Blood Appeal Page 15

  I sat in one of the tub chairs while Anna put on a fresh pot of coffee. It seemed less than five minutes when Anna answered the knock on our door. Kuhl casually strolled in smiling ear to ear. Under his left arm, he held two shoebox-size boxes. On the table before me, he placed one of the boxes and said, “Here.” I leaned forward and removed the lid. Instantly, I recognized the contents as those items I’d left at the resort.

  “I’m not even going to ask how,” I said.

  Kuhl laughed.

  Anna had moved behind me and was softly stroking the back of my neck. “Did that make you feel better?” She asked.

  “I feel a little more complete now that I’m in possession of my things again, thanks.”

  Kuhl piped up, “If that made you feel better, this will make your day.” He placed the second box on the table and gestured with a nod for me to investigate the contents. I opened the lid, but this time I was baffled. “What the…” I didn’t get any further with my question when Kuhl announced, “Happy Birthday.”

  “It’s not my birthday Kuhl.”

  “It is now,” Kuhl said with a smile.

  From inside the box, I removed a Walther P99, complete with three magazines, a pancake holster, and a six-inch silencer. I lifted the weapon to eye level and ogled it.

  “It’s a .40-caliber. That’s what you shoot.” Kuhl said.

  “Yeah, that’s sweet,” I said. I attached the silencer while I continued my admiration. It was a stunning work of art. Holding the piece close to my heart cradled in an affectionate, gentle embrace, I thought about something I hadn’t thought about in a long time. I’d received a present from a friend. I couldn’t recall the last time anyone had given me a gift. Palatini truly was a family.

  As I sat mesmerized by the weapon’s beauty, Kuhl remarked, “I’ll be inaccessible for a couple days. Don’t expect Situation Reports while I’m on point. You’ll hear from me pronto if something urgent goes down.”

  “SitReps will consist of my actions until Thomas makes contact again,” Anna said. “I will interface with Maximillian, so you don’t have to carry the load, Walter.”

  “Perfect,” I said. “That pretty much leaves me nothing to do.”

  Anna abruptly inserted, “But get better!”

  Not being included in the batting lineup hurt. Worse yet, the game was being played on my home turf, and I wasn’t invited to watch. It was bothersome being the lead Palatini asset and not being permitted to participate in the field. It must be what Max feels each time we take out a bad guy. It was my battle, and someone else was fighting it for me. Palatini assets had engaged as requested. I had no valid complaint. Kuhl turned toward the door and started to leave when I interrupted his departure with a simple statement: “Hey, thanks.”

  I caught Kuhl’s reflection in the framed picture beside the door as he smiled. He opened the door and stopped short of the doorway. What he said next perhaps aided in my recovery more than any amount of antiseptic and bandages applied to my wounds. He turned back toward me and said, “We need you brother.” Then he was gone.

  Chapter 10

  “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

  —Helen Keller

  Anna arrived back from her field trip earlier than I expected. I was anxious to hear how her meetings with Landers and the Sheriff had gone. She dropped her purse on my bed, turned toward me, and pulled me to her. With her body pressed tightly against mine, we kissed.

  For a brief moment, I recalled an earlier time in our relationship. It was an intense experience in exploration and thoroughly enjoyed. I put my hand on her backside and held her. The kiss, however painful, was gratifying. Warmth swept through my body, followed by a deep pulsating bliss. Unexpectedly, and as abruptly as she had entered the room with unrestrained passion, she quelled my desire for more. Nurse Anna was back. She poked, prodded, and intruded upon my most painful body parts in her sadistic quest. I didn’t buy her flimsy excuse to assess my physical condition. Besides, I liked the kissing better. I tried not to flinch but in the end I cried for mercy. She appeared satisfied.

  My facial swelling had noticeably subsided. However, pain levels remained the same. Replacing the swelling was a spectacular palette with every color in the rainbow. Sharp pulsating pains in my neck had mysteriously vanished, but the same couldn’t be said for my jaw. My teeth were loosened in their sockets and moved with the touch of my fingers.

