Gray Days and Wicked Ways, page 25
part #4 of Layton Shayne Mystery Series
“Remember the roots of the Diony,” Sassy said. “I think ancient cults like the Diony folks had orgies where participants were torn to shreds at the end.”
“Forrest could’ve torn me to pieces and I would’ve welcomed it… I just wanted to give into him more than anything.”
“Why are you being so forthcoming?” Sassy said.
“How many other groups or things like this are there out in the world that would bring all this shit out in people?” I said. “How many Diony type groups or people? And are they all sexual in nature? I’m being forthcoming because I want to know how often I’m going to be dealing with this same shit.”
“If you want to lure people in, there are two sure ways to do it—through sex or money,” Sassy said. “Not all the supernatural stuff you’ll face will be sexual in nature. Layton, even though you’re only on retainer with the organization and not full-time, you need to realize something. The fact you’ve been exposed to the supernatural means it’ll be a regular part of your life.”
“Do you mean things like angels suddenly appearing in the middle of a seemingly normal case?” I said.
“You were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time,” Sassy said and smiled. “You’ve been told before, this whole area is a hotbed of supernatural activity, but the real difference is that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt it exists now. See, it was always there, but you didn’t know about it.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Does it worry or scare you?” Sassy said. “You can be honest with me.”
“No, it doesn’t scare or worry me,” I said. “It’s the surprises I don’t like, I guess. How do you handle being surprised by things you didn’t even know existed?”
“You’ve done a good job of dealing with it all so far—the zombies, blue light, ghosts, what have you,” Sassy said, then put her hand on top of mine for a moment. “Do you want to know what really shakes us all up?”
“Yeah,” I said. “It has something to do with feeling out of control, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, and you know that to some extent, Layton. But when there are things that deal with your emotions and your desires in a very real way, it tends to make you realize just how human you really are. Soldiers don’t like being reminded of that while in the field.”
“Are we all soldiers in the field when we deal with this supernatural stuff?” I said.
“Probably on some level,” Sassy said. “But at least we have each other. Comrades in arms, so to speak. Do you think it was better when you didn’t know this world existed? They do say ignorance is bliss.”
“If I hadn’t entered this world I might not have ever met Alex or Forrest… or the fabulous Sassafras Jones.”
“That is true,” Sassy said, and smiled. “But when people are destined to meet, they’ll meet. Anyway, who wants to live a quiet life—certainly not us.”
“Definitely not us,” I said.
“Layton, do you think there was a reason you saw the angels or the icons,” Sassy said. “Specifically the icon with the image of the staff slash weapon Daddy wants.”
“Yeah, I do think there was a reason for that,” I said. “At the time I didn’t really think about it, but things usually do happen for a reason. I think the staff and weapon are one and the same. And I think the staff you’re looking for will open the ground or rather a portal to some place else.”
“But I thought you said earlier that you told Leticia and Alex you didn’t think that was the case.”
“Well I changed my mind,” I said and smiled before getting serious. “I think it opens the portal to hell or at least to a ghost realm. Sassy, we need to be the ones to find that weapon.”
“Daddy’s thoughts precisely,” Sassy said. “My daddy didn’t give me a lot of details but he is very concerned the weapon doesn’t get into the wrong hands.”
“I’m in complete agreement with him,” I said.
We spent the rest of the drive talking about Buck and other lighthearted things.
THE PARKING LOT of the hall where the auction was being held was packed with cars, but Sassy managed to find a spot under a large shade tree.
“That Ronnie is certainly easy on the eyes,” Sassy said, as she checked her makeup in the rearview mirror. “Is he single?”
“He is, but he plays for my team… sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. I once dated a prince, you know.”
“I didn’t know,” I said.
“His country was extremely small, as was his brain unfortunately. He was handsome, though… and nice enough.”
“I’d hold out for a king if I were you,” I said. “You’re definitely worth it.”
She kissed my cheek, then we exited the car.
