Fire Baptized (19 page)

Theo Jr. had witnessed a high degree of violence against his mother, which had probably socialized him into being an unemotionally violent bastard. Not the type of guy you brought home to meet the parents.

I checked his last offence. The habitat judge had given him life in prison last summer. He’d been transferred and recommended to Guantanamo Bay for execution.

So, Theo Jr. wasn’t my suspect; he’d been in jail the whole time.

But what about his siblings?

I turned pages until I saw one labeled Emergency Contacts. A wife was listed, Tameka Smith. The report stated that she was in the hospital in a coma.

I checked the other names. My fingers shook with anticipation as I slid it down the page.

Michael Smith was the younger brother. His name had been crossed out and a note was written next to it, stating that he had been killed in a bank robbery two weeks ago.

The next sibling was identified as Roxanne Smith. My mouth dropped open. I hit my head against the tram wall, startling the groping teenage couple.

Roxanne is Theo Jr.’s sister? Or should I say Roxy, for short?
The name of Goldie’s waitress.

I calmed myself down. Think about this first, Lanore. No more jumping to conclusions, like with Larry. There could be many Roxannes around the habitat.

I dove my hand into the manila envelope and pulled out that photo of the kids again, focusing on the little girl. There was nothing definite to say that this was Roxy, except that both the little girl in the picture and Roxy had afros and wore flowers in their ears.

But that wasn’t nearly enough evidence to burn her alive, which is what I planned on doing if she was the killer.

I considered other evidence. Roxy knew all of the victims and had access to them. Ray was even attracted to her. I thought back to that night we first went to Goldie’s. He’d been gazing at her legs and cleavage the whole time.

She could have convinced him to go off somewhere private, or she could have drugged one of his drinks. As a waitress, she had access to the
VIP
lounge.

But why kill Ray?

She had probably seen us killing Larry. According to Goldie, most of the dancers witnessed us in the alley. She could have been with them or heard about it. She definitely knew why I was in the club. She’d been to my apartment. She knew my scent, even if she didn’t recognize my face. Perhaps she had killed Ray to stop me from investigating.

How much of our conversation had she heard, as she dropped off our drinks? She’d come over to the table at least four times. The last time was with Gabe there, talking about wanting to see Ben.

And then it hit me.

Ben had said Gabe told him,
Rocks is here.

But Gabe had probably actually said, “Roxy’s here.”

Gabe had been trying to warn us. For whatever reason, he’d figured out that Roxy was the killer and had saved Ben’s life when he noticed she was at the door.

I quickly stuffed the envelope under my hurt arm and pulled out my phone to call Goldie. He had to get out of there. Today, Roxy would sacrifice someone to Oshun. I’d pegged him as the best person to give to the goddess. I had Rebels with him, but they were looking for a man. Not an ungodly tall waitress.

I’d thought the killer was a guy the whole time, with the hat, coat, and force of the machete. The Palero had said not to focus on gender, but I thought it was just talking about the vessel.

I dialed Goldie.

The phone rang twice and picked up.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice said.

“Can I speak to Goldie?”

“He’s busy right now. Can I take a message?” she asked.

“Yes, tell him to call Lanore
ASAP
—”

“Hey, Lanore, it’s Roxy.”

I stopped breathing. My hands erratically shook. I dropped the envelope from under my arm. It crashed to the floor, disrupting the bum’s rant. He turned my way and gave me a concerned look.

“Lanore?” Roxy said.

“Hey, Roxy,” I shrieked. “I’m glad to hear your voice.”

“Well, I heard that Gabe was killed and that you found him. I’m so sorry, Lanore.”

“He’s in a better place.” I glanced behind me as if she could jump out from the shadows of the bus at any time.

The heat increased within me. I’d made the bus’s temperature scorching hot within seconds. I spotted people fanning their faces. Fog appeared on the glass panel. The bum opened another window. The teen couple refrained from groping since they were now drenched in sweat.

“So, Goldie is busy?”

“Yes,” Roxy agreed.

“And where are you and Goldie now?”

“In his office.”

