Living In Entropy (Chaos) – L.I.E. – Finale – Meet & Greet

            Jo knocked on the door it was 7 in the morning, and there was a light on at the brownstone that Alex had told her that Crystal dwelled in. The very place that Pez had told her still scared her beyond all reason. They’d watched the place for 20 minutes, and that had been all that Pez could take it was time to put feet to ground and move.

            It had taken them an extra hour at the airport because of their guns and that Pez only had her driver’s license, and her badge, but not her police I.D. She’d been in too much of a rush, not even bothering to re-wrap her right hand with fresh gauze. She’d drawn glances about it, but her steely glare had quieted any questions.

            Jo had finally contacted her boss and they’d gotten going from the airport, much to Pez’s delight. They had an FBI agent drop them a car and they were off. Alex had been a bundle of nerves, which is why she wasn’t at the door with her. Jo couldn’t afford to have a trigger happy ex lover nipping at her heels to bust the bad guy, or girl in this case.

            “Hello?” Crystal said as she opened the door and saw a stunning tomboy at the door, oh fresh meat the woman thought as she eyed Jo from head to toe and then back up again. Crystal was flying high, not on drugs but on the high of death. She’d been called away from the final act by the ringing doorbell. She couldn’t afford to not answer the door, so she rushed down the stairs by the front set of stairs and here she was.

            “Hello, FBI Agent Jo Wheaton, could I come in and talk to you for a moment Miss DeMarcus?” Jo asked, her voice formal, having lost any taint of her Acadian accent. Crystal pretended to look stunned; she stepped back and waved Jo into the house.

            “Could I interest you in something to drink; I have a wonderful blend of tea?” She asked and Jo nodded.

            “Sure, that would be fine.” Jo said absently turning and closing the door on the bright sunlight, stepping into the darkened rooms of the house of horrors.

******

            Sam rolled over in the bed grabbing Lara playfully as she got up and moved around the bed, she yanked her back into the bed, and Lara giggled. They kissed softly and Lara rolled Sam over, and pinned her down. Her red hair tickling Sam‘s nose, but there was no way she was moving, Lara reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

            “I have to go to the bathroom woman.” Lara kissed her chin, and made her way down Sam‘s chest, lingering on a nipple and grinning as Sam said in a deep voice.

            “Yeah, you is moving really fast there Red.” Lara giggled and pushed Sam down and got up and went to the bathroom, her hips swaying as she moved. She called from the room, having left the door open.

            “What are you doing today?” Lara asked and Sam moved up on the bed, pulling the sheet up with her, and she called back playfully.

            “Nuthing honey!” Lara grinned washing her hands and rinsing her mouth as Sam settled into the pillows. Lara walked back into the room, eyeing Sam, who looked pale in the early morning light. She worried about her tomboy doctor it was daunting to have death looming over you all the time. The serial killer, but then there was just life itself.

            “Doesn’t someone have a doctor’s appointment?” Lara asked Sam‘s jaw clenched, and her lips pursed. She said nothing, and rolled out of the bed, and Lara sighed, Sam wasn’t very good at dealing with certain things.  “Sam.” Lara said desperately, but Sam wasn’t listening anymore. She was angry it bristled inside of her as she moved around the room, in search of clothes.

            “You know, I don’t want to talk about this.” Sam said, sliding into a pair of jeans and finding an old shirt in her dresser. She yanked it on, her eyes deadly cold she didn’t turn to face Lara. She just couldn’t do it she couldn’t look at those wonderful eyes and be angry. She had to get away, away from her feeling and away from the reminders of a life that was never going to be.

            “Sam….” Lara begged and Sam just walked out of the room, making her way quickly down the stairs. Lara followed and stopped at the open balcony, yelling down.  “SAM!” But she was gone, and Lara slapped the banister and swore why did she keep doing that, turning off that way? She looked up at the ceiling and let out a primal yell, feeling the tears threatening and she let them come, wetting her beautiful face.

******

            Alice rented a car and Tina waited by the door, she was watching as the sun was making the city turn into a golden hued paradise. She hoisted the small bag that she’d packed onto her shoulder, she turned and finally Alice was at her side. She still didn’t know what all this was about, instead Alice was silent. So unlike Alice! Alice was acting very much out of sorts today, pulling her out of bed and making her get on a plane to New York of all places.

            “Ok, let’s go. You drive; I have a few calls to make.” Alice said stoically, she handed Tina the keys. Tina played with them, and she walked to the car with Alice, then finally she’d had enough, she needed to know.

            “Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” Tina finally demanded and Alice was going to have to break down, she dialed her contact at the New York Times and put a finger up. She needed the address to where they were going first. Tina made her way through the parking lot and onto the street, remembering the traffic in New York was murderous.

            “Yeah, Hey Josh, it’s Alice. You have that address for me? Yeah Crystal DeMarcus. Oh, you are a sweetie. Thanks, yeah I got it. Thanks ‘gain, any time!” Alice gave Tina the address and Tina wasn’t sure how to get there, but she was going to try. Her mind ran through the various streets, and she thought she could get there. She sighed, and then asked in a very tired voice.