Ronnie parked next to the Mustang, and together the four of us walked to the building. There was a line just to get in the front door. Diesel, dressed in a loose suit coat, black jeans, and a blouse, waved to us from the entrance and walked our way. I introduced her to Ronnie and Natasha as we moved up in line.
“Where’s the wife?” Sassy said.
“In the john,” Diesel said. “She seems to live there these days, being pregnant and all.”
“How pregnant is your spouse?” Natasha said.
“Lily May is at eight and a half months, give or take a week or two,” Diesel said. “She used to be skinny like you, and even now all she’s gained is a little over the baby weight.”
“Please tell me I heard that part wrong?” Ronnie said. “The part about how pregnant Lily May is—surely you’re not taking a pregnant woman to the key, are you?”
“Oh, she is,” I said.
“I’m telling you all, there is no winning an argument with a former military sniper,” Diesel said.
“You don’t have to tell me that twice,” Ronnie said. “I dated a sniper once.”
“Too much to deal with, huh?” Sassy said.
“He didn’t make it back from his last mission,” Ronnie said, and lowered his head.
We were all silent and I put my arm around Ronnie’s shoulder then whispered in his ear.
“Close, bud, but your last comment still doesn’t earn you a courtesy fuck from me.” I patted his back and we laughed.
“Anyway,” Diesel said. “Lily May’s mother is an obstetrician. Before that she was a military nurse… and she’s traveling with us. If anything happens she claims she can deliver that baby anywhere.”
“I believe it,” I said. “Those military nurses are something else. Oh God, I thought. The insanity of it all.
But, I hadn’t seen insane yet until we entered the hall and saw the players at play.
Chapter 42
Player Pat Down
AT THE ENTRANCE of the large hall there were two metal detectors people needed to pass through before entering the main room that wasn’t open yet. To the sides of the metal detectors, several security guards were patting people down. Four security guards surrounded a section of tables holding guns, knives, and other such paraphernalia. Another section of tables held closely guarded cell phones, purses, and similar merchandise.
“Nobody wanted to look bad by not bringing a weapon,” Diesel said. “Most, if not all the people here have concealed weapons permits.
Sassy and Natasha were first to go through the metal detectors. It was no surprise that Sassy was packing heat, but it did shock me that Natasha had a small gun. Why was I surprised? She was the wife of a Marine—of course she’d have protection on her. They confiscated Sassy’s purse, as she and I had known they would. The guards took longer to pat Ronnie and me down, even though I just had the gun in my ankle holster. One guy seemed to enjoy checking my ass a bit too much.
“You take any longer with my man and I might start to get jealous,” Ronnie said to the guy patting me down. “Trust me, you don’t want me getting jealous.”
“OK, Hulk, you and your man get your tickets from the guy at the end, then show ‘em to retrieve your stuff when you’re ready to leave. You two aren’t all that much to look at, anyway.”
“Yeah, we are,” Ronnie said, then blew the guy a kiss, and put his arm around my waist.
He had a strong grip. This was all for show, but I liked the way he was quick to step in when he felt the need. We got our tickets, then walked to Natasha, Sassy, and Diesel, who were in a corner of the room.
“Adding a fourth to your group, Layton?” Sassy said.
“He wouldn’t make a bad addition, would he?” I said and smiled.
“Tease,” Ronnie whispered in my ear. He moved his hand up from my waist, rubbed my back then put his hand down by his side.
A tall, slim woman with short gray hair dressed in pale green pants, a floral blouse, and a matching green jacket walked over to our group and addressed Diesel.
“Lily May’s almost done in the bathroom, Diesel.” Her attention quickly turned to me. “My name’s Gloria Redmond. What branch were you in?”
I stood straight, smiled, then spoke. “Care to take a guess, Mrs. Redmond?”
“Alright,” Gloria said. “I saw your swagger when you walked over to Diesel. And You have a smile and look that says ‘I own the room and everyone in it’. There’s no mistaking a Marine—a high-ranking one at that.”
