Lucifer's Apostles

Lucifer's Apostles Episode 33

Katie left the station at 4:30 that afternoon. She needed to buy groceries from the supermarket before Tank came over. She would cook him her speciality beef stroganoff, taught by her grandmother, the Russian way. Fifteen minutes after arriving home, she had a visit from her sister Ana and her niece Nina. They had been shopping, and Nina wanted to see how Aunty Kat was going. When Nina saw Katie was cooking, she asked if she could help. The three had everything prepared within minutes so Katie could sit down and talk.

“Tell us all about your detective friend, Aunty Kat. He’s a massive man. If he were green, he could be the Hulk”, Nina said excitedly.

“More like Shrek”, Ana chimed in. Nina laughed and smacked her Aunty Ana’s shoulder playfully. Katie came to the table to sit, holding three glasses of icy water. “Does he have a problem with alcohol? Is that the reason he does not drink?” Ana asked.

“No, he does not have alcohol use disorder. He just decided to stop. I do not touch alcohol except on the rarest of occasions. Do you believe I have a disorder as well?” Katie asked, particularly annoyed.

“I apologise, Kat, you get feisty about your boyfriend. He cannot be perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect man”, Ana said, trying to calm her sister down. “As my beautiful niece has said, tell us all about him”. Katie told them Tank’s story, not all of it, just the parts that interest them. The two visitors had become remarkably close of late, no doubt helped by Ana spoiling Nina rotten.

“What did Aunty Anastasia buy you today”? Katie asked Nina.

“Clothes, clothes, and more, plus a wicked pair of sandals. She also got me this”. Nina proudly held out her wrist, “It’s a smartwatch. I can do anything on it”.

“Nobody told me that your 21st birthday was here already”, Katie said in mocked surprise.

“You know it’s not Aunty Kat, I’m the favourite”, Nina said with a huge smile. “

Katie stood up and hugged Nina. She hung on tight. The sisters knew that her home life was not the happiest. Aleksandr was a disciplinarian who was especially strict on his eldest daughter. Katie had seen the marks from a strap on her legs on more than one occasion. He would undoubtedly be angry at Nina for shopping with Ana, but he knew better than to cross his sister. She and their father were the only two people in the world that frightened Aleks.

Katie checked the pot to see that it was simmering and poured in some basmati rice. She added beef and onions in a pan, then returned to the table. “What is for dessert, or do I have to ask?” Ana enquired with a laugh.

“We are going to have some Russian fudge. I made it this morning”, Katie said. “Hopefully, what you implied as well”, Katie replied cheekily. The three chatted about anything and everything before Anna said it was time to go. Tank rang and said he would be a little late. A missing person’s report had just been made on Melissa Westbrook at Central Police Station.

“How are they always one step ahead of us? Melissa has been missing since before we had heard about the DNA results”. Tank was mystified, saying, “Her mother said she was called into work last night, and no one has seen her since. Nobody knows where she was employed, just that she was on a decent wage, and she worked odd hours”.

“The helicopter surveillance on South Docks and the Whitehall area provided us with some leads, eight sheds. No warrants until we get more proof, so we have cars on overnight watch at the eight separate locations, hoping to eliminate some or find enough evidence to get a warrant”.

“Are you going on a stakeout?” Katie asked.

“My stakeout days are over. Hopefully, Katie, no one from the task force is on them. You know I like my team fresh of a morning. We are going through as much CCTV as possible on the M1 heading to Wollongong, trying to find Melissa’s car. Several red-light cameras and a few speed ones are set up along it. From tomorrow, cameras will be set up every chance we can on the M1 to Wollongong and along Dampier Drive. I wish I had thought of it sooner. I’ll be over to see you. I’m not sure if I can stay. It may be an early start tomorrow for both of us”, Tank finished.

“I hope you are wrong. If Ned is correct and there will be eleven sacrifices, and we already have three, there will be another one tonight. Louise said it would be a cult, with many cars around one of the sheds. Surely, the stakeouts will see that. Can you get a helicopter in the air tonight to fly over different areas?” she asked, hoping to help.

“I’ve lined up for Marty and Lisa to go for a ride in one tonight. They will be looking around the Whitehall area as far as Highway 31. That’s a forty-kilometre diameter just there. If it is South Docks or further south on the M1, we may miss them completely,” Tank answered forlornly. “I’ll see you soon, Katie”.

Katie thought, ‘Not soon enough’ and realised she was catching feelings for the man, as Nina would eloquently put it. She put her frying pan on a simmering heat before turning her television on. There may be some good news tonight. She had no idea someone was watching her through her window.

