Grader Form

Grader Form

“I for sure thought I would make the headlines. I for sure thought I would see it on t.v. Nothing. Nothing!”

The point on the hunting knife popped up a wood chip the size of Grader’s thumbnail. His table was littered with similar pock marks.

“Yes, I did! I did everything you told me to do, exactly how you said to do it. I don’t understand…Yes, yes, I did that too…”

Grader looked up at the television glow and saw more footage of a woman and her two children being rescued from the Hungry Hollow flash flood. He was enraged in envy.

“After all my hard work, zero, nothing to show for it…I take pride in my work. The least I can expect is a little recognition!…Oh, I know I am going to have to try harder…I did follow your instructions…I’M THE ARTIST, NOT YOU!...You are commissioning what and where?...Don’t worry…the next one will be a lu-lu.” He slammed his hunting knife into the table.

* * *

The metal cables extended from each corner of the storeroom high above the polished concrete floor. Another cable extended across the width of the entire storeroom from the middle point, intersecting the other two cables in the centre of the room, thirty feet above the ground. Detective Sergio Carpelli circled the perimeter of the room looking up at the crime scene and being careful not to step on blood. The cables were attached to the victim’s arms and legs. Bound at each ankle and wrist, the body was stretched facing down into an ‘X’ shape, suspended in mid air. Along the other cable that extended from one side of the storage space to the other, entrails pulled from the victim’s abdomen, were tied to it.

A star.

Sergio was struck by the fact that there was no blood on the concrete directly under the victim. There was blood, however, painted on the floor in what looked like a random pattern, but there was no blood directly underneath the victim’s body. Sergio watched as the Forensics Team entered the room.

“You didn’t touch anything, did you?” It was Detective Voisin leading the Forensics Team.

“No. No,” said Serge, “I have just been circling the perimeter, trying to get some perspective on this.”

“What do you make of it?”

“I’m not sure.” Everyone’s head was turned upwards looking at the body. “But I will say that whoever did this went through a lot of painstaking work.”

Voisin started taking pictures, trying not to get Sergio in the broader macro images. “I guess we will work our way up. Start with the floor.” Voisin was talking to his team colleagues. “Do everything. Let’s get this floor scoured before we bring in a lift truck and cut the body down.”

Serge continued pacing around underneath the body. He asked the forensics expert, “Why is there no blood underneath the victim?”

Voisin ordered the samples of blood on the floor be collected immediately and delivered to the lab for anaysis. “I would say that our boy used all the blood he had available to paint the floor. See how it is thinner over there? Almost like he was running out. Strange image. Circles in a square.”

“Not a drop in the area directly beneath her.”

“No. Not one single drop in each of these smaller circles either. Look there…” Voisin pointed out the smaller circles had some contrast, swirls of diluted blood in them, but no drippings.

“What does it take to drain blood from a corpse so efficiently that none of it drips?”

“OCD. A whole lot of prep work. And lots of time. I would say the whole floor was covered in plastic. The blood pooled and was collected to be used as paint…that’s my take on it.”

“The clean up was extremely thorough. Nothing left behind that I can see.”

“We’ll find something, don’t worry about that.”

Sergio continued pondering out loud. “No tools. No ladders. No rags or brushes. No hoists or lift trucks… No written note… Not a thing.”

“Maybe K-9 will find a lead. Cameras in the area may have something. We’ll just start with these pictures and hopefully get an I.D. on Spiderwoman.”

Serge turned to look at Voisin. “Spider woman?”

“Just a joke. See how she is strung up like that? Her arms, her legs, her guts all going in different directions, splayed out like a spider’s legs on a steel cable web.”

“Yeah, maybe. But, spiders have eight legs.”

“Well,” Voisin suggested, “I guess the killer ran out of guts.”

“Nice.”

“Just doing my job.” Voisin walked away giving his crew specific orders.

Sergio was left to consider what Voisin had proposed. Perhaps the cables were representative of being a spider’s web. Perhaps the killer was just a freak among freaks trying to get a message across.

But why wouldn’t all the cables extend from corner to corner rather than be cut and secured to the ankles and wrists?

“Serge!” It was Voisin. “Not sure of your plans but I just ordered a lift truck. Wanna be around for the probing?”

“Yeah, for sure. What time?”

“Two hours. Go grab some coffee, take a walk, get some fresh air. Its gonna get gruesome.”

“Ok. I gotta make some calls anyhow.”

Serge had a few messages from the office to follow up on. A man named Ali Al was trying to get a hold of him.

“Yes, this is Ali.”

“This is Detective Carpelli. I---”

“Carpelli, yes! I have been trying to get a hold of you. How are you doing, my friend?”

“I am great,” Serge answered, taken aback.

“I am Ali Al. I wanted to speak to you about something. I must tell you, I don’t know if you will believe me, but I have some information for you about the case you are working on. The dead woman hanging in the warehouse…”

Serge jumped to attention and took out a pad of paper and a pen. “Ali. Ali…who exactly are you? Do you own the warehouse or something?”

“No. Nothing like that. I want to tell you about the artist.”

“What artist?”

“The artist. His name is Grader. Grader Form.”

Sergio was confused and asked, “Are you referring to whoever did this to the woman?”

“No. No, I am not. I am referring to the artist.”

“You know who did this?”

“Yes.” There was a pause. “And no.”

Serge pulled away from his pick-up window and left the Tim Horton’s drive thru. “Ali, are you available to meet right now? I think we should speak in person.”

“Well, now is not a good time. We can meet later on if you wish. Later this afternoon.”

“Okay. Two pm?”

“Yes. That would be fine.”

“At your residence?”

“That would be fine. I left my address on your voicemail. And my number. Call me ahead of time to remind me you are coming.”

“Okay. Can I ask you how you know Grader Form?”

Ali was slow to respond but then he said. “I heard about him. Carpelli, I got to go now. The spirits are calling.” Ali ended the call.

* * *

Voisin contacted Serge several hours later and alerted him that the lift-truck arrived and the Operator was on his way. Serge was doing a little research on Ali Al and not a thing was coming up.

“I will be right there. I’m not far. I’m meeting a contact at two pm. He says he knows the perpetrator.” Sergio told Voisin of his conversation with Ali.

“I got a surprise for yooooou…,” Voisin chortled.

“What are you saying?” Serge thought Voisin sounded weird and even a little creepy.

“You’ll see. It is quite amazing.”

“Just tell me. I love spoilers.”

“We got what we needed from the floor. All the samples we collected are good and we essentially have pictures from every angle. The floors were dusted, the whole place was dusted. So, I go ahead and step out onto the floor painting into the big circle and I start taking pictures from underneath the corpse, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Make-a da job.”

“Unbelievable. I was thinking it really is a gruesome thing that was done to the body until I zoom in on the body. Not the clothes, but the face and flesh parts and guess what?”

“What?”

“Its not a body. Its wax or latex or some other material. Fabricated.”

Sergio was stunned. “You mean to tell me that the corpse is not a real corpse?”

“Fun fact. Listen, the lift-truck arrived and the guy who unloaded it was driving it onto the floor to set it up underneath the body. I stopped him, of course. We still have a potential homicide here: The blood painted on the ground is human blood, confirmed. He said he couldn’t lift me up on the lift truck as he was not insured for that. I got him to go up there himself and take a photo of the painting on the floor. That’s all I will say about it right now. We got an Agency Operator arriving here to take us up to the prop, hopefully very soon.”

“I want to be there for that. Are you going to tell me what the aerial photo looks like?”

“Boy, you really do love spoilers. Well, it looks remotely like the cover art work for the album, The Court of the Crimson King. I’ll see you soon.”

“…I’ll bring donuts,” Sergio added and ended the call.

The Court of the Crimson King.

* * *

“Detective Voisin? I’m Kennedy.” Officer Kennedy held out his hand as he introduced himself to Voisin, Carpelli and the others standing around. “You got a Raymond you need me to operate?”

“Yes, Kennedy. You can take us all the way up there, right?”

“That’s why I’m here.” Kennedy went to the machine and started doing a visual inspection of the truck and the surrounding area, including the cables above. He stopped at a standstill looking up at the corpse. “Jaycee! What the fuck is this? Is this a movie set?”

The boys laughed and Kennedy looked at them strangely. He was being facetious when he asked if it was a movie set; ironically, it could have been a movie set as the corpse was fabricated.

“Its not a movie set. That thing hanging on the wires is not a real body, but don’t step on that blood on the floor… its real. Tread carefully near that paint job.”

“Bizarro. Listen, I can take you up one at a time. We got a counter-balance reach model which is perfect, I won’t have to drive over the evidence. I can bring you right up and close.”

“You better go first, Serge,” Voisin suggested, “I’m going up there to collect some samples and close up shots so I’ll be a while. You’re meeting your guy, what’s his name…Ali? Listen, though, you gotta tell me when you’re up there if you think the hair is real, or not. I got a bet going with the boys.”

“Isn’t making money off of a side-hustle a conflict of interest?” He prepared to get on the lift-truck platform. Kennedy handed him a safety helmet.

“Its one of the three rules I follow,” Kennedy said. “You’re not going up if you don’t wear it.”

Sergio donned the stupid hat and asked, “What are the other rules?”

Kennedy locked the safety rail in place and then handed Sergio his safety harness to put on.

“You’re kidding me,” said Serge, “its thirty feet.”

“Putting on the safety harness is the second rule. The third rule is: If its going on my report, then it really happened. I have to secure your ass so you must put this belt on.”

Up they went. Kennedy backed the machine up and repositioned it to utilize the triangular space between the cable lines. Very near to the face of the fake corpse, Kennedy brought Sergio to within kissing distance. “There. Is that close enough?”

“Yes. I can smell it.” The hair seemed to be real. It was long and wavy. It smelled of some shampoo or some other product. The hair did a good job at obscuring the facial features from the vantage point below, especially since the blood painted to the floor was not to be walked on. “I think you may have won your bet, Larry. I would say this is real hair.”

“Great. If the DNA from the hair matches with the DNA of the blood on the floor, we got ourselves a killer on the loose, not an artist.”

The face and flesh were outstanding, superior, artistically crafted to perfection. “Can I touch it?”

“No, don’t touch anything,” Voisin commanded.

“That’s going in the report,” Kennedy announced.

Sergio threw Kennedy a glance. He turned and looked directly into the face of the manufactured victim. The eyes were slightly open and other than the slashed throat effect, the fake blood and bludgeoned appearance, the face looked exceptionally realistic, even at a very close proximity. The lips were painted to look like they were covered with blood on the verge of dripping down. It looked sickishly real.

“Kennedy, can you take me to the feet?”

The platform glided smoothly to the feet. The guts, suspended on the metal cable, burst through the shirt at the belly. The intestines looked very realistic. Despite pants covering most of the legs and shoes covering the feet, some of the artist’s true work could be seen where the metal cable was attached to the ankle. It looked stunningly realistic. The metal gauging into the skin, bone exposed, blood and flesh all very realistic.

“This guy should work for Hollywood special effects.” Kennedy also took some pictures for his report.

“Okay, I seen enough,” Sergio said realizing he had to leave soon. “You can take me down now.”

“Not yet, Serge,” Voisin called out from below, “Kennedy, can you take him up higher?”

Kennedy negotiated his limited space and surrounding restrictions. “If I back up, I can get us up as high as this thing can take us.” The platform started ascending after Kennedy repositioned the machine.

Sergio could see the top of the corpse, the back and shoulders of the body, as he was lifted above it. Covered in clothes, there was nothing of specific interest to note.

“Look down,” Voisin said.

Sergio looked over the floor plate and saw the painting from a vantage point well above the fake corpse. From high above, it looked like the body was falling, face down, into the open mouth of the painting on the floor. Like a spider about to be eaten.

* * *

Grader rested on his mattress looking up at the stucco covering the ceiling. In certain light, Grader would return to looking at certain parts of his ceiling and he revisited the grandiose visions created by shadows and light. The first time he saw it was completely by accident. He happened to see a face in the stucco. It was an elongated face that looked like it had a beard. It reminded him of a sorcerer or a wizard. He found that he could turn away and again find the face in the ceiling, utilizing subtle markers in the stucco. From there he saw another image in the stucco. It was the image of three children, arm in arm around each other, following a wide path toward a huge cave. He envisioned others in this broad, sweeping portrait as well. Some appeared as if they were far in the distance, some closer, some further away entering the cave, alone or with others, all heading toward their destiny. The peculiar thing about the boys in the forefront was that one of the kids was facing back over his shoulder. Everyone else was facing forward toward the cave.

Grader instantly connected with the face looking back at him. The affinity was with how the image reminded him of himself as a young boy. He pondered this and suddenly his eyes flitted and a wave of trepidation flooded over him. He identified the scene he saw in the stucco as representative of him walking along a broad road. He was being carried along with his two buddies, together going toward the gateway. Was the one looking back having second thoughts about the direction he was going? That is when he saw an image above the cave. He didn’t see it at first but when he processed the vision in his mind, he was immediately horrified. The image opened up and absorbed the balance of the ceiling space. Above the cave, almost imperceptible, was a horned devil and its wings extended out over the entire ceiling universe.

He was looking at the stucco image again. He started crying at the fact that the boy looking back seemed sad or scared or remorseful. A single tear rolled down his cheek. At times, he discovered other faces in the ceiling. He wondered why he always seemed to see faces in wood and trees and clouds and stone. Nothing matched the epic depth and breadth of the image of the broad road to destruction that was on display above his head. He was feeling a stirring in his soul. More and more he thought about creating that scene in a three-dimensional work of art.

* * *

Ali Al lived in a one-bedroom apartment above Crystal Cove, a New Age crystals and novelty shop. He knew all the employees very well and he often frequented the shop, occasionally purchasing a polished stone or he would pick up leaflets advertising local Psychic Fairs. Mostly he was lonely and he and enjoyed catching up on the casual community scuttlebutt.

Serge parked in a spot opposite the strip mall storefront causeway. He didn’t want to give anyone the impression he was on official business. He tried to contact Ali to remind him of their appointment. The number was not in service, however, moments later Sergio’s cell phone rang.

“Ah, Carpelli. Okay, I am not home. But don’t worry, I will be there in a few minutes. I am not far.”

Serge had no recourse but to wait. “Thanks, Ali. I will see you very soon. Are you in the apartment that has the colourful face on the window?”

“Yes, that is my apartment. Number 203. You can go into Crystal Cove and talk to Lacie. She is so nice. She will tell you all about me. You will know I am not fooling around with this business.”

“And what business are we talking about?”

“You know... about the information I have for you. About Grader Form. I did not tell her about Grader, I am telling you only. But you can talk to Lacie and she will tell you I am legit.”

“A ‘legit’ what?”

“I do things for dead people.”

“What!?”

“I will tell you in a few minutes. Go see Lacie. Bring her a green tea from Parka’s. Very close, just a few doors away. You see it?”

“Yes,” said Serge.

“Oh, I got a call. I be a few minutes.” Ali ended the call.

Sergio stepped out of his car and decided to stroll up to Parka’s. He would take Ali up on his suggestion to talk to Lacie and possibly get some collateral information about his informant. In the coffee shop, a middle-aged woman greeted Sergio from behind the counter.

“Hi. Are you needing a table?,” she asked.

“No,” Serge responded, “I understand you have green tea. Can I get three green teas to go?”

“Sure.” She proceeded to prepare the order.

“Can I ask you something?,” Sergio proposed.

“Sure. What is it?”

“There is a man that lives in an apartment above this strip mall. Ali is his name. Know him?”

“Who are you, a cop?” She was being careful.

“Yes. I am, but I am not here because there is a problem. Ali wanted to talk to me.” Serge flashed his Badge.

“I’m not surprised, he wants to talk to everybody. He’s a great guy. Comes in here all the time and lots of times he doesn’t purchase anything. He pops in to say hello. Never a bother to anyone. He has some wild things to say sometimes.”

“Oh, yeah. What do you mean by wild?” Sergio was piqued.

“You know, he has this thing about spirit channelling and he is all into the other side and psychic phenomenon. Things like that. Probably why he lives above Crystal Cove.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“I have no idea. He keeps things light around here. ‘Hi,’ ‘Bye,’ sort of thing. Once in a while he comes in here, though, all starry eyed and hypomanic and I tell you, he drops a zinger.” Joanne capped some lids on the takeout cups and brought them to the cash counter. “Here, no charge: I’ll give you a cop discount. I appreciate all you guys do for the community”

Sergio handed her a ten-dollar bill and told her to keep the rest for a tip. “Zinger,” he said flatly hoping she would be prompted to say more.

“Oh, yes. Like last month he came in and looked a little out of sorts. I asked him if he was feeling okay. He said he was sad to report he has some bad news and he proceeded to tell me to stay off the highway on my way home. It was my late shift and I was closing that night. I was held back ten minutes because there was a problem with the freezer and I wanted to make sure it was working when I left. When I finally did lock up, I started my car and thought of what Ali had said to me earlier. I don’t know what kept me there for so long, then…boom! I could see a fireball mushroom into the black sky. It turns out that was the night the tanker truck exploded. Remember that night?”

“Oh, I remember.”

“Had I left on time I calculated I would have either been stuck in traffic or likely involved in the accident directly. Needless to say, I did not take the highway home.”

“He saved you.”

Joanne smiled and said, “I like to think so.” She added, “If one of these is for Ali, I will tell you right now he won’t drink it.” She held up a tea and then set it into a cardboard carry-out.

“He doesn’t like tea?”

“I have offered him things many times and he always declines it. He doesn’t take food, not anything to drink. He is just flaps around the area like the birds living in the Parka’s sign outside.”

“Thanks. Any other zingers?”

“Well, that was a big one. Mostly he’ll come in and tell me I’m going to find a dime or something then, lo-and-behold, I’ll find one…or whatever the case may be. Never fails.”

“Never fails, you say. Thank you for your insight.” He started to turn away when he added, “Do you know Lacie?”

“Lacie Rich? Over there at Crystal Cove. She’s the best. Is this tea for her?”

“Yes,” said Serge.

“Oh, okay, here…I’m going to throw in this lemon wedge. She always takes it in her tea.”

“Thanks. Have a great day.” Sergio made his way to the New Age shop.

The door dingled from a little bell suspended above the entranceway. The smell of scented candles and incense filled the air. Soft, relaxing music and the sound of water gurgling from miniature, tabletop waterfalls greeted all patrons. A young woman looked up from a book she was reading and focused on Serge.

“Hi, Lacie?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Sergio Carpelli. I’m a detective. Here is my Badge.” He showed her. “I brought you a green tea from Parka’s. I want you to know I am here because Ali suggested I come to speak to you. I will be meeting him shortly.”

“He told you to come talk to me?”

“He told me to buy you a tea.”

“Ha. That’s so sweet. The both of you. Thanks, I could use this tea.” She received it and was thankful. The lemon wedge was also included. How thoughtful.

“I’m really here just to ask you about Ali. He is not in any trouble. He wanted to meet with me because he says he has some information on a case I’m working on. I don’t know what to make of him. Have you known him a long time?”

Lacie sipped on her tea and wrapped her hands around her cup. “I have known Ali for about three years. Since I started working here. The girl who I replaced introduced me to Ali and he has been dropping in quite regularly. Very nice man.”

Sergio nodded slowly. “He lives directly upstairs?”

“He does. He’s a humble guy. I guess some people might consider him weird, but I think he’s fun. He collects all sorts of things and talks to me about the spirits that talk to him. He fancies himself a psychic.”

“He told me on the telephone that he does things for dead people. Has he ever told you that?”

“Yes, he has said that before. Once, I asked him how they pay him and he just laughed and laughed, thought that to be the funniest thing. To be honest, I think he is psychic.”

Sergio sipped his drink and asked, “What does he say he does for…the dead.”

“I don’t know. He is always working with some entity or other. He tells me some of his missions. Not too long ago he delivered a book to somebody across town. He just walked up to their door and rang their doorbell, handed the man who answered the door the book he had for him and told the guy his wife wanted him to read this book. The guy got pissed off, telling Ali that his wife was dead and asking Ali if this was some kind of joke. Ali told him some things about his wife that no one else could possibly know. The guy went from wanting to punch Ali in the face to sobbing like a little baby.”

“Do you believe his stories?”

Lacie smiled a sweet little smile. “I believe him. There are way too many stories like that. He can tell you.”

“What was the book he delivered?”

“To that man? It was a book he bought here. The book is called, Soul Stalker. I don’t even think Ali read the book. He just delivered it because this dead woman’s spirit asked him to deliver it. Ali said it is what would give her peace. And that’s why he does what he does and spins what he spins. He does for dead people what they can no longer do for themselves in the here-and-now, to bring them peace in the afterlife. So noble, don’t you think?”

Serge didn’t know what to make of the information he was receiving. He sipped on his tea and then asked, “If the dead don’t pay, how does he get his bills paid?”

“I was up in his apartment a few times and I noticed Government benefits pay stubs. I guess he receives a pension.”

“That seems to make sense. Does he have a disability?”

The store telephone rang once and then went silent. “That’s Ali. I mean, he didn’t actually call here but, believe it or not, this happens all the time when the phone rings once and stops, in comes Ali.”

“Really? How do you know he doesn’t call ahead?”

Lacie laughed and said, “You’ll see…And to answer your question, he receives Government benefits payments due to a mental health disability. Make of it what you will.”

Just then Ali swept in. “Lacie, so nice to see you. Carpelli. Are you Carpelli?”

“Yes.”

“Hi, Ali. Thanks for telling Carpelli to pick me up a tea.” She winked at Serge.

“You are welcome. You needed one today. Don’t worry…your doctor has good news for you. Don’t worry about a thing. He will call you today, all is going to be fine.”

“I got you a green tea as well, Ali.” Sergio offered Ali the other cup.

“No. No. Thank you. Lacie can have it later on, just don’t microwave it. Heat it up in a pot, Lacie. Please. You don’t want to drink microwaves.”

“Thanks, Ali. You are very generous.”

“It’s okay. Carpelli will get you another lemon slice before he leaves to get back to work. Don’t worry. Everything is good. You can drink it later when the doctor calls, to celebrate.”

