The Mourning Missed Read online

  The vehemence she held in her voice as she spoke of the betrayal of the city was a force unto itself. They were at the Academy, in Sarge’s apartment. “Clint couldn’t see anyone while they held him in the building, he was in a coma,” Lilly continued, but Sarge interrupted.

  “How could he hear anything if he was in a coma?” He asked with genuine uncertainty.

  “Just like I have a visual image of Phillip dancing around my bed in a grass skirt and coconut bra singing You Can Do Magic,” she said, grinning broadly at her boss.

  He flamed red for a moment before sudden realization dawned. “You heard everything I said.” It was a declaration rather than a question.

  “Even as a young girl, we were encouraged to speak to our loved ones when they were unconscious, which happened often enough on the bayou,” Lilly explained. “Grandma always said it helped to guide them back to us. Many times, when they regained consciousness, they could recount every word of the conversations going on around them. Several relationships changed after people said things to their loved ones when they didn’t think they could hear them.”

  “I could see how that would,” Sarge replied. “So, Clint heard a lot of voices when he was being held. Then what happened to him? I want to know, because I liked him a lot. If what you say is valid, he’s dead and they disposed of the body.”

  “Yeah, he’s dead,” Lilly said in anguish. “But I have him with me for the rest of my life. How many people can claim that?”

  “Does he know what they did with his body??” Sarge insisted.

  “No, he just realized he was dying and couldn’t bear the thought of me being in danger,” she smiled sadly. “So he found something to anchor his spirit to in the building. As it turns out, it was the bathroom I went into. More specifically, there’s a leaky faucet in there. In the silence of the building as he lay dying, he concentrated on the metronomic dripping sound. It was what enabled him to withstand the draw to cross over, which he says is incredibly strong. He feared he might wander that building for years before we discovered him, if ever.”

  “That explains why you could feel him there but couldn’t make contact. It took you going into the bathroom to be close enough to his anchor for him to join with you,” Phillip surmised.

  Sarge’s head snapped around like the ADA had just confessed to the Kennedy assassination. “How could you possibly know all that?”

  “Like I said, I know someone who dabbles in the occult.”

  “That’s a whole lot of dabbling for my head,” Sarge replied. “I’m pedaling fast but having a hard time keeping up.”

  “Then we’ll slow down,” Lilly offered. “What part don’t you understand?”

  “Um, the split-apart, for one. Anchoring your spirit to keep from crossing over, for another. Crossing over to where?” Sarge was getting more intense with each question. “Are you saying Clint has evidence of life after death? Do you realize how freakin’ huge that alone is?”

  Phillip surprised Lilly by answering first. “Most religions on the planet have a reference to moving forward after death,” he offered. “Some specify a heaven, others a transcendence to another plain of existence. Still others believe we return to correct past life mistakes until we reach perfection. But all acknowledge that this isn’t the only stop on the bus line.”

  “I guess I should have paid more attention in Sunday School,” Sarge allowed.

  Lilly had also been impressed with her boss’ hidden knowledge. “When the time comes, I’d like to share our combined knowledge of the subject. Maybe we can even get Aunt Maybree involved as well, if that’s alright.”

  “I think I’d like that very much,” he replied. Turning back to Marty, he continued. “Much of what I just said is obvious during a person’s journey through life, if they have and take the time to recognize it. A lot of these realizations come more from a person’s beliefs and experience than religious education. After all, no one really knows what happens; it’s all guess work.”

  “So, back to this split-apart thing?” Sarge asked again, looking at Lilly.

  “It’s basically a legend, or religious belief; call it what you like,” she started. “Plato extended the theory that we are born with half a soul due to mistakes made by the original creations in dealing with the Creator. As punishment, their souls and all subsequent ones were split into two bodies.”

  “Even the Bible references Adam and Eve being as one before their fall from grace before being split in two.” She paused, looking for confirmation that she hadn’t overwhelmed her favorite teacher and mentor. When he smiled slightly and nodded, she continued.

  “The goal was to force mankind to seek out their other half in hopes of achieving perfection and to prove that we need each other to survive. As in No Man is an Island. It supports the theory of reincarnation, as well as many colloquialisms in use today. Like introducing your spouse as your other half, or calling a loved one the better part of me.”

  “And Clint is your other half of a soul?” Sarge concluded.

  “Yes, but we knew it shortly after we met at the Academy. Even before the first time we...” she paused, afraid to admit they had been intimate while in training.

  “Most of the staff knew,” Sarge smiled.

  They three sat in silence for several long minutes, absorbing what they had heard, what they knew, and what it could possible imply.

  “Can he identify any of the people he heard?” Phillip asked. It was testimonial to their faith in Lilly and the culmination of so many strange happenings recently that they accepted everything she was saying at face value.

  “There were a few voices he heard that he recognized right away,” she answered. “But for the most part, it will require us to follow leads and connections to others so I can hear their voices. When I hear them Clint will as well and he’ll recognize them. We’ll figure out who all these bastards are and then we’ll take them all down.”

  “Whose voices did he recognize?” Sarge asked.