  I’d taken the time to research fractured ribs. According to the websites, I could optimistically expect a couple more weeks of babying them. I conveyed to Anna that the bothersome nosebleeds were less frequent. I didn’t try to curtail them. They worked like a release valve allowing a small amount of drainage to escape and ease the pressure from the swelling. It seemed I’d grown accustomed to hearing the ringing noise in my ears which, at times, I subconsciously tuned out. But the high-pitched sound never stayed gone for long.

  “Your recovery is going well.”

  “Yeah. I’ll be at a hundred percent soon.”

  I sat opposite Anna in the tub chairs, eager to hear her account of the meetings. “I met with Sergeant Lancaster of the Sheriff’s Office. He spoke as if he knew you, but you hadn’t mentioned him by name.”

  “Haven’t a clue, honey. I would’ve remembered his name if I had.”

  “I provided him with my Press credentials and informed him of our professional relationship. When he asked about any personal relationship we might have had, I let him know we were personal friends as well. He asked about your personal as well as your work habits. I had to laugh when he asked if you had any known psychiatric or mental disorders.”

  “That’s funny. I guess you knew then he’d never met me.”

  “He was trying to lead me into saying something he could use. He asked specifically if you occasionally disappeared for lengths of time or were flighty and given to vanishing without notice. Of course, I told him no. He didn’t ask about anything terribly intrusive other than your relationship with Joyce Farmer.”

  “Joyce is a sweet gal.”

  In a snappy curt tone she responded, “I’m sure she is.” Anna paused, but I didn’t bite. She continued, “The sergeant asked if I knew about your relationship with Joyce. I told him yes and that I knew you were staying at the family resort. It appeared to satisfy his interests.”

  “Sounds as if you had a busy day?”

  “Did you know Joyce filed a missing person report?”

  “No, but that explains the line of questioning.”

  “To some degree I suppose. A second officer joined us in the interview. He didn’t speak other than to mention he had met you.”

  “Parker.”

  “Yes, Parker. He inquired how I had learned of your disappearance. I told him you and I were working a story together and I had called for your input. When I was unable to reach you by phone, I called the resort and spoke with the owner. He said he hadn’t seen you for some time. I felt the owner was too vague, and wanted to see for myself what was happening. I drove to Shell Knob where I ran into a missing person flyer. They are on every telephone pole and bulletin board in town.”

  “What did he have to say to that?”

  “He was aware of the handouts being posted.”

  “He bought it then?”

  “He doesn’t have any reason to check into my story. If he does, he’ll speak with the resort owner perhaps, who might or might not remember that I called. If he does recall, he’s not likely to remember when I called. It will only serve to verify my story and the reason that I was inquisitive.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “The sergeant asked questions concerning the nature of the story we had been working. He was looking for a possible connection to your disappearance.”

  “Yeah, they probably think I killed the girl and made a run for it. If they don’t land on the truth soon, they’ll be looking for a scapegoat to get them off the hook.”

  “That was
not the impression I took away from the meeting. They focused on the report. They thought it was very strange. Joyce last saw you three days prior to her filing the report with the police. I saw the date on the flyers. They were in the same time frame. Why do you think she waited so long?”

  “The cops might think Joyce is covering my tracks or giving me a head start. But, when you think about it, why did Joyce wait to file a report. She saw me every day. She had to know I’d vanished the following day.”

  Anna shot me a disapproving frown. I had tried to leave Joyce out of the picture. She wasn’t any part of the equation. She was neither help nor hindrance to the Palatini process. We needed to keep our heads screwed on straight with a clear and concise focus on the problem. Anna interrupted my thoughts. “The sergeant suggested you might be on your way back to Oregon. He said you left abruptly, you didn’t have roots in Barry County, and he questioned the stability of your relationship with Joyce.”

  “That’s true on all counts.”

  “They are not considering you to be a victim of a crime or foul play. Consequently, there will be no expedited search or all points’ bulletins issued. According to the sergeant, there are more than two-thousand missing person reports filed every day nationwide. You are officially a needle in a haystack.”

