sarcastic.
Parker quickly added, “And a fang.” They both chuckled at Parker’s comment.
“So he gets a stripe and a fang. What creatures have teeth like that?” asked Sage half leading and half questioning. “Definitely hunters, not prey.”
“Right,” added Parker. “If we looked at the fang to be, say, a symbol of a hunter…would the context change in this scenario?”
“So now we have a ‘best’ hunter. So what?” asked Sage.
“Who would be considered best hunters among us?” asked Parker.
“Us military guys,” Sage said confidently.
Parker laughed and snorted through his nose. “A bit self-serving, wouldn’t you say, bro?”
“Well, what are your thoughts?”
“Who among us can hunt, blend with the people, be feared, and can generally evade capture? Operates mostly at night?” questioned Parker.
“Sociopaths, psychopaths, serial killers…bread delivery drivers.”
“Sage, quit playing,” demanded Parker. “And when they are caught or captured—”
Having a moment of realization, Sage interjected, “They are ostracized, sent to prison, executed…”
“How scary would our military be if it utilized the tactics of serial killers?” asked Parker.
“This would instill fear in everyone, including the civilians. So are you saying this guy was a serial killer?”
“Probably one of the first.”
“Why not just kill him?”
“Wow, bro…you’re hard-core. I’m sure the tribe thought the executioner had his uses. A pocket serial killer on ‘lock’ at your beck and call—that had to make the chief feel powerful,” said Parker. There was a tone in Parker’s voice that let Sage know that Parker was onto something and he was not going to drop the topic quickly. So he had to be onboard with the journey. Sage did not consider either of them conspiracy theorists, but Parker was excited about this one.
“We established that the translation might be wrong. Let’s just go with that for a moment. That means that serial killers have been around for a long time. Well, we assumed that.” Sage began to slowly pace in his kitchen.
“And he gets a chevron…” inserted Parker.
“We see that things are not always what they seem, and we have had an exceptionally entertaining history lesson from our friendly neighborhood researcher. How is it that this helps us?” Sage added, now leaning with his forearms across the edge of his kitchen sink.
“The person that left you the flash drive—they said to stay focused and to stay safe. This means they probably know you are on to something; they want to help. They know that you are on a dangerous path, bro, but more importantly, they are watching you.”
Chapter 17
“Well, crap. That’s nice to know.” Sage’s mind shifted into a quicker mode and began to race. “Hey, Parker, you ever saw the tattoo for Veni, Vidi, Vici?”
“I have seen many…but my favorite tat is the tramp stamp,” teased Parker.
Changing the topic back to the subject at hand, Sage said, “Okay…anyway…there is one that has three Vs in it.”
“Yeah, seen it.”
“What if we were to turn it upside down?” asked Sage.
Parker quickly hammered out some keystrokes. Sage listened to the tactile clicking through the phone.
“Okay, got an image. Flipping it…”
Sage asked, “You see it?”
“Yeah, three of the apex symbols, but no fang.”
“And if we stack them?” Sage asked, waiting for Parker to catch up to his thought process.
“Kind of looks like sergeant stripes.”
“Yup.”
“So?” asked Parker.
“What if these guys were the progenitors of the military system? How often do we see chevrons on uniforms and on”—he paused—“well, everything?”
“Wow, good point. The chevrons are everywhere: billboards, advertisements, patterns, military uniforms, and cops,” said Parker.
“Speaking of cops, I need to reach out to Detective Johnson,” said Sage, remembering a forgotten task.
“I wouldn’t mention your new benefactor,” Parker’s tone of voice sounded like a whisper, but Sage understood that there was gravity in what Parker had mentioned.
“Of course not. Thanks for everything, bro,” said Sage. He fished out the skin and laid it on some paper towels. Picking up the bowl that had been utilized for the skin project, he sniffed it and made a face of disgust. He dumped the water down the drain and gently dropped the bowl in the garbage.
“Watch your back. Someone else might be as well.” Parker hung up and glided backward in his chair. A few seconds later, his phone rang. He scooted forward to answer the phone.
“Did you make the transfer?” asked Parker. His tone indicated that he was more demanding than asking. Parker continued, “Time is running out—as is my patience. You know there are other buyers. I am holding this because you did me a solid, but business is business.” Parker hung up and dialed a number on his phone. Parker’s demeanor changed to flirtatious. “Sup, baby?” he said. Parker flirted with the lady on the phone as he sorted through a few parcels. He picked up one that had labels from a camera company and opened it.
Chapter 18
In downtown Phoenix, the night remained warm even after the sun had set. The vast quantities of cement and concrete held on to the day’s heat like a cast-iron skillet. In a parking garage near the upscale local nightclub scene, an attractive young lady was utilizing an app on her phone to record a video message to her friends. She had been out partying into the late hours and was bragging about a gentleman that she met that night. She was in a short, tight leather skirt and five-inch stiletto heels. Her brunette hair, somewhat disheveled from dancing, played with the smooth skin on her shoulders. She was high off of the night’s activities and seemed to be fending off a hint of intoxication. Though she had been drinking, she was not drunk. She strolled through a moderately lighted area to her vehicle and showed no concern about the lack of light. This was a familiar journey that she had made dozens of times in search of a beau. As she walked to her car, she reached into her purse to grab her phone. Now with the phone in hand, she put her smartphone to her face and activated a communication app so that she could use the camera as a mirror to adjust her hair. Once her hair was a perfected mane and her primping was complete, she hit record on the app on her smartphone. She smiled widely; there was a bit of arrogance in her expression.
