By the Fire: Issue 3 Read online

  “I’m Michael, but most people just call me the dead man. I’m chasing him because a man in a black suit told me to in a dream.”

  He twists one end of his mustache. “You’re the dead man?”

  I cock my head at him. “You’ve heard of me?”

  He gives me a half smile. “Oh, I’ve heard a thing or two.”

  “I take it you aren’t any closer than I am?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve spent hours searching the bars. You?”

  “The same. I even sent some letters to the newspaper taunting him but nothing.”

  “Those letters were from you? I’m surprised you didn’t get a response from all the things you said.”

  I just shook my head. I was as insulting as I know how to be, which is plenty insulting, in my letters is but I didn’t get so much as a reply.

  “I take it if you are looking for him then there is something to this demon nonsense.”

  Only in New Orleans do the detectives actually believe it when you tell them it’s a something supernatural.

  I nod my head at him. “Believe me, there is something to it. If I had a choice I would be putting this off on someone else.”

  “How did you get involved in this?”

  “It’s a long story that started with me getting shot and ends with me getting judo tossed across this alley. How about we go back inside and compare notes over a beer?”

  Inside I veer to the right to snag a table while O’Bryan heads to the bar. A moment later he plops two beers down on the table in front of us. I take a long pull of mine before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Not good manners I know but hey, nobody comes to a bar to practice social graces.

  “So, what’s the story” I finally ask.

  “Not much to tell really. I’m a detective with the NOPD. I’ve spent the last several months looking for Axeman, so far without any success.”

  “Where is your backup?”

  He shakes his head. “No back up. My boss thinks I’m wasting my time. He took me off the case last week.”

  I pause with my glass halfway to my lips. “You’re out here on your own? That’s not very safe.”

  He smirks at me. “Oh, I’d say I can handle myself wouldn’t you?”

  I can feel my face grow flush. “Well, nonetheless, you need backup. How about we join forces?”

  “I think I’d like that arrangement.”

  I spit in my palm and reach across the table. He stares at my hand for a moment before spitting in his own and clasping hands with me.

  

  “I’ve got an idea” O’Bryan said.

  I throw another rock across the roof. We have spent hours sitting on this roof overlooking the bar below. Hell, we had spent weeks staking out one place or another.

  “Tell me.” Any idea was better than spending another minute on this roof.

  “I know a woman who is a psychic. Perhaps she could help us track this thing down.”

  I nodded. Why hadn’t I thought of using a psychic or fortune teller? “I like it. What’s this woman’s name?”

  “Ashley.”

  I whip my head around. “What did you say her name was?”

  “Ashley, why?”

  “Where did you meet her?”

  He shuffles his feet. “Well, I sorta met her where she works if you know what I mean.”

  I rub my forehead between my eyes. Well this is awkward. “I know Ashley.”

  “Oh, are you a client?”

  “Not exactly, she and eye have a relationship of sorts.”

  His eyes grow wide. “Oh, I didn’t mean to….”

  I hold up a hand. “Believe me; I don’t want to talk about this anymore than you do. Let’s just see if she can help.”

  We climb down from the roof and I find myself walking much faster than I normally do. Back at the brothel the Madam who runs the place waves me to go to the back. That is our signal that Ashley isn’t with a John. I don’t know her real name. All the girls just call her Madam.

  “Honey, I’m home.”

  Ashley is sitting on the side of the bed brushing her hair. She turns around and smiles at me.

  “There you are” she says to me. O’Bryan walks in behind me. Her face lights up when she sees him. “Thomas! How nice to see you.”

  She jumps up and gives him a kiss on the cheek. My stomach does a flip. I won’t lie. I seriously consider taking a swing at him. To his credit he looks abashed. His face turns bright red and he looks down as he mumbled his greetings. There is a reason I don’t come to the brothel while Ashley is working.

  “We need some help Ash. We’re looking for someone and it has us stumped. Think you can use some of that psychic mojo to help find them?”

