Song for a Still River

Chapter 7

The doorbell rang as morning sun poured through the windows next to the front door. It looked like a beautiful morning. Lorelei opened it to see two police officers standing there. She looked curiously at them. "Good morning."

"Good morning. Are you Lorelei Reichenbach?" one asked.

She nodded.

"Do you know a Greg Peene and a Dale Tauber?"

She frowned. "Yes. I met both of them when I moved here to attend the spring semester of high school. Also, Greg delivered a pizza here last night. He was a real jerk when he was here, too."

The two cops shared a look. "In what way?"

"He told me Dale was obsessed with me and that it was my fault. I informed him I told Dale I wanted nothing to do with him from day one, but Dale refused to accept that. It was like he couldn't conceive of someone not being interested! Then Greg tells me it's my fault?" She shook her head in disgust. "Creeps."

The officers were trading looks again.

"What?" she asked.

"May I ask you where you were last night between eight-thirty and eleven PM?" one asked.

She blinked at him. "I was here. Painting. It's what I do. Would you like to see them?" She gave them a brilliant smile, and they nodded with stiff smiles of their own. She made her way upstairs to the studio.

When they walked in, the officers slowed to a stop as they looked around the room in shock. There had to be at least ten completed paintings.

"Careful, the paint is still wet. I've been going since dinner last night. I had such a burst of creativity!"

The two officers moved from painting to painting, mesmerized by the impression of movement in the water scenes.

"Geezus, I like this one!" one of them said, standing before the painting of the bridge and the woman in the green gown.

"Phil. Come see this," the other officer said carefully as he stood before a large painting of a river winding through the woods at dusk. The painting was mostly tones of blue and black with dark green foliage and brilliant white stars visible through the branches. This time, however, the water didn't give the impression of movement. Depth and stillness were apparent, but something in the gentle swirls of the brushstrokes over the black water gave a sensation of... power. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he couldn't tear his eyes from the dark water. Something there, waiting...

When Phil was standing next to his partner, he grunted in surprise. "Holy shit, Don! Isn't that—"

"Yes," Don affirmed as he jolted from his paralysis, tearing his eyes from the painting to turn to Lorelei. "Where did you see this?"

"A little over a month ago, I stumbled upon this magical little clearing in the forest a short walk from here. It was so still and quiet I knew I had to paint it," she explained and sighed gently.

Don leaned closer. "The paint still seems wet on this one, too."

She nodded and pointed to the smaller canvas leaning up against the wall with the beginnings of the scene on it. "That was my first attempt when I first found the spot. Last night, I realized the canvas I used was much too small to capture the beauty. So I started again on a bigger one." She looked at it and smiled to herself. "I think it's my best work so far." She began to hum softly as she moved amongst her paintings.

When she reached the studio's door, she saw the two officers were attentively following her, so she walked back down to the vestibule by the front door. "Was there a reason you came to visit me this morning?" she asked carefully.

Phil looked flustered and glanced at his partner, who frowned and answered. "Last night, there was a murder-suicide in the clearing shown in that larger painting of yours."

"What?!?" Lorelei gasped.

Phil picked up the tale, eager to assure the upset woman. "In a cellphone video recording found at the scene, Mr. Tauber was shown beaten bloody with his hands tied behind his back. He confesses in the video that he planned to rape and murder you. Mr. Peene then stated that Mr. Tauber was going to blackmail him into assisting with your murder. Mr. Peene confessed to raping another woman, a Jolene Lahn." Glancing at his partner in discomfort, Phil got a nod from him to continue. "In the video... I've never seen anything like it. Mr. Peene sodomized Mr. Tauber as he drowned him face down in the river. When that was done, he drowned himself. He thrashed like he was trying to stop, but his head never lifted above the water's surface... like it was being held down." The officer's face held a haunted expression.

Lorelei stared at them in shock. "That's... horrifying! And this happened just down the road?"

Both officers nodded, anxious concern plain on their faces.

"I can't believe I came so close to being murdered!" she gasped.

Phil leaned a little closer, needing to make her feel better. "The threat has passed. Crisis averted. All's well that ends—"

"Phil!" Don blurted to stop his partner.

