Ouroborus
Chapter One
New Beginnings
The day was impossibly clear and bright. There was a chill in the air, crisp like apple cider, threatening falling leaves and evenings next to a warm fire. He opened the trunk and pulled out Jordan's case, a pillow, she trundled behind him, the ghost of Catherine shining in her eager eyes.
He wanted to turn, to hug her and hold her close for a moment longer, stop this inevitable parting. Children grow up, move on, don't they? The first day of College was a rite of passage they must face, perhaps for the last time, together. In a breathless moment from now, she'd be graduating, marrying, having kids of her own. Her life and his would be torn apart by the passing of time.
He sighed.
"Know your dorm?" He asked.
"Yes dad. For the millionth time. I have my schedule and my advisers name and a map of the campus."
"Force of habit. I guess I don't want to give up being dad." He smiled sadly.
"You will always be dad." She leaned over, her face joyful, thirsty for the future, restless. She was ready to surge forward into a new life. He had no right to keep her from it a moment longer.
And so, with a last look, he made the resolve to let go clean. He forced a grin and moved past her.
"Keep up, slowpoke." He called over his shoulder. He heard and felt her grab a hand full of belongings and close the trunk.
The room was bleak, but soon it would change. It would be full of life and learning and giggles. He put down her case and threw the pillow on one of the beds.
"Nice," He quipped.
"Dad!" She sighed and put the rest of her things down.
"You want me to hang out for a while?" He asked. She looked at him, considering and for a moment he couldn't breath, the resemblance to Catherine was so great. His heart broke again, for the billionth time since that day in the cold, lonely woods. He could still almost smell her perfume, feel her weight pressed against him.
"I..." The door pressed open and cut off her thought, in walked a girl carrying her belongings, Dark to Jordan's fair, moody to Jordan's cheerful. There was an awkward moment of silence into which Frank finally stood with a hand out.
The girl took it and shook.
"I'm Frank Black. And this is Jordan. You are?"
"Milly. Milly Corso." She took the hand Jordan outstretched and shook.
"So, you're my roomie?" Jordan asked.
Milly nodded and again the silence descended. Frank took this as his cue to vanish from the room. He leaned over and hugged Jordan.
"Be good." He whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek.
"Be careful." She whispered back and returned the gesture.
And just like that, Frank was alone.
"So, your dad, hun?" Milly asked. Jordan nodded.
"Yeah, it's just been him and me for a while now. I worry about him."
"Your mom?"
"She, died when I was little. In the outbreak in Washington."
Milly nodded. "My folks died, too. I was raised by my Grandma, but she's in a nursing home now. Dementia."
"I'm really sorry." Jordan offered. Idly she looked over the things on her bed. "I got more stuff in my car downstairs. Dad insisted on driving up behind me. How about you?"
Milly looked at the meager things on her bed and shrugged.
"It's cool, we can share." Jordan offered with a bright smile. "Then we can go get some food. I'm studying Psychology. You?"
"Anthropology with a minor in Evolutionary studies."
"Wow, you must be some kind of genius or something."
For a moment, there was a flash, Jordan drew her breath in heavily and clutched her chest. Blood. There was always blood though. A man. Leaves blowing across pavement in the light of a street lamp. And it was gone.
"You OK?" Milly asked, genuine concern in her glare. She was reaching for Jordan to catch her in case she fell.
Jordan took a moment to compose herself. "Um, yeah. I just got a little dizzy, that's all. It happens, some kind of inner ear thing, I think. Come on, you can help me unload and I'll buy the pizza!"
Milly smiled and a moment later they were moving down the hall as if they had known each other for years.
Frank got into the Land Rover. Once the door was securely closed and the key in the ignition he dared to look at the window. He could see the top of Jordan's curly hair from here, bobbing animatedly as she talked.
For a kid who'd seen so much tragedy, she was remarkably cheerful. He revved the vehicle to life and made his way out of the parking lot.
He drove slowly, aware of the many college students, their minds elsewhere, weaving across the streets like dazed deer. He waved several across as he waited patiently. He knew he'd need to keep his mind off the impending loneliness, the one waiting as soon as his mind was no longer occupied by this game of dodge and weave and he was on the open road alone.
He slipped in his iPhone, selected anything, the first thing that came to hand.
Chick Corea soothed his nerves and flooded the car with sound.
He moved past the buildings and toward city traffic. He wasn't a fan of New York, but Jordan had been accepted at Columbia and it had been her first choice.
As he turned on Riverside, something caught his eye. It was a woman, like a million other women in this city, but this one, there was something… missing.
He stared at her trying to figure it out until the blare of a cabby's horn got his attention and forced him back into his own lane. When he ventured a look back in his rear view, she was gone. All he could remember about her was red. Blood red.
