Poisonous Whispers: Haunted Village Series Book 5

211 pages

Chapter 3: Moving the Meat

“Nice to see you,” Luis said, extending his hand to Jane.

The thin woman nodded, shook the offered hand and sat down across from him in the booth. Around them, the restaurant was dull and dim. At two in the afternoon, there wasn’t much traffic.

“So,” Jane said, “I hear we have to sanitize the site first?”

“Yes,” Luis said. “I arrived this morning. The locals here, they’re a little more difficult to buy off.”

She raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Luis continued.

“I was surprised, too,” he said. “I thought for certain they would be happy to see the building go. And some of them are, but for the most part, they like the nature of it.”

“An urban deathtrap?” Jane asked.

Luis nodded.

“Seems they have some curious rite of passage tied up with it,” he said, sighing. “You know. Go into the scary building and all of that crap.”

“Ugh,” she said in disgust. “Yes, I know. So, they don’t want the Professor moving it?”

“Not only that,” Luis said, “but it was like pulling teeth to get the damned security fence up around it. I even had to hire a private agency to guard it.”

“Isn’t that going to make the sanitation of the building difficult?” Jane asked.

“No,” Luis said, shaking his head. “Not at all. This security company, let’s just say that they work with some colorful people of Italian heritage.”

“Ah,” Jane said. “Well, I’m ready to see the place, if you’re willing to show it.”

“Always,” Luis said.

He left payment for his lunch and a tip on the table, stood up, and picked up his briefcase. With it grasped firmly in his hand, he led the way out of the restaurant. They walked a few blocks east, then turned right, where a large, galvanized steel, chain-link fence wrapped around a small, battered-looking lot.

A pair of men, clad in dark blue uniforms, stood guard at the entrance to the lot, and two other pairs patrolled the interior.

“Overkill?” Jane murmured as they neared them.

“No,” Luis said. “Especially not when you see what’s inside.”

He stopped, took out his identification and handed it to a guard. The other man took it, scanned it with a small device, and nodded.

“All clear, sir,” the guard said, handing the identification back.

“Thank you,” Luis replied. Together, he and Jane walked through the gate and toward the old cobbler’s shop.

“I don’t know why,” Jane said in a hushed voice, “but that’s got to be the creepiest one we’ve picked up for him so far.”

Luis nodded his agreement.

The building’s two front display windows were shattered, and the shards of glass protruded from the wooden frames in such a way as to make them appear as gaping mouths. A glance at the door, set in a small recess, did not offer any reassurance.

Unlike the windows, the door to the old cobbler’s shop was intact, and it was nailed and chained in place.

“Do we go in through the front?” Jane asked.

“Back,” Luis said. He motioned towards the left, and they passed in front of crumbling red bricks, his nose wrinkling from a foul, wretched odor that clung to the property.

“How long have they been dead?” Jane asked.

“Yesterday,” Luis replied. “Parents called in a missing-persons report for the two kids. I figure we have at least twelve hours until the police come and check this place out.”

“Twelve?” Jane asked with a grin. “That’s pretty damned specific, Luis.”

He grinned at her. “Well, I try to make this a little fun, you know.”

“Yeah,” she said, stifling a yawn. “Sorry, didn’t sleep much yesterday.” “It’s all good,” Luis responded.

They rounded the back corner of the building, and the black maw of the back door yawned before them. Hesitating outside, Luis removed a slim piece of iron he carried in his jacket.

“She’s that active?” Jane asked, surprised.

Luis shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? I just don’t want to be caught unprepared.”

“Yeah,” Jane murmured, “I hear that.”

From her own pocket, Luis saw her retrieve an iron bracelet, which she slipped over her wrist.

Luis stepped into the back room of the cobbler’s, and his eyes sought out the two bodies he had discovered earlier in the day.

The dead brothers were on their backs, each one beside the other. Their pale, expressionless faces made Luis’ stomach twist uncomfortably.

“I don’t like death in this way,” Jane said softly. “Not with children.”

“Definitely not with kids,” Luis agreed. “But we need to get it done.” “Yeah,” Jane said, sighing.

They checked the premises for any additional bodies or missing pets, and when they were satisfied the building was clear, they returned to the scene of death.

Setting his briefcase on the floor, Luis opened it, removed two pairs of latex gloves and handed one set to Jane. They both put them on, checked the firmness of them, and then Luis removed the two items that were far more important than the gloves.

A pair of black body bags.

He rolled one out first, then the other, and together they maneuvered the pitifully frail bodies of the children into them. With that done, they zipped the bags closed and straightened up.

“Do we have a truck coming in?” Jane asked.

Luis shook his head. “No,” he said. “Just a sedan. I didn’t want to draw too much attention. A truck or van with rental or out of state plates would just be a little too much excitement for one day.”

Jane snorted and nodded in agreement.

“When do you want to call it in?” she asked.

Luis grinned at her. “It’s already on its way.”

A heartbeat later, a vehicle pulled into the back lot, and a trunk opened.

With Jane on one end and Luis on the other, they carried the first body out to the car.

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