The Blood Eagle In The Big Easy Part 6

She smiled once more. "I am out of time. Lift the child to my mouth and hold her till it is done."

Galvez stood and carried the screaming child to her doom. As Gullveig opened her mouth a darkness escaped her lips. The black spirit circled the room and howled as it dove for the child and then silence ensued. The little girls blue eyes turned black and her screaming and tears just stopped. There was no more of the little girl left within her, only Gullveig survived. Galvez shuddered before carrying the child out to the others.

I felt sick as the memory faded only to have a new one take its place. In this memory Galvez was looking in a mirror as he drew the scalpel across his lower abdominal muscles. He winced as the local anesthetic hadn't yet taken total effect. Once done he put the scalpel aside and retrieved a set of forceps and much to my displeasure prodded around in the wound for something. I heard a click of metal against metal and he pulled slowly the forceps out as blood and tissue came out along with a small rod of silver. After dropping the metal into a waiting dish he turned his attention to the open wound, carefully sewing it closed before standing up. He picked up the dish containing the metal rod and carried it across the room where he thoroughly cleaned both. Upon closer inspection it wasn't a silver rod at all but what appeared to be a human knuckle, possibly from an index finger, plated in silver. I was beginning to understand.

*Now you're getting it.' Galvez laughed.

*That's part of her cane?' I asked.

*Yes it is. We all had a piece of it sewn into our flesh. It was what gave us our extraordinary abilities. It's those missing pieces that she is searching for now.' He laughed again. *If she completes the set, everyone dies. I implanted my son with the piece she gave me.'

*Why would she give them to you in the first place if she needed them?' I asked.

*To make her the glorious vessel that you nearly destroyed.' He spat. *Enough!'

I still didn't understand, but before I could ask any questions a new memory came in focus of a young dark haired boy with bright eyes. Galvez stroked the boy's head gently and lovingly.

*He is my son. The best of me and you must save him! His name is Owen Boudreaux. He was never a part of this. If you can save him and remove the silver digit from his body you just might survive this. Today I will die a conflicted man but it is a small price to pay if you save my son."

"Galvez I would have to guess that this is probably the only good thing you have done in your entire life. You can die knowing that your son might make it through this alive, our differences be d.a.m.ned." Suddenly I was jolted back to reality as Galvez released his hold on me, and I saw him fall back to earth with a thud. The others hadn't even had time to move. I now understand where the saying "Just before you die your life flashes before your eyes" comes from.

As I stood up Gregory was the first to reach us. He knelt down and grabbed Galvez's wrist, looking for a pulse. "Did he say anything important?"

"Many things actually." As hard as it was for me to admit, sadness for the man crept into my heart, for even a monster such as this could feel love for a child. "For starters he told me there is another man here in town that Gullveig is trying to find."

Gregory looked at me questioningly. "No chance for a name is there? I mean I wasn't that far away. He couldn't have said that much."

"The one other thing he told me was that from the beginning Helena had been a part of the whole thing. She was one of the five cult members we missed that day twenty years ago." I seethed as the anger replaced the sadness. "We were duped! We were so very wrong." I growled. "The sickest part of this whole thing is that Gullveig is Helena's daughter and Nicholas's fraternal triplet."

Gregory staggered back as if he had been punched in the face. "Are you sure?" He stammered. "He could have been lying."I turned and walked away as the SOG and their forensics team took over the crime scene. Gregory was quick to follow. "You can't be serious about this can you?" Gregory asked.

"I wish I weren't." I whispered.

Gregory studied me. "Viktor are you alright?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

As I was explaining everything to Gregory I thought it best to leave out the whole otherworldly possession part of the scenario. He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the entirety of the situation. Gullveig could jump from body to body, and if she a.s.sembled her magic disco stick she would have enough power to split the world in two. As a side note and one I barely find worth mentioning, she was brutally murdering her old followers.

"We need to clean this up and quickly." Gregory stated, finally breaking the silence as he started pacing.

"Agreed." I replied.

"Do we have any idea's where to start?" Gregory asked.

I nodded slowly. "Actually, I believe I do but I need to run down a few leads before I can be sure." I paused for a moment as I thought of something that would keep Gregory occupied while I took care of an errand. "I need you to piece together Helena's movements in the months before she left Alabama. I got a feeling we won't like what we find."

