Under the Mango Tree: 101 Tales (1)

VISITATION

Challenge No.12 - Complete the sentence

"If you look back far enough, you can see ..." and write a scene or short story that contains the line.

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Special Agent Richard Dale from the Internal Security Service knew that the love of his life, Detective Chief Inspector Kathleen le Clerc, would not be pleased to see him at her place of work, but it could not be helped. She was cautious to the point of obsession that fraternisation not happen on her watch. Hence his transfer to ISS and still she clucked over the relationship. Now, here he was.

"Dale!! What brings you here?" Corporal Clayborne Redman's youthful joy was quickly replaced with a furtive look. "Bosslady knows you here?"

Dale grinned. "She soon will."

Redman whistled. "You are a brave man."

"Pray for me." Dale headed for the DCI's office.

"Hi, honey I'm home." He greeted her.

The big, black, woman seated at the desk, threw him an ugly look. "I'm told condemned men get a last request."

"This is business." He entered.

"How. You're internal security, I'm cold cases. So cold that they're in paper folders in plastic crates. Never been digitized, probably never will be." She replied.

"All the more reason I need that big brain of yours.

"Do tell."

"Not here. Not now." His eyes twinkled.

"Behave." She thawed... slightly. "What could ISS probably want with us here in the Ice-Cold Case Department?"

He dropped a folder on her desk.

"Only really important or really bad stuff gets the paper treatment."

"Brace yourself." He warned.

"Oh my god." She breathed, then. "But this is not a cold case."

"No. But it could be a copycat. One of the old-timers seems to think it could be."

She studied the file while he spoke. "I figured if you look back far enough, you can see any patterns that may emerge."

"I don't even need Redman to do a search, three spring to mind."

"THREE!"

"The first is from 1903, the Monchy Murder* of a thirteen-year-old for the purposes of Obeah. The second is from Soufriere, at the end of the last century, I forget the year, a pair of twins were kidnapped*. One was sacrificed, they had time to save the other. Are you getting all this?"

"Yep. Though I'm not sure I want to."

"The last one is the Black Mass* where a foetus is harvested and I do mean harvested because the congregation consumes it, again for the dark arts." She tapped the image. "This looks like that - a Black Mass victim."

"Kathy, we are in 2040, how can this be happening in modern-day Saint Lucia?" Dale's voice had gotten small.

"If I knew the answer to that, I'd win the lottery and give up this job."

He stood. "Thanks for the help. I'm sorry to break your rule about dropping by."

"That was to stop the romantic in you. This is different. This is business. Come by anytime. You could have called, though. I'd still have helped. You know that."

Dale was holding the folder. He flipped through it. "No."

Remembering the images, she agreed. "No."

© 12 March 2022

* Real case.

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