Sergio redirected the conversation onto the business at hand. “Ali, should we go somewhere private to discuss the information you have for me?”

“Yes. Yes, we must. Let’s go upstairs. We can talk in private. Lacie, I will see you tomorrow.”

“Goodbye, Ali.”

“Nice meeting you Lacie. Thanks for the chat.”

“Nice to meet you, Detective Carpelli. I hope you get what you are after. Thanks again for the tea.”

“My pleasure.”

They departed the store through the back entrance which was adjacent to another door leading up a narrow stairwell to Ali’s apartment. Ali kept on talking, rambling on and on and then stopped midway on the stairwell.

“Oh, wait. I got a call. One minute…” He pulled out a cell phone from his back pocket and answered it. Sergio didn’t hear it ring or buzz. There was a lot of affirmation and agreeing verbalized by Ali to the person he was speaking with. “Yes. Yes…Okay…ahhh…I…okay. I do.” Ali ended the call and that is when Sergio noticed his cell phone didn’t have a backing on it and it was missing its battery component.

* * *

“You fucking asshole! You can’t just dump me out here in the middle of nowhere!”

Leanne Connick stepped out of the black Charger holding her high heel shoes in her hands. She took a few steps and crumpled down when a sharp rock jabbed her bare foot. “You fucking asshole! Wait till Maverick hears you interfered with his business dealings by leaving me out here! You’re a dead man! I got your license plate you stupid motherfucker!”

The 2019 Charger spun its wheels sending dust and rock debris spraying into Leanne’s face. “Mother! fucker!” She was stranded. She scouted her surroundings and felt a chill run through her body. She had no sweater and high heel shoes. The dirt road was pitch black, the sleepy moon a sliver eye open. Thinking back, she had not seen a house or a main road in quite some time. She was into thick forested terrain. Definitely wild animal territory. No flashlight, but a lighter.

I’ll burn the forest down, she thought. That would draw attention to her in the wilds. That would save her. She had no other plan. She had a little purse with condoms and some cash in it. She was already starting to shiver.

Angry at herself for not being cautious, she slipped on her shoes and tried walking in them. She didn’t know what was worse, risking breaking an ankle walking in high heels or, walk bare footed on the rocks and cold ground. It was tough to see the dirt road and a stone or a divot may send the high heel twin towers down to the ground. She started to cry.

It had been a false delusion: The real-good time.

“Hey, how about a country drive?,” said the John. He pulled a bag of cocaine from his glove compartment and held it up in front of Leanne’s nose. Wasn’t it like a magical talisman to her eyes? “Ever do coke on a country drive before?”

“No. I don’t drink and drive.”

“Are you in? We just gotta drive out of the city maybe fifteen minutes. You know, ’get your motor runnin…head out on the highway…looking for adventure…or whatever comes our way…”

The fifteen minutes out of the city turned to an hour of rockin tunes and lines she happily kept carving up with a credit card on a little vanity mirror she kept in her purse. Born to be wild.

When he pulled over to the side of the road, Leanne smiled and said, “Yeah, I gotta go pee too. Good idea.” She looked into her wee purse. “Hey, you got any Kleenex?” Her nose was watery, but she also needed some to go pee.

He reached to his side and instead of a tissue, he held up a hunting knife to her face. “Get out.”

“What?” First surprise/shock/fear then anger/caution/survive.

“Get the fuck out of my car right now.” John looked intense and serious.

“You fucking piece of shit,” she said as she opened the car door. “I could fucking die out here you fucking beast. Do you here me!? There’s wild animals around here you fucking monster!”

Leanne thought she saw the brake lights of the Charger come on up the road a considerable way. That was the direction she was going because there was no where else to go, they passed nothing that she could walk back towards. A teensie-weensie glimmer of hope lit up. Maybe he is just fucking with me. He stopped up the road. He’s waiting for me. She cried more heartily but was striven to keep quiet. Don’t attract any hungry animals.

Was it an evil smile in the sky or was it that the moon’s eye just wouldn’t open. In the dark, the air felt cold and the trees on either side of her was a deep, black wallpaper. She kept to the centre of the road and she could follow it along. The cocaine in her system helped her move along but it would wear off before she got too far. The darkness was silent. Her sniffles and footsteps were the only sounds.

There were some precarious situations that she found herself in in the past. Escort to the lower echelons of society was certainly a risky business. This was, by far, the most terrifying experience she had ever found herself in. Nothing worse. And getting worse.

She didn’t notice the wolf situated in the middle of the road until she was close enough to distinguish it’s form against the backdrop of dark packed dirt ahead of her. She stopped, wide eyed.

Oh, my God, she whispered in her mind, not wanting the animal to hear her. The animal was very still and so was she. She didn’t know what to do. She thought of screaming. Its all too late, she thought somewhere in her depths of panic. Terrorstruck, she saw the wolf move. Rather than run at her, she watched as the wolf stood up, standing tall, a man. A man wearing wolf skin and taxidermy headdress. He started walking toward her with a knife in one hand and an empty paint can in the other.

* * *

Serge found Ali’s apartment interesting, to say the least. It was an explosion of visual stimuli. Colours and collections and contours and crafts. The apartment was cluttered with all sorts of nick-knacks and artwork. The face in the window was a stained-glass portrait of a broken glass man, smiling, sunlight glinting from coloured glass teeth. There were plenty of other odd paintings and pictures and sculptures and artifacts. The apartment seemed clean and it smelled of scented candles and incense. A pile of polished stones, like the ones sold in the store below his apartment, were overflowing from a large frog mouth and spilling onto his dining table.

“You got a lot of great stuff here. So much to look at.”

“Yes,” said Ali. “I keep these things. They tell me to get these things and I do. I keep. One day they will tell me to give them away. Here…” Ali put his hand deep into the frog’s mouth and spilled plenty of the stones onto his table top. He came up with a certain polished stone and offered it to Sergio.

“No. That’s okay, Ali. You keep that for your collection.”

“This one is for you. Believe me. You must have it. I got a call, you heard it, just a minute ago and I was told you get this one.”

“Who called you?” Serge wanted to understand Ali and assess his mental status before he spent any length of time on this potentially dead lead.

“I get calls from everyone dead. They like me. The one who knows Grader Form said you get this rock. Green one.”

Sergio accepted the stone so as not to offend Ali. “So, your contact knows Grader Form? You said he has something to do with the artist that created the display we are investigating?”

“No, no. Grader Form is the artist.” Ali put the kettle on to boil. “He is a very good artist. Expert.”

“I tried to look up the name. The name does not exist anywhere I can find.”

“That’s right. You will not find him anywhere by that name. That name is a new name he has chosen to give himself. Its his artist name. I don’t know what his real name is. You have a tea, so you don’t need one, right?”

“No, thanks. I’m good.” Sergio kept intermittently flitting his eyes around the room at lightning speed, looking for anything that might strike a lightbulb in his mind. “How does your contact know Grader?”

Ali went to his fridge and took out a jar of tea. He pinched some and dashed it into his tea-stained mug. “I get calls and they tell me about people; they know things about people. They know Grader Form is becoming a great artist. That is the only name I know. They didn’t tell me his real name.”

“Will they tell you his real name?”

“Um…they want to protect Grader. Grader is just an artist. But I know you are in the warehouse looking at Grader’s work. The blood…the paint…that blood is the blood on the hands of a very bad man.”

“Is the blood on your hands, Ali?” Sergio wanted to see his reaction and evaluate him as a potential suspect.

“My hands are clean. Look.” Ali held out his hands for Serge to see. Sergio was captivated by the tattoo on his left hand. “I’m telling you, believe me, Grader does not know where the blood came from. He was given his supplies. He follows his orders and creates his creations. More than anything, he wants to be a renown artist. He was promised great fame and was told he just needed to follow directions and it will happen. One thing he was told was to use a new name. A name that would one day be famous all over the world. He made it up.”

Sergio looked at the stone he now possessed. “How do you know about the blood?”

“I know about the blood because I got a call yesterday on my phone. I was told to call you. You need to help my associate. It is her blood on the floor. You will see. I got another call and my associate told me I can give you her name. It’s okay. She doesn’t care anymore…she is dead.”

“Is this the victim whose blood is under Grader’s work?”

“It’s a masterpiece. I saw it in a vision. The blood belongs to Leanne Connick. She is my associate. She is asking me to help her. I help. She doesn’t know the name of the killer. She met the killer, not the artist. But for some reason she does not tell me her killer’s name. There is something in the way of that. She doesn’t know why she only knows Grader’s name.”

Serge was starting to gain suspicion about Ali and his association to the case. “Ali, I think I’m going to have to ask you to come to the station for further questioning. This is starting to get confusing for me and I need help understanding what it is you are saying. Will you come with me to the station?”

The tea kettle started whistling. “Carpelli man. I have work to do. I help, but I don’t want to go to the station. I am home. My tea will be ready in five minutes.” He poured the boiling water into his mug.

“If you come with me, I won’t have to get a warrant for your arrest. You are a person of interest in this case. I just have questions for you.”

“You ask. I answer. We can do this right here. I am most comfortable here. I didn’t do anything, I am trying to help.”

“Yes, you are being helpful and I thank you. But I think you should come with me.”

“I’m not going. You answer your phone, I am going to the washroom.”

Ali started to walk away and Sergio didn’t think that was a good idea. He didn’t know what Ali would be doing or what he may come out of the bathroom with. He was about to protest when his cell phone started to ring. He was surprised as he looked at Ali who raised his eyebrows and nodded his head up and down, enticing him to answer. Serge did not bother to stop Ali as he headed toward his washroom. He saw it was Voisin on his telephone display.

“Hi, Larry. What have you got?”

Voisin sounded a little up on the phone. “Serge, I found something you will be interested in. We brought the body down…you know what I mean…the fake corpse. We checked pockets and shoes and socks, nothing there. Everything itemized. The clothing was tagged and bagged and sent to the lab. I must tell you that under the clothes, the whole body is sculpted perfectly. We had to sever off the extended guts ’cause we couldn’t bring the whole thing down intact. Anyways, the sculpted body is incredible, so real but that is not why I’m calling you. We found letters under the fingernails in the corpse’s hands, ten letters, one under each fingernail, barely visible. And the letters spell a name…Grader Form.”

Sergio could hear Ali talking to someone in the bathroom. It made him a little bit nervous, not sure what to make of anything. “Grader Form. Okay…the calling card.”

“Are you with Ali?”

“I am. I asked him to come to the station with me. He is refusing. I guess we need a search warrant and warrant for his arrest? I’m having trouble piecing Ali to the crime…he knows of Grader but not who Grader is. Its complicated. We need to talk about this guy.”

“Bring him in.”

“Yeah. Anything else?”

“That’s all for now. I just wanted to confirm that Ali’s assertion on the name is valid. Grader Form. Sounds like it could be a Marvel character or something.”

“I’ll try to bring him in. I get the sense Ali is harmless but I don’t quite know what to make of his story. He seems to be a little psychic or something.”

There was a pause in the conversation. Sergio heard the toilet flushing in the bathroom. “Psychic…good luck with that.” Voisin ended the call.

Ali came rushing out the bathroom, wild eyed and smiling. Sergio thought Ali was going to make an announcement but, instead, he went to his cup of tea and said, “Almost ready.”

Serge spoke up stating he heard Ali speaking to someone in the bathroom.

“Yes. I got a call. They want me to drop off a dollar-twenty-five in a paper bag at the bus stop on Wellington and Smith Street. You got any money?”

Sergio started looking at a hideous mask carved out of wood hanging in front of a mirror on the wall. “Are you looking for a buck twenty-five?”

“Oh, yes. That is all. I’m so glad you’re here. It will be of great help.”

Sergio dropped the stone that Ali gave him into his pocket and fished out the coin he had requested. “Here…one-twenty-five.” He placed it into Ali’s hand and noticed the eye tattooed to the centre of his palm seemed to wink at him when Ali closed his fist.

“Much thanks, Carpelli. You will make this person’s day.”

“Who’s day am I making?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t tell me that. I only know what they tell me, that is all. I don’t like to speculate on anything.”

Sergio became forthright with Ali and simply said, “Ali, I am not going to drag you into the station. I want you to come by so we can ask you some more questions. I will ask that you not leave town. I was just alerted that the name you gave us regarding our case checks out. We will have to do some more investigation.”

“Yes, please do. Please. I am just trying to help. That girl that died. She is reaching out for help so I called you. All I have right now is that name I gave you. And the girl’s name is Leanne Connick. Such a beautiful life, taken away from us. Gone. The killer is still with us, but she is gone. That is not right.”

“Anything else?,” Serge asked Ali.

“Not now. Maybe I get a call later…I will call you if she calls me back. Nice lady. She was the one who told me to give you the stone. She said to give you the green one. It’s the colour of his eyes. The same colour as the stone. The exact same colour. The stone and the killer’s eyes. The same.”

“Okay, Ali.”

“I go now. I got work to do.”

“Okay, Ali. Don’t leave town.”

Ali laughed.

Sergio left the apartment and went to his car. He thought about his next steps and decided he would see where Ali was going. He had a sneaky suspicion that Ali would make his way to the intersection of Wellington and Smith Street. He waited in the parking lot and then decided to drive around the back of the building where he could stake out Ali’s apartment door. It wasn’t long before he saw Ali carrying a paper lunch bag and heading to the street. Serge intended on following him to test some theories and obtain possible leads. He was about to pull out of the parking lot when he remembered one thing. He wheeled in front of Parka’s and went in to ask Joanne for a lemon wedge and then double parked outside Crystal Cove to deliver the lemon wedge to Lacie.

“I knew you’d come,” Lacie laughed.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Because Ali said you would come, remember?”

“I remember.”

“What did you think of Ali?” Lacie liked Ali and she was curious as to what the Officer’s first impressions were.

“I like Ali. I will be in contact with him.”

“You said he wasn’t in any trouble, is that still the case?”

“Lacie, I will tell you that some of the things I have heard about him and some of the things I have witnessed today are very curious.”

“Well, I’m telling you, he is a legitimate psychic. At some level or other, he is connecting with some other worldly realm that is his reality. I love it. Thanks for the lemon wedge.”

“No problem. My pleasure.”

“Have a spice day.”

“Thanks, Lacie. I will.” As he left the store, he tried to think whether he just remembered about the lemon wedge or whether Ali had subconsciously programmed his future to deliver it.

* * *

“I understand what you are saying, I hear everything you are saying. I’m saying that it can’t be done. It can’t be done in that time frame…Of course, I want to…it will take more time than that! I want it done to my standard…NO!...My standards are nothing short of absolute perfection. No one will deny me that…I would rather be nothing…I WOULD RATHER BE NO ONE!...Even if the supplies will be ready to go, I need time for my work…More than a month…More than that!...I will begin and you deliver the blood in two months time. It will be the last thing after I finish my piece…”

Grader’s voice carried in the warehouse in which he recently moved into. It was an isolated and abandoned unit of an old hangar once used to repair light, private aircraft before the big Recession of ’25. The floor was already covered in plastic. The supplies were already present when he arrived. He lifted his eyes and spun slowly in one spot in the centre of the warehouse. His mind seemed to sing and resonate with his artistic vision.

* * *

Sergio parked on Wellington in a metered spot where he could have a good view. He didn’t have to wait long before he saw Ali present himself, walking quickly up Smith Street with his paper bag in hand and his cell phone pressed to his ear. Sergio didn’t recall seeing any evidence of medications when he surveyed Ali’s apartment. He wondered if Ali was even taking medication. As Ali got closer, Serge could hear Ali speaking into his phone, battery connector dangling underneath the cell.

“I do…Yes, yes…No problem…I finish tomorrow…” The conversation with himself went on and on.

Serge watched as Ali took a seat on the park bench in front of the bus stop sign. He placed his paper bag on the spot beside him and reclined, throwing his arm over the seat back and crossing his legs. He put his cell phone away and watched the traffic go by. It was rather a busy intersection and there were a few pedestrians around. There was a moment when Ali looked directly at Serge and he thought his stake out was a bust; however, Ali continued to look around smoothly and flatly. After a few minutes, Ali stood up and walked away, East on Wellington toward Downtown.

A few moments after that, while Ali was in the distance within eyeshot, a tired looking woman sat down on the bus stop bench. She seemed agitated and was tweeking significantly, jonesing for her next hit. She glanced at the paper bag and then took it and opened it. She stared into the bag as if she found gold. She crushed the bag into her lap and started to cry. Serge exited his car and walked across the street to talk to her. He wanted to know a little more if there anything more to know. Was this just Ali’s sense of a random act of kindness? The woman seemed guarded and wiped her tears off her face briskly when Serge approached.

“Hello. I’m Detective Carpelli.” He flashed the Badge. “I saw you picking up that bag and I just wanted to alert you that there have been some lethal drugs being circulated and distributed around the streets in bags like that, like the one you just picked. I felt compelled to caution you with the information and warn you. That shit kills.”

The woman sniffled and said, “No drugs. I can’t believe it. You wanna know what’s in the bag?”

Serge already knew.

“One dollar and twenty-five cents. That’s the exact amount for the bus. I just heard my mother is dying in hospital. My sister said she will be dead any minute. I was going to beg the bus driver to let me on the bus. He won’t let me on without paying anymore. But then boom! here it is. Right here for me, waiting. My mom will hang on till I get there. I know it.”

“She will. That’s an amazing coincidence. I’m sure you will see her.”

“Its like it was meant to happen.” After crossing and uncrossing her legs and touching her face repeatedly, she stood up. “Hey, can you spare any change? I’d like to get my mother a coffee.”

“No, sorry. I gave my change away already.”

“Its okay. Never mind. Look, here comes the bus.” The bus rocked and glided closer to the stop.

“Good luck, Miss. Sorry to bug you.”

The woman boarded the bus after shaking her paper bag at the bus driver. “I got your stupid nickels,” she said to the driver.

Down Wellington, Ali was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Voisin called Sergio early in the afternoon. “We got something on the Artist Killer.”

It was a dry four weeks. It was substantiated that Leanne Connick did go missing and the blood type on the floor of the warehouse was a positive match, however, the body was never found. Until now.

“The remains were located about an hour out of the city by a couple of hikers that were prospecting to purchase a parcel of the land. I’m going there now. Do you want to come?”

“Yes. When are you leaving?”

“Right away. Can you meet me at the Roadside Café? You can leave your car there and I’ll drive. I want to get there before anyone else.”

“I can be there in an hour.”

“Sure thing,” Voisin finished.

Sergio lifted his baseball cap off his head and ran his fingers through his hair and fitted the cap back into place. It had been weeks since the investigation started and nothing was turning up. Ali was being loosely watched but he was looking innocent of involvement in the crime. All Ali had which was incriminating was he provided a name; the name written underneath the fingernails of the molded corpse. Furthermore, he was the one who initiated the contact regarding that bit of information.

The artwork was analyzed and all materials used to create it were identified. There was nothing extraordinary about the materials being used: Latex and wax and bonding materials and paints were all typical of materials that could be bought at any craft supply store. The clothes the dummy was wearing were new, no extraneous DNA found on any of it to investigate. The wire cables and fasteners that suspended the body were unremarkable and readily available. The warehouse belonged to a foreign real estate investors firm that hired a Property Management company to maintain the property until their investment prospects made worthwhile gains. It was a sitting ghost prospect. The Property Management company were deemed not directly connected to the murder, plus…there was no murder. Except for the blood.

Well, we finally have a real victim, Sergio thought. He decided to grab a sandwich since it would likely be a long time before he would get another chance to eat something. He considered going to Parka’s for a toasted western and to drop in on Ali. It turned out Sergio checked his voicemail and there was a message from Ali.

“Carpelli, man. This is Ali Al. I want to speak to you. I want to speak to you about the wolf. Please.” That was good enough reason go visit Ali and check in with Lacie. It was sort of on the way and he had an hour. When he drove into the parking lot in front of Parka’s, he saw Ali already coming toward his vehicle.

“Carpelli, man. You are right on time. I was going send you another message.”

“You know, Ali, you never did give me your cell number,” Serge informed him.

“Oh. Ha ha. No. Outgoing calls only. I am caught in the middle.”

“Yes, of course.” Sergio stepped out of the car and readied to place his food order with Joanne. “And tell me Ali, isn’t that your battery cable wiggling at the base of your phone?”

“Yes. I like it like that. Its like an antenna.”

Serge shook his head and smiled at Ali. Poor soul, he thought. “So how do you power your phone? How can it work with no battery or power?”

Ali regarded Serge with a quizzical expression and answered the questions, “Black mirror.” He held up the shiny, black face of the phone to his partner.

Serge, “Sure. Black mirror. Makes sense to me.” He changed the subject. “You said something about a wolf?”

Ali followed Sergio into Parka’s. “Yes. I left you a message. I was about to leave you another message to tell you to meet me in Winchester.”

Sergio stopped and turned to face Ali. Ali stepped back. “What did you say?”

“I said I was going to leave you a message to meet me in Winchester, however, you are here now and we can go together.”

“How do you know about Winchester?”

“I got a call this morning.” He held up and jiggled his cell, the flapping battery cord connector tapping.

Joanne presented herself, out from the back room. “Hey, guys! How are you doing?”

“Hi, Joanne. I am fine. I am here with Carpelli man. He is here for a lunch. I pay.”

“No, thanks, Ali. I got this.” He turned to Joanne. “I will have a Toasted Western sandwich and two green teas, one lemon wedge, please.”

“If that second tea is for Lacie, you probably don’t need to get it. She’s off today…And I know Ali won’t take it.”

“No, thank you, I had some last week.”

When Joanne went to the kitchen, Serge asked Ali, “What did you hear about Winchester?”

“I got a call. They said I need to go to Winchester to show you something. I know what it is but I cannot say specifically where exactly it is to tell you. They said I will know when I see it. So, I go.”

“It’s a criminal investigation and a crime scene, Ali. I can’t just take you there.”

“You will. I wait in the car. I wait until you need me to show you what I must show you. Very important.”

“Ali, I hear its not pretty.”

“I don’t want to see Leanne’s body. I talked to her last night. She wants the wolf killed.”

“You talked to her? Did a wolf kill her?”

