Mark of the Beast (33 page)

At the police headquarters in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, Mrs. Gonzalez, under oath, stated, “I dated Litu, that's what we call him, you know, for about ten months.” She did not make much eye contact, and incessantly fidgeted with the edge of her buttoned sweater.

“He corrupted my daughter. He was constantly buying her gifts … teenage girls, you know, they get excited with stuff like that.”

“So what happened?” the detective asked.

“I knew he was sleeping with my daughter. You know, a mother knows these things. She was happy, so I didn't do nothing.”

“Did your daughter confide in you about anything?”

“She finally told me, when she became scared of him.”

“What do you mean, scared of him?”

“She said that Litu warned her never to sleep with any other man. He made her swear … it was strange what he did.”

“Why?”

“Litu pricked himself with a pin, squeezed two drops of blood in a cup of lemonade, and made her drink it. Then he told her that if she ever slept around or told anybody, her whole family here and in Mexico would be murdered.”

“Why didn't you go to the police?”

“I was scared, you know.” Mrs. Gonzalez made infrequent eye contact with the detective. “They have this gang called Sin Aviso in Chicopee, and we are all scared of them.”

“Why are you scared of them?”

“They do things to people … I cannot say here, you know, as a warning to other people. I think Litu is a member of that gang.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, he keeps making this phone call … ask his brother, Pedro, he will tell you. I think they are both in it.”

Investigation of Pedro Alvarez, a pharmacist working at the Walmart Pharmacy at the corner of Northampton and West Franklin Street, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, helped provide many of the pieces to the puzzle.

Subsequent searches of Pedro's house on Lorraine Drive near Holyoke Community College led to the discovery of the three teenage heads, freshly preserved in three formaldehyde-filled glass jars. Pedro told investigators that Litu fabricated the preservation stuff just for his own sick pleasure.

Pedro tested negative for HLA B66, but the other four members of the captured Sin Aviso gang members tested positive.

*   *   *

At the third and final presidential debate, Governor Clayton made it clear that it was indeed the HLA testing that made possible the capture of Mr. Alvarez and the Sin Aviso group.

“If Mr. Alvarez had not been subjugated to such an intense scrutiny after his positive HLA B66 determination, the whole investigation would not have been a complete success,” she argued.

The president countered that the current systems of checks and balances have always been effective and were still working well.

“It is the current system that flushed out the Alvarez Sin Aviso group and brought them to justice,” he explained. “Mandatory testing, if made into law, will in fact subjugate innocent Americans to unfair scrutiny.”

On Election Day, the entire nation was glued to their television sets all day long. During the late-night hours, there were multiple changes in the Electoral College vote, although Governor Clayton maintained a slim margin in the popular vote. It was not until midnight Mountain Time that Governor Clayton became president-elect of the United States.

 

EPILOGUE

Six Months Later

The United States of America, in collaboration with Argentina, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, India, North Korea, The Philippines, Saudi Arabia, all of Scandinavia, and South Africa, instituted mandatory national HLA B66 testing.

The Pellagrini-Pinkett Center in Washington, D.C., became the international nerve center for testing. Federal regional centers were set up in all major cities throughout the United States. Jim Pellagrini and Maria Pinkett were named federal coordinators, and Drs. Regina Dickerson and David Abramhoff were appointed federal medical directors.

“What a long ride,” Pinkett said, after all the routine setups were completed.

“It was worth it, wouldn't you say?” Pellagrini replied.

“I guess.”

“Oh … how I feel like Mr. Johnson,” Pellagrini said, sitting on the sofa, hands behind his head, eyes closed.

“And who is Mr. Johnson?” Pinkett asked, a curious look on her tired face.

“You haven't heard of Mr. Johnson?” Pellagrini asked, eyes and mouth wide open.

“No, I haven't.”

“Oh, let me tell you,” Pellagrini said. “This church in Memphis, Tennessee, was packed with worshipers one Sunday morning, and the pastor was at the audience level preaching fervently. All of a sudden, the devil appeared on the pulpit. There was a mad dash for the exit. Everybody ran out of the church except for Mr. Johnson, calmly sitting two rows from the back. The devil looked around and noticed Mr. Johnson sitting calmly, staring at him, not flinching. The devil, making himself horrible and frightening, approached Mr. Johnson.

“‘Do you know who I am?' the devil asked, in a demonic voice.

“‘Yep,' answered Johnson calmly.

“‘You are not afraid of me?'

“‘Nope.'

“‘You know I can destroy you?'

“‘Yep.'

“‘You know I can make your life miserable in ways you can't imagine?'

“‘Yep.'

“The devil became flabbergasted as to why this little seventy-year-old man was not afraid. Curious, the devil asked, ‘Why are you not afraid of me?'

“Mr. Johnson calmly looked the devil in the eye and replied, ‘I've been married to your sister for fifty-two years.'”

Pinkett could not contain her laughter.

 

 

Just as it is harmful to drink wine alone, whereas mixing wine with water makes a more pleasant drink that increases delight, so a skillfully composed story delights the ears of those who read the work. Let this then be the end.

—2 Maccabees 15:38–39

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A
DOLPHUS
A. A
NEKWE
, M.D., is a clinical assistant professor at Indiana University Northwest Medical Center. Anekwe is an active staff member at five area hospitals, a board-certified diplomate and fellow in two medical specialties, and an active community leader. He resides in Schererville, Indiana.

 

 

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

MARK OF THE BEAST

Copyright © 2014 by Adolphus A. Anekwe

All rights reserved.

Cover photographs © by Getty Images

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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-0-7653-3368-1 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-4668-0425-8 (e-book)

e-ISBN 9781466804258

First Edition: January 2015