Draft By Killash the Unmerciful.
 

Next morning
10:45 ZULU
Major Crimes Division, Houston, Texas

The next day was even colder. Everyone at the precinct was wearing coats and scarves, many were even wearing gloves. It was the coldest day Joey ever recalled living outside Chicago. He looked out the window expecting the snowstorm. How much colder could it get?

Levon was his usual charming self, moping around the office, lost in thought, pale and sick. His forehead had a nasty cut on it but the Texan had brushed everyone’s inquiries off saying he’d tripped and fallen in his living room.

Right!

More nightmares! Joey knew it. Why won’t he talk about it? Why is he so damn stubborn? He asked again, drinking some hot coffee trying to get a little warm.

He’d been fighting dizzy spells all morning, but he was not about to let it beat him. Not again! The ... whatever it was, that had made him so sick the day before had not returned. Not like that anyway. He had called his doctor last night... reluctantly, of course, and more or less explained what had happened. The doctor couldn’t tell him what was wrong. He theorized about a virus-induced hallucination or an allergy of some kind, and immediately ordered Joe to get back to the hospital for more tests.

Right!

He’d go, sure! Just after they had cracked this cases. He promised. He felt fine now, didn’t he? Almost?

Joe Bill, on the other hand, was still in the hospital. He had little memory of what had happened to him and doctors came to the conclusion that it had been stress.

Right!

No one thought so, but no one was going to argue either. Right now, all everyone wanted was to get back to normal. A known figure crossed the office door and walked over to La Fiamma’s desk.

"Hello, Sergeant."

"Mr. Donovan!" Joe greeted and extended a shivery hand. "What’s up?"

With all the last day’s excitement Joe had almost forgotten he still had four deaths to investigate. He invited Donovan to sit and offered him some coffee.

"It’s cold in here!" Donovan pointed out.

"You think?" a sarcastic smile gave Joey enough life to keep working. "The heat doesn’t work... How can I help you?"

"I have background information on the Whilloughby lot. The one that contained the items we were discussing?"

"You mean the locket?"

"Yes, and the vase Mr. Whalberg wanted to buy, and well... there’s something else."

"What?"

"This lot... it was inspected, tagged and appraised by my assistant."

"Mr. Morales"

"Yes." Donovan lowered his gaze and continued, "He took care of many pieces, since I can’t keep up with everything. Here’s the background story on the vase..."

"I want to know about the locket." Joe interrupted.

"Okay..." The man flipped pages. "Here it is. Gold locket. 24 karat gold, dated... 1770."

"1770? You mean it’s more than two hundred years old?" Joe stared at the records on the desk.

"Yes, here’s the file on the Whilloughby estate. They collected items since the early 18^th century. This may be a locket from the family, or it could be from the Scarlatti collection."

Joe shot his head up. Something about that name... Scarlatti?

Donovan continued explaining. "The Whilloughby’s acquired the Scarlatti collection when one of the members of the family was married to a Scarlatti. One of the richest families in..."

"Sicily..." Joe finished.

Donovan stared at the young detective.

Joey explained. "I’m Italian, Mr. Donovan, I know a little about history, especially about powerful families... it’s a long story. So... what else do you have on that Scarlatti collection?"

"Nothing really, Sergeant La Fiamma, but I’ll do some more research for you."

"Thanks."

Joe watched Donovan leave as another dizzy spell hit him. He breathed deeply. Not again! He repeated to himself. I won’t let it happen again!

Levon walked to the desk with another mug of hot coffee. He sat down and, taking a sip, he exclaimed, "At this rate we’ll all die of hypothermia too!"

The room was suddenly quiet. No one had found it funny.

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Later

"I need to talk."

That short statement gave Joey a lot of his lost hope back. His partner was finally asking for help, which was the best thing that had happened all day.

"I’m listening." He replied.

"Not here. I need to tell you... and I need to tell Joanne too."

"The Lieutenant?" Joey frowned, "Why?"

"I’m afraid I might end up like McCandless."

Joey shivered, this time the cold had nothing to do with it.

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Joanne's still chilly office
 

"I had nightmares." Lundy told them, all he time looking at the floor. "I’ve been having them since the day La Fiamma collapsed."

Joe crossed his arms. "What, you think it’s something contagious?"

