Slowly, as if she’d given Alex a tranquilizer, he deflated, became silent, his face expressionless. He had finished talking to her, but whoever was sharing his head was back. Sept could tell by the way he put his hands to his ears. He was taken out, and at the door he glanced back and a little of his anger shone through, but Sept didn’t give him the satisfaction of another word.

  It was over and her part of the job was done. The DA’s office would finish taking Alex through the system so he wouldn’t be a problem to anyone else. She waited until the door closed again before she signaled her father to come wheel her out and take her home. Nathan and her father talked on the way back, but Sept stayed quiet as she thought of Sonia Perlis’s hellish life with Alex. She couldn’t conceive of a mother having to witness her husband kill her child right before she died.

  He was crazy, but also extremely lucky, because a day after he killed his family, Katrina covered up his mess. The total evacuation of his neighborhood and the police enforcement that kept people out for days gave Alex the opportunity to bury both Sonia and his son in their yard.

  He’d gotten the idea for the ritual killings from listening to Sonia’s family, who were Santeria practitioners. But Julio, Maria, and Matilda had been correct in that faith had nothing to do with what Alex had done. His victims had merely replaced the role Sonia had played in his life.

  Keegan was waiting for her outside, and Sept accepted her help into the wheelchair she was using around the house. Instead of taking her inside, Keegan wheeled her to the yard and to the table she’d set under one of the oaks. The time had gotten away from Sept, and when she saw the poinsettia plant at the center and the gift at one of the places, she remembered it was Christmas Eve, or close to it.

  “Can I wait to open that?” Sept asked.

  Keegan put her arms around her neck from behind and rested her chin on the top of Sept’s head. “Sure, but can I ask why?”

  “I don’t have anything for you.” Saying that hurt Sept more than Alex’s bullets.

  “The gift isn’t from me, honey, so you can open it if you want.” Keegan kissed her temple. “And you did get me something. Considering there weren’t many places to shop this year, your gift was something no one else could’ve given me.”

  Sept lifted her good hand to touch Keegan’s arm. “I don’t remember buying anything, so give me a hint.”

  “I asked you for a day without a phone, gun, or work, and I’ll get more than one of those,” Keegan said, and sat next to her. “I asked for a vacation, and home is always as good a destination as any. Later on, I’ll model my bathing suits for you.”

  Sept laughed and kissed the back of her hand. “You have a good outlook on life.”

  “I know, but I’m not finished. I also got a call from Mercy Alderson today.”

  Sept gazed at her with confusion, trying to place the name.

  “Gym owner Alderson?” Sept finally asked. “Should I be jealous?”

  “Mercy called me to complain about the traffic stop she endured yesterday,” Keegan said with a smile so wide her cheeks should have hurt. “She called right after they released her from custody and discovered that the pills she had in her purse really were vitamins. Funny, she thought I was somehow responsible for her almost being strip-searched on the side of the road.”

  “You’re telling me this because you think I had something to do with it?” Sept asked, but couldn’t help smiling back. “Sounds like an unfortunate accident.”

  “Uh-huh,” Keegan said. “There’s one more thing.”

  “I can’t wait.” Sept closed her eyes when Keegan pressed her hand to the side of her face.

  “You kept your promises and you came back. The best gift you gave me is that you belong to me. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Sept accepted Keegan’s kiss. “If the present’s not from you, who’s it from?” she asked when they broke apart.

  “Della.” Keegan pushed it closer to Sept and helped her open it. They both laughed when Keegan lifted a new BlackBerry out of the box. The note read: To replace the one you lost recently, only don’t bring it to brunch. Love, Della.

  “I think you’re in, Seven.” Keegan put the phone back on the plate. “And you can count on us to love you along with your family.”

  On the other side of her, Mike barked in what sounded like agreement.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Sept said.

  Alex was now squarely in her “done” column. It was time to move forward, only now the future held more than just the next adventure and, more important, no more nightmares.

  About the Author

  Ali lives right outside New Orleans with her partner of many years. As a writer, she couldn’t ask for a better more beautiful place—so full of real-life characters to fuel the imagination. When she isn’t writing, working in the yard, cheering for the LSU Tigers, or riding her bicycle, she makes a living in the nonprofit sector.

  Ali has written The Devil Inside, The Devil Unleashed, Deal With the Devil, Carly’s Sound, Second Season, Calling the Dead, and Blue Skies (available in 2009).

 

 

  Ali Vali, Calling the Dead

 

 

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