His GPS was his constant companion as he left the city and entered the highway south to Alexandria. He had mixed emotions about going home, craving the security and familiarity yet dreading the silence he knew crouched therein. It would be an odd silence. Uncomfortable and empty. But his back ached and his bed called to him.
Finally the traffic opened up and the sun climbed behind the horizon and he was in the dark. He had a life of his own, a business to run, friends. Hobbies. He'd been preparing for this day for Jordan's whole life, letting go in pieces. First day of school, first dance, first kiss, her life was a series of firsts and his felt, to a degree, like a series of finality. Last PTA meeting, last curfew, last science project. He'd have to find another life and resist the temptation to hide in his work.
Life, he realized, might be opening up. He'd always wanted to learn to fly a plane, visit Europe, hike the Appalachian trail. His mood improved at the revelation.
"Siri, find plane fare to Italy." He said. Dutifully she gave him the three best prices. He nodded. Maybe it was time to put a lot of things behind. "Siri, what about plane fare to Jerusalem?"
As she told him he wondered why he was even curious. Hadn't he had enough of God for a lifetime? Still, part of his brain made him think that perhaps there was something there. An answer, maybe.
He pulled over into a service station and got out to fill his car. He went inside and got some coffee and a pack of gum. The girl behind the counter looked to be about Jordan's age. A moment later he was outside, opened the tank and began to pump his gas.
He took a deep sip of the coffee, it was sharp and bitter but it was better then nothing. He looked at the car across from him and saw the woman there, staring at him. He offered her a smile and a nod.
She seemed to be uncertain, and he got the feeling he had no desire to hear anything she might say to him. After a moment of consideration, she leaned over to him and spoke.
"Luke 13: 34-35," She offered.
"Excuse me?" He asked but she retreated into her car and closed the door. He noticed that her car still had the pump handle in it, still pumping gas. He heard the car turn over and shift into gear.
Calm covered him as it always did in a crisis. He moved quickly to her window and pounded on it.
"Stop! You need to stop!" He called, but his pleas were met with a squeal of tired and the sound of the hose snapping. As she moved off, he turned, even as the other people here were only beginning to realize what was happening and spied the emergency shut off.
He lunged for it and even as he did, gas flooded onto the pavement and he became aware of a man coming out of the store with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Put that out!" Frank called and got to the shut off, pulled it down and the gas slowed it's movement and then trickled down into nothing. He looked up and saw someone else grab the smoker, throw his cigarette to the ground. The man made to protest, but realization covered his face as he saw the gas, saw Frank at the shut off switch.
Frank ran his hand through his hair in relief and moved toward the store, his cell out to 911.
He could still smell the gasoline on his clothes as he pulled out of the station and pulled back onto the highway, but he'd be home soon and take a long shower. He kept the radio off and drove into the night in silence.
His mind wandered over the events of the day, driving to New York, giving his daughter to academia, the almost fire that could have ended him.
"Siri, Luke 13: 34-35"
"Sure. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!"
Yes, his house was desolate. The rest was ominous, hanging just in the future like a thunderhead.
He drove home, his thoughts dark.
First day of classes. She rose, and showered. Milly was still sleeping, her first class wasn't until the afternoon. But Jordan was a morning person. She dressed quickly and went to the student union for breakfast.
After a mediocre meal she collected her backpack and went in search of her first class. There was a woman in the quad, a woman who caught Jordan's attention, made the hair on her back stand up.
Jordan stopped in her tracks and looked at her, watching. She resisted the urge to pick up her phone and call her father. She was a grown up, now. No running to daddy.
The woman finally looked at her and a broad, almost predatory smile crossed the woman's face. She nodded to Jordan and then pointed to her eyes with two fingers, then to Jordan. I'm watching you, it meant. A cold chill ran down Jordan's back and she hurried away, to her class.
Frank sat at his desk and looked at the file. He'd started this company ten years ago and with his reputation it had grown fast. Friends in the bureau and other law enforcement agencies were eager to work with his consultant firm. And Frank seemed to have an eye for talent, with some twenty investigators in his flock, all of them extremely good at their job. They had solved hundreds of unsolvable cases, consulted on some of the most infamous, made a good name for a man one considered too fragile to hire.
Now he was considering new cases. The first two he approved and assigned to investigators. The third, when he lifted the folder, his eyes burned and he felt the familiar feeling of a vision.
Again, the woman in red. She was watching...someone. He could feel that she was dangerous. He wasn't sure how he knew it was the woman from New York, but he didn't really know how anything in his gift worked. She was dangerous, but not a danger. Not a friend, exactly, but not an enemy, either. She was holding a gun, he could smell the burn of the gunpowder, still feel the recoil in the air. She was smiling. Her face was covered with blood.