  “Stanislaus, McElroy, Frey, and Vanderbilt. They’re the four guys who joined him with McMichaels that day in the restaurant,” Lilly started to explain, but then paused as she swayed and shuddered violently. “That’ll take some getting used to,” she added as if to herself.

  “What just happened?” Sarge asked, reaching to take her arm.

  “When Clint was sharing with me what he witnessed that day, I suddenly got very angry and then very hot. I mean, like-I-was-going-to-pass-out hot and then light-headed. I’m okay now,” she finished. “Apparently Clint can manifest some pretty potent physical responses in me, which could come in handy, given my size.”

  She raised her hand from the armrest of the chair in which she sat. The plastic frame and vinyl covering were badly distorted, wrinkled and cracked as if some great force had been applied to them. The indentations were in the shape of Lilly’s small hands. “Sorry,” she said shamefacedly.

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” Sarge assured her. “Just remind me not to shake hands with you when you’re angry. Or when Clint’s angry, or...whatever.”

  “Those five have been suspected of running a brute squad that encompasses a third of the Central Division area but the DA’s office has never been able to get a witness to testify,” Phillip stated.

  “Yeah; Vanderbilt, McElroy, and Frey went through the Academy together,” Sarge added. “We had trouble with them even then.”

  “They’re all from the same old-school neighborhood, where the strongest took advantage of the weakest,” Phillip shared. “We’ve got to do a better job of weeding out bad seeds before they become bad cops.”

  “Recall we were taking almost any physically-capable applicant ten years ago,” Sarge reminded him.

  “Was there anything specifically said that Clint feels would put you in danger or might lead us to the head of the organization?” Phillip asked gravely.

  “That’s the part you both need to write down and put away for safe keeping,” she replied. “Clint hea
rd enough to implicate patrolmen and officers in every Division. It will be only a matter of time before we hear a voice and add a name to the list.”

  “Now you’re thinking like a prosecutor,” the ADA smiled. “Get as many names on a list as possible, then arrest them all at once and try to quick-flip a few into giving more names.”

  “Yeah, and that’s going to be the hardest part,” Lilly replied.

  “Why is that?” Sarge asked. “Surely there’s enough manpower of good cops to bring in all the bad ones; isn’t there?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Numbers aren’t going to count much when the individuals have big influence,” Lilly explained. “Clint spoke with Hank Mitchell every day, so he knows his voice well.” She paused to let that sink in.

  “I don’t believe it,” Samuels exploded, leaping up from his chair to pace the room. “Hank is too dedicated a cop to be dirty.”

  “Actually, by his own admission in the room where they were holding Clint, it’s the reason he stayed on,” Lilly countered. “Just think of the amount of invaluable details he has access to. Clint heard him and another man discussing how Hank ought to just retire and let some of the young Turks take over. Mitchell replied he wasn’t ready to give up control over his organization as yet, any more than the man he was talking to was.”

  “Okay, enough of the dramatic build up,” Sarge said. “I’m finally at my limit for unpleasant surprises today. Who was he talking to?”

  “You mean who told Hank, when he asked, what to do with Clint?” Lilly fumed. “Who vetoed taking him back to the hospital parking lot and leaving him to be found as too dangerous? Who said it was just better to leave him there and let him die?” She cried.

  Both men sat waiting for the reveal.

  “The fucking PC, that’s who!”

  Nineteen

  “I STILL THINK IT’S better if you stay out here at the Academy,” Sarge said as they left his room for the parking lot.

  “I need a base of operations I can move from freely, even undetected,” Lilly replied. “There are too many eyes here. Also, present company excluded, I don’t know who we can trust.” Looking searchingly at her boss, she continued. “I’ll need some time off and will accept dismissal if that can’t be arranged, given the brief nature of my employment.”

  “I’ll have you listed as investigation underway, need to know only. Which is why you should stay at my place, at least until you find out what the deal is on your apartment,” Phillip countered.

  “If I can’t resolve what happened there, I’ll find someplace to stay completely under the radar,” Lilly promised. “I just wish I had a mobile phone but that’s wishful thinking. Those things are so expensive. I don’t want to use a radio because there aren’t any frequencies I can use where someone might not be listening.”

  “I’ll have mine with me at all times,” Phillip promised.

  “And I’ll be available for back-up any time you call,” Marty added. “I still wish you’d let me partner with you.”

  “Sarge, I really appreciate that and would welcome it in most cases. But there are things I might need to do which I wouldn’t want either of you to witness,” she explained gently. “Plausible deniability?”

  “I’m hoping you won’t do anything for which I might end up having to prosecute you,” the ADA said sternly.

  “I’ll do my best to not let that happen. Can we go get our car now?” Lilly asked to quell the discussion.

  “Our?” Sarge asked.

  “Yeah, it feels like everything I’m going to do from this point on will be me and Clint together.”

  WHEN SHE PULLED UP in front of the apartment complex, the manager was locking the door to his office. Trotting to catch him, she realized she didn’t know his name. “Excuse me, sir,” she called as he walked away.

  “Closed, come back tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder without stopping.

