58 Safe House Morning After

Roxy liked the locale - upscale and very private. She had never lived in real poverty, but then she had never been well off enough, not even close, to afford something like any one of these properties. Since her murder and becoming a reaper she had suppressed any thoughts of ever living like this. She was comfortable with Rube, who was adept at staying on the margins with a fat bank account. But then, whatever was going on with their young Georgia she could see of late that it opened up possibilities…with all the money coming their way. The growing relationship with Trip…well…there was change in the air, and she and Rube would be a part of it. With the necessity to co-habit with the living, say John and Reggie, and then Tommy needed to be taken care of, it might be possible for reapers, a few of them at least, to live among some of the wealthy? She slowed as she neared the address. Pretty much the whole neighborhood she could see mailboxes but no houses. She turned into a tree shrouded entrance and looked up a driveway lined by trees, which gave her the impression of a pleasing sun dappled rustic country road. Bit far to walk for mail though. She couldn't see any neighboring houses through all these trees. She upped her first estimate as to how upscale this safe house was. That employer must have some money, or more likely Meigan was paying some big bucks to set up her revenge scheme. She edged her official sedan up the drive. She caught sight of the police cruiser and then a young uniformed officer who stepped out onto the driveway directly in her path with his hand up. His shirt was so creased he probably put it on this morning straight from the package. Behind him she could see part of a lawn and probably part of the house through some of the landscaping - the front porch, or perhaps portico was the word Meigan would prefer. She stopped in front of the kid and brought her window down. He stepped up and his face showed he recognized her. She looked up to meet his eyes and saw her approach was forcing him to think original thoughts. Stressful.

"Detective Harvey." He looked puzzled. "We just got called…" He looked up the road towards the house and back to her. "Officer Laferty…"

"You want me to get out here?"

"Well…Detective…Officer Laferty hasn't returned yet."

"Give me the short version."

"Ahhh… We were called about a body on the lawn of that house. Some kids on bikes about 30 minutes ago. They heard shots late last night. Came to see. We drove up to the house and Officer Laferty took one look and had me back our squad car up, to here. He went ahead to investigate and told me to make sure no one drives into the crime scene."

The driveway was paved. Must be pretty bad. "How long ago?"

His brow rippled in waves with exertion, but he recovered and pulled out an answer. "Maybe 5 maybe 10 minutes ago."

"Thank you." She put her window back up and pulled her own vehicle to the side and got out. The young officer was befuddled at first. He shifted to relaxed maybe he concluded that 'no one' did not include senior detectives. She said, "You're doing just fine. Make sure no one drives up." She walked the last 75 yards."

It was so peaceful here. The owner had a few day lilies planted in clumps and they were in bloom though they needed some tending. Maybe the new tenants would do something about that. The trees were alive with birds. A deep blue sky showed through the leafy canopy. As she approached she could feel death up ahead and that was an irritant disturbing her calm, but in a way it made her appreciate that she was able to be alive and out walking under these trees and this sky. There was change in the air.

She saw Andy hunched over checking the remains of a body well to the left of the front door on a broad lawn. He sensed her approach, stood, and walked back to meet her.

"Hi Roxy."

"Andy."

"This is going to be a hard one to spin." He glanced back at the body. "These the guys that forced Daisy and Mason into resurrections last night?"

"Yeah. There'll be three more bodies inside."

They walked together closer to the…well…body wouldn't be the right word. No clothes. Probably male. She could see an arm over there. Another arm 20 feet away. The torso frame was in one piece but she could see from here that something had worked hard to remove organs…probably while he was still alive. The only reason the head was still attached was because removing it would have released him too soon. She looked closer and yeah the eyes were gone as were, well. George mentioned that there was a lot of pent up rage. Roxy suspected a lot of it was hers.

He pointed out some of those obvious body parts. "See what I mean? No remotely normal human criminal or local animal would…or could do this." His eyes moved over to the window or what used to be a window and now was the frame of a gaping black hole. The glass fragments were spread out on the ground. "They pulled him through that window. And then…tore him apart. Up close, personal, and a lot of hate went into this." He paused. "George reaped 'em?"

"Yeah. It was an up close, personal type of reap."

"How's John doing?"

"He took two. George had to ghost him until the medics could get there. Very close." She walked to where she could see inside the house through the window frame. The outside morning light revealed some furniture but not much else. "George's sister lost a baby. Early, but still. She's taking it better than George." She gave up, too many shadows obscuring the inside, and faced Andy. "As you can see."

