication center until she accessed the speed dial menu. Pressing the button labeled “number 4” she dialed Stanford Carter’s cell phone.
Stanford fumbled for his ringing phone, spilling his cup of coffee on the delicatessen counter top in the process. Cat cries quickly followed. A strange Tonkinese opera was emanating from Carter’s phone. The whining was followed by the outgoing message of the Anderson’s answering machine. Carter nudged Jill to head for the car. If looks could kill, Wendy the waitress would now be in a penitentiary. Wendy ran like a bull in Spain after the two patrons who had bolted from their seats without paying. “The mayor was right about cutting your salaries,” Wendy screamed at the officers who disappeared between the clanging of the shop’s welcoming chimes.
* * *
Celeste was not quite finished manipulating the machine. The Tonk was on a mission. Celeste pressed the preset button to call Nosy Nora. She was depending upon the women’s curious nature to help bring Mollini to justice.
Back in the garage, Carl’s eye lids began to flutter as he inhaled the lethal contaminates emanating from his car. And in the kitchen, Marlene found herself involuntarily slumped against a cabinet. Her face had gone slack. In the bathroom, the arrogant murderer stood his ground waiting to claim the couple’s life force.
* * *
Calder had called for the deployment of EMT’s as well as backup during the anxiety-riddled trek to the Anderson’s. By the time she and Carter had arrived, the Anderson’s were only minutes from death. Stanford ordered Jill to cover the back of the dwelling while he attempted to gain access from the front. Fortunately, Carl had left the entrance open. But Carter wasted valuable seconds canvassing the 12-room mansion for Mollini. The perpetrator had extracted himself from the house as quick as a cockroach.
However, Stanford was undaunted in his pursuit. He soon located Mollini. He and Calder were engaged in a standoff in the backyard.
Carter could not believe his eyes. Mollini had commanded Calder to drop her weapon and she was complying! Jill slowly bent her body forward as if she was performing calisthenics. In another second, the weapon she was holding would be dropped harmlessly to the ground.
Stanford yelled at Mollini to freeze. The crazed contractor paid no heed. Mollini fixed his gaze upon Stanford, attempting to lure him into a cationic haze. Repeating the phrase “I am the only one in control of my mind,” Carter utilized his Zen techniques to repel Mollini’s efforts.
Realizing his mind control would not take hold upon Carter, Molllini turned about face to flee. Just as he did, Aldo found himself staring into the barrels of a half dozen rifles. The Boston PD had also deployed a S.W.A.T. Team to the Anderson’s.
There were just too many opponents for Mollini to work his black magic this time. Aldo reluctantly fell face first on the ground and surrendered as commanded.
* * *
The EMT’s arrived in time to revive Carl and Marlene Anderson. But could the pair provide the incriminating testimony to nail Mollini? Carter struggled with this dilemma as he paced the Anderson’s living room floor. Celeste broke his train of thought. The cat gallantly leaped from the floor, propelling itself onto Stanford’s left shoulder.
“Well, hello old friend,” Stanford said, recognizing the cat was the same pet he had found at the Heinrich’s.
Celeste bayed in short, vowel-like bursts until she was sure she had gained Carter’s attention. Her cries pitched higher in tone as the detective clumsily made his way towards Carl’s work desk. Stanford had never processed a crime scene with a cat hanging from his shoulder like a parrot. Likewise, Jill had never witnessed her boss taking commands from an animal. The young CSI liked seeing Carter in this new light. Calder stood in the doorway indulging her sense of humor, until it dawned on her what the cat’s intentions were.
“She wants you to play the recorded messages,” Calder pointed out.
The playback did provide incriminating evidence. Nosy Nora had left a message.
She asked if Carl and Marlene were all right because she had just received a strange call from a cat. The remainder of the message contained the revelation the investigators could have only dreamt of. True to her inquisitive character, Nora recorded the incoming call from Celeste. In the background, one could clearly hear Mollini’s voice, commanding the Anderson’s to take their lives. Carter’s face lit up like a hundred candles as he realized this was enough evidence to link Mollini with not only the attempted murder of the Anderson’s, but also the killing of the Heinrich’s.
“I believe a jury will find enough here to convict you,” Stanford told Molllini. The arrogant contractor winked in smug defiance as he was being hauled away by the Boston’s finest.
“And one more thing, Mollini,” Carter added, “For the public’s protection, I am recommending you be placed in solitary confinement at the state’s maximum security facility.”
Mollini knew what Carter was inferring. A telepathic conduit would be very hard to establish in these circumstances. Aldo quickly lost the gleam in his eye.
“So you believe in his powers?” Jill asked coyly.
“I’m still gathering evidence in that regard. However, I do believe I will be the first Boston police officer to recommend a commendation for a cat.”