Apocalypse Island (21 page)

The anger fell from Mike’s face, replaced with something akin to despair. “You’re acting like a complete nut job lately, Danny. You’re drinking too much, you’re fucking everything that walks and you look sick. Jesus, man what the hell’s wrong with you?”

Wolf lowered his head. “I don’t know, Mike. I feel like my life’s coming apart. I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.”

“You need help, man.”

“I’m trying, Mike. I’ve been seeing a shrink.”

“Yeah, well it doesn’t seem to be working.”

“I know! Christ, I
know.
What the fuck do you want me to do?”

“Listen, Danny, me and the boys had a little talk with the cops.”

“I know. They hauled me in for questioning. Why’d you tell them I fucked those girls, Mike?”

“Jesus, we couldn’t lie to them. You know, they think
you
killed them.”

“I didn’t kill those girls, Mike. I feel terrible that they’re dead.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not what the cops think.”

“What about you, Mike? What do you believe?” He was watching Mike very carefully.

Mike sighed. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. When Johnny got himself murdered I thought that was the end of it. Now I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like this fucking band is cursed.” He shook his head, turned and walked into the crowd.

“Maybe it is,” Wolf said, but Mike kept on walking as if he hadn’t heard.

Wolf pushed his way through the crowd to the bar. The bartender saw him coming and had the drink waiting. It was a straight JD and Wolf tossed it down in a single swallow then ordered another one.

“Hello, handsome,” said a soft feminine voice.

Wolf turned and saw the girl with the green eyes and the lightly freckled nose. She was sitting beside him on a bar-stool, nursing a margarita.
Fuck!
he thought.
I don’t need this. Go away!
She had medium-length light brown hair, and she wore a tight little black dress hiked up to mid-thigh showing off about half a mile of shapely leg. Her smile was flirtatious, her eyes were amazing.
Much too wholesome to be a regular groupie.
An inner alarm went off in Wolf’s head.
Most of the groupies he knew were lost souls, drunk, drugged and gothic. This one was miles away from all that, and she scared the shit out of him. He wasn’t sure he knew how to behave.

Wolf took his drink and said, “See you later.” He turned to leave.

“Wait a minute,” she said grabbing him by the shirt-sleeve. “What’s your hurry?”

Wolf turned back around. He watched her for another few seconds, those amazing eyes holding him like a magnet. “Time to tune up,” he said. “Another set left to play.”

The girl looked at her watch. “According to my calculations you’ve got almost fifteen minutes left.”

He sighed. “Yeah, so what can I do for you?”

“Just thought we could talk.”

“About what?”

“About what happened on that last song?”

“I don’t know.”

The girl frowned. “Really.”

“Yup, really.”

“Who’s Siri?”

“A girl I used to know.”

“You just called out to her from the stage. She in the crowd?”

Wolf eyed the woman. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. Listen, I’ve got to go.”

“Hey, can I buy you a drink?” She slid forward on the stool and her knee made contact with his leg. A surge of electric energy lanced through him as more of her thigh became visible. He felt his cock respond and pulled away.

He showed her his glass. “Thanks. Already have one.”

She held out her hand. “Name’s Laura. And you’re...?”

He eyed her hand. “Danny Wolf. Listen, lady, you don’t want to know me.”

She self-consciously dropped her hand into her lap. “Oh? Why not?”

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Just moved up from Hartford.” She smiled. “I like your voice.”

“Thanks.”

“I mean it.”

“I know. Thanks.”

She got a bewildered look on her face. “You’re welcome, Danny Wolf.”

Wolf’s hard expression melted and he smiled. He sat on the barstool next to her and sighed.

“So, why don’t I want to know you?” she said.

“Not healthy. Seems I’ve got this aura about me. All the girls I date end up dead.”

Laura flinched. “Wow,” she said.

“Wow is right.”

She gave him a puzzled frown. “You’re not kidding?”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “I wish I was.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Have you heard of the Cross my Heart
killings?”

“You mean the story in the paper this morning?”

“I knew both those girls. I’m the cop’s number one suspect.”

