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DETECTIVE GRACE HUTCHERSON had just made it home when she heard the knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and was surprised to see him at her door. “I’m surprised to see you here this late. What can I do for you?”
A chill went down her spine as the blood in her veins turned to ice. When he looked at her with those cold, dead eyes, she realized her mistake. This man in front of her did not resemble the man she knew. She tried to slam the door shut, but he was too quick.
As he pushed her into the house, he locked the door. His voice was at a fevered pitch, angry and out of control. “You are turning into a problem cher. I didn’t think anyone would buy that psychic mumbo jumbo, but they did. I should have paid closer attention to you when you first appeared, but I didn’t think your abilities were as great as they are. You have become a wrinkle in my plan. Sooner or later you would have seen my true identity in one of your visions, and I can’t have that.”
Hutch found herself paralyzed with terror as she listened to him talk. She pushed herself hard against the wall, hoping to blend in. How she wished she could rush running and screaming out the door. The only thing hindering her was him.
She tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke to him, “I’m sorry you felt that I was becoming a hindrance. I had no idea who you were until you stared at me just now. We have known each other all this time and I never once knew.”
He laughed at her, “I made sure to never allow you to touch me. As your powers strengthened and you were learning to hone in your control, I knew if you ever touched me, you would see my inner self. I have been wearing charms and Gris Gris bags to help keep my aura hidden from you. Now, I find myself in a very peculiar predicament.”
Hutch calmly stated, “Mike will be home soon.”
He let out a maniacal laugh, “You fool. You didn’t think I would take care of him first. Mais non, he will be tied up for hours working a case that they believe is vampire related.”
So, that’s why Mike called to tell her he would be late. He was in a rush to give her too many details. Hutch asked, “So, you can speak with the dead as well?”
He sneered at her, “As a child, my mother treated me as if I was a freak of nature. When I was little, I sat in the corner for hours and had conversations with the wall. I told her once who I was talking to, and she locked me in a dark closet. From that point on, I tried not to talk to them while she was around because whenever she caught me it was right back into the closet I went. I thought by cutting out her eyes and tongue, she could no longer haunt me, but she kept coming back in other bodies. Everywhere I look, I see her face. The voices won’t stop taunting me.” He let out another sinister laugh, “I fixed her good though. After I had killed her, I boarded up that old closet she had locked me in. Mais non, no one will put me in that place ever again. Now, you have forced me to move on, but before I do, I must make sure you are silenced.”
Fear took over, and Hutch pushed it aside. Now was not the time to let him sense that she was afraid. She drew in several deep breaths. She was afraid to close her eyes right now; she was unsure if she would see her death before it happened. Would her death be quick or would he make her suffer? Did he plan on keeping her tongue and eyes in a jar as well? She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She couldn’t think like that. She had to focus on protecting herself and finding a way out of this situation.
If she screamed, would anyone in the apartment complex hear her and if they did, would they even bother to call the police? She had to keep him talking. He couldn’t kill her if they were talking, right?
A smirk formed on his face and his features turned cruel and harsh. His voice became deadly. “You should be terrified of me, you know. I am better than you.”
She asked, “How was I a threat to you? I never even knew your true identity.” As she talked, she slowly backed away from him.
“You have been a pain in my ass from the very get go. I read it in the cards that you were close to seeing my true identity. I couldn’t let that happen.”
She replied, “Yet, there are so many ways to read the cards, and they may have been wrong as well.”
“No, I have seen the future. I have seen you finding my true identify and locking me away. I can’t go back to a cold, dark room. I will not be locked up again. No, you are causing me too many problems and headaches. The media focused on the victims and not me, thanks to you.”
He was babbling now. Hutch saw his aura changing before her. He was rapidly losing control. His voice turned into pure evil. His maniacal laughter echoed through the house. It sounded like an animal’s howl and sent a chill of terror down her spine. There was a hateful edge to his tone.
In her mind’s eye, she saw him drawing the knife out of its protective sheath, and she took another step back in preparation to make a run for it. Her only chance may be to lock herself in the bedroom and climb down the fire escape. Except he was blocking her escape route.
Before she could react, she saw him lunge. Pain seared through her right side. She stumbled backwards, but she managed to keep her balance. If she fell, he would be on top of her in an instant. At least, for now, she had a chance to make a run for it. Her hand moved to her right side. The warm blood flowed between her fingers at an alarming rate.