"Shut up, La Fiamma!"

"Okay! Okay!"

"Go on, Levon!" Joanne leaned on her desk, ready to listen.

"I... " Levon looked directly into Joanne’s eyes. This was hard enough without having to look at La Fiamma’s face while telling stuff like this, but it had to be done, right now! "I was... making love to a woman."

Joe raised his eyebrows. Now, this should be interesting! He never called THOSE dreams nightmares.

Levon went on. "It was so... real, so intense." He looked to the window as his eyes relieved the sensations. "I could almost smell her perfume. She was so beautiful, so pure, so tender..."

Joe couldn’t keep from smiling. What a nice nightmare!

"Then suddenly... when we were done... I looked at her... and,.. Oh, Man!" Levon had turned paler... if that was possible.

Joey frowned.

"What happened, Levon?" A worried Joanne urged him to continue.

"She... Oh, my God!"

Joe stood up straight. This was not pleasant, not at all. He tried to help.

"What did she do?" he asked.

The look in Levon’s eyes was now painful and full of anguish. He tried to remain in control but it was hard.

He whispered. "She was... dead. She... she looked like she’d been dead for quite some time, man!"

He started to get agitated at the memory. All the night visions attacked him while, at the same time, Joe felt another mild dizzy feeling. He grasped the doorframe and steadied himself.

Not now!

Lundy went on, his voice barely audible. "She opened her eyes and looked at me.. Oh, God!, Joanne!... she said I..."

"What?"

"I killed her."

"You killed her?"

"While making love to her?" Joe asked.

"Yeah." Levon looked at his partner for the first time, his terrified eyes desperately looking for anchor. "I didn’t!" he said.

"I know." Joe nodded. Then he quickly added, "Of course you didn’t!"

A terrified Joanne squeezed Levon’s shoulder, trying to give him the confidence she didn’t have. "What happened next?"

Levon rubbed his eyes. "I tried to run out. I had no clothes on, and it was so cold... she... it.... stood up and walked to me. I couldn’t open the door. And then she... it..."

"What?"

Levon couldn’t bring himself to go on. Joey approached him, turned him around by the shoulders and stared at his blue eyes, giving him strength. He hated to see his friend suffering like this and wanted to get it over with so Levon could relax. "Tell me!" Joe ordered.

Lundy gathered his wits. He breathed deeply and finished. "She ripped my heart out."

The dread in Levon’s voice said it all. Now both La Fiamma and Beaumont were truly horrified. "What?"

"I... I saw it. She put her dead hand inside my chest and took out my heart... it was still beatin’... oh, Jeez..." Levon felt his knees weakening as the image that had stuck to his mind came back vividly and savagely. The Texan had to sit.

Joanne was now as pale as her friends.

Joey stood beside his friend and kept a hand on his arm for support. That was a really horrible dream.

"That’s not all."

*Oh, no!* Joe thought, really worried about his partner. *There’s more?*

This couldn’t possibly get worse! Or could it? Joey leaned on the desk too.

What in the world could be next?

Lundy looked unsteadily at his friends before confessing. They would probably label him a nutcase now but he had to tell them... "I’ve been... hearing her voice... when I’m awake." He finished, gazing down.

*Oh, Shit!* Joe thought.

"I need help." Levon finished.

Joey just squeezed his friend’s arm again and let out a long breath. "I’m here." Was all he said.

Levon closed his eyes. That’s all he needed.

There was a long silence inside the office while the three of them pondered about the whole thing. It had no logical explanation. Joe Bill... Joey’s collapse... Levon’s nightmares...

What in the world could be happening?

Joanne wished with all her might to have something solid to work on. A glint of hope... anything!

Gutierrez poked his head inside the office and made an announcement.

"They fixed the heat!"

Well, that’s something!

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Later, Joe La Fiamma’s brain
 

"She ripped my heart out!"

The phrase, along with his partner’s terrified look was seriously haunting Joe La Fiamma. He had decided to ignore the headaches and dizziness to favor the important things. It was either that or the hospital, and he didn’t care much for doctors just now.

*She ripped his heart out!*

Why did it sound so familiar? Where had he heard that before?

Then it struck. A faint memory of the day the two dead roommates had been found. There was a witness... the man who usually shared the sauna with the late James Cooper. What had he said?

