Specter of Death- Part 19

Bill and Angela raced up the stairs taking them two or three at a time. Without bothering to knock, he threw his shoulder into the door jamb and crashed through. Gillian’s screaming stopped when she saw her friends. Her bloody hands trembled as she rinsed them under the tap. At her feet, a bottle of White Diamonds perfume had shattered to pieces.

            “Are you okay? What happened?” Bill asked.

            “Let me see,” Angela ordered. “Hmm, I don’t think you’ll need stitches but I’ll grab the first aid kit and get you bandaged up.”

Gillian pulled her towel tighter against her body as goose bumps prickled her flesh. Bill removed a bathrobe from the hooks behind the door and draped it around Gillian’s shoulders. She offered him a weak smile and muttered, “thank you.” Angela returned a moment later with the first aid kit and proceeded to bandage up her friend’s hands.

            “So, are you going to tell us what happened?” she asked.

Gillian scowled. “It was my own fault. I slipped as I was trying to—”

            “How ‘bout the truth, instead,” interrupted Bill.

Angela nodded her agreement and placed a reassuring hand on Gillian’s shoulder. “C’mon, Jilly, we’re your friends and we’re worried about you. We can’t help if you’re not honest with us.”

            “I—I know. I just don’t want you to think I’ve gone off my rocker. As it is, I’m starting to wonder myself… ever since the morgue.”

            “That’s probably a good place to start then,” said Bill. “Why don’t you get into some warm clothes and dry your hair first? We’ll wait just outside the door in case you need us, okay?”

Gillian nodded. The instant the bathroom door closed, she raced to dress in record time. While the thought of telling her friends what was going on was less appealing than a four-hour root canal, she hurried to not be alone.  True to their word, when she opened the door, Bill and Angela were waiting for her.

     Downstairs, the three friends flopped onto Kim’s cozy sofa and settled in for Gillian’s story. Angela carried in a tray with coffee and cookies; she had a feeling they’d be talking for a while. Gillian’s first instinct was to chug the coffee.

            “It’s decaf,” Angela said, smiling. “So drink as much as you want.”

Gillian set the mug down, grumbling that decaf coffee was sacrilege.

            “It is but you do not need another drop of caffeine coursing through your system, Jilly.” Bill answered. “So, let’s get to the bottom of whatever is going on here. What happened in the bathroom?”

            I should probably start before then,” Gillian admitted with a sigh. “It all started the night we used the Ouija board at the morgue. Someone or … something, touched me when the lights were out. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and then it gave a squeeze. It wasn’t Marie or Kenj and it wasn’t the firemen either. Believe me, I wish it was. Then, as I was driving home I kept seeing a shadowy figure following me. It crossed the road in front of me, it was lurking behind bushes; it was in my rearview mirror. Then, when I came inside, and we were all on the phone … I saw it in the yard. That night, it was in my room. At first, I thought it was Angela, playing a prank. Or, I should say I hoped it was Angela. It wasn’t. That brings us to the shower. Everything was fine. I had just turned off the water because I got a chill. Sorry, Angela, I think I used up all the hot water again. When I pulled back the curtain, it was there. I grabbed the first thing I could reach to throw at it but before I could release it, the thing’s hand enveloped mine and the bottle shattered. So, go ahead. Tell me I’m crazy.”

Gillian looked down at her bandaged hand and sighed. When she looked up, both Angela and Bill wore matching expressions of concern.

            “Listen, I don’t want to freak you out,” said Billy. “But you’re not crazy. It’s something worse.”

Specter of Death- Part 18

Bill draped his arm around Kim and gave her a friendly squeeze.

            “You looked like you could use a hug, my friend.” He said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m here to help. You don’t have to do this all on your own, okay?”

            “Thank you,” she whispered.

            “Don’t give it another thought. Look, I know you and Phillip have a lot of work to do so … I’m going to head over to your place to check on Angela and Gillian. Cool?”

Kim hugged him again and repeated her thanks but in typical Bill style, he gave her a playful poke in the ribs and laughed.

            “Don’t thank me yet; Phillip is going to talk your ears off. I’m simply saving myself.” he murmured before announcing his departure for Dr. Tynesdale’s benefit. “I’ll be back around lunchtime.” 

With a wink to Kim and wave to Phillip, he was out the door.

***

On the other side of town, Gillian and Angela huddled over a pot of coffee and nibbled at honeyed toast. Though Angela had made no mention of it, Gillian’s awkward behavior the night before left her apprehensive. Puffy, red eyes proved what her friends expected; Gillian did not sleep again that night. Instead, she downed another cup of coffee in three gulps and poured some more.