  “Sir, my key doesn’t work in my door. Will that wait until tomorrow?”

  When he turned to face her, recognition bloomed in his eyes, followed immediately by a scowl. “You don’t live here and you have no contract to prove it. Now beat it before I call the cops, which you’re not,” he said pointedly.

  “You’re right sir, at least partially,” she replied civilly. “I’m not a cop; I work for the District Attorney’s Office.” She held her credentials out for him to peruse. “As far as not living her, my fiancé Clint Parsons gave you appropriate notice in writing of his intent to add a sublet, which is within his contractual rights. Furthermore, he gave you $100 towards the first month’s rent of the new contract.”

  “So, unless you want to be investigated by the DA’s office for defrauding a police officer, could I please have a key to my apartment?” Her saccharine smile would have chilled a bottle of soda. She had succeeded in remaining civil with this asshole, which she counted as a win.

  “I was told by the police last week that Parsons would no longer need the apartment. As such, I vacated the unit. There’s nothing in there right now, it’s all been put in storage,” he lied. “Which you’ll need to pay for to recover. Again, you have no contract with this apartment complex. So DA’s office or not, I want you off the property.”

  As he turned again, Lilly’s right hand reached out to rest on his lower forearm. For anyone watching, it would have looked like a casual enough gesture. For the manager, it was anything but. As she began increasing the pressure of her grip, his face went from displeasure at the further delay to opening his first beer of the evening straight into consternation. When the pressure steadily increased, alarm replaced the previous expression and when she tweaked her thumb and index finger just slightly; fleeting pain.

  “Last chance to be friendly sir, as I don’t even know you’re name,” she said calmly. “I need a place to sleep tonight. After what I’ve been through today, I’m in no mood for any more screwing around. I know all my stuff was still in there as of six am this morning because I was in there. So unless you’ve moved it all out today, what say you unlock, get me the key, and tootle on along to your place?”

  When he continued to stall, she tightened her grip more. “On second thought, how about you go unlock it with your master key right now? If the unit is empty, I’ll be on my way. Wanna keep that hand?”

  “WHY DON’T YOU WALK me around and make sure there’s no one here who shouldn’t be?” Lilly asked politely. “I’d feel oh so much safer if a big, strong man like you was here to protect helpless little old me.” Her grip hadn’t relaxed in the least. It was apparent from his expression that it was becoming quite painful.

  “Okay, but let go my arm,” he whined. “What is that, some kinda Kung Fu grip thing?”

  Everything was just as she’d left it, including the dead chicken in the kitchen. When he looked down as he walked past the sink, he saw it and blanched visibly.

  “Good, it should be drained enough for me to cast my spell now,” she enthused. “I’ll just take that master key until you can get me one for my door,” she urged, holding her other hand out while still gripping his arm.

  “I...I can’t give you a master key,” he stammered.

  “That’s okay, let’s go back to the office and get one for the unit then,” she replied calmly.

  “Ah,...I,...that is,...they told me you weren’t coming back and that I could keep the money. Please don’t hurt me, and don’t do any evil spell on me,” he pleaded, having reached the end of his short supply of bluster. “Here, keep the key, I have others,” he said, twisting the master key off the ring and thrusting it into her outstretched palm. “Can I go now?”

  “Sho’ you ken, mistah, you jus’ run along whilst I conjure up a demon to escort you home,” she said in her best Cajun accent. Citing the words from the beginning of the High Roman Mass in Latin, she began waving her hands in an intricate pattern before her face. As she began fluttering her eyelids and swaying, the man broke and ran screaming into the night.

  “That wasn’t very nice,�
�� Clint said.

  “No, but it sure was a lot of fun,” she replied.

  “Why don’t you get some sleep while I keep watch,” he offered. “It’s not like I need it.”

  “I had something else in mind before that,” Lilly replied coquettishly.

  “I’m not sure we still can,” he said uncertainly.

  “I’m willing to find out.”

  After only four hours of sleep, Lilly awoke fully revitalized and refreshed. “It’s amazing what good mind-sex can do for the spirit,” she whispered as she set about preparing a light breakfast.

  “That was pretty amazing,” Clint replied. “I’m not sure how I was able to climax, but I did.”

  “Yeah, three times,” Lilly crowed.

  “Hey, when you’re good, you’re good,” he conceded.

  THEY TOOK CLINT’S CAR back to the downtown building where he had been forced to experience a slow, lingering death. “Are you sure you’re okay with going back in there?” she thought.

  “No, I’m not sure, but this needs to be done,” he replied. “And it’s not like I can wait in the car.”

  Parking at the curb in front of the abandoned edifice, Lilly walked around to the service entrance in the rear and found the door standing open. “I wonder if they left it like this?” she worried aloud, referring to Sarge and Samuels rushing her away from the property the previous day.

  “I would say call for backup, but that’s not really going to work anymore, is it?” Clint thought.

  “I could call Sarge and wait for him to get here; at least he’s a bona fide police officer,” she replied.

  “But he has no arrest authority off the Academy campus, remember? And besides, you’re not going to wait, are you?” he thought back.