Andy's eyes were on the window too. "There's something more." Andy pointed towards the window frame. Something was emerging from the dark.

Roxy could now make out two ghosts just on the other side watching them. Unafraid. They didn't come closer just stayed unmoving unblinking with all the patience of the long time dead dead. She looked up and around. She could see another one, head extended through an upstairs window, watching them also unmoving.

"Odd. I saw two when I walked up. They don't look or behave like newly minted ghosts. My gut tells me these are not the ghosts of the four."

"Your gut would be right. George made a deal with nine shadows of the four. They deserved what they got. Anyway, the Dark took three."

"Any idea as to how to work this one for the brass and the media?"

"None. I was hoping for some inspiration from upstairs." She turned. "Let's not go inside." They started walking back toward the cars. "George mentioned that there was one other of the living in there when all this went down, a Dr. Steinman, but I doubt he left any evidence. He was hired to take care of the wounded from the episode last night."

"He saw the whole thing?"

"Apparently he knows about us but keeps it to himself."

"A lot of that going around." He paused. "Wasn't he the doctor that took care of George's mother…?"

After she shot George. "The same. He seems to be playing both sides…a little too clever, if you ask me." She looked over at Andy and smiled. "Trip had Jane deliver a message to the good doctor."

"He must have crapped his pants."

"I'm not sure how much he understands, but Jane being very much among the living delivered that message and probably made sure he understood she could carry through on it, too."

A procession of three unmarked vehicles came hurtling up driveway. The speed upset the feeling of early morning peace. The lead car stopped when Andy's young partner stepped in front. The other two pulled to either side and halted hard. A man and a woman in plain clothes exited the lead car. From their look she guessed they were the two Ray busted in the Waffle Haus - the team working with that damn computer. She had seen them before in the Waffle Haus but not realized they were spying on them. Five FBI agents, helpfully marked with big letters - FBI - and heavily armed, got out of a van to the right. The other vehicle was a van which stopped to the left and whoever was inside didn't rush to exit. Two of the FBI walked up to heel just behind the man and woman.

The Andy's junior partner had balls. He said, "You have to stop right there. No one is allowed to go any farther."

.

.

Jay, Bee, and their two special go-between FBI agents stood in front of the young officer who blocked any closer approach. Jay could see Detective Harvey and a uniformed officer walking up behind the kid.

The officer said, "It's OK, Pete. Why don't you get the car turned around?" To the Detective the officer grinned broadly and said, "I think upstairs just sent some inspiration."

Jay had been called many things but inspiration he hadn't heard before. The Detective nodded and stood there unmoving watching them and making a deliberate eye connection with him.

Jay smiled and opened with a friendly sounding question, "You would be Detective Roxanne Harvey?" She nodded ever so slightly. He looked toward the uniform. "And you, sir?"

"Laferty, sir, Andy Laferty."

The Detective seemed to be in charge, but he didn't want to assume anything with these reapers. He said to her, "Aristarchus sent us."

The Detective leaned closer to Andy. "Andy. Take Pete and report you found nothing." She turned to Jay and said, "This is a bag and dump. No forensics will be needed."

His FBI team was used to pushing the local law enforcement types around. One of the FBI men said, "Isn't it…"

Jay raised his hand. While these two men knew considerably more than the rest of the ground team they pulled in with this morning the less they knew about certain aspects the better and Henry had made it clear that they were absolutely not to discuss beyond their four man team the true nature of Aristarchus, or that reapers existed, or anything about them and their activities. "Jacobs, Anderson, could you wait here while we check things out up there?"

The two looked at each other, and Jacobs nodded. They didn't always like having key information kept away. Shit. Neither did he, but there was no choice in this case. He and Bee needed to talk alone with the Detective.

He said, "Detective." And looked up the driveway. "Could you brief us so we can get this taken care of?"

She shrugged and led the way back up the driveway. He and Bee walked on either side of the short of stature but very confident detective. He signaled to Bee over the Detective's head to get some rapport building going.

Bee said, "Detective. My name is Bee Nakao. Everyone calls me Bee."

The Detective didn't answer for a good five or six paces. "So you two met Henry?"

Bee said, "Yes. We met Henry. With Rube and Georgia. You and Rube are…like…"

The Detective spared a look at Bee. "You can call me Roxy."

Jay was starting to like Roxy. She didn't mince words. He offered something. "Roxy, please call me Jay."

He looked up to the front lawn and saw the body or its parts strewn widely.

Bee said, "Oh my God."