     Golden sunlight streamed through the windows sending a stab through Gillian’s retinas and into her brain. She raised a hand to shield her raw orbs and from her peripheral vision caught sight of it again. Someone was lurking in the shadows, watching and waiting. When she glanced back again, the shadowy form was gone; much like it had done the night before. You’re losing, girl. Have more coffee. She reached for the pot again only hear a voice behind her say, “Hey, save some of that for me.” With a squeal, Gillian jumped back, sending her coffee mug and Angela’s crashing to the ground. Shattered stoneware and coffee dregs swirled on the floor like a Jackson Pollock in brown.

            “Geez, Billy! You scared the crap out of me!” She exclaimed. “What are you trying to do; give me heart attack?”

            “You’re the second person to say that to me this morning.” Bill laughed, hoping a little levity would soothe her ragged nerves. “Here, I thought I was rather dashing but I seem to be traumatizing beautiful women. Hmm, I’m starting to develop a complex.”

Gillian threw a playful punch at his shoulder before pulling him into a bear hug. Angela finished cleaning up the spill before throwing her arms around her friends and giving them both a squeeze. She was relieved to see Bill, more than he would ever know.

     After a few more mugs of coffee, Gillian finally shuffled off to shower. Bill waited until he heard the water running to ply Angela with questions.

            “Kim said something happened last night and our Jilly was afraid ... like too afraid to turn off the lights. I found that hard to believe until I saw her for myself. Did she tell you what happened? There has to be more that she’s not telling us.”  

            “So far, she hasn’t told me anything. Maybe with you here, she’ll feel safer. I think she really believed I was trying to mess with her last night. She was talking as if I was in the room with her. I’ve never seen her like this and it’s freaking me out!”

Upstairs, steamy water from the showerhead caressed Gillian’s aching muscles. The heat soothed physically but inside, her nerves were raw and jagged. She allowed the water to pound into her flesh until a chill settled over her. Damn! I used all the hot water. Angela is going to kill me, she thought. A chuckle escaped her lips, just like old times. Still smiling she threw back the shower curtain and let loose a blood-curdling scream. 

Specter of Death- Part 17

            “You’re kidding, right?” Bill gasped. “Please tell me you only said that to get back at me for scaring you.”

            “I wish.” Kim muttered.

            “No wonder you’re jumpy.”

            “That’s not all,” she whispered. “Gillian, of all people, was afraid of the dark last night. Angela and I ran to her room because she was screaming. She tried to say she’d had a bad dream but I don’t think that was it. When I reached for the light switch she nearly had a fit. And then, Marie bit my head off earlier. She’s definitely acting weird. God, what did Seth get himself into?”

Bill’s brow furrowed as he absorbed the shock from Kim’s bombshell. He had wanted to think it was all a coincidence but the planchette in Kenj’s abdomen was creepy enough without learning that the other two at the séance were behaving abnormally. Before he could say anything, a shout from Kim’s office sent them running to check on Dr. Tynesdale. In unison, Bill and Kim asked what was wrong.

            “Wrong? No, nothing is wrong. This is extraordinary!” Phillip replied. “These photos confirm a hypothesis that I’ve held for many years but, alas, without anything concrete to back it up, I was reticent to share my theory. This, this could be a breakthrough!”

Dead silence hung in the air. Confused, Dr. Tynesdale turned to see why the other two weren’t sharing in his jubilation. Their solemn expressions reminded him of the string of deaths and the real reason he was there.

            “My apologies. I just … well, I got a little carried away. Sometimes, I get so focused on the enormity of the spiritual realm that I forget how fragile the mortal world is. The vessels, so to speak, that have the runes adorned to them were people you knew. Forgive my insensitivity.”

            “Can you tell us what they mean and why the killer is using them, Doctor?” Kim pleaded. “Is there any way to use this information to stop the murders?”  

            “Perhaps,” he sighed. “I’ll need a little more time to research and to compare the carvings between the victims. Now, did you say there were others that had no markings in the beginning?”

            “Well, that’s the thing. Prior to the police determining there was a serial killer on the loose, the first few bodies could have had markings show up after the initial autopsy. Or, if the bodies had been sitting for a while, instead of a fresh wound, the carvings would look like a tattoo or a brand. Given that some of the victims were heavily tattooed, it could have been assumed to be ink. I didn’t personally handle every victim so I can’t be certain what happened in other autopsies but I can pull the records and review the forensic photos if you think that would be useful for comparison.”