“Do wolves have green eyes? I don’t know. I will show you something when you are ready.”

Serge was not sure what to do. He called Voisin and explained the situation. Voisin seemed okay with Ali sitting in the car and not going anywhere near the body. It would give him an opportunity to grill Ali as they drove to Winchester.

In the time that Serge walked a short distance away to call Voisin, Ali paid for Serge’s lunch and then left the diner.

“You paid for my lunch, Ali,” Serge stated as he met Ali outside.

“I did. You are welcome. You are a big help to drive me.”

“You’re gonna meet my partner, Voisin. He’s gonna have questions for you, just so you know.”

“I know. Carpelli man, you are a good man. Thank you. We go to Winchester.”

They met Voisin at the Roadside Café just on the outskirts of town. Often considered a truck stop, there was lots of room to park and leave the car for a few hours.

“Ali,” Serge introduced, “this is Larry Voisin.”

Voisin smiled at Ali and Ali extended his left hand for a handshake. “I am Ali Al. I am very pleased to meet you.”

“I am also pleased to meet you. That is quite a tattoo on your hand,” Voisin commented.

The eye tattooed to Ali’s palm was intricate and stark. “I should never have allowed that witch to give me this tattoo. Very bad mistake. Before, the eye was closed and now look,” he held out his hand, “it is open. I see day and night now. No rest.”

Sergio shrugged his shoulders and started to move into Voisin’s car. Ali sat in the back seat quite happily. He enjoyed car rides and the opportunity to go on them was infrequent.

Once in gear, Larry asked Ali, “Sergio said something about you doing things for dead people? That is very interesting.”

“I help. I help a little and for some it is a lot. Some is better than nothing, always.”

“True words.”

“Carpelli man, remember when you gave me one dollar and twenty five cents? Do you remember about a month ago?”

“I remember.”

“I got a call from the mother of that woman that found your money at the bus stop. Carpelli man, do you remember?”

“I remember the woman at the bus stop. She said she was going to visit her dying mother in the hospital.”

“Yes, yes, Carpelli, man. I got a call that same night from her mother. She said her daughter saw her. They held hands and talked to each other. It was beautiful. Crying and joy and pain and love. Unbelievable.”

Voisin regarded Serge to hear his response.

“Unbelievable is right,” Serge agreed.

“Can you believe it? I got another call from her again just last night. Just last night! I am telling you the truth, Carpelli man, listen. The last day of her life was the best day of her life. That day she saw her daughter, her daughter promised her she would clean up from the drugs. Last night the mother said her daughter is still clean. See! A little is a lot.”

Moments later, Voisin asked Ali what the names of these women were.

“Oh, she did say. It was…it was…ahh…Tanya. I remember. No last name. Tanya. That is the daughter’s name. I don’t know the mother’s name. Names don’t matter too much over there.”

“In the world of the dead?”

Ali looked at Voisin’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Just before the world of the dead. Just before your final destination. They call me from there, never from their forever place.”

“Is that where Leanne is calling you from?”

“Yes. Yes, everyone calls from there.” Ali turned to look at some of the countryside. “Leanne is such a beautiful person. She told me the wolf got her. She was deceived and the wolf tricked her. So cunning.”

“What does the wolf look like?”

Ali laughed. “Like a wolf. Carpelli man, do you have the stone I gave you? The green one?”

“Yeah, I got it in the office. On my desk.”

“The wolf looks like a wolf but the wolf has green eyes, exactly like the stone. Same thing.”

“Is that all we know about the wolf?,” Voisin inquired.

“Leanne said one more thing. She said I must show you something.”

“What is that?”

Ali started laughing out loud. “Believe me…I must show you. Carpelli, you know this is legit. I am excited to help.” Voisin watched Ali put his cell phone his ear. “I help. I help kill the wolf.” He put the phone away.

“Do you even know what it is you are going to show us?,” Serge asked.

“Now I know. Carpelli man, now I know.”

“What is it?”

“I show you the wolf. You kill him.”

* * *

Tanya was clean for four weeks. She struggled and trudged. The fight was hard and relentless, but she turned down the offers and she tried to separate herself from the world of the streets. Every day she prayed to her mother, keeping her promise to stop using drugs alive in her heart. Her days at the women’s shelter were coming to a close. The Social Workers and Community Supports workers were a great help to stabilize her, however, securing permanent affordable housing was the ongoing challenge.

She thought about returning to prostitution for a means. No home, no income. The Homeless Shelter was her next designated appointment. The sheer weight of the entire pile of bullshit she was to carry was crushing her spirit. More and more she thought about using one last time. Just to take a break from the oppressive hopelessness of the future. Just for one brief period of reprieve from feeling so low all the time. Just one time.

She left the Women’s Shelter and boarded a bus that was heading downtown. At every stop, the bus would swing open its doors to allow people in and out and at every bus stop, Tanya would wrestle and lose the fight to run away. The bus moved closer to her old neighbourhood. There she would find her old street and her old friends and her old ways.

“Forgive me, mama. Just this one time. I promise.”

* * *

The piece was marvellous. It was attached to a metal harness that would make flipping it upside down very easy with little chance of causing structural damaging. In the mean time, it was masterfully sculpted. A naked body created right-side-up depicting the perspective of a body hanging upside-down. The arms rose from the shoulders, fingers pointing toward the ceiling, blood painted on the fingertips as if they would drip off toward the sky. Everything carved and moulded as the artist imagined it would look in its final stage hanging upside down. G-R-A-D-E-R F-O-R-M, each individual letter meticulously carved underneath opaque polymer fingernails. The attraction was complete.

Grader went to the office space where he slept at night to consider the final steps. He had specific instructions. He was to return home now. He was to stay away for three days and then return. At that time, he will return to find the blood and tools he needed to paint the final mural on the floor before his work was done. He could hardly wait to return to his farmhouse. He smiled as he backed away from his art. Getting the sculpture dressed was a little bit of a challenge, but he imagined about how it would all come together when he returned in a few days and how he would see it suspended in the middle of the hangar. Everything would be cleaned up. The plastic would be gone and all he had to do was affix the hairpiece and paint a sketchy rendition of The Rolling Stones’ logo onto the floor.

* * *

Winchester was a rural region that required driving miles and miles with nothing to look at but forest trees on either side. Where the road dipped and swerved, beautiful scenery presented its glorious face. The sideroads were gravel and dirt and when Voisin reached the marker, he exchanged words with the Officer he was relieving.

“We got this.”

“Yes, you do. I have been here for ten hours. Follow the yellow tags on the trees and it will lead you to the remains. I’ve done all I can do for today and I’m heading home. If you need to talk to the hiker’s, their number is in the report. Is it just you guys coming?”

“No,” said Voisin, “my team is on its way. How far into the trees?”

“A hundred yards, maybe. Not too far.”

“Okay, I got your number if we have any questions, but I think we’ll be okay.”

“Some animals took advantage of the free meal. Its nasty. I don’t know what you are gonna salvage as far as evidence.”

“Hope for something. Something is better than nothing.” Voisin looked at Ali who nodded affectionately.

Voisin parked the car and waved the other Officer goodbye. “So you are staying in the car right?” Voisin turned to face Ali.

“I wait. Right here. When you are ready, I will show you what it is that I need to show you.”

“Why don’t you show us right now?”

“I wait. I get a call soon. Believe me.”

The policemen exited the car and stepped off of the road and into the soil and forest undergrowth. The markers were easy to follow and seemed further than a hundred yards away. They came upon the remains of Leanne Connick.

“Whoa,” said Serge. “That is bad. I can’t imagine there is much there for visual clues. This is a job for you guys in a lab.”

“She was dragged around a bit. Eaten a bit. Look there, Sherlock…that looks like a straight cut across her throat.” Voisin started taking pictures. “Not sure about the blood situation but animals got her guts, for sure.”

“Stinks.” Sergio started to circle the corpse, looking for anything he could find. “No shoes. Head shaved. I guess the killer likes blood and hair.”

“The killer and the artist.” Voisin opened up a toolbox he had brought with him into the forest. He took out a plastic zippy bag and some tweezers. “And a wolf.” Near the body was a tuft of fur and in the cavity of Leanne’s torso, Voisin found some other fur strands matching the tuft. “This looks like wolf hair.”

“I’m not surprised. Raccoons couldn’t have done that. Maybe a cougar.”

“My guess is ‘wolf.’ I suspect this is what Ali is talking about.”

Sergio started making wider circles around the corpse, mapping out a systematic approach to surveying the immediate area. He could not tell from which direction the body may have been dragged from.

The earthy smell of the forest was occasionally violated by the smell of corrupt flesh. Sergio ventured off and returned, looking for evidence. “I hope the dogs can pick up on something. There’s nothing but the woods around here.” Voisin didn’t respond, focused on taking pictures. “I’m going to walk back to the car, check up on Ali.”

“Okay.”

He followed the marker tags back to the road, taking steps and looking at the ground carefully. He found nothing. Past he tree-line where the road cuts the forest, he could see no one in the back seat of Voisin’s car.

“Shit.” Serge made it to the vehicle and confirmed Ali was not in it. The road was long, going either way. “Ali!”

No response.

You little shit.

* * *

Tanya made it to her old haunts and became distraught that she couldn’t score a hit. She was beyond the point of no return and now she wanted it really bad.

“Come on B.C.. You know I’m good for it. Just one.”

“You just come back after one month of fucking off and you want something from me? Remember, you still owe me from before. I had to cover my ass because of you, bitch! You owe me. When are you paying up?”

“B.C. please. I’ll work for you.”

“I ain’t no pimp and I ain’t no john. I sell drugs and I jerked off this morning, so I’m good. You, however, better get me my two hundred bucks or the next time I see you I might not let you fuck off so readily.”

“B.C., please. I’m begging you.” She clasped at his shirt.

“Get the fuck away from me, bitch.” He pushed her hands away from his shirt and checked it for wrinkles. “Look over there. Fuck. The guy in that black Charger was looking for a bitch just like you. Go suck his cock and he will give you what you need to get high. Now, leave me be. You are a serious killbuzz. And you owe me two Benjamin Franklins you fucking ho.”

The Charger was parked about half a block away. Tanya made herself visibly noticed as she approached, not wanting to startle the driver.

“Hello!” She waved her arms in the air from the sidewalk across the street. “Hello there, in the black car. Hello.”

The driver turned off his radio and looked up at Tanya. But said nothing.

“I was hoping you could help me? I was hoping you could give me a ride. You know.”

“Where to?”

“Not far. I can get in the back seat. Just around the block, I know a spot we can park.”

“Do you want me to pay? Or do you want to pay me?”

“Wha?”

“Do you want money or do you want something else?”

Tanya went right up to the window of the vehicle. “I want Horse. Or money to get me some.”

“Get in. I got what you want and I guess you got what I want.” He showed her a small baggie with brown crumbs in it.

“O-kay. Got a rigg too?”

“Look, go ahead and get in the back. I got everything you need to cook it up right there. On the floor, see it? I got it. I will just drive around the neighbourhood until you are done and then I’ll join you in the back seat to finish our business dealings. Makes sense?”

“Oh, yes, all the sense in the world.” She stepped into the back seat. “I like the Uber sticker on your window. Nice touch.”

He drove away and turned the radio on. Classic rock music filled the cabin. “Go easy on that shit. Only do half or it might kill you.”

“Okay. I will.” Her hands were shaky and she felt like she was going to throw up. When the crystals started to boil in the spoon, she put the cigarette lighter down took a syringe to draw up the liquid. When it was ready, she flicked an air bubble out of the syringe.

“Sorry, Ma,” she said and she injected the drug in between her big toes. “Oh, my…giddy-up.” Heaven, on Horse. She dropped back onto the seat and went for ride.

* * *

“I am here! Carpelli!”

Sergio heard Ali shout from a great distance away, up the road. He could see him standing in the middle of the road waving his hands in the air.

“Ali man, what the hell?,” he said it quietly to himself. From the other direction, Voisin’s crew was approaching in a truck and slowed down beside Sergio.

“Hey.”

“Good timing boys. I was just about to go for a walk.”

“Where’s Larry?”

“In there. About a hundred and fifty yards.” He pointed to the woods marked by the yellow markers. “You might want to bring the stretcher. I don’t think the phone reception is good but I was there and I would say you need to bag it. Nothing much else to see.” Sergio tooted the horn at Ali.

“Is that your guy? What’s he doing running around out there?”

“Responding to internal stimuli, I guess. Listen, tell Voisin I went for a walk up the road. I’ll bring Ali back with me and we will wait for him here.”

“What should we expect down there?” Members of the Forensics Unit were gathering their gear.

“A dead woman in a pink mini skirt. Half eaten by wolves.”

“Is that it?”

“That’s all.”

“Okay, gentlemen, lets go get her.” The crew delved into the woods in tandem.

Sergio started walking toward Ali. He could hear Ali speaking into his phone the closer he got to him.

“Carpelli man. Did you see them?”

“See them, what?”

“Leanne’s shoes. You walked right by them. And her purse.”

“Where?”

Ali pointed back behind Sergio as he approached. “You passed them. Back there on your right. You must have been looking elsewhere so it’s a good thing I came to Winchester. The eye misses nothing.” Ali made a stop signal with his left hand. He sounded a little elevated. “I just got off the phone with Leanne. I am going to show you something. Where is Larry?”

“He is meeting with his team. Come on, we will walk back together and you can show me the shoes and purse.”

“Okay, Carpelli man. Then we come back here.” Ali took a polished stone from his pocket and placed it gently on the roadside. It was green like the one Ali had given him.

“Why are you putting that stone there?”

“That is a marker. When we come up here with Larry, I will show you what I need to show you. We are very close. I wait for the call. The reception is great out here.”

“Ali, I tell you, if you weren’t so full of surprises I would arrest you right now. Show me where the shoes are.”

The men walked back toward the police vehicles in the distance.

“I still have no name. The wolf has no name. I know of Grader and I know of the wolf. But the wolf does not know Grader. I know that much. But Grader doesn’t know the wolf, either. Its all mixed up.”

“You sound a little mixed up, Ali. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes. I feel just fine. Right now I am getting more calls all the time. I don’t know why. I got another call from that mother. That woman from the bus stop, her mother is not okay. She is calling me for help. I help. She said something to me I didn’t understand.”

“What did she say?” Sergio was starting to get tired of all of the intangible threads Ali was pulling from his psychotic tapestry.

“Look! Over there!” Ali started running ahead of Serge and stopped, pointing to the side of the road. “There. And there. Leanne’s shoes.” Sergio saw the bright red high heeled shoes in the underbrush. “And over there, see it? Her purse.”

“Ali, I tell you, you should be the number one suspect in this murder case. How do you see that?”

Ali laughed. “Believe me, what I don’t see, I get a phone call and I hear about it.”

Sergio tried his phone to contact Voisin about the discovery. No signal.

“Want to use my phone?,” Ali offered, battery cord dangling.

“No, thanks. Let’s walk back and wait for Larry. He has a camera to take pictures.

“No need to walk. He’s coming now.” It was about a minute before Larry emerged from the forest and got into his car, driving toward them.

“Ali spotted the girl’s shoes and purse.”

Voisin parked his car and got out, bringing his camera. His attention was directed toward the grass and scrub brush along the roadside. “Ali, you are under arrest for the murder of Leanne Connick,” Voisin said.

Ali laughed. “You are a funny man, Larry. Go get your pictures and mark the area. I am expecting a call any minute. Wait!...” He fumbled for his phone in his pocket. “Its her.” He turned and walked away to take the call in private.

“I am serious, Sergio. He is our primary suspect. He knows way too much and this phone calls nonsense is losing its novelty. He found these shoes? Really?”

“He found them and he told me about them. There they are. Hard evidence.”

“Yeah, hard evidence against him.”

“I don’t know. He seems quite harmless. He has no resources. He lives above a psychic hub. This is all fucked up.”

“Carpelli man! Come here. I have it.” Ali called out as he put his phone away, excited.

“What do you have, Ali?” He saw that Ali was standing near the polished stone he used as a marker on the road.

“The wolf. I have it. I show you now what I need to show you.”

The detectives moved quickly to where Ali was standing. Ali picked up his marker stone.

’Where’s the wolf, Ali?” The detectives looked into the trees. When Sergio saw Ali get down on his hands and knees, he was certain Ali was in need of anti-psychotic medication. Ali crawled on his hands and knees, staring hard at the dirt road. He stopped at the edge of the road.

“There!” He laughed in victory.

“What the shit, Ali?,” Voisin remarked.

“Look! Right there!” Ali pointed at the dirt.

Sergio stood next to Ali and then crouched down beside him. On the road next to where the wild grass started to take root, a single black hair was on the ground.

“Carpelli man, that is your wolf.”

Voisin crouched down to see. He took several pictures of the single strand of dog fur. He took out a plastic zip bag from a fanny pack and tweezers. Holding the hair up, it did appear a little different than the samples of fur strands he took from, and near, the body of Leanne Connick. It was a black hair, darker and uniform from top to bottom.

“Nice doggie,” Voisin chortled to Serge as he held out the hair close to Sergio’s face.

“Guys, my phone is ringing like crazy. Excuse me.” Ali turned to answer his phone and responded to his delusion.

* * *

Tanya rejoined the conscious world although she was feeling way high. It was dusk and she didn’t know where she was. She rolled onto her side and her face went into a plant. She tried to push herself up and somehow made it to a position where she could see where she was. When she looked around, she saw woods. Surrounding her was a forest.

“Shit.”

She called out for help. The forest was quiet. She seemed to sober up a little and sat up. The realization that she was not where she was supposed to be coupled with the fact that she was in the woods at dusk made her snap to her inebriated senses.

“Help! Anybody here?!” She called out but her voice was weak. She thought of trying to stand up and walk and then collapsed back to the soil. The trees towered high above her head, swaying. “Anybody?! Help me!”

She was close to passing out again when she opened her eyes. There was a force at play that was wanting to draw her to the ground and drift her away like a ground fog. She turned to get up again and she thought she saw something in the woods.

“Please help,” she said to the woods. She felt her heart start when she saw a form in the broken vegetation of the forest. An animal. It was low to the ground and dark, darker than the night shade taking over the landscape. A wolf. “Help!”

The crouching shadow she saw stood up and came towards her. The closer it got the more clearly she could see it was a man wearing wolfskin. “Help! Help me!” He had a hunting knife in his hand and a silver paint can in the other.

The wolf kicked her down when she staggered to stand. The wolf kicked her hard once more below her chest and the wind was taken out of her. She was breathless to scream. She gagged for a breath. The wolf held up his knife and pail to the sky, looking up to the twilight deep.

“Ishtar! For you!”

Tanya was not able to get a full breath. Her head was held steady by a tight grip on her hair; throat cut wide, her blood splashed into the bucket.

* * *

The trees whisked by and Ali watched the blurry woods stream by him. Occasionally he fixated on a spot where he thought he saw an animal.

“Ali, you are quiet. Did you get a bad call?”

“Very bad, Carpelli. I got a call for help. Someone else wants the wolf killed. Very bad.”

“Who called you?”

“I don’t know. First it was Leanne’s mother and she said someone needs to speak to me. I don’t know her name. I don’t know names. She said the wolf took her blood. She said exactly, ‘the wolf with one eye took my blood.’”

Sergio looked at Voisin who was watching the road. They were on their way back to the Roadside Café.

“The wolf with one eye?”

“Yes. Here is the other eye.” Ali reached into his pocket and took the polished green stone out to give it to Sergio.

“Where did you get this?”

“I picked it up when I walked up the road by myself. When you guys were looking at Leanne.”

“How far from the yellow markers were you when you found it?”

“Not far. Near where the shoes and purse were.”

“This is evidence, Ali. You just tampered with real evidence.”

“It is a stone. Just like the one I gave you. The evidence you need is the evidence you have. Believe me, Carpelli man. That hair Larry put in the bag, that is the wolf. Believe me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you found this?”

“I needed to use it as a marker. To find the hair you have. If I used the rocks on the road, they all look the same. You go try to find a certain dog hair in the forest. I help. Oh, just a minute.” Ali took out his phone and pressed it up against his ear. He started nodding his head. “Un-huh. Yes. Yes.”

“Yes, you help,” Voisin said and he looked at Sergio.

Ali put his phone away. “Her name is Tanya. The wolf killed Tanya.”

More and more, Voisin was thinking Ali was a prime suspect.

Serge looked at the stone that Ali handed him. It looked just like the stone Ali had given him when he visited Ali in his apartment for the first time.

The wolf with one eye took my blood.

Nothing was making sense.

* * *

The night air was cool and fresh. Headlights turned to face Grader as he walked alone along a deserted street. The vehicle approaching him had lights on the top of the car. They were not flashing, however, a flashlight beam was directed at Grader when the car arrived next to him.

“Hey, are you lost?,” came a voice from the vehicle.

“No.”

“Not lost. Feeling okay?”

“Feeling fine.”

“What are you doing out here?,” the security guard asked him.

“Going for a walk.”

“Out here? This is private property all around here.”

“No, its not. This is a public road.”

“Well, anything past the fences are private. Where you going?”

Grader stopped walking and faced the guard. “It is none of your business where I am going, but if you have to know, I am walking to the lake. Is that okay?”

“The lake is two miles away.”

“Yeah. So what?”

The security guard had no further questions. “Okay. As long as you are not lost or hurt. Just checking. Have a good night.”

“I will.”

The car drove away. Grader saw it as it travelled off and turned, out of sight. He had a little further to go. He made it to a little gully along the fence line and then squirmed underneath the fence. There was an open field to cross, however, there were no lights anywhere and he doubted he would see another security guard on the inside of the fence. He walked toward the hangar and made his way to the only unlocked door to the building. Once inside, he turned a small flashlight on and made his way to the lunch room where the refrigerator was. When he opened the fridge, he saw that the paint can and a wig had been delivered, just as he anticipated. A new paint brush was resting on the counter next to the fridge.