  “That’s good. I can get done what needs to be done easier that way.”

  “Precisely.”

  “How’d your meeting go with Landers?”

  “He is a weird little man. I gave him the same spiel I did the sergeant. According to him, he knew you had disappeared the day after you went missing. I don’t know how he would have known that or why he hadn’t reported it to the authorities.”

  “Wow, you have a conspiracy theory going. It would work better if I were dead, but hey, the circumstantial evidence is compelling. Jilted lover and a local news reporter worked together to get rid of little ol’ me.”

  Anna had learned to overlook my rabbit chasing digressions. Now and then I’d go off on a tangent or get sidetracked and she’d have to rein me back to reality.

  “He was incredibly guarded when I mentioned we had partnered in the telling of a story. He too, like Sergeant Lancaster, was inquisitive in respect to what we had been digging up. I related it was a human interest piece concerning a kidnapped girl. You were providing the background details, and I would write and publish the story. When I said that, he became fidgety and very anxious. For a brief moment, I thought I was going to have to tie him down to the chair. I don’t remember the last time I saw someone that frightened—that I wasn’t killing. Are you sure he isn’t a person of interest in that girl’s murder?”

  “He’s high-strung, that’s all. He thinks I’ve been nabbed by the killer.” Having known Landers personality type, I laughed loudly. It hurt but felt good at the same time. “I’ll bet he thinks his head is next on the chopping block.”

  Anna chuckled, “He should be concerned. He’s obviously a poor judge of character. If he knew what kind of friends he had, he would’ve been frightened to death.”

  Her tongue and cheek reference to Jay and my relationship as friends didn’t go unnoticed. He’d been perfectly safe with me. I liked the little guy. He had a good heart, and maybe when this mess was cleared up, I’d drop the scoop in his lap as a reward. He’d have to receive the package anonymously.

  “Get dressed for the outdoors. I’m taking you for a walk.”

  “I don’t want to walk. Walking is painful. What if I’m recognized?”

  “Being a bit paranoid aren’t you? You’re more than an hour’s drive from Shell Knob and in a larger city. I’ll be assisting your walking. Some people will notice your struggle to walk, but people who usually watch, don’t look carefully. They wouldn’t want to be caught watching. I think you’re safe.”

  My equilibrium had improved. Not to the point where I wanted to do a hundred-yard dash, but I could rise to the challenge. Anna had picked up a Gambler’s style straw hat. I pulled my shades from my bag and we ambled into the fading sunset.

  “I’m going to devote tomorrow to online research and making calls. I want to see if any news is breaking on the Alaskan girl. I think I’ll look into the Alliance and any affiliation with other groups.”

  “Like what?”

  “Aryan Brotherhood, Neo-Nazi, the Klan, we need perspective on the big picture.”

  “Absolutely.”

  While outdoors, Anna kept a firm grip on my arm. Passers-by would’ve seen a pair of love birds on a stroll. Maybe we were. She linked her arm through mine in such a way she bore part of the load for my balance. We didn’t have a destination, only a direction.

  Cloudless and warm, I basked in Nature’s picturesque setting and serenity of a roadside park. The scent of lavender beds mixed with the fragrance of sweet wild mint from a nearby field permeated the air. Weeping Redbud trees lined our walkway. Under the calm exterior, my thoughts ran rampant.

  Hidden behind sunglasses and under the brim of the hat was a killer. I was doing what came most natural to me. I visualized many grotesque acts of violence as I daydreamed. Double tap, my signature kill, was far too expeditious for a man of Duke’s caliber. Fast and merciful would not be my intention.

  In my mind’s eye, I imagined many pleasurable events to unfold. As with any serial killer, I dwelled on the execution. For some Palatini, it was about the mission. For me, I’ve always understood the underlying element is the excitement brought on by the kill. It didn’t start that way, but the burden of righting wrongs drove me to kill, and satisfaction followed. My reliving of each slaying provided my psyche a genuine level of comfort, but only the prospects of another victim brought pleasure. Duke had become the object of my intention. Visualization produced a physical response of a pounding heart, the tingling sensation of excitement and breathlessness. Only reality at the point of death brought greater happiness and enjoyment.