They stopped. He caught Roxy watching Bee's reaction.

Bee asked, "Aristarchus told us…that Georgia did this…last night."

Roxy flared a bit and asked, "And how the fuck would he know that?"

Jay answered, "He…he can monitor telephone calls in real time…and pretty much any computer that's left on and even some phones."

She studied his face, squinted and shrugged, perhaps reaching some decision. "There are four bodies, or parts of four bodies here about. These four idiots improvised an attack on their targets, our family gathering last night." Her hand moved toward the remains strewn across the lawn. He could see the open window and door from here. "And this is George's message to the Testalino boss."

"Didn't they kill Daisy and Mason? And we know Jane and John are in the hospital."

Jay could see Roxy's eyes narrow again measuring how much to tell them. She took a deep breath and letting it out said, "Daisy and Mason are fine." She paused again. "You can't kill the undead." She paused yet again and said, "The police know nothing about either one because there were no bodies left at the house. In three days they will resurrect, or manifest again." She didn't offer to explain any of that, and neither he nor Bee judged it wise to push. This Roxy was a detective on a local municipal police force, but she obviously saw them as low down in the pecking order in her world. How quickly things had changed.

Aristarchus said there were mixed reports from the telephone calls he intercepted. His team knew that there was a bloody chaotic attack last night, but the reports conflicted. By midnight all four were up and in the meeting room listening to excerpts intercepted by Aristarchus and his interpretations of other data he was monitoring. They went to bed very late and then Aristarchus woke them early and recommended he bring this FBI relief team to this address…and meet a few reapers already on their way.

Roxy, unprompted, continued, "George's sister lost a baby as did Charlotte." She turned his way and said, "Trip's wife. George arranged for these four…to be accessible to a number of shadows that were following them. And the shadows did this." Again she paused and decided to explain a little more, a small mercy. "These four were professional killers and the shadows, or ghosts, were people those four had killed during their careers. They've been following them, some of them for years, waiting and hoping for a chance for revenge. George…made it so those ghosts could take that revenge when their appointments came up." She waved her hand in the general direction of the body parts. That Georgia girl didn't look like the type who would…do something like this. He reconsidered why that power over Henry chose those three to pay that visit. She had seemed, looked like - his mind making assumptions again, a minor player, she certainly hadn't said much, but…she had arranged this. And that raised a shitload of questions. What the fuck had he got himself into? He looked down at the body parts. He checked out the torso and head, and it was clear to him that this man had undergone some severe, violent, rapid, and very deliberately painful torture. This was not an easy way to go, no not at all. He felt real personal fear. No, that girl had not looked all that dangerous. He had committed a few, or many, sins in his career and was wondering whether this fate might be in his future. Were these ghosts loose looking for more people that had pissed them off in life? The real question he wanted to ask this Roxy was whether he had any ghosts following him, waiting for a crack at him. He was afraid to ask.

Bee was likely thinking along similar lines, because he knew for a fact she had sinned pretty extensively too if not as hands on, but she was also wondering along the lines of the here and now. She asked, "But…what…how? Are they still here? The ghosts?" She looked around.

Roxy said, "Yes. A few. There's one watching us from that window upstairs. And two more are just inside downstairs. I suspect now that they've gotten revenge for their own murders and their families they're left with no purpose. There were nine and I think it likely that a few have already crossed over. But the others, who knows?" This explanation did not find a welcome response from Bee. Roxy noticed and said, "It's OK, Bee. They can't harm you. George made it so that they could only harm these four." Roxy seemed to be pondering something. "Let's see if they'll tell us more."

Bee blurted out, "What? You can talk to them?"

Roxy did one of her Jay suspected frequent long pauses before she decided to respond. "I'm a reaper. But maybe one or more will talk, answer a few questions."

He looked towards the front door and Roxy nodded. There would be no forensics team fussing over tainted evidence. Jay started up the walkway to the front door. It was ajar. He pushed it open with his elbow more out of habit than any need to protect evidence and entered followed by Roxy. Bee hung back. He held the door open with his elbow for her. She checked that upstairs window and decided to stay with them rather than stand alone outside. He left the door wide open for the extra light. His eyes adjusted. Just inside was a body. The man's internal organs were strewn around the immediate foyer and damn if body parts and blood didn't go right up the stairs. It appeared their removal started up there somewhere and continued during his descent down the stairs. Down here, he glanced around, those ghosts had worked to open him up and remove more parts, which were left on and around the body. There were two more bodies farther inside closer to the wide open doors of an expansive office and meeting area that had the big now open window. He moved closer to get a look at the other two bodies. One man likely shot himself in the head. He still held the gun. Likely he was inspired by what the ghosts had done to the man at the bottom of the stairs. The other was more problematic. A bullet had entered his eye socket askew. Most people did not shoot themselves in the eye. The guy looked familiar even missing the eye. "Bee. This is the fidgety one, always moving around."