“So he’d be in his office later today?”

“Oh, definitely,” Roxy insisted. “He’ll be all over it.”

I stood there, mouth open in shock. I couldn’t think of anything else to say so I held in the screams lodged in my throat.

He’ll be all over the office? Am I paranoid or does she know that I know she’s the killer? Or maybe she’s testing me?

“Lanore?”

“Yes?”

“There’s really no further need to carry on a casual conversation, right?” she asked.

“Meaning?”

“If I were you, I would kiss my loved ones and say my goodbyes. I like you. That’s more than I gave the others.” She hung up the phone.

I dropped mine. My heart pounded in my ears. The bum grabbed the envelope and the phone and gave them to me. I took them and stood there. My vision became hazy. The phone rang in my hand.

Not looking for the caller’s identification, I simply answered. “Hello.”

“Lanore? I can feel something is troubling you through our claim,” Zulu said. “Where are you? Do you need me?”

“Meet me at Goldie’s. I’ll explain there.”

A cool breeze blew through my dreadlocks, lifting them up and then dropping them back on my shoulders. I sat on the steps outside of Goldie’s. My chin lay in the palm of my hand. My mind was barely balanced on the edge of sanity.

Habbie detectives walked in and out, taking pictures of Goldie’s corpse and writing reports. They all had a greasy stench to them; the odor of oil after it had been used to fry meat all day. I wondered if all Humans had that smell, as a few bumped into me without saying anything.

Detective Rivera and Zulu stood in front of me, discussing the murders and my certainty that Roxy was the killer. Zulu was three times the Human’s size.

I gazed at Rivera’s red leathery skin. He must have tanned a lot in his life. Black inked tattoos covered his bald head and the exposed areas on his neck. He had jagged scars on both cheeks. He wore a khaki trench even though it was over ninety degrees outside. I wondered what type of crime he’d committed to get a felony and be forced to do habitat police service, as he lit a cigarette and stuffed it between his lips.

“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Zulu towered over the Detective. “I want a manhunt for Roxy.”

It wasn’t going to happen. I could see it in the way Rivera’s fingers shook as he held his cigarette, and how every other minute the detective checked for his gun in his waist holster as if the gun could fly away at any minute. Rivera had no intentions of conducting a search, and probably feared Zulu’s reaction once he broke the news.

“You must understand that you’ve backed me into a corner.” Rivera inhaled his cigarette. “I never reported the murders of Ray and the other one—”

“Gabe,” I offered.

“Sure,” he said as several habbies exited Goldie’s, laughing and heading to their cars.

How can the habbies already be done?
They’d just arrived ten minutes ago. All they did was take a few pictures and scribble down a couple words.

“The fact is,” Rivera said. “By law, our force is not obliged to do a manhunt on such small evidence.”

“What are you talking about?” Zulu stepped closer to the habbie.

Rivera retreated a few feet back.

“Don’t give me that shit,” Zulu said. “Your force is here to protect and assist Supernaturals.”

“Of course. But only if we are commanded by the Miami mayor,” he insisted.

“Then call him up,” Zulu demanded.

“He doesn’t know that there’s a serial killer running around the habitat. Does he?” I stood up. “In fact, since you haven’t reported all the other murders, the mayor just thinks Santeria had two unconnected crimes earlier this week. Right?”

Rivera nodded, removing the cigarette from his mouth with shaking fingers. He kept his other hand on his gun.

Zulu growled. His cords blazed a gleaming white, ready to pull out of his skin, and release his beast.

“Calm down,” Rivera mumbled and dropped the lit cigarette on the ground.

I extinguished it.

“The habitat police would like to keep the mayor and others out of our business arrangements in the habitat,” Rivera said. “If things—like me handing over official evidence for money—were to be discovered, that would be bad for the both of us.”

“You could still have some of your men do a search for Roxy,” I insisted.

“Miss, you assume I have men under me. I don’t.” Rivera pulled out another cigarette from a wrinkled blue package and headed toward the black car he’d arrived in. “Call me if there are any more bodies or something I can give you.”

