Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (16 page)

Calling James in to see the body, she knows it will be a conflict of interest if there is ever any type of investigation. This has already been reported as a natural death. although it is highly unnatural, It still doesn't bear any resemblance to any murder she has ever seen. It’s just one of those cases one needs to see to believe. James walks in and his immediate response is a surprised and overwhelmed "what the fuck?"

She looks at him simply shrugging her shoulders; "I’ve never seen anything even remotely like it. He’s so mangled I’m not sure whether to list it as a stroke or a heart attack; it seems they occurred simultaneously to what you can plainly see is an impossible degree. This guy practically imploded! Can I just write it up as spontaneous implosion?"

Giving him a morbid smile she giggles. Only those working in an environment such as this can find humor in a corpse full of mystery and mess. She has sent his blood-work off to see if there’s some kind of answer there, but it’s hopeless. Nothing other than the typical drugs and alcohol will be found. Nothing can explain the wicked destruction of his organs, nothing natural that is.

She finally decides to go with unknown as the final result, despite this verdict being an unwelcome jab to her pride. She is confident in her spectacular sensitivity which often allows her to see the minutest clues and help her team with any case where forensic pathology is involved, but this one admittedly has her stumped. She is convinced the answer is not something anyone wants to read in her report, even if she dares to fathom a guess.

Feeling frustrated due to the combination of her failure on this case and the slow progression of the Sisters case, Joanna gets a cup of coffee and takes a break to clear her head. She is not getting any closer to finding a cause for the elevated hormone levels, no trace of any substance is registering in her database. She doesn't like being stumped and knows the rest of the team is feeling the same discomfort. What is happening to their quiet and peaceful town?

She’s only thankful they have not found three more tiny bodies to add to the mysteries piling up. She hopes that eventually at least some of the missing in this case will be found alive. That will at least give some purpose to all this mess. Sometimes her work is very difficult for her to handle, she knows she’s tough but there’s only so much death anyone can take. The last few weeks are wearing on her she feels tired.

James still intends to meet with all of the missing girls’ families, but today he is reviewing what he already has. He still has the nagging suspicion he’s missing something important. Spreading the files out on his desk he begins the immense task of reading each one in detail. Starting with the crime scene work-up he slowly and methodically reads every line. He manages to get a really good sense of who each of these girls were in life and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances and deaths.

Feeling a need to find just a single grain of direction in this pile of information, James goes through his interviews, and the photos of the girls he has collected. There’s something in these pictures, he’s sure of it. He spreads them all out on the desk, each one just a moment in their lives, but each one capturing so much more than a moment. Their smiles, their mischievous eyes, their love for nature, animals, their families, life. These girls were truly beautiful, and now they’re dead. Someone has to be punished for this wrong.

Feeling the throbbing of guilt and anger, he wants nothing more than to see and understand what it is he’s looking at. He analyzes them smiling at the camera, or staring off into nothing. He studies them playing and memorizes the quiet repose of their final photos. He understands their father is the missing connection,
but who fathers their children? is it still the same man, and if so how is he going to find him
? And then it is there right in front of him. He finally sees it, another small commonality. Each of the girls has a small teardrop shaped mark on her shoulder. Bright red and perfectly shaped; a tattoo maybe?

Going back to the coroners report, to see if there is any indication of it there, he thinks he would have noticed a mention like that. Nothing, there are no notations describing the marks. He knows Joanna is thorough, so he is surprised by the omission of what would normally be standard procedure. The girls have no other marks mentioned in the report either, which is unlikely. No one has a body free of scars or identifiable markings. No one is perfect. He’ll have to take the photos down and check this out with Joanna.

When he compares his photos with the photos Joanna has taken, the tears are gone. Each of the girls has perfectly smooth and pristine skin. Even the typical stretch marks of growth and pregnancy are absent. These girls are somehow stripped of their imperfections. James takes a deep breath and lets it out in frustration.
Here we go, another impossibility, another mystery… What in the world is going on?

Wanting to see if the photos of the missing girls include a similar mark, James checks his files, but the pictures he has don't reveal the shoulders of any of the girls. He’s anxious to see the families as soon as possible. Somehow it seems important; this tiny mark means something.

James knows he has the pieces, they only need to be put into the right order. He will find what he’s looking for, no matter what it takes. No puzzle is impossible to solve and persistence will put the pieces in place. These girls will find peace and only when they have theirs will he allow himself to fully rest.

Knowing people will have heard about what happened, Amber is afraid to go to work. this is a small town, and she fears many of them will think she has done something horrible. Amber loves it here and wants to live a normal life. She doesn't want to leave again especially now that she is safe. She gets ready for work in a nervous state of anticipation. Today will dictate her next move:
Will she stay or will she have to run again?

Rissa welcomes Amber with open arms relieved she is not more severely hurt. Everyone seems to be really concerned for Amber, and whether she’s okay. Amber is set on forgetting about it all, she wants to put things back to normal. Amber feels good working, seeing the smiling faces coming in and bringing her sympathy and kindness. She feels welcome and at home. This is where she belongs.

A moment of darkness overtakes her, the thought surfaces slowly but clearly, she sees ripples on black water, droplets falling, unsettling the still surface. She hears him cry out, his tiny arms and legs reaching for a mother he will never meet. His captor holding him high above his head, letting the glistening life spill down his arms. His cries fading, his body twitching, darkness coming. The waters taking him, cradling him in warmth and returning his soul to the universe.

