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MIKE SIPPED HIS BEAZELL’S Bloody Mary and looked over at Hutch one more time. He could not keep his eyes off of her tonight. Aware of his lingering stare, she looked up and gave him one of her dazzling smiles. He couldn’t help but feel protective toward this woman he loved with all his heart.
***
HUTCH FELT MIKE’S EYES roam slowly, yet deliberately, over her. She saw the desire in his eyes and felt the heat emitting from his body. She reached over and grabbed his hand in hers.
The waiter appeared to be extremely nervous tonight as he asked, “Have you decided what you would like from the menu?” Hutch noticed how he continued to fidget with his tie and shifted his weight from one foot to another. What was bothering him tonight? She tried to get a sense of what he was feeling, but he had put up a barricade around himself. She found that strange. After dealing with this case, she found everyone’s actions strange, no matter how small they were. She found herself paying attention to the aura around men as she attempted to decipher if they were their killer just by the energy surrounding them.
She looked up at the waiter one more time and gave him a smile, “I will have the same as Mike.” The Beazell House Nicoise Salad with a light herb vinaigrette sounded perfect for tonight. She wasn’t in the mood for anything heavy, and this would hit the spot. The nicoise salad served here was a heavenly combination of hard-boiled eggs, grilled shrimp, potatoes, olives, and green beans. It was like a well composed orchestra for your mouth. Everything she ate here had been well prepared and seasoned to perfection. The food tantalized your taste buds and satisfied your soul. Unlike most of the other restaurants here in New Orleans, the food wasn’t overly salty and not so spicy that you couldn’t taste the food.
As she handed him her menu, their hands briefly touched. In that split second, an aura of darkness shrouded her. She swallowed hard to help shake the feeling and took in a deep breath.
Mike sensed a change in her, “Are you okay honey?”
She just nodded her head, “Yeah, I am fine.” When she looked up, the waiter was gone. She wondered why she’d had such a strong reaction to a simple touch.
As they waited for their food, Hutch dove into the house butter flavored with oranges and the Beazell’s House Seasoning. She couldn’t seem to get enough of this stuff. It beat honey butter by a landslide. As she enjoyed her bread and butter, she let her eyes roam the restaurant. She needed to stop this bad habit, but once again, she hoped to see an aura around someone here that would lead her to the killer.
As the waiter placed the Beazell House Nicoise Salad in front of them, Hutch dug in. The sight of the crisp, fresh salad and shrimp grilled to perfection made her realize just how hungry she was. Whereas Mike preferred to eat everything separately, she preferred the combination of flavors as they danced in her mouth. The vinaigrette was sheer perfection. It not only brought out all the wonderful delicate flavors of the food but somehow enhanced them. The chef here was a culinary master. The shrimp in the salad awakened her taste buds. The seasoning on the shrimp was over the top scrumptious.
As Hutch enjoyed her food, she was glad they’d stopped to eat before going home. The food here was a magical cure for her. The stress left her body with each bite of food. Yes, this place was indeed the perfect place for supper tonight. It gave her a break from the case. She practically worked around the clock on the murders and needed a break.
Mike and Hutch were walking back to their car after supper when suddenly the wind seemed to have a bite to it. The sky around her turned gray as a mist swirled around her. She had grabbed for Mike’s hand before she lost herself in the vision.
She heard the water as it made its way to the river bank. Without looking into the water, she knew that a victim was there, waiting to be found. She was caught on the bony branches in the water. The body moved in an unnatural rhythm that only the dead danced to when submerged in the murky water. The river rushed around her as if she belonged there.
In this vision, she did not witness the actual murder, just where her body was. Around her, she sensed the fear that radiated throughout the night air. The woman’s screams were lost in the hollow, empty night as he slit her throat with complete ease.
He had killed once again. He was never satisfied, always needing to kill another woman. Hutch stood in the shadows, frozen in fear, and watched as the scene played out before her. There was nothing she could do.
Hutch looked around, hoping this time she saw his face. The moon was bright with beams filtering through the trees, leaving dark, sinister shadows. Instinctively, she backed into the darkness when she heard a noise up near the river. He was there, waiting and watching, but for what? Did he know she was here?
Suddenly, he turned around and looked right at her. She felt his eyes staring straight into her eyes. That couldn’t be. There was no way he could somehow cut through her vision and see her. Then again, she could make out his shape so was there a chance he saw her too? If only his appearance would be clearer, but as usual, it was nothing more than a black shape. All she saw was his aura.
