Devil She Became (Devil's Angels Book 1) (17 page)

Ava roamed her opulent hotel suite. Her occupation allowed her many luxuries, including this 2700 square foot suite. This had been her home for the duration of this assignment. She checked her clock. 1:30 a.m. Tick tock. Tick tock. She drummed her fingernails on her glass of Dom Perignon, her favorite champagne. At a hotel suite in Paris, she had once bathed in a huge two-person tub filled with an excellent vintage of Dom Perignon. However, tonight she was not in the mood to luxuriate. She was sitting on her web, her mouth wet with anticipation for her next meal.

She rarely slept at night, choosing to prowl the nightclub scene in whatever city she was working in. Chicago nightlife was pleasing to her as she found a wide variety of interesting people to keep her company. Ava had very strong carnal cravings, and she had found a ready supply of attractive companions.

Stretching her arms, she readied herself to complete her job. She began packing her things into her Louis Vuitton luggage. After this particularly stressful job, Ava had decided to treat herself to a luxurious, extended vacation on a private island in the Caribbean. In her occupation, she rarely traveled commercially. Instead, opting to fly in private, chartered planes.

********

4:30 a.m.

Clasping her black lacy bra, Ava selected a black cire jumpsuit. It fit her like a second skin. She zipped it up then donned a pair of knee-high black patent-leather boots. Then she chose a chin-length platinum-blonde wig from her supply of many. Securing it to her head with bobby pins, she then applied hazel-colored contacts to her eyes. Slipping on a pair of horn-rimmed, clear-lensed glasses, she applied her black leather gloves to her hands. Additionally, she stuck several pairs of surgical gloves into her jacket pocket.

********

5:00 a.m.

Placing a call to the front desk to have the concierge come up to take her bags, she opened up a leather pouch. She surveyed the choices and carefully pondered the possibilities. Her gloved hands roamed the various implements, caressing each one before deciding on a long thin razor-sharp blade. She tucked it carefully into her black Birkin bag. Double checking, she ensured she had several plastic bags.

The concierge arrived to take her bags. Ava straightened her wig and applied a fresh coat of deep-red lip gloss to her lips. She smiled at herself in the mirror. Perfect.

********

6:00 a.m.

Ava slipped into her black Mercedes. Placing her Birkin bag on the seat next to her, she turned north to head to the Gold Coast.

********

A soft breeze stirred the filmy curtains causing bright, morning sunlight to stream through the huge bay window in Lisa Grantham’s lavish bedroom. She moaned softly as she felt the cool breeze caress her face. The sunlight bathed her in warmth. Opening her eyes, she stared at the clock.

“Shit!” She exclaimed, seeing the children were going to be late for the bus. Racing down the hall, she went to get the children ready for school. Twenty minutes later, she had them waiting at the end of the driveway for the bus. Twenty minutes… that was an all-time record for them! She smiled to herself, enjoying the unusually warm day for early March. The temperature was going to reach sixty degrees according to the weather forecast.
How nice
, Lisa thought as she opened the windows throughout the house. Since Harrison would be picking the girls up from school later, she decided she would surprise the girls with a special dinner. Lisa went upstairs and turned on the shower. She had plenty of time, no rushing this morning, so she decided instead to take a long soak in their huge sunken, marble tub. Removing her clothes as she ran the bath water, she stretched her arms and rubbed her neck. Lisa ran her fingers through the warm water and gently stepped into the tub. The bathroom filled with steam. Closing her eyes, she rested her head back.

********

Seeing a white Range Rover in the driveway, Ava removed the clear-lensed glasses and put on a pair of sunglasses as she parked her car in the back of the huge house.

