Page 29 of Death in the New Year

“Yeah, he used you the most, didn’t he? If I remember right, he used you himself, and he was a fan of all the bondage, spanking, whippings…”

“Shut up!” she yelled. “He’s asked me, and I’ve told him. I’ve been in therapy for years over what that man did to me, and my husband still loves me.”

“I don’t believe you,” frowned Morley.

“Well, believe it. He loves me no matter what. I can’t do this any longer. I won’t send you any more money, and I won’t help you to do whatever you’re doing.”

“Some sister you are. I saved you!”

“You saved me because you were the one that forced me on the streets! You did that to me when you killed Mom and Dad. I was fourteen, Morley. Fourteen! I had nowhere to go. No one wanted the sister of a killer in their home. So, I did what I had to do. But you walked out on me. You left me to fend for myself.”

“We all have to fend for ourselves, Allison.”

“Why are you doing this? Why are you killing innocent people? I understand Mom and Dad. Our life wasn’t exactly a sitcom. But why these people?”

“They’re evil. All of them are evil and need to be wiped from the earth.”

“They’re not evil, Morley. I’ve read about these people. They’re good people. Family people. They’ve done nothing wrong. Even the young woman who was a prostitute was doing it to support her son and mother. That’s admirable, Morley, not evil.”

“You’ll never understand. Never. I thought you would support me in this, but I should have known. If I don’t have a check by tomorrow morning, Allison, I’ll be looking up your new address.” She was silent on the other end of the line. “I knew. I knew you moved and didn’t tell me. Hurtful, Allison. Hurtful.”

“We have a lot of security, Morley. If you come near me, I’ll tell them to shoot first and ask questions later. I don’t care that you’re my brother. This stops now.”

“No. This stops when I say it stops, and I’m not done yet. Not by a long shot.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

In spite of their desire to continue to remain anonymous, the Gray Wolf team knew they needed to put the reverend’s face and name out to the public to keep them safe. The communications and public relations team prepared the announcement and, in cooperation with local law enforcement, put it out there.

“Once again, we’d like to remind everyone that this man is dangerous, in spite of the fact that he claims to be a man of God. If you see him, do not approach him, and contact the hotline you see on your screen either by phone, text, or e-mail.”

“Well, it’s out there,” said Nine. “He’s going to be pissed and on the run or at least pissed.”

“We need to find him because he’s not going to stop. There are no homes registered in his name, nothing that indicates he has another place to go,” said Ian.

“He’s not just wandering around. That house behind the church was completely empty. He must have been entering it and leaving to go somewhere else to kill his victims and live. There was no furniture, no clothing, nothing. He can’t be far,” said Ghost.

“He was running,” said Trak.

“Yeah, we know,” nodded Gaspar.

“No. I mean, he was out running every day. He didn’t run far or fast. He was searching for his victims, looking for the best way to get to them and take them to his location. I think we need to run the same route and see if we can find anything.”

“Alright,” nodded Gaspar. “You, Zeke, and Wilson. Jog the twelve-block radius of where his members live. If there are any further out, let us know, and we’ll see what we can find.”

The three men left the room, prepared to jog for as long as it would take them. When Sly entered, they all knew he had something to say.

“If this is bad news, could you at least serve it with a piece of cake?” asked Ghost.

“Not bad news. Interesting visitor waiting to speak with you.” They all frowned at him, then turned to one another, shrugging. “Allison Standard Morgan.”

“Standard? Ex-wife?” asked Gaspar.

“No. Sister.”

“Fuck. Send her in,” growled Nine. Sly left and returned a few minutes later with a pretty brunette and a very protective man standing beside her.

“Mrs. Morgan, my name is Gaspar Robicheaux. These are my colleagues, Nine, Ghost, and Ian.”

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