House of the Rising Nun Read online

  Madge backed away from Knuckles and smiled at him, planting her hands on her hips. “Whaddya gonna give me if I do, Hottie-Patottie Pants?”

  Oh, if you could have seen the look on Coop’s face—it bordered outraged, or as outraged as Coop can be. If Madge wasn’t careful, Coop was going to give her a black eye.

  Coop growled a low hum, something I hadn’t heard her do in a very long time. But it was feral and a warning, so I held up a hand. “Okay, Madge. Coop’s right. If you’re not going to help your friends without asking us to pay a price, we’ll go elsewhere. Have a nice night.”

  Guilt must have caught up with her, because she yelled, “Wait! I’ll help ya. I was just teasin’, ya know.”

  Tucking my icy hands into the pockets of my puffy vest, I eyed her. “Fine. Then if you want to help, please help. What’s the story with the Organ Grinder, Madge? And please tell me the truth. No more messing around.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and twirled in a circle with a coy smile. “Did I scare the boys with all my talk about stealin’ their organs?”

  I had a bad feeling I was going to hear this was a made-up story.

  Inhaling a breath, I sought patience. “You did scare them, Madge, but that’s not what we should be talking about. What I need to know is if you made it up or if it’s true.”

  “Oh, it sure as heck is true!” she declared adamantly, sticking her neck out and jutting her chin forward. “Ask Skinny, he’ll tell ya. He told us he saw some guy cuttin’ out one of the new guys’ insides. That’s exactly what he said. Then we all laughed at him, at first anyway…because you know Skinny and his pills. He likes a nice drink, too. We thought it was just his high-as-a-kite ramblin’s.”

  My chest tightened and my hands went ice cold. “ But no one’s seen Skinny in a few days. Have you?”

  She shook her head, her face beginning to show signs of concern. “Nope. Ain’t seen him in a few days, ain’t seen Griffin, either. I already told Sexy-Sexy Higgs that. But I told Higgs that’s no big deal. Skinny’s a High Plains drifter. He says so all the time. Never stays in the same place for long. I never worried much about him until…”

  “Until?” I rasped the question.

  “Until he told me he was gonna go snoopin’ around. I thought it was stupid, and the new guy would show up eventually, and this was all a big joke Skinny was playin’ on us. That’s why I told the guys the story—because I thought Skinny was full o’ beans.”

  Pressing the heel of my hand to my temple, I pushed Madge. “So what convinced you that Skinny was telling the truth about the Organ Grinder?”

  She tapped her face with her finger, her eyes darting about instead of meeting mine. “Because I ain’t seen that new guy in a while, either.”

  I took deep breaths and tried to keep my cool. “What was the new guy’s name, Madge? What did he look like?”

  “He was a little guy. Made his way here all the way from California ’cause he heard it was cooler here in the summer. Name’s Beaver. Beaver Jones.”

  Beaver Jones? I’d never heard of him. “Do you know how long Beaver hung around before he was gone?”

  “Dunno. Maybe a coupla days. Just up and disappeared like he never was, but sometimes that happens ’round here. So I didn’t think much of it.”

  My heart began to thrash against my ribs. “Okay, did Skinny tell you anything else about the Organ Grinder? Anything at all? This is very important, Madge. Very important.”

  “Just that I should stay away from some building, but shoot… I can’t remember the name of it. I’m gettin’ confused. You guys are confusing me! I’m tired, Trixie. I just want to go back to sleep,” she whined.

  “It’s okay, Madge,” I soothed. “You can go back to sleep. Everything’s going to be fine. Just answer one more question, please? Why did Skinny tell you to stay away from the building?”

  “Because he said that’s where they were takin’ everybody’s insides out.”

  * * * *

  When I was finished texting Tansy what Madge told us, I considered going back to the hospital, but Cal advised against it. He said he and Higgs would need a break tomorrow, and having me fresh and ready to take the second shift was advisable.

  So, we sent Knuckles home to get some rest and here I was, at the shop, well after midnight, trying to finish up some paperwork and keep my mind occupied and off the fact that Lazlo might die and Griffin was still missing and everything was a big flibbety-jibbety mess.

