Lucifer's Apostles

Lucifer's Apostles Episode 5

Sally looked up when she heard the door open. She watched The Man step up to her and squat beside her to talk. At that point, she was a broken woman. Her thumb hurt like hell, as did her nose. She had laid in a curled-up ball since he had last talked to her, “Don’t touch me, or I swear to God, I’ll tear you apart with my bare hands or die trying”.

“Sally, please don’t be like that. I apologise for raising my voice at you earlier. I was angry with Jacko for the damage he did. Where did you think you were going to go? The house is locked up tighter than the mint. You wouldn’t have gotten past the front door”.

“I don’t want to be here. Who would? Animals at the zoo are looked after better than we are. At least let us wear some clothes to cover up with. It’s humiliating and degrading”. She felt the tears running down her face, although she tried her best not to cry.

“I tried to snap your nose back in, but you wouldn’t let me. I don’t want to be nasty, but it’s a blot on your perfect face”. He tried to touch her hand, and she reeled away. “It’s not up to me whether you wear clothes or not. It’s not my idea for you to go naked. I’m only acting on instructions, Sally. I’ve got to admit if the roles were reversed, I would be incredibly uncomfortable”.

Swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, Sally sat up. Looking him squarely in the eyes, she asked, “Are there other women here, or is it only me? I want you to tell me the truth”.

“There are three other women here”.

“Why do you need to hold four women hostages? You won’t get a red cent for me. My mother’s not wealthy. I just don’t understand why you would kidnap me. I’m nobody special”, she pleaded for an answer.

“I regret picking you, Sally, every hour of every day. You’re the only person I can have a decent conversation with, or at least who pretends to listen”.

“You said you didn’t know what you would do with me. I’m not sure what that means. What would you have done with me before Donkey Kong ruined my face?” Sally asked in a whisper.

“That’s something you don’t need to know”, he told her. “I will try again to put your nose back into place. Will you let me”? Sally nodded her head, wanting the pain to subside.

Standing before slowly raising his hands, The Man placed them on each side of her nose. “You know how much this is going to hurt”. He quickly wreathed his hands to the side and felt her nose click back in. She did not scream or kick out this time. Instead, she just sat on the edge of the bed and jumped as he performed the task. “There it goes, it’s still going to hurt, and it’s not perfectly straight. It’s close. Show me your hand”. Sally gave him her wounded hand.

He had brought in a bandage from the first aid kit and found an ice cream stick that Jacko had discarded in the van. He snapped her thumb back into place, and this time she did scream. He placed the ice cream stick down the side of her thumb and bandaged it into place. “It will never be the same again, Sally”, he told her.

“Am I supposed to say thank you? There’s not a chance that’s ever going to happen. If he comes anywhere near me, I’ll bite his nose off”. The tears were streaming down her face. She was gasping as she talked.

Backing away from her, The Man had a better look over her face. It was still a mess. He knew he could not let her life be taken when she looked into his eyes. He needed to try and protect her for as long as he could. He put his hand into his pocket and removed it to reveal a single sheet of tablets. “They’re only paracetamol. Take two now and two when you need them. Try and go for as long as you can without them”. He knew he was breaking another of the High Priestesses rules. He did not care in the slightest.

***

Katie Phillips was born Katarina Shevchenko. She was proud of her Ukrainian heritage. It was not her doing that her name had been shortened to Katie. It was a nickname given to her at school and had stayed with her since. Her parents still called her Katarina, while her siblings called her Kat.

Her father, Marko, was born and raised in a rural town. He went to the city with one of his mates for a weekend away to watch a game of rugby. While at the game, he met Katie’s mother, Linda. Marko travelled to the city several times to see Linda, and they were married two months after their first meeting. Marko moved to the city where Linda’s family resided and worked as a carpenter, a trade his father had taught him. They had four children: two elder sons, Aleksandr and Nicolay, and two daughters, Anastasia, the youngest being Katerina.

Katie’s family wanted her to become a doctor. She always wanted to be a police officer, even when all her friends wanted to be princesses or movie stars. She decided to meet in the middle and study forensic medicine, for which she received two bachelor’s degrees while at university. Her peers saw her potential from the date she started working as a forensic pathologist, and she had some of the best mentors in the country.

She met Gary Phillips on a night out with a group of girlfriends. He was more interested in her than she was in him. After eight months of asking Katie, she finally agreed to one date. She was surprised that she had enjoyed it, and before long, the two started dating regularly. Gary would take her to watch films she was interested in and to the theatre and fancy restaurants that she was not sure he could afford. She had no idea how much money a medical student could have. Katie never discovered that he was living off his deceased mother’s life insurance.

They married straight after she finished her university degrees and moved into a house her father had built. Marko had purchased five blocks of land in the one street and, with the help of Vladimir, Katie’s paternal grandfather, built a house for each of his children and one for himself and Linda. Marko purchased all the places from his children when they decided to move on and buy larger homes. Katie purchased an apartment in Southern Palms to get closer to her work.

Gary had a roving eye. She often caught him being too friendly with other women when they went to an event or party. Even when dining out, his eyes would be surveying the room at all the female customers. Going to the beach was a nightmare for Katie.

Eighteen months into their marriage, they attended a family gathering to celebrate Nicolay’s birthday while she was trying to fall pregnant. Katie went outside to get some fresh air, and she caught Gary with his pants down. A woman was performing an act on him while he leaned against her father’s car, a feat that never should have been accomplished in public and certainly not at her family’s gathering. That was the end of her marriage. They were divorced fifteen months later, thankfully before any children were involved.

Katie had been in short-term relationships since, never anything too serious. She thrived at her position as a forensic pathologist and had recently been appointed as the local coroner. At first, the workload was overwhelming until she discovered that teamwork could be significant in the workplace. She quickly realised that her new appointment would require help from all her team members. She believed she had the best team possible.

Everything had settled down, and she had begun to have a social life again, sometimes having a coffee with friends and the occasional night on the town. She spent most nights alone watching movies from various streaming corporations. Katie had to admit that she was very attracted to the ‘tall drink of water’ that had walked back into her world, the one and only Tank Dodge and she had a feeling that he was also attracted to her. His eyes would light up when she entered any room he was in, usually making a beeline straight for her.

Ned Patterson had contacted her about another murder victim from six weeks prior. The woman’s name was Deborah Roberts. She was not found naked. She also did not have the same fatal stab wound between her breasts. She had been discovered in a shallow grave in a national park last week. She had makeup applied to her face, one of her wrists, and other parts of her body to cover up bruising and stun gun burns. Her autopsy had confirmed traces of vinegar and lemon juice on her body. Olive oil and mayonnaise had been discovered in her hair particles.

Katie called Tank to see if Ned had contacted him about his findings. “Hey Katie, I was just thinking about you. I’m knocking off for the day, and I was going to get some Chinese takeaway. We could share a couple of meals at either my place or yours. It’s not a date. I just thought that you might not have eaten yet”.

“I would like that very much. I will text you with my address”.

She could hear the relief in his voice when he asked, “Is there any meal that you would like me to order?”

“I eat anything except brussels sprouts. I think I will be safe from those in Chinese food”, she said with a bit of a snicker, “I will see you soon”. He said goodbye and hung up. She felt a little flutter in her stomach and a smile on her face that she had trouble removing. It was not a date, he had said. A part of her wished it were.