Grader left the paint can in the fridge and stepped out into the open hangar space. In the darkness, he could not see much but he shined his flashlight out into the expanse. He could see his work had been suspended in its place and he walked towards it, holding his flashlight up to it. The body hung there very still. He shone the light on the floor and it was clean, prepped for his mural. He had twenty-four hours to complete the final touch. A step ladder and adhesive products were there. He would finish his work, painting and everything, and then he would wait as his work was revealed to the world in time. He knew he would make the news for sure this time around. He knew for sure, this time, because the face he put on the body suspended by the ankles in the middle of the hangar was the face of a local girl. Just like the face he put on his first masterpiece was the face of Leanne Connick.

* * *

When the photo of Leanne Connick appeared on his desk, it took a minute for Sergio to make the connection. And when it dawned on him, he called Voisin immediately.

“Larry, its Sergio. Did you get to see the image of Leanne Connick’s face yet?

“No. The last time I seen her, it looked like dog chow.”

“Pull up the file. The face on the warehouse dummy is Leanne’s face. Its all been positively identified. The painted blood in the mural and the face on the sculpture above it, her hair and the body we saw in the woods…its Leanne Connick.

“What do we know about her?”

“Drug addict prostitute. She went missing a few days before we discovered the warehouse.”

“Did we get a lead on who tipped us to the warehouse?”

“I know who. I heard the recording of the 9-1-1 call that came in on the night of the flash flood. Guess who?”

“Ali.”

“Yup.”

“I am telling you, he should be behind bars. He knows everything.”

“He seems to be leading us to the killer.”

“He is the killer. I don’t buy his talking to the dead bullshit.”

“How about if I get him to agree to get his apartment dusted. You guys can go in and look for evidence.”

“Yeah. Sure. Make it so.”

“I have another tidbit for you.”

“What?”

Serge pulled up a file on all missing persons reported within the last few weeks. One of the names on the list was Tanya Roberts.

“A woman named Tanya Roberts was reported missing three weeks ago by her sister, Nora Roberts. She provided a photo of Tanya.”

“Yeah, ‘Tanya.’ Just like Ali said. Go figure, a woman named Tanya.”

“Not only that, she is the woman I talked to on the bus stop the day I met him. The woman who went to see her mother in hospital.”

“Get me into Ali’s place, Serge. There are way too many coincidences.”

“I’ll go see him right now. Call you later.”

“Please do.”

* * *

Joanne had nothing too insightful to tell him when Sergio went to Parka’s and purchased two green teas.

“Here’s the lemon wedge.” She had it in a little container and handed it to Sergio.

“That’s great, thanks. Seen much of Ali lately?”

“Not really. I saw him the other day. He told me I would get a big tip that day and I did! I got fifty bucks from some man who had Texas plates on his car. He ordered a sandwich and gave me sixty bucks. Then off he went.”

“Nice. Sorry I can’t top that, but here is five.”

“Thank you, Detective. Say hi to Ali for me and tell him he was right about the big tip.”

“Sure thing.”

Lacie was happy to see Sergio again, especially as he presented her with a green tea. “Oh, wow. You spoil me.”

“I know. Everyone deserves an unexpected treat once in a while.”

“I agree. I’ll have to pay it forward. Are you going to see Ali?”

“Yeah. Has he been in lately?”

“He was in here on Tuesday. He bought all of the green stones. Every one of them. I gave him a deal.”

“What’s he doing with all of them?”

“I don’t know. He said his Associate told him to buy all of the stones so he ran down here. I could hear him running down the stairs from his apartment. He rushed in and grabbed all the green ones.”

“Interesting.”

“I said, ‘Ali, is there a gold rush I didn’t hear about?’ He laughed and laughed. He said, ‘My Associate said to buy every single last one of them; not to leave one behind. I do.’”

“He probably got a call on his cell phone.”

Lacie laughed. “It’s hilarious. And would you believe the day after Ali bought all of them, some dude came in and bought a green one. Its like the green ones are a hot commodity around here.”

“How did he find a green one? I thought Ali bought all of them.”

“That’s what I thought. So, I asked the dude where he found it and he said he came here specifically for a green one so he went through all the different bins and found his green one mixed in the red ones. Ali must have missed it, which is kind of surprising.”

“Very weird. How did he pay?”

“It was a dollar. He paid in coin.”

Sergio was drawn to find out more about the man. “What did the dude look like?”

“Hard to say. He was wearing a plain, black baseball cap and sun glasses. Jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He bought the stone and left and drove away in his car.”

“What was he driving? Did you happen to see?”

“I saw a black car drive by the door there about the time he left. I didn’t really see.”

Sergio looked up at the ceiling in the Crystal Cove. “Do you guys have video surveillance security.”

Lacie smiled. “No. We sell rocks and books and candles. Nothing worth stealing. My boss is not the type to put up cameras.” Lacie squeezed her lemon into her tea. “The only video cameras around here are the ones at the back of this strip mall. It covers the building driveway and all the entrance ways to all the back doors.”

“So, it would capture all of Ali’s comings and goings?”

“I don’t know what it would capture, but that makes sense. Ali is not in trouble now, is he?”

Serge looked at Lacie and said, “No. I’m just trying to figure some things out. I guess I’ll go see Ali.”

“Tell him I say hello.
“Sure. Um…is there a way to contact the owner of this strip mall?”

“I’ll ask my boss. Come back in before you leave, I will get the number for you.”

“I will.”

“Thanks for the tea.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sergio left the Crystal Cove and walked around to Ali’s door. He was about to knock on the door when the door swooshed open.

“Carpelli man, come in. Come inside, upstairs. I knew you were coming.”

Ali’s apartment smelled of incense and candles, all lit. The green stones were all over his dining table.

“I have something to report to you. I bought all the stones. My Associate said to buy all of them. She said the one-eyed wolf cannot see clearly now and is falling into a trap.”

“What is the wolf’s name, Ali?”

“I don’t know. Nobody tells me these things. I don’t know why.”

“Ali, my partner in this case, Voisin, he wants to come in here with his team and investigate your apartment. They want to do a full forensics screening, looking for evidence of---”

Ali cut him off. “Of Leanne and Tanya. Believe me, I am trying to help them. Tanya is calling me and Leanne stopped calling, but her mother is still calling. You want to come in here? Come. I don’t care. Just don’t touch anything.”

Sergio laughed.

“Listen, Carpelli man, I have all the stones. You cannot find those kind anywhere else. Believe me. The wolf will be looking for his eye and I have them all. And you have two of them.”

“The wolf already has it. Lacie just told me she sold one to some man the day after you purchased all of these ones.”

Ali looked stunned. “The day after…? The day we went to Winchester. I was not home. I missed the call.”

“Is that the wolf? The man who bought the stone?”

Ali seemed to be getting agitated and started pacing the apartment. “I don’t know. I wait, Carpelli, Carpelli man. No calls today. I wait. No names, but my Associate will call. She wants the wolf dead, just like my other Associate. They want the wolf dead.”

“What about Grader Form? Hear anything about him.”

“Yes,” Ali said, seemingly snapping out of being distracted, “I did. I did get a call last night. I was told that he has finished his work for now.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes. You must go to DEnnings. My Associate did not tell me this. I got a call from another. She said DEnnings is the place.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“Carpelli man, I am not doing so good. My eye never closes and my phone never stops ringing. Only quiet today. I need rest.”

“How about we put you up in a motel for a few days. You can leave your phone at home and get some rest. Voisin and his crew can come to your place and do what they need to do. I want this to happen because I want to rule you out as a suspect. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“I understand. You do. You do what you must do. I go there across the street at the motel next week.”

Sergio looked at a pencil sketch of a jagged owl hanging in a picture frame and saw that Ali had signed it. “Why do you say next week?”

“Because Carpelli man, you and Larry are going to be busy for the next few days. You will see at DEnnings’ something…something very strange.”

“What?”

“Oh, wait. I got a call, just a minute…” Ali answered his phone. “Yes. Who is this?…”

Sergio continued to look about the apartment. He did admire a brass sculpture of a ragged old man that he thought could be worth something as he tuned into Ali’s conversation.

“I do. Don’t worry. I will do everything I can. Call me back later.” Ali put his phone down and said to Sergio, “You must kill the wolf, Carpelli man. You must kill it soon. I just heard something very bad. Now I see. I don’t have names but I see where this is coming from so I see where it is going. I see and! I was told. You must go. Go see Lacie and call Bob. You will see what I am saying is true. I am legit, Carpelli man. We help. We do and we help.”

Sergio did leave and he did see Lacie and she gave him Bob Stayner’s phone number to call about the security video surveillance in the back of the strip mall. He was mostly jacked to see what ‘DEnnings’ would produce.

* * *

Getting into DEnnings was a chore that Sergio was finding very frustrating. The owners of the building were a multi-national corporation that had shut down their private air shuttle business due to the pandemic and travel restrictions and they never re-started the operation. The company was sold to another company that was in the middle of finalizing outstanding legal complications and an insurance transfer. There were a number of lawyers and business representatives that were holding calls only to defer contacts to other persons involved with subsidiary companies. It was a tangled ball of strings.

Sergio decided to leave the office and scope the location of the hangar. He drove along the road and pulled to the main gate which was secured with a locked fence. He parked his car and exited onto the macadam. There were no cars in the parking lot and no obvious signs of persons in the area. A huge NO TRESSPASSING bulletin board was affixed to the chained gate. VIOLATERS WITH BE PROSECUTED.

Serge pulled at the chain and it was locked. He started walking around the fence line of the property. The hangar was way off in the distance across grassy fields. He thought about scaling the fence and then thought better of it. Rolling coils of barbed wire circled the top of the fence. He continued to walk, listening to insects chirruping and the winsome breeze through the steel fencing. He thought he would walk the distance of one side and then go back, drive around the whole air field and see if there was anything to see from the distance. He came across the dip in the ground along the fence and he noticed that the grass was flattened underneath the fence.

“Here we go,” he said. He got down onto his back and slithered under the fence. When he stood up and started walking to the hangar, he found himself following a path of disturbed grass. Not much traffic had been through, but someone had definitely walked across the fields. The trail led to the parking lot adjacent to the hangar. Once there, he headed for a single door that led into the hangar. When he checked the door, it was locked. He continued to walk around the building and all of the doors were secured. It was just as well as he had not processed a search warrant as of yet. He wasn’t sure if he could even get one issued since following the lead of a psychic was not a lawfully sound reason to arbitrarily enter private property.

All windows in the building were up high and Sergio could not access a look into the hangar. At the front of the building, it appeared as though doors led into an office or reception area. The blinds were shut and prevented him from seeing anything. Sergio continued to circle the building on foot. There seemed to be one option for a potential access to the hangar. A steel step ladder was bolted to the wall leading to the flat roof of a wing where the front doors were. The lowest rung was approximately ten feet above the ground. Sergio ran up to the wall and launched himself off the wall attempting to reach the ladder. No chance. He continued his walk around the outer perimeter and found a wooden pallet abandoned near the loading area. He dragged it to the ladder and made his way up to the rooftop.

There were windows to allow some natural light into the hangar. Sergio wiped the dust from the window and tried to look in. There wasn’t anything to look at because of structural obstructions from that perspective, but there was one spot that he thought may offer him something. He walked to the middle window and wiped a spot clean. From there, he could see into the hangar itself. And there, he saw a crude rendition of the Rolling Stones’ lips from the album, Sucking in the Seventies. All else was visually obstructed. All else didn’t matter. Sergio was getting his warrant and he was going in.

* * *

Sergio circled the outer perimeter of the mural painted on the floor while Voisin set up his camera and his team members bustled about bringing in forensics gear.

“Again, a work of art.”

“Too bad we can’t put these pictures up in a gallery. We would make a mint.”

“Never mind the photos, look at it. Hanging there with no conceivable means of getting that cable attached to the ceiling structure. Just like the other one. How can the artist do that? He must not be working alone. He gets equipment and technical support in here at the very least.”

“They would all be complicit in the murder. Would you join a crew like that?”

“Not if I knew that real blood would be painted underneath the thing. It could be a crew that thinks a movie set is being arranged. Then along comes the artist afterwards and makes it a real crime scene.” Sergio got as close to the hanging sculpture as he could and took out the photo of Tanya Roberts which her sister, Nora, sent to him. He held it up and flipped the picture upside-down to compare. “Its her. The girl from the bus stop.”

“When we finish here we are going to Ali’s. We are sure to find something.”

“He doesn’t even have a phone that works. Its not him. I think he is legit.”

“Too legit to quit.”

“I mean, a legit psychic. How soon can we have the blood tested to confirm the victim?”

“You know how it will pan out. That will be Tanya’s blood, that will be Tanya’s hair. I bet you the artist, this Grader Form, has his name carved under the fingernails or some other body part. If this guy is a serial killer, he is taking way too many chances using abandoned warehouses. He will get caught. Perhaps he wants to get caught. Does this hangar have video surveillance?”

“We have nothing yet. We cannot pinpoint the owner of the buildings. Its just a floating asset that corporations are shifting around. I guess you need some hard physical assets when you are laundering money. All you have to do is bury the thing in a legal and technicality quagmire and you can run circles around ownership and litigation.”

“I got Kennedy arriving later with the lift truck.”

“That guy again? He will have it easy given all the space and a single cable drop to manoeuvre around. He can put that in his report. I am going to snoop around. The guy must have used the bathroom if he constructed that piece here in the building. He must have slept somewhere rather than risking coming and going all the time. He must have ate food at some point. We need something other than what we see.”

“Call Ali.”

“Yeah. Psychic audio transmission.” Sergio walked slowly and mindfully throughout the entire hangar. The lunch room and the washroom were immaculately cleaned. The surfaces would get dusted for prints and sprayed for DNA evidence. Much like the Crimson King scene, Serge anticipated that the hangar space would be void of any evidence.

He walked outside. The summer day was pleasant and warm. The smell of the wild grass was revitalizing and reminded him of his youth, running long distances on a dirt bike track through fields of grass. He followed again the path to the fence line where it looked like someone had gained access to the restricted area. He looked hard and found nothing. He wiggled under the fence to the roadway to follow it up and down some distance, looking for something. Anything.

A Security company’s vehicle approached Sergio, slowing down to a stop. “Are you lost?,” asked the Security Officer.

“No,” said Serge. He pulled out his police Badge. “I’m Detective Sergio Carpelli. We are investigating a crime scene in that building right there.” He pointed to the DEnnings hangar.

“Crime scene? What kind of crime scene?”

“Homicide.”

“Jeez. Homicide? That is strange. No one ever comes around here.

What, did a ghost kill a ghost?”

“Something like that. How long have you worked for Security Co.?”

“I been working this beat for years. Steady and easy goes it. That building you are looking at over there hasn’t been used since 2020 when air transit shut down and the rich shuffled their money grabs. That there is a shell in the shell game.”

“Have you seen any activity in or out of there?”

“Nope. I do a sweep of this area once or twice a day. The night shift officer does the same. We get traffic along this road once in a while. That airstrip way down there is operational and that storehouse across from it has trucks swinging through. Other than that, this side is dead.”

“Any cyclists or persons on foot ever use this road? Joggers?”

“This road heads virtually right down to the lake front. Not the main area, but if you are willing to go the distance you will hit the beach. I can’t say that it doesn’t get used.”

“You haven’t seen anything or anyone then?”

“Nope. Let me call Nigel. He works the night shift but he is doing an extra shift this afternoon.” Satwinder called Nigel on the radio. “Yeah, Nigel. What’s up?”

“Yo, Windy. What woke you up from your nap?”

“Hey, I’m next to the DEnnings hangar with a detective, Sergio Carpelli. They are looking at something in the hangar. I assume they have a search warrant…?” Windy looked at Serge.

Serge nodded confirmation.

“He wants to know if you saw anything as far as vehicular traffic or persons in the area near DEnnings. Over.”

“Nothing except for one night, some man was walking along there late at night. He said he was just walking, heading to the lake. It was about one am. That was…hold on, let me check my notes…That was last Friday at 1:17am”

“What did he look like?,” Sergio injected.

“Average height, 5-9 maybe. Skinny guy, muscular arms though, like Popeye. His face was thin, his head was shaved, white guy, early fifties maybe?”

“Any foreign accent, tattoos, scars, eye color?”

“Brown eyes, I think…I can’t remember.”

“What was he wearing?”

“He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. A light blue rain shell or windbreaker. White running shoes. I remember because I noticed the had paint droplets on his shoes and I thought he might be a contractor or something.”

“Did you get a name?”

Nigel paused and then said, “No name offered. He said he was going to the lake. This is a public road after all.”

“Any other questions Detective?”

“Not at the moment. Nigel, I will call you later for an official statement. Is that okay? Try to remember every single detail about your interaction that night. Right now, he is our only suspect.”

“Roger dat. Was it a break in? Over.”

“There’s a body in the hangar,” Windy answered. “I will call you later, Nigel. Over.” Satwinder switched his radio volume off. “You did say homicide, right? Is there a body in there?”

“Yes…and no. We are looking into it.”

“Listen, we service the airstrip and storehouse down the road. I know they got video surveillance cameras in operation, including at their entrance ways. If that guy was walking to the lake last Friday night, he would have walked right past those buildings. Maybe we can get a visual ID on the guy.”

“That would be brilliant. Thank you, Satwinder. When can we look into that?”

“I will give them a call and review the video recordings right now. It shouldn’t take long. I’m on my way by there anyways.”

“Great! Thanks, Satwinder. Your nametag reads ‘Satwinder’ but Nigel calls you ‘Windy.’ What is up with that?”

“Yeah, he calls me Windy…and sometimes Wendy…and sometimes Asswind…ever since I made a typo on a report and put the letter “r” where the letter ‘l’ should have been in his name, he thinks he can call me whatever he wants. I’m his Supervisor though; its all in fun.”

“Satwinder, call me as soon as you can. Here’s my card.” Sergio forwarded his contact card to Asswind, smiling.

* * *

The killer took his wolfskin out of a cedar box at the foot of his bed. It smelled rich with the natural aroma of fresh cedar planks. He laid the skin over his bedspread. Such a beautiful coat of fur, black and luxurious and thick. The head splayed flat on the bed except for the snout and upper jaw structure which was hard and the original teeth jutted below the crafted nose. The face of the wolf had a stark unnatural addition affixed to its features. Where long ago eyes once were, was now a single green stone which seemed to illuminate against the black fur. The killer reached into his pocket and produced another similar green stone which he was preparing to glue to his wolf hide. He had lost one when the sacrifice tried to scratch his eyes out and he had not noticed it missing until after he had sacrificed his second offering to Ishtar.

When the hot glue set, he threw the coat over his back and head and turned to look in the dresser mirror. He was the shepherd that Ishtar wanted. He was the shepherd that she could not have. Now he is the animal that his flocks must be protected from. Ishtar transformed him. He is now the wolf and it is now that he is ready for Ishtar. Goddess. Lover. He anticipated his lythanthropic cycles. He will kill again for Ishtar to have her. This time he would not reject her sexual advances. Not ever again.

“Come, Ishtar. I will have you,” he said to the mirror.

This time he would have her and he already knew who he was going to kill for her.

* * *

“How long am I to wait!? How long!?...I have followed all of your instructions…I have done all that you have directed and I have nothing to show for it…No! No more. We corroborate this time…Why must it be your way!?...Yes, I know I need your---.”

There was a knocking on Grader’s front door. It took him by surprise and he didn’t like that. He lifted himself from his mattress; he had been revelling at his bedroom ceiling. He did not see whoever it was approach his home. He didn’t like that at all.

Grader peered through his window and he could see a Purolator truck parked in the front of his house. He was relieved, somewhat, that it was a courier service. He went to his door and swung it open.

“Mr. Hill? Greg?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry to bother you. I have a package for you and I need your signature. For some reason, this item was strictly designated to be released only upon receiving signature confirmation. Don’t ask me why ’cause I don’t know why.”

“Okay.”

The delivery man handed Mr. Hill an electronic pad and stylus. “Thank you, Mr. Hill. Here you go.” The delivery man handed over a parcel and it slipped out of his hand. “Oh, jeez.”

Grader reached down and picked it up. He placed it up to his ear and shook the box.

“I am so sorry, Mr. Hill. If there is anything broken, just call us. My bad.”

“No problem. I’m not worried about it.”

“Okay. Let us know if there’s a problem. Have a good day,” said the driver and he walked away to his truck. “Sorry!,” he called back as Mr. Hill entered his residence. He would include in a report that he thought the customer had a secure grip on the parcel and it fumbled to the ground. He would not include that he saw that the customer had letters scratched into his fingernails: a “G” on his left thumbnail and an “r” “F” “o” “r” “m” on the nails of his right hand.

Grader could not find a return address on the package or anything to identify the source of it. He often received supplies for his artistic projects, however, he had not ordered anything of late and was not expecting anything. He tore open the box and a few pieces of peanut shaped Styrofoam packing material fell to the floor. In the box was a small ziplock baggie. He pinched the baggie and held it up for inspection. It was a key ring with three keys enclosed, each one engraved: One with ‘A-12’ engraved into it; one with, ‘B-12’ engraved into it; and the third key was a smaller red key. The tag on the keyring read, “12828 Shoreline Road.”

“Resources,” Grader said aloud. He wondered what his next commission would be. He had heard nothing about it so far but he was being told it would be revealed soon. He did know that this next time around, he would do things with a slightly different flair. Next time, he would make sure the world knew who he was.

* * *

Ali burst into the Crystal Cove and startled Lacie. She half expected him moments earlier as the store telephone rang once and stopped ringing, however, Ali stormed in. “Lacie. Lacie, young Lacie. Daughter of the cosmos.”

“Ali, slow down. Is everything okay? Is that Forensics team coming to your apartment today?”

“Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Lacie, I have to tell you something. I got a phone call just now. I didn’t understand it and I am afraid.”

“Afraid? You never seem afraid. Who was it?”

“I don’t know who. I don’t know.”

“What did they say, Ali?”

“They said, ‘The wolf is coming back. The wolf is coming back here.’”

Lacie frowned slightly and said, “Ali, the wolf is not coming here. Don’t worry about a wolf in this neighbourhood.”

“No. Right here is this store. He is coming back. He was here before and he is coming back.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Ali. Is this wolf symbolic or spiritual or cosmic or something?”

“No. He is the killer. The wolf is the killer and he was here.”

