“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, tall, 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.
Continue---->