Gregory nodded. "I will have the SOG ready to go as soon as we come up with a new lead. I still can't believe that Helena was a part of that whole mess. She seemed so innocent and I just can't get my head around it."

"We were both played for the fool, though it would seem that her past caught up to her. I believe that there is a reason that all of this is happening now. It just doesn't make any sense that Gullveig would wait all this time without a d.a.m.n good reason."

Gregory shook his head. "You got me. Look, I got to handle this immediate situation here and try to keep it out of the papers. Go home take a shower maybe get an hour or two of sleep and let's meet up this afternoon and compare notes."

"Thanks. You should try and get some sleep as well." My stomach growled. "I suppose a bit of food wouldn't hurt either one of us."

Gregory laughed. "You are always worried about that stomach of yours."

I shrugged. "I'm a growing boy."

Gregory chuckled as he walked back to the CSI unit. I motioned for Kira and the others to follow me, and it wasn't long before she fell in step beside me. "Something's afoot isn't it?"

"We will talk about it when we get back to the office. I have an important package for you to pick up for me."

"Really? Errands at this hour and with all this going on?" Kira said fl.u.s.tered.

"Does it help that I am giving you two strike teams to pick up the package for me?" I asked, amused at her annoyance but also a little p.i.s.sed at her tone.

That brought a smile to her face. "Oh really? Two strike teams does sound interesting."

I stopped and turned as I gave her a hard look. "You are to use any means necessary to acquire this package for me and if anything gets in your way during your retrieval kill it. Don't hesitate, just get me that package! Am I clear?"

I had not meant to be so forceful and it wiped the smile off her face. "I understand. Should I call mother in to a.s.sist?"

"Not yet but if it comes down to it then call her and do whatever it takes, but get the package to me as fast as possible."

Kira responded "Of course."

Once we got back to work we went up to my office where I wrote down the information she needed. I had given her Owen's name and general location, reminding her how dangerous this was and suggested she could call her mother to join her if felt like she needed the company. Any fallout over this I would handle at a later time. For now I knew that our very lives hung in the balance with the recovery a single twenty nine year old manling. G.o.d what a nightmare!

Chapter 9.

In the solace of my office I took the time to sift through the memories Galvez had shared with me. As I paced the length of my office my boots kept cadence with some long forgotten tune. The third man with the scar across his left cheek looked familiar yet I was having trouble placing him. I don't know about you but I eat when I'm stressed. Opening the fridge I nearly dropped my water when I finally realized where I knew the slimeball. The third man in Galvez's memory was someone I'd met in pa.s.sing. The scar had muted with age but his other features remained much the same.

He was an antiques dealer on Royal in the French Quarter. A few months back I was shopping for an antique secretary desk when I stumbled across a particularly odd little shop. It stuck out in my memory because the proprietor gave off an odd vibe, even for the eclectic group of shop owners who reside in the Quarter.

Something about the place sent s.h.i.+vers up my spine and with my years of experience that reaction in me takes a special kind of deranged psychopath. Pulling my phone out I opened the notepad where I kept track of things that while not immediately important might be worth checking on in the future. The first few pages were full of rumors of dark magic on the outskirts of the Quarter and a couple of missing persons alerts. On page three hit pay dirt *Curious George's Antiques and Unusual Memorabilia' Royal Street and I marked it with three stars.

I know what you're thinking. Men are supposed to have a little black book filled with women's names with a rating system and not some list of strange places and missing people. I suppose this could look odd in a very bad way for me if it fell into the wrong hands. The store owner came off as aggressive and rude which didn't surprise me given its location, but it was something about his demeanor that sent up red flags. I remember receiving a call on my cellphone and leaving the store, relegating him to the back burner. Today was a good day to revisit that situation, and it was well past time that we had a talk about his activities both past and present. I kind of doubt he will have a future.

Calmness finally set in. I stopped pacing and sat down in my overstuffed leather chair, allowing myself to get comfortable. A little too comfortable actually. It was already two thirty in the morning and if I hurried I could clean up and pay Creepy George a visit before dawn. For a moment the thought of getting some much needed rest was tempting, but the clock was ticking and the longer I waited the more likely Mr. Creepy would vanish, leaving me completely in the dark. He and I were long overdue for an in depth conversation, and by conversation I meant putting a bullet in his skull, after I got the information I needed of course.

