“I can’t promise anything,” he said. “But I’ll try.”
“Good. I’ll assemble a stakeout force. I won’t call in the sketch artist just yet. We’ll try the stakeout first. If we either can’t find the stone, or if they don’t show, then I’ll have this cult leader’s picture posted on every news channel in the world. I’ll have you look at some photos, too, and see if you can identify him.”
“I don’t know if this is going to work or not. You should speak with Dovecrest again.”
“You’re assuming this is supernatural, Mr. Hunter. I’m assuming it’s a group of killers that justify what they do by calling it a religion.”
“For all of our sakes,” Pastor Mark said. “I hope that you’re right.”
2
The guards allowed Dovecrest to call the attorney from the reservation, a man who went by the name of “Slender Fox” to the tribe, and Frank Barnett in court. Barnett was, indeed, