TRIAL OF THE CENTURIES ~ CHAPTER 7
*A/N This is for the best friends a girl could have. You know who you are. Know I love and adore each of you and you can always count on my friendship!*
Everyone was gathered back at Henry's apartment after having to split up. Mike headed to he station to get the files on the three murdered women while Jordan and Coreen watched Ricky. Not that he needed to be watched too closely, he was so scared he could hardly move and was not talking. During that time Henry and Vicki went shopping for everything the baby needed.
Vicki leaned against the doorway to Henry's bedroom, a small smile on her face as she watched him. He had Amanda on the bed, snapping her into a small pink sleeper. He bent over and tickeled her round tummy with his nose. The baby giggled and grabbed fists full of his hair. Henry gently removed her fingers and kissed each dimpled hand before he straightened up to smile at her.
"Doesn't that feel better?" He said in the singsong voice everyone used with babies. "Now you're all clean and smelling good." He picked her up and held her high over his head for a moment before cradeling her against his chest. "Let's go see if Aunt Vicki has that bottle ready for you."
He turned to see Vicki watching him, a half smile on his face. He had been so focused on the baby he hadn't sensed her there. "How long have you been there?" He asked.
Vicki gave a small laugh. "Long enough." She reached out and brushed back the soft brown hair poking up on Amanda's head. "How are you so good with babies? I thought you said you hadn't really been around many kids."
He shrugged his shoulders. "It just seems natural I guess." He got a sad look on his face. "All children should feel love. I know my parents loved me but I was raised mostly by servants. I didn't have a lot of hugs and kisses growing up."
Before Vicki could respond Amanda's small body stiffened and a frown appeared on her face. Henry bounced her softly. "I think this little lady wants her dinner." Without another word he entered the living room, leaving Vicki to follow.
Jordan was pacing back and forth, engery seemed to roll off his tense body. He glared at Ricky who sat in the leather chair, arms wrapped around his thin body. "That's all you remember? The number 4?"
Ricky tried to glare back but wasn't very successful. "I didn't stick around to introduce myself. A demon popped up out of nowhere and I was scared shitless. They started talking when I sneaked out. All I heard was Christina repeating the number four."
Jordan ran one hand through his dark hair. "Well that could mean anything." He looked over and saw Henry enter with the baby. He reached for the bottle on the coffee table then reached to pull her out of Henry's arms. "Give me that little beauty." He held her gently as if afraid he would hurt her. "You are going to be a knock out in a few years." He cooed to the baby. He looked over to Henry and Vicki. "So are you two going to keep her or not? Plan on playing house for real?" He smirked.
Mike closed the file he was reading. "She doesn't belong to them Masters. I talked to a social worker who said the baby could stay in our care tonight while her father drives here. We have to turn her over in the morning." He tossed the file with the others on the table and turned to Henry. "I think I've found the connection between Christina and these women. One was her neighbor, one was a model who worked for her and Amanda's mother worked in the same building where Christina's studio is at."
Coreen looked over to see Henry close his eyes. "Sorry Henry, looks like Christina is the one behind this." Coreen turned to Ricky. "How did you end up with the baby?"
Ricky looked over at the baby who held tightly to the bottle as if afraid someone would take it from her. "I was just walking the street looking for a new place to hide when I saw that demon grab a woman and pull her behind a building. The baby was in a stroller on the sidewalk, just left alone. I was afraid the demon would come back for her so I grabbed her and ran."
Vicki was barely listening to Ricky talk. She sat beside Mike looking at the files trying to think what Christina might have meant about the number four. Then it hit her. "Four victims." She said out loud.
"What?" Henry frowned at her.
"That must of been what Christina was talking to the demon about. Four people she wanted murdered." She pointed to the files. "He's already killed three, there must be one more person on the hit list."
Mike rubbed his forehead. "Too bad Ricky didn't stick around to hear the names of these women. We have no idea who will be next."