“So, that’s it? You’re leaving?” Zulu trailed behind him.

“Zulu, leave it alone.” I figured it was best not to scare Rivera any further; after all, he had given us a lot of information. If it wasn’t for the files, I would have never known Roxy was the killer.

“Are you reporting Goldie’s murder?” Zulu yelled out.

Rivera opened the car door. The door’s rusty hinges screeched. He spat a huge, brown glob next to his feet and replied, “Yes. Goldie was a public figure. I can’t hide it like the others, but I probably won’t report the way he looked when he died. It would raise too many questions.”

It definitely would.

Goldie had been cut into several pieces. Glitter covered each body part. There had been two buckets by the desk, one with glue and the other with gold glitter. Roxy had dipped each part, one by one, in the glue and then the glitter, strung up the pieces over his desk, and formed a large sunflower, Oshun’s favorite flower. A message was written behind Roxy’s handiwork, but I’d ignored it and left the office.

A dark mood had hung over me since finding Goldie’s body. Blame circled around in my head. Rivera’s information had arrived that night as I’d slept in Zulu’s arms, cuddling. Maybe if I hadn’t been having sex with Zulu, I would have discovered Roxy was the killer and saved Goldie.

“So, be careful and call me when you’ve captured her. I can take it from there.” Rivera climbed in his car, started it, and sped off, blasting out a clickety-clack sound as it turned the corner.

My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked it. Goldie’s name popped up on the screen.

Great. I’d been waiting on the bitch to call. Goldie’s phone hadn’t been in his office. I figured she’d kept it with her. How else would she get in touch with me? She’d made me her next victim and had probably been planning my capture all week.

I placed the phone on my ear. “Are you calling to gloat?”

“I serve the gods, not you,” Roxy said as if she was insulted.

I snorted, walking down the steps.

Zulu watched me from the sidewalk where Rivera’s car had been parked.

“Have you said your goodbyes?” she asked. There almost seemed to be a hint of sadness in the question; or maybe I wanted it to be there and was desperate to discover that Roxy had an inch of humanity left in her.

“I don’t plan on being your next victim. But have you said your goodbyes?” I scanned the businesses across from Goldie’s. There was a liquor store, Owl diner, and two bail bonds offices. She had to be around here. At least I hoped.

“I understand your misgivings. No one wants to die,” Roxy said. “But the problem is, Shango needs an offering tomorrow.”

“Tell Shango to go fuck himself.”

“If not you, then there will be another. Are you ready to let someone else die in your place?”

I stood there, considering her question. It was something I’d been thinking about since finding Goldie. I was sure I could hide from her long enough to bypass Shango’s offering day. The Inked Guerilla had so much Fairy magic, it could conceal me for a week. But someone else would die. I knew it. Roxy was determined to sacrifice for the greater good. If not me, then someone else. I wasn’t sure I could allow that.

I hadn’t told Zulu, but I was going to give myself to her. I’d thought about it the whole time Zulu and Rivera had talked. I had the best advantage for killing her. No one else knew about her or would be suspecting her of coming after them.

And besides, haven’t I caused enough deaths this week?
I still regretted not saving Carmen. Ray would still be here if I hadn’t taken him to the strip club. Gabe may have never been a victim either, if he hadn’t been babysitting for me. I wouldn’t allow any more to die around me, knowing that I could have saved them.

Zulu walked over to me. “Who is it?”

“Feel free to tell your Mixbreed boyfriend who it is,” Roxy said. “I’ve observed you two and the habbie for the last hour. Fascinating entertainment.”

“It’s Roxy,” I muttered.

His eyes formed to black. Hot rage poured over me, but it wasn’t mine. I exhaled, trying to breathe as Zulu’s anger and fear filled me. It was the magical bond. For the last hour, we’d been feeling each other’s emotions. Apparently, the closer we were, the stronger we felt them.

“Then you’re close by?” I asked, doubting she’d give me a truthful reply. I headed to the edge of the sidewalk.

“I’m at the Owl diner waiting for you to meet me. Would you like me to order you something? Ben thinks the burgers are delicious,” she said.