Pus.h.i.+ng myself out of the chair I quickly crossed the room to the solid oak door leading into my private oversized bath. I normally don't indulge myself, but this was an exception. The far corner of the bathroom was tiled floor to ceiling and enclosed by two huge sections of tempered safety gla.s.s. It was more of a sauna than a shower, with jets all around the ceiling and walls. Long tiled benches ran the length of each wall. On most days I would sit as the hot water poured over me, mentally reviewing my day but today I didn't have that type of time. As the shower warmed up I grabbed a change of clothes.

As I showered as I stood there letting the water cascade over me as it washed away the harsh reality of the day. It was hardly the first time I had seen a dead body, and honestly I had created more than few over the years. But something about this case haunted me. Something told me I should recognize Gullveig's handiwork, I just couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was that bothered me.

Faded memories drifted through the furthest edges of my mind, dark highlighted by different shades of gray like a sound m.u.f.fled through a windtunnel. There were intense memories there if only I could remember them. I could only hope that the shadows that haunted the dark recesses of my mind would eventually make themselves known.

Gullveig clearly enjoyed torturing her victims before they died. She relished in the art of delivering pain, suffering and finally death to her victims. While Helena and Galvez were far from decent people I wouldn't have wished either of their deaths upon them. Both of them tried to escape who they'd become for the betterment and survival of their children. That thought brought me comfort as it rea.s.sured me I hadn't lost my mind or my humanity. They hadn't deserved to die such cruel deaths, no one did. It was who she was though! If history has taught me nothing else, it's that man as a species has made brutality an artform, and Gullveig was the Michelangelo and the Leonardo da Vinci of death.

Thoughts rolled over me as the warmth of the water sank into my flesh as I kept an eye on the clock. Five of the fifteen minutes that I allowed myself to shower had pa.s.sed already. I thought about how Gullveig was a body jumper and, if Galvez's memory was true an ancient one. Since she was a being of spirit she could jump from one body to the next without hesitation. It made me wonder why she needed the body of a newborn, and what was her motivation? What was the purpose of inhabiting an infant? She would be at the mercy of others until she was old enough to tend to her own needs. I couldn't believe she would risk such a thing unless she gained some special benefit from the process, and in all my years I'd never heard of such a boon. Even among her own kind inhabiting a child was always a last resort to ensure their survival as their bodies were ill equipped to handle their spirit form for long. Since jumpers were unable to live more than a few hours without a host I was truly perplexed that she'd chosen an infant and even more surprised that the child had survived so long.

Three minutes remained as I released all thought, letting my mind unfurl itself. Tension and weariness left my body as I drew in each breath allowing the life force that permeated the world to flow through me. I felt my body vibrate as the power of life itself coursed through my veins. I opened my eyes, narrowed my focus forcing the water off me as I stepped out of the shower. Pulling on a pair of old levis and a long sleeve cotton pullover I contemplated on how to proceed with Creepy George. I settled on a direct approach more or less, to catch him in his upstairs apartment. The best way to do that was simply to break in through a window on the second story balcony. I grabbed a belt holster and strapped it on my belt in the middle of my back. The less attention I drew from law enforcement would be preferable. While subtle wasn't one of my strong suits stealth certainly was.

The last twenty four hours had been anything but peaceful and I had little doubt that would change in the near future. The man I was about to meet had tried to kill me once before, even if that was twenty years ago. There was little reason to think he wouldn't try again. The thought of using a high powered rifle and having him drop dead before the soundwave hit was tempting, yet highly counter productive, since I needed information. If it came down to it and I had to kill him, it wouldn't be the end of the world, just inconvenient as h.e.l.l.

Entering the office I found Kira making herself comfortable in my chair. I'm old and a guy to boot, so yes I have a special chair that just so happens to fit me perfectly.

"Making yourself comfortable?" I inquired, smirking as I walked past her to the safe across the room. "What are you still doing here? I thought you would be on the road by now." After pulling out one of the PX4's and slipping it into the waiting holster I turned my attention back to my daughter.

She eyed me as she carefully considered my attire. "I will be shortly." She propped her feet up on my desk and smiled. "Thought I would stop in and wish you luck on whatever stupid thing you're about to do."