Returning to reality Amber realizes only a moment has passed, no one even noticed her silence. The vision fills her with worry; what if it is real? He is so tiny, his body barely bigger than the hands holding him. What if he is somewhere out there bleeding to death, his sad little cry echoing in her mind. Can she help him? She cannot let him die. They are near the water, dark still water. Water that smells of blood and death. She has to ask Rissa for help.

When she explains what she has seen, Rissa insists they call James immediately. She promises not to reveal Amber's secret; Rissa tells him of her premonitions when they come, they have been known to help them with missing persons and murders, so this will not be a shocker. This time unfortunately, she doesn't know where to send them. She hopes the information will be helpful, but knows it's probably not enough for them to find him.

Feeling like a freak of nature, Amber doesn't understand why this stuff is happening to her? She doesn't want to see the pain and suffering of others, doesn't want to see things she shouldn't know. She wants safety, normalcy, and a life of her own. Unfortunately she is well aware this gift, or curse, will forever haunt her whether she wants it or not. She will dream, she will know, and bad things will happen all around her. They will not save the child just as no one saved the woman who died, she will see their faces and feel the last moments of their lives and though it will fade, it will never completely go away.

Amber doesn't want to hear what James is saying when Rissa calls, but she can't help herself. She sits nearby hanging on every word and wishing there was a way to hear the other side of the conversation. She’s afraid he will decide they’re crazy and won't want to see her anymore. Though Rissa has protected Amber from having to explain herself to him, she feels guilty and strangely out of sorts. How can he possibly understand the sort of knowledge she has, he will never be able to love a woman who's mind dwells in such dark and horrible places. Eventually she will have to tell him the vision is hers. She won't be able to live with herself otherwise, she wants a relationship built on truth not secrets no matter how risky that may be.

James sees the truth of her words immediately, he knows it's one of the children he is looking for. The ritualistic scene Rissa describes fits right into the theories surrounding the murders.
Is it possible the man is the one he has been looking for?
At least she gives him a general description, and it is more than he had before. It is saddening to hear the child or perhaps the children have been killed. The up-side is the feeling growing deep within his bones they are catching up to the answer. He takes down everything Rissa says and thanks her for her help. Telling him she will call if there’s anything more, Rissa feels a deep gloom that she can't help more. James knows how much it hurts her to have the visions, but they have saved lives in the past. It always seems there is a price for everything. He for one is grateful for her abilities.

The place she describes could be just about anywhere, the stagnant swamp waters are not exactly a rarity in their area. The idea that the infants are still nearby however, sets the team into motion organizing a search. They map out the possibilities and are surprised at the immensity of the challenge. They will most likely be out all night chasing ghosts, but James is glad to have something to chase no matter how elusive it may be. Bringing in everyone they can get, they divide the most likely areas up between fourteen two and three man teams. There are still quite a few daylight hours, so they head out immediately to take advantage of what light remains. This is one of the most full scale efforts their area has ever seen.

Rissa calls a gathering of the circle, to share with them the vision Amber had. The women are attempting to generate a stronger vision, focusing on bringing on one that might guide the police to the child. Standing in their ceremonial circle, chanting the corners in perfect unison they call on the spirits seeking the power to channel the vision. Stepping into the center of the circle, Amber does not know what has come over her but she suddenly understands what must be done. The other girls watching her with tense expectation, wait for something to happen. The air is filled with tension and an overwhelming sense of urgency holds them silently despite their growing fear.

Amber pulls a box cutter from her pocket and cuts deeply into the tender flesh of her palm. Throwing her hands high above her she lets the blood flow down over herself and onto the ground, as she has seen the man in her dreams do with the child. She feels the power of the blood rushing though her. She would never have thought to do any of this before, in some ways it seems darkly evil to her, but the world of black and white has shifted into shades of grey. Somehow the blood offering also makes her feel pure and connected. Rissa follows suit taking the blade to her palm, the others pause, unsure what all of this means. Blood ceremony has been forbidden and they all know the penalties for breaking the sacred codes. They’re not trained in rituals like this, and they’re not sure whether they should be a part of it. Dawn follows Rissa and the three girls stand offering the sacrifice, receiving what the blood has to offer. Feeling the power in the blood the others spill, Amber fills her mind with it's intoxicating fire; it feeds her, allowing her to see. Standing together within the circle, the three girls are a terrifying vision with their blood mixing as it drips down onto their faces, hair and bodies. The fear and excitement has each girl so completely fixated on the ritual, they find it difficult to even breathe with consistency.

Rissa and Dawn both feel the pull, they know Amber is feeding on their strength somehow. The other girls stand in fear, but do not break the circle. Amber closes her eyes and guides the sight to what she needs to see. He is the father, and he is the sun, he has been called a god. The names he has known are many and he brings life and death as he chooses. He stands among men, but is not of men, their rules and laws mean nothing to him. The child is a sacrifice, born for no other purpose. His heart does not feel remorse for the squirming life he extinguishes. He wears no clothes and his body is covered with scars, but his muscular torso is stunning in its perfection despite the markings. Small barbs of bone pierce his skin, and he is in a state of euphoria as he drains the child dry.