“Ali, you’re scaring me. What killer?”

“Call Carpelli. He knows what I’m talking about. You call him and say, ‘The wolf is coming to kill again.’”

“The wolf is coming to kill again.”

“Lacie, I am very afraid. The wolf is coming here.”

“You’ll be safe up in your apartment. Don’t worry, Ali.”

“The wolf is coming for you, Lacie. Do you understand me?”

Lacie was swept in a cold breeze of trepidation. “You’re scaring me, Ali.”

“I am sorry, Lacie. Beautiful, Lacie. I had to tell you. We must call Carpelli man. You must call him now, please. I have his number right here. I have his card. I will stand guard outside and I will wait for him.”

Lacie took the card from Ali and watched him leave the store. He remained standing near the front entrance.

“Detective Carpelli, this is Lacie Rich from the Crystal Cove. I have Ali standing outside the door to the store. He wanted me to call you so I’m leaving you this message. He was going on about a wolf that is coming for me. Anyways, I’m not sure if he is waiting for you outside the store or whether he is waiting for this wolf. Please call me back. Thank you.”

Lacie thought about going up front and telling Ali to wait in his apartment, then another chill ran through her.

A wolf? On second thought, He can stand on guard until police arrive.

* * *

Carpelli was downtown following the trail of Tanya Roberts. Nora provided him with as much as she could as far as offering information. She knew that Tanya often squatted on the streets when things were really bad with her addictions. She frequented the Lakeshore area and within the pockets of homeless souls. Carpelli parked his car and started approaching random persons whom he deemed as potentially residing in the area. He walked into diners and coffee shops asking people if they ever saw this woman, showing them a picture of Tanya. He followed his nose through a pattern of walking entire street blocks, taking a wider radius as he went in circles.

“Hey pal, I got a picture here. Ever see this woman?”

The man had a silver cross embedded in his gold tooth cap. “What? Fucksoldja, go buy yourself a crystal ball.”

“Come on, man. Just look at the picture, I’m not here to grieve you.”

A hand loaded with ample gold rings on the digits grabbed the photo. “Shit yeah! I know her. The bitch owes me two hundred dollars. When you find her, tell her she better come see B.C. or she will be d/c.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“I don’t remember. Maybe a month ago. She was looking for a hit. I told her I don’t sell no drugs and she can go see some dude that was parked on the road. She was looking for a trick or treat and I suspected the dude was looking for some tail, know what I’m sayin? She went up to him and talked to him, I can tell you that.”

“Try to remember when, please.”

“Let’s see…wasn’t last week…maybe the week before? I don’t fucking know. Here, take your picture.” B.C. handed Sergio his photo back.

“Do you remember what the driver looked like or what kind of car it was?”

“It was a black Charger. There was a dude driving it. Some weasel face wearing sunglasses. I never saw the dude before. I just sol--- Soldja!, I don’t know anything. You tell that bitch I want my money when you catch her. I got work to begin, so if you’ll excuse me.” B.C. started to walk away.

“Where was the car parked?”

“Right there, across the street in front of Ting Tings.”

“Can I get your name?”

“Motha fucka, what you got a wax build up? My name is B.C. Shit... you ain’t got nothing on me and you got everything from me that I can tell ya. Lots of people around here know Tanya. Talk to the fixtures you see on the street. Ask Hobo, he’s right there under that blanket.” B.C. pointed to a homeless man huddled on the street with a paper cup at his feet, sleeping.

“Thanks.” Sergio crossed the street and woke Hobo up. The man turned his head up and saw Sergio waving a ten dollar bill in the air. “Here, friend. Time to grab yourself some lunch. Ever see this woman before?” He showed Hobo the pic.

“Na. She looks like Bugs Bunny. Bugs Bunny and Hugh Hefner. Hue pew pooh goo stew. My name is Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire, I own a mansion and a yaught. My name is Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire, I own a mansion and a yaught. My name is…”

Sergio put the ten bucks into the man’s cup and walked down the street to talk to the Ting Tings’ staff. Hobo laughed out loud, indiscriminately. Carpelli received a message alert and heard the message that Lacie left him. To make a long story short, Ting Tings didn’t have video security records, however, the pawn shop next door did and even though no one could recognize Tanya Roberts in the photo, the pawn shop owner was willing to forward any information and video footage from his security camera that the police sought. No problem.

* * *

Grace.

It was mealtime in The Spider. The meal cart wheeled silently to the cell gate and was left there. The prison guard didn’t say a word, as per the procedure and protocols on meal delivery and clean up. Interaction and verbal exchange was strickly prohibited. The guard turned around and vectored back through the long leg of the corridor toward the central hub, the main building. A hand reached through the space in the prison bars and received the dinner plate. The food went directly into the cell toilet and the plate was returned to the cart.

“Don’t forget to lock up behind you. You didn’t lose your keys, did you?”

The prison guard reached down and felt for his keys. With great relief, he found his keys were not somehow missing.

Grace smiled.

* * *

“Hey, Larry. How you doing?” It was Carpelli calling Voisin.

“I am doing pretty good. Just organizing for Ali’s place.”

“Put it on hold. I just got a call from First Division Rural, Norfolk Region north of Winchester. It appears Tanya has turned up.”

“Okay. The dead turn up in Norfolk. How far away is that?”

“Same as Winchester, further north another forty-five minutes maybe?”

“Who found her?”

“A hunter. Local man named, T-i-j-o-t Mingh. Pronounced T-joe. Do we have a date?”

“Pshhh.” Voisin considered his schedule. “This is not perfect.”

Carpelli chuckled at the comment. “Death is not a perfect thing.”

“Okay, if I drop everything else and abandon my family and put the enjoyment of time off and my personal life on hold, we can go today.”

“Good. That is good. What time?”

“I can be ready in an hour. I’ll get the boys to gather some extra things. You and I can do the preliminaries. Don’t bring Ali.”

“No. But I will be dropping in on him before I pick you up. The girl that works in Crystal Cove left me a message saying Ali is stalking the store waiting for the wolf.”

“He must be getting antsy. Being psychic and knowing we are imminently going to kick him out of his own apartment and scrutinize his entire abode and all of his possessions…must be unsettling. Especially when you’re guiltyof murder.”

Sergio chuckled even more. “No way. He is not the wolf.”

“We shall see. If I find just one black dog hair in there…”

“Here’s an update: Asswind said he reviewed the videos from the airstrip and storehouse near DEnnings. No one walked by. That means that whoever Nigel the Security Guard saw walking past that night either turned back away from the direction of the beach or…could have snuck under the fence and accessed the hangar.”

“In other words, we don’t have anything.”

“We have something. A description of a potential suspect. That is something. And!...I got another lead on a suspect. I went downtown and did some fingerpicking. I was told by a local crackyjacker to see about a man driving a black Charger parked on Wellington in front of Ting Tings about the time Tanya went missing. He said he saw Tanya approach the car. The shop next door has surveillance footage. We might get lucky enough to see the car or get the plate number.”

“That is something. Listen, I better go get ready. We’re not going to be all night are we?”

“I doubt it. We’ll go see Tijot and then check the lay of the land, tape off the area. I’ll bring bug spray this time.”

“Good call. See you in about an hour.”

“Isaidseeya.” Sergio ended the call and took a deep breath. He put his car in Drive and headed for the Crystal Cove.

* * *

“Carpelli man, I am so glad to see you. I have some very bad news. I don’t like to tell you this, but I must.”
Sergio parked in the spot closest to the Crystal Cove’s front door and he exited his vehicle. Ali was standing there, in front.

“Ali man, what is happening?”

“I am so worried. I got a call. A terrible call. From who? I don’t know. No names. They told me the wolf was planning to kill again. The wolf was going to kill twice again soon. Twice again once.”

“I don’t understand you. What do you mean, ‘Twice again once?’”

“That is what I was told. Exactly like this, they said, ‘The wolf will kill again. Twice again once.’ And then I heard someone else speak and they said, ‘Lacie.’ I am very scared, Carpelli man. They said, ‘Lacie will be the hunted.’ That is what I know.”

Carpelli took a deep breath and sighed. “How is Lacie?”

“She is inside. I will not allow the wolf to come here. I wait for him.”

Carpelli left Ali standing there and went inside the store.

“Carpelli man!,” Lacie said, happy to see Sergio, “did you talk to Ali?”

“Briefly. I wanted to check in on you first.”

“I am fine. I was just a little freaked out by Ali’s comments to me, especially because he is psychic in a sense. Now I got to worry about a wolf?”

“You don’t have to worry about a wolf. I will talk to Ali and try to understand what he is talking about. He already is making little sense with his ‘twice again once’ riddle. I just want you to know we will take everything seriously and if you need a plan in place to feel safe and at ease, we can increase our presence around here.”

“What wolf is Ali talking about? There are no reported wolves in this area, are there?”

“No. Not that I am aware of. Don’t fret, let me get to the bottom of this with Ali and then we can talk.”

“What is this riddle you mentioned?”

“Oh, Ali just mentioned something about ‘twice again once’ or something like that. Like I said, he isn’t making a lot of sense to me so I will talk to him.”

“Okay.”

Sergio considered deferring a question he had for Lacie to a later time, however, he judged he didn’t have time to waste. “I was wondering if you could give a detailed description of the man that bought the last green stone you sold here. We can get a composite sketch drawn up to help us identify him.”

“Is he the wolf?”

“We don’t know who Ali identifies as the wolf. If he talks to you, let me know everything, all details. We will try to piece all of this together.”

“I can try to remember his face. Sure, send the cop artist you got. Thank you, Detective. I appreciate you and the work you do for our community. Send me your artist.”

Sergio thanked her, said goodbye and exited the store.

“Carpelli man, when you go see Tanya you must look around very carefully. There is something there. Where the body is. You will find it but you have to look very closely.”

“What am I looking for, Ali?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, Ali. We will look hard at the crime scene for evidence. We never tried that before, after all.”

“Look hard, Carpelli man. You don’t understand!”

“Ali, listen, you are making Lacie very nervous about all of this ‘killer wolf coming for her’ talk. Can I ask that you please not mention anything to her and just call me about any information you have?”

“I will help protect her. I wait.”

“How long will you wait? We can’t have you standing out here all the time. How about you just go upstairs and look down from your window?”

“Yes, Carpelli man. I do.”

“And please don’t speak to Lacie about the wolf, especially if you are going to speak in riddles.”

“No riddles, Carpelli man. Just what I know.”

“Twice again once? What is that? That sounds like a riddle.”

“No, its not. To you it is a riddle; to me it is confirmation Lacie is in danger.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because, Carpelli man, Lacie is pregnant.”

“What?” Sergio was stunned.

“Her doctor gave her the good news, remember? The day you saw Lacie the first time. You bought her a tea. Don’t you remember?”

“I remember the first time I saw her, yes. It was the first day I met you. And, yes, I think I remember you saying she can drink the tea I bought you later on when her doctor was calling her with some good news.”

“Then you understand what I am telling you. Believe me, I am legit. Kill twice once. The wolf will kill Lacie and her baby. That is why I am very scared.”

Sergio didn’t know what to make of the information; he didn’t want to suddenly question Lacie on the matter in order to verify Ali’s assertion. “Try not to scare Lacie, that’s all I ask. I have to go. I will be in touch with you following our investigation into Tanya’s death.”

“Murder. She was killed by the wolf.”

“We have to confirm that.”

“I got the call from Tanya’s mother and I told you already. Regardless, it will be confirmed as soon as you see that her hair has been taken. Now you must find and kill the wolf before Lacie and her baby get killed. Just a minute…” Ali answered his phone, acknowledged something being said and then put the phone away.

“Anything I need to know?,” Sergio wondered.

Ali laughed. “That was my sister in Turkey. She said she won’t need toilet paper anymore. She was killed in a car bombing near her home moments ago.”

Sergio didn’t know how to respond to that. He got into his car. “I will talk to you soon, Ali. I am sorry to hear about your sister.” As Sergio pulled away he could see Ali reach for his cell phone again and then spontaneously yell out, “Look hard, Carpelli man! Into her eyes!”

* * *

Grader found the new studio accommodations and he was genuinely impressed. He was in awe of the view from the small brick office building window which would serve as his boarding room. The A-12 key gave him access to the building. It was an abandoned office building on an isolated tract of land that was condemned due to zoning disputes. A short walk away to the lakefront edge was the boathouse. The B-12 key gave him access to the construction. That was his studio. Inside the secured boathouse, natural light showered in through some large skylight windows. The stage for his newest artistic expression was the large open area on the deck of a twenty-six foot pontoon boat. He was again commissioned to do a job and all of the supplies he needed were already delivered, stacked up in boxes on the wooden deck surrounding the interior perimeter of the boathouse. He was given strict instruction on what to create and he was promised that this time he would be recognized. This time he would be acknowledged and the whole world will celebrate his talent and genius. He was promised

and he would make sure of that himself.

He was told that the sculpture he was to create must be a female body hanging above a painted mural of the album, Electric Ladyland. From the belly of the sculpture, a cord must descend attached to a fetus hanging only a few feet from the mouth painted with blood on the stage floor. The blood would arrive when the sculpture is done. When time is ready. Blah blah blah. That was just sensationalism that he resolved could boost his debut unveiling. That was always an add-on to appease the demands of the executor and curator.

Grader sat on a barstool in the corner of the boathouse and contemplated his vision. His vision for what he would create would not involve a body hanging from cables suspended above a mural of some old rock-n-roll band’s album cover art. That was not his expression. It made no sense and it had no relevance to his true work. Sculptures depicting hanging corpses were also not true to his soul expression. He was given the promise of fame and he was given the promise of fortune; he sold his soul to the voice in his head and the promises were not being fulfilled.

Grader surveyed his materials and he surmised he had everything he needed for his next project. He would not need anything else. He didn’t know who it was that was supplying all his material and studio space for his work. It was commissioned by the phantom voice of someone he had never met. He wouldn’t have believed it to be true except for the means to complete his work was always provided to him free of charge and delivered on schedule, as per the voice. Nevertheless, it was time to sever the relationship.

He would create his own work of art this time around, even if it meant that he would never again have his work commissioned and have his materials and studio space paid for. This time he would make sure the world knew who he was. It will be a big splash. More importantly, he didn’t care to follow orders anymore from the devil inside.

* * *

Grace lowered her head and closed her eyes as she sat on the edge of her bed at the Grant Correctional Facility. It was quiet and peaceful. She was thinking about how she sensed a loss of control. There was a flavour of rebellion and a taste of defiance in her mental pallet. She loved it. She knew that once the course of action started following its own direction, she could sit back enjoy the show. It was exhilarating entertainment. There was certain mystery and the thrill of unpredictability, which she savoured in the rote, mundane clockwork of her maximum security detention sentence.

I must decrease so that you might increase. She laughed at her evil wit.

* * *

Voisin complained about feeling overworked and decided he would take a week or two off. Sergio listened empathetically and agreed that police investigation was a tough line of work with a wacked out schedule at times. They pulled into the long driveway to Tijot Minge’s estate. Two beautiful and friendly Golden labs alerted their master and greeted them at their car.

“Hey, poochie.” One of the dogs jumped up at Larry to say hello.

“Sampson! No jumping!” Tijot exited his home and pulled his door shut. The dogs ran up to their master and circled around, excited by the visitors.

“Mr. Minge, I’m Detective Carpelli. Call me, Sergio. And my partner is Detective Larry Voisin.”

“I’m glad to see you guys. I want that body off my property as soon as possible. If it wasn’t for the invisible fence, I am sure the dogs would be there all the time.”

“You came across the body this morning?”

“Yeah, the dogs were drawing me there. I wanted to go back that way, away from the road. Grouse season; I like wild game birds. Its one of the reasons I purchased this house. But the dogs ran that way and I followed the road. Never would have found the body otherwise.”

“How far from your house would you say it is?”

“My property goes to Concession 7. Everything east of there is Crown land. And wouldn’t you know, she was on my side maybe fifty yards from the road. I’ll take you there. Let me put leashes on these guys; they won’t like it but I don’t want them getting ahead of us.”

Carpelli and Voisin interviewed Tijot along the way to the corpse. He had not witnessed anything unusual. Most of the homes in the area were nestled in the trees or build away from the road. People were generally very private. “This is as far as I need to take you. My dogs are already getting excited so I am going to head back. You know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Tijot.”

“I put that marker flag there…you will see the path through the woods marked with small broken branches. I did that to mark the way. There were no broken branches there before I did that so don’t think the murderer did it.”

“Why do you say ‘murderer?’”

“Her hair was cut off and she has a piano-string happy-face on her neck. Throat cut from ear to ear. Its horrible.”

“Okay, Tijot. We will see you soon.”

“Let’s go, boys,” Tijot coaxed his pets to turn back. And away they went.

In the woods once again, Serge remarked, “This guy really must think he’s a wolf. Loves the wilderness.”

“Yes and no. If he loved the wilderness that much, he could have travelled way up north or much deeper into the woods. Looks like he also likes a bit of convenience. We’ll have to check the road for evidence. He must have parked nearby.”

“Yeah. Ali insisted that I look hard for evidence of the wolf.”

“He didn’t tell you what he left behind?”

“Why are you so certain he is the one?”

“I told you before, he just knows too many details. There’s too many coincidences.”

“You don’t think he’s psychic?”

“What the hell, Serge!? Listen to yourself. Do I think he’s psychic?”

“I’m psychic… He is not the wolf.”

They arrived at the scene and it didn’t take long to identify the body. The dead woman’s face matched the photo of Tanya Roberts and the stubble on her scalp matched the colour of the hair in the DEnnings’ hangar sculpture. No question.

Voisin taped off the surrounding area with police tape and started taking some pictures. Sergio started looking hard at everything he set his eyes on. He could find nothing in the surrounding area and he made his way closer to the body. There was nothing extraordinary upon visual inspection. No signs of a struggle or assault. Sexual assault could not be ruled out until forensics could get into more lab-oriented investigative work, however, she had her pants on. Her throat was cut and there was little evidence of much bloodshed. Her body had not been ravaged by wild animals.

“What do you think?,” asked Serge.

“Lots of avenues: Straight up hooker killer. Collects the victim’s hair to put on the head of his trophy. Then, either he or someone else, who also happens to be a talented artisan, makes the wig. The artist creates a sculpture with an astonishing likeness to the real victims’ face, both of whom Ali had identified, I might add. Hmm. Oh, and then, the sculpture depicting the dead person is suspended above a mural painted with the blood of the victim. In the mean time, the official corpse is dumped off in the woods and only Ali knows where the real clues are and he is telling us to kill a wolf. Why… what do you think?”

Sergio shook his head and laughed. The whole thing sounded bizarre hearing it being spoken. He dreaded the day in Court when he had to testify under Oath on these matters of absurdity.

“Ali said to ’Look hard…Into her eyes.’”

“That’s hard to do considering her eyes are looking toward her destiny.”

Sergio put on some rubber gloves and kneeled down in front of Tanya’s face. He reached down to look at Tanya’s eyes which were open. An ant crawled across her eyeball. Serge pulled back Tanya’s left eyelid. No window to the soul there, he thought. The same with the other eye. Nothing to see.

Sergio returned to the left eye and pulled down the skin under the eyeball. Nothing. He pinched the skin under the eye and pulled it out to look at the bottom of the eyeball. Nothing. Same with the right eye only this time, underneath the bottom lid there was a dark hair. “Lookie-lookie, Larry. Come see what I see.”

Larry was close-by taking photographs of Tanya’s fingernails. He lurched over to see.

“See that hair? Does that look human?”

“Could be. I don’t know. Could be a clipping of her own hair.” Voisin took out tweezers from his pouch and a little evidence baggie to put it in. He finessed the hair out of the eye of the corpse and held it up. “It looks the same as that other hair, the one Ali found. Now he is hinting to you to look hard into Tanya’s eyes and viola, its magical isn’t it? Its under the bottom eyelid of the right eyeball. Any reason Ali would know that?”

“He sees everything through the tattoo on his hand, remember? I don’t know what to think. He says its the wolf. I am sure the two fur specimens will match. The same black wolf.”

“Like I said before, if I find one black dog hair in Ali’s apartment he is done.”

“I understand. Let me be clear with you, Larry, I am not ruling out Ali as a suspect. Perhaps he is working with an accomplice. Perhaps to elevate his notion that he is psychic or perhaps he truly is psychic. All I know is that we have no evidence to pin on him other than he seems to have inside information. As soon as you get back from your vacation, we will go through Ali’s apartment. I suspect you will want to mop up this mess first and then take your break?”

“Sounds right.”

Sergio and Larry were joined by Larry’s Forensics squad. They began to map off a topographical grid for search purposes and K9 would be arriving soon.

* * *

“Ishtar!”

The wolf beckoned to his lover.

“Ishtar! Love has come to you!”

The fire burned bright in the dark of midnight. Firewood was piled high in the fire pit and was starting to catch. Crouched down and touching the ground with both hands, the wolf raised its eyes to the stars.

“I will have you this time! I will not resist you!”

The wolf howled. Far, far away the killer heard a real wolf howl. Between the signal from the wolf and the sickness in his head, the killer was compelled to dance. Dance for Ishtar. The firewood popped and crackled as the flames slowly grew. The wolf circled the fire, entranced by his psychosis, the sexual desire in him growing like fury and the command in his head repeating, like a mantra, prepare for the next full moon. When ecstasy meets experience. Dance, wolf! When worship meets wishes. Dance! And the wolf danced around the fire, twirling in wolfskin and pacing and celebrating like there was definitely going to be no tomorrow.

* * *

The pawn shop next to Ting Tings finally forwarded the video surveillance footage of the night Tanya Roberts purportedly went missing. Reviewing the recordings was easy work. Sergio had a hot cup of coffee and pushed a stack of files aside to give him room to eat his bagel. The image was clean and clear. Sergio was hopeful that the guy who tipped him off about the black Charger was correct and the suspect had parked in front of Ting Tings which was captured in the panorama view of the security video. Serge easily viewed the images in fast forward mode looking for a black vehicle. He found what he was looking for.