  She sets down her hairbrush and nods at me. “Of course I’ll help. Go wait for me in the sitting room. I’ll be there after I’ve prepared.”

  Ten minutes of awkward silence passes that is only punctuated by the two of us shifting in our seats. Finally she enters the room carrying a silver tray. Placing it on the table she begins sorting the items off of it onto the table. A bronze bowl goes in the center of the table. She fills it with water from a glass carafe. When the water is still she pulls the stopper out of a small bottle. The scent of sandalwood fills the room. Tilting the bottle Ashley lets a few drops fall into the bowl.

  Setting the oil aside she closes her eyes and inhales deeply. When she opens them back up she leans over the bowl and stares at it for several minutes. I have to fight the urge to let my foot tap with impatience. Finally Ashley lifts her head. Her eyes are glassy and unfocused.

  “He’s going to strike again soon. Tonight I believe. Bring me a map.”

  I jump out of my seat and run to Madam’s room. I pound on the door until she opens it. She is blinking sleep from her eyes and holding her nightgown closed with one hand.

  “I’m sorry that I woke you. I need a map of the city.”

  She looks confused but goes to her closet and pulls out a rolled up map. I remember seeing it one of the first times I came to visit Ashley. Snatching it out of her hands I run back to the sitting room to roll it out onto the table. Ashley’s head is lolling from side to side by this point.

  I take her head in my hands and pat her on the cheek. “Come on baby, stay with me baby.”

  She rolls her head my way. “Hey baby, there you are. Have I ever told you how much I love you? I’m even thinking about quitting this job for you.”

  Excitement races through me at her words. I have never been brave enough to ask her to do that. I have to stay focused though. “I love you too honey. Now can you show us where to go?”

  “Oh sure, no problem.” She rolls her head towards the map and puts her finger on the map. As soon as she does she starts screaming in agony and falls to the floor thrashing. I kneel beside her and try to calm her. It doesn’t seem to help though. She begins clawing at her eyes and I have to grab her wrists to keep her from hurting herself. Madam and several of the girls rush into the room.

  “Help me” I yell at them.

  They help me hold her hands and feet but nothing stops her pain. Think Michael think. I feel a hand on my shoulder. Looking up I see O’Bryan standing beside me.

  “Did you get the address?”

  He nods at me. “We need to go.”

  “I can’t just leave her like this” I snarl at him.

  “We can help her” Madam tells me, “as much as anyone can help the poor dear. What happened?”

  “She was finding a demon for us. It looks like he found her too.”

  She crosses herself. “Heaven help her.”

  And there it is the help that I couldn’t think clearly enough to see. I jump to my feet. “Get her to the Reverend. He can help. We’ve got to go stop a murderer.”

  I follow O’Bryan outside. He has to pull me along because I keep looking back at Ashley. I feel guilty for leaving her even if it has to be done. We race to the spot marked on the map. Luckily it isn’t that f
ar. It was a nice house in the suburbs. We stop in the front. And O’Bryan leans forward on his knees as he catches his breath.

  “It seems quiet enough.”

  He nods his head but hasn’t caught his breath enough to speak. That is when the screaming starts.

  I jerk my head up to see a woman stumbling out of the front door of the house. She falls to her knees in the damp grass. I run to her.

  “What happened?”

  “My husband. He killed my husband” she sobs out.

  “Is he still inside?”

  She shakes her head no without raising it up. She points off to the right before she collapses again in tears.

  “Come on O’Bryan. We can’t let him get away.”

  He nods his head wearily and we take off again at a run. We run for several blocks until up ahead I see him. He is about my height but built heavier. He is wearing a long trench coat and slouch hat. And I realized that I have seen him before. I had literally bumped shoulders with this bastard and hadn’t chased him down.

  “You!”

  He turns around and I see him smiling at us. He gives me a jaunty little wave before walking to his right. Straight into a cemetery. I come to a dead stop at the entrance and O’Bryan slams into me from behind.