"Sorry," the officer said as his face heated up.

"I'm... exhausted, and I-I think I might have a little cry if you're done here," Lorelei said quietly.

"Is there anyone we can call for you?" Don asked gently.

"No... thank you. There's no one."

Both officers looked sad, so she shook their hands and gave them a small smile. She paused, then gave each a kiss on the cheek as she ushered them out. They were looking much more at peace once she closed the door. She locked the door and leaned back against it as she shuddered from the ache she'd been hiding. When she felt ready, she walked stiffly up the stairs, wincing from the pain Dale left her the night before. Thankfully, her makeup covered her facial bruising sufficiently.

Last night, after she'd sung the men their song of... atonement, she'd thanked the river for coming to her rescue. She'd asked for its assistance again to help the men complete the task she'd left for them. Then she'd returned to her house via the woods.

Once inside, she flashed back to the horror of Dale's rape and had a little breakdown. She'd raced upstairs to jump into the shower, fully dressed. She stripped and scrubbed under the hot spray until her skin said enough!

As soon as she thought she'd found her equilibrium again, she sank to the floor of the shower to curl up in a ball. She sobbed quietly as, from what she'd done at the river tonight, she now knew her father's death was her fault. She'd pulled him into the river with the pitiful crying of a child. Just like she'd compelled Mr. Havel to shuffle straight from his greenhouse towards her window and into his pool. The dots finally connected for her, and it painted a terrible picture. While she knew her five-year-old self hadn't intended her father harm, the fact of it now ripped her heart in two.

After a time, she finally managed to drag herself out of the shower and fought back the tears. Numb, she sat staring at the wall until something inside her mind fought back against self-pity and lethargy.

Her muse awoke. It was sick of her moping, and it wanted action!

Her creativity was exploding and she immediately began work on the large piece. Her emotions were raw and intense, and she channeled that into her work. Once she'd finished, she felt calmer and moved to a second, then a third. Each painting became the outlet for the volatile emotions pouring from her.

By morning, she'd completed eight additional paintings and was suffering from mental exhaustion. Still, she knew what was likely to come next, so she prepared for the inevitable arrival of the police.

Now that they'd come and gone, she called the school to reschedule her appointment. While she spoke to the secretary, she tearfully leaked the story the police gave her about her brush with rape and murder. The story would spread quickly.

Now, though, she would sleep. Tomorrow, she would begin making plans for the rest of her life. She still had so many questions.

Top of her list was determining what happened to her in that river last night.

She wondered if she would have to return to Germany to find the answers.

It was all too much. She climbed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Chapter 8

Peter Moselle smiled at the tall and slim redhead walking next to him. He could see it in her eyes. The excitement. The nervousness. The innocence. She claimed to be twenty-one but couldn't have reached eighteen yet.

Valentine's Day was always a perfect day for hunting. He was handsome, fit, and wealthy, so he never had to hunt for long. The sweet young things seemed to throw themselves at him. Who was he to deny them a fun night? Fun for him, at least.

He was bringing his latest toy back to his apartment as the hotels were outrageously overpriced on V-Day. He'd parked his Jaguar in the basement, and they made their way to the elevator.

He was grateful he no longer had to schedule his fun time around Beatrice. She was locked away in the looney bin upstate, and he wouldn't be seeing her any longer. He'd ejected all elements of her life from his apartment except for a single framed photo of the one who got away.

Lorelei.

She would have been a spectacular fuck, but she was just too much of a prissy bitch. That didn't stop her from being his latest obsession, hence the tall, slim girl at his side. While the photo made for good fantasy material when real girls weren't available, he'd far rather fuck a tight pussy than his hand.

The elevator arrived, and he guided her inside with a hand on her lower back. He felt her trembling and let himself smile in anticipation. She was roughly the same body shape as Lorelei. He was going to enjoy taking her innocence.