“I’m just a detective now, Ma’am,” I said.
“It’s good to know there will be someone like you around when all this shit goes down at the key,” Gloria said.
“They’re opening the doors, Layton,” Sassy said.
“Save a seat for me and Lily May, please, Gloria,” Diesel said.
“Will do,” Gloria said, then took my arm, while Sassy took ownership of my other arm.
I escorted the two ladies through a set of double doors and into a large room with rows of chairs on either side of a wide aisle. Ronnie was behind us escorting Natasha. Directly to the right was a long side table where numerous paddles were placed. Each paddle had the name of a registered bidder on it. Sassy picked up her paddle and we walked to the front of the room where the metal map was displayed in a clear acrylic case. Two buff, armed guards stood beside the case. In full flirt mode, Sassy sashayed around the case trying to get up against it, all the while holding her bracelet up.
“Ma’am, please don’t get too close,” a guard told Sassy.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so little. And it’s so tall… like you, that it’s hard for me to see it.”
The guy was actually blushing. Sassy went to rub his cheek, but her stiletto heel broke and she stumbled up against the case, with her bracelet strategically placed by the map. The guard struggled to help Sassy. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Natasha take advantage of the situation. She crouched down to get a good look at the cylindrical metal map. The blushing guard helped a limping Sassy to an empty row in the middle of the room while another guard quickly took his place. For her part, Sassy was acting truly grateful to the point of kissing the guard’s cheek and even giving him her number. When the guard left, Gloria turned to me and spoke in a low voice.
“She’s good.”
Natasha walked up to me and slyly slipped a note in my pocket. She kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear. “Mission accomplished, I’ll explain more tonight.”
“Later, Layton,” Ronnie said. “Should I check on your guys and let them know you’re OK while I’m at the inn?”
“Do that,” I said. “They’ll probably be in the pool with Chip. Feel free to look at my guys, but no touching.”
“Understood, boss,” Ronnie said, and we laughed. He and Natasha then swiftly made their exit as people were scurrying into the room.
Curious about something, I turned to Sassy. “How’d you manage the broken heel?”
“Trade secret,” Sassy said. “A girl’s got to have some mysteries she keeps to herself.”
A rough looking, heavyset man with stringy shoulder-length brown hair, and a five o’clock shadow walked up to Gloria. Beside him was a skinny, but just as scruffy-looking guy.
“Hello, Gloria,” the heavyset man said.
“Hi, Ralph, how are you?” Gloria said. “Hello, Timmy.”
“Hi,” the skinny man said. “You’re looking good, Mrs. Redmond.”
“How’s Lily May?” Ralph said. “She popped yet?”
“Not yet,” Gloria said, “but thank you for asking.”
“Holy shit, that crazy chic isn’t coming out to the key?” Ralph said.
“She is and even I’m starting to question her sanity at this point,” Gloria said. “That girl never did like to be left out of things.”
“I wouldn’t mind including her in a thing or two,” Ralph said, earning himself a hard pinch on the leg from Gloria. “Sorry, Ma’am but that daughter of yours is a goddess compared to most women.”
“Speaking of goddesses,” Timmy said.
“Holy toledo!” Ralph said looking down the aisle. “I thought they confiscated everybody’s weapons and here comes Lily May with two torpedoes on show.” He held his arm out toward Gloria. “Go ahead I deserve a hard pinch or two for that one… but, damn, Lily May looks good.”
Gloria gave Ralph’s arm two hard pinches. I turned to look in the aisle and realized what Ralph had said was no lie. Diesel was escorting a beautiful blonde warrior goddess who looked like a cross between Ursula Andress and Brigitte Bardot in their prime. She wore a skintight, white, sheath dress. ‘Torpedoes’ was an apt word to describe her prominently displayed breasts. Her blonde hair fell in soft waves to just below her shoulders and I was horrified to see her wearing what had to be at least seven-inch stiletto, knee-high, white boots. Not daring to think of what might happen if she tripped in those heels, I merely shook my head.
