“Let’s give our government bodyguards a little exercise,” I said, finishing my plate.
We started our walk south of the hotel. We came to a park and Charlotte sat in one of the swings. I pushed her gently. I wanted us to try and enjoy as much of our weekend as possible but in the back of my mind, the words agent Faulkner said were echoing in my thoughts. What if this guy attacked your wife?
We got back to the hotel around three. I could see that our bodyguards were hot and pissed. I didn’t care. I really didn’t want to be here in Atlanta anymore. I wanted to be back home with Charlotte where things felt right and simple.
I started to slide our room key but noticed a piece of paper sticking out from under the door. The agents noticed it too. I reached down and picked it up by the edges. It was a habit. Perhaps a good habit to keep in my line of work.
I opened the folded piece of paper. My whole demeanor changed. Agent Jefferson looked over my shoulder and read the paper and immediately got on his ear piece. They both drew their guns and took my slide card and went in our room and searched it all over.
Charlotte had a look of fear in her eyes.
“C’mon detective,” said agent Riley, “you and your wife cannot stay here.”
“What’s going on” asked Charlotte.
“We are wasting time, let’s go,” said agent Jefferson.
I grabbed Charlotte by her hand and led her to the elevators. We got downstairs to a waiting unmarked black sedan.
“Get in,” ordered Riley. “We have to get you two away from here.”
I nodded and placed Charlotte in the back seat. She had to adjust a little to get inside because of her pregnancy.
“What was on that piece of paper?” Charlotte asked.
“It was a note from the killer,” I said, as I pulled out my phone.
For the rest of the ride, everybody was silent except Agent Jefferson speaking into his collar.
The route was the same route Faulkner and I had taken earlier. We got out of the car in the parking deck and took the elevator to Faulkner’s office. Agent Faulkner met us at the elevator. She escorted us into her office and waved Riley and Jefferson to stay outside.
I sat Charlotte down in the seat I was in earlier.
“Hello Mrs. Jackson, I am Agent Margaret Faulkner with the FBI. I am sorry for all of this but it is for your protection.”
Charlotte looked at me. I kept my eyes on Faulkner.
“How did he know where we were?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” said Faulkner, “you still have the note?”
I pulled the note from my pocket and gave it to her.
“You have a pretty wife, just like the nurse.
Watch the news.
___Baron Samedi”
Charlotte started breathing fast after hearing the words of the note. “What does that mean?”
I kept my eyes on Faulkner. “Yeah Agent Faulkner, What—does—that mean?”
She looked at me as if she wished she could disappear at that moment. I went on and asked her the question she tried to avoid answering.
“When were you going to let me know the nurse was dead?”
“I thought it best not to say anything right away. That is why I placed Riley and Jefferson to watch over your wife.”
I slammed my fist on her desk. “What else have you held back from me?”
“What do you mean, detective,” she said, trying to assert her authority. I wasn’t about to give her the pleasure.
“You knew damn well that killer knew where we were and you also knew he had killed the nurse sometime between last night and this morning--didn’t you!”
“She tried to look me in the eyes without flinching but her eyes went down and to the right. I knew I had been right. I sat back in my seat.
“What do we have to do with all this,” asked Charlotte.
“We were bait,” I said, “at least you were.”
Charlotte placed her face in her hands.
I was getting madder every second I sat there.
“C’mon Charlotte, we are getting the hell out of her and going back home—right now!”
Charlotte had tears coming from her eyes. “Why,” she asked agent Faulkner.
Faulkner broke her silence.
“We have been trying to catch this guy for a long time now. I’m sorry this happened to you. We tried to give Ms. Wells protection also, but we were too late. She left the hospital this morning at around 1 A.M. and headed home. Her body was discovered next to her car on front of her apartment.”
I thought back to that night about Lenora Wells. She was pretty just like the other victim.
“How did you find out she was dead?” Faulkner asked me.
“I searched the news on my phone before we got here.”
Faulkner nodded.
“Well, we have to get you two to safety.”
“I already took care of that,” I said. “A good friend of mine is coming to pick Charlotte up and take her back home.”
Charlotte looked at me. I held her hand. “I have no choice now, baby.”
She nodded that she understood.
“Detective if you like we could…”
“Nevermind,” I said, interrupting Faulkner. “You all have done plenty already.”
The four hours it took for Chad to get there seemed like four years.
“Who is this?” Faulkner asked as I was placing Charlotte in the front seat of Chad’s unmarked sedan.
“This is Detective Chad Caddis. Chad this is Margaret Faulkner, FBI.”
They shook hands. I briefed Chad on what I could and told him Charlotte would fill him in more. I couldn’t help looking around to see if we were being watched.
I waved bye at them as Chad pulled out the parking deck. Charlotte didn’t want to go and I didn’t want her to go either, but this guy—this killer, did way more than disrupt my weekend. He had placed his sights on my wife.
And I am not going to rest until I get him.
Chapter 5
I told Faulkner that I was going to stay at our hotel and in the same room. If that bastard wanted his ass handed to him then I was the right person to give it to him. I asked Faulkner to keep the agents away from the hotel so that he would think everything was normal and to take me by Nurse Wells place so I could see the scene.
“Whoever this guy is, he already feels that he is one step ahead of the police,” I said, looking out at the scenery as Faulkner was driving.
“I’m afraid you’re right. We haven’t been able to get any kind of line. We do have DNA evidence but you know like I know, that will take some time.”
I was glad to hear that but also knew the truth that DNA was a waiting game.
I wondered why he used Baron Samedi as a name.
“What do you know about Baron Samedi?’ I asked Faulkner.
“I looked the name up and it showed him to be a mythical witch doctor of some sort from Haiti.”
“Yeah, that is correct. Also, he was known as the man who cannot die. He is said to be centuries old and walks through time like a phantom but looks human like you and I. Some people call him the ‘Lord of the Dead.’
She was impressed. “So is that what you got from that phone of yours?”
“No, the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die, plus yes I did google him too.”
She shook her head with a slight laugh.
We drove out of the city and got off at the Villa Rica exit. We headed south for a few miles and turned left on a narrow road. The apartments looked new with trees and flowers of every color including pink camellia’s or pink perfection, which were Charlotte’s favorite, that added a bit of southern charm to the landscape.
I got out of the car and started looking around. I had a methodical way of doing things. First, I would look at the place where the body was found and then fan out from there.
It was getting dark and I didn’t have much time.
“Did anybody question the neighbors?”
“Yes, but nobody saw or heard anything.”