  “What’s the matter” he asks.

  I just shake my head. “I have a thing about cemeteries.”

  Thing doesn’t describe it well enough. I have an irrational fear of them. You can probably imagine why. I haven’t set foot in one in years and I shiver every time I walk past one. None of that lets me off the hook this time though.

  “Well deal with it and lets go” O’Bryan shouts at me.

  I draw my pistol and step through the iron gates. Beside me he pulls out a Bowie Knife with bible verses etched into the blade. I glance at it and he just shrugs his shoulders at me.

  “What, you thought you were the only one who knew a priest?”

  We keep walking deeper into the cemetery. In the center stands the largest mausoleums and on impulse I walk straight for them. We arrive to see our man, or whatever, standing in front of one waving his hands in circular passes and chanting. So I shoot him in the back.

  Unfortunately that just pissed him off. He spun around and charged us. I put another round into his chest which causes him to scream in pain. He keeps coming though. O’Bryan and I leap aside at the last second. A blow to my back sends me sprawling and I feel a weight on top of me.

  I squirm trying to get free when the weight is suddenly gone. I roll over to see O’Bryan wrestling with the demon. As they turn I see the knife stuck between the demons shoulder blades. Master judo ka that he may be he isn’t strong enough to take this thing on. I clamber back to my feet to get back in the fight.

  The first thing I want to do is slow it down at least. So I spend two of my remaining rounds blowing out its knees. Roaring in agony it collapses losing its hold on O’Bryan. He falls down and backpedals away from it. Four rounds down with only two to go. I have to make them count. I rush forward and grab the knife hilt and twist. It screams again and goes down to all fours. I put the barrel of my revolver on the back of its head, cock the hammer and then it isn’t a threat anymore. One bullet left so I plug it in the head once more just to be safe.

  O’Bryan is looking up at me wide eyed. I reach out a hand and help him to his feet. Dusting himself off he makes a circuit of the thing on the ground.

  “What do we do now?”

  I shake my head. “We take this thing to church and let the reverend figure out what to do with it.”

  He nods. “I’ll find a wheelbarrow. You watch it just to make sure.”

  A minute later he comes back with a wheelbarrow and a tarp. We load the body up and cover it before making our way to the church. The reverend meets us at the door.

  “Why did you bring that abomination here” he demands.

  “Because I didn’t know what else to do with it.”

  He sighs at me. “Very well, get it inside off the street before someone sees.”

  We roll the body through the entrance and there is a sound like cloth ripping. Sparks begin to fly. I threw an arm up to shield my face. Lights flash blindingly. When they stopped the body is gone.

  “Someone really didn’t want that thing in here” comments O’Bryan.

  “Tell me about it” I say. “Most days I’m surprised that I’m allowed in.”

  I turn back to the reverend. “How is Ashley?”

  He purses his lips at me. “The girl is fine. I’ve prayed over her all night and anointed her head with oil.”

  I’m not sure what he hates about her more, her profession or her abilities. It doesn’t matter much to me as long as she is alive. I follow him to the room where she is laid out. As I enter the room she opens her eyes and smiles at me. I sat on the edge of her bed and brush the hair out of her eyes.

  “How are you doing beautiful?”

  “Oh, you know, been better. Did you get him?”

  “We got him. You did great.”

  “How’s Thomas?”

  Now it’s my turns to purse my lips. I shouldn’t. I’ve known all along what she does. Besides, Thomas did save my life. I can’t help but be a little jealous.

  “He’s good. He’s outside with the reverend.”

  “That’s good. So, about what I said earlier.”

  I perk up at her words.

  “I meant it. I’m done. I told madam when I first woke up. I wanna be all yours. How does that sound?”

  “Darlin, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

  I hug her and I have to resist the urge to squeeze too hard. Maybe things are shaping up after all. I mean, what can stop a psychic and a dead man?