Jordan smiled. "Ricky can find out." All eyes turned to him. "He's a summoner, he can not only summon demons but thoughts and memories. All we need is a picture of Christina or the demon for him to focus on." He looked to Henry. "Where's the file Augustus gave you?"
Henry had to think before he remembered. "I left it at Vicki's office." He was getting ready to grab his keys to go there when he remember something. "I have the portaits of Christina that I've painted over the years, would that work?"
Jordan placed the baby over his shoulder to burb her. "I don't see why not. You guys go grab that and Coreen and I will stay with the baby."
"I have the paintings next door. There are so many in there I'll need help to find one." He walked to the door with Vicki behind him. Mike pulled up the rear pushing Ricky with him.
Next door was another apartment exactly like Henry's but this one was filled with antique furniture that he had collected over the centuries. Henry turned to what should have been the master bedroom but instead was filled with paintings, some hanging on the walls others proped up in stacks. Canvases were everywhere.
Henry nodded to the right side of the room. "I have no idea where to start looking. Vicki and I'll look here and you two look on that side." He said to Mike and Ricky.
Mike glared at a large painting of Vicki that hung on the wall. It showed her in a transparent white gown that hugged her body. Vicki saw Mike's jaw clench. "I didn't pose for that Mike, don't have a stroke." She turned her glare to Henry. "I'll talk to you later about that." Henry just smiled and began to search.
For several minutes they were quiet until Ricky stood up and held a painting in his hands. "I found one."
Mike looked at the portrait, a frown on his face. "You're sure this is the woman who contacted you? Christina?"
Ricky nodded his head. "Possitive. This is Christina."
Mike cleared his throat and looked at Henry and Vicki. "I think we have a problem here guys."
Henry and Vicki walked toward him. "What do you mean a problem?"
Mike took the canvas from Ricky. "Well this woman is beautiful and does have dark hair, but unless Henry has forgotten what Christina looks like this isn't her."
Mike turned the painting around to show them. Vicki gasped, Henry closed his eyes and cursed.
The woman was beautiful with dark hair but Mike was right that it wasn't Christina.
It was Sinead.
tbc
Everyone was gathered back at Henry's apartment after having to split up. Mike headed to he station to get the files on the three murdered women while Jordan and Coreen watched Ricky. Not that he needed to be watched too closely, he was so scared he could hardly move and was not talking. During that time Henry and Vicki went shopping for everything the baby needed.
Vicki leaned against the doorway to Henry's bedroom, a small smile on her face as she watched him. He had Amanda on the bed, snapping her into a small pink sleeper. He bent over and tickeled her round tummy with his nose. The baby giggled and grabbed fists full of his hair. Henry gently removed her fingers and kissed each dimpled hand before he straightened up to smile at her.
"Doesn't that feel better?" He said in the singsong voice everyone used with babies. "Now you're all clean and smelling good." He picked her up and held her high over his head for a moment before cradeling her against his chest. "Let's go see if Aunt Vicki has that bottle ready for you."
He turned to see Vicki watching him, a half smile on his face. He had been so focused on the baby he hadn't sensed her there. "How long have you been there?" He asked.
Vicki gave a small laugh. "Long enough." She reached out and brushed back the soft brown hair poking up on Amanda's head. "How are you so good with babies? I thought you said you hadn't really been around many kids."
He shrugged his shoulders. "It just seems natural I guess." He got a sad look on his face. "All children should feel love. I know my parents loved me but I was raised mostly by servants. I didn't have a lot of hugs and kisses growing up."
Before Vicki could respond Amanda's small body stiffened and a frown appeared on her face. Henry bounced her softly. "I think this little lady wants her dinner." Without another word he entered the living room, leaving Vicki to follow.
Jordan was pacing back and forth, engery seemed to roll off his tense body. He glared at Ricky who sat in the leather chair, arms wrapped around his thin body. "That's all you remember? The number 4?"
