“Does mother know how to prepare them?” she asked.
“You were born with a talent for this work,” Eugenia said. “Your mother was not. Some people are born with special minds and hands, just like some have pretty faces and others have strong muscles. You’ve inherited your talents from me. Never let anyone make you think your skills are evil or destructive.”
“How do you know I have these talents?”
Eugenia caressed her granddaughter’s cheek with a cool, pale hand. “Just this week, you cut up a dead cow, to see how it worked. Last month, you boiled the head of a dead dog, so you could examine the skull. It’s a good thing your mother caught you and didn’t tell your father! The month before that, your mother saw you comparing dead frogs to dead mice in your room. She made you throw them into the fireplace, so your father would never find out.”
“Is it so wrong to be curious?” Keziah asked.
“No, not at all. That wonderful, unquenchable curiosity is the sign – the sign that you are truly special!” She gazed lovingly at her granddaughter. “I just thought of something much more interesting we can do. Something that will feed that hungry brain of yours.”
“It sounds wonderful,” Keziah said. “Whatever it is, I’d be happy to do it with you.”
“I often help the town’s undertaker by preparing the bodies for their funerals. No one else knows that I do it – not even your mother – so you must not tell anyone. I have to prepare a new body, since the miller’s mother died yesterday. This morning, the undertaker put it in the basement for me, long before anyone was awake. Let’s go down and work on it right now. I am eager to show you my methods.”
Eugenia unlocked the floor that led to the basement stairs. Once they passed through, she locked the door behind her. “My work with the undertaker began only recently. Your mother has not been in the basement since I began using it for this purpose. I will tell her about it someday, when the time is right. In the meantime, we will keep this to ourselves.”
They went down into the basement. Keziah noticed a short stairway on the other side of the basement, leading up to a door to the outside. In the center of the basement, the body of an elderly woman rested on a wooden wheeled cart….
When Viveka awoke, it was morning and she felt happy and well-rested. She remembered that her grandmother’s words had made her tremble with happiness, all those years ago. How comforting it had been to know that there was nothing wrong with her. She was simply gifted – a quick learner with so much more to learn.
Oberon jumped on the bed. “I bet you’re hungry!” she said. “Follow me, my ravenous runt! Off to the kitchen!”
A few minutes later, as she watched the cat eat his breakfast mixture of eggs and sardines, she wondered why she was having dreams about her childhood. After much thought, she finally decided that her brain was telling her to be thankful.
When she was young, it had been difficult – even frightening at times – to learn that her life would never be considered normal or conventional. But that never meant that she was doomed. Far from it.
Eventually she’d come to realize that in many ways, she was blessed. Her talents were many, and she would always be able to protect herself from harm.
Chapter 15
It took a while, but Lyle, the private investigator, finally managed to arrange a meeting with Gabe that worked with the doctor’s hectic schedule. When December found out about the meeting, he rearranged his own schedule so he could be there as well. The meeting was held in Gabe’s office and this time, Lyle wasn’t late.
December introduced the investigator to Gabe. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lyle said as they shook hands. “Has December told you about my earlier conversation with him?”
“Yes. He shared the details with me,” Gabe said. “It’s all so bizarre. Do you think somebody is trying to lash out at The Bravehart Agenda or Eryk Bravehart for some reason?”
“That possibility is being considered,” the investigator said. “Eryk is a wealthy man, and wealthy people can acquire enemies over the years. Personally, I doubt that Eryk is involved. The people who have died aren’t connected to him on any personal level. But he does care about the welfare of his people. That’s why he hired me.”
“We appreciate that you’re looking into this,” Gabe said. “Do you have any information on the deaths of Vandric or Elektra?”
“An interesting fact came up during the autopsy for Elektra Sparkz,” Lyle noted.
“Autopsy? That’s to determine the cause of death, right?” December asked. “I heard her body was found in a car that blew up. Surely that must’ve been the cause of death.”
“Yes, but there still had to be an investigation,” Lyle said. “In this case, an interesting detail came up. The left knee joint was artificial.”
A look of surprise crossed Gabe’s face. “I’ve worked on Elektra. Extensively. She didn’t have an artificial knee joint.”
Lyle nodded. “Exactly. It was made of a metal alloy, so it didn’t burn up. There was a part number on it. The number has been traced to an actress who’d disappeared named Karen Howard. Her career had been ruined by her drug addiction, and her family and former landlord haven’t heard from her in months. I’ve talked with that landlord. He lived downstairs from her and he told me, her life was on a rocky path. I believe she may have become homeless.”
“So part of Elektra’s burnt body came from a homeless person?” December asked, appalled.
“It turns out, a substantial amount of the Sparkz body came from a different person or persons,” Lyle said. “It’s still being studied. There have also been developments in the death of Vandric Bell. That’s another case where most of the body was destroyed.”
“I found out about his death when his boyfriend called me, to let me know Vandric had been in an accident,” Gabe said. “He didn’t tell me any details, but maybe he didn’t know all the facts. Or, maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. Since then I’ve read about it online. Apparently Vandric was trapped in a tanning booth and it overheated.”
