The Witch's Ladder (19 page)

Michael answered, “We finish the job.”

He cleared the gazebo’s three wooden steps in a broad jump and sprinted around to the backside. Returning with the gasoline he ordered, “Everyone out,” and began spilling fuel over the floor and on the girls as they swung silently in the temperate breeze. With the structure thoroughly soaked, he calmly, coldly, pitched a match into the gazebo. The flames burst to life with a whoosh, igniting the night as though the sun had come out to bear witness to the eradication of evil.

“
We don’t have much time,” he said. “We need to go before someone sees the flames and investigates.”

“
Wait,” said Gordon, yielding to the urge compelling him to watch the flames consume the twins.

Lilith came up behind him and set her hand on his shoulder. “Tell me we did the right thing,” she said. The reflection of firelight danced wildly in her eyes.

“
We did, Lilith. We did the right thing.”

“
It doesn’t feel right. I usually trust my instincts, and this isn’t sitting well with me at all.”

“
Lilith, you do believe the twins were responsible for all the murders, don’t you?”

“
Of course.”

“
And that they tricked us into killing Doc Lieberman?”

“
Yes, but—”

“
Then trust me. We did the right thing. They were evil little bitches that had to die.”

She shook her head doubtfully. “I sure hope you’re right.”

“
I’m right,” he said, and he raised his hand to his forehead and saluted the fire. “This is for you, Travis, wherever you are.”

“
And you, Barbara,” said Valerie.

Michael added, “And for you too, Chris. We’ll never forget you guys.”

A hallowed silence followed for the memory of Doctor Lieberman and those who had suffered needlessly. For that moment, time stood still. They might have watched the flames for hours if not for Jean, who gave warning of an approaching fire truck, its distant scream creeping closer.

“
We better go now.”

Valerie added, “Remember to look around. Don’t leave anything behind, and for God’s sake work on an alibi. I’m sure Detective Marcella will try to reach us all tomorrow. Be ready for him.”

“
Look!” Gordon pointed, and as the others looked closer, they saw that he was not pointing at the fire, but through it, to the other side of the gazebo. “Over there. You see? There’s someone on the other side.”

It was Leona, watching in silence as the rope melted tighter around the twins’ necks, the intense heat morphing the nylon into a molten glob of synthetic lava, bubbling and blistering against their skin. The line ultimately burned through and broke, allowing their bodies to plummet to the floor, surrendering to the flames in a sizzle of meat, bone and marrow.

“
Leona!” cried Valerie. “She’s come back.”

Leona moved in closer, the brilliant glow of firelight illuminating her face. Tears tracked steadily down her cheeks. Just as she had the night before, Leona’s body seemed only semi-solid, not see-through, but translucent. This time there seemed no doubt, she had come in a state of bilocation. The flames continued to dance wildly, at times obstructing their view, but in the flickering glimpses they observed her once again holding a string of beads.

“
I don’t understand,” Valerie complained. “It’s the beads again. I can’t imagine what she’s trying to tell us. Whatever it is, it must be terribly important.”

“
I’m sure it is, Val,” said Lilith. “But we really have to go. The fire trucks are almost here.”

“
I can’t leave her. I have to know why she wants us to have those beads. They must mean something.”

“
Maybe they do. Maybe they don’t. But one thing’s for sure.” Lilith grabbed Valerie by the arm and began leading her from the gazebo. “We’ve got to get out of here now. We’ll see her again, I promise, but we must leave this minute.”

Valerie resisted, but not greatly, and when Lilith tugged harder, she yielded. The group fell back, vanishing into the night, leaving only the charred and blackened remains of the once beautiful Akasha and Shekina Kayo burning in the fiery hells of vengeance; and Leona, once again, a silent witness to it all.

Eleven

Aside from attending psychic workshops in the evening, Michael, like most in the group, held down a full-time job during the day. He worked at a local hardware store, and it was there that I came to see him on the morning after the gazebo fire. He was in the paint aisle stocking shelves when I approached him from behind.

“
What’s the best thing for cover-ups?” I asked.

He answered without turning around. “Indoor paint or outdoor?”

“
No paint, just cover-ups.”

“
You’re talking about the Surgeon Stalker. Aren’t you, Detective?” He turned to me slowly.

“
That’s all I
can
talk about these days. It’s getting out of hand and it seems there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sure you know about Lieberman?”

“
I heard. I suppose now you believe the killer has singled out our workshop for some reason.”

“
Oh, I’ve imagined that much already, ever since Chris Walker and my deputy were murdered. But you know what I don’t understand?”

“
No, sir?”

“
Doctor Lieberman. I don’t understand why the killer beat and tortured him before taking his liver. The other victims showed no signs of torture. Did you know the killer cut his head off?”

“
They did?”

“
You didn’t know?”

“
Should I have?”

“
You said you heard about it.”

“
I don’t know then. Maybe I did.”

I nodded. “Actually, it wasn’t completely severed. The killer left it hanging like a Pez dispenser.” I smiled thinly and paused to take note of Michael’s body language. My comment was crude; I knew that, but I meant it to measure his sensitivity to the subject. I also knew that although it was important to listen to what Michael said, I would likely gain more information from the way he said it. I listened and watched, but his response yielded neither amusement nor contempt: only a blank stare. In my book, even a lack of response can sometimes tell volumes.