"Feet off." I grimaced as she was bound and determined to chip the furniture one day with her overpriced heels. Again I know it sounds like I'm somebody's grandpa but she'd understand one day. As she rolled her eyes she complied. "And why, do you think I'm about to do something *stupid'?"

"I dunno, maybe because you're sending me out of town on a baby sitting errand!" Pus.h.i.+ng herself to her feet as she gave me a sober look. "And you have Gregory doing busy work that anyone here could do ten times faster." She casually walked around the front of my desk and leaned back as she kept a keen eye on me. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Alright, you're wrong." I said turning my back to her as I grabbed several extra clips from the safe. "I need this *Owen' person brought back here in one piece." Turning back around Kira's face was twisted up like she was about to go on the attack. "Before you get all defensive, Owen has something we need to recover on his person. He doesn't know he has it." Grabbing my jacket as I made my way back to her I gave her my best *please do as I ask' face. "I'm doing my best to make sure you're first solo command is as uneventful as possible." Leaning over I gave her a kiss on the cheek as I smiled brightly. "Its a father's prerogative!"

She gave me a quick hug. "I love you too." She blushed. "I know I don't say it often enough but I do love you dad."

My heart swelled with pride. She was a good girl, and I couldn't have asked for more in a child. Well, maybe less att.i.tude but even that was alright. "Be careful out there." I opened the office door and bowed as she walked through.

"You should think about one of those new ergonomic chairs for your back." She laughed as she strolled toward the stairs. "Your desk chair in there is lumpy in all the wrong places and dear G.o.d it is just so old and out of style."

"Don't even think about replacing it!" Shaking a finger at her I couldn't help but smile. "It took me thirty years to break that one in the way I like it." Closing the door behind us I followed her down the stairs.

It was just after three in the morning when I left my office and made my way down Barracks Street. Barracks was one of the nicer streets that ran the length of the French Quarter perpendicular to Bourbon. Over the last several years developers had refurbished many of the older buildings turning them into expensive condominiums that catered to those individuals who wanted to be part of the French Quarter in crowd. During the past year two different real estate developers had offered me nearly enough money for my building to be able to demolish it to rebuild an exact replica in not even a block away. Pa.s.sing Burgundy I caught site of Cabrini Park as it lay nearly empty, dark and slightly depressing as the homeless huddled in the far corner. It wasn't until I pa.s.sed Dauphine Street that the stench of stale beer, mildew and some acidic aroma mixed with freshly brewed coffee with chicory overwhelmed my sense of smell completely. Of all the places in the world that I had been to this particular mixture of scents was uniquely New Orleans.

Two blocks later I made a right on Royal Street. *Curious George's' shop was a block and a half from Barracks Street in a row of two story buildings. The lower floors were used for business while the second story served an apartment for the proprietor. Creepy George fell into this category while his neighbor used the upstairs as storage allowing me to scale the wall and onto his neighbor's balcony without any worry of being spotted.

The lights in Creepy Georges apartment suddenly came on. I froze in place, afraid he had somehow detected my presence. Ducking below the wrought iron railing I prayed that I would go unnoticed. From this angle I could see through the livingroom and kitchen windows which were just a couple of yards away. Creepy George strode nude through the living room and into the kitchen where he turned on the coffee maker. When he bent at the waist to grab the sugar from one of the lower cabinets I felt a little ill as I saw more than I would have cared to see of his nether region.

He walked back through the house, stopping in the living room to open the windows allowing the fresh air in. It wasn't long after he disappeared from view that I heard the running water of a shower. Carefully and quietly I crept over the wrought iron railing and through the open window. Focusing my will I felt the hum of my s.h.i.+elds as they wrapped themselves around me.

Waiting outside the bedroom I listened closely, waiting for him to step into the shower. Once I heard the shower stall door close I waited a few minutes longer for him to be at his most vulnerable. I know it's rude as h.e.l.l to plan on kicking the s.h.i.+t out of someone when they are in the shower because lets face it, we are all afraid of something happening to us one day. Didn't mean I wasn't going to take advantage of the situation just meant I knew it was rude. Once I was sure he was otherwise occupied I walked through the bedroom door and into the bath.

