21: Bad Gets Worse – Pt. 4

“Blackmail,” Mike announced matter-of-factly and dropped a stack of papers in front of Victoria.

“What’s this?” she asked sifting through the first few pages as she took a seat at the conference table.

“Goldman’s financial records. It seems our boy was into some heavy gambling and owed a lot of dangerous people a helluvalot of money.”

“Money, of course. It never ceases to amaze me how petty people can be to kill for something so insignificant.”

“You still see him as the doer?”

“Absolutely. Why? You think maybe one of these guys came looking for payday and stabbed the family as a message? Come on Partner, you’ve been in this business long enough to know stabbings are personal. I doubt the people he owed…” she paused as she noticed the name of the bookie on the page beneath the one she was reading and her eyes immediately shot up to Mike’s.

“Don’t look at me like that Vik.”

“Well how should I look at you Mike? You aren’t seriously thinking about using this to get to Calabrese! You can’t! The evidence is all pointing us in the other direction. This bookie had NOTHING to do with that little boy’s death Mike.”

“I’m just covering all bases Victoria. You’re so quick to jump on the husband as our guy I just want to make sure that we’re not overlooking potential suspects because of it.”

“No. You were there Mike, right by my side when this guy tried to summon up tears and instead found pocket lint much more interesting than the death of his family! He’s guilty, I’d bet my next paycheck on that.”

Mike pushed off the table with a growl and slammed his fist into the wall before sinking to the ground doing his best to control his temper before he exploded. “I want this guy Vik! What he did…everyday he’s out there, walking around and breathing easy is another day I am tortured knowing he’s free because I failed to do my job!”

“Mike,” Victoria started before moving to the ground in front of her partner. Her hand gently moved his down and she peered into his eyes, concern dictating her actions. “This isn’t a failure. We’re still working Benny’s case. It’s a small setback which happens from time to time. It doesn’t mean that ‘The Breeze’ is going to get away with what he did to your brother and his wife. It only means we have to work harder to prove his involvement. It’s only a matter of time.” Victoria thought back to Derrick’s confession on the night he found her staking out Calabrese’s home. 

He had mentioned something about knowing that he was guilty but that she needed to be capable of understanding how. Her eyes closed and she inhaled a quick breath. He must have been there. The blood maybe? Making a mental note to ask him about it she took Mike’s hand and slowly helped him from the ground. “We’re going to get him Mike, I promise.”

“Yeah.” His body collided with a chair as he threw his weight down into the seat. Combing over another bank record he heaved a heavy breath and nodded. “When you called this morning I did some digging. Goldman’s wife used to work for his company as well, top level exec. It’s why she has a considerable amount of stock within the company. It seems that our boy was interested in downsizing a few of them in order to have money on hand, the wife wasn’t going for it.” 

“So when his wife refused to liquidate a few of her shares, Goldman took matters into his own hands. He needed money and he needed it quick so her death was the only way he could get out from under his blackmailer. Either through the stocks or the insurance he’s looking at a sizeable payment soon,” Victoria completed his thought.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket vibrating her thigh beneath the table and causing her to jump just a little. Mike gave her a quizzical stare before smiling a little at her frazzled look when she noticed the name on the caller ID. “Lemme guess, it’s Loverboy?”

“Who?”

“You know, dark and mysterious who seems to pop up out of nowhere to tell you how beautiful you look or stare at your ass when you’re not looking.”

“Derrick?” Mike nodded and turned his attention back to the papers in front of him. “He stares at my ass?” Mike chuckled as Victoria stood and answered her phone. “Hello?”

“Hey! I have everything we’ll need. Are you going to be available soon?”

“Uh I should be. Is this…will this be messy?” she asked in a whisper moving a little ways away from Mike’s ears.

“If we do it right.” She couldn’t see it but she could tell he was smiling as he teased her mercilessly. Victoria wasn’t sure if she was ready to handle whatever magic Derrick believed was necessary in dispatching the succubus but she’d try for Cole’s sake. “I’m waiting outside, see you soon.”

