“The Empress Chicken combination plate is pretty good,” Ben was telling me as he cranked the steering wheel and arced us through the intersection in a left turn that went far too wide for comfort. Fortunately, there was nothing in his way, and he serpentined the vehicle back into the middle of the lane. “But ya’ hafta tell ‘em ta’ lay off the MSG.”
We were back in his van and making our way down a near deserted, snow-packed street in the direction of lunch. He had produced a crumpled menu from the depths of the glove box and offered it to me before we left the parking lot of the city morgue. The tri-fold piece of paper screamed neon yellow in between the scribbled lunch orders, phone numbers, and smudges threatening to completely cover its face. In the center of the outer fold, it bore a caricatured cartoon likeness of a balloon-headed Asian man in a tiny car, gleefully rushing to some unknown destination off the page. The name of the restaurant emblazoned above the line drawing read “Happy Wok Express-We Deliver.”
“I’ll probably just have some vegetables and steamed rice,” I told him after half-heartedly inspecting the list of specials. “I doubt if I need to eat anything very spicy at the moment.”
“Vegetables and rice?” He glanced over at me and chuckled. “Are you serious? Don’t ya’ want any real Chinese food?”
“Actually, Ben, vegetables and steamed rice are probably closer to being real Asian food than your suggestion of Empress Chicken.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“Hmmph. Well, I’m still gonna have the chicken.”
“I figured you would.”
Doctor Sanders had arrived in her office shortly before we left the morgue. Much to my surprise, she remembered me and made it a point to ask about Felicity’s well being. Of course, it hadn’t been that long since we’d met. Considering that we had seen each other several times due to the body count of the last case, there was no real reason to be shocked. Truth be told, by the time local media finished trying to make me into an overnight celebrity-Self Proclaimed Witch Aids Police In Satanic Serial Killer Investigation, etcetera-I should have been amazed if someone didn’t know me.
Ben engaged in a short banter with the city’s chief medical examiner and persuaded her to take over the postmortem on Brianna Walker. She had begun by assuring him that Doctor Friedman was more than qualified to complete the autopsy but within minutes agreed to handle it herself. I wasn’t entirely certain if Ben had been just eloquent enough in his arguments or if she had agreed for no other reason than to get him to shut up. In any event, Ben got what he wanted, as usual, and invited her to lunch with us in return for the favor. She had declined for reason of a full schedule, pointedly citing the fact that she now had yet another post to perform on top of her never-ending administrative duties.
The radio was playing softly from strategically placed speakers and intermixed with an occasional tinny spurt of chatter from the police radio mounted vertically to the face of the dash. The cigarette lighter receptacle stood ready to accept the plug for the magnetic bubble light that rested on the engine cover between the seats. I knew from past experience that a hidden switch somewhere on the driver’s side would activate a deafening siren behind the exterior grill. Ben was dedicated to his job, and the modifications he had made to his personal vehicle showed it.
“A lotta coppers eat here,” he said as he urged the van over the curb into the unplowed lot and created his own parking space next to the small building. “I got turned on to it when I worked this district a coupl’a years back.”
He was making conversation. Going purposely out of his way to avoid the subject of Brianna Walker and the revelations I had bestowed upon him less than an hour before. I knew he was doing so for my benefit. It must have been obvious that I was still rattled by the entire experience, and this was even without my having engaged in any psychic exploration of the young woman’s death. I had to admit to myself that I was already in deep and that any other fear I had faced in my life to this point was a cakewalk as compared to what awaited me now. In my mind, I mutely convinced myself that I was just going to have to get over it.
“You know, Ben, I appreciate what you’re doing, but we can’t keep avoiding the subject. We have to talk about this.”
The itching sensation on my forearm had tapered off to a dull annoyance for a brief time but had now returned with a growing intensity. The thick, polyfiber-filled fabric of my coat was positioned armor-like between my clawing fingers and my burning skin, rendering my attack useless.
“Yeah, white man, I know,” he conceded with a nod. “But I don’t mind tellin’ ya, I could really do without another serial nutball runnin’ around loose. Shit! The last one was bad enough.”
“I hate to tell you this,” I ventured, “but if I’m right, and this guy is re-creating the Inquisition, it could get much worse than the last one… much worse.”
“Yeah, I was afraid you were gonna say somethin’ like that.” He paused thoughtfully then turned to stare out the window for a brief moment before centering his gaze back on my face. “Sixty-four thousand dollar question, Row. Are ya’ gonna be able to handle this?”
“Yeah, Ben. I think I will.” I was still pawing at the itch mindlessly.
“You think, or you know, Rowan?” he stressed. “I’m not gonna have ya’ in the middle of this crap if it’s gonna put ya’ over the edge or somethin’.”