Ricky tried to glare back but wasn't very successful. "I didn't stick around to introduce myself. A demon popped up out of nowhere and I was scared shitless. They started talking when I sneaked out. All I heard was Christina repeating the number four."
Jordan ran one hand through his dark hair. "Well that could mean anything." He looked over and saw Henry enter with the baby. He reached for the bottle on the coffee table then reached to pull her out of Henry's arms. "Give me that little beauty." He held her gently as if afraid he would hurt her. "You are going to be a knock out in a few years." He cooed to the baby. He looked over to Henry and Vicki. "So are you two going to keep her or not? Plan on playing house for real?" He smirked.
Mike closed the file he was reading. "She doesn't belong to them Masters. I talked to a social worker who said the baby could stay in our care tonight while her father drives here. We have to turn her over in the morning." He tossed the file with the others on the table and turned to Henry. "I think I've found the connection between Christina and these women. One was her neighbor, one was a model who worked for her and Amanda's mother worked in the same building where Christina's studio is at."
Coreen looked over to see Henry close his eyes. "Sorry Henry, looks like Christina is the one behind this." Coreen turned to Ricky. "How did you end up with the baby?"
Ricky looked over at the baby who held tightly to the bottle as if afraid someone would take it from her. "I was just walking the street looking for a new place to hide when I saw that demon grab a woman and pull her behind a building. The baby was in a stroller on the sidewalk, just left alone. I was afraid the demon would come back for her so I grabbed her and ran."
Vicki was barely listening to Ricky talk. She sat beside Mike looking at the files trying to think what Christina might have meant about the number four. Then it hit her. "Four victims." She said out loud.
"What?" Henry frowned at her.
"That must of been what Christina was talking to the demon about. Four people she wanted murdered." She pointed to the files. "He's already killed three, there must be one more person on the hit list."
Mike rubbed his forehead. "Too bad Ricky didn't stick around to hear the names of these women. We have no idea who will be next."
Jordan smiled. "Ricky can find out." All eyes turned to him. "He's a summoner, he can not only summon demons but thoughts and memories. All we need is a picture of Christina or the demon for him to focus on." He looked to Henry. "Where's the file Augustus gave you?"
Henry had to think before he remembered. "I left it at Vicki's office." He was getting ready to grab his keys to go there when he remember something. "I have the portaits of Christina that I've painted over the years, would that work?"
Jordan placed the baby over his shoulder to burb her. "I don't see why not. You guys go grab that and Coreen and I will stay with the baby."
"I have the paintings next door. There are so many in there I'll need help to find one." He walked to the door with Vicki behind him. Mike pulled up the rear pushing Ricky with him.
Next door was another apartment exactly like Henry's but this one was filled with antique furniture that he had collected over the centuries. Henry turned to what should have been the master bedroom but instead was filled with paintings, some hanging on the walls others proped up in stacks. Canvases were everywhere.
Henry nodded to the right side of the room. "I have no idea where to start looking. Vicki and I'll look here and you two look on that side." He said to Mike and Ricky.
Mike glared at a large painting of Vicki that hung on the wall. It showed her in a transparent white gown that hugged her body. Vicki saw Mike's jaw clench. "I didn't pose for that Mike, don't have a stroke." She turned her glare to Henry. "I'll talk to you later about that." Henry just smiled and began to search.
For several minutes they were quiet until Ricky stood up and held a painting in his hands. "I found one."
Mike looked at the portrait, a frown on his face. "You're sure this is the woman who contacted you? Christina?"
Ricky nodded his head. "Possitive. This is Christina."
Mike cleared his throat and looked at Henry and Vicki. "I think we have a problem here guys."
Henry and Vicki walked toward him. "What do you mean a problem?"
Mike took the canvas from Ricky. "Well this woman is beautiful and does have dark hair, but unless Henry has forgotten what Christina looks like this isn't her."
Mike turned the painting around to show them. Vicki gasped, Henry closed his eyes and cursed.
The woman was beautiful with dark hair but Mike was right that it wasn't Christina.
It was Sinead.
tbc