  Coop was fiddling about, cleaning things and in general trying to keep her hands busy, while Jeff and Livingston slept in blissful oblivion.

  I pulled the picture I’d drawn of Detective Griswald from my pocket and looked at it again, because I didn’t know what else to do. I was helpless, and in the same spot I’d been in twice before during an investigation.

  Jammed up with a couple of mostly meaningless clues, no suspects, and lots of victims, and the icing on the cake? Higgs and I were angry at each other.

  I’m not much of a fighter, and I’ll admit maybe I overreacted a tiny bit, but someone had been telling me what to do the better part of my life. I guess that’s why I went a little ballistic and became so defensive.

  Don’t-step-on-my-freedom kind of response, you know?

  Ugh. I didn’t like myself right now. Instead of explaining to Higgs why I’d felt the way I did, I’d lashed out. So unlike me.

  “We all have bad days, Trixie Lavender.”

  I looked up to find Coop in the doorway, her beautiful face staring back, peering into my soul. “I think I had a really bad one. You think Higgs is really mad or just a little mad?”

  “I think you should ask Higgs yourself. That’s how to solve a problem, Trixie. Go straight to the source—no middleman.”

  My sweet demon was growing in leaps and bounds and turning into a fine person. “You’ve very smart, you know that? Thanks for keeping my head on straight.”

  “I’m always here for you. Now, about this investigation. Do you want to go over the facts again?”

  Her words made me smile, but I shook my head. “We don’t have a lot to go on at this point. There’s not much to go over. I’ll tell you this—I wish we could have gotten Madge to remember that building she was talking about. I’m not sure why it’s a sticking point for me, but I can’t get it out of my head.” Then I sighed. “But who knows, Madge is kinda kooky sometimes. Maybe she was making it all up?”

  “But Skinny and that Beaver person really are gone, and Lazlo did say something about the Organ Grinder. All those things point to Madge not being so kooky.”

  As the wind began to howl outside, not an uncommon occurrence for this time of year, I shivered. “The very idea that someone’s taking organs from the homeless scares the pants off me, Coop.”

  “Why would someone do that without reason, Trixie? I don’t understand. Unless you wish to gut them for revenge purposes, of course.”

  I might have chuckled at her take (okay, I probably shouldn’t laugh, either, but you have to laugh at some of her tales or you’ll cry), but it was serious business.

  “Because organs can be sold, Coop. I should have explained that from the get-go. I mean, I should have told you why the guys are calling the killer the Organ Grinder. There are people in this world who need organ transplants, people who will buy them from the black market for enormous amounts of money instead of waiting their turn on an organ transplant list like everyone else. And there are also people who will perform the surgery illegally for enormous amounts of money.”

  She frowned and widened her eyes just like Alexis Carrington, dramatic and with a loud gasp. “I have decided humans are horrible, Trixie Lavender. Some are no better than the demons I lived with for hundreds of years.”

  Higgs’s face flashed through my mind briefly, and I smiled. “Not all of them are horrible, Coop. You’re a demon, and you’re good. Just like in Hell, there’s good and bad everywhere.”

  Speaking of Higgs, I shot him a quick text to say I
was sorry with a sad-face emoji. I didn’t want to go to bed angry with each other.

  Pushing her way into my office, Coop sat in the chair opposite my desk, crossing her long legs. “Are you very busy? Or do you have time for a question, Trixie Lavender? It’s something that’s been bothering me since Solomon and I talked while you were off investigating Nissa Lawrence.”

  I cocked my head, tapping my pen on the desktop. “Of course you can.”

  She folded her hands together and asked, “Why would Dr. Fabrizio take blood from Solomon’s arm and use a Q-tip inside his mouth if he were just going to clean his teeth? When Dr. Mickey cleaned my teeth, he didn’t do anything like that.”

  My stomach jolted. Use a Q-tip inside his mouth and take blood? Why indeed? My mouth was suddenly dry. “What?” I managed as I pulled my tongue from the roof of my mouth.

  She leaned forward and gazed at me with those intense green orbs. “Solomon told me Dr. Fabrizio used a needle to take blood from his arm. I forgot about it until just now, when you were talking about surgery.”