“I tried to dissuade her from wearing the boots,” Gloria said, having noticed me looking at the boots. “But she wasn’t hearing any of it. Lily May always wants to be the tallest one in the room with the best view.”
“It’s the sniper in her,” Ralph said. “She wants to be in the best position to land a kill. Shit, the only place she gained weight is in her belly, Gloria.”
“Good Lord, we practically had to force-feed her in order for her to gain as much as she did,” Gloria said. “I’m pushing for Diesel to carry the next one, she’s less high-maintenance.”
The dress Lily May wore was so tight that her pregnant belly pooched out. At least people would know she was pregnant and not mess with her at the key.
“Hello, pervs,” Lily May said to Ralph and Timmy, then smiled at them. “Don’t think I’m too out of shape to kick your asses if you try anything underhanded to get the treasure.”
Ralph raised his hands in the air as if innocently protesting Lily May’s comment.
“Lily May’s not gonna do a thing till she’s had the baby,” Gloria said. “I can’t answer for Diesel or for what Lily May might do later on if she feels unfairly wronged. For now, let’s all play nice.”
“Understood,” Ralph said.
“Lily May, this is Layton Shayne,” Diesel said.
“So you’re the Marine turned detective,” Lily May said. “The hair’s long, but you look like a Marine—that’s nice.”
“Thank you,” I said. “What branch was the baby’s daddy in?”
“You’re smart too, I see,” Lily May said. “Of course the donor had to be a military man. He’s a Navy Seal. Not quite as good as a Marine—in a Marine’s eyes, but he’s also Diesel’s twin brother.”
“The Seals are good in my book,” I said.
When everyone was seated, Sassy asked me a question. “How long do you want to stay, Layton?”
“Long enough to see who the major players are,” I said.
THE AUCTION INCLUDED a few useless trinkets found at Shiloh Key, then bidding on the last item—the map—started. Sassy stopped raising her paddle when the price got above one hundred thousand. At one hundred and fifty thousand there were still two proxy bidders.
“Do you have any clue who the two proxy bidders’ clients are, Sassy?” I said in a low voice.
“One is the Roman Catholic Church’s man,” Sassy said. “The other man works for an organization agent.”
“An agent working on behalf of the organization?” I said.
“A European agent by the name of Quiñonez who has deep—very deep pockets. He’s a multi-billionaire. He’ll get the map.”
Sassy was right. When the auction ended, Quiñonez had the winning bid at one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. After we said our good-byes and collected our things, Sassy and I walked back to her Mustang. Once we were on the road I took the note Natasha had given me out of my pocket and read it aloud.
“The message on the map says the following: By the hill where blood was shed,’” I stopped a minute to read something. “Natasha says to the side that the next word was scratched out. It could’ve been either ‘by’ or ‘for’ all.”
“What’s the rest of the message that was on the map?” Sassy said.
“‘There is life’s true treasure found’,” I said, then read the entire thing. “By the hill where blood was shed by all. There is life’s true treasure found. It might also be By the hill where blood was shed for all.”
“Well, blood was shed by everyone involved with that treasure,” Sassy said.
“Yeah. Now we just have to figure out where exactly that blood was shed and that would be the ‘X’ spot.”
“Not much of a map, if you ask me,” Sassy said.
“That would be because we don’t have the actual map, some guy named Quiñonez does,” I said. “We’ll have to wait to see your pictures, or film of the actual map.”
“The lines you just read were written on the map, but what do they mean exactly?” Sassy said.
“Clearly it’s a location like we said earlier, but it’s probably in some sort of code or something,” I said. “The mapmaker wouldn’t have made the location that clear, or anyone could’ve gotten their hands on the treasure.”
“True,” Sassy said. “It’s too bad Quiñonez didn’t come himself. He plays for your team, Layton, maybe you could’ve seduced him.”