"Good morning Creepy Geor..." As I entered the room I turned to my right reaching for my weapon. Most people don't want to get into the thick of things when they are naked and soapy. George was neither of these things as the shower door exploded sending shards of gla.s.s through the air embedding themselves everywhere. The gla.s.s harmlessly shattered against my s.h.i.+elds even though I was caught completely by surprise.

George had quickly dressed and laid in wait and was now barreling through the broken door screaming at me. Hitting me like a freight train I flew across the room shattering the mirrored wall on impact. His fists slammed against my s.h.i.+elds like sledgehammers and I felt them weaken with each impact. I caught him in the ear with a wicket right hook causing him to stagger back giving me room to get my footing. He quickly recovered throwing an elbow at my face which I blocked and brought up my knee into his midsection. Feeling a rib break I thought he might see reason and surrender. d.a.m.n was I ever wrong.

George drew back and kicked me for all he was worth, lifting me off the floor and slamming me into the far wall. Turning around quickly I threw a wicked kick to his midsection knocking him through the open door, giving me enough time to get to my feet before he charged again. George slammed his fist against my s.h.i.+elds b.l.o.o.d.ying his knuckles. He grabbed me and flung me against the bathroom vanity causing more of the broken mirror to crash to the floor. As George came at me I brought my fists down into his shoulders driving him to the floor. Jumping off the counter I found myself being slammed into the bedroom before my feet ever hit the floor.

George was out the bathroom door in a flash grabbing a baseball bat that was propped against the wall as he pa.s.sed. "You should've stayed away. I was content to let you live but as you can see things have changed" he growled.

George was stronger and faster than he should have been, an absolutely terrible combination when you are trying to whip someone's a.s.s, which he was doing to mine at the moment. And now he was armed with a bat! I didn't know how much more my s.h.i.+elds would take before he caved in my skull.

Shunting more of my will into the s.h.i.+elds to fortify them, I rolled to my feet. "How have things changed, George?"

George stopped suddenly and laughed. "You're here to kill me like you did the others." He shook his head as he circled me trying to find the right opening for his kill shot. "I won't lie down and die like the others!" He closed the distance between us as he swung the bat wildly at my head. "It's time for you to die Viktor!"

Sidestepping his attack I grabbed his batting arm and used his momentum causing him to land hard face first on the livingroom floor.

"I didn't kill the others!" I yelled as I speared him in the back as he tried to get to his feet. Forcing his face back into the floor and breaking his nose, I forced my knee down on this back. I felt another one of his ribs give way under my weight before he was able to again throw me across the room. "Your old friend Gullveig is back collecting her toys!"

He rolled to his feet with fear in his eyes. "You lie!" George charged me as I tried scrambling out of his way. "She died the day you raided the farm!" He slammed one of his meaty fists against the s.h.i.+elds protecting my face causing me to lurch sideways. "When the gas main blew you buried her in the caverns below." George kicked me slamming me into the unopened living room window. "Maybe its time you joined her in the hereafter!"

His entire right hand was covered in a red glowing mist which coalesced into a solid red sphere. He hurled it across the room with all his might, slamming into my s.h.i.+elds and enveloping them. I tried to brace for the impact but failed miserably. I was thrown bodily through the window and the balconies wrought iron railing. Landing on the far side of Royal Street with a very unsatisfactory thud, all I could do was moan as it knocked the wind out of me. George ran out on the balcony, and seeing that I wasn't dead he decided to finish the job. He took a few steps back before jumping off the balcony.

Seizing my opportunity as he hung in midair I pulled my PX4 from its holster and fired twice, both rounds slamming into his shoulder. Sprawling out of control he slammed into the asphalt. His thud and groan of agony were very satisfactory, to me at least. No matter how much I didn't want to kill him, he was making it nearly impossible. Dusting myself off as I stood up, I made sure I kept my weapon trained on Creepy George, though it didn't seem to phase him. He growled while rolling to his feet and charged me. I had about a half second to fire again, missing him as he dove to one side and rolled pa.s.sed me before getting to his feet and running toward the river.

Tucking the pistol back into its holster I quickly gave chase. He tore past Gallier House and through the empty parking lot that lay beyond. Creepy George slammed into some poor guy out walking his dog, slowing him down only slightly as he sent the man sprawling. I didn't have time to apologize, much less help him, as George scaled the back wall of the Beauregard Keyes House. At this point all I could do was try and keep up.

