The Devil's Elbow Project

It took the assassin more time than his partner to clean and change, due to the large amount of blood on him. Now, he was ready to join his associate in the parking lot. Their mission had been completed. As he began to leave the room, one last look was needed to assure the blonde was now dead. The woman lay motionless, assuring she had now met her God. The man quietly listened for the door to latch as it closed behind him. Their mission had been completed. The silence of the room was soon interrupted by a screaming guest. Seen staggering from the elevator was a tall, female. The natural color of her blonde hair was no longer detectable due to the massive staining of blood. Her hands were unsuccessfully trying to cover a long, gaping wound to her neck. The victim’s pale skin color and mascara stained eyes and cheeks gave her the appearance of a walking vampire, straight from a horror movie scene. After taking a few steps, the woman collapsed. In front of Robert was a massive scene of crushed metal and dead bodies. Without time to evaluate and analyze what he had just witnessed, the Missouri State Police, fire units and ambulances had arrived at the scene. Robert stood motionless with his Federal ID and badge dangling from his hand-held wallet. Two Missouri State Patrolmen then approached Robert, who was standing in the middle of I-44, a short distance from the burning SUV. The flames from the fire were reflecting in Robert’s badge, which made it obvious to the officers that Robert was a law enforcement officer. “You a cop?” Asked a Missouri State Police Officer. “Yes, Sir; a Federal Agent.” “Can you tell me what is going on here?” “No, Sir, I can’t……I sure as hell can’t.” Once again, the whining of the boat’s motor was echoing though the river valley as Robert and his father make their way up the river. As they rounded a bend in the river, Mr. James pointed to a large boulder mid-stream, with water rushing around both sides. To both men, folklore had just become reality. Without a doubt, this was the famous, demonic rock that had taken toll on so many men’s lives. The famous rock; the Devil’s rock, that had been the focus of so many stories, and after which the township had been named. Upon looking closely, one could see where some daring individual had been able to make their way to the rock and embed a painting of a demonic pitch-fork on it. They were indeed at the Devil’s Elbow. Robert had wondered how his encounter with Snakeskin Billy would begin, and more importantly, end. A million thoughts about how to handle their encounter had been rushing through Robert’s head but nothing seemed to be the exact fit. It was finally concluded he would just let his instincts take over. Billy was initially speechless, sitting in the crosshairs of an enraged detective pressing a large caliber pistol against his face with one hand, with the other around his neck. The criminal knew he could do nothing at this point but comply. “Please, do not pull that trigger, Mr. James, please, I am begging you!” Fury and fire were still running through Robert’s veins, as he increased the pressure of the pistol against Billy’s cheek. The entire situation in Oklahoma of him and Paige being blown off the highway by Billy or one of his buddies kept flashing through his mind. Both men knew that if this encounter ended with a bullet in Billy’s head, not a grand jury in the land would indict the detective. The big, bad, Snakeskin Billy was no longer elusive and here he sits at the mercy of a badge-toting vigilante. Billy could sense the detective was mentally in another place, and not in the proper mindset of a cop. This criminal knew at any moment his life might go dark forever. With one last gester of disapproval, the executive turned his back to the deceased, took out a cigar and bent down to light the herbal log on a candle. The candle did its job, and more. The cigar was afire, and the candle’s flame shed just enough light to reveal not one, but two makings of the pitchfork tattoo on the base of his neck. The executive was also a member of the Devil’s club. The elderly drug pusher rapidly grabbed his pistol and pointed it point-blank at Robert, leaving only a few inches between him and the barrel. The visitor was one of Investigator Bay’s informants, with a street name of Skitz Rick, whom Robert had to arrest one evening for Bays. The evening was about to go to hell. Trying to be inconspicuous, both Robert and Adam began reaching for their pistols. Both cops knew that if the lead started flying, they would probably die. Escaping this situation now inherently in the hands of Skitz Rick. As Angela approached, what she saw next stopped her in her tracks – the sight was both horrifying and confusing. As the individual stood, there was no doubt that her childhood friend and now U.S Senator was getting high on cocaine. The use of illegal drugs was something that Angela despised and a path she never ventured down, and always believed her friend, Trey, would avoid. Now, here he was snorting cocaine and without any concern for who was watching. Even among the elite, there would always be a whistle blower in the crowd. “He is no better than the people he is putting in jail, Robert. Lucky for your buddy, he carries a badge in his back pocket for protection, and snorts cocaine in the name of the law!” There was nothing Robert could say to convince Angela or himself that a JDLST investigator was anything but the obvious - he was a dirty cop with a cocaine problem. As he sat holding Angela close, Robert was once again affixed to her beauty and the fit body that was now completely pressed against him. The lights from the city had dimmed, allowing Mother Nature to let her moonlight enter the apartment and illuminate Angela Tyler’s perfect form. Robert was unable to take his eyes from her and just sat watching as she slept like a graceful angel. He took the time to examine every inch of Angela’s features, head to toe and not missing a spot. The serenity at hand was now overcoming the rest of the world. Robert’s body was also relaxing, and began a slow slide downward until the pillows from the sofa and Ms. Tyler’s body caught his fall. The two had molded into each other and became one. With their massive strength, the guards were able to carry both men over their shoulders, while following Levi as he led his blonde captive down death row. This journey was a short one, ending up in a chamber of the cave that had a dirt floor and a small stream of water flowing through it. A perfect place for a murder, they had just arrived at their final destination. Robert sat helplessly against the cave’s wall, as he tried to focus on the scenario unfolding in front of his very eyes. This was almost surreal, like a television movie where the good guys were rescued from the bad ones, and just in the nick of time. Despite the Calvary arriving, this would not be Robert’s lucky night.