FORTY-THREE

 

 

October 5th, 2016

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

IT HAD BEEN well over a week since every member of the families was arrested. Lott had been surprised that not a one managed to escape and not a shot was fired considering how fast the entire thing had come together.

There had been no mention of the Cold Poker Gang or Mike and his people or Doc and Annie or Paul in the massive press storm that had hit the national news. The chief and other agencies were keeping them all out of it. And the press storm showed no signs of easing because of the nature of three states being involved.

And the FBI was totally and officially involved now, which helped a lot.

Florida had just started to dig one of the family graveyards, California would be starting over the next few days, and both Reno and Las Vegas had started to get ready to bring up the bodies.

The lists of the victims was still a secret and if a family asked, then their child would be either confirmed or denied as being part of the killings. At the moment it was the best the police could do.

Two family members had attempted suicide and both had failed. Lott liked that. They hadn’t given all their victims an easy way out, no reason they should have one either.

And the underage children of the families had all been taken out of state and split up. No telling what would happen to any of them. They were victims of their parents’ evil as well.

No real details about the ritual killings had come out yet, but Lott was sure that they would, and that would keep the press circling for a very long time, considering that some of this went back to old cults in Massachusetts.

Annie and Doc had headed off to a poker tournament in London.

Fleet had gone back to Boise, and today, Julia was moving in with Lott.

It was ten in the morning when the movers had arrived at Julia’s apartment. They had both gotten up early and done the final packing. Lott had put the last of his clothes in his car and a bunch of Julia’s precious small things.

The movers did one trip to take furniture to Julia’s daughter Jane’s apartment, then came back and made another trip of stuff to a charity.

Then the last trip they loaded up all of Julia’s clothes and things she wanted to keep and a couple of rocking chairs and a recliner she loved for the living room.

She and Lott had stood and watched the three young men move in a way that Lott could only barely remember ever moving when he was young.

“So you going to miss this place?” Lott asked Julia as they stood to one side in the almost empty living room of the apartment.

She took his hand and squeezed it. “Not in the slightest.”

She pointed to three boxes sitting to one side. “See those?”

“Yeah,” he said, slightly worried.

“Those are the clothes I couldn’t fit in the closet here.”

“So you’re moving in with me for my closet?” he asked, smiling at her.

She pulled his head closer and kissed him. And that felt wonderful and he didn’t want it to end.

Then when she finally let him go, she said, “Yes, of course.”

He laughed. “I knew it. Nothing more?”

“The kitchen,” she said laughing. “I’ve got boxes of dishes and pots and pans you know.”

“We have room,” he said, laughing. “So nothing else at all?”

“Well, she said, giving him a sly look, “maybe the sex.”

“Why, young lady,” Lott said, laughing, “I am shocked.”

“Not as shocked as you are going to be tonight in bed,” she said.

She once again pointed to the boxes. “I have some pretty fine lace things tucked away in there that no one has ever seen.”

Lott looked around. “Think these guys can move any faster?”

She laughed and kissed him and he knew right then that without a doubt, this was a damn fine day.