Out For Blood 39

Larry stood and scratched his head, then he sat and scratched his head some more. Brenda turned to Celia. ‘So, if all this is true, why have you not been to the police before?’

‘Because Miss Wise, we would be taken from here and strapped to a laboratory table until they had extracted from us what we have. For myself I don’t care, for my daughter I do. And if you were to go to the police Mr Kessler, eventually the same will happen.’

‘And you didn’t think to tell any of this to Mr Pierroni?’ said Brenda.
‘No, telling someone was not what I had planned. As I said, I gave Mr Pierroni some information as to where to find the girls that have been abducted and hopefully save some of them. If the police were to contact me through your partner, then they would have spoken to that same psychic.’

Larry stood and went to one of the windows; he looked out over the front garden then turned to Celia. ‘How did you know we were working on one of the missing girls' cases?’

‘Her mother appeared on CNN saying how the police had no clues, and that she had sort the help of a private investigative company, “K.P. Investigations”. That is you isn’t it Mr Kessler?’
Larry looked over at Brenda who was nodding. ‘I saw that same report.’ She said.

‘But Miss Brontrose, with regard to your own admissions… you’re not a psychic, so how did you know who was abducting the girls?’ said Larry.

‘Mr Kessler, do you recall the disappearance of some young girls during the May, June and July of last year?’

Larry had to think for a while, and then he nodded. ‘Yes, from May through to July eleven young girls went missing all in the Winston-Salem and Greensboro area, they were crudely labelled “The Salem Slayings”. Remains of two of the girls were found in…’ he snapped his fingers a number of times trying to remember, then he pointed. ‘In Michael Wards cellar. He confessed to taking all eleven girls but wouldn’t say where he had buried nine of them. He’s still sitting on death row.’

‘Very good Mr Kessler, but Ward only took and killed no more than two of those girls. The rest of them had been taken to Martinsville.’

‘So if you didn’t tell anyone about those killings, why tell someone about these?’ asked Brenda.

Celia thought hard about how she would answer that question. ‘Because I thought I could control them. If I gave them what they wanted, what they needed, then perhaps they would not have to go looking for it. And up until two months ago everything was fine.’

‘Now you’re gonna have to explain that one.’ Said Larry.
A look of realisation flooded over Brendas’ face, the penny had finally dropped. ‘I knew I’d heard your name somewhere,’ she said. ‘“The Brontrose Purification Laboratories”, you own one of the biggest blood purifying centres in the US, “PuriCell”.’

‘That is correct Miss Wise.’
Larry frowned. ‘Blood purifying?’
Celia nodded. ‘We clean blood Mr Kessler, 250,000 litres every month.’

Larry came back to the table and sat back in his chair. ‘Why do you clean blood Miss Brontrose?’

‘Why? Because not all of the blood that people give, or to be more precise these days’ sell, is infection free Mr Kessler, it would cost far too much to screen the amount that is donated, so companies like mine clean it. We run the blood through a thermal regulator that raises its temperature to 39.9 degrees Celsius precisely, and that kills any virus; any hotter than that and Cellular Enzymes begin to falter and the blood dies.’

Larry then realised what she meant by controlling them. He stood up and began to pace up and down. ‘So some of this blood gets lost along the way, and shipped off to Martinsville to feed your kinfolk?’

‘Please do not call them my kinfolk Mr Kessler, and Yes, I did do that until they started taking girls again. Then I stopped sending it to them.’

‘But if they had this free supply, I take it it was free?’ he said raising his eyebrows.
‘Yes it was.’
‘Well why would they need to go hunting so to speak? I mean, if you’re larders full of eggs, why raid the chicken coop?’

‘Unless the eggs in your larder are all bad!’ Offered Brenda.
Larry was never still when he thought he was onto something, he sat once more. ‘Is that it Miss Brontrose? You sent infected blood out to them and they discovered it? And that’s why they’re taking young girls again?’

Celia raised her voice a little. ‘I sent them 18,000 litres every month, if an infected batch had gotten through to them, I wouldn’t know about it!’

Larry thought he would match the new decibel level. ‘You wouldn’t know about it because you sent blood you hadn’t cleaned, they found out, thought you were trying to kill them off, and decided to go back to their old tricks. Is that pretty close to the mark Miss Brontrose?’

Celia looked away and down. ‘That is a possibility yes.’ She lied.
Larry stood yet again, and added another decibel. ‘Well here’s a little more than a possibility Miss Brontrose, we’re going to the police and you’re going tell them everything you just told us!’

Celia also stood; she picked up the Journal and moved to the fire which by now was raging. ‘I’m sorry Mr Kessler,’ she said in a calmer voice. ‘I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,’ she then tossed the Journal into the flames. ‘I will assist you all I can, but I will not put Mariannas’ life in any kind of danger, she is far more precious than even you could begin to imagine!’

Larry and Brenda looked at each other, Brenda raised her shoulders. ‘Well I suppose it’s better than nothing!’

‘So be it,’ said Celia. ‘Give me time to change and we’ll leave for Martinsville within the hour.’