“The media doesn’t know all the details yet,” Lyle said. “Vandric wasn’t trapped in a tanning booth. He was trapped in a microwave oven.”
“Good Lord!” December cried. “How did that happen?”
“It’s complex. There was a trade show going on in the hotel. High-tech restaurant equipment. A new industrial microwave was being unveiled – big enough to cook a side of beef. That microwave was the murder weapon.”
“Why would anyone go to such great lengths to kill somebody?” Gabe shook his head. “It’s beyond insane.”
“Hang on. It gets worse,” the investigator said. “I talked to the hotel employees. They looked over the security video and it turns out, someone pretending to be a maintenance man rolled the microwave out of the trade show at night. He told some other hotel employees that it was a new tanning machine and it needed to be moved into the salon. They said he was a sixtyish man with an authoritative manner. He told the employees that it was a booth, so it needed to be set up vertically in the salon.”
“Do they have any idea who this older man was?” December said.
“No clue. One of the hotel workers said he walked slowly, but that doesn’t tell us much. Vandric was destroyed in the microwave … cooked until he turned into a scorched, dried-out husk. The thing is, he had plenty of silicone implants, but no trace of them could be found in the body. The microwave could have melted them, but it wouldn’t have zapped them out of existence. Also, what are the odds that two human dolls could’ve been burned to death within days of each other? That’s why I thought I should talk to you two. I want to know: Is there a demand for black-market body parts?”
“You think somebody killed Elektra and Vandric for their body parts?” Gabe said.
“Possibly,” Lyle said.
“But what about that artificial knee?” the doctor asked. “Do you really think somebody would kill a human doll for parts, and then replace some par
ts in the corpse with other parts … from homeless people? How does that work?”
“That’s the factor I struggle with. If somebody needed body parts so badly, why wouldn’t they take them from the homeless woman?” Lyle turned to Gabe with an apologetic smile. “I hope I’m not coming across as stupid. I promise you, I’m not a dumb person. But I don’t have a medical background, so that’s why I’m asking these questions.”
“No problem,” the doctor said. “I can see you’re smart. Smart people know when to ask questions. Let me clarify some of these issues for you. Elektra had a lot of implants: breast implants, butt implants, even implants to enhance her musculature. But the artificial parts in Elektra were not so expensive that murder would be justified. The same goes for Vandric’s implants. Plus, many of those implants were created expressly for the bodies of the Vandric and Elektra. They simply wouldn’t fit any other person.”
“So we can rule out any theories about black-market body parts, right?” the investigator said.
Gabe nodded. “Exactly.”
“From what I've heard,” December said, “I’m wondering if whoever is doing this might have a medical background.”
“That’s an interesting thought,” the doctor said. “A lot of folks have believed Jack the Ripper might have been a medical professional, because of all the cutting he did. So that concept has merit. Also, the killer might be someone whose medical knowledge came from being a patient. Or, from working in a medical setting. Basically, somebody could be using what they know to get the job done.”
The investigator thought about the information he’d just heard. “Interesting…. You said, ‘to get the job done.’ What do you think is the ‘job’ that somebody is trying to get done?”
“Honestly,” Gabe said, “I have no idea.”
- - -
When they arrived home that evening, December and Gabe headed to the green bedroom. They hoped the room’s robust green vibe would both calm them down and give them strength.
“What the hell is going on?” Gabe said as he threw himself on the bed. “First, contestants on Sinthia’s Cabaret started dying off. Now two of the top guests on my show are dead. And they’re both human dolls, like you.”
December sat on the edge of the bed. “‘Like you’? What does that mean? Do you think I’m next in line to be killed?”
“The killer has already snuffed out one male human doll and one female one. I’m guessing he or she will only kill one of each, though I fail to see why anyone would want to kill even one of either sex.”
“All the people who’ve died so far have been truly nice. Certainly none of them deserved to die.” December sighed heavily. “I hate to admit it, but at times I think about quitting the show. But I power through those moments of weakness. I’ve lasted this long, I’m not about to give up now. I refuse to let anyone scare me out of the life I’ve built for myself, and for you, too.”
“Glad to hear it! Who’s to say the killer wouldn’t still try to kill you, even if you did quit? We don’t know for sure if being part of The Bravehart Agenda is a factor.”
“Or maybe the killer would be so disappointed if I quit, he’d kill me anyway,” December said. “A person could go crazy, trying to figure out all the possibilities.”
“I know! Let’s go hide in the Wilson’s attic!” Gabe said, laughing.
December also laughed. “Your dad still lives in France, right? We can hide there! The killer will never find us!” He leaned over and gave Gabe a kiss on the lips. “I guess we’ve already gone crazy. So be it! I’ll just keep going with the show and let the chips fall where they may.”
Chapter 16
The next morning, December walked into HeadTurners and saw, to his surprise, that millionaire Eryk Bravehart was waiting for him in the lobby. Eryk was a handsome, square-jawed man with thick dark-red hair. He stepped up to December and shook his hand.
“Good morning, December,” Eryk said. “I thought I’d take the chance that you’d be free this morning. I have something important to discuss with you. Do you have the time?”