I flinched at the mention of Ben and directed my attention to the diner. It was a twenty-four-hour restaurant and a big Vamp hangout. There were tons of
TV
commercials on how the place had over fifty different types of blood.

She’d mentioned Ben’s name for a reason. He was probably with her. I chose not to respond yet, as I quickly headed over to the diner. My temperature surged to a blistering level.

“Why so quiet?” she asked in a light voice that gave me the impression she was smiling.

“Should I be gabbing away with you, talking about how neat I think your corpse arts and crafts are?”

“No. I just wondered if you were worried about Ben.”

My heart pounded in my ears as I crossed the street. A car honked, speeding by me and leaving black smoke in its path. I coughed, holding my hand to my mouth.

Clearing my throat and rubbing my nose, I asked, “You have Ben?”

“Of course. I really couldn’t think of any other way to get you. I knew you’d be on guard all week, but I also realized that you hung out with the Rebels, which aren’t the smartest people in the habitat.” She chuckled, amused with herself. “For a Shifter, it’s pretty easy to pretend I’m a Rebel.”

“When did you grab him?” I was a few feet from the Owl diner. Zulu quietly followed me. Every few seconds, he glanced over his shoulder.

“Your friend, Quinn, the Were-hyena, had him at the park today. She seemed more interested in grooming herself then watching Ben. She must have had twenty different colors of nail polish out there.”

Zulu caught up to me and kept my pace as I speed-walked to the diner. I reluctantly looked his way, trying to keep the pain and worry off my face, but he probably could feel it through our bond anyway.

“She snatched Ben from Quinn,” I told him.

“I wouldn’t say snatched. It was a very simple situation,” Roxy assured me. “I told Ben I was a Rebel buddy of yours and that you asked me to take him to grab a burger. He’s at the table, eating, now. I’m at the window, watching you. I assumed this phone conversation would scare him.”

I spotted her standing in the display window next to the diner’s neon sign. She wore a gold metallic jumpsuit with a sunflower tucked behind her right ear. A smile crossed her face as she waved at me like we were the best of friends. Her smile even remained as fire sprouted from my free hand.

I quickly waved the flames away.

“Lanore, there is no need to get excited.” She put one of her hands on the window. “Do you see Ben?”

I moved directly in front of her. Only the glass was between us.

Her eyes narrowed and pupils turned to red, glowing slits.

Every part of me wanted to kick the glass down and set her on fire.
But will it put Ben in danger?
She was closer to him than me. She could dash back there in seconds as soon as I lifted my foot to break the glass.

I forced myself to remain still and peered through the window. Ben sat in a table behind her. His fingers furiously tapped on a video game player. He wore an intense look on his face. He didn’t own a game player. She’d probably bought it for him.

I sighed, relaxing a little.
He’s okay.

I took a few seconds to check out the restaurant, wondering why Roxy thought she’d be safe here.

Purebloods sat at every table in the diner. There were no Mixies in sight.

Zulu’s hand touched the center of my back.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Ben’s okay. He’s over there.”

Zulu leaned toward the glass. “This is some sort of set up. She’s not going to just give us Ben and leave it at that. Let me call—”

Roxy tapped at the window. “I hate to interrupt, but I have several things planned. I gave you time to say goodbye to him.”

“What does she want?” Zulu glared at Roxy, targeting her with his black eyes.

“Roxy, give me a minute, please?” I said into the phone.

She nodded.

I muted the phone, let out a long breath, and faced Zulu. “She wants me. I would be the perfect offering for Shango.”

“Why haven’t we gone in to kill her already?”

“Because Ben is in there and it’s full of Purebloods that will rip us apart if we touch her. We’re just Mixies to them—”

“You’re not giving yourself up.” His hands formed into fists as he paced back and forth in front of me. “What’s plan B?”

“No, Zulu. I’m not going to play around with Ben’s life. You grab Ben, I go with Roxy.”

He stopped pacing. Fangs erupted from his mouth, and some of the cords lifted from his skin. I placed my hands on the cords. They lay back down. But I doubted I could keep him calm long enough.