“Yeah ok, I’ll see you in a minute,” she sighed and placed her phone back into her pocket. 

“What?” she asked turning to find Mike staring at her with a cheesy grin on his face. “It’s not like that.”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s not!”

“And yet you gave him your personal cell phone number.” Victoria opened her mouth to say something but instead found a flaw in her logic as well and thought best to keep her mouth shut. “Alright answer me this one thing and I’ll drop it, has he ever been to your house?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he grinned wider and pulled up from the table again. “I’ll get the arrest warrant for Goldman. We’ll have his ass incarcerated by tonight. And Vik,” he paused before exiting the door leading out towards interrogation. “Be careful with this Derrick guy, he seems to me like the player type.”

“It’s not like that Mike!”

“Yeah, I know. I heard you the first time.” Victoria exited after Mike after ensuring he’d be fine taking on Goldman’s arrest alone. 

She headed towards the parking lot and found Derrick waiting beside her jeep with his arms folded across his chest. He leaned up noticing her approaching him and nodded at the bag near his leg. “Everything we’ll need. The only thing I should warn you about is the magic. I know we haven’t explored that side of you yet…”

“Do you think we could talk about this in the car?” Victoria asked looking around behind her at Derrick’s mention of the supernatural. There was already talk around the water cooler about her and Derrick’s constant interludes and now her own partner was beginning to make assumptions that there was more to them than just a working relationship. She didn’t want them to overhear their conversations or see them speaking again to make the gossip hounds foam at the mouth. Victoria needed to keep her private life private. Not to mention the fact that talk of magic probably wouldn’t sit right with her higher ups. They’d most likely think she was a loon.

Derrick slid into the passenger seat of her jeep and Victoria pulled out of the lot heading back towards Cole’s condo. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle it. I mean what do I do? Just say those words on the page there and just like that the demon goes poof? What if I hurt Cole in the process?”

“Well according to my source, when you incant this spell the succubus should be drained of her powers and whatever hold she has on Cole should be broken. Cole should revert back to his normal self.”

“That’s a lot of ‘shoulds’ Derrick. Do you know anything to any degree of certainty? I don’t want Cole to die!”

“The only thing I know for sure Victoria is that you are strong enough to do this you just have to have the confidence that you can pull it off. If you want Cole to come out of this unscathed then you need to focus and follow everything I’ve told you exactly; leave the rest to me.”

Victoria sighed and closed her eyes briefly as she pulled in front of the high rise. Repeating the words on the page a few times in her mind to memorize them, she glanced at Derrick and nodded, she was ready. 

The door to Cole’s condo was wide opened as the two made it back to his hallway. Derrick peeked inside first and saw no one. Listening closely he waited to ensure signs of life before motioning the go ahead to Victoria. “Be careful!” he cautioned and placed a crystal at the door once she was inside.

Victoria did the same at the window and made a circle around herself in white candles. The spell called for the witch to be grounded in order to prevent the Succubus from seizing her essence once she’d entered her magic trance. Being a novice at this whole thing, she relied heavily on Derrick to tell her whether or not she was on track. 

The door to the bedroom opened again and Tessa exited with an evil smirk on her face as she took in Victoria standing in the living room with Derrick just outside the door. “You again! I’d have thought you’d had enough this morning or was my message unclear? You really want to watch him die so badly you return with dime store gimmicks and a vampire? Clearly you’re outmatched child.”

“Cole?” Victoria called for her friend ignoring the woman’s taunts but received no response in return. 

“He’s not exactly interested in entertaining company at this time. Perhaps you should try him again tomorrow. No wait, tonight’s the last time anyone will ever see him again. Darn, I guess you’re just out of luck.”

“Cole please, it’s me! Come out of there!”