            “Yes, I think that would be an excellent idea.” Dr. Tynesdale replied. “The more data I have, the more accurate I can be.”

            “Okay, I’m just going to contact the detective in charge of the investigation and let her know we have a consultant reviewing the files first.”

Kim wondered which version of Detective McDonald would be on the other line as she dialed. The detached voice on the other end was groggy but kind. Marie sounded relieved that they had an expert for consulting.

            “Give me just a few minutes to finish up here and I’ll be over to meet your Doctor Tynesdale. Okay, Kim?”

            “Sure, take your time. He just got here and has loads of files to review.”

Bill watched as his friend hung up her phone and shook her head in puzzlement. More than anything, he wanted to grant her reassurance that everything would be okay but if even half of what Dr. Tynesdale told him on the ride from the university was true, he would be telling the biggest lie of his life. 

Specter of Death- Part 16

            Trembling, Kim placed the planchette into a container to be analyzed. Her mind reeled, wondering why the killer would place something so peculiar into Kenj’s abdomen unless he/she knew about the Ouija attempt in the morgue. That means Marie or Gillian could be next! The realization that her friends were in grave danger sent an icy chill through Kim’s core. She ripped off her gloves and reached for her phone only to have it ring a millisecond before her fingers touched the smooth plastic. She jumped back, sending her phone flying to the floor.

            “Damn it!” Kim growled.

            “Something wrong?”

Kim yelped and spun around to see Bill standing in her doorway, eyes alight and a lopsided grin stretching across his face.

            “What the— are you trying to give me a heart attack, Billy? Who let you in here, anyway? You’re supposed to be signed in and announced,” said Kim, panting.

            “Sorry about that.” He said, laughing and clearly not sorry. “There was no one at the desk so I just came back. For someone who works with dead bodies, you’re awfully jumpy.”

            “Ha-ha, very funny. If you’d been working this case you’d be jumpy too, Bill. It’s getting creepier by the minute. Anyway …” Kim crossed the room and gave her friend a hug. “I’m glad you’re here. You said you uncovered some information about those symbols. I really hope it give us something. Things have gone from bad to worse since we talked.”

            “I would have been here sooner but one of my colleagues wanted to join me. Kim, this is Doctor Phillip Tynesdale. Phillip has a PhD in Religious Studies with a background in Comparative Philosophy, Theology, World Religions, and Humanities. He’s the one who realized the symbols were ancient runes,” Bill said.

A rotund man with a balding crown and wire rimmed glasses poked his head out from behind Bill and smiled.

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you Doctor Tynesdale,” said Kim. “I can’t thank you enough for taking some time out of your schedule to lend us a hand.”

            “Please, call me Phillip. Any friend of Billy’s is a friend of mine. I have to admit, the idea of runes being carved into bodies isn’t something one encounters on an everyday basis so I just had to come see what’s been going on for myself. Is it true that the carvings themselves change in appearance or was Bill pulling my leg? He does like to goad me at times.”

            “Oh no, that part is real. Very real,” Kim answered. “I have images on my computer if you’d like to take a look.”

Once Kim got Dr. Tynesdale settled in with the images, she pulled Bill off toward cold storage to talk privately.

             “Look, I need you to tell me everything you found out about Ouija Boards and not saying goodbye. I haven’t told anyone else about this yet but my assistant, Kenj, was found dead in her apartment last night. She’s got the runes carved in her and everything but this time there was something else. She had a planchette stuffed into her abdomen. What if Gillian and Marie are next?” 

Specter of Death- Part 15

            “When you dropped her off, did you notice anything unusual or out of place, Detective,” Captain Hanson asked.

Once Kim had identified the victim as the mayor’s niece, the officers on site called their captain immediately. Since Hanson arrived before his detective, he had been double and triple checking everything in Kenj’s apartment. He wanted answers immediately—not next week, not tomorrow, now. The captain’s tone combined with too little sleep set Detective Marie McDonald’s teeth on edge. Before she could hold her tongue, angry words dripping with sarcasm hissed through her teeth.

            “Don’t you think if I’d noticed anything unusual I would have stuck around, Captain? I’m not in the habit of abandoning injured, defenseless, women in a dangerous situation. And I certainly wouldn’t serve up the mayor’s niece to a serial killer.”

            “I’m going to assume it’s grief over losing a colleague that has you shooting off your mouth like that,” Captain Hanson growled. “Consider this your one and only pass because you are this close to being written up for insubordination.”