Removing a sharp instrument from her bag, she slipped it into a black nylon belt she wore around her waist. She put on a pair of the surgical gloves and slipped a surgical cap over her hair. Noticing the windows open, Ava darted out of her car and underneath the expansive patio overhang. Her heart pounding in her chest, she felt excitement coursing through her veins. Cracking her knuckles, Ava slipped into the lavish home through a large window in the study. Stopping occasionally to listen, she stalked her prey like a panther slinking along the long corridor. Finally, as she approached the grand staircase, she heard the faint sound of water trickling. Her eyes widened. Perfect. The bathtub. Since she had been surveying the Grantham home for months, she knew exactly where the master bathroom was located. As she approached the master bedroom, she could definitely hear Lisa in the bathtub. Ava smiled to herself, and every muscle vibrated as blood pulsed quickly through her body. Her mouth went dry as she prepared to move in on her prey. Inching her way to the door, she felt herself overcome with desire, a growing wetness below. Her heart thudded in her chest; her breath caught in her throat. Pushing the door to the bathroom open, she was briefly blinded by the steam. Gradually, she removed the instrument from her belt; the shiny blade glinting in the light.

Spider devours fly.

On the way back from his fishing trip, Harrison remained unusually quiet.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” his brother, Mike, asked.

Harrison shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just tired I guess.

Mike nodded. “But at least we got some good fishing in this weekend. I can’t wait to get Jessica to cook up some of this trout!”

“Sounds great. Better invite me over. Lisa won’t eat fish at all.”

Mike reached in the back to grab a cold beer and handed it to Harrison.

“Here. Better drink one more before we have to pick your girls up.”

Gratefully, Harrison drank the beer down. Normally, he didn’t care for beer, but on this day, any kind of alcohol was welcome.

Mike was quiet for a few moments as they drove along. “Hey, did you hear about that guy on the North Shore who got killed?”

Harrison froze, his beer in mid-air. “Um… yeah. I think I might have caught something about that.”

Mike turned to him. “Jessica knew him.”

“How well did she know him?” Harrison felt his mouth go dry.

“Not well or anything. She just knew him through the guy’s girlfriend, Natalia. She was an old friend of Jessica’s from college.”

“Wow. Small world.” Harrison gulped his beer down.

“Yeah. Natalia told her that the guy had been stabbed like thirty times in the back. Apparently, it was pretty awful.”

“Did she find him?”

Mike shook his head. “Nope. It was the guy’s brother who found him. Guess he had been dead for a few days.”

Harrison felt extremely queasy and light-headed recalling the horrific scene.

“That’s terrible,” Harrison agreed. “Do they have any idea who did it?”

Mike shrugged. “I don’t think so. The guy’s wife killed herself last year. Seems like he had been having a pretty hard time, then someone comes in and murders him in his own house. Scary. The place isn’t too far away from us either.”

Harrison nodded and sighed. He didn’t particularly feel like talking about this. All he could think of was the potentially horrible scene that awaited him at his home.

Recalling Darrell’s butchered body, he thought of Lisa. He felt vomit rise in his throat. “Hey, man, pull over. I’m going to be sick.”

Mike pulled over on the side of the highway. Harrison ran out into the field as his stomach emptied.

Pale and wiping his mouth with his hand, he slowly climbed back into the car.

“Are you ok?” Mike asked, noticing how pale Harrison had become.

He nodded. “Must’ve been that deli sandwich we had earlier. I’m okay now.”

“Well, let me know if you need to pull over again. Don’t want you puking in my car.” Mike smiled.

Harrison forced a weak smile and closed his eyes. Please, God, don’t let her suffer.

********

Meanwhile, Reese was out in California visiting her parents. Sitting on her parents’ deck, she looked out over the Pacific Ocean. The strong breeze whipped her blonde hair back. Feeling the warm sun on her skin, she wished Harrison was there with her.
He should be here,
she thought,
safe in my arms
. Reese shivered in the sunlight, thinking of what was likely happening now. Lisa was probably dead. Sickened, she willed herself not to vomit. She missed Harrison terribly, but she couldn’t text him right now. She had to wait until he texted her.

“Reese, what are you doing out there?” She groaned as she heard her mother’s voice nagging her,
again
.