Joe grabbed the phone and quickly dialed the phone number on the witnesses’ file. A few moments later he was talking to the man.

"You said that you thought Mr. Cooper’s ex girlfriend had something to do with it?"

"Yeah!" the man replied from the other end of the line. "She broke his heart, and he was pretty broken up about it."

"That’s what he told you?"

"Yeah. He always spilled his whole life in that sauna, and me, bein’ a psychiatrist, well... it had to happen" the man sounded depressed but still willing to cooperate. "You found who did it, sergeant?"

"No, not yet. I’m just looking into everything... Doctor... I need you to think carefully... what did he say exactly?"

"About Laura?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he didn’t actually say her name, per se, but he hadn’t been able to sleep well the last couple of days, and he just kept mumbling that she’d broken his heart."

She broke his heart...

"He said that.... exactly?"

"Well, he was more dramatic about it, he said she’d ripped his heart out."

If he’d been standing, he would have fallen down for sure. Joey’s heart jumped and then sank, he was left speechless for a moment. It couldn’t be... it just could not be!

"Sergeant?" the doctor asked a little worried, "You still there?"

"Yeah" came Joey’s weak voice. "Uh... you.. you said he couldn’t sleep?"

"Yeah, not him... not Ernie either. I think they were both depressed, only Ernie may have been just sympathetic to his friend.

"Nightmares?"

"I believe so, yeah." The doctor replied, "Broken hearts can do that to you sometimes!" he added.

Shit!

Joey felt cold sweat behind his neck and a big hole inside his stomach. He almost failed to say goodbye. "Thanks, Doc."

"No problem."

La Fiamma sat there for some time, an irrational fear for his best friend enveloping his whole being. Levon was next!

They were in trouble. They were in so much trouble. What could he do?

What could he possibly do?

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The young Italian’s mind kept dwelling on illogical, unnatural and far-fetched possibilities. Then he went to get some hot coffee and reconsidered all the facts from a different angle. Maybe whatever it was that was making him sick was also affecting his mind. How could Levon be experiencing the same things that eventually killed those two men and, what was more important, how?

Had it been something in the air at the victims’ apartment? Something they touched and later Lundy had touched too? And why wasn’t he, Joey, experiencing the same things?

*No, you’re just being strangled by invisible hands in the interrogation room floor.*

What was wrong with all this? There had to be a rational explanation. It had to be there.

*There’s no such things as ghosts.* he kept repeating. *No such thing!*

No way!

*But there’s no such thing as coincidences either... right?*

Before he could go on, his pale faced partner walked into the room and gave him a much-needed new perspective to life.

"Donovan just called."

"You okay?" he ignored the statement, scrutinizing his partner’s worn out expression.

"Huh?.." Levon frowned and sat on a nearby chair. "Oh, yeah, I’m better. Thanks, La Fiamma."

"You sure!"

"Yes, mother, now can we get back to business here?"

Joe shook his head, unconvinced. "You ain’t lookin’ so good, cowboy!"

"Will you give it a rest?" Levon was getting irritated.

"Okay, okay... just so you don’t say I don’t care, Lundy. What do you have?"

"Donovan..."

Joe nodded, "...just called, and?"

Levon glared at his wise ass partner. "He forgot to tell us a tiny bit of information, before!"

"Really?" Joe crossed his arms and leaned on the far wall.

"The whole antiques lot he’d been talkin’ about... the one that the two architects sold him... it was cleaned by another guy, a..." he read from a piece of paper, "Mr. Clyde Isaacs."

"Cleaned?"

"Yeah, the metal was polished, the wood stuff dusted... the dirty stuff was... cleaned..."

"Before going to the store!"

"Exactly. Maybe there’s our answer. Maybe the guy used some sort of chemical stuff to treat the jewelry and Marissa Whalberg had a reaction."

"But, what about the architects?"

"Well, let’s concentrate on one thing at a time, shall we?"

Joe just grunted.

"Think about it, La Fiamma, maybe we’ll find out something from this guy that can give us a clue, after all, he cleans this kind of stuff for a living!"

Joe stood up straight, "Okay, so, what are we waiting for, let’s go!"

"Not so fast... Donovan said he’d call back with the address. He hadn’t the thing handy!"

"Unbelievable!"