She was unfocused taking it all in and looking very pale, but his pulling her to focus on this puzzle no matter how small, that got her thinking, distracting her. Her mind in gear, Bee stepped around big splotches and pools of drying blood so she could see the face better. "Yes. I recognize him, and that one over there too. They were often outside the Waffle Haus at the bus stop and never taking a bus."

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Roxy looking everywhere but at the bodies. Roxy's focus shifted to inside the house and then she turned to look up the stairs. He was sure she could see those ghosts. She didn't look afraid. He checked their surroundings. Aside from the gore the house was quiet, peaceful even, and he couldn't hear or feel anything remotely threatening. He had thought Aristarchus was weird, but that was just the top of a very slippery slope into some radically other worldly crap. He drew confidence from Roxy. She stood watching or facing someone or several someones. Her eyes moved here and there. Finally she said, "OK, we've got several of the ghosts still here and they seem willing to talk."

Bee jerked up from her concentrated study of the forensic side of the bodies. She looked around, then at Roxy, and over to him. He smiled to reassure her. She had been the most unnerved of their team by their sudden jump into this other world stuff.

Roxy said, "There are…" She stopped sighed. "Why don't you two step over here. It's clear here, no blood." They moved over to where she indicated. She stood between them. "I'm going to take a hold of your arms and that will allow you to see and hear our ghosts here." She looked at Bee her eyes asking a question.

Bee nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm OK."

Roxy took their arms and before them stood a couple of people. He looked up and there were a few more coming down the stairs. He saw one coming through the ceiling. They were people just like you would see on the street. He was surprised he couldn't see through them - those assumptions again. They were so real he could reach out and touch them. What did mark them as not completely normal was the way their eyes were focused on him and them and they weren't blinking. That was a bit unnerving and he noticed it immediately. None of them seemed in any hurry, moving at a sedate pace coming closer. Roxy seemed unconcerned so he affected the same. They gathered a bit closer than he would have preferred.

A woman in an odd orange outfit inched closer and spoke, "You would be Roxy, the police detective."

"You know Ray…and Benny?"

"Yes, we do. Benny tamed down the Dragon we hear."

Roxy smiled. "George. Yes, she's stopped her hunts. You all must be resting easier."

"She never bothered us. We never went to church - the places she was hunting." She looked around. He took her meaning. These four guys probably wouldn't have frequented local churches. "And she made a deal with us." The woman looked around again and smiled.

"You got your pay back. Why haven't you crossed over?"

"A few chose to go, but the rest are staying."

"Yes. I know about the deal George made with you last night. That's fine. I was just curious."

"So are we. You know, Roxy, the rest of them will come out here soon…to kill the Hesburghs and the others."

"I know. We will deal with them when they get here."

"Yes. We want to help." Roxy didn't say anything and the woman continued. "The rest of us all have others among the Testalinos we still need to reckon with."

That figured. They usually worked in teams on jobs. And anyone they killed could only shadow one of them at a time.

"I can't promise any more deals like this." Roxy looked around. "This was very unusual."

A man spoke up, "But very satisfying. Will the Dragon be coming back?"

"Look. This safe house will be abandoned by the Testalinos. I'm sure none of them will come near this place. Ray or Benny will know soon enough where their other safe houses will be. But like I said I don't think there'll be a repeat of this."

A second woman spoke from the stairs, "We're patient. Do you think it would be OK to talk to the Dragon again? Just in case? Could it hurt?"

All of them inched a bit closer. Roxy didn't seem concerned, but he was edging toward uncomfortable. He checked Bee. She was holding up well considering. Roxy sighed. It occurred to him that these ghosts not only didn't blink but they didn't breathe either. She said, "George is touchy about ghosts getting close to the boy or John. Several ghosts almost killed John last year and that set her off on her hunts."

"That wasn't us." One of the men spoke up, "We heard about that but it wasn't us. Those were local crazies that did that. We're peaceful and wouldn't hurt either the boy or your detective friend. We want justice for what was done to us."

Jay glanced over to the body at the foot of the stairs. He could see why George might have concerns.