Laura nodded hesitantly. “Should I be afraid?”

“Absolutely.”

“So why aren’t you in jail?”

“Can’t answer that. Probably want to catch me in the act.” He laughed a small unsettled laugh and downed his drink.

“Does that mean you’re guilty?”

Wolf slid off the barstool. “I don’t think you want to find out, lady. If I were you I’d get lost.” Wolf walked into the crowd leaving her to sit and watch him go.

Chapter 45

Totally amazing the way Danny reacted when he’d seen Siri walking toward the stage. Just priceless. And then when she’d turned around and walked away it was the frosting on the cake. And the desperate way in which Danny had gone after her. He’d really loved that girl. But he would never love her again. Never. Ever. That was the truth. Siri was a ghost.

The killer watched from the back of the room as the pretty one at the bar flirted with Danny. The place was filled with revelers, but it was dark back here and it hadn’t taken more than one little push to blind all these brainless idiots. Some of them sensed, however, oh yes, they certainly did. You could see it in their deer-in-the-headlights expressions as they gazed around the room. They weren’t all total losers. Weak yes, and easy to control, like sheep to the slaughter. That was also the truth.

It didn’t seem as if Danny liked the young woman at the bar much so maybe it would be okay. But the killer was on guard, deeply suspicious of the woman’s motives. Nothing to get all panicky about for now, though. Probably best to just watch and wait and see.

But there was another problem in the room that needed attending. A woman from Wolf’s past. A guard from his prison days. This one could spell trouble. She’d shown up earlier and she was keeping to herself in the back, just staring at Wolf. She’d seen him talking to the young woman at the bar and a very dark expression had come over her face. She was in love with Danny, but weren’t they all. Now she was disappointed and she was getting up to leave. The killer decided to follow her, maybe have a little fun. Just give her a little push and she’d never know what hit her.

This promised to be a fun-filled night.

Chapter 46

Jennings looked at his watch and was surprised that it was almost midnight. He’d been working for nearly four hours and the time had flown. He knew Laura was all right, he’d been keeping tabs on her through the wire. Just the same, he felt uneasy. He’d heard her talking to Wolf a short while ago. Jennings had listened very carefully to their conversation. Wolf had been friendly toward Laura but decidedly uninterested in her advances. Now all he heard was the noise of the crowd and the band playing loudly.

Unable to contain himself, he turned down the listening device’s volume, picked up the phone, and dialed Laura’s cell phone number. She picked up on the third ring. The raucous noise of the crowd and the music seemed doubly amplified.

“Laura, this is Rick. Is everything okay?”

“What’s the matter? Isn’t the device working?” Laura was literally shouting to be heard above the racket in the room.

“Yeah, it’s working.”

“Then you know everything’s okay. What’s the problem?”

“Just a little uneasy, that’s all. I wanted to make sure things were going as planned.”

“He doesn’t like me and he didn’t kill those girls.”

“I heard what he said. Just because he admitted he was a suspect doesn’t mean he’s not a killer. Don’t trust him. Don’t trust anybody.”

“Hey, I’m a big girl and I carry a big gun. Stop worrying, for crying out loud. I’m going home soon. Go to bed. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“Sure you’re okay?”

“Rick!”

“Okay, okay, call me in the morning.”

Jennings hung up the phone realizing just how tired he was. Even so, he wondered if he’d be able to sleep. He removed the listening device from his ear but left the recorder running. He would listen to it in the morning.

Spooky was rubbing against him, begging for munchies, so before going to bed he fixed her up.

He lay down but could not stop his mind. He needed to know why the government had intervened in that first killing and why Robeson was being so clandestine about it. He needed to know why these women were being murdered and why an invisible man with giant feet was showing up at all the crime scenes. And he certainly needed to know why nuns connected to Apocalypse Island had been executed. Instinct told him it was all connected in some crazy way. But how? And what did Wolf have to do with it? He’d found nothing of significance on the internet. For reasons that were beyond him, Apocalypse Island was a deep, dark hole of secrecy.