            “Why are we going to Bette’s new girlfriend’s house? Hmmm? If this is a plot to get us back together Alice…” Alice took a deep breath, and she said in as calm a voice as she could, she delved into what she thought was the craziest plot ever hatched.

            “I think Bette might be in some danger.” Tina’s bravado failed it just snapped off as Alice said those words. Danger. Bette. No, she’d said something else, why would Bette be in danger? Alice fumbled with words a bit more and trying to sound calm but scared all at once. She felt the prickling in the back of her neck as she began to speak, her voice coming from somewhere deep inside of her.

            “The who now?” Tina asked cutting in front of a cab, and giving him the finger. She gave Alice a cold glare. Alice was fucking playing with her, it had to be that, this was too crazy, this was real life, and it wasn’t some movie! This was real!

            “Crystal DeMarcus. She might be the killer, that serial killer that Jo and Alex….” Alice began, now she saw the first pure emotion in Tina’s face that she’d seen in a long time, except for anger. It was fear of losing something she’d already lost, Bette.

            “WHAT???” Tina yelled yanking the steering wheel hard to the left and gunning the engine of the Pontiac, whipping around the corner. Bette was in danger, she could be killed. That was all that was running through her mind at the moment. She didn’t care about Bette cheating, or Helena, or anything else on gods green earth but making sure that Bette was safe and sound.
  “Oh that bitch is not gonna fuck with my woman!” Tina said, her teeth clenched as she laid on the horn, yelling blaring, and cursing at the New York morning traffic.

*****

            Alex slipped off her shoes as she closed the backdoor the key was still where it had been three years before. She wasn’t very surprised Crystal was a creature of habit. She was going in from the back entrance. The old brownstone had a servants back set of stairs that Crystal never used, she liked using the front ones they entered the rooms from one side and the servants from the back side of the house, a creature of habit.

            All killers were creatures of habit, which is usually what got them caught, them getting comfortable in their situation. The killers not forgetting but being lulled into a sense of security that they were not going to get caught, because they so far, hadn’t been. They got godly, they thought that they were above the law, Crystal was about to learn that she wasn’t.

            Pez slid her gun from its confines and took the safety off the dark plated gun. She pressed her back to the wall and heard Jo entering the house from the front of the building. Good, at least Crystal wasn’t going to be coming back any time soon. She moved her right hand the bandage having soaked through the cut was bad. It ached throbbed, and restricted her movements, fucking pain, why did she have to feel?

            Alex slowly climbed the stairs, it was a three level brownstone, and she was on the first level. The place she needed to get to, the ‘playroom’ was on the third floor. It was a huge labyrinth of rooms with half walls, two beds, bathroom, and many corners to hide in. There were two more doors between her and Bette and one of them was locked, it always was, and always would be. Alex just hoped she could pick the lock, get Bette out alive before Jo had to leave or Crystal came back upstairs to find her latest victim gone.

*****

            Sam walked into the Planet Lara was sitting with Dana, Jenny, and Shane. She walked up to them, sheepishly as she sat down and Lara just looked at her. She didn’t know what to say to Sam, she knew the score with Sam, but emotions just didn’t follow the score, they followed their hearts. She was following her heart with Sam, but Sam had warned her, she just hadn’t listened. The girls said their hellos, and Sam nodded hello’s all around the table, averting her eyes from Lara’s.

            “Did you go?” Lara asked and Sam nodded, shrugging as she played with the napkin in front of her. She was tired, her arm hurt where they’d taken blood, and she simply wanted it to be over.

            “I’m sorry ’bout this morning Red.  I went, same thing as last time.” Sam said embarrassed and Lara shrugged, not able to look at Sam. They were going to play this game, and Lara didn’t feel like playing she wanted to spend as much time with Sam as she could. Sam’s attitude was going to get stuffed soon if she wasn’t careful.

            “So what’s going on everything ok?” Dana asked and she extended a hand to Lara, who took it. Sam bit her lip, her left leg thumping up and down on the floor Shane looked down and saw the nervous tick.
           
            “Yeah, it is.” Lara said, squeezing Dana’s hand, and Sam closed her eyes to the small gesture, her temper, the one she’d never had before now, was brimming. She was bitter and that changed people.

            “Uh huh.” Sam said waving the waitress away not wanting anything to drink. Sam met Shane’s eyes, something passed between them, and in a throaty voice, Shane asked.

            “Sam, are you ok?” Shane asked her anger at the tomboy forgotten as she watched the cold exchange between Lara and Sam. Something was up she hadn’t known Sam all that long, but this wasn’t her usual demeanor.

            “You do look rather pasty Sam.” Jenny admitted and Sam sighed tugging her hat down and her eyes darting left to right. She rubbed the back of her neck, swallowed away the hurtful tone that was really in her voice.