“I understand your concern, Ben, but I’ll be all right. The whole idea of someone reviving that part of history just caught me a little off guard. Besides, I thought you said my involvement in this was requested from further up the line?”
“Yeah, it was. You made a big impression with that whole mess last fall… But I’ll tell the chief he can kiss my ass if this is gonna be any danger to you. It’s not like you’re gettin’ paid for this.”
“I’m in danger whether I help with the investigation or not, Ben.”
“How do ya’ figure that?”
“I’m a Witch and I’m open about it. ‘Out of the broom closet’ so to speak. My picture has been in the paper and all over the news. Not to mention the article we were just talking about this morning. If he’s hunting Witches, then I’m a prime target who’s already publicly confessed to the crime.”
“Sonofabitch… Mutherfuck…” He muttered the expletives as he shook his head. “Damn…I just can’t win for losin’.”
The interior of the Happy Wok Express was just as small as the outside of the building had professed it would be. Ben told me that it was once a carryout fried chicken franchise that had been shut down due to several health code violations. The building had apparently remained vacant until just a few years ago when the current owners had taken it over. Of the few tables, we had selected the one in the farthest corner of the establishment. We were the only patrons at the moment, but there was no guarantee it would remain that way. What we would be discussing was definitely not meant to be overheard by the general populace.
“You shoulda had the doc look at your arm when we were at the morgue.” Ben gestured at my incessant preoccupation with the itch. “Maybe ya’ touched somethin’ in there that you were allergic to, ya’know?”
“I can’t ask her for treatment every time I see her, Ben. She’s already stitched me up once.” I asserted, referring to the first time she and I had met. I had been bleeding from a minor scalp wound received in the course of an investigation, and she had tended to it without hesitation.
“Yeah, well,” he retorted between mouthfuls, “she’s a doctor, right?”
“Right. But she’s getting paid to be a medical examiner, not a general practitioner.”
It was painfully obvious that the present management had ruled out the entire concept of remodeling, as the interior motif still contained blatant references to the goodness of deep fried poultry. Dark brown ceramic tiles on the walls and floor, sporting more than their share of chips and cracks, married with replacements of carelessly unmatched colors. A flickering soft drink sign hung above the worn Formica counter, balancing a painted menu on either side. Cardboard rectangles with handwritten additions were taped over a number of the original selections announcing price changes in bold strokes from a wide-tipped marker. Low on a nearby wall, where most likely there had once stood a drinking fountain, a copper pipe jutted out; the stem of its shutoff valve was clamped with a small pair of vise-grips. I couldn’t speak for the decorating and maintenance of the place, but at least it appeared to be clean.
We continued our meal through the momentary lull in our conversation. The sounds of metal utensils rattling against heavy pans echoed from the kitchen area, occasionally punctuated by a rapid string of speech in an Asian language. Their phone was still ringing off and on, though the mid-day rush should theoretically have ended. I assumed that since the weather had forced a later start to the workday, lunch breaks had been pushed back as well. Who better to call on a day like this than someone who would deliver?
The food was edible but nothing that was going to make the Riverfront Times annual restaurant guide. For some reason, they had found it necessary to blanch my vegetables beyond doneness, turning them into a limp pile covered with something resembling a slightly thickened beef stock. The rice was cold and dry, which led me to believe it had been steamed far in advance of today. Ben sang the praises of his selection between enormous forkfuls of deep fried chicken nuggets in a thickly sweetened hot pepper sauce; of course, Ben wasn’t the pickiest diner I had ever met. I simply pushed my lunch around the Styrofoam plate with the plastic fork, occasionally stabbing a broccoli floret or slice of carrot that hadn’t been cooked beyond recognition and popping it in my mouth.
“Your food okay?” Ben asked. “Ya’ don’t seem ta’ be eatin’ much.”
“It’s fine,” I lied. “I’m just not real hungry right now.”
“So…” He paused for a moment and guzzled cola from a thirty-two ounce plastic cup before continuing, “You’re pretty sure this nutcase is gonna keep killin’?”
“Yes. If he’s following the mentality of the inquisitors, I would guess that he sees himself as apostolic. He probably believes that his actions are being directed by God.”
“Don’t tell me God’s talkin’ ta’ this wingnut through his electric razor or somethin’.”
“I don’t know, Ben.” I said. “If you’re looking for an accurate and expert psychological assessment, then I’m not the one you need to be speaking to. You know that. I can help you with the historical aspects, and if I visualize something up here…” I tapped my forehead with my index finger. “But other than that…”
“You think I need ta’ call the Feebs, don’tcha?”