  Anna favored using the term “Palatini business” when she spoke of our previous assassinations. I didn’t feel the same way. When opportunity knocked, I would kill Duke and share an equality between personal and business. How could it not be? It would be different from anger, but it would still be vengeful. I’d related to Anna my feelings as if I were a vampire. I didn’t have a taste for blood; I craved its flowing. Not just any blood would satisfy, only guilty blood.

  A small flock of blackbirds flew noisily overhead that caught my attention. Anna hugged my arm and smiled. “Isn’t it beautiful,” she said. I nodded and returned a smile. Then I slipped back into my daydream, slicing and stabbing Duke with my knife. It was, in fact, a beautiful day.

  The next morning, Anna dug through the internet for information on the Alaskan Arctic Alliance. We hadn’t heard from Kuhl, but it was still early in the game. I’d learned when he was in stealth mode; it behooved me to be patient. But patience was not one of my virtues. Pressure internalized and created a state of unrest.

  I fidgeted as Anna read the press releases aloud concerning eleven-year-old Dawn Simmonds of Palmer, Alaska. The report included details of the earlier kidnapping and that she was found dead, the victim of foul play, three days before her twelfth birthday. “Taken so young,” Anna commented. It reminded me of Minnie’s statement at her residence in Dixon Holler. If my hunch was correct, Minnie was likely the caller that spoke with Landers.

  “Unforgivable. I mean that Anna. I will not let this crime go unpunished.”

  Anna took it a step further and looked at additional criminal events that might tie in. Documents surfaced that were unsolved crime mysteries. Were they connected? If they were, would the evidence lead to the doorsteps of the Alliance?

  Anna turned her attention from criminal events to the Alaska Alliance. Information was sketchy at best. The material she uncovered indicated they were a known entity to both the police and courts. Individuals belonging to the Alliance had accumulated minor criminal offenses that had tarnished their reputation. A weapons violations charge and game poaching seemed trivial in
a place called the Last Frontier. But one case stood out apart from the rest. In the recent past, there had been a conspiracy to commit murder charge leveled against Alliance members. The complaint stemmed from a native village elder whose land in the Glennallen area had been encroached upon by Alliance members. Newspaper accounts weren’t useful in determining what had transpired.

  Frontier justice was a thing of the past in Alaska and its courts followed suit with the rest of the western states. It was strictly law and order, and plea deals. The Alliance members had racked up a handful of misdemeanor convictions through plea bargaining and a heftier felony charge of conspiracy to commit murder but never prosecuted.

  Anna and I both saw project shaping up the same way. Perhaps the past provided the motive for the kidnapping. The Alliance might’ve targeted this girl in retaliation for an unresolved issue they had with the Alaska Native community. We wouldn’t know until we had an opportunity to chat. If they were uncooperative with our questioning or their responses were evasive, I intended to use whatever means at my disposal to elicit their confessions.

  Two more days passed while we waited for Kuhl. I occupied myself just twiddling my thumbs, and manipulating my new .40-caliber for action. On the other hand, Anna found there was nothing more to gain from our internet search. When Anna’s phone rang, her conversation was short, sweet, and to the point. She said the sum total of two words, “Hello” and “okay.” She disconnected with the caller, turned toward me, and spoke two more words, “Kuhl’s inbound.” Good, I thought, now we can crank up the action a notch or two. I didn’t want to say anything out loud; Anna might be offended. She had worked her tail off.

  Five minutes later, Anna answered a knock on the door. I stood inside the tiny bathroom doorway with the Walther still in my hand. Kuhl greeted Anna with a quick hug as he stepped inside the motel room. He appeared to be in a hurry. By the time Anna had closed the door, Kuhl was in one of the tub chairs motioning with his hand for us to find a seat. My anticipation heightened.