A black car parked in front of Ting Tings where the time signature on the video read 9:05 PM. From 9:05 to 9:11 PM there was not much to see. At 9:11 Tanya Roberts appeared in the video and she bent over towards the driver window. The driver was not at all visible in the video. At 9:12 PM, the video captured Tanya getting into the back seat of the black vehicle. At 9:13 PM the vehicle’s left turn signal came on and the vehicle drove away. The vehicle was identified as a Dodge Charger. The driver could not be identified although the footage showed the woman sitting in the back seat. There was a partial licence plate number and an Uber sticker that could be identified. Sergio cropped the partial licence plate, isolated it and expanded the view. Only two digits were visible from the angle at which the camera recorded the image: “KO----”

* * *

“I will be done…I will be out of here next week, two days…Yes, then I will return and finish your damn painting…No! After that, no more! You haven’t produced on your promises. How can I be famous when my work is not being exposed to the public?...I’m tired of waiting and I’m tired of you telling me what to create…No more commissions! No more orders from you…No…No…Yes, I did appreciate the supplies and the studio spaces and now I am done with it…On the contrary, I didn’t kill anyone…I was supplied paint to paint murals…Yes, it looked like blood but what do I know, it could have been cheap paint…I don’t know where the paint came from…I don’t know who you are…I wasn’t involved in the murders…What?!”

* * *

Grace had her eyes closed and was mumbling to herself in solitary confinement. She sat in a chair and faced her empty bed. “…You are complicit in the murders…You used blood…You haven’t seen photographs or images of the women that were murdered for that blood, have you?...I will tell you that the beautiful faces you so laboriously perfected on both of your sculptures are the identical faces of the women that were murdered…It is true…No need to curse, you know you are a useless artist without me. Where do you think you get your ideas from?...No…All your food and materials, all the quiet work spaces, all the deliveries and all the set-up and clean-up; where do you think it came from? You know you didn’t dream it up into existence…It doesn’t matter…Let’s just say I have very powerful influence and virtually any resource at my disposal, anywhere in the world…I am a prisoner…I am in The Spider…Don’t worry, you will be famous…The world will see…You didn’t kill anyone, yes, but you used their blood…Don’t you see how that makes you the most famous artist that ever lived?...

* * *

Ali received a knock outside his apartment and he swept open his door.

“Lacie. Hello, Lacie. Come in, please. What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you, Ali. I haven’t seen you in weeks. You haven’t dropped by.”

“No, no. I am watching.” Ali pushed some dishes aside on his coffee table and motioned Lacie to sit down in the living room.

Lacie could see that something wasn’t right with Ali. To her knowledge, his place was never unkempt the way it was now. Ali was looking thin and he had dark circles under his eyes, “Is everything okay with you, Ali? I’m worried about you.”

Ali laughed. “I am fine. I have been very busy working. And I get calls night and day.”

“You need some rest. Have you been eating?”

“Sometimes.”

“Are you sleeping?”

“Sometimes.”

“What have you been doing, Ali?”

“I watch. I sit at the window and I watch.” There was a tall bar stool in front of the window next to the stained-glass portrait.

“What do you see out the window?”

“I am waiting. I am waiting to see the wolf. When I see the wolf I will call Carpelli. He will come and shoot the wolf. He will kill it.”

“Ali, there is no wolf coming here. If there is, then yes, the police will intervene. I’m worried you are obsessed with this. I am fine, Ali. I am not worried so you shouldn’t be either.”

“I wait. I watch. No problem.”

“Have you got food in the fridge?”

“Oh, yes. I have.”

“Can I look in your fridge?”

“You are welcome to look in my fridge, Lacie. Would you like some tea or something to eat?”

“No thanks, Ali. My shift ended early today. I have an appointment. I just came up to see how you are doing because it seems like you haven’t been in the Cove for a very long time.” Lacie stood up and went to the fridge. Opening the door, she discovered no food items. “Ali, you have butter and water and that’s it. What are you eating?”

“I eat noodles. I have food.”

“In the cupboards?” Lacie opened some cupboards and saw some canned goods, a box of mashed potato flakes and macaroni noodles. “Ali, this is not good. You need better food. You need to take care of yourself.”

“I care. I take care. I will get more food soon. Fruits and vegetables and meat and cheese.”

“Can I get you some groceries? I can bring them in with me tomorrow.”

“No. I will get some. When you go to your appointment, I go. No need to worry, young Lacie.”

“Do you need to go to hospital, Ali? I can drive you today, I got my mom’s car. Are you taking your medication?”

“No medication. No. No hospital, they will try to give me medication. I am fine.”

“You showed me your pills before, are they still prescribed?”

“No meds. I do not get calls if I take my meds and I cannot miss not one call right now. Not now.”

“I think---”

Ali abruptly cut Lacie off. “The wolf will try but I will be ready.” He suddenly leapt up from his chair and rushed to his cell phone on the counter top. “Yes…”

Lacie had a moment to look around and saw that Ali was negligent in many respects including disregarding dirty dishes, garbage and demonstrably showing a lack of personal hygiene. She watched Ali speak openly to himself.

“…the full moon…in two days. I do. I do.” Ali ended his non-existent phone call and said, “Lacie. You take vacation starting right away. For your health.”

Lacie smiled. “Ali, you’re the one that needs a vacation, not me. Come on, let me buy you lunch at Parka’s.”

“No, I ate. I will go to the grocery store. Believe me. I will go today.”

“Okay, Ali. I am going to check on it tomorrow. I’ll be back to make sure.”

“Thank you, Lacie, you are very nice. You are a very beautiful person. You tell Carpelli I changed my mind. I do not want anyone coming to my apartment. I want my privacy.”

“What makes you think I was going to call Carpelli?”

“I got a call last night.”

Lacie walked to the apartment door, “Get some sleep, Ali. Please. Get some groceries, eat something nutritious and get some rest. I will see you tomorrow, Ali.”

“I know. The doctor has more good news for you today. Believe me.”

“What makes you think I will be speaking to my doctor?”

“I got a call last week.”

Lacie shook her head and said goodbye. She would call Carpelli on her way to her scheduled doctor’s appointment.

* * *

“Sergio. Its Larry.”

“Larry, good to hear from you. How was your vacation?”

“Outstanding. Did some fishing, hiking, kayaking; enjoyed the good life for a while.”

“Nice. Sounds out of this world.”

“It is out of this world. Now right back into realty…We want to go to Ali’s tomorrow. What’s your sense of Ali?”

“I just spoke to Lacie from Crystal Cove. She reported that she thinks Ali isn’t doing too well mentally. He’s not sleeping and he’s not eating. He’s not taking his medication. I’m going to pay him a visit.”

“Is he getting antsy? Should we stake him out?”

“Lacie said he hasn’t left his apartment in two weeks. He’s hardly worth the manpower.”

“He could be sneaking around at night. Isn’t that when wolves hunt?”

“The wolf drives a black Charger. So, the update on that is, we couldn’t get enough of the licence plate to be helpful and Uber wouldn’t give us any information. Besides, the Uber sticker on the car’s back window could be a decoy sticker. We got little else and nothing new.”

“I bet we find something at Ali’s. Does he have any new cosmic insights?”

“Lacie said he mentioned something about a full moon in the next couple of days and he suggested she take vacation immediately.”

“No better time to raid his apartment.”

“He is now refusing to let us into his apartment. Wants us to respect his privacy. Let me assess his mental status. Maybe he needs to be hospitalized. If that doesn’t happen, I guess we can get him a room across the street for a couple of nights.”

“Talk to him. We will have the paperwork to go into his place by tomorrow, I would think. It would nice to be in there within the next day or so. I’ll wait for your feedback, when are you seeing him?”

“Soon. I’ll call you later.”

“Talk later…”

Sergio rubbed bis eyes and scrolled down the list of licence plates starting with K-O- assigned to Dodge Chargers within a one-hundred mile radius of Crystal Cove and the two murder sites. When the information filtered through, several leads turned up. Although there were a few of them that appeared, he decided to dig a little deeper to narrow down the list. He isolated those that were owned by a male and his intention was to begin to visit each one of them. The first one he would go to was a half hour away from Ali’s apartment.

First, Ali.

* * *

Sergio arrived at Ali’s apartment and there was no response at the door.

“I should have called ahead,” he said jokingly to himself. He checked the door knob to see if the door was locked and it was not locked.

“Ali?” No answer. Serge opened the door enough to poke his head in for a look around. “Ali!” No one was home.

Sergio entered the apartment with some reservation. He imagined Ali would be getting a phone call and some cosmic someone would rat him out. The apartment was messy and less bright somehow. Sergio stepped to the table and looked at the variety of crap on the table from crumbs to notes. He picked up a small wolf violently sketched onto lined paper. When Sergio looked out the window, he saw Ali crossing the street with a bag of groceries.

“Shit.” Serge put the paper down and shuffled out the front door where he pretended to be waiting just outside the apartment. A flood of light washed in at the bottom of the stairs and Ali stepped in.

“Carpelli man. Here you are. I was told you would be here. Did you see the wolf?”

“Hi, Ali. No. I saw no wolf.”

Ali laughed. “Just my picture I drew.” Ali came up the stairs and directed Sergio to go into the apartment. “Carpelli man. I have some bad news. The full moon is in two days. The wolf is coming soon. Anytime now.”

“I heard from Lacie. She suggested I come to see you. She is worried about you.”

“I told her to take a vacation straight away.”

“What about you, Ali? Are you in need of a vacation next week? I hate to tell you this, there is a search warrant being processed right now to search your apartment. Larry and his Forensics Team are being scheduled to come here to your apartment to investigate your premises sometime today or tomorrow. I’m sorry, Ali.”

“I must stay! To watch! I stay!”

“Ali, listen, I know you don’t like the idea. You don’t have to go to the hospital if you don’t want. I want to offer you a motel room across the street. Just for a couple of days. Larry, you know him, he will come in and just do some dusting, that’s all. I want to rule you out as a suspect.”

Ali sent Sergio a searing visual lock. “Suspect?”

“Standard procedure, Ali. You seem to have all kinds of insider information on the victims and some people…some people don’t understand how you can possibly know specific details unless you are somehow involved. I believe you are innocent, we just need to verify my hunch. Trust me, Ali, I am sure they will be in and out of here in no time. A few days, maximum.”

“No.” Ali put his groceries away and went to sit on his barstool.

“Ali, you will not have a choice. Its either a room across the street or a room in---” Sergio could not bring himself to finish the sentence.

“No hospital. No jail. You know I am legit, Carpelli man. I have never received so many calls before in my life. Leanne’s mother, Leanne, Tanya and strangers, I don’t know how many, all of them telling me the wolf is coming. To kill. I heard from a new voice. There is a new voice calling my cell now. She says to watch carefully. She says the wolf is very cunning.”

“Who is she?”

“I don’t know who she is. I know what she said. She said she is the wolf’s mind.”

“She is the mind of the wolf?”

“Yes. That is what she said. She is also the mind of the artist and she is my mind and she is your mind.”

Sergio simply stared at Ali. He decided he would try and have Ali committed to hospital for psychiatric evaluation. He doubted he would be issued authorization for such an intervention as Ali did not appear to be a risk to himself or to others at this point. Persuasion was his best tool. “There’s a lot about this that I don’t understand, Ali. All I know is that they are coming with a search warrant and you will be displaced. If you resist, you may find yourself detained in police custody. I’m not saying hospitalization is a possibility, but depending on how much resistance you invoke, I cannot say what will happen to you. I am offering you a room across the street; that is the best I can do, but you will not be allowed into your apartment until the investigation is over. That’s the reality of it.”

Ali said nothing further. He put his groceries back into the grocery bag and set it on the dining table. Then he returned to his stool to look out the window. After several unsuccessful attempts to get Ali to speak, Carpelli left the apartment. As he pulled the door shut, he glanced at Ali who answered his cell phone.

“Yes, Carpelli saw the picture. He knows it’s the wolf…”

Sergio continued down the stairs as he heard Ali’s voice, carrying on in conversation, diminish into the walls.

* * *

The wolf watched from his bedroom window as a man stepped out of his unmarked police car. The officer looked at the black Charger and walked up to it. The wolf could see the officer peer in through the windows. He was so bold as to circle the car, looking through all the car windows. Anger flooded the wolf who remained cool and motionless. The officer approached the door to his house and the doorbell rang.

The wolf slipped out of his wolfskin fur and cast it over his mattress. He decided he would not answer the door. That would give him time to prepare himself for questioning. The wolf slunk down to the middle of his stairway and then took a seat where he could see the shadow of the officer through the opaque curtains. The blurry form was persistent at knocking and ringing the doorbell. After several minutes the shadow moved on and the wolf returned to the bedroom window. The officer sat in his car and after a long time, started the car and drove down the driveway through the trees. The wolf stared and stared, motionless, thinking wolfish thoughts.

* * *

“Larry…its Serge…” Serge drove past a second address where the occupant had a Dodge Charger. The second vehicle in that driveway was a minivan and several bicycles were dropped on the lawn. The Charger was a green one.

“Sergio. I thought it might be you calling. Any luck with Ali?”

“No. Ali is refusing to relocate.”

“I got my search warrant. We are going in tomorrow morning.”

“I will try Ali again. He doesn’t seem well, however, he has his rights. We haven’t charged him with anything and he doesn’t appear to be a harm to himself or anyone else. I don’t know what to tell him. I can’t convince him to leave the apartment.”

“Take him in for questioning. Officially. Just tell him he is under investigation for the murders of Leanne Connick and Tanya Roberts.”

“Harsh.”

“It gets him out of the apartment and we either find evidence to support an arrest or we are justified to release him.”

“I guess so. Larry, I found a black Charger. Thirty minutes out of town heading South, near Porter. It is registered to a Tory Cinche, thirty-nine.”

“Did you talk to the guy?”

“I did not. The car was parked in front of a house but no one answered at the door. 73560 22 Sideroad. Creepy place, secluded in the trees. I snooped around the car, nothing suspicious from the outside. No Uber decal but maybe a smudge on the back window where a decal was pressed or pulled off? Maybe? No previous records of police interaction or involvement. I couldn’t see much at the door of the house. The windows are covered with curtains, and blinds pulled, which is strange for a house tucked away in a very private setting. He has my attention.”

“Does Ali know of it?”

“No. I don’t know.”

“There you go! Bring him in for questioning in connection to the car and the owner. He is bound to crack.”

“Perhaps. Larry, I will call you in the morning. We’ll coordinate something.”

“Yeah. Okay. You can call me anytime if anything comes up. Are you going back to Porter?”

“Tomorrow. I still got some leads to check on today. There is no landline number registered to the house so I got to drive out there again. Maybe after we deal with Ali in the morning.”

“Good luck.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

A call came in on the police radio Friday morning as Sergio drove to a third address where a Charger was registered within a reasonable driving distance. Someone had smashed a cinder block through the storefront window at Crystal Cove.

Ali.

As the thought struck him, he received a call on his cell phone. Lacie Rich.

“Detective Carpelli, its Lacie at the Cove. I have to inform you that Ali just threw a concrete block through the store window. I watched him do it. He needs to go to hospital. He’s been off his meds too long.”

“I just got notified. If police show up, tell them I am on my way. Where is Ali now?”

“He’s standing outside.”

“Okay, Lacie, can you tell him I am on my way there right now. How are you doing? Was anyone hurt?”

“No one else was in the store. Ali was in here earlier pleading with me to take some time off and stay home. He’s starting to freak me out about this wolf bullshit. He insists that the wolf is coming very soon.”

“He is obsessed. Actually, this incident will work to our advantage because now we can certify him into a psychiatric facility for assessment. At the very least, we will have Ali in hospital for the next thirty-six hours. Are you sure you are okay? You don’t need this stress right now.”

“I’m fine. Really. I’m worried for Ali. I’m glad he will be looked after. And I guess I will be off for the next couple of days until they replace the window anyways.”

“I suspect that was Ali’s plan all along. He really doesn’t want you there right now.”

“My boss said to leave everything as is so he can take pictures to send to his insurance company. He said he will wait here for a window company to replace the window and I can go home when he arrives.”

“Good plan. I will deal with Ali, don’t worry about him. I will likely see you before you leave.”

“Okay. I gotta go now. It looks like the police have arrived.”

“Tell them to call me before they do anything. I’ll be there soon.”

Sergio ended the call and thought this new information was a brilliant turn of events. At the very least, Ali would be taken care of and his apartment could be investigated without any problems.

* * *

Grader stood near the boathouse garage door and marvelled at his creation. It was the greatest piece of work he had ever created. The expression. The voice in the art. It was a masterpiece. He pulled the boat access garage door open and in greater light, the sculpture was even more magnificent. It was finished.

He didn’t care that he was told he would no longer receive support for his future projects. No more commissions meant no more supplies. More importantly, no more of anyone telling him what to create. No more marching orders and schedules and interference. He was free. He went his own way and he would go his own way moving forward. And this time, the world will know who he was.

He made sure the boat’s battery system was hooked up and he topped up the tank with fresh gasoline. The rest of the fuel, he poured all around the dock, the walls of the boathouse and over the two other five-gallon tanks of gasoline resting near the shore wall of the boathouse. He untied all of the docking ropes.

He stepped off of the dock and walked onto the pontoon boat where his statue was staged. There, two figures of two oversized boys held each other, arms around each other’s shoulder. One of the figures had its other arm extended aimlessly, suspended in the air. The faces on the oversized boys were of people he had never met. By all standards, the work was remarkable.

Grader turned on an electric trolling motor and the boat gently floated out of the boathouse. This was the unveiling. He would follow the river mouth into the lake. Into the sunset. At a distance, Grader fired up a flare and threw it into the boathouse. It hit the dock and a grand explosion burst forth. The pontoon was safely drifting away. The reverie of the event filled Grader’s soul like the smoke that filled the sky. He laughed and called out, “You see! I don’t need you! I am free!”

Grader took his place standing next to the sculpture. He slipped under the arm of the sculpture that was extending out and he was in dovetail company. He put his arm around the sculpture and it was made to fit. He was included in the sculpture. He was a part of it. As the boat drifted slowly out onto the waters, Grader could see the city across the river and the mouth of the river opening up into the lake. Across the expanse of sky in front of him the Devil had his wings extended over the whole entire earth. Grader turned his head to look back at the burning boathouse. He watched as the gasoline cans exploded. He envisioned the scene on his stucco ceiling and imagined he was successful in re-creating it. His vision was complete as he looked back over his shoulder, arm in arm with his sculpture, watching the fire burn and burn and burn into infamy.

* * *

Serge arrived at Crystal Cove before the owner of the store, Mel, arrived. Lacie was standing outside a police cruiser talking to Ali who was in the back seat wearing hand cuffs. Serge identified himself to the Officers who had responded to the call.

“Yeah…,” he said, “Ali Al. I doubt charges will be laid by the owner. He has a mental disorder and you need to take him to The General to get assessed and unfortunately you will need to stay with him until he gets admitted.”

“We are charging him with Mischief,” said one Officer.

“You can lay a charge on him if you want but the fact remains he is not well mentally and no Judge would convict him. Do what you want. Let me talk to him before you go.”

“Sure thing. Go ahead.”

Sergio stood next to Lacie and felt his heart sadden to see Ali in cuffs. He had dark circles under his eyes, he was pale and seemed uncharacteristically on edge.

“Carpelli man. Tell her. Tell Lacie the wolf is real. The wolf is very real. He is a killer.”

“Ali, please don’t alarm Lacie. We will look after things around here. You need to take a rest from all of this.”

“I will not rest! My phone has been ringing day and night, day and night. They all say the same thing: ‘Two for one,’ ‘Two for one.’ Lacie is in danger. Lacie, now you will take the next few days off. I help. No window, no work. Carpelli man, you must have someone watch out for her. Day and night. Two for one.”

Lacie walked away to cover a sudden crying bout.

“Ali, I will come see you in hospital tomorrow. Get some rest tonight.”

“My phone, Carpelli man, they took it. I need it. Tell those police men I need my phone.”

“I’ll get it from them, Ali. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow when I see you.”

“Thank you, Carpelli. Thank you. I hear it ringing right now. You get it now.”

“Ali, I will bring it tomorrow. You get some rest.”

Sergio spoke to the Officers and convinced them to hand over Ali’s cell phone as evidence in the ongoing murder investigations. The Officer’s willingly obliged to hand over the inoperative device and then dispatched themselves to The General hoping they would not be detained for too long in Emergency. Sergio went to Lacie who was standing near the broken window.

“I’m really freaked out by him. He has been so right with his stupid predictions and he is saying a wolf is after me and my baby? Fuck.” She wiped tears away with a shaky hand.

“He is not well, Lacie. You said so yourself. Its obvious. They’ll get him back on his medication. You should just take the next few days off and forget about this wolf stuff. I will make sure to have a police officer circle around your place. You will be safe.”

“I got a call from my boss and it looks like the window guys are coming today to fit a new window. Business as usual tomorrow. I am scheduled to work and no one else can cover my shift.”

“That’s okay, Lacie. There will be a whole squad of detectives here tomorrow going through Ali’s apartment. Its part of our investigation. This place will be crawling with cops.”

“Okay. That’s good to hear.”

“Don’t worry. Do you need a ride home after your boss gets here?”

“Sure. There he is now.”

Her boss’ car came through the parking lot and parked right in front of the store. Blah, blah, blah…

Sergio gave Lacie a drive home. She divulged that she was two months pregnant and she expressed her concerns about Ali and the nebulous threat of a wolf coming to attack her and her baby. She was once again assured he would keep her safe…at least until the full moon was past.

* * *

Grace looked at her hands and rubbed them admirably as she sat on the corner of her bed. She thought her hands were beautiful and she liked them. Her fingers were long and slender, the fingertips tapering to a rather elegantly pointed tip. Her nails were smooth and narrow and elongated. She fancied could scratch the eyes out of a demon. She did seem to have that power.

In her musings she was glad for Grader. She wished him well without having to send the message to him directly. She wished him all the best in his independence from her. He did it. He made it to the end. He finally realized he needed to take the next step and now he was on his way. His own way. The only way to go. Now she could focus on the wolf.

A long distant clang echoed down the corridor of the C-Wing at the Grant Correctional. Grace knew it was Victor. She knew he was coming to see her because his firearm was missing.