The next thing she saw was the killer smiling at her before disappearing into the night.
***
AS THE WIND VICIOUSLY blew through the alley, Hutch opened the black body bag that was placed over the victim. Dr. Ortego wanted to preserve as much evidence as he could and upon his arrival immediately secured the body as best as he could. With the wind blowing the way it was, there was no telling how much debris had blown in after the murder or what evidence may have blown away.
The poor dead girl was only twenty-one. Her friends had noticed her missing from the club and started to search for her. What they found would never leave any of their minds and showed them the dangers of leaving a bar with someone you don’t know.
She took in a sharp breath. The very essence of death still hung heavy in the air. She swore once more as she looked at the body. She felt the young girl’s presence still here in the alley. The young girl appeared right before her dead body. There was such sorrow and despair in the air that Hutch had a hard time reading the scene. The young girl stated, “All I wanted to do was to let my hair down for once, have some fun and not think about consequences.”
There was so much that Hutch could tell her about the dangers of those actions, but unfortunately she learned the hard way about the dangers of those actions.
Hutch attempted to get a feel for the scene. As her hair continued to whip her face from the forceful wind, she reached into her pocket and grabbed a scrunchy. Once she secured her hair, she made her way back to the club. Maybe if she walked the same path as the girl, she would get a better feel for the killer.
As she neared the bar, she noticed that this particular area was deserted. The echoing sound of her heels was the only noise she heard. The crime scene seemed far away when in actuality it was just right around the corner. Even if the woman had screamed, she doubted anyone would have heard her.
As soon as she arrived at the bar, she began to get a feel for the area at night. An approaching vehicle caught her attention. She said a quick prayer as the coroner’s van passed by her.
She watched as shadows danced across the sidewalk as she attempted to put herself in the killer’s footsteps. A cold breeze blew through her, causing her to look up at the sky. She loved watching the sun rise. It reaffirmed her belief that a new day was here, full of new potentials. That gave her hope that this may be the day they caught this killer.
She took a moment to enjoy the onset of morning as the sun’s rays penetrated the darkness of the night. Ledet walked over to her. She put up her finger to her lips and whispered, “Don’t say a word.” She surveyed the area.
Ledet could tell something was bothering her, “What’s wrong?”
“I just had an overwhelming sensation that someone was watching me.”
“Do you know from where?”
Hutch shook her head, “No, I couldn’t tell where the vibes were coming from.” Looking around once more, “Maybe it was just a shadow.”
As she tried to brush off the feeling of being watched, it was still very strong. As they walked to the crime scene, Hutch felt as if she was suddenly transported to hell. She felt herself teetering between the real world and the ghoulish nightmare of the vision. Even if she wanted to extricate herself from this place, her focus remained on what she saw and felt. Her heart pounded as hands roamed over her body; no wait, she was in the victim’s body. The hands roaming over her body were ice cold, as cold as his eyes.
She heard Bryant’s loud mouth in the background, “Is she all right?” Nothing could break the hypnotic spell she was under. Her body trembled as the cold steel of the knife moved across her throat. She watched as the shadows moved in, “He’s close.”
With that one sentence, Hutch was brought back to reality. Her surroundings came back into focus, and the sounds normalized. She shook her head to clear her jumbled thoughts. A piercing thought entered her mind, “I can get to you anytime and anywhere, remember that.”
She turned to Ledet and informed him, “He is near; I am sure of it. We have to make sure the crime scene techs get pictures of everyone here and then we need to compare them with the photos of the other scenes to see who was at each scene.”
Ledet looked around, “Are you sure he is here?”
“I am positive. He is very close.” Hutch paid close attention to all the bystanders in close proximity hoping to pick up a dark shadow or aura hanging over them. She let out a few mumbled curses before moving on.
A shiver of fear ran through her as she thought about the message that penetrated her mind. It was as if he could get into her head. This was merely a game to him.
***
HE WATCHED HER THROUGH veiled eyes. He clenched his hands tightly as she walked the scene. It took all of his willpower not to continue taunting her, but it was too dangerous. There was a chance that it would backfire, and she would turn right towards him and see his true self. He watched earlier when the souls had cried out to her to be careful. It was a thrill to be this near and her not know.