Levon nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Hey, he’s an antique dealer!"

Joey changed the subject. "Do you feel this room getting warmer... at all?"

"Not really. Hand me some more coffee, will ya?"

"You don’t have legs?"

"La Fiamma!"

"I’m coming!" he smiled, "Jeez!"

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Half an hour had gone by and Donovan still hadn’t called. Joey and Levon thought about dropping by Donovan’s house to get the address themselves, but it was just too cold outside so they decided to rest. Lunchtime was approaching anyway.

Joey had clung to the theory of poisonous chemicals and banished the odd and mysterious out of his aching head. That had to be it, he decided. It’s the most logical thing, all the rest is just nonsense!

There’s no such thing...

Levon stood by his desk checking out some reports. The rest of the bullpen was quietly buzzing with scattered activities here and there.

Joe leaned back against the glass doorframe. The heating system was finally doing its job to make the cold office temperature reach a bearable level. The hot coffee mug in Joey’s hand was taking care of the rest and the headache was receding a little bit. He felt at relative peace for the first time since this whole thing began. Maybe it was the new warmth.

Joanne glanced at him briefly from her office, she noticed the relaxed expression on the handsome Italian face and smiled. *Finally! He was starting to get on my nerves with that painful and stressed look all the time!*

He glanced back. She was looking particularly beautiful today, wearing her pink sweater and silver earrings. Her hair was down, loose and kind of disarranged. She didn’t have that ‘mature’ air that made her look so like an adult. She looked young, playful... cute. Joey took another sip of coffee and raised an eyebrow as he studied his lieutenant’s features, his mind wondering off to other places, other times... asking himself what would have happened if they had met earlier in their lives, under different circumstances...

She noticed his scrutiny, his bright blue eyes lost in thought. She felt an odd warm surge going up her face and she blushed without realizing it. Joe smiled and turned away, feeling almost happy, relaxed and strangely drowsy. Breathing deeply, his eyes floated around the room, his mind danced in nothingness... and that’s when he saw it.

Levon was still studying files beside his desk, his attention elsewhere, and behind him, someone... no, something.

Joe saw it and felt dizzy again. A tall, hazy, transparent figure standing behind his partner. Someone... or something leaning toward Levon’s ear and whispering a word so low... so distant... so dry... so cold...

Why?

Frozen in place, Levon closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, a chill travelling down his spine, his heart threatening to come out of his chest. He concentrated, pushing back the adrenaline, trying to make that voice go away.

It didn’t work, the figure spoke again

Why?

Joe’s mug crashed and broke in a million pieces by his feet. He froze, all color draining from his face.

He’d heard it too.

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"Oh, my God!"

It was all he could mutter. Levon jumped at the sound of both the voice and the breaking glass and Joanne ran out of her office to see what was happening. There was a haunted, terrified look on both Lundy and La Fiamma. They stared at each other, one in disbelief, the other in anguish.

"Oh, my God!"

So much for the logical and rational. Joey had heard it, there was no question about it and both he and Levon knew it. Nothing was the same anymore. The cards had changed, it was a whole new ball game.

Joanne ordered both of them into her office with no response. Then Esteban, who had witnessed everything from a corner, moved beside Levon and took him by an arm. He led him inside the office. Then went back and did the same with Joey. Both partners were still unresponsive, trying to swallow the truth, unbelieving, denying, rejecting.

Gutierrez closed the door and spoke up.

"What did you see?"

No one answered.

"What is it?" asked Beaumont in her best authoritative tone.

Joey kept looking at his partner. He spoke, only to him. "I saw it!"

Levon closed his eyes and breathed. "Oh, my God!"

Esteban approached La Fiamma. "What? What did you see?"

"I saw... a figure... behind him."

Joanne took her hand to her mouth in fright. This was not police work! Could someone please take her out of the twilight zone?

"I spoke to a witch this morning." Came the totally unexpected response from Esteban Gutierrez.

Everyone stared at him now.

"A what?" Levon asked.

"A witch."

"You’re kidding!"

"No, I’m not. Are you?"

Levon sighed. "Go on."

She’s a friend of my family, she lives in Catemaco. A town in Mexico, famous for all the tales of witchcraft and magic they tell there." He started pacing. "I know for a fact that some of it is... fact."