  Swallowing hard, I popped up from my desk, my hands like ice. “Hang on a second. Hang on one second! Do you remember when Amber and Nadia were here, and they were telling me about how Dr. Fabrizio met Dr. Mickey?”

  She slid to the edge of her seat, her eyes expectant. “I do…”

  Dr. Fabrizio, needles, blood, Q-tip swabs…

  My heart began a painful pound in my ears as the blood rushed to my head. “Do you remember them saying the two met at a convention?”

  “I do.”

  I held up a finger to Coop as I texted Nadia and Amber. I had a hunch. It might be a long shot, but it was at least worth asking the question even thought it was late. As I sent the message, I held my breath and waited, almost unable to stand still.

  When the beep signaled an incoming text, I looked at the return message from Nadia.

  “I’m sorry. I thought we told you. Dr. Mickey and Dr. Fab met at a medical convention. Dr. Fabrizio almost became a doctor, but he always joked that after he met Dr. Mickey, cleaning teeth seemed a lot less messy.”

  “Trixie?” Coop called my name, rising from the chair. “You’re pale. Are you okay? Are you going to have another demon attack?”

  I felt dizzy as I texted Tansy with this new hunch of mine. “No. I’m fine, but Coop, we have to talk to Solomon right now. Right now! Is he still at the shelter?”

  Her eyes went wide, but she was instantly up and at the ready. “Yes. The staff is looking after him tonight.”

  I began flipping lights off and gathering my purse while my pulse raced and my legs shook, even as I tried to maintain my cool. “Gather Livingston and I’ll grab Jeff. We need to talk to Solomon now.”

  As I threw a leash on Jeff and Coop grabbed Livingston, propping him on her shoulder while he complained the whole way, I knew I was right. I knew it. Now all I needed was Solomon to verify it.

  Coop grabbed at my arm just as we headed out the door. “Trixie? I should have said something sooner, shouldn’t I? I forgot in all the chaos with Lazlo. I’m sorry. Have I failed you?”

  I shook my head, pushing the door open as the wind gusted in and the rain hit us in the face. “No, Coop. You did the right thing. Now let’s go find Solomon, and I’ll explain when we get him.”

  I began to run toward the shelter, my feet hitting the pavement in wet slaps along the deserted sidewalk. “Whoa, there, Trix!” Jeff complained. “Slow that roll a little. You’re chokin’ me!”

  Livingston flapped his wings, spattering rain everywhere as Coop easily kept up with me. “Aye, lass. He’s roight. ’Tis dreadful out. You’ll fall and injure yerself. Heed Jeff’s words and slow down!”

  But I wasn’t listening to my two favorite pets complain, or even hearing Coop.

  No. I was looking down the road at the opening of the alley between Peach Street and Dunder Lane.

  Where I saw a gorilla.

  A gorilla shoving sweet, gentle Solomon into a white van with black-tinted windows.

  Of course, that was the first of the last things I saw, because when the gorilla saw us—me screaming for him to stop and Coop racing along beside me—he yanked on a terrified Solomon, making him yelp out before he pushed him into the van with so much force, the vehicle rocked.

  “Leave him alone!” Coop hollered. “Let him go!”

  But when we came to a screeching halt by the doors to the back of the van, as the rain beat down on us and we were both breathing heavy, the gorilla pulled out a gun on us and forced us into the back of the van with a hard shove.

  Then he kicked Jeff so hard, I feared his ribs were broken, the commotion sending Livingston off into screeching flight.

  “Jeff!” I screamed as someone in the back of the van hovered over both us and a pile of bodies splayed out, one on top of another. “Get Tansy and Higgs!”

  The second-to-last thing I saw before I felt the prick of a needle and blackness consume me was Dr. Fabrizio, his eyes wild, his hair wet from the rain.

  Like I said, I knew I was right.

  Chapter 18

  “Trixie! Trixie Lavender, wake up!”

  I heard Coop hiss the words, they penetrated my brain, but I was having a hard time making my eyes open.

  “Coop?” I managed, but the word was slurred and sort of foggy and I had cottonmouth.

  “Yes! It’s me, Trixie. You must open your eyes. Open them now!”