“Just laying out getting some sun, mom. You know we don’t have a lot of that in Chicago this time of year.” Reese adjusted her skimpy bikini top.

Meg poked her head out the door. “You know, Reese, you still look so beautiful in your bikini. You should go back to modeling.”

Reese raised her Chanel sunglasses to look at Meg. “I think that time is over for me, mom. I am quite happy doing what I’m doing.” Pulling her sunglasses back down, she leaned back on the chaise and continued to watch the tide roll in.

Was she really happy? She was involved in the plot to kill her boyfriend’s wife, and she just saw a friend killed.
Really great choices
, she thought. Recalling Harrison’s beautiful hazel eyes as they looked at her, she knew that despite all the obstacles, she would stay with him. Their love would endure forever, she believed.

She had to believe it.

As Mike pulled his BMW X5 M6 onto Harrison’s street, they saw thick black smoke billowing into the air. Several fire trucks went speeding by them, and police cars were everywhere. Neighbors were standing outside on their front lawns, milling about and looking in the direction of Harrison’s home.

“What the hell?” Mike asked as they both looked around them in awe.

Harrison began shaking hard as they drew closer to his home.

When they approached Harrison’s house, they could see that it was his house on fire. Flames were shooting out of the windows, and thick black smoke poured out of the huge house.

“Oh, my God!” Harrison screamed. Before Mike could stop the car, Harrison jumped out to run toward his front door.

Several police officers blocked his way. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”

Harrison pulled against them. Spying Lisa’s white Range Rover in the driveway, he screamed. “My wife is in there! Did you get her out?”

“Sir, we just arrived here. You will need to step back. I will have one of the firefighters speak to you.”

Mike raced up and grabbed Harrison just before he sank to the ground. Coughing from the huge volume of smoke, Harrison allowed Mike to pull him away from the house.

“Lisa… she’s in there, Mike. I know she is.” Harrison’s eyes burned from the smoke and tears were spilling down his face.

Mike struggled to pull Harrison a safe distance from the house. “I’m sure they got her out in time, Harrison. It’s okay.”

Water poured into the house from the huge fire hoses that were attempting to put out the fire. Harrison felt sick. What had Ava done to Lisa? He hoped it had been quick and painless. Seeing this terrible scene unfolding, it sickened him to his core to think he and Reese were responsible for this.

Two firefighters approached Harrison and Mike. Pulling off their helmets and gloves, they wiped their faces with a cloth.

“Are you the homeowner, sir?” They asked Harrison.

He nodded. “I am. I think my wife was in there. Did you find her? Is she okay?” Harrison’s voice was frantic.

Pausing for a second, they both looked at the ground. “Sir, I’m sorry to inform you that yes, indeed, we found a body, but we aren’t sure who it is.”

Harrison paled and swallowed hard. “How did this happen?”

“We are still investigating the cause. From what we can tell, it started downstairs in the kitchen, but we won’t know more until the fire is completely out.”

“Is it my wife? Can I see her?” Harrison choked.

Mike’s eyes filled with tears as he embraced Harrison. “Where was she found?”

“In the master bedroom on the floor. She’s not really in a condition you should see.”

Harrison lunged forward toward the smoldering house. “I want to see her… I don’t care… she’s my wife!”

Mike and the firefighters pulled him back. “Sir, if you insist on seeing her, you will have to wait.”

Harrison gasped for air. “I need to see her.”

Mike held Harrison. “Harry, do you think that’s wise? I mean, she could be in a pretty bad way… you don’t want to see her like that, do you?”

Harrison grabbed Mike by the shoulders. “You don’t understand; I have to see her.”

Reluctantly, the firefighters had Harrison and Mike go speak with the police officer on the scene.

“I want to see my wife.” Harrison stated firmly, his eyes red and swollen from the smoke.

“Are you sure, sir?” The police officer backed away from him a bit as he saw how angry Harrison looked.

“Yes.”

The police officer nodded. “Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The body’s been taken downtown so we have to go there.”

