CHAPTER SEVEN

“What are we waiting on?” asked Miller.

“The boys said they have some good news from the hair fibers and the clothing,” said Gaspar.

“I didn’t say good news. I said news,” said Sly, walking into the room. He and Code took their seats at the end of the table and frowned at the group. “There is no Matilda Smith. However, there was a Madeline Franks.”

“Was?” frowned Ian.

“She was found brutally beaten, stabbed, and dumped in Lake Ponchartrain four weeks ago. No one reported her missing. No one even knew she was gone. Madeline Franks worked for a topless dance club in Atlanta. The manager told the police that an ‘unnamed’ VIP client attempted to rape her in a private room, and she defended herself, hitting him over the head with a champagne bottle. He had two bodyguards with him who proceeded to beat the hell out of her.”

“Jesus. Unnamed, but they knew he was a VIP. What a crock of bullshit,” muttered Ghost.

“They would have killed her had the bouncer not found them. He got them out of the bar and dumped her at a hospital. Three days later, she disappeared, so the case against the bodyguards and her was dropped.”

“Who was the VIP?” asked Nine.

“It took a while for the cops to figure it out, but his name is Tony Mancuso. Owns a bunch of construction companies in the Atlanta area and a piece of several casinos on the East Coast.”

“Great,” muttered Ghost. “We’ve got possible mob connections to all of this.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Sly. “We contacted the Mancuso family, and they said they didn’t even know the name of the woman involved in the incident. Mancuso was a problem for them, so they weren’t terribly upset that he was gone. The bodyguards still work for the family and said they never intended to kill her, just teach her a lesson.”

“Did you tell them she was found dead here?” asked Nine.

“We told them. They can all verify that they were not in the area at the time.”

“Of course they can,” frowned Gaspar.

“Unfortunately, they can,” said Sly. “They were all in jail on unrelated charges. We’re back to square one. Two dead women. Both killed by multiple stab wounds. Both without any known enemies.”

“Our only connection for these women is the church,” said Nine. “I hate to say that, but someone at the church knew both of these women. The old man upstairs isn’t strong enough to do anything to either woman. We all buy Shirley’s story. We know where the Reverend and Barry were located.”

“Where does that leave us?” asked Ghost. “Now we have two dead women instead of one and no clue who killed them.”

“Well, I hate to say it too loud, but it looks like we all need to go to church this week,” said Gaspar.

“We don’t even know what we’re looking for,” said Miller. “I mean, you know I don’t mind going to church, but we’re digging for a needle, maybe two, in a haystack.”

“Then we have to find it,” said Nine. “If this person has already killed two women that we know of, there could be more.”

“Let’s spread out the times we go to church. I don’t want it to look too obvious that we’re outsiders,” said Gaspar.

“Shirley said they get a lot of bartenders, strippers, people from the Quarter. Maybe we should plan to go in looking like we work in a bar,” said Miller.

“That’s a good idea. Bouncers, bartenders, whatever floats your boat. Let’s just make sure that we sit with people we don’t know and listen to the conversations and what’s being said. Lord knows Mama Irene can attest to the network of the church ladies and what they know. I suspect this church will be no different,” said Nine.

“I always listen,” said Trak as the room jumped, gripping their chests. He loved hearing their growls and curses. It let him know he was still doing his job right.

“You’re an asshole is what you are,” said Ian. Nine just gave a smirk to Trak. His old friend was still spry and on the money.

“First service is at 1700 this evening, then another at 1900. He does two in the morning. One at 0630 and the other at 0800. Let’s go, boys. Time to get close to Jesus.”

“P-please let me go,” croaked the young woman. “P-please. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing to you.”

“Oh, you’ve done a great deal to me. You’ve offended me simply by your existence. You sell your body to any man who wants it. Sometimes, you just sell your mouth. Disgusting.”

God, this guy was seriously unhinged, she thought to herself. Maybe he’d never had sex before, or maybe he wanted.

“Listen, I’ll do whatever you want for free. Anything,” she said with a half-hearted smile.

“You have no shame. None at all, and that’s disturbing to me.”

Her arms were tied at the wrists, the thick rope hanging over the pulley that was connected to the rafters above. He pulled the rope, forcing her body upwards, and the strain on her shoulders and arms unbearable. When she tried to scream out, he shoved a dirty rag into her mouth.

She gagged, trying not to choke on her own vomit, but she couldn’t help it. Her saving grace was that it softened the rag enough that she could spit it out.

“P-please, please tell me how to make this right,” she begged. He smiled at her, running his fingers over her forehead.

“Make it right? My dear, you can make it right by dying, and I’m going to help you get there.”

“No. No, please don’t do this. I have a son at home. I have to get home. My mother is watching him. Please don’t leave him motherless,” she pleaded.

“He was already motherless. You are not a mother. You are not a woman. You are a Jezebel. A whore, and I will rid this earth of you and all like you.”

He tugged one more time on the rope, her feet now dangling in mid-air. The scraps of fabric she called clothing were now hanging from her body, but it only repulsed him. Taking his knife, he sliced across her abdomen, then down both thighs. That was enough for now. He didn’t want this to end too soon.

After all, you never know when you’ll find something better.