As I continued to run after him I was really starting to resent the fact that Creepy George was in better shape than I was. This thought distracted me for a moment as I topped the roofline, just long enough for George ambushed me. I dove to one side trying not to lose my footing. Just as I righted myself I saw him sneering at me as he casually jumped into the courtyard below. I hardly looked as graceful as he had as I launched myself from the roof but it was still highly effective. Slamming into his lower back I was pretty sure I had wiped that smug look off his face as it slammed into the concrete shattering his already broken nose. Pressing my advantage I drove an elbow hard into the base of his skull, slamming his face into the concrete a second time just for good measure. He suddenly pushed up with such force that he threw me back several feet, causing me to land hard on my back. Before I could get to my feet he was off again leaving a trail of blood from his broken nose in his wake.

I couldn't believe this guy was still moving. Looking up at the empty sky above I asked "Really?" G.o.d I hate this guy!

George crashed through a locked wooden door and entered the building, which only seemed to slow the man for less than a second forcing me to follow at top speed. We tore through the hallways knocking over tables and lamps as we went. George was making a mess of things and was far enough ahead of me that I momentarily lost him in the darkness. Hearing gunshots I could only guess one of the armed guards caught sight of George, fired and missed. As I ran toward the shots I could hear the sickening sound of squishy flesh meeting something very solid followed by crunching of breaking bones. Without needing to see what had happened I knew that the unprepared guard had met a gruesome end to his life. It wasn't a second later that I found the guard's broken body. Sirens sounded in the streets outside and it was time for me to stop my pursuit. George was surely gone by now and I was sure that the NOPD would have a lot of questions for me to answer. I made a quick call before stepping through the front door with my hands above my head and kneeling a.s.suming the position allowing the officers in the street below to come collect what they thought was their prize.

It wasn't worth the effort or the breath it would have taken to even try to point out that they had the wrong guy. If George was still around he would make short work of whoever found him and they too would wind up broken heaps of flesh like the security guard.

Chapter 10.

Two of NOPD's less than finest tossed me in an interrogation room, which was small, dimly lit and filthy. A large puddle of urine pooled in the furthest corner near the observation window causing me to cough at the stench. "Hold out your wrists!" The officer bellowed and, in the hopes that the man was about to remove my shackles I cooperated. He must have been counting on my line of thought as he gave me a wicked grin before yanking me forward to secure me to the metal ring on the table. "Comfortable?" His dark smile grew and before I could answer his question he yanked my wrists again. "I asked if you were comfortable!"

"Lawyer." Why did I always have to wind up with the tough guy with the little d.i.c.k? They always seemed to have something to prove. Looking up at him I gave him one of my patented f.u.c.k you smiles. The cuffs were a notch too tight and being yanked around like an abused dog didn't make me happy but I wasn't about to give this sack of s.h.i.+t the pleasure of knowing it.

The officer walked around the table stopping a couple of steps away. "You murdered that man this morning." Like he cared. He was just looking for someone to beat on without any repercussions. He pulled his fist back in a slow dramatic fas.h.i.+on to let me know what he was about to do hoping to have me beg for mercy. When he didn't get it he swung hard catching me in the jaw. He couldn't hit worth a d.a.m.n as it barely moved my head. The sound of one of his fingers breaking on impact brought a smile to my face as he grunted and cursed. "G.o.d d.a.m.n it!" He howled as he jumped back holding his hand. "What do you have in there, a steel plate?"

Letting my smile spread across my face I gave the little b.a.s.t.a.r.d a wink for good measure. "Lawyer."

"f.u.c.k you!" He growled as he strode by, kicking my chair as he pa.s.sed and glaring at me the entire way. He finally slammed the door behind him leaving me blissfully alone.

I thought that went well all things considered. Using my s.h.i.+elds to break the lock in the cuffs I could finally sit here in at least semi comfort. I didn't bother getting up or even try remove the broken shackles as there was no need to antagonize the NOPD anymore than necessary. The call I placed earlier was to the company attorney asking him to pull whatever strings he needed to collect all the surveillance between Creepy George's place and the Beauregard Keyes House. After that he would need to contact Gregory and let him know what was happening to see if we couldn't expedite my release.