Page 33 of Fighting for Mallory

“Bad luck, Mal. But if there are members of this snake cult on college campuses, they have names. Identities. That could work to our advantage.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I’m getting some ice. Call Tex and see if you can get an address and phone number for the detective who handled those unsolved murders.”

Luca found the ice machine in a breezeway four doors down from their motel room. The openness on either end made him vulnerable, so as ice tumbled into the bucket, his head swiveled between directions. The wind soughing through trees cast shadows, and more than once, Luca’s hand grasped the butt of his gun. Shrugging off his fear, he returned to their room.

He opened a complimentary bottle of water provided by the motel and poured two glasses filled with ice. As he handed one to Mallory, he asked, “What did you find out?”

“Detective Martin Scope lives here in town, only a few miles away from the motel.”

“Ok. Let’s pay him a call.”

Mallory set down her water and slipped into a jacket, for it had grown chilly. She pocketed her gun and followed Luca outside. “Should we call first?”

“No. I want the element of surprise on our side.”

He plugged the address into their vehicle’s map system and turned east from the motel’s parking lot. In less than ten minutes, Luca parked along the curb in front of a single story, red brick home with an elevated wraparound porch surrounded by whitewashed railings and lush greenery. Luca thought it prudent to leave their guns locked in the Range Rover.

Mallory pressed the doorbell, and they waited for someone to answer the door. Gazing around, Luca noticed the advanced security system. A moment later, a man in his late fifties pulled open the door and aimed a pistol at them. Both held up their hands to show that they weren’t armed.

“Detective Scope? I’m Detective Luca Martinelli, Laguna Beach PD in California. This is LA District Attorney Mallory Hayes. We’d like to speak…”

Detective Scope stepped aside and waved them in with his gun. “Have a seat.”

Luca and Mallory sat next to each other on the plaid-cushioned sofa and held hands. Before they could say anything, Mrs. Scope, an attractive woman about the same age as her husband, joined them. Her brown eyes widened when she saw Scope holding them at gunpoint.

“Oh dear. I’ll get coffee and a plate of brownies.”

Detective Scope settled in his well-worn recliner and stared at Luca and Mallory in silence. Luca assumed Scope recognized them and ran scenarios in his mind to explain how fugitives from California ended up on his doorstep. No doubt the man was curious but also distrustful of them, for the gun never wavered.

Mrs. Scope returned in a few minutes with a silver coffee urn and a plate of brownies fresh from the oven. The aroma wafted through the air, reminding Luca sharply of home. She served her guests first and smiled at them.

“I’m Louise. Would anyone like sugar and cream?”

Luca and Mallory declined and sipped their coffee. It tasted delicious with the warm brownies.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have more baking to do for the church social tomorrow night.”

When they were alone, Luca began, “You know who we are.”

“Yes. You’re the targets of a nationwide manhunt.”

“I’m innocent,” Mallory declared.

“Maybe. Maybe not. The question is, what are you doing here?”

“We’re here to help you solve a couple of cold cases. The murder of a preacher and a criminal. Their hearts were missing, right?”

Scope’s face betrayed nothing of his private thoughts. “A detail that never should have been revealed to the public. But go on.”

“I prosecuted two individuals responsible for the murder of an LAPD captain, Yeniel Valentin. They had identical fanged copperhead tattoos, but under interrogation they didn’t say a word in their own defense. Alonso Mercado and Gill Tino were found guilty and sent to California State Prison where they were shanked to death. Five days ago, my husband, Bentley Hayes, was brutally murdered, we think by the same snake cult. I was charged with his murder and on my way to the California Institution for Women when the transport van was attacked. Luca killed the attackers, and we escaped to a friend’s cabin. A few hours later we were attacked again and barely escaped with our lives. All the men sported the same snake tattoo.”

“Earlier today we spoke to a professor at the University of Memphis about the name Nehebkau,” Luca continued their explanation. “One of our attackers identified himself as ‘Neheb’ and said Mallory had to die. We believe a modern-day Court of Ma’at is at work in the United States. In ancient Egyptian mythology, the court weighed the human heart against a feather to determine its worth. If deemed unworthy, it was devoured.”

Detective Scope studied them as if they’d lost their minds. “Superstitious nonsense.”

Luca shrugged. “Maybe. But when we left the university library, we saw a group of young men watching us, and later they showed up at the bar and grill where we were eating. Our waitress said they, and a bunch of other male students, had snake tattoos.” He paused and met Scope’s stare head-on. “What other leads do you have, Detective?”

Scope scowled. “Do you expect me to believe a bunch of college kids are playing God? It seems too farfetched. Unless they’re fans of CSI, or majoring in criminal justice, they wouldn’t be clever enough to disappear without a trace.”

“The men who attacked us weren’t college kids. They were well-trained with military-grade vehicles and weapons,” Luca pointed out. “And they’re not playing God. They see themselves as lesser gods administering justice in the Court of Ma’at.”

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