And as he drifted off to sleep he dreamed he saw a woman floating toward him out of the darkness. She was barefoot, her dress little more than gauze. He lay transfixed, dumbfounded by her presence, wondering how such a beautiful thing had managed to wedge her way into his dreams. She held both her hands out as though she were trying to convey a message. But what sort of message was it? Her presence made him think of Siri Donavon and Danny Wolf. And when she faded away he dreamed of Apocalypse Island.

At the Cavern Club the last set went without a hitch, but Laura didn’t get lost, as Wolf had so bluntly suggested. She sat at the bar and stared at him the whole time, to the point of making him feel self conscious.

When the set was over he went back to the bar and ordered a drink. He didn’t even look in her direction. She hung out anyway, hoping that he’d have a change of heart and would approach her. He didn’t, and after a time he put his guitar in its case and left. Laura left soon after, thinking she might try to catch up, but she didn’t. He had rejected her. Simple, and now she had to find another way to get close to him.

Chapter 47

The killer hid in the shadows watching the club’s exit, waiting for the pretty one to emerge. She was very intriguing. She’d latched onto Danny in the same way dozens of others had done in recent months, with that nearly desperate need to attract his attention.

Demons
, the killer thought.
All demons.  Sent here to corrupt him.

But this one was different. This was no demon. This one might even be more dangerous than the demons.

Danny had humored her for a few moments, but that’s as far as it had gone. He’d simply dismissed her without as much as a second glance in her direction. The woman had been disappointed. No doubt about that. She didn’t look the type men said no to. But evidently she wasn’t damaged enough for Danny’s tastes. Perhaps she was
too
wholesome, too pretty. Lately Danny had allowed only demon women into his spectrum. These creatures thought so little of themselves that they would allow hack artists to stick dirty needles under their skin and decorate their bodies with blasphemous filth, creatures that would go with almost anyone and engage in unprotected sex or inject themselves with chemicals for the purpose of altering their pathetic realities. The killer was not naive enough to think that any of today’s modern women were virginal, but in the very least they should be educated and clean with some measure of self respect. But these weren’t women. These were demons, and Danny needed to be protected from them.

The killer spied the pretty one leaving the club. God, she was really something. Perfect in every way imaginable. Almost too perfect. The way she carried herself, with so much confidence it bordered on arrogance. There was something very special about her. And the killer felt deeply suspicious of her.

Laura began walking alone up the hill toward the center of town. The killer followed at a safe distance. Laura strode briskly in her high heels, her footsteps sharp and echoing on the concrete sidewalk, so determined, so confident.

Although the rain had stopped and the night was quiet, the killer heard things. Distant traffic roared thunderously. Lovers whispered from behind closed doors. An old man with emphysematous lungs hung on by his last breath. And then there was the mournful sighing of the clouds above, and up beyond them, the music of the spheres. Since that long ago time in a nightmare best forgotten it had been like this.

The woman stopped and turned around, a puzzled look on her face. The killer stopped as well, and gave a little push. The woman’s facial features slackened but she continued to stare. Was she actually aware? Yes, this one was different, perceptive. Did she have the ability to see beyond the shadows? It was a thrilling thought.

Chapter 48

Laura turned back around, and with a shiver of revulsion continued on her way. Ever since leaving the club she’d felt edgy, like someone was watching her, but she did not see anyone. She’d chosen to walk back to her apartment instead of driving or taking a cab for good reason. She’d discussed the possibility with Rick Jennings that perhaps someone was watching Wolf and killing his women. If that was the case, then she could think of no better way to draw him out then to walk alone in the middle of a dark night. If the killer was watching Wolf then certainly he had seen her flirting blatantly with him. And therefore he might follow her.

At least this was the hope.

When she left the club she’d turned off the listening device. She wondered now if it had been such a good idea. Feeling spooked she unsnapped her purse so that her small nine millimeter automatic was close at hand. If Rick found out she was taking such risks he would probably go ballistic. But what the hell, she’d been asked here to help solve a series of heinous crimes and that’s exactly what she intended to do. She’d always been a ‘balls to the wall’ kind of gal and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.