            “I’m good.” Sam said in a strained voice Jenny trying to get a good look at her face under the pushed down hat, but was unable too.

            “Sam come on, let’s go home, you can rest.” Lara said, standing up and grabbing her purse from the back of the chair.

            “Stop treating me like I’m dying!” Sam blurted out, and she instantly regretted it. The pain in Lara’s eyes was too much for the usually gentle doctor to take. Lara‘s face dropped, and she said in the kindest voice.

            “Sam, it’s out of love…” Sam shot out of the chair, slamming her hand down on the oak table and everyone at the table jumped back. The chair skittering backwards as Sam reeled it in, that dark anger that was brimming behind her soul she tapped into it, voice hard and cold.

            “What did I tell you? At the island? I told you not to fall for me, fuck Lara! Don’t. Fucking. Fall. In. Love. With. Me!” Sam bellowed storming out of the Planet and Lara hung her head, and Shane got up and followed her. What the fuck was all that about?

            Shane jogged to the door, and saw Sam getting into her car and Shane slapped the back end of it. Sam lay off the gas and Shane got into the car.  Why was she following Sam? The conversation in the laundry mat hung at her, she looked at the pale doctor and said in her sexiest voice.

            “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” Sam said nothing seeing Lara in the rearview mirror, she pulled out into traffic, the tears brimming but she pushed them away. She wasn’t going to think anymore, she was just going to end this torment, and quickly.

*****

            “So what brings you here Agent Wheaton?” Crystal asked as Jo sipped on the tea, and Jo sat down in the leather chair. Jo knew she had to string this along push for time, let Alex get up there and look around.

            “Jo is fine, we are investigating some murders. Your name came up in connection to a few of the victims; you seem to have slept with them. We are doing a check on everyone, mostly off the record. Since you are a well known artist, I thought this was preferable to going down to a police station.” Jo said, her hearing not picking up Alex, who was sneaking into the house by the back alley. Please Alex, do this quick, I’m getting a bad feeling about this.

            “I have slept with a multitude of women Agent, I’m sorry Jo. I don’t think I can count how many women I have fucked, please excuse the word. It’s just the truth. How does this connect me to the murders?” Jo chuckled and she smiled sweetly at Jo, and she saw that Jo wasn’t buying it. Just then, her cell phone rang.

            “If you’ll excuse me?” Jo stood and yanked the phone from her belt, cursing inwardly at the damn contraption. Now was not the time, she took another large drink of the tea, not having gotten any sleep, and she needed as much caffeine as she could get. She put the empty cup down on the coaster, and rubbed her suddenly heavy eyes.

            “Wheaton.” Jo listened and as she did, she looked down at the tea, closing her eyes as the tech spoke quickly. She nodded pretending it was nothing important. Her fingers went to her gun, as she snapped the phone closed and popped the belt off the top of the Glock. She’d fallen for it. Fuck Jo, how could you be so dumb!

            She was about to turn around when she felt something at her neck. She slapped her hand to it, and she pulled her hand away, seeing a drop of blood on her fingertips. Quick, she was fucking quicker than she’d been. How was that possible? How? The drugs in the tea.

            “Fuck me.” Jo said as she hit the ground hard. She pulled her gun out but was unable to do more, passing out before she could hear Crystal‘s maniacal laugh.

*****

            Tina turned the corner to find that it was now a one-way street. She clenched her teeth every moment counted. She flashed back to the best moments with Bette, loving her, being loved by her. She just couldn’t be dead, or about to be killed it was some sick joke played by some jaded old fool. She put her hand on the back of Alice‘s seat and looked out the back window.

            “Fuck, haven’t been to New York in years, hold on Alice.” Tina said slamming the car into reverse and skidding out of the alley, Alice grabbing the ‘oh shit’ bar by the window and was sure that she’d done just that, shit. She was so going to have to change her underwear when the ride was over.

            “TEE!” Alice said as a car was barreling down at them, Tina pushed the gas pedal down and was driving down the street backwards, she wheeled the car into another alley and the car blared its horn and Tina gave the man the finger.

            “Oh god, oh god. Fuck Tee! We got to get there on one fucking piece…” Alice lamented, scared and sweating as Tina looked as cool as a cucumber behind the wheel of the car.

            “She’s been dating a killer? What the hell is up with Bette Porter? She isn’t the same woman I met and fell in love with.” Tina said, ducking past a yellow light as Alice closed her eyes and pulled her knees up towards her chest.

            “I’m not sure! I don’t know, but I do know that Alex thinks so.” Alice said, half screaming, half-announcing.

            “Alice, if Bette isn’t dead, I’m going to kick her ass all the way back to LA.”

*****

            Crystal pulled Jo along by her collar, and it took all of five minutes to do what had to be done, and she smiled. She licked the blood from her fingertips as she turned the cold water on. The FBI agent hasn’t gotten the best of her she was omnipotent. She was a goddess on the crux of her triumph.