“Of course!” he said. “I always have time to talk with you. Please, come into my office.” He turned to Caleb. “We’re not to be interrupted. Please take messages while Mr. Bravehart is here. Thanks!”
In his office, December noticed that Eryk was seated with his arms folded. He looked tense and worried. “Is everything okay, Eryk?”
“I had a long talk with Sinthia last night. She’s leaving Sinthia's Cabaret.”
“Whoa! Did somebody try to kill her?”
“No, but these deaths have been playing havoc with her nerves,” Eryk said. “And that’s not all. Sinthia and David have finally been approved to adopt a child. She doesn’t want to endanger her family. I don’t blame her at all. The latest reports from Lyle, which I’ve shared with her, have confirmed that most if not all of these deaths have indeed been murders, not accidents. So she’s stepping down from Sinthia's Cabaret. As she told me, a person can be brave for only so long.”
“Wise words,” December said.
“She gave me her letter of resignation this morning. What do you think of that?”
“Well, she’s a grown-up. She should be free to do as she pleases. Still, I would say that quitting might be unnecessary. Her name might not be on the killer’s list.”
“I thought you’d say that. Your response is both rational and optimistic.” Eryk smiled broadly. “That’s why I want you to host the show.”
“Me?” December cried. “I’m not Sinthia. I’m certainly not a drag queen. How can I be the host?”
“We’ll change the name and format of the show. Instead of Sinthia's Cabaret, we’ll name it after your modeling agency: HeadTurners. It’ll still be a talent show for drag queens, and winners will still receive a cash prize, like on Sinthia's Cabaret. They’ll also receive a high-profile employment contract with your agency. How does that sound?”
“That sounds fantastic. But what will Sinthia think?”
“She won’t mind.” Eryk smiled. “She was the one who suggested that you take over as host.”
“Wasn’t she afraid that I might be murdered next?”
“Not at all. She thinks the killer isn’t going after macho types.”
December cocked his head to one side. “Didn’t Vandric count as macho?”
“I guess not! I asked her about that. She used to be friends with Vandric, and she told me his lover, the drag queen, was the top.”
“I doubt the killer would know that,” December said. “Still, it doesn’t matter. I’d be honored to host the show. And, I’d like Velvet Vixun to be my co-hostess, to offset the fact that I’m not a drag queen. I already know she has an incredible work ethic, and is willing to work through any issues the show might be having. Her skills as a celebrity impersonator would make her an incredible co-hostess.”
Eryk nodded. “That works for me.”
“Excellent,” December said. “If our friend Lyle manages to catch the killer, we can have Sinthia join us as a special guest every now and then.”
“Or, we can eventually bring her back for a new spin-off show,” Eryk said. “I’ve been thinking about a drag cooking show. I might call it Queen Of Tarts.”
- - -
That evening, December called Viveka to let her know about his new project with The Bravehart Agenda. He told her about Eryk’s visit and explained why Sinthia was leaving the show. He also told her about the potential spin-off for Sinthia that Eryk had mentioned. He stated that dirty martinis were in order, and she agreed.
They decided to visit The Maestro again, since the club offered quick service and an abundance of olives. Also, Viveka had a new black-and-white outfit that she wanted to show off. This one was a dress covered with the text of Shakespeare’s play, The Comedy Of Errors.
“Interesting!” December said, after Viveka told him why it was adorned with words. “Why did the designer select that particular play? Is there a reference to women’
s wear in the clever repartee?”
“I’m the designer,” Viveka said. “I used The Comedy Of Errors because it’s Shakespeare’s shortest play.” She raised a dirty martini. “Congratulations on your new project! The circumstances that led to its birth are unfortunate, but that’s the way of the world. Enchanting flowers grow out of humble shit.”
“So how are things going at Gehenna?” December asked.
Viveka laughed. “Good question! I haven’t been there for a while. I’m terribly behind on my work. I hate to say it, but I haven’t made any progress on my projects since that day you visited Gehenna. I’ve been too busy traveling and giving lectures. Sometimes, the venues ask me to come into town early to do some TV interviews. When I manage to get back home, it’s already time to start preparing for my next trip.”
“I’m not surprised. You’re a popular speaker. You have a lot of knowledge to share.”
“Thanks! I like keeping busy, so I’m not complaining. But I do miss working in the studio. Fortunately, Christmas has been holding down the fort there. The dear thing is practically my business manager now.” She took a sip of her drink. “Ah, vodka, how I love thee! Did you know clear alcohol has less calories?”
“It’s a good thing, too,” December said. “I’m on TV so often, I don’t dare to gain a pound. I can’t even become bulimic – it would turn my teeth gray.”
“At least that plastic surgeon boyfriend of yours can suck out your excess fat,” Viveka said. “That must be convenient!”
“Gabe always wants to keep the procedures to a minimum. It’s better to just eat less.”
Viveka’s cell phone rang. She looked at the number that was calling and frowned. “It’s the phone I keep at Gehenna. No one should be there except Christmas, who never calls at night. I’ll put it on speaker phone.”
“Good idea,” December said.
She answered the call. “Viveka here.”
“Noah here,” said a gruff male voice.
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