Hanson held his hand up to Detective McDonald’s face and pinched together his thumb and forefinger until they were nearly touching. It took every ounce of self control not to tell the captain where he could stick those fingers but she managed. What I wouldn’t give to knock that smug smile off his face, permanently, her inner voice ranted. Rage boiled from the depths of her core and bubbled until Detective McDonald had to walk outside to get some air. She heard the door behind her open and seconds later a warm hand rested on her shoulder.

            “Are you okay,” Kim asked. “In all the years we’ve worked together, I’ve never seen you so furious. I seriously thought you were going to take a swing at Hanson.”

            “To tell you the truth,” Marie answered. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The rational side of my brain keeps telling me Captain Hanson didn’t mean anything by his question but I could feel myself seething in anger. No, not even anger … it was rage. I felt like I could have ripped him to shreds with my bare hands so I came out here to cool down.”

            “That’s not like you at all,” said Kim. “Listen, if you need to talk or—”

            “No! I don’t need to talk. I need you to do your job. Find me something so we can catch the bastard already. In case you forgot, we’ve got a flipping serial killer on the loose,” Marie interrupted.

Puzzled, Kim walked away leaving the detective to her thoughts. Something’s not right with her. We’ve worked together for a long time and she’s never acted like this, she thought. I think I’ll wait for a better time to tell her what Billy said about their Ouija séance. She’s ready to snap as it is. I’ll just get the body and take it back to the morgue.

   Though Kim was used to working on her own, she’d grown fond of Kenj and enjoyed having the company. The morgue felt cold and lonely minus Kenj’s cheerful chatter. Unzipping the body bag, Kim looked down at her colleague and friend.

            “I can’t believe you’re gone,” Kim whispered. “Please, let there be something here, some sort of hint where to look for this psycho.”

After the victim’s clothing was bagged and tagged, Kim searched the body for anything that might give them a clue. Skin cells and blood under Kenj fingernails had been collected and sent to the lab for analysis. Next, Kim checked a swollen eight inch wound located on the patient’s abdomen. Something different from the other bodies, maybe it’ll help. With gloved fingers she pressed on the swelling; something hard and pointed poked back. She reached inside with a pair of forceps, and pulled out a piece of triangular shaped wood.

            “Oh my God! It’s a planchette!” 

Specter of Death- Part 14

     Kim’s head had no sooner hit the pillow when her cell phone went off, playing the ominous ringtone she’d selected for her ‘on call’ number. Gotta change that music until the killer is caught. It’s too creepy, she thought while blindly reaching for her phone. Exhausted and achy, Kim muttered into the phone that she was on her way. She pulled on some clothes, bid goodnight to her friends, and drove to the latest crime scene. She knew the killer struck again even without seeing the body though her heart had wanted to believe otherwise. One look at the scene confirmed their nemesis was back in action, taunting them.

            “Guess it was wishful thinking to hope our killer had given up, huh?” one of the officers muttered by way of a greeting. “Hasn’t there been even the slightest clue on the bodies? If only we had something to do go on we could catch this monster!”

            “So far, nothing,” Kim replied. “But I’m still looking. One little slip-up ... that’s all we need and we’ll get ‘em. Hey, where’s Detective McDonald? I need a few words with her.”

            “Dunno, I haven’t seen her. We left a message on her cell but no one’s seen her since the fire at the morgue.”

Kim shrugged. Assuming her friend had finally taken a night off, she pulled on her gloves and knelt beside the body. Unlike the other victim’s, the female body sprawled face down in her own blood lived in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment. Also different, the victim dialed 911 from her cell phone. Clearly there had been a struggle but this time, the victim knew her attacker. She’d let the killer inside of her own accord; there were no signs of break-in or forced entry. Puzzled by the change in M.O., Kim wondered if they’d stumbled upon a copycat or if the killer decided to strike a familiar face.

            “Hmm, this is different,” one of the officers muttered. “The whole place was wiped down. Usually, we find prints but they’re from the victim. This time, everything has been cleaned. We lifted a half smudged print of the victim on the TV remote … that’s it.”

Sighing, Kim scribbled every detail onto her clipboard then reached to roll the victim onto a gurney.

            “Oh shit! No, it can’t be!”

            “What’s wrong? Do you know the … oh damn! This is bad.”

            “Call Detective McDonald and get her down here ASAP,” Kim demanded. “I’m not doing anything else until she gets here.”

Twenty minutes later, Detective Marie McDonald sprinted through the door, hair disheveled and clothing rumpled. Her bloodshot eyes were shrouded by heavy eyelids that hung at half-mast.