The orange lady said, "Ahh, Rob, we're standing among some contrary evidence here. It's no wonder these two look a little pale. It's OK, Honey." She was looking at Bee. She leaned closer to Bee. "These four deserved everything they got. They murdered me and my children in cold blood. All of us were killed by these…bastards."

One of men said, "And the so-called law never came close to catching them. They just went on with their killing year after year."

A man on the stairs jumped in, "Roxy we've heard that there is a priest, Father Adair, who is holding confessionals for ghosts at his church near the Waffle Haus. Is it true?"

Before she could answer another woman said, "I've got unfinished business with two more of these assholes. I want to know how to find them, then I'll see the priest and get some forgiveness."

Roxy waited until some of the mumbled talking died down. "Yes, George is helping the Father to hold confessionals on Wednesday nights. His church has been a sanctuary. They start right after dark. However, she will be leaving for a while. We believe that the rest of the team will be in town soon and this will all come to a head not long after." She turned to focus on the woman who wanted to know how to find them. "Lady, really, I don't think you'll get another chance for this kind of payback, but if you talk to Ray and Benny they will keep you posted as things develop." She paused and thought of something more. "Just do not come close to the house or the boy - really - the Dragon will not tolerate you anywhere near the house."

A few voices rose above a general murmuring. He heard clearly. "No problem. We'll stay away."

Roxy let go and turned to the door. "Let's move outside."

The people that a moment ago were talking to them and standing around them just winked out and the crime scene, quiet, bloody, and dark was all they could perceive. Roxy walked outside and they followed. The sun and fresh air were welcome. They were back in the world where ghosts did not exist. He closed his eyes. I can't see them - they can't touch me - they don't exist.

They stopped outside. The two FBI agents hadn't come closer but had moved and were standing where they could see them and the house from. They couldn't hold them off for long. Bee asked, "Roxy. Why do they call the Georgia girl, the Dragon?"

Roxy, he was sure, always thought twice and spoke only after weighing what to say. "She's not your average reaper. She…is more powerful than your average reaper…and she started last year hunting down stray ghosts and sending them over. That upset the local community, actually terrified the shit out of a lot of them." She seemed to remember something. "Also, to a ghost we reapers look different than to you living types. And George apparently glows in a way that reminds some of them of a dragon. I guess when she's coming for you and you're a ghost that she's trapped, she would be a nightmare. So, they, the ghosts, call George the Dragon. We don't."

Jay heard something there. "What do we call her?"

Roxy smiled and said, "You call her George." She paused again. "Actually you living types call her Millie, Millie Hagen. Georgia Lass was her name when alive. We, reapers, some of us at least, call her the Terminator."

He really had underestimated that girl, really seriously underestimated her. "And…why would that be?"

"Because she can bring about a final death for ghosts and reapers, something she has done before, and that unnerves some of us, especially those who don't know her." She maybe noticed his next question. "I'm undead. Those ghosts are supposed to go into their lights, transition to some higher level. There is something after you die. As Rube says death is just a transition to something more. George can end that path to something more. For the ghosts who want to stay here and not pass over she can force them over, or turn them into incorporeal ghost dust. She can turn a reaper into dust too. It's a final end. No going anywhere after that." And with that something in her face signaled she was done talking about this.

Jay said, "Well, we got four bodies. If it's OK with you, Roxy, we'll gather up anything of interest and then, as you suggested, make it all disappear. Is there anything more?"

"I'm good." She turned to go, stopped and looked back. "You seem like nice people. I hope you get through OK."

Bee frowned deeply. "Get through?" She looked around. "Why would this be a problem for us?"

Roxy shook her head. "Not this." She looked back towards the remains of man in the foyer. "I mean just be careful you don't do or say anything that will trigger upstairs to assign you an appointment." Bee looked ill. Roxy, he could tell wasn't naturally empathetic, but she seemed to find something for them. "Fate probably has some future date penciled in for your soul to be collected. But now that you've pushed your way into knowledge of us, things have become a bit gray for you. Get loose lips and upstairs will push up your appointment. You might get a heart attack, an aneurism, or maybe get hit by a bus. Whatever. Then one of us will collect your soul and no loose ends." She smiled. "Good luck." And walked back towards her car.

Jay moved back over to the door and watched her walk away. He turned to Bee. "Bee when that fucking computer was playing with us, I thought we were in deep shit, but now…Now. Nothing will ever be the same again."

She said, "We're trapped." She sighed. "Let's get started. The office looks important."

"I'll get our friends out there moving. No forensics but a lot of clean up."