And someone was there. Catherine? Was it Catherine? It was too soon to be sure. The vision faded and he leaned back, took a deep breath and Laughlin entered without knocking. He was tall, just turned thirty five, a savant. He was handsome, with dark hair and roman features and this intense gaze that bored through suspects. He was Franks best man and Frank suspected the guy of having some kind of gift of his own, but perhaps not knowing it. The gray eyes turned sympathetic as he looked at Frank.
Frank looked at him, tiredly.
"Sorry boss. I got the NCIC data you wanted."
"You could have emailed it."
"I did, I was passing and wanted to make sure you got it." Frank nodded and opened his email. The message was there.
"I got it. What are you doing today?" Frank asked, standing and rubbing his neck.
"I got court at 2. The Myer case." Frank nodded and Laughlin turned to leave.
"Hey?" Laughlin turned to face his boss. "Who we got in New York?"
The younger man thought for a minute. "Daniels and Zucker. Why, you got something up there?"
"No, Maybe. I'll let you know."
"Did you see something? You looked a little peaked when I came in."
"It's nothing. I'm searching cases today, it always happens. I'll be fine."
"Sure, ok. Frank, if you need me, I'm right down the hall."
"Thanks. Let me know when you leave to go to court." Laughlin smiled and nodded, then left the room.
Frank looked back at the folder and toyed with the idea of picking it up again, ut decided he needed a coffee first.
First day of classes finished and a mountain of homework, but Jordan could feel nothing but invigorated. She'd always been an excellent student, most things seemed to come to her easily. That was a blessing and a curse, because things that didn't come to her easily tended to stop her dead in her tracks.
She had just finished her paper for Psych 101 when Milly came in. The other girl looked terrified, her huge brown eyes flitting from place to place.
"You ok?" Jordan asked? Milly slowly shook her head. "What is it?"
"I… I think I found something."
"Found what?" Jordan inquired.
"Um. I. Just come with me." Milly threw her books down on the bed and exited the room. Jordan rose and followed.
A moment later they were down the stairs in the chilly evening breeze and Jordan regretted having not grabbed a jacket. Milly walked to the corner of the dormitory and pointed, not looking. Jordan made to speak, but could tell Milly wasn't going to answer. Instead, Jordan followed her gesture.
She could see white, very pale white and something blue. As she moved closer, her mind tried to make out a pattern, forms shifted and twisted and then, it was upon her.
A blade, a scream and pain. A man in dark clothes. Terror. Blood. Pain. The sound of feet moving quickly away. Something shrouded in darkness and then something so unspeakable…
She shook her head and the world came into focus as her foot touched something cold and hard.
She looked down. She was standing on the hand of a corpse. She screamed.
The EMT wrapped a blanket around her shoulder. She couldn't get warm.
"I think you're in shock, little lady. You need to go to the hospital, just for a check up." He said.
"I'm fine, it's just cold out." She offered.
Nearby the other EMT was zipping a bag around the dead girl she had found. The curly red hair got caught in the zipper and several strands of it poked out. Jordan trembled.
"You want to call your dad?" Milly asked, moving closer behind her. It was a comfort having her new friend here.
"He'll freak out." Jordan offered.
"He needs to know. You said he's a Cop or something."
"A consultant. He runs Triquetra." Jordan offered.
A detective passing behind her at just that moment stopped. "Did you say your father works for Triquetra?" He asked.
"No, he owns it. I'm Jordan Black."
"I met your dad, Frank. He's amazing. You should call him, though. He'll want to know." He offered.
She nodded. "Excuse me." She stepped away from them and took out her phone. It was almost midnight, but he would still be awake. She hit the speed dial button and took a deep breath.
He picked up the phone absently.
"Frank Black." He answered.
"Its me, dad." Jordan offered sheepishly.
"Are you ok?" He asked. Panic suddenly filled his throat.
"Um, yeah. I'm fine. I. Found something."
"What?" He asked, his voice edged with worry.
"A body. A girl. She was next to my dorm. I called the police are they're here and I'm fine."
"I'm coming up." He stood and reached for his jacket.
"No, look, dad. I'm not hurt or anything. It was just sort of… jarring. Do you ever get used to it?"
Frank took a minute to process what she was saying. "Not if you're a human being. But the dead tell people like us stories."
Jordan nodded and bit her lip. "Um, yeah. I think I saw him. You know like we do."
"What did you get?" He asked. Half of him wanted to teach her how to use her ability and the other half wanted to bury it in her brain so she wouldn't have to ever deal with it. Since the latter was not possible, he had reconciled himself to the former.
