Cast the Cards (6 page)

 The
guilt trip triggered her ire. “Are you going to throw stones in a glass house?”
 Her voice was cool and calm. But on the inside she seethed, ready to rip into
him and deliver hurt, have him feel the pain he carelessly inflicted.

“Hey!
I stayed.” he barked. Anger tightened his muscles. His chest stuck out, and his
strong jaw clenched.

“You
had your turbulent times too. Why should I be the bad guy because I didn’t rage
out loud in actions or words?” She counted to ten. “Listen, we’re not going to
get anywhere being at each other’s throats.”

He
sighed.  “You’re right. This is petty. I’ll be nice, if you’re nice.”

“Deal.”

“We
should go inside. I’m sure they’re all watching us.” He turned on his heel and
she followed. Reality hit her like a sledgehammer. She was going to see all the
gory details up close and in person.

Can
I keep it together? Look at this the same way I would any other case?
The
pressure pushed down on her. Every step she took became harder than the one
previous. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. He opened the door
to the station, holding it open as she walked inside the mid-sized brick
building. The short hallway gave way to a homey atmosphere. The small desk
boasted two computers manned by a burly officer with dark brown skin, a bald
head, and a husky build.

“Sergeant,
Agent West.”

“Savannah,
this is Officer Williams.”

She
walked over to the desk and offered her hand. “Nice to meet you, Officer
Williams.”

They
shook. His grip was firm and his hand steady.

“Likewise.”
 He measured her with an assessing gaze.

She
stepped back, pulled her ID badge off her belt, and set it on the counter. “I
know it’s a technicality, but here’s my information to check me in.”

Officer
Williams smiled.
 Looks like I passed the test.
 His fingers flew over
the keys as he logged in her information.

“You’re
all set, Agent West.”

“Excellent.
Thank you.”

“Come
on, I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

A
few yards away they entered the workspace. Six wooden desks sat in rows of three
on a linoleum floor.  A couple of offices sat off to the side in the back. Two
of the six desks were occupied. A few faces were vaguely familiar.

“You
remember Officer Adam and Officer Varney.  They went to school with us.”  The
tow-haired, tall man with pale skin and the man with chin–length, dark hair had
been in her classes from the time she was in kindergarten.

“Nice
to see you again.” She gave a polite smile.

“Same
here. Congratulations on your success,” Adams said.

“We’re
proud of you here in Dale.” Varney grinned. The sincerity in the kind words warmed
her. One of the perks of small-town living was when one of the town members
made good, the whole town felt as if they were a part of it.

“Thank
you.” She flashed a smile.

“Officer
Rodriguez and Officer Nolan are new additions. You’ll meet them later. Chief’s
out of the office for the next couple of days, but I’ll take you into mine.”

She
followed him over to the smaller office on the opposite side of the room.

“Welcome
to my office.” The mid-sized room boasted a black desk with a name tag, two
chairs, and a filing cabinet. “Have a seat.”

She
sank into the seat and he circled the desk, pulling a key from his pocket.
Sitting down, he unlocked his desk drawer. He removed a manila file, placing it
on top of the desk.

“Are
you sure you’re ready for this?” His face softened and he lowered his voice.

Gulping,
she braced herself. “As ready as I could ever be.”

“Is
this the first time you’ve seen the file?”

The
abundance of compassion made her squirm. If this continued she wouldn’t be able
to get through it. “Yes.”

“Do
you want to be alone?”

“No. 
You’re fine. This has to be done correctly. I’ll make sure that happens.”
With
you here the chances of tears is much less. I’m not about to be some blubbering
mess in front of you.

Her
hands were clammy. The file felt cool in her hands, like Clark.  The
impossibility of the situation had her reeling. Taking a deep breath, she put a
tight grip on the meltdown lurking just around the corner in her head and prepared
for the gruesome sight that awaited her.

She
peeled open the folder, ignored the pictures gathered at the back with a paper
clip. Glancing at the General Report she read.  Savannah M. West. Words she
could handle.
 Be objective.
The generic jargon listing cause of death,
suspected motives, and eye witness reports told her more of what she all ready
knew.

Coroner’s
Report
. Tension flooded her body. Her mouth salivated.  She
sucked in air through her nostrils and let it out slow. Heart was removed from
the body by a jagged instrument pre mortem. Wings carved onto the back of his
skin with a precise instrument, like a scalpel.  Interlocked symbols
representing the male and female were carved into his wrist.

Jesus
Clark, what did these bastards do to you?”
The imagery
tugged at her brain, but she couldn’t focus. It was like a snowball rolling
downhill. Now that she started on the file, she had to finish, and that meant
viewing everything.

***

Carey
felt like a peeping Tom. The emotions that crossed Savannahs’ face were
powerful. Grief poured off her in oppressive waves, its  tendrils reaching out
in an attempt to ensnare, wrap up him  up  in its binding grip. He pushed back
from his desk and walked to the window. Peering out at nothing, he regulated
his breathing. Automatically his mind began to replay that night. The same way
it always did.

Summer,
2001

“Savannah
and I are going to the carnival tonight. Do you want to go?”

Carey
looked up at his brother from his twin bed and smiled.
How could he be so
clueless?
The way Savannah looked at him was not sisterly. Perhaps if he
gave them some time alone nature would take its course. God knew Clark talked
about how he felt enough.

“No,
I think I’ll hang back here. See if there’s a party going.”
Give you a
chance to make your move.

Clark
sighed. “More partying?”  The disappointment in his voice stung. It wasn’t like
his brother to judge.