No one spoke. They couldn’t argue now, after what had just happened!

"So, what did she say?" Joe asked, unsure.

"There’s a woman, she was murdered by her husband on their wedding night. She said we were in danger."

"Why us?"

"She said we should get rid of the blood stained image. I guess she meant the locket. She said we shouldn’t have read the inscription. That’s what called the spirit."

Joanne sat by her desk and spoke for the first time. "What is this all about, Gutierrez? How do you know so..."

"There are hundreds, if not thousands of ghost stories in Mexico" he interrupted. "I’ve lived in Matamoros all my life and have heard things that would make your hair fall from you head. It’s... tradition. It’s... lots of pieces of history mixed with old town legends that make a combination of fantasy and fact... it’s everywhere, but I know that some ghosts look for vengeance... and I also know that this witch knows her stuff. I have seen her work."

"How do you know she knows what she’s saying this time?"

"Because..." Esteban didn’t want to scare his friends anymore but he himself was quite unsettled, and wanted to end this thing as soon as possible. He hesitated for a second and then finished, "Because she called me."

"What?"

"I didn’t call her, she found me... and I never gave her my phone number. I never told her about this case, I have not seen her in fifteen years. She’s on to something, you should follow her advice."

Levon took a deep breath and Joe closed his eyes. This just could not be happening!

"La Fiamma," Esteban called again.

"What?"

"Don’t get angry. Don’t let it scare you either. The only way to win is to calm down and will it away."

"Me?" Joe asked.

Esteban nodded. He knew Joe understood. "Only light can overcome darkness... only fire can melt ice."

With this, Gutierrez left the room and headed to the hospital to visit his partner. Joe and Levon were appalled. Joanne was just confused.

Suddenly, Levon came back to life with a new determination. "Let’s go."

Joey followed. Joanne did too, she needed something to drink.

An invisible cold, angry hand slammed the door shut.

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5:30 p.m. 203, Castille Road

An hour later, Joe and Levon stopped before the sorriest excuse for a house they had seen in their lives. It was old, worn out, falling apart, the paint job was a mess, the windows were ajar, the wood was eaten, the metal was rusted.

What kind of place was this?

"This don’t look like a lab’ratory to me, La Fiamma. You sure the address is right?"

"That’s what Donovan said. 203, Castille Road. This is the place."

"Jeeez, Louise!" Levon exclaimed, getting out of the Jimmy. The wind was picking up. A big storm was approaching. "Let’s just question this guy and get outta here. The sky’s black with rain!"

"You got it, Cowboy!"

They knocked on the door and found it open. No one seemed to be inside.

"Donovan said this guy checked with him every couple of weeks. Maybe he’s not in town."

"Well, we’d better check it out!"

"I don’t want to go in there, Lundy, there may be rats!"

"Come on, you big woozy!"

"My shoes cost me a fortune!"

Lundy opened the door completely and started inside.

Joe tried again. "We don’t have a warrant!"

"We’ll just have a look around."

Joe swore in Italian, in silence.

They entered the house. The inside wasn’t any better than the outside. Everything was falling apart, full of dust and the whole place smelled awful. It was hideous. "This place should be condemned!" said Lundy.

"Well," Joe said, frowning at the horrible smell and still walking, "By the power invested in me by the state of Texas I pronounce it... condemned."

"Very funny." They walked further inside. "Mr. Isaacs?" he called. The first drops of rain fell outside but they didn’t hear them. The place muffled the sounds from outside.

They called for the cleaning guy with no luck, but found the room where he worked. There were some pieces of metal half cleaned and some boxes on one side of the room. The little place was well kept. It was the only place in the house that seemed to have been created this century. They looked around a little bit more before searching the other rooms.

Another new dizzy spell caught La Fiamma by surprise and he almost fell. He grabbed the staircase handrail. "Hey! Let’s get outta here, Lundy. We can come back tomorrow." He pleaded.

"I just wanna look around, that’s all. Maybe we’ll find what caused Mrs. Whalberg’s death in here!"

"Yeah, and maybe we’ll die from it too!" Joe grabbed the handrail harder as another wave of dizziness hit. Levon was already upstairs.

Joe needed to sit down. He carefully walked to another small room and sat in a big chair. He tried to control his breathing, and his fear. And then he looked down at the corner and wished he hadn’t.