“
You know, Michael, I’m surprised you’re here. Did you know Leona and the twins have gone into hiding?”

“
Oh?”

“
So we think. That is to say we found the twins’ car last night, abandoned out by the lake. You don’t know anything about that, do you?”

“
No, sir. Maybe some kids stole it and drove it out there.”

“
No, I don’t so. We found the keys in the ignition. I’m pretty sure the girls drove it there. The car seat was pulled up as far as it could go and the steering wheel was telescoped out, you know, like someone small had been driving: someone like Shekina or Akasha.”

“
That is strange, Detective, but like I said, I don’t know.”

“
How `bout Leona? Can you think of where she might be hiding out? Something tells me she’s the key to this whole thing.”

“
Why’s that?”

“
The other night, before she ran out of the room, she said something in Spanish. Do you know what it was?”

“
My Spanish isn’t that great. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“
She said she knew who the killer was. Do you think that’s possible?”

“
Detective, anything’s possible. You should know that by now.”

“
Yes. I’m beginning to see that.” I gestured farewell by tugging on the brim of my hat before turning away. I took only a few steps before stopping and turning back. “Oh, there’s just one more thing.”

“
Yes Detective?”

“
A moment ago we were talking, and I mentioned how Doctor Lieberman’s head had been cut off.”

“
You did mention that.”

“
Yes, but I never referred to the killer as
they
.”

“
Didn’t you?”

“
No, but you did.” I hatched a foxy grin. “That’s the strange thing about this case. Doctor Lieberman was a large man. It appears someone had badly beaten him before his death. It probably took a couple of strong individuals to take him down. Wouldn’t you think?”

“
I suppose. It could have been a gang. You mentioned that early on when Travis got killed.”

“
Yes, I suppose I did. And that’s just it, another inconsistency. There aren’t many similarities between Doctor Lieberman’s death and the others. The unnecessary brutality, for one, doesn’t fit the same MO.”

“
That’s interesting.”

“
Isn’t it? I think I can say with certainty that somebody other than the Stalker killed Doctor Lieberman. I believe several people killed him. Oddly though, I also think the Stalker came by later for his liver, after the real killers had gone.”

“
Why do you think that?”

“
Because of the neatness in the way the liver was removed. It carries the signature of the Surgeon. The extraction of the organ is in stark contrasts to the sloppiness of the killing. You see, the Surgeon didn’t kill Doctor Lieberman, yet somehow he knew about the murder.”

“
And you suspect all this because Doctor Lieberman got his ass kicked before he died?”

“
Yes, that and the fact we found the footprints of a half-dozen other individuals at the crime scene.”

If I listened a little harder, I could probably have heard Michael’s heart skip a beat.

“
Footprints?” His eyes fell involuntarily to the floor around his feet. My eyes followed, locking on to a new pair of black-leathered work boots. They were free of the mud and blood I might expect to find had he worn the shoes at Doctor Lieberman’s murder only two nights before.

“
We’ve taken plaster impressions of the mud around the tree by the body,” I said. “We’ll know more soon.” Michael looked up again and saw me smiling. “And yes, Michael, we recovered a lot more clues from the site this time.”

“
Clues?”

“
Of course, I’m not at liberty to discuss any of that right now, but if his murder is tied to the others, and it seems obvious it is, then we’ll soon have our Surgeon Stalker and whoever else is involved. Mark my words.”

Michael cleared his throat unintentionally. “Consider them marked.”

Twelve

Later that afternoon, I stopped by to see Gordon Walsh and ask him some questions. I was there when his phone rang. I would have known from the wire tap that it was Michael calling, but I didn’t need to go back and listen to the tapes to learn that. Michael was so excited; I could hear his voice booming over the telephone earpiece.

Gordon answered. “Hello.”

“
Gordy, it’s me. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“
Oh, hey…Dad.”

“
Dad? Oh, I see. You can’t talk now. Marcella’s there?”

“
You got it.”

“
Okay, just keep your cool. He’s going to try to trip you up.”

“
Oh, don’t I know it.”

“
Okay. Call me when he leaves.”

“
I will. Tell Mom I said hi.”

Gordon smiled up at me sheepishly, the word GUILT sprawled across his face. I’m sure he hoped I couldn’t read it, but we both knew better. I watched him steady the receiver back on the hook before taking a deep breath.

“
So, that was your dad?”

“
What? Oh, yeah. That was Dad checking up on me. He sent me some money. Wanted to make sure I got it.”

“
That’s awfully nice of him. Do you keep in touch often?”

“
Sure. I guess.” Gordon’s voice grew suddenly squeaky. “Sometimes he calls me—sometimes I call him.”

“
Of course.”

“
Detective, is there anything else you would like from me?”

“
Just a few more questions, Gordon.” I pulled a small black notepad from my pocket and jotted down highlights from the interview. “I have to ask you this, son. Where were you the other night when Doctor Lieberman was killed?”

Outside, a fire truck with sirens wailing rushed by the window, stealing Gordon’s attention until it had rounded the corner and faded from sight. He turned back and shrugged. The unusual blend of emotional unease and anxious relief tugged on his face. He forced a grin. I made note of his reaction and scribbled my observation down on my pad. It was not so important that I documented it; rather that he saw me do it.