The television played in the background as I combed my wet hair, but it was the breaking news that caught my attention. “You can’t be serious.” I walked out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed as the live scene played out in front of me.
“This is Larry Gibson reporting for WATA-TV at Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery. A groundskeeper reported finding a grisly scene this morning as he began his biweekly routine of maintaining the cemetery grounds.” The reporter turned his head toward the group of police vehicles parked at his back then faced the camera again. “The police are telling us what appeared to be a misplaced bag of trash really turned out to be a bag containing female body parts. Law enforcement is confident that this latest discovery is directly related to the recent findings in an Oakland City dumpster. The forensic team at my back is scouring the area for any signs of evidence. Is a psychotic butcher roaming the streets of Atlanta? Stay tuned to WATA-TV to find out more as this disturbing story unfolds.”
I turned the volume down and dressed as the reporter’s message played over and over in my mind. As last night’s nightmare returned to my thoughts, I took a seat at the table and read the notes I had scratched out.
Is this simply a compilation of yesterday’s events, or is it a premonition of something real?
At that point, I didn’t know, but I jotted down the words “Atlanta butcher,” “Oakland City,” and “Oakland Cemetery.” My dream included driving in fog and being disoriented, a man dragging a large plastic bag, and that same man destroying my car with a meat cleaver.
Was that man in my dream the butcher from yesterday?
I rubbed my forehead as I tried to recall the image of the man with the cleaver chopping at my car, but I couldn’t remember his face. I was sure it was because he caught me off-guard and my flight instincts kicked in. All I wanted to do was get away from that cleaver as fast as I could.
I tucked the notes in my purse and headed to Kim’s room. We’d have breakfast downstairs, wait for Beth’s call, and once we got the “all clear” text, we’d buy the rest of the food, pick up the meat and cake, and start the decorating process. I had to let go of my cop instincts since I wasn’t there to work, and Atlanta wasn’t my jurisdiction, anyway. All I wanted to do was have a great birthday celebration with friends and family, get reacquainted with my sister, and enjoy the next few days.
I knocked on Kim’s door then stuck my finger over the peephole.
“Morning, Sis.” She swung open the door.
I grinned as I entered her room. “How’d you know it was me?”
“Seriously? Would any normal person do that?”
“I guess you have a point. Ready to go?”
Kim powered off the TV and grabbed her purse, and we headed for the elevator.
“I was watching the breaking news about the female body parts being found,” she said. “I hope they catch that psycho before I move back to Atlanta.”
“Don’t worry. There will always be another psycho to deal with.”
Kim pressed the down button. “That’s awesome to know.”
I sighed as we exited the elevator. “Unfortunately, there’s crime in every big city, even Portland. The best we can do is pray that our friends and family remain safe.”
We were soon seated in a booth near the restaurant’s outer wall, and I peered out the window as we waited for our coffee. It looked as though it was going to be a beautiful sun-filled day.
Kim smiled. “I can’t wait to catch Mom’s expression with my phone when they enter the house this afternoon. It’ll be priceless.”
“When was Beth going to text you?” I glanced at my wristwatch—8:14 a.m.
“She said around nine. That gives us forty-five minutes to eat, but then we have to take everything we bought yesterday back down to the car.”
I sipped my coffee and browsed the menu. “Let’s drop off that stuff first, then all we have to do is pick up the cake, meat, and groceries.”
We ordered our breakfast and dug in. I realized my anxiety had begun to fade about being within a few miles of USP Atlanta, where Warren Ricks and Tony Lynch were incarcerated. I also had no reason to believe the Lynch family knew I was in town. I wasn’t going to let that family take up any more of my brain space than they already had, and a sudden sense of freedom washed over me. Kim appeared to notice.
“You look happy. What’s up?”
“Let’s save our personal stories for another time. Today should be all about Mom.”
The ringing phone took us by surprise. Kim pulled it from her zipped purse and stared at the screen. “That’s weird. It’s Beth.”
I checked the time—8:51. “I guess she isn’t at Mom’s house yet and can talk for a few minutes.”
Kim answered. “Good morning, Beth. Are you on your way to Mom’s?”
I watched as Kim’s face turned from carefree to concerned.
“Oh no. Um, I don’t know what to say or do. Of course we understand, and we’ll figure out the party on our own. Don’t worry about anything.”
When Kim hung up, I let out a hard breath. “What’s wrong, and how is it going to affect Mom’s birthday bash?” I waved down our waitress since I had a feeling that we needed to leave immediately.
The restaurant was filling with patrons, and Kim tipped her head toward the door. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”
I handed a twenty to the waitress and told her to keep the change then jammed the receipt in my pocket.
Kim pointed at the large conversation groupings in the hotel’s common area. “Let’s sit over there.”
“What’s going on?” I checked the time, knowing full well that Mom should have been picked up by now. I had a feeling Beth had just canceled her offer to keep Mom occupied for the next three hours.
Kim let out a heavy sigh, checked our surroundings, then spoke just above a whisper. “Okay, Beth said she got a call from the Atlanta PD.”
I leaned in closer. “That’s never a good thing. What about?”
“Remember her daughter Janine?”
“Barely. She was just a kid when I was in college. Why?”
“Apparently, she’s a cop.”
“You’re shitting me. I had no idea. So what’s going on with Janine?”
“Not only is she a cop, she works Vice and has been out of touch with her unit for thirty-six hours.”
“That happens sometimes when you’re undercover. What was she involved in?”
“The prostitution epidemic in Midtown.”
“Hmm… that’s not deep undercover, so she should have checked in a long time ago.”
“Exactly, and the Atlanta PD was concerned enough to call Beth since they can’t reach Janine through any of their usual means. They want Beth to come in now for a formal interview.”
“I’m sure she’s beside herself with worry. What do you think? Should we go ahead with the party or not? Mom doesn’t even know we’re in town.”
“I told Beth we’d take care of it. Why don’t we just go to Mom’s house and explain everything to her? She’ll understand. We can still have the party, even though our prayers will be with Beth and her daughter.”
“Yeah, let’s go over there now and pick up the food later. I know one thing for sure, though.”
Kim grabbed a porter’s trolley and headed to the elevator. “What’s that?”
“I want to have a long conversation with Beth once the party is over. She shouldn’t be alone in a situation like that.”
We took yesterday’s purchases downstairs and loaded the car. Kim climbed in behind the wheel and pressed the start button. “As a cop, what’s your gut telling you? Do you think the body parts found this morning could possibly be Janine’s?”
“I don’t know enough to form an opinion yet, but I hope to God they aren’t.”