"Oh, no!"

The dizziness was accompanied by nausea now. He avoided looking at it again and got out of there as fast as he could.
 

"Lundy!" he called.

"Come here, La Fiamma, I found something!"

"Me too." Joe closed his eyes. He wanted to be as far from that room as possible. Carefully, he climbed up the stairs, fighting the feelings that threatened to overcome him. His head was killing him. He finally got all the way up. "Let’s get out of here, Lundy, come on!"

"Look!" Levon was at the door of one of the rooms, pointing at something inside. Joe walked up to him and stopped dead on his tracks at the sight. It was gold. Piles and piles of pure gold.

"Wow!" Joe exclaimed grasping the doorframe.

"Check it out!" Levon replied. "Where did he get all this? And why didn’t he use it to fix up this place?"

"You wanna ask him?" Joe’s voice was weak, "He’s downstairs."

Levon turned to the staircase, expecting to see the man, "What? Where?"

"In the room on the left, downstairs. He... he looks like he’s been there for more than a week now."

"Oh, Man!" Levon scratched his head. Then he looked at his partner’s ashen face for the first time and forgot about everything else. "Hey, La Fiamma, what’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing" he lied. "I’m just dizzy"

"You gotta sit down."

"Not here, man. We have to leave this place."

It was then when a loud thunder let them know that the storm had started. They looked through a window, the rain was getting stronger. "We have to get going!" Joey urged. He felt terrible.

"It’s pourin’ cats and dogs out there!"

"I don’t care, Lundy. I just wanna leave!" he stared at his partner. "It may come back!"

Levon paled. He’d been trying to ignore the whole ghost thing ever since their conversation with Gutierrez. Trying to deny it, to rationalize it. He hated it and wished he could just forget it. "It’s gonna be fine!" he muttered over the increasing sound of the rain outside. "It’s just noises and whispers. It can’t hurt us!"

Joey paled even more. It was time to make Levon understand or they both would be caught unprepared. "Lundy... the two hypothermia guys... they had your dream."

"What?"

"They did... and I bet Isaacs was killed by cold too. His lips were all blue."

"What are you gettin’ at?

"You... you’re next, man!" Joe shivered at the thought and almost lost his balance, "You have been dreaming... and I... It tried to kill me the other night."

"What in the world?"

"It tried to strangle me, Lundy, and I feel like it’s gonna try again! We have to get out of here now!"

Levon looked at his friend with worried, unbelieving eyes, but obeyed. They got to the stairs, a new thunder and lightning shook the whole place and suddenly the staircase collapsed."

"Oh, Shit!" Levon exclaimed. They’d almost fallen.

A loud crack sounded behind them as the rain poured harder and harder. They looked back. The door to the gold room slammed shut. They looked at each other in fear. Joe forgot about headaches, dizziness or nausea... he just needed to get out and lead himself and Levon to safety. He ran to the next room, there was an armchair, a bed and a huge wooden dresser, but there was also a window there.

Joe walked inside. "Come on, let’s get out here!"

Levon tried to follow, but a strange force caught him. He felt a pair of cold hands pushing his chest down and scratching the skin. He fell to the floor, Joe turned around and saw it. This couldn’t be happening!

He ran to his friend.

"Leave!" He called to the air. The window behind him exploded in a million pieces and freezing wind and water filled the place. Joe could almost hear an evil, feminine laughter.

"Come on, Lundy." He helped his friend up. Levon couldn’t believe it. It was really happening, the thing wanted to kill them! This just couldn’t be!

They walked toward the window again, this time Levon was first, but she had no intention of letting them out alive. He had to suffer forever the agony and the pain... the other one had to die. Another loud crack brought the huge dresser down, crushing Levon, pinning him down. His whole body was trapped, only his upper chest and head had escaped. He screamed as he the pain in his cracked ribs burned his chest and he felt blood coming out of his leg.

Joe was terrified. He ran to his friend and tried to lift the big piece of furniture. No use, it was too heavy, or maybe she was pushing it down. The floor cracked, the wind got stronger. Levon cried out with another wave of pain and he started to feel an intense cold. Colder that he’d ever felt in his life. Colder than ice.