  Walk With Me

  Chapter 3

  The sky was black when they touched down. The last hour before they had landed the plane had been rocked several times with turbulence. When he stepped out onto the tarmac the sky cracked one last time with thunder and rain began to fall. David pulled his jacket closed tight and ran towards the main building. It was only a few dozen steps to the entrance but he was soaked before he got there.

  He stopped inside to wipe water off of himself before heading to the rental kiosk. He shivered as he pulled out his rental form. The young woman at the counter looked up at him and smiled.

  “Got caught in the rain?”

  “Yeah. It just came out of nowhere.”

  She was nodding her head. “It changes fast around here. Just wait, it’ll be sunny and hot here tomorrow.”

  He finally found the forms he was looking for and handed them to her. “Hot? Its freezing out there right now.”

  She just shrugged. “Wait just a minute Mr. Ritter. I’ll send someone to bring the car to the front entrance.”

  While he waited he looked over his hotel information. Since a movie was being filmed in town all of the hotels were full. He shook his head when he saw that he was staying at a place called the Sawmill Inn Bed and Breakfast. A minute later he saw his car pull up and he walked out still wiping rain off of his coat. He plugged in the address into the cars GPS and pulled out of the lot.

  “I hope the signs are in English at least” he mumbled as he pulled onto the interstate.

  Forty five minutes later he saw the sign for Rosepont, population 26,000, and luckily the sign was indeed in English. Just on the outskirts of town the GPS sent him down a two lane highway past empty fields. After several miles he found himself in front of a sprawling Bed and Breakfast surrounded by a picket fence. The sign hanging by the walkway said ‘Welcome to the Sawmill Inn’.

  David climbed out of the car and grabbed his bags off of the back seat. Following the flag stone path he stopped on the porch. Above the door hung a giant crosscut saw.

  “Well, that doesn’t look ominous at all” he said to himself. About that time the door swung open and a large lady stepped out wiping her hands on an apron.

  “You must be David” she called out. “You’re jus
t in time. I just finished lunch, complete with a plate of hot biscuits.”

  “Well, I can’t turn down hot biscuits now can I?”

  She pushed open the screen door and ushered him in. “We’ve got you set up in the Cooper Suite. You’re just gonna love it. Biggest suite in the house. Yes sir. Just gonna love it.”

  He followed her upstairs as she rambled. At the end of the hall she pulled out a key and unlocked his room. The door opened and he was greeted to a red room with heavy black and white drapes in a chevron pattern.

  “Like I said best room here. Oh, I suppose you’ll be wanting your key. Can I get you anything? Lunch will be in just a few minutes. Want some coffee?”

  He opened his mouth to respond but every time he did she cut him off. Finally he took hold of the door handle and started slowly closing it on her.

  “I’m fine Mrs?”

  “Oh, Mrs. Hammil. But everyone calls me Joyce.”

  “Well Joyce, I think I’m going to freshen up. I’ll have to take a rain check on lunch but thanks anyway.”

  He quickly shut the door before she could say anything else. He carelessly dropped his bag beside the bed before falling backwards across it. After a minute he sat up and started rubbing the back of his head before pulling out his cell phone. His call was answered on the third ring.

  “Are you there” Melody asked.

  “I’m here. Just got checked into the Sawmill. I’m about to head over to the morgue and identify the body. I’ll call you back when I’ve finished making the arrangements.”

  “Good. Hurry.” Click.

  He shook his head while he put away his phone. A quick google search gave him the address of the local morgue. He rubbed his head again and forced himself to start moving.

  Opening the door just a crack he peaked down the hall. When he didn’t see his hostess he slipped out the door and ran bent over to the stairs. Stepping lightly he made it down the stairs, past the dining room and out the front without being spotted. As he slid into the driver’s seat he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

  A short trip found him parking in front of a nondescript brick building. He opened the door to a dingy front office. Half of the fluorescent lights were flickering or out. Behind the counter sat a lone attendant in lab coat. He had greasy hair and his feet were up on the counter while he read a magazine.