            "This can’t be possible. I’d just dropped her off several hours ago. As if the mayor wasn’t already breathing down our necks as it is; now his niece is a victim.” Marie knelt down next to the victim’s body and rested a gloved hand on the corpse’s head. “Why did it have to be you? Please, Kenj, please tell me you left us a clue somewhere.”  

Specter of Death- Part 13

        “No way!” Marie screamed. “There’s no freaking way! That board was inside my bag, zippered up, and behind the closed door of my closet.”

Across the room, her closet door remained closed. Panic seized her heart as she padded across the room in her bare feet. Gasping for air, she reached out for the door handle, almost expecting something to reach back. The inside of her closet looked much like it had when she’d thrown her bag in there— except the bag was open. The board and planchette were gone.

            “Okay, there has to be a reasonable explanation for this,” Marie rationalized. “I must have been sleep-walking. That’s gotta be it!”

     Her words held more confidence in the sentiment than her heart. She cleaned her wound and applied a bandage with antibacterial cream, baffled by the depth of the laceration by a blunted object. Unnerved, she shuffled to her kitchen in search of coffee. Gone were the ‘Narnia Cabinets’, this time she could reach in, touch, and feel the wood at the back of the wall. She grabbed the box of K-Cups and popped one into her coffee maker. Ninety seconds later she was inhaling the steamy, slightly-bitter aroma and feeling a sense of normalcy despite of being fully awake at 3am. After her second cup of coffee, she dressed quickly and headed over to the station to get an early start. 

***

Kim, Angela, and Gillian had stayed up only for a short while after Bill’s call. They sipped warm mugs of ‘sleepy-time tea’ laced with honey and talked. Unsettled by what Bill had said after she’d turned off speaker-phone, Kim steered the conversation far away from what had happened at the morgue. Instead, they talked about old times, the crappy apartment they’d shared in college, and their insanely hot English Lit professor. When they finally trudged off to their rooms, each hoped—rather than believed—that they’d have better luck finding clues to Seth’s killer in the morning.

     Gillian flopped onto the bed in Kim’s second guest room and sighed. I should have listened and stayed far away from that stupid Ouija board. Me and my bright ideas are always getting us into trouble. Drowsy, she flicked off the light and curled up under the covers. Hovering on the delicious plane between sleep and consciousness, Gillian’s troubles melted. Her body relaxed until she floated in weightless slumber, warm and safe. In a distant memory, she heard the singing of a lullaby and she drifted deeper. Just then, an icy cold claw wrapped its talons around her foot and pulled. Bolting upright, Gillian reached for the light switch but it was too far away.

            “Shit! Who’s in here?” she barked into the darkness. “Angela, if that’s you, it isn’t funny!” A shadowy form skulked across the room making Gillian fume. “You’re such a jerk! I can see you; now get out and go to bed before I kick your bony butt all the way down the hall.”

Gillian’s eyes laser-beamed at the silhouette and she wished she has something to throw at Angela. Preferably something hard … like an anvil. I’ll go all Bugs Bunny on you and see how funny that is, Gillian scoffed silently. Some friend! She could hear footfalls coming down the hall. You’re busted now. Kim’s gonna see what you’ve been up to and she’ll be pissed too. The door opened and light from the hallway filled the room.

            “Did you call me?” Angela asked from the hallway.

Kim’s head poked over Angela’s shoulder making Gillian’s jaw dropped. Across the room, there was nothing, no one stood in the spot where the shadowy figure had been. Angela flipped on the lights chasing away every hint of shadow.

            “Sorry, I-I, um …” Gillian paused to think up a reasonable explanation. “I sometimes talk in my sleep. I’m sorry I woke you. Man, that was one weird dream though.”

Laughing, Gillian tried to smooth over her lie. Her friends chuckled along to show they weren’t angry—also to hide their concern.

            “You’re sure you’re okay?” Kim asked. “Do you need anything? Wanna talk about it?”

            “No,” Gillian insisted. “No, I’m fine, really. I’m going right back to bed; you should too.”

Worry creased lines between Kim’s eyebrows and around her mouth. She shrugged and offered up a weak smile to her friend.

            “Okay, if you’re sure. Good night then,” Kim murmured as she reached out for the light switch.

            “NO!” Gillian cried out, sending a burning red flush across her cheeks. “Um, I mean, you don’t have to turn off the light right now. I think I’m going to read a little and try to make myself sleepy again.”

Kim nodded and pulled the door closed behind her. As much as she wanted to comfort her friend, she needed to sleep. In a few hours she would have to go to the morgue and sort out whatever mess remained.