***

Snake finally made it into Sally’s room, “I thought you weren’t coming. I wondered what I had done wrong”, she said to him.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Sally. I went into the takeaway where I first saw you to get breakfast, and your twin sister served me. You haven’t mentioned her”, Snake said.

“I couldn’t if you liked the look of me. You would like the look of her as well. Mum can’t lose two of us”, she said. It was precisely what Snake had thought earlier. “We don’t talk very much, only on special occasions”.

“There’s a poster of you on the takeaway shop’s door. She’s worried about you”, Snake told her.

“I don’t suppose you told her not to worry and that I’ll be home shortly”, Sally said. She was not serious even though he had told her he would get her out, and she had believed him.

Snake smiled at her cheekiness, “I see the new cage doors have been installed. They were supposed to be here weeks ago. It’s too late now. It must make it a little easier without the chain on your wrist”, he said.

“Cage door is right. I feel like a tiger in the zoo now. It is a little easier without the bulky chain weighing me down all day and night”, she replied.

Snake said, “I got you some more paracetamol. You can have a sheet now, and I’ll give you more later. Remember, only two at a time when you need them. I’ve been busy today, and when I got back, I had a sleep”.

“It’s just the days and nights are so long”, she told him, looking sad. “It gets boring in here, Snake. You’re the only one keeping me sane”. Snake went and sat next to her.

“I need to work, Sally or I don’t get paid. I need money for Jordie. I’ll try and see you for longer when I can”, he said in a soothing voice, trying to calm her down as she fell into his arms.

Sally looked at him and asked, “Can you be in the room when I wash tonight, please? I don’t want it to be anyone else”. Jacko would be on until Tipsy relieved him so he could help Snake. She came in at around ten o’clock tonight. Jacko already knew Sally was off-limits. Snake would have to watch her before he started preparing Maria. He would have plenty of time. He told her yes and held her tight. They talked for around half an hour, and he left before returning with her dinner. He sat while she ate it.

After she had finished eating, Snake came back with the dish for washing. He watched her wash herself and then scrub her hair before rinsing it with the water bottle provided. She finished by brushing her teeth. His eyes never left her body the whole time. Her eyes only left his when she rinsed her hair. Amazingly, he could not keep eye contact. That was all she wished he would do. She had to admit that she was teasing him while washing as seductively as possible.

After drying her body, she dried and brushed her hair. They were all made to use a boar brush in their hair, everything to bring out the shine. Everything that his mother taught him from the years in the funeral parlour. When she finished one hundred strokes, he took the brush. He smiled at her before leaving the room.

Ruby rang to see how everything was coming along for the ceremony. He told her Jacko had prepared Maria, and the gates had been installed. Ruby said Melissa’s replacement would start in the morning with either Krishna or Tipsy. She was in her forties and a member of the church. She also said she was considering Helena to join the team. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Snake looked through the gate at Jacko in Maria’s room, putting clothes pegs all over her body. “Have you got a second mate?” he asked. Jacko turned around and went to the door. “How much pain have you put her in Jacko?”

“The clothes pegs, I just thought of ‘em. I think I’ve broken a couple of bones and stabbed her. If I had extra time, I could do more. You said don’t touch her face, so I haven’t”, he replied. “She’s ready to go when you are boss”.

“Okay, mate, I’ll start soon. Are the other women fed and washed?”

“All except Sally. Krishna fed her twice today. We knew you wanted to see her tonight. I’m sorry for hurting her like I did”. Jacko apologised for the tenth time.

“I know, mate, you need to remember to leave the face alone, plus it’s not nice to hit women”, Snake told him. Jacko hung his head and apologised again. Snake disagreed with what Jacko had put Maria through this afternoon. In his eyes, she would have been degraded enough tonight. “We’ve got another big night ahead of us tonight, have a rest”.

Snake rang the number Tommy had passed him earlier. “Hello, who’s this?” said the voice on the other end.

“It’s Snake. Tommy said you had a name for me”, he said while he was walking into the living area to sit down. “Is she right to go tomorrow”?

“Her name’s Kirsty McNamara. She’s 30 years old and lives in Southern Palms. She and her husband, Zeke, separated for around six months. She has been seeing another man”, Shannon said, “I’ll email you her weekly routine and address. Zeke has been watched by ASIO before. Nothing concrete. He has eluded them for years. He needs to go down for something. I’m going to pin this on him”. Snake feared what Shannon could be capable of. “I’ve been watching a new target tonight. I will need help with her. She may be quite difficult”. Snake hung up without asking the new target’s name.