  Oh, but that was so hard on this soft, puffy cloud. Wherever I was, it was warm and cozy, and there were no demons inside me. I liked that. I nestled farther into my cloud. Why would I want to wake up?

  So I asked her as much. “Why?”

  I heard the clang of metal and the rustle of something—maybe fabric. “Because you must or we’re going to die. Solomon is going to die. Wake up, Trixie!”

  Immediately, my eyes popped open, and holy cats and dogs, I did not like what I saw. Not at all.

  First, I was soaking wet.

  Second, I was freezing.

  Third, eep!

  I tried to move my arms, but my hands were secured by restraints, as were my feet, and so were Coop’s and Solomon’s.

  Oh, and we were all in beds, just like the ones in the hospital. But it wasn’t so much the restraints and the cold feet that upset me, as much as it was the rest of the horror laid out before me.

  We were in some cold, mostly dark room that held the faint scent of beer and antiseptic. I couldn’t see any windows because transparent plastic hung from the ceiling to the floor. Machines beeped with our blood oxygen levels and our BP stats. A heart monitor bounced a green zigzag of a line along a black screen, taking note of our heartbeats. We all had IV lines in our hands, the fluid dripping into us with slow beads.

  “Coop?” I said more clearly now, clearing my scratchy throat.

  “Yes, Trixie?”

  “We’ve got trouble.”

  “I know there’s a joke about the Obvious Police, but it escapes me right now.”

  I rolled my head to my left to see Coop, tethered in the same way I was, her gloriously shiny hair splayed out around the pillow. Even in captivity, Coop was gorgeous.

  “Any idea where we are?” I asked, wondering why total panic hadn’t set in yet. My voice was calm, my nerves steady-Freddy.

  I was awake. I was clearly going to be chopped up for my organs. Yet, I hadn’t even touched on the fear that should invoke. Nay. I was, in fact, quite numb.

  She turned her head to look at me and shook it. “No. I don’t know where we are. They knocked me out, too.”

  Oh, yeah.

  Speaking of knocking people out, why hadn’t se grabbed that gun the gorilla held on us and why was Coop immobilized now? She was an ox. How could some Velcro restraints keep a good demon down?

  “Hey. What happened with the gun back there? Seems to me you would have grabbed it.”

  “Because he had it pointed at you, Trixie Lavender. What if I wasn’t quick enough? Even I know enough to think b
efore I act.”

  Fair point. “That makes sense, but why aren’t you breaking these restraints and getting us the heck out of here?” I asked, still pretty unconcerned. Maybe because I figured we had one up on the bad guys. Coop was a kick-butt demon. She’d get us out of here.

  “I don’t appreciate your tone, Trixie Lavender.”

  I gave her a confused look. “Huh? My tone?”

  “Your tone is quite judgy.”

  “Judgy? I’m just asking you a question—or maybe it’s making a request.”

  “A request I can’t fulfill,” she said dryly, her sharp jaw tight.

  Maybe it was whatever Dr. Fabrizio had shot into my veins, maybe it was just me frustrated with where we were after actually figuring out who the killer was, rather than tripping over the answer, but I was feeling a little feisty.

  “Why the heck not?”

  Coop sighed, and it resembled the sound a child would make when he was asked to take out the trash. “I don’t know, Trixie Lavender. I don’t understand it either, but whatever they had in that needle has left me weak as a level-zero demon. I can barely move, let alone break free, or I’d have done it by now.”

  Yeah, yeah. Whatever razzmatazz she was selling, I wasn’t buying. I had one focus, and one focus only.

  Lifting my head, which no longer felt as though it weighed five hundred pounds, I was finally able to really look her in the eye. “Hold on. There’s a level zero in Hell? Is that like the lobby?”

  She rolled her eyes at me—yes, that’s right. She rolled them in real, visible aggravation. “No. It’s not like one of your fancy human hotels, Trixie. It’s where fledgling demons reside.”

  I giggled at the picture in my mind of a dorm-like setting where demons trained in evil as though they were Harry Potter wizards.

  And then as quickly, I sobered. Coop couldn’t break free?

  Well then. We were well and truly sunk. Sunk like the Titanic.

  But still, I didn’t feel an ounce of panic. Whatever these drugs were, they were pretty darn good.