Mike and Harrison nodded.

“Can you drive him?” The officer asked Mike.

“No problem.” The pair got into Mike’s car and they followed the police car.

Arriving downtown, Harrison started shaking all over. Taking a deep breath, he followed the police officer into the building then into a large room. An ominous black bag lay in the center of a metal table. Harrison swallowed hard. Mike clutched his shoulder.

The officer gestured to the medical examiner. “Sir, are you sure you want to see this? It’s pretty awful…”

“We think it’s his wife.” Mike gripped Harrison’s shoulder.

The medical examiner nodded. “Well, I hope you have a strong stomach… burnt human flesh is pretty strong. Here, you will need these.”

The medical examiner handed them both surgical masks.

Slowly, he unzipped the body bag. Throwing open the sides of the bag, he revealed the partially burned body.

Harrison gasped as the stench of burnt flesh enveloped him. He choked hard and swallowed the strong urge to vomit. Mike gagged and ran from the room.

Clutching the mask to his nose, Harrison peered inside the bag to see a most horrific sight. The face was burned badly. There were still fragments of skin clinging to the skull. The upper torso was badly burned as well, but it was obvious the body was female. What flesh remained looked crisp and black, and the hair had been completely singed off. Harrison was reminded of photos of the victims of Nazi concentration camps. He swallowed the vomit that continually arose in his throat.

“Hard to tell, isn’t it?” The medical examiner asked. “We may need dental records.”

Harrison kept looking at the burnt body. There, on the fleshless finger, was the melted remains of a four-carat Harry Winston engagement ring. He would know that ring anywhere.

Harrison shook his head. “No,” he whispered, “it’s her. The ring. It was the engagement ring I gave her.” Sighing heavily, he turned away.

“Are you certain, sir? It’s pretty melted.” The medical examiner peered at the ring he was referring to.

Harrison vigorously nodded. “Yes. It’s her. I know it.”

“Okay. I will make that a positive ID.” The medical examiner zipped the bag up.

Suddenly, Harrison felt claustrophobic. The room seemed to be closing in on him. He turned and raced out of the room. As soon as he got outside, he deeply inhaled the clean air. He couldn’t get the smell of the burned flesh out of his nose, and he could fight the nausea no longer. His mouth filled with the taste of sour bile, and his stomach heaved violently. Mike was standing outside looking quite pale also.

“Was it her?”

Pale and shaking, Harrison attempted to regain control of himself.

“Yes,” he replied quietly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Get me out of here, Mike… I can’t take it…” Harrison felt suddenly faint. He closed his eyes.
This isn’t happening
, he thought.
Not really. It’s all a dream.

Mike helped him to stand, and as he walked, Harrison felt as though he were in a stupor. He recalled the flashing lights all around him, the men in their uniforms fighting the blaze, the terrible smell of the burned flesh, Lisa’s face obliterated by the fire, her ring melted on her finger, his neighbors whispering and staring at him… Harrison felt his knees begin to buckle and blackness enveloped him.

A lone female figure was standing in a field, wildflowers blooming all around her in brilliant, beautiful colors. Her long hair blew in the wind, flowers catching in it. A rainbow of colors twirled around her as she stood there staring at him. “Harrison!” she called. Her mouth didn’t move, but he could hear her voice. “Lisa!” he shouted, trying to run towards her. “I’m sorry!” he called. “Protect the girls! Don’t let her hurt them!” she called, again without moving her mouth. He tried reaching her but found himself stuck to one place. Abruptly, a raven-haired woman appeared and wrapped Lisa in fine, thin white silk. She grabbed her by the throat and turned to smile at Harrison. “Hello, handsome. I told you it was time for me to feed.” Bright-red blood colored everything as Harrison screamed, “NOOOOO!”

His eyes fluttered open to find flashing lights around him and his brother looking down at him, tears spilling from his eyes onto Harrison’s shirt.

“What? What happened?” he asked, finding himself in the back seat of Mike’s car.