* * *

Saturday morning, lovely day. Birds are happy. The weather is remarkably perfect, breezy and warm, sunny with minor cloud. Sergio went to The General and met with Ali on the psychiatric unit. He was gravely disappointed to hear that Ali had to be put into four-point restraints and had to be chemically sedated due to violent and aggressive behaviour.

“Carpelli man.” Ali’s eyes were heavy and his speech was slow.

“Ali. They really knocked you out.”

“They gave me a needle.”

“The nurse told me you tried to run out. You pushed a nurse.”

“I must go to help slay the wolf.” Ali was weak and slurry.

“I have it under control. You need to rest your mind, Ali.”

Ali spoke despite his mouth was drooly and his speech was low in tone. “Did you bring my phone?”

“Yes,” said Sergio and he took it out of his pocket. “You can have it but I don’t think it is much good to you until they move you to the general ward.”

“Carpelli man, put it to my ear. It has been ringing constantly. Please.” Ali pulled at the restraints to get loose. Defeated.

Sergio looked at the unplugged phone and then placed it to Ali’s ear just to appease and clam him down.

“Hello…”

Ali listened carefully to his phone and was silent for a long time. Sergio watched a tear grow in his eye and roll down his cheek. Finally, Ali turned his head and pulled resolutely to free his arms to no avail. Then he stopped and started to weep quietly, saying nothing more.

Sergio left the cell phone on a chair and left the hospital room when his prolonged efforts to speak to Ali were met with silence.

“Don’t worry about Lacie, Ali,” he said on his way out, “You kept her safe.”

* * *

When Lacie arrived at work, she thought the new window looked naked without the Crystal Cove mural and some posters to look at. She decided she would give the floors another sweeping. Mel did a pretty good job and his two pages of notes summarized his activities restoring the shop to a level ‘open for business’ late into the evening.

Carpelli arrived with a green tea and lemon. Lacie was glad to see him and her mood seemed more chipper this morning.

“Good morning. You brought me a tea.”

“I did. How are you?”

“I’m fine. Thanks. It looks like they did a good job replacing the window.”

“Yeah, looks bright. So, I’m here to let you know that the Forensics team will be here any minute and I wanted to see them into Ali’s apartment when they arrive. I suspect they will be here all day. When does your shift end? I want to make sure someone will see you home.”

“I work till six.”

“What are your plans tonight? I will try and get some police traffic near your whereabouts. I don’t know why…I guess I am over reacting to Ali and his assertions.”

“I am feeling a little paranoid, so its okay with me. I’m going straight home after work. I would appreciate the support. I mean, all of this wolf shit goes until the full moon is past, right?”

“We are investigating some things and its not over, really, until we find the guy…or girl. But you will be safe. I saw Ali this morning at The General. They have him in seclusion in the psychiatric ward.”

“Is he okay?”

“He is delusional and will not be coming out of there any time soon.”

“Oh my.”

“I want you to have this again…my cell number.” Sergio handed Lacie a card with his personal number written on it.

She took it and looked at Serio without saying anything.

“If you see anything suspicious, anyone gives you the creeps or you sense something doesn’t feel or seem right, just call me. Don’t hesitate. In fact, pre-program it into your cell phone for a quick call connection. You can delete it when this phase of…let’s just say, heightened alert, is over.”

“I don’t understand why all this is happening. What exactly are you investigating?”

Sergio was glad for a natural distraction. “It looks like the boys are here. I’m going to direct them to the back door. They may be stationed there for some time. I will have my partner, Detective Larry Voisin, come down to meet you and he will leave you his number as well in case you need him during your work day.”

“All this attention, I guess I should be paranoid.”

“Don’t worry, Lacie. We’re here to verify Ali’s madness or his psychic abilities. We are here regardless. I will call you later on today. Maybe I can give you a drive home again.”

“Thanks, so much. I feel better knowing that you guys are all around.”

* * *

The black Charger was essentially parked in the same spot as it was before. Sergio ran the licence plate and the 2019 Dodge Charger was registered to Tory Cinche. Serge went to the door and rang the bell.

A middle aged man answered the bell and opened the front door.

“Hello. My name is Sergio Carpelli, Detective, Special Investigations Unit.”

“Is something wrong?,” the wolf asked.

“Are you Tory Cinche?”

“I am.”

“Is that your vehicle there?”

“Yes. Why, what’s the problem?”

“May I come in? I just have a few questions for you.”

“About what?”

“Is this your home, Tory?”

“Look, I don’t know what you want here. No, you cannot come in. Yeah, you flashed your badge but it could be forged or phoney. In fact, you have no reason to be here.”

“We are investigating a crime and your vehicle has been identified as potentially involved. I just want to ask you some questions, that is all.”

“I can come to the station and answer any question you have. Leave me your card and I will come by your station sometime next week. I’m very busy right now.”

“It won’t take long.”

“Fine, it won’t take long. It won’t take long next Tuesday or Wednesday either.

Sergio sensed that the man was not going to readily cooperate. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his card. “Okay, Mr. Cinche. Here is my number…One thing, it looks like you took down your Uber sticker. Do you no longer work for them?”

The wolf looked at Sergio quizzically. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you work for Uber, Mr. Cinche?”

“I do, on occasion. Now, please leave.”

Sergio took out the photo of Tanya Roberts. “Do you recognize this woman?”

Tory glanced at the photo. “I don’t think so. I see a lot of people. I have done a lot of driving. I don’t recognize her.”

“What about this person?” Sergio held up the photo of Leanne Connick.

“No. I don’t recognize that person either.”

“When was the last time you worked for Uber?”

Tory’s demeanour shifted slightly. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, Detective. I am in the middle of some work. Unless you want to detain me with cause, I am going to have to say good day to you. I will call you next week and answer all your questions. Right now, I have to be getting back to my work.” There was a definite barb to his tone.

“Sure, Mr. Cinche. One more question before I go…” Serge tucked his photos back into his pocket, “Uber gave us the records of your accounts with them. You have nothing registered with them for the evening of July 18, yet we have video surveillance of your car being parked outside of Ting Tings Convenience that evening. The woman you saw in the first photo was caught on camera entering your vehicle, driver’s side, back door. You don’t have your friends ride in the back do you?”

“Get off my property.”

“Call me on Monday, Tory.” Sergio went down the steps and walked to his car. He sensed that Tory was still watching him through the doorway and he larked, “Full moon tonight.” He turned as soon as he said it but noticed Tory had retreated into his house. “Bark at the moon,” he muttered quietly. Serge had a heightened sensed that he may be onto something.

The wolf watched through the veil of the curtains as Sergio drove away. His senses were sharp and exact. He ran upstairs and shed his clothes. He slipped back into the wolf hide and started to sway. He was lean in the mirror. The sway turned into a dance and the dance turned into an absorption as he entered a trance.

“Ishtar!” In reverie he danced, timeless and endless, until he was exhausted and dropped onto all fours. He looked up and sweat dripped from his hair.

“Ishtar! Tonight, Ishtar! My soul for you. Two for one, Ishtar! I will have you tonight.” He dared not touch his erection for fear of defiling it before he could mate with the goddess under the eye of the moon.

* * *

Victor approached the cell where Grace sat on a chair, smiling and welcoming him. He stopped several feet away from the bars and didn’t know what to say.

“I know what your thinking, Victor. You think I had something to do with your handgun going missing. You are stupefied.”

“I don’t know how you did it.”

“I didn’t do anything. I’m behind bars.”

“You know what I mean. Who was it?”

“I think you were just careless. Did you check the bathroom?”

“I checked everywhere.”

“Did you drop it somewhere? Follow your tracks.” Grace smiled even wider.

“Who has it?”

“That’s the problem with this place. Every other correctional facility ensures officers do not carry firearms. This place is special.”

“Who has it? How did they get it? I didn’t drop it.”

“Well, check your bloody security camera streams.”

Victor didn’t say anything to that.

“Victor, you ever wonder why certain people do certain things? What makes a person a killer, for example.”

“Some people are fucked up. Just like you.”

“Those aren’t the words you should be using. Nobody is fucked up. Its their thoughts, Victor. They act on their thoughts. Just like you did.”

“What are you talking about?”

Grace stood up and walked up to the bars, wrapping her long fingers around two of them, her face in the middle. “You got up this morning and every thought you had since you were awake led you to this moment in time. You acted on your every thought, but how much of it was fate and circumstance? Tell me, Victor, when you were asleep before your alarm went off this morning, did you have any thoughts?”

“I don’t fuckin know, I was asleep. I had subconscious thoughts.”

“But you didn’t act on them.”

“Of course I didn’t, I was asleep.”

“What if you are standing here, awake, and some thoughts came to you, yet you didn’t even know you had those thoughts?”

“Who’s got my gun? Stop fucking with me.”

Grace smiled and a thought came to Victor’s mind: Chio.

“Some people can’t seem to realize that their sleeping thoughts awaken and they act on them. Its almost like sleepwalking. When does a sleepwalker realize he is sleepwalking?”

“Fucking bitch. Just tell me. I know you are some kind of psychic psycho. You’re fucking with me.”

Grace gave Victor something else to think about, “You know, Victor, you should check Chio’s locker.” She continued smiling and her lips never moved the entire time he heard her speak.

Victor didn’t say anything. He was mesmerized. The spell was broken when he saw her lips move.

“Wake up, Victor,” she said and she retreated to her chair.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, wake up.”

“No. What are you saying about Chio?”

“Chio? I never said anything about Chio.”

“I see. That’s why you’re in here, I suppose. You put thoughts into the heads of people and they act on them. Now you put the notion of Chio having my gun in his locker into my head.”

Grace started to laugh. “ You are crazy,” she said to him.

“Am I?”

Grace folded her hands on her lap and looked at Victor.

“No, not crazy,” a voice said inside Victor’s mind, “actually, you are awake.”

Her lips didn’t move.

* * *

Carpelli watched Tory’s driveway from a distance for a long time. He parked on the soft shoulder of the country road waiting to see if Tory would pull out of his driveway. He had been sitting patiently in his car for three hours and there was no sign of the Charger leaving the property. He decided to call Lacie.

“Crystal Cove, Lacie speaking.”

“Hi, Lacie. Its Sergio.”

“Hi, Carpelli man.” That made Sergio smile.

“I’m just calling to see how you are doing.”

“I’m not good. I feel sick to my stomach.”

“Oh, yeah. Scared?”

“Not that. I mean, yes, I am scared, but I’m feeling some abdominal cramps and sharp pains here and there. I’m not sure what it means but it doesn’t help the situation.”

“You’re probably stressed out and it’s showing up physiologically. Has Larry been down to see you since I introduced you to him this morning?”

“No. I hear them bumping around up there.”

“Any strange visitors to the store?”

“No. Its kinda slow today. I want to go home. I called Mel and he is calling me back. He’s gonna try to cover my shift or he will come in himself. I hope its soon.”

“Oh, okay. Can I offer you a ride home? I’m about a half hour away.”

“Thanks, Detective. I just don’t know when Mel will be calling back. I hope its soon. And I can take the bus, so don’t worry about giving me a ride home.”

“No, I don’t mind. Not to feed the fear-fire, I just want to be on the safe side today.”

“Sure, if you want. I can call you when Mel phones me back with the plan for coverage.”

“Please do. I’ll start making my way there.”

“Thank you, Sergio.”

“No problem. See you soon.”

She hung up the phone.

Sergio felt his time would be best spent near Lacie where he could rest assured in her safety. He would check in with Voisin and then drive her home.

The drive was nice along the country roads. The air was fresh and had notes of woodsy earth. He pondered Tory Cinche and nagging thoughts pulled him in the direction that he would have to come back, at least to make sure the vehicle was still in the driveway. There was nothing that he saw on the property that made him suspicious of Tory other than the black Charger and the missing Uber decal from the rear window. There was also the fact that Tory was not willing to cooperate with answering his questions.

Sergio called The General and ultimately reached the Charge Nurse. She was able to give him an update on Ali’s mental status.

“He slept for a few hours. He seems much more calm now and he is no longer in physical restraints. He remains in isolation but he is up and about. Pacing. He refused his lunch and we are encouraging him to keep hydrated.”

“Has he been talking?”

“Oh, yeah. He is on his phone constantly. Psychotic and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder traits. His phone has no battery and doesn’t work.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Poor man. He seems so sweet. I don’t think he will be in seclusion much longer. I know he pushed one of our staff, but he was agitated more than anything else. I don’t see any history of aggressive behaviour towards people in his chart.”

“There’s no chance he would be discharged from hospital in the next few days, is there?”

“Not a chance of that happening. He hasn’t even seen the doctor yet.”

“That’s good. He needs some care.”

“He has been asking for you. ‘Carpelli man.’ He has been civil, however, he asks anyone he comes in contact with if he can speak to you.”

“What is he saying?”

“He says he needs to talk to you and it is very urgent, very important. Then he goes on about a wolf or a wolf coming to kill, ‘no blood required’ or something like that. Delusional stuff…then, he gets on his phone again.”

“Can I speak to him?”

“Ooo. I don’t know. That may agitate him even more. I can ask the doctor for approval on that when she comes in. You can try calling back later and I will find out.”

“Okay. I may try later.”

“At any rate, he should settle once he is on his meds again. I will leave a note for staff to allow you to speak with him once we get permission from the Doc. Have a good day, Detective.

“Thanks. You too.”

Sergio’s attention was grabbed by a random police radio transmission. The Coast Guard identified a man adrift on the lake in a pontoon boat. He was arrested by police as a possible suspect to an arson event at an abandoned industrial zone boat house. The radio message included that the suspect was floating on a pontoon with what turned out to be a sculpture. The man identified himself as ‘Grader Form.’

Sergio’s mind lit up.

* * *

Sergio parked his car at the precinct where Grader was being detained and he was quick to gain access to the suspect given his investigations into recent homicides. He found out as much as he could about the circumstances leading to the suspect’s incarceration. The pontoon was registered to a bankrupt business enterprise based out of Brazil, currently in receivership. Efforts to contact the company was a work-in-progress and suspicion was raised over potential insurance fraud.

Grader sat wistfully in a chair in the interrogation room and Sergio entered the room alone, although the interrogation was being recorded and observed by an Officer through a two-way mirror to an adjacent office. Sergio sat down in front of Grader.

“My name is Sergio Carpelli, Detective with the Special Investigations Unit. It is my understanding you have been charged with arson, still under further investigation.”

“I did it.”

“You did what.”

“I burned down the boathouse. Guilty as charged.”

“Arson is a ­­­­­statutory offence and, if convicted, carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.”

“Its worth it, I suppose.”

“Is it?”

Grader rested his free hand on the table top. His other hand was cuffed to a metal chair bolted to the floor. “In five years, if that is my sentence, I will get out and I will sell my works of art for a million bucks. Until then, my work will be stored for me safely in a secured evidence vault. I’m okay with that.”

“Five years for arson. Plus, two lifetime sentences for first degree murder.” Serge placed two photograph images of women on the table in front of Grader.

Grader’s fist clenched. “I didn’t kill anyone. I’m an artist not a murderer.”

Sergio produced two other photos, these of the faces on the sculptures Grader had created, and laid them on the table facing Grader, directly above the photos of the Leanne Connick and Tanya Roberts. “Do these faces look familiar?”

Grader’s countenance firmed up and he was himself surprised how much the faces on the photos looked like the faces of his sculptures. “I have never met or seen those people.”

“I find that rather difficult to believe. This is hard evidence, Grader. Their blood was all over the floor under the respective sculptures you created. You are the artist.”

“I’m an artist, not a killer.”

“Who is the killer, Grader?”

“I don’t know.”

Sergio smiled at his audacity. He produced another photo from his shirt pocket and placed it on the table. It was a driver’s licence photo of Tory Cinche. “Is this your accomplice, Grader?”

The look on Grader’s face became stark and intense. The image in the photo was the face of a person he had never met before, but it was one of the faces on his most recent sculpture.

“Mr. Form? Do you recognize the man in this photo?”

“I want to speak to a lawyer.”

“Do you recognize the face of the man in this photo?”

Grader remained silent.

“Okay. I understand.” Sergio stood up and collected his pictures. He felt satisfied that things were falling into place. “As of this moment, you are officially under arrest for the murder of the two women you saw in those photos. You have the right to remain silent---”

“I didn’t kill anyone!”

“…anything you say can and will be---”

Grader slammed his large fist on the table top. “I don’t know the killer!”

“…used against you in the Court of Law---”

“I don’t know the killer!”

Serge stepped to the door.

“Grace!”

Sergio stopped at the door before exiting the interrogation room. “No grace. No mercy, Mr. Form. Just the full extent of justice.”

Sergio left the room. He spoke to the Supervisor and Officers of the precinct and clarified that Grader was now under arrest for the murder Leanne Cook and Tanya Roberts and he is not to be released under any circumstance.

Another Constable entered the room and handed over a folder containing some photo copies Serge had requested. They were images of the latest sculpture Grader had with him on board the pontoon prior to being arrested. As Serge reviewed the images, he was particularly drawn to the face of one of the figures in the sculpture. He pulled out the photo of Tory Cinche from his pocket and was amazed. The sculpture depicting a child’s face looked like the face of a young Tory Cinche.

* * *

There was a moment of indecision when Sergio contemplated his next course of action. He was awaiting a call from Lacie and he had promised to give her a drive home, however, he needed to get back to Tory. He called Voisin on his cell.

“Yeah.”

“Larry, its Sergio. You got a minute?”

“Shoot.”

“I think we got our guy. Tory Cinche. The creep with the Charger. I was hoping to go there right now but I got a problem that I was hoping that you could help me out with.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“I promised Lacie a ride home. She is awaiting her boss to arrive or get her shift covered, either way she will be going home earlier than scheduled. I offered to drive her but now I need to go catch me a wolf. Any chance one of your guys can do that for me. Lacie isn’t feeling well.”

“Is she sick?”

“No, I think she’s scared. You will never guess who I just met with.”

“Who’s that?”

“Grader Form.”

“What!?”

“Central Division. Detained for arson and I just charged him with first degree murder, times two. The face on his latest work, a sculpture depicting Tory at about age twelve, was with him when he was arrested. Wait till you see this freak show. He was floating on a pontoon with his sculpture in the middle of the lake.”

“This job never fails to entertain.”

“Can one of your guys give Lacie a drive home?”

“I thought with Ali in hospital she would be safe, but it looks like you got another fish on.”

“Can you do it?”

“Sure thing. I’ll send Beck. We’re practically done here. I think you’re right; this place looks clean. Just a lot of junk and funk. Nothing suspicious except for a dark sketch of a wolf with a number on the back.”

“What, number?”

“The number on the back of the wolf picture drawn on a piece of paper. We found it sitting on top of his dining table. Hold on… Number 7356022. One of his space contacts, I guess.”

“Shit, Larry, that is Tory Cinch’s home address. 73560 22 Sideroad. Okay, I really got to move here. The dots are all connecting. You will take care of Lacie, right?”

“Sure thing. I’ll get Doherty to wrap it up here. He and Beck can pack up when Beck gets back from dropping Lacie off. I’ll meet you there on 22 Sideroad and I’m right behind you. Wait for your back-up.”

“Done. Release the hounds.” Sergio transformed into a menace on the roadways as he started speeding with intent. At least he had his lights and siren on.

* * *

Sergio approached the driveway with his lights and siren off. He didn’t want to scare the wolf away. He debated waiting for Voisin and decided he would approach on foot for a look around. He drove past the driveway and parked his vehicle far from the driveway, beyond a curve in the road. He wanted to use stealth in his approach. He was glad that Tory didn’t have a dog, at least there was no indication that there was a dog on his property during his last visit. In the far away distance a dog was barking on someone else’s property.

Using larger trees on the property, he managed to hide from plain sight as he moved closer up the slope toward the house. When he reached a crest in the land-scape he started to feel a little uneasy. There was no vehicle in the driveway. He moved quicker toward the house. He remained cautious but was losing interest in the need to be discreet. He wondered if there was any other person living in the house. He decided to ring the doorbell and received no response.

He made his way around the perimeter of the house and observed there was very limited vantage points to peer into the house through the windows. Tory liked his blinds pulled tight. At the front of the house, Sergio had made it, full circle, back to the front porch. He would have to go back to his car. He fought the urge to try and see if the front door was unlocked when something else caught his eye. The door to a garden shed was left ajar. He made his way there and pushed the creaky door open.

There was natural light coming through a couple of dusty windows. The shed smelled of grass shavings, silicone and used motor oil. The light shined off of a label-less empty paint can resting on a workspace counter and caught his eye. He was drawn to the counter because he saw a very curious thing next to the paint can. There were several automobile licence plates on the counter. One of them read KOR 980. On a shelf above the counter, a couple of Styrofoam heads mocked reality wearing wigs. That was the final dot and the picture took its shape. Serge started running back to his car. Larry Voisin answered his cell phone.

“Larry, he is our guy. One hundred percent.”

“Serge? Where are you?”

“Tory’s car is not here. I’m on his driveway.”

“You were supposed to wait.”

“I was waiting. I just wanted to make sure he was home and he is not.”

“I’m about five minutes away.”

“Turn around. I will be sending out an APB for his arrest shortly. Did Beck drop Lacie off okay?”

“I would assume so. I didn’t hear anything otherwise.”

“Call him, make sure. I’m going to call Lacie right now.”

“Are you running? You sound like you’re running.”

“I parked at a distance and I’m running back to my car. We need to protect Lacie. I will get in touch by radio in a minute. Gotta go now.”

“Run.”

Sergio pulled up Lacie’s cell phone number and tried to connect but there was no answer. He ran even faster. He tried again once he was seated in his car and this time she answered.

“Lacie?”

“Yes?”

“Its Sergio. I am so glad you answered. I…I was just calling to see that you made it home okay.”

“Oh, yes. A nice Officer, I think he said his name was Beck, gave me a ride home. You guys are great.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Scared.”

“Listen, I think we’ll station someone outside your place tonight so you can feel safe.”

“Um…that’s not why I’m scared.”