He pressed the button for the penthouse, and the girl giggled with wide eyes, impressed. They rose two floors and stopped at the lobby. He shot a glance at the door in annoyance as it opened. A woman in a black hooded cloak stood in the doorway. She wore long black leather gloves on her hands and black leather boots. All he saw of her face in the shadow of the hood was the hint of darkly painted lips. She was... singing? It was a lovely melody...

"Gary, please assist the young lady with a taxi home."

The lobby's security guard stepped into the car, collected the dazed redhead, and guided her out. As she passed, the hooded woman leaned in and whispered something in her ear. The young girl looked back at Peter in fear and rushed away with the guard.

The woman stepped into the car, and the door closed, continuing on its journey to the top. Peter knew he should be upset that his prey had been taken from him, but the music was so lovely that he just wanted to listen. She was humming now, and he wanted more.

The door opened, and the woman stepped out. He followed, and she gestured for him to lead. His excitement grew. He rushed to his apartment and opened the door. She walked into his domain, and he felt his cock harden in anticipation. She paused to remove her cloak and hung it on a hook by the front door as she walked further into the room. She'd left her gloves and boots on. He still hadn't seen her face, but she was tall and had elegant curves. He was almost painfully erect as he watched her slowly prowl into his living room. He wanted to touch the lovely long hair. He wanted to take a tight grip and force her head to turn so he could see her face, but the song... the tone changed, and he suddenly felt weak and powerless in its embrace. He began to get nervous, and his smile dimmed as his erection shrank quickly.

The woman's humming changed once more, and a cold sweat broke out on his body. He needed to get out of his clothes.

He frantically stripped himself bare in the middle of his living room and stood there gasping for breath, chills running down his spine. He was confused. How did his perfect night become... this?

When the woman finally turned to face him, he cried out a hoarse squeak in his excitement. Her! It was Lorelei! A little older than she'd been when he tried to make her his but still stunningly beautiful. He opened his mouth to tell her how much he wanted her, how good it would be, but she shook her head, and the words died in his mouth. She walked around and inspected his home. She disappeared into his bedroom, and he tried desperately to follow, but his muscles wouldn't obey him. He heard footsteps, fast ones, and something smashed into his face. He tried to scream as the glass cut his face badly, but he could only make choking noises.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Lorelei holding the photo of herself, the frame and glass in pieces on the floor.

Finally, she spoke as she looked at the picture with a sad smile.

"I was so innocent then. You wanted to take that away and... I guess, in a way, you did."

She moved to sit on his couch, crossing her long legs gracefully. He wanted to touch her, but he was still frozen in place.

Her expression became weary. "Bring me all the hidden cameras and your recordings."

He rushed to the mantle and picked up a recorder disguised as a book. He dropped it on the coffee table on his way to the bedroom to get the one on a shelf facing the bed. He opened a bureau drawer and plucked out a small case filled with memory cards. Lastly, he ducked into the master bathroom to grab the camera disguised as an ornamental candle. He had this one directed at the shower stall. Returning to the living room, he placed the two recorders next to the false book camera and the card case beside them. He stepped back at her gesture. She leaned forward and plucked the memory cards from the cameras. These went into the pocket of her tight black jeans as they might contain video of her. She opened the small case and saw how many recordings he had. Her stomach turned and cramped as each represented a victim. Sitting back, she left the case open on the coffee table and gave him a disgusted look.

"I had dreams of meeting a nice young man. Someone I could share my life with. Maybe he's still out there. Except... my life's just gotten much more complicated." Expressions of frustration and sadness flashed across her face and were quickly gone. "I'm not who I thought I was. I mean, I've doubted for some time that I was the daughter of Michael and Beatrice Reichenbach, but... I never suspected the truth. How could I? How could I have known what I was... what I can do..." She looked out the window.

Peter wasn't sure what she meant, but it made him very nervous. He managed to make a choking noise and drew her attention.

"Oh, you have something to say? What makes you think I'd be interested in anything from you?" She looked away in disgust and spotted a photo of the man in Paris. "They say travel expands your perspective and how you think of your fellow man." She snorted suddenly and covered her mouth with a hand to contain the hysterical laughter that threatened to escape. She forced herself to get control once more. She sighed.