“Harry, I’m taking you back to my house.”

Harrison sat up. “Lisa… she’s dead, isn’t she?”

Mike swallowed hard and kept driving. “Yes, Harry.”

Harrison closed his eyes briefly, allowing tears to spill down his face.

“I don’t understand, Mike… what happened? I just can’t handle this… is she dead, really dead?” Harrison buried his face in his hands.

Mike nodded, choked up. “Yeah, man. There was a fire. I’m so sorry, Harry. I’m so sorry. I just don’t know what else to say.” Tears flowed from his eyes as he continued driving to his house.

Harrison panicked. “Oh, my God. The girls… can you get Jessica to pick them up?”

“Sure, sure, Harry. Anything you need.”

“Oh, God, the girls, Mike, what do I tell them?” Harrison sobbed as though his heart was breaking.

Mike was shaking as he called his wife. He then began calling other friends and family and relaying the terrible news to them.

As they arrived at Mike’s house, a police car was waiting for them. With an extremely heavy heart, Harrison got out of the car and sank to the concrete.

“Mr. Grantham, we need to get some details about your wife, please.”

Harrison looked up, nodded. “Call me Harrison.”

“Would you mind coming down to the station with us? It might be easier to talk there.”

“Mike, I have to go.”

“Hold on. Who is he?” The officer gestured to Mike.

“My younger brother, Michael Grantham.”

“Well, we need to get a statement from him as well. So you can both come with us.”

They both nodded. “Does Jessica have the girls?” Harrison asked.

“Yeah, she picked them up and took them to her mother’s house. She is beside herself. She’s trying to keep strong for them. They are doing fine.”

Harrison nodded, his eyes nearly swollen shut from crying.

********

“Ok, start from the beginning, Harrison. State your full name.”

“Harrison Neil Grantham.”

“Where do you reside?”

“5755 Oakview.”

“What’s your occupation?”

“I am a medical malpractice attorney.”

“Who is your employer?”

“I work for myself with my brother. Grantham, Grantham, and Collier.”

“Address?”

“1124 N. Michigan Ave. Ste. 750.”

“Are you married to a Mrs. Lisa Batten Grantham?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Since August 2004.”

“Do you have any children together?”

“Yes, two daughters, Alaina, age eight, and Olivia, age six.”

“Do you have any reason to believe she would harm herself?”

His eyes dark-red and heavily rimmed, Harrison jerked his head up abruptly.

“What are you talking about? There was a fire… what does that have to do with anything?”

“I am aware of that, however, there is an ongoing investigation as to how that fire started. Your wife was found in the master bedroom, unclothed, with remains of a melted pill bottle next to her.”

“She had started taking an antidepressant a few months ago… escatoplapram or something like that.”

“Okay.” The policeman kept writing.

“Do you have any reason to believe anyone would want to harm your wife?”

Harrison shook his head vehemently. “No way. Everyone loved her. She was kind, sweet, great with the kids. She was your typical suburban mother. She was a Brownie leader, volunteered all the time at the kids’ school. Her whole life was our kids. Now she’s gone.” Harrison broke down again.

“I’m very sorry, Harrison, but I have to ask you where you were today between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.?”

Harrison scratched his neck. “I was on a fishing trip the past couple of days with Mike, my brother. We were coming back today, and we were on our way to get my daughters at school. I was going to surprise them by picking them up early, but I got sick on the way back.”

“Sick? How?”

“I asked my brother to pull over so I could vomit. I guess I ate something bad or maybe stomach flu… I don’t know.”

The officer nodded and continued to write.

“I think that’s all for now, Harrison. Be assured, we will do everything possible to find out exactly what happened.”

Harrison stood up to leave. “Is my brother free to go?”

“Let me check.”

Harrison leaned against the wall in the interrogation room.
It’s so different being on the other side of the table
, he thought. He was used to being the one asking the questions. Harrison then thought of Reese and hoped she would be okay. He couldn’t talk to her for a few days.