"Nothing really specific. A dark figure." She almost told him about the evil presence but felt sure it was just a product of her own fears, being away from home, moving into an unsure future… She tabled the figure for another conversation.
"OK. I won't come up but if anything happens, please promise to call me."
"Yeah, sure. Of course I will. It's ok, Dad, I'm not about to go all Scooby Doo on this mystery. I'm smarter then that."
"I know you are. You're just like your mother in that respect."
"I was just a little rattled." She offered.
"You're the one who wanted to go to New York." He offered with a little humor. He heard her sigh and could see her smile in his minds eye. He pushed down his creeping fear and smiled for her sake.
"OK, I'm going to go. I have an early class." She said. He could feel the cord of their bond loosening again, her retreating into adulthood.
"Yeah. Get some rest. Lock your door. Call if you need me. Hey, I'm proud of you. You did the right thing."
"I'm your daughter, too." She said and he heard the phone disengage.
'Yes you are. For better or for worse.' he thought to himself and buried himself in his case files.
Frank walked into his office. He's actually managed to leave it last night and now was back to pick up a few things and then go to the Justice Center for a meeting. Laughlin waved as Frank entered his office. He followed the older man.
"Morning Frank. What you got on the horn today." He asked.
"Meetings, mostly. You?"
"The usual. Case notes to go over and then to The Lab to oversee some testing."
Frank nodded. He hesitated, and on impulse turned to Laughlin. "Do me a favor, would you?"
"Sure, boss."
"Could you look into a murder at Columbia last night? A girl, near this dorm." He wrote down Jordan's address."
"This about Jordan. One of her friends? Should I send a guy?" Frank smiled at how much Laughlin made him sound like a mafioso.
"No, Jordan found her. She was a little shaken. I just thought is she had a little insight..."
"Well, she's your kid, that's for sure." Laughlin said.
"What's that mean?"
"In town one day and she's already got a corpse." Frank nodded. Laughlin smiled and went off to do Frank's bidding.
"I heard if you find a body, you automatically pass your classes." Milly offered.
Jordan looked at her to see if she was serious. "No one told me." Jordan offered. "Besides, not my first body."
"OK, that's creepy." Milly offered. She took a sip of her orange juice and looked around. "OOO, don't look, it's that cute guy from my Biology lab." Jordan turned and saw a lot of different guys. She felt Milly's hand on her shoulder. "I said, don't look!"
"Like, I could tell who you're talking about. Half of campus is here." Jordan offered. A moment later, Milly paled.
"Shut up! He's coming this way!"
"Huzzah." Jordan offered, mirthlessly. She took a bite of eggs, missing her dad's cooking. A moment later, she turned and there was a young man standing there. He was tall, with dark skin and eyes. His smile was bright and confident.
"Are you the girl who found the body?" He asked. Milly looked at Jordan in deep panic and Jordan took a deep breath.
"We both did. Milly saw her first." She offered. Milly looked at her gratefully. The young man moved over and sat next to Milly.
"I'm Kirk. I'm taking Forensics. So, I hope you don't mind if I join you?"
Milly seemed incapable of speech so Jordan spoke for her.
"No, not at all. In fact, I have to dash. You know, class."
Milly willed her away with her eyes and Jordan grinned. She grabbed her books and disappeared.
Laughlin was waiting outside Frank's office. He was holding a file and looking grave.
"What?" Frank asked.
"I just got the stuff you asked for. And a whole lot more."
Frank unlocked his office and the two men entered together.
"Go ahead." Frank said as he dropped his valise and moved into his chair.
"OK, so when I got the case file, the first thing I noticed were some ritual elements."
"Like what?"
"The throat was cut, one earring missing..."
"Not exactly grave goods." Frank offered.
"There was a symbol carved in her chest."
"Hum. What symbol?"
"Well, wait. There were four other murders in the general area in the past five months. Same MO. The cops don't want to release it, but it's got to be a serial. I feel it in my gut."
Frank could tell he was avoiding the symbol.
"What was the symbol, Laughlin?"
"You're not going to like it." He offered.
"Tell me."
"An Ouroborus." The younger man offered.
"I doubt it's the group. Not their style."
"And since it's ongoing, I doubt it has anything to do with Jordan." He offered.
"Still, my daughter has walked right into the path of an active serial. Can we get surveillance on her?"
"I can call Wagner and have them put a body guard on her if you like."
"No, no. She'd kill me. Put a tail on her for security while I look into this matter."
"You're the boss." Laughlin offered. He dropped the rather thick file on the desk. "And boss. Go the hell home."
Frank smiled and nodded. He leaned back in his chair and opened the file as the door closed behind his assistant.