“What?”
Carey placed his hands behind his head on the bed. “We’re only going to be
young and free once.”

“Yes,
but some mistakes can follow you for a lifetime.” Clark stood from the desk and
grabbed the jacket he had draped over the back of his chair.

“Really,
Clark? You preaching to me now?”  He rolled his eyes.

“No,
just stating the obvious.” Clark pulled on a brown leather jacket over his
shirt. It got cold here at night.

“Noted,
but I’m fine.”

“Your
grades say otherwise.”

The
matter-of-fact statement raised his hackles.
It’s not like I’m failing
everything.

“Come
on, math was never my best subject. I can make it up later.”

“You
need to get a handle on your partying and buckle down.”

“Since
when did you become such a stick in the mud?” Carey sat up in bed, disgusted. “Look.
You do what makes you happy and I’ll do the same. You’re the golden boy. Be
happy with the title and leave me alone.” Last thing he wanted to be was their
father’s yes man.
I’m out of the house and I’m going to explore everything
denied me before. Deal with it
.

“Why
do you always say that?” Clark snapped. “We’re equals.”

“You
actually believe that, don’t you?”  Carey shook his head. “At the end of the
day I’m going to be me. You need to focus on what’s right in front of you
before you lose it.” Swinging his legs off the bed, he rose.

“What’s
that supposed to mean?” Clark frowned.

“Think
about it. You’ll figure it out.”  He grabbed his keys off the dresser and
walked out the door, laughing at the confused expression Clark wore. For being
so smart he was missing the obvious.

Present

“I
think I’ve found some important clues I can work with.”

He
spun around.  Her eyes were glossy. Yet, she managed to hold it together.

“What
do you need from me?”

“Copies
are out I know, so just let me take notes. Have you seen these files?”

“Yeah…
too many times.” He pulled the file out periodically and kept a constant
lookout for any similar activity.

“These
markings and the removal of the heart mean
something
.” She scrunched her
face up as if she’d tasted a bitter beer. “I can’t figure out what though. I’m
going to plug them into the computer and see what I can come up with.”

“What
do you think about the heart being missing?”
Other then the fact that they
were sick bastards.

“Honestly…
I think they kept it as a souvenir. It’s not uncommon for these people to keep a
memento they can look at and re-live the moment.” Her voice wavered.

He
was grateful for the show of emotions. It confirmed below the surface of her
cool, calm exterior, things were happening.

She
picked up her satchel, opened the flap, stuck her hand inside, and froze.
“Shit.”

“What’s
wrong?”

“I
forgot to open this yesterday.”  She pulled out a small, manila envelope. “Give
me a second?”

“Sure.”
He walked away from the window and sank  into the chair on the opposite side of
his desk. She opened the envelope gingerly and pulled out an item wrapped in
red tissue paper and a white card with a giant red heart on the front.

“Get
fan mail often?” Carey asked smugly.

“You’d
be surprised.” She shook her head. “There are a lot of loose cannons out
there.”

She
opened the card. The wry smile slid from her face. Her body tensed. 

“What’s
wrong?”
What the hell was in that letter?

“It’s
them.” The mild tremor in her voice terrified him. Clearly it took a lot to
rattle this woman.

“Who?”
It was a struggle to keep his voice even.
What Clark said would happen is.
They’ve brought the fight to us.
The psychic ghost phenomena made him
shiver.

“The
killers.”

“What!”
He stood and hurried around the desk to peer over her shoulder .

“I
need gloves. Now.” The mutter was more to herself than him as he read the
letter over her shoulder.

Dear
Agent West,

 Last
we met you had the sweet bloom of first love all over you, and we knew then and
there we had to have a little taste.  But you got away. Split our perfect
puzzle piece into two. We never forgot you. Imagine our surprise seeing you all
grown up and hunting our brethren. It must’ve been destiny. We are slaves to
fate in all things. It’s so freeing to cast the cards and follow your path to
greatness.

 Now
is the time we choose to step from the shadows and claim the masterpieces we’ve
created.  It’s been a long, fun journey and soon it’ll be complete.  Let’s play
a game of who can find who first. We’ll be seeing you soon,  Agent West. I
assure you this time you won’t get away.

“Fuck!
We need our people on this now.” After all this time they’d reached out to her!
Alarm bells rang in his head.  The letter’s words smacked of stalking. The
thought of them watching her undetected for any amount of time made him want to
go ape-shit. Too close and right on the heels of his brother’s magic
re-appearing trick.

“No.
I want to examine this thing from top to bottom before we get anyone in on it.”
She set her jaw and stared him down.

“Vannah.”
His protests died when he saw the determination on her face and the fire that
burned bright in her eyes. He’d pry that envelope from her hands if he had to.

No,
gaining control of the situation wouldn’t be worth the friction it’d cause. She
knew what she was doing, and her finger prints were all ready on it, so
technically the evidence was already tampered with.

“This
is personal.” She turned to her bag, dug inside, and came out with a pair of
gloves.

“You
carry them around with you?” He snickered. The noise eased the tension rapidly
gathering like a storm.

“This
is
my work bag.” The pop of latex made him grit his teeth. She worked
the blue gloves onto her hand and carefully peeled back the layers of tissue.
Rustles filled the air. Time slowed. He held his breath when the last piece was
removed.

“A
card?” he asked.
Was this a prank?

“A
Tarot Card.”

She
straightened, dug in her bag once more, and produced a small, gray voice
recorder. Bending over the card without further disturbing it, she pressed
play.