Joey cursed and tried to lift the dresser again, he could move it a little bit and then, it happened. Finally. She pushed him down and he fell to the floor. Her cold hands went for the throat. He felt the whole thing all over again. The agony, the loss of air, the pain... far away, Levon screamed his name, he couldn’t answer. She had him in his power and there was nothing he could do about it. The last breath of air escaped at last, the pressure on his chest intensified and his heart hardened and slowed down.

He was dying.

For a small instant he thought she’d release him again, just like before, but soon he understood that this time it was different. She would kill him.

She was killing him.

The bright light appeared again, and with it, that familiar voice he’d heard before. "Giuseppe... you look too much like him."

"Too much like who?" he asked, his own voice just as distant.

"Like the man who killed her."

"Her husband?"

"She loved him. He lied to her. He had his way,... then he murdered her. It was horrible. She is full of hate."

"I don’t want to die."

"I know!" The voice acquired form and he realized who it was.

"Mama Francesca?" he smiled at the recognizance of his great grandmother. She looked just as he remembered her. "It’s so nice to see you."

"You have to go back, Giuseppe. Help your friend."

"Who?" he was starting to forget his own existence again.

"He’s hurting, she will kill him. You have to break the ice. You have to bring him home. He’s destined for great things!"

He shook his head ad his bright blue eyes shone with a mix of love and curiosity. "Am I dying, mama?

"You’re already gone, Giuseppe. She won with you, I’m sorry. But you can still save your friend."

My friend? My.. friend. Lundy.

"How?" he asked.

"Banish her. Only light can overcome darkness."

"How?"

"You’re a good boy, my sweet, stop being afraid."

"Stop being afraid?"

"That’s right."

"I’m gone anyway."

"Yes!"

He smiled at her, all his fear had disappeared. "Will you be here when I come back?"

"Of course, Giuseppe. I’ll always be here."

The pressure on his throat stopped. Levon watched in desperation for some signs of life. Nothing. Joe was motionless, pale. He looked... dead.

"Oh, no!" he cried out, unable to move. "La Fiamma! Please!"

The floor cracked again. It was about to collapse. She spoke into his ear again but he didn’t care anymore. Joe was dead. He cursed at her, cursed at everything she had done and screamed in frustration and sadness. The floor cracked some more and started to give way. He closed his eyes and suddenly, a couple of arms lifted the dresser form him and he was free again.

He looked up. *Thank God!* He thought as calm, bright blue eyes looked back at him.

With patience and courage, Joe La Fiamma helped his friend to get up. She couldn’t believe it. How could he be alive? She had crushed his damn throat until there was nothing more to crush. He’d been dead, she had felt it! How could he be alive?

In a surge of rage she attacked him again... and passed right through him. What had he done?

"Levon!" he said above the noise of the storm. "Don’t be afraid. She can’t touch you if you’re not afraid."

Lundy was too hurt and too weary to realize what had happened. He just knew he had to listen and obey. So he cleared his mind from everything and pushed the fear away. The approached the window and carefully got out. A fallen tree gave them something to step on and they finally reached the ground safely.

Inside, the floor collapsed and the dresser fell all the way to the bottom.

She screamed.

Exhausted, they dropped to the floor outside. She was consumed by her fury. They regained their peace.

She had lost them.

The storm started to die away. Professing her eternal hate and sadness, Sineia slowly dissolved into nothingness.

The ghost had been banished.

All was well again.

A neighbor from across the street and a passing stranger saw the pair as they fell on the grass and went to help. Someone else called 911. Levon knew his ribs were broken but the cut on his leg wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. He turned to check on La Fiamma. He was lying on the ground, pale and cold.

Levon’s heart skipped a beat. "La Fiamma!"

The man beside him checked Joe’s pulse. Nothing.

"I’m sorry." The man said.

"No!" Levon screamed. "Damn it! Damn it! La Fiamma, you can’t let it!"

"Sir, please."

"No!"

The rain had stopped but Levon’s eyes were soaked. "Please, La Fiamma, don’t you die on me!"

The figure stayed as still and pale as the dead woman in that antique store. Lundy cursed again and started hitting Joey’s chest. "La Fiamma, come on!" he pleaded. "You can’t do this to me!, You were all right just now! Come on!"

An ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over. Levon just watched, his heart as still as his partner’s. The medic shocked Joe’s chest once, twice. Then he shook his head.