“Did you not hear me girl? I said he will not respond to you, he’s mine and only I have the power to command his actions. Would you like another example of that? I’m sure he’d be more than happy to wring your scrawny, little neck a second time! Cole!” 

At the sound of his name, Cole came rushing out into the living room to answer Tessa’s call. His eyes were angry and directed at Victoria and she gasped as he seemingly growled towards her.

“Now Victoria!” Derrick shouted and immediately she began chanting the words from the paper.

“Oh please! Your novice witch is still wearing her training wheels.”

“Well then consider this a crash course!”

“By the dragon’s light,

on this night,
I call to thee to give me your might,
by the power of three;
I conjure thee,
to protect all that surrounds me.”

A bright beam of light encased Victoria and Tessa turned to Derrick and hissed as the magic from the amethyst took effect, she was trapped within the room. “You bitch!” she yelled at Victoria and glanced at Cole just over her shoulder. “Kill him!”

“Derrick!” Victoria cried as Cole rushed headlong out into the hallway tackling him against the wall.

“I can handle him, keep going!”

“Spirits that destroy by flame
Banish this demon in thy name
Fight the fire with the same
Cure the havoc heal the pain.”

Tessa roared as the incantation seared beneath her flesh burning her from the inside out. Victoria’s eyes widened in shock and she watched the woman crumble to the floor the longer she chanted. 

“As darkness falls, remove her bind
her magic’s touch to unwind
What is dark be filled with light
remove this demon from my sight.
to never again roam free,
for such is my will, so mote it be!”

Losing her balance, Victoria dropped to the floor as the room shook with the last of the words that fell from her lips. Tessa’s body burst into white light. Her body drifted a few feet into the air and tiny crystallized particles shattered around her as she dropped with a crash. 

“Invite me inside,” Derrick commanded of Cole who lay dazed on the ground beside him and immediately responded to his request.

Derrick stepped over the threshold and roughly pulled the succubus from the floor. “Well now, let’s see if we can make good on that earlier threat,” he growled and bowed his head to her neck. Ripping the flesh away, he sank his fangs deep into her vein and drained her dry. Victoria was locked on the scene watching as the demon slowly faded beneath Derrick’s grip.

Tessa’s body fell to the floor and Derrick wiped a satisfied hand over his lip removing the excess blood from his mouth as he looked at Victoria and the surprised expression on her face. “What? She provoked me!”

“Is she dead?”

“Well…deadish. There’s still the matter of removing her limbs and burning her. You removed whatever magics bound her to this plane but as long as her body is around she could easily regain mortal essence and revive herself. Don’t worry though, I can take it from here. Do you mind if I borrow your jeep? You’re kinda my ride.” 

Tossing her keys towards him he smirked and pulled Tessa’s body from the ground. “So does this make you my accomplice?”

“DERRICK!”

“It was just a question, Detective. But technically you’re assisting in the murder and disposal of…”

“A demon!”

“Well if you want to split hairs.” He chuckled and followed her gaze towards Cole who was stumbling back inside his apartment door. 

“What about him?”

“That’s easy.” Derrick moved towards Cole and gazed intently in his eyes as he spoke. “You have been home sick with a stomach virus but you’re better now, Victoria made you some soup,” he smiled over his shoulder. “You’ll get this place cleaned up and go back to your normal routine. Forget everything that you may have experienced while in Tessa’s company. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Cole responded mechanically.

“And that works?” Victoria asked watching Cole shake his head as if clearing the cobwebs from a hard blow to the skull.

“Would you like to test it out?” Derrick asked taking Cole’s gaze again. “Cluck like a chicken.” The federal agent did exactly as commanded including barking like a dog and passing out against the wall and Victoria rolled her eyes at the vampire with an annoyed sigh. “Feel better now?”

“Derrick…”

“I’ll be back soon. Take care of lover boy. When he wakes he might not know what’s going on and that’s too bad. I’d have loved to hear you explain that busted nose to him,” he laughed and disappeared down the hall.

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