"I just returned from Germany, where I searched for details on my real parents. Seems I asked the wrong question to the wrong person as he tried to kill me. So, I had a nice little chat with him instead, just like we're having. He was most informative. Unlike you, he had something to say I needed to hear."

Lorelei suddenly stood and walked to the sliding door leading to the balcony. She stepped outside and took some deep breaths. Then she looked down. They were quite a distance up. She turned and walked back inside to pace for a bit. She stopped directly before him. She looked deeply into his eyes as if searching for something.

"Do you know what he told me? He said I wasn't human. He said my kind were extinct and I shouldn't exist anymore. He said I was too dangerous to be allowed to live. He told me he was going to tell his people about me, and they would hunt me down and kill me." She pouted, and her eyes showed her inner conflict as she recalled the moment. "I was a little upset about that last part. It's probably why I killed him."

Peter's eyes were wide with fear. Tears were beginning to run down his cheeks, and he made little whimpering sounds.

She gently touched his lips with a gloved finger and sang to him sweetly. His mind calmed as his will faded into the background.

She stepped back from him and walked around the room. She examined the kitchen and nodded to herself. Returning to stand before him, she nodded again. "I like this place. I think it will do fine. I suppose I'll need to speak to building management." She turned her attention to the man gently swaying on his feet.

"Too many young women have lost their innocence to you. That stops tonight. I want you to do something for me." She leaned close and sang softly in his ear. A look of ecstasy blossomed across his face as he trembled. She gave him a gentle smile and patted his shoulder as she leaned in again. "I know you can do it! I have faith in you!"

Lorelei walked back to the front door and donned her cloak once more. She let herself out and took the elevator back to the lobby. She stopped by the security desk to speak with Gary once more. He'd done an excellent job of deleting the security camera recordings of her arrival, and the cameras were still down. As an extra precaution, his memories would be of an older male technician from the building's security service once she left. This was Gary's penance for assisting Peter with ejecting the occasional broken young women from the building when the monster was finished with them.

A terrific crash sounded behind her on the other side of the lobby. A large section of the glass awning next to the outdoor pool exploded as Peter's naked body struck it at terminal velocity.

Six feet short of the pool.

It seems her faith in him had been misplaced.

Gary ran to see what happened as Lorelei calmly left the lobby to head back to her hotel. She needed to get some sleep. She'd chosen the old hotel for its reasonable price, cleanliness, old-world charm, and complete lack of security cameras.

Her alibi was already there, fast asleep. Though the lovely blond had been surprised by her capacity to be with and please another woman, Emily Hunte had proven to be a sweet and giving lover.

Lorelei wasn't ready to be with a man after her trauma with Dale, but with her return from Germany and the ordeal she'd experienced there, she'd been feeling terribly lonely. While she now knew she wasn't human and was potentially the only one of her kind, she needed the closeness and tenderness of human contact.

She still had moments when the guilt and despair of being the cause of her father's death snuck up and slapped her mental equilibrium askew. She was dealing with that as best she could on her own. She certainly couldn't speak to a psychologist about it.

Emily had visited the house shortly after Lorelei returned to the States. She'd dropped by to express how sorry she was that Dale had planned to do those awful things to her. Surprised and touched, Lorelei invited her in for a little wine. This became a dinner invite. They discovered common interests to talk and laugh about and enjoyed the evening immensely. Emily confessed to being sorry she hadn't befriended the brunette in school, and Lorelei acknowledged she hadn't made it easy. Neither wanted the evening to end and continued into the wee hours. Soft, sensual music played, and they were relaxed and happy. Then they began dancing. The rest, as they say...

The next day, as Emily recuperated in her new lover's bed, Lorelei finally attended her postponed meeting with the school board officials. While they were initially resistant to her request, they quickly and graciously agreed she'd met the graduation requirements and offered to fast-track her transcript processing for her. This cleared the way for her to move to the city... with Emily.

Lorelei used her influence very sparingly on her lover. While she'd eased the woman's inhibitions that first night, she refrained from outright controlling her as that would make her no better than Dale. A thought she found repugnant in the extreme.