“If you want a profile of him.” I confirmed his comment with a nod then added, “Look, I know you have a problem with the FBI getting involved, but you’ve got a pretty good working relationship with Constance Mandalay in the local field office. She’s pretty open-minded and you know it.”
“Yeah,” he grunted. “She’s workable. I just don’t wanna get stuck with another one of those know-it-alls with an Ivy League sheepskin an’ a big fat zero in the experience department. I don’t need that kinda aggravation when somethin’ like this is goin’ on.”
“So request her specifically.”
“I s’pose I could get ‘er involved unofficially and see where it goes. If the Feebs end up knee deep in it then…”
Ben’s vocal musing was bitten off cleanly by the shrill cry of his pager as it demanded immediate attention. He thumbed the button to silence the device and peered at the liquid crystal display with a thin-lipped frown.
“Office,” he proclaimed as he proceeded to slip the beeper back on to his belt, only to have it begin blaring loudly once more. Extracting the screaming palm full of electronic components, he glanced at its face with sharp disgust before returning it to his side once again. “Jeezus… Fuckin’…It’s the goddamned office again.”
Ben reached around the back of his chair and into the folds of his coat. After a moment of wrestling with the flap on the pocket, he withdrew a hand-held cell phone and pressed the power switch. The compact apparatus looked like a child’s toy in his massive hand. The moment the ready tone announced the phone’s status, he stabbed out the department number from memory and then held it to his ear.
“Yeah, it’s Storm,” he said after a short wait. “I was paged.”
He paused for another moment, apparently holding to be transferred to the individual who had done the paging. I decided I was finished with my lunch and pushed the plate of gelatinized gravy and cold vegetables to the side then began molesting my itchy forearm in a distracted fashion.
“Yeah. I’m at lunch. What’s up?” Ben finally spoke into the cell phone once again.
I watched him as he listened to the voice at the other end. Slowly, his face took on an expression of deep concentration, and his free hand went to the back of his neck and began automatically massaging.
“Yeah… Yeah… Uh-huh,” he grunted. “Hold on a sec…”
He switched the phone to his other ear and fumbled for his notebook. The struggle ended quickly, and he flipped the pad open on the surface of the table then snapped the button on his ink pen. Resting one elbow on the notepad to hold it in place, he looked like a contorted giant trying to use miniature replicas of everyday items.
“Okay, go ahead… Yeah… Uh-huh… Yeah, I know ‘im…” He scribbled furiously, stopping only briefly as breaks in the information coming to him warranted. “Sure. We worked together a few months back.”
Ben scrawled a line on the paper and accented it with a double underline then motioned for me to have a look. The blue ink scribble read “Carl Deckert.”
Detective Carl Deckert worked for the county police department. We had met during the last case I worked when he had been assigned to the Major Case Squad, Saint Louis’ version of a violent crime task force. The MCS was formed as a collective of municipal police departments, all supplying manpower whenever a particularly heinous or high profile case came along. That case would then receive the highest priority and the undivided attention of the officers assigned. The intention was for the squad to be a trump card, activated only when absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, these days, they seemed to spend more time active than not.
“Yeah… What’s the name of the place again? Uh-huh… Uh-huh… Got it.” Ben flipped to a fresh page and returned to scribbling. “Yeah, I took ‘im down ta’ the morgue a little while ago.” He pointed at me, verifying for me that I was the him to whom he was referring. “He identified the symbol and he’s got a theory. It ain’t a good one, but I’m guessin’ you already figured that out. Yeah, he’s with me right now… I dunno, hold on…”
He cupped his free hand over the mouthpiece and turned his attention completely on me.
“Jonsey says the chief wants ta’ know if you’re free ta’ go check out another crime scene.”
“When?” I asked.
“Now.”
I mulled it over for a moment. I had at least two clients waiting for updates on their software, and I had to customize it specifically for them. Fortunately, owning my own consulting firm and working from home allowed flexibility in my schedule. It didn’t take me long to decide that I could spend a few hours working in the evening to catch up.
“Sure. No problem.”
“He’s okay with it,” Ben said as he resumed speaking into the phone. “Yeah… No problem. We’re on our way.”
He remained silent after switching off the device and stowing it in his coat, then he gathered up the notebook. His grim countenance was almost enough to verify what I already suspected.
“He killed someone else, didn’t he?” I asked, following Ben’s example and shrugging into my coat.
“That’s gonna be your call,” he responded. “But yeah, looks like it. Meadowbrook Park out in the county. Carl Deckert’s waitin’ for us.”
“How was the victim killed?” I pressed.
“Not sure ‘bout that, but the body was burned,” he answered. “The vic was found tied to a piece of a telephone pole in one a’ the pavilion fire pits where it’d been torched.”
The itching sensation on my forearm had now mutated into a knife-edged pain.