Hutch felt herself going limp. Her legs could barely support her. He kept advancing. She was slipping into the darkness. She shook her head, trying to keep him in her sights.
As they danced back and forth, he tried to stab her again. Even in extreme pain and bleeding like a stuck pig, she was once again quick on her feet. Suddenly, voices filled the air. Dark shadows moved in, taking shape. Hazy images of his victims appeared. Her brain tried to focus in on him once more, but she was afraid that if she took her eyes off of him just for a second he would attack.
***
DETECTIVES MIKE BAILEY and Guy Mayon were inspecting the body as they waited for Dr. Ortego to arrive when Mike felt a frigid burst of air blow past him. He turned to Guy, “Did you feel that?”
Guy rubbed his hands over his arms, “Yeah, a cold breeze just blew across the scene. It was weird. We have been listening to Hutch’s stories a little too closely.”
Mike caught a scent of the bayou next to him even though they were in an alleyway near the French Quarter. Mike heard a woman whisper in his ear, “You must go to her before it is too late.” He looked around to see who was there. Not seeing anyone, a sense of foreboding took over his body. The voice shouted louder in his ear, “Go now!”
Before he could respond, the night air was filled with an ominous voice shouting, “GO!”
It stopped everyone in their tracks. He saw the bewilderment in Guy’s eyes. Mike told his friend, “We have to go now. Grace is in trouble.”
“Mike, what was that?”
Mike was already concerned when Ledet called and now this. “I think that was one of the ghosts Grace talked to us about. She was warning us that Grace is in serious trouble.”
As Mike left, he called the dispatcher, “Send an ambulance, SWAT and whatever you have to my house. There is an intruder there.”
As he drove back to their apartment, Mike gave the dispatcher the relevant information. Mike and Guy both tried to call Grace’s cell phone with no luck. It just rang. Mike told Guy, “That’s not good. Grace wouldn’t just ignore her phone.”
As they made their way to the apartment, numerous questions ran through Mike’s mind. What made this killer want Hutch so bad? Why try to kill her now? Was she getting too close to something, and she didn’t even know it?
He placed the light on the top of his car and disobeyed all traffic laws. The engine quickly reached one hundred forty mph as he rushed home. He pushed the car to its limits praying he arrived in time. Cold fear constricted Mike’s heart. He worked hard to keep a clear head, but visions of the victims flashed through his mind.
Guy didn’t’ even bother to talk to Mike. There was no sense in distracting him while they were traveling at such a high speed. Neither had any desire to be wrapped around a tree. At this rate of speed, it would not be a pretty sight.
***
HUTCH FOUND THE DARKNESS enveloping her. There was no chance of survival now. At any moment, he would plunge the knife into her body once more.
As she crumpled to the floor, the door crashed open, and a gunshot rocked the room. The sound of a body thudding hard against the floor followed the gunshot. Hutch’s last conscious thought was how she would never see Mike’s face again. Time had stopped, and silence filled the air.
Detective Ledet went over to Hutch as Alex Hamilton made his way over to their killer. He kicked the knife far from the body as he checked for a pulse.
Detective Ledet called for the First Responders waiting outside “Get the medics in here now. She has a faint pulse, but it is unsteady.”
Alex shook his head, “It was a good kill shot. He’s gone.”
Mike pushed everyone out of the way and took Hutch’s hand in his. It was already turning cold to the touch. He called out to her, “Grace.... Grace.... Grace please don’t leave me. Get those medics in here now.”
***
HUTCH HEARD SOMEONE calling out to her. There was darkness all around her. It was so cold. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a warm light. She saw shadows moving towards her. It was those that he killed, and they were all around her. She felt their peace envelop her. She knew she was dying. There was no pain, just a welcoming peacefulness.
The First Responder gently moved Mike out of the way, “Sir, you have to let us in. Please!”
The medic shouted to his partner, “We are losing her. Let’s go. Call the hospital and let them know we have a police officer coding from a knife wound.”
***
MIKE FELT THE GROUND underneath him opening up as he heard that Hutch was coding. If only he had arrived sooner. He picked up his phone and called Father Trahan, “I need your prayers. They are rushing Grace to the hospital. She coded. There was so much blood.”
Guy took the keys from Mike. “Come on mon ami. I will take you to the hospital. You are in no shape to drive.”
He felt as if he was in someone else’s body as he was led to the car and they made their way to the hospital.