They did it again and again they were defeated.

"It’s been too long." One of them said. "He’s gone!"

"No." Was all Levon could whisper.

"I’m sorry."

Someone let a sad cry out. It was Joanne. She had arrived moments ago. Esteban was there too, his eyes were unreadable.

Someone pulled a white blanket over Joey’s still body as more policemen arrived.

"God!" Levon whispered sadly again.

He looked up and pleaded one more time. "I need you, my friend. Please come back to me. I don’t want to go on alone."

He closed his eyes, oblivious to the men examining him.

A second passed by. The stormed died completely. Esteban was watching over the devastated Lundy. Joanne was standing by her car crying as another patrol car arrived.

Then suddenly, Levon felt something. "Fine," He heard a familiar voice. "You wouldn’t last two days without me, anyway!"

A light shone over his aching heart and he ripped himself from the paramedics’ arms. He uncovered Joey’s body and looked for a pulse.

There it was.

His friend was back.

The paramedics looked at each other in amazement.

Someone’s great grandmother smiled happily from beyond the bright light.

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Epilogue

Five days later, Joe and Levon were driving to get some dinner. They had been pleasantly silent the whole way, just like any day. Just enjoying each other’s company, both of them grateful, both happy. Everything was returning to normal in their lives.

Of course, the four.. no, five mysterious deaths had not been solved... officially. The cases were still open, but the whole Major Crimes division had called it quits on it. They all had had enough for a lifetime.

Donovan kept minding his store, the question of why he had been safe from the whole thing, never attacked or tortured by... whatever... had been left unanswered.

Sineia’s locket, by the way, was missing. It had disappeared from the antique store just after Donovan had gotten it back. He hadn’t complained and no robbery report was filed.

That was okay with everyone.

Joe Bill had returned to work, having been released from the hospital in four days. He’d been diagnosed with extreme stress syndrome and told to take it easy. He earned a vacation.

Esteban was happy all the time knowing he’d done his part. Annie had come back to work after having a bad case of the flu and Joanne didn’t want to talk about anything related to the past weeks. She was only grateful and submerged in complete denial.

Everything was back to normal.

Joey smiled at his friend in the passenger seat. He was amazed that the Texan had agreed to let him drive his truck, but the broken ribs wouldn’t let Levon maneuver and the doctor wouldn’t let him off the hook for another month or so. Lundy glanced back at his partner. God! It had been so close! A day didn’t go by that he didn’t thank all omnipotent powers for the return of his best friend.

"Lundy" Joe glanced at him.

"Yeah?"

"You’ve been pretty strange with me the whole week."

"What’s that?"

"Exactly."

"What do you mean, La Fiamma?"

"Well, are you being nice to me because I almost died?"

Levon looked out the window and grinned. Of course he was! "Yeah, that’s right!"

Joey glanced again. "Well..."

"What?"

"How long’s it gonna last?"

"As long as I want it to, now stop naggin’ me and watch the road!" Levon’s irritated tone sounded almost normal.

Joey smiled from ear to ear. He was glad to be alive too. He didn’t know how it had happened or why he’d been given a second chance, but he was determined to enjoy it as much as he possibly could.

"Hey, Lundy!"

"Yeah?"

"Let’s go tell Chicken all about it and scare the hell out of him!"

Levon grinned again. No matter what happened, his partner would never change and, yes! That was fine with him!

"Sure, let’s go!"

Joey stepped on the accelerator.

Outside, the weather started getting better.

The end

Or is it?????

(mmmmuahahahahahahahahaaa!)

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Yes, Joe La Fiamma was harmed during the production of this piece of fiction. Lundy too, but he’s got insurance.
 

Sooo... did it scare you? Did you laugh? Did you cry? Are you going to tell me about it or am I going to have to send some ghouls there to ask you?

Please oh please send me some feedback, or I may develop a stutter. Yyyyou... dddon't wa..want th...that on yyyour co.. co... conscience... ri... ri... right?
killash_tg@yahoo.com.  Feedback is our daily bread, don't starve the author please.
 

Story copyrighted by Killash, October 29, 1999, in spite of the TOS. Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. (Wish they did!) No profit has been made from this.
I write for love and fun, not money.
Save the planet... Soon.
 

 
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