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Alex Cross 7 - Violets Are Blue
Chapter Forty-Five
William and Michael liked being in the South. It was wild and free-spirited just like they were. Most important, they were right on schedule. They had arrived in Savannah, Georgia. William drove the van along Oglethorpe Street, and stopped at the famous Colonial Park Cemetery. Then he went on to Abercom. Then along Percy Street, passing Chippewa and Orleans Squares. He told Michael, lectured to him, 'Savannah is built on its dead. A whole lot of this port city is built on the graveyards.'Also that Savannah had been spared in the Civil War and was now one of the best-preserved southern cities. William liked this beautiful city very much, and was pleased that they had to take a victim in Savannah. It would be a pleasure to feed here, and to fulfill their mission. He lost track of the street names as he took in the sights of the historic district. Magnificent Federal-period town houses, nineteenth-century churches, fancy scrolled ironwork and Greek motifs, flowers everywhere. He admired the famous old houses: Green-Meldrim, Hamilton-Turner, Joe Odom's first house. 'It's beautiful and elegant,'he told his brother.'I could live here.You think we should settle down one day? Would you like that?' T'm famished. Let's settle down soon,' Michael replied with a laugh.'Let's settle down and feast on the finest that Savannah has to offer.' William finally parked the van on a street called West Bay, and he and his brother got out and stretched their arms and legs.
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Two young girls in Savannah College of Art and Design T-shirts and blue jean cutoffs came strolling up to the van. They had long, shapely legs, butterscotch tans, and seemed not to have a care in the world. 'Can we give blood here?' the smaller of the girls asked with a conquering smile. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen. She had lip studs and wild cherry Jello-dyed hair. 'Aren't you the dainty morsel,' said Michael as he locked eyes with the girl. 'I'm a lot of things,' she said, and looked over at her friend, 'but dainty sure isn't one of 'em. Don't you agree, Caria?'The other girl nodded and rolled her green eyes. William looked the girls over and thought they could do better in Savannah. These two tramps weren't worthy of him and Michael. 'We're closed for business right now. Sorry.' He was polite and smiled graciously, even seductively. 'Maybe a little later, ladies. Why don't you two come back tonight? How about that?' The short girl snapped,'You don't have to get an attitude. We were just making conversation.' William ran his hand lazily back through his long blond hair. He continued to smile.'Oh, I know that. So was I. Who could blame me for chatting up two beautiful girls like yourselves. Like I said, maybe we'll see you later tonight. Of course we'll take your blood for the cause.' William and Michael decided to take a stroll toward the Savannah River and an area called Riverfront Plaza. They barely noticed the freighters and tugs on the water, or the gaily festooned paddleboat, the Savannah River Queen, or even the 'Waving Girl' statue, towering and bronze, a young woman waving a sad farewell to departing sailors. They preferred to check out the men and women walking through the Plaza. They were looking for prey, even though they knew it would be dangerous to strike here in broad daylight. A flea market was in progress and the various local artists had drawn a respectable crowd - a few soldiers, but mostly women, some of them very attractive. 'I do want to take someone. Maybe right here in this oh-sofucking-pretty river park,'William finally said.
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'He'd do nicely,' Michael said, pointing out a slender male in a black T-shirt and blue jean cutoffs. 'Or maybe just a snack. How about that delectable two-year-old in the sandbox there? Yum. Much better than that sickly sugar sweetness I smell everywhere.' William enjoyed his brother's humor. "That's pralines you smell. The barbecue is supposed to be especially good here, too. Very spicy,' he said. 'I don't want any stringy pork or beef.'Michael wrinkled his nose. 'Well,' William finally began to relent, 'maybe we could have a quick bite. What do you see that you like?You can have anything that you want.' Michael pointed out his choice. 'Perfect,'whispered William.
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Alex Cross 7 - Violets Are Blue
Chapter Forty-Six
This was bad. There had been another grisly vampire-style murder - in Savannah. Kyle and I rushed down to Georgia in a shiny black Bell Jet helicopter that would have done Darth Vader proud. Kyle wouldn't let the case go. He wouldn't let me go either. Even from the air, the seaport city was stunningly beautiful, with its clusters of mansions, quaint shopping districts, and the Savannah River winding through golden yellow marshes out to the Atlantic. Why were the attacks taking place in crowded, attractive locales? Why these particular cities? There had to be a reason why this was eluding all of us so far. The killers had to be playing out a complex story/fantasy. What the hell was it? An FBI sedan was waiting and it rushed us to the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. The church was on East Harris in the historic district of town. Police cruisers were parked everywhere among the antebellum homes. So were EMS vans. 'The highways around Savannah are completely blockaded,' Kyle told me as we made our way through the heavy traffic near the church. 'This is the most bizarre and lurid thing to happen around here since John Berendt's book. Or, I suppose, the murder that inspired it. Should bring in lots more tourists, though, don't you think? Maybe the vampire tour will come to rival the one for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.' 'Not the kind of visitors the chamber of commerce, or especially residents, probably want to see here,' I said. 'Kyle, what the hell is -------------- 132 --------------
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going on? The killers are working right in our face. They're telling us something. They strike in beautiful cities. They murder in public parks, in crowded luxury hotels, even in a cathedral. Do they want to get caught? Or do they believe they can't be caught?' Kyle looked at the church spires up ahead. 'Maybe it's a little of both. I agree, though, they are reckless for some reason I don't quite fathom. That's why you're here.You're the profiler. You're the one who understands how their sick minds work.' I couldn't get the thought out of my head that these killers wanted to get caught. Why?
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Alex Cross 7 - Violets Are Blue
Chapter Forty-Seven
Kyle and I got out of the sedan and hurried toward the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. A gold-and-white banner over the main door proclaimed, 'One Faith, One Family.' The twin spires of the church rose high over the city of Savannah. The style was French Gothic: grand arches and traceries, impressive stained-glass windows, an Italian marble altar. It occurred to me that the neo-vampire culture admired Gothic clothing, trappings, so why not architecture? I was taking everything in - everything. But nothing had clicked yet. The murder had been discovered less than two hours ago. Kyle and I were in the air minutes after we heard the news from the Savannah police. The story was already all over the TV. The sweet smell of incense was in my nose. I could see the victim as soon as we entered the cathedral. I groaned and felt a little sick to my stomach. It was a twenty-one-year-old male, which I had known from the early reports; an art history major at the University of Georgia named Stephen Fenton. The killers had left Fenton's wallet and money. Nothing had been stolen - except his shirt. The cathedral was large and could probably hold as many as a thousand worshipers. A flow of light from stained-glass windows created a pattern of colored light and dark patches on the floor. Even from a distance, I could see that the victim's neck had been torn open. The shirtless body was toned and sculpted, just like the others. It lay at the foot of a Station of the Cross, the thirteenth. The floor was stained with blood, but not much liquid remained.