“What do you mean?” Sergio could hear that Lacie was starting to cry and a wave of trepidation came over him.

“I’m spotting.”

“You mean…”

“I’m bleeding down there. I think there’s a problem with my baby.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry to hear that, Lacie.” He could hear her start to sniffle as she quietly started to cry. “You need to call an ambulance.”

“I’m on my way to the hospital right now.”

“How are you getting there?”

“Uber.”

A tsunami of trepidation rolled over him and he paused for a moment. “Lacey?...”

“Yeah?”

“…What colour is the car you’re in?”

“Black.”

* * *

Victor made his way to the locker room and looked around. He knew there would likely be no one there but he had to be sure he was alone. Chio’s locker had a combination lock securing it shut. Chio was one of only a few guys that actually used a lock on their locker. He never really considered why someone would put a lock on their locker, however he was thinking maybe Chio had good reason. He had a firearm in there that was not issued to him.

“Fuck.”

He would have looked in the locker if it was accessible. He couldn’t just cut the lock off and he couldn’t exactly accuse Chio of having his gun. What if Chio didn’t have the gun? Time was running out before he had to report his handgun was missing.

“Fuck. Me.”

He sat on the bench and ran his fingers through his thinning hair. How does a handgun just disappear and go missing? He was certain he never touched his gun. He strapped the holster belt around his waist at the beginning of his shift, but he never took it out of his holster. He questioned whether the gun was even in the holster when he put on the belt.

“Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me…”

26-18-55

Just like that the numbers came to him. He stood up and looked both ways before he crossed the line. He tried the number sequence on Chio’s combination lock and it clicked open like magic.

Fuck…me.

There on the upper shelf was a revolver. It was his. Now he was in another bind: He had his gun back in his possession but he had broken into his colleague’s locker. Some of the solution was simple; he would say that he found the locker open and saw the gun. Then the questions would arise… ‘How is it Chio had your gun?’ ‘Why didn’t you report your firearm missing?’ ‘Why would Chio take your gun?’ ’How did he take it?” Most of those questions would be on Chio so Victor just shut the locker and secured the lock back on. He was relieved. He thought he would speak to Chio after their shift. Then he thought, who else would believe me?

No… fuck him.

He decided to play it like it never happened.

If he could take my gun without me knowing how, then I can certainly take it back in the same manner.

One thing was for sure…he would never trust Chio.

“You can’t trust anyone these days,” Victor said as he walked away to continue his rounds of security checkpoints.

You will learn to trust me. The thought popped in.

“Fuck you,” he said aloud. Somehow, he knew that Grace heard him.

* * *

“Lacie, listen to me very closely. What is your location right now?”

“I’m not sure. The driver told me he had to take an alternate route due to a traffic incident. It looks like we may be heading toward the highway? Its probably the quickest route.”

“Is your ‘Find my phone’ feature activated on your cell?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I want you to keep this call active and pretend you ended this call. Say ‘goodbye’ out loud, then turn your volume right down and then put the phone down and leave it be. Do not end this call. I will track where you go and listen in on you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sh-sh-shh. Don’t say anything else. Just do what I tell you. Please. Start a conversation with the driver so I can listen in. Ask him details about the route he is taking and verbalize out loud some street names or identifying markers you see in a casual manner. If things don’t seem right, I want you to tell the driver that you are going to throw up and ask him to pull over. When he pulls over, I want you to get out of the car and run anywhere where a person or people can see you.”

Lacie started crying harder. “Is he the wolf?”

Tory’s eyes met hers through the rear-view mirror.

“Do what I just asked you.”

“I’ll talk to you later. I gotta go.”

“Remember, talk it out loud! Don’t hang up.”

She put the phone down on the seat beside her. There were no street signs that she was coming across but she could see the highway. “Are we almost there?,” she asked the driver, “I’m not feeling well.”

“Yeah,” said the wolf, “it won’t be long once we get on the highway.”

“Can you pull over? I think I’m going to throw up in your car.”

“Oh, no. Don’t do that. I will pull over right here.” He signalled and slowed down. As the car came to a stop, Lacie grabbed her phone and rushed out of the car. She started to run like hell and was very aware the driver started to pursue her on foot.

“I see the highway in front of me! There’s no one around! I see the Amazon warehouse sign on the other side of the highway!” She yelled into the phone for Carpelli to hear her as she tried to run. The cramps and abdominal pain forced her to double over and she could not run very far.

Sergio (on the other end of the telephone call) was completely distraught and froze, listening.

“Help!...Help me!” Lacey started screaming.

The wolf caught up to her quickly.

“Carpelli man!”

The wolf took a saturated cloth out of a baggie and covered Lacie’s nose and mouth with it as she tried to defend herself.

All things became silent. The phone fell from Lacie’s enfeebled clutch. The wolf stomped on it and dragged Lacie to his back seat.

* * *

There was no time to waste. The APB went out and it wasn’t long before cruisers were at the location Lacie had identified on Sixth Line, on north side of the Highway, facing the Amazon warehouse. Lacie’s phone was located and identified. It was left on the soft shoulder of the road, smashed and rendered inoperable.

Sergio was panic-stricken. He hoped every cop within fifty kilometers had eyes for a black 2019 Dodge Charger. He had no recourse except to drive along the lonely gravel roads surrounding the place Lacie’s phone was found. There was no way to track the wolf. The wolf obviously breached his Uber responsibilities and was now a rogue criminal. The wolf obviously knew he was tagged by police and he would be caught eventually. This was his last stance. This would be his last chance.

“Ishtar!,” he shouted as the full moon led the way. “I am yours! All for you, Ishtar! Two for one! Soon, I will have you, Ishtar! Very soon!”

Tory knew of many avenues, roads and routes to very isolated and secret places. It had been a longstanding hobby of his to drive around rural and country roads, sometimes at great distances from home, marking in his mind and cataloging designated lairs for his nefarious plans. He was a snake but he was the wolf. He exited off of the highway as soon as he felt there would be too much of a chance he would be caught. He knew the place he wanted to bring Ishtar’s vessel to. He turned off his lights and coasted slowly onto a long gravel driveway that was overgrown with weeds. The path led to a fenced off Hydro building near the edge of a forested tree line. He parked on the other side of the building, opposite the main road between the trees and fence. He looked at his wristwatch. Soon, expression and life would be returning to the vessel. Very soon he would have her body lying naked in the weeds.

He felt a warmth from the cold moon as he exited the Charger. From his trunk he opened a cardboard box and removed the black fur. It glistened a silky sheen in the moonlight. It was thick and cool to the touch, two green stone eyes reflecting an eerie darkness. Tory started to undress himself, casting his clothing into the trunk. When he was fully naked, he slipped into his skin. A surge of dark power filled him. He reached deep into his trunk and took out his hunting knife. He made his way to the back seat of his vehicle and started cutting Lacie’s clothes off.

* * *

Serge’s cell phone started ringing and he quickly responded. “Yes.”

“Detective Carpelli. Did I get your name right?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“My name is Delia. I am a nurse here at The General. Sorry to bother you, Detective, but I have a patient here that is absolutely beside himself indicating that he needs to talk to you immediately. We are talking, freaking out. I read a note in his chart that the doctor has given him some privileges and he does have permission to speak to you.”

“Ali wants to speak to me now? Is he there?”

“He sure is. One moment…(here you go, Ali)”

“Carpelli man! So good. So good you are available. Can you hear me?”

“I hear you, Ali. Talk to me.”

“Lacie is in very, very great danger. My phone was ringing non-stop. They took my phone away. They said it was causing me to be too agitated. They gave me new medication, Carpelli man, but I can still hear them. I am still getting calls, Carpelli man. I hear my phone ringing and ringing but they will not give me my phone. The full moon is tonight. You know that. You know. You must find Lacie. No time left.”

“Where is she Ali? Did your callers tell you?”

“Very much. Come and pick me up. I help. I will show you.”

“I can’t do that Ali. You are on a Form 1. You can’t leave without a doctor’s order.”

Ali started to cry, pleading. “Carpelli man, tell the nurse. Tell her to give me my phone. It never stops ringing. Tell them. Here---(this is Sergio Carpelli…talk to him. Please.)” Ali handed the nurse the phone he was using.

“Detective, its Delia. We took his phone away. It seemed to be stimulating him way too much.”

“Delia, please listen to me carefully. I know it seems ridiculous but I have to ask you if you could please give Ali his cell phone. I can’t explain right now; just consider it an official police request. This is of a very urgent matter.”

“Hold please, I’ll check with my Supervisor---”

“No-no-no-no---damn it!” Sergio was put on hold. He pulled over to the side of the road and only a few moments later…

“Okay, Detective, my Supervisor is right here. I’ll patch you through---”

“Clara Schwinn, RN. Before you say anything, we are giving Ali his phone. If this helps him settle then maybe I won’t get in so much shit for breaking protocols. I will patch you back---”

“Delia again. Here is Ali---”

“Carpelli man. They are giving me my phone. Hold on. Here it is. (Hello?)”

Sergio was on the edge of his seat listening to a conversation Ali was having with his phantom informants.

“Yes. Yes... I know that… The wolf has her, yes. Where is she?... Grace knows? Where is Grace? Is she there?... Put her on, please, I am begging you. Please! (Carpelli man, Grace knows. Wait a second…) Grace? Is this Grace? Oh, you are that voice I heard before. Please, we need to find the wolf. Where is the wolf?”

Sergio had another incoming call but he ignored it, waiting intently to hear from Ali and what he had to say. He was waiting for random direction. He found it incredulous that he was anticipating direction from a man on a psychiatric unit who was getting his information from a ghost.

“R…R.R…RRR…”

“Growling, Ali?! What the fuck!? Are you kidding!?”

“Carpelli man, no! Wait a second…”

Sergio slammed a closed fist onto his dashboard. Come on, Ali!

“Carpelli man. Okay. Go fast to R.R. 7. Rural Road 7 and Concession Road 4 in Wellington…County. Wait…”

Sergio slapped his gear shifter into drive and sent up twin rainbows of dust and gravel. “Okay, Ali. I go.”

“Carpelli man, there’s more…From Grace…wait…she is talking.”

A caller still kept on trying to connect with Sergio but nothing was more important than what Ali had to say.

“Carpelli man, listen. Ok, don’t use RR 7. Use the Concession Road 4 going north and drive to the end of the road near RR 7 intersection. Turn where you see the snake. Go to the end and follow the moon. That is what Grace tells me. That is how you go to save time. Go now and kill the wolf, my friend. I wait. You kill. I wait for you.”

“Anything else, Ali? Some of that makes little sense.”

“Go quietly. I wait. Kill the wolf.” Ali ended the call.

Sergio had nothing else to go on so he drove as fast as he could to the obscure destination Ali gave him. The computer navigation coordinates factored him to be as much as twenty minutes away. Sirens off, lights flashing, pedal to the floor. He was afraid to send out the message and location coordinates in an APB communique because the instructions were specific and vague at the same time. It would get too busy. He didn’t want the wolf to get a sense that police were moving in. Plus, he didn’t want a swarm of resources diving in on a potentially false lead.

In reality, he was the closest law enforcement arm to the identified site.

* * *

“Ishtar…,” the wolf whispered repeatedly as he carried the vessel past the tree line and into the woods. Lacie’s arms hung lifelessly. Carrying dead weight, the wolf had to stop for a rest. He was wandering a little, looking for an open area where the moon could see him clearly. He wanted it to be perfect for his mate. He lay Lacie down on the ground and decided he would leave her there as he searched the surrounding area in his wolf skin looking for the perfect spot. “For you, Ishtar…”

The hunting knife in his hand occasionally flashed a fleck of moonlight reflecting off the blade.

* * *

The GPS indicated that Sergio was approaching RR 7. He slowed down and his flashing lights were switched off. He was looking for a snake.

Turn where you see the snake. Those were the instructions. And then he was to follow the moon.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered to himself. He almost expected a snake to miraculously cross his path. He rolled down his window and cool air flowed in. It smelled clean and fresh. His tires crunched the dirt and gravel under his wheels. The engine of his car was reasonably quiet. The closer he got to RR 7 the more anxious he felt. He wasn’t seeing anything. It wasn’t until he was approaching a yellow road sign with his headlights turned off that he saw it. It was a road sign alerting drivers to be aware of snakes crossing the road. A snake crossing. Next to the snake crossing sign there were two dirt tire tracks leading into the woods. Sergio turned onto it. The driveway went a little way into the woods and then ended in an area where game hunters could park their vehicle as they ventured into the woods to shoot some wild beasts.

Sergio turned his engine off and he could sense his heart rate increasing. He stepped out of his vehicle and secured the car. The woods were dark but the moonlight made everything dim, yet visible. He looked up at the moon to orient himself.

Go to the end and follow the moon.

Sergio listened very carefully. He headed in the direction of the moon and it would always be in front of him, high above his head. He was mindful not to tread on anything that may snap or crunch or make any type of noise. He held up his gun in front of him with both hands as he swept the woods and listened and he set off into the deeper trees.

* * *

The wolf had relocated Lacie to a small patch of ground that had a break in the tree canopy above. He could see the sky clearly and the eye of the moon was on him.

“Ishtar…Ishtar…” He repeated it in whispers, like a chant.

Lacie lay motionless on the ground as the wolf started to sway and dance. He honoured the hunting knife in his had. He didn’t need to ensure he saved the blood in a pail. He no longer listened to that inner voice that directed him. He was free to worship. No more human sacrifices to animals, animal gods. Tonight, the sacrifice would be to his lover, Ishtar. The knife sliced through the night as he danced around the naked vessel, pale white in the moonlight.

He heard a moan from the body. He was ready and the time was near. He knelt down on the ground at her feet and placed his knife down beside her head. He positioned her legs apart and manipulated them so that they were bent at the knees and fell to their respective side.

“Ishtar,” he said aloud, “My goddess and my lover. Awaken from your sleep. We are here under the stars. Revive to me now. Come to me. Open your eyes and see me here. Let me feel your breath on my neck…”

Lacie moved her head and moaned. The wolf starred down at her, eyes glowing green from the polished stones on the fur reflecting the light of the moon.

“I know you are ready…” The wolf took the knife in his hand. “Let us create here in the dark…” The wolf was fully aroused and proceeded to position himself for penetration. “…the love of wolf and spirit.” The knife, held up to the moon ready to strike, came down hard as he entered her.

* * *

Grace smiled. She was all alone in her prison cell and yet she was with hoards of people simultaneously. She was with the wolf. She had stopped counselling him as he had strayed and wanted his independence, but she would be with him to the end. She shut her eyes and looked into the darkness.

“Goodbye, little wolf,” she said.

* * *

The wolf heard a voice in his head as a gunshot sang. The noise awakened Lacie with a start and she sensed the animal on top of her. A knife had struck the rock next to her head. A second gunshot knocked the wolf aside, to the ground. Lacie screamed in confusion and panic and her voice cracked the air.

Carpelli ran the short distance remaining between where he fired two shots and where Lacie furiously tried to recoil, away from the wolf.

“Lacie. Its okay. Its me, Sergio. Its okay.”

She cried panicked hysterically at the acknowledgement that she was naked on the ground in the forest under the stars and moon. There at her feet was the wolf.

Sergio kicked the knife away and quickly assessed the injuries to the man laying motionless in the dirt. The wolf skin had fallen away. There was a bullet wound to the neck and one to the head. Sergio turned to Lacie and went to her. He picked up the fur to cover Lacie but she screamed, scrambling away in repulsion.

“Okay. Its okay…” Sergei took off his shirt. “Here, put this on. Let’s get out of here.” He helped her up and dressed her in his shirt and they started away from the dead animal. She appeared to be in shock. ’Let’s get you to The General.”

“Is he dead?,” she cried.

“Yes. I think so.”

“Good,” she said within great sobs.

“Can I carry you? You don’t have shoes.”

She stopped and put her arms around him, allowing him to take her into his arms. He walked with her away from the direction of the moon.

* * *

Ali was grinning from ear to ear when he saw Carpelli. Sergio decided to drop in on him on the psychiatric unit. It was in the middle of the night but the Charge Nurse approved of the late night visit as she thought it would help settle Ali.

“Carpelli man. So good to see you. So good. So good what you did. Thank you for keeping Lacie safe. You did it. You killed the wolf.”

“I guess you got some calls?”

“Yes. Yes, Carpelli man. Now the calls have stopped. Now it is all quiet.” Ali opened his left hand to show Sergio his tattoo. There was a bandage over it. “I am resting. They changed my medication and now I rest. No calls. My phone is dead.”

“Ali, thank you for everything you did for Lacie. You saved her life.”

“Yes. Lacie will be okay. Her baby is gone but she will be okay. Thank you for killing the wolf, Carpelli man.”

“Will you get some sleep tonight?”

“I will. I promise you, I will sleep like a baby. Tomorrow I will work to get privileges to visit Lacie. Tonight, we will all rest well. Carpelli man…” Ali handed Sergio a piece of paper, folded in half. “Have you ever heard the riddle about the two wolves?”

Sergio was about to read the note and Ali stopped him. “No, no. That is for you to look at later. Put it away in your pocket. Look at it tomorrow after you rest. You need to rest tonight.”

Sergio folded the note again and put it in his pocket. “What is your riddle?”

“There are two wolves, Carpelli man. The two wolves are always fighting each other. One wolf is darkness and despair and the other wolf is light and hope. Tell me, Carpelli man, which wolf wins?”

Sergio stared blankly at Ali. “Tell me.”

“I must rest.” Ali tucked himself into his bed.

“I guess you’re right. I will come to see you tomorrow. Maybe they will allow me to take you to see Lacie and then bring you back.”

“I don’t know. Maybe they will.”

“Sleep well Ali.”

“Thank you. You are a good man.”

Sergio left Ali as he shut his eyes, smiling.

* * *

The next morning, Sergio felt invigorated. Lacie was safe and being treated in hospital. Ali was safe and being cared for, also in hospital. The wolf was no longer a threat and Grader Form was in jail. In his mind he started to consider the next steps in closing the case. His plans for the day included picking up a green tea with lemon and visiting Lacie in hospital. He hoped to bring Ali with him to see her, even if he was allowed to do so for a few minutes. He also planned on seeing Grader.

At ten o’clock, he had arranged that Grader be made available to be interrogated. He had connections to make between the wolf and Grader Form. There was also a third party of interest Sergio was curious about. He stared at the photo images of the sculpture Grader had with him when he was found floating on the on the lake in a pontoon. The Coast Guard provided an interesting one that they had taken as they approached the pontoon on the water. Grader was standing with his left arm around the sculpture and the sculpture had its right arm around Grader. Grader was looking back at the Coast Guard camera. Other photos in the stack showed the sculpture from various angles and many included the faces of the young subjects depicted on the sculpture. The boy on the end had a face likened to Tory Cinche at a younger age. Grader was himself on the other end. The character in the middle is who Sergio was interested in.

It was the face of a young girl. Her eyes were intriguing and piercing, and her stark, thinnish face was captivating. Her lips were thin and her chin came to a slightly rounded point. When Grader sat down in front of him at the table in the interrogation room, Sergio could sense that Grader was not interested in being there.

“What do you want?”

Sergio dropped the stack of photo images on the table. “I stopped a killer last night. His name is Tory Cinche. You know him.”

“I told you before, I do no know the killer and I had nothing to do with the murder of those women.”

“You are his accomplice.”

Grader said nothing.

“His face is on your sculpture.” Sergio spread out some photos and pointed to Tory’s face on the sculpture in one of the photos.

“I never seen him before.”

“Same as you never saw the face of Leanne Connick and the face of Tanya Roberts before, yet they match the faces on your sculptures. How do you explain that?”

“Talk to my lawyer.”

“Who is this?” Sergio pointed to the girl in the sculpture.

“I don’t know. I never seen that person before. It came from my imagination like all the other faces on my sculptures.”

“Are you sure? That is never going to fly in Court.”

“It’s true.

“If you say so. Tell me this, if you know nothing about the murder of those women, how is it you painted the floor in the warehouse with Leanne’s blood and painted the floor in the hangar with Tanya’s blood and affixed their own hair to their scalp? What made you do that?”

“Detective, is it Carpelli?...I was supplied with the blood in a paint can pail. The wigs were delivered to me. These were provided to me as was all the materials, to do my work; my artistry, my sculptures. It was provided. I don’t know how it happened or who was financing it. I was just given explicit instructions and I followed them.”

“Who gave the instructions?”

“A voice in my head told me what to do and in exchange, I would receive recognition, fame and success. I guess I sold my soul to the devil.”

“I am sure that will go over well for you in Court as well.”

“It’s true.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in a few days when I come back. Maybe you’ll have a change of heart and want to talk to me. Get used to this place. I’m sure its not what you expected for all your fame and fortune.” Sergio stood up to leave.

“Her name is Grace. That is all I know. She supplied everything. Everything she gave me including the warehouse and hangar and boathouse; everything she supplied including food and tools and materials; everything she commissioned including the instructions on what to sculpture and the blood to paint on the floor; everything!, she offered. I just started following the voice in my head and everything she said transpired. The supplies were there, her directions were clear and everything was real and true. She is a voice in my head but she told me she has unlimited resources worldwide and that is how I was able to do what I did. That is how I am here right now being charged with being an accomplice to murder when I had no idea there was murder involved.”

Sergio stared into Grader’s eyes. “Tell me who Grace is.”

“I have no idea. I am telling you the truth.”

“I can’t help you, Grader. Good luck at your psychiatric evaluation.” Sergio went to the door and another officer came in to take Grader to his cell.

“Wait!”

Sergio stopped and turned to Grader

“The voice had stopped since I started on my latest sculpture but I heard it…just now. I have a message for you from Grace.”

Carpelli waited.

“Grant Correctional Facility.”

“What is that?”

“I don’t know. I think she is done with me. She just said ‘goodbye.’”

As he left the room, Carpelli said, “I’m sure the devil will be back.” He reached into his pocket for his keys as he exited to the parking lot and felt some paper on his fingertips. He remembered Ali’s riddle. He pulled up the note Ali had given him. It read: The one you feed. He looked up as he heard a woman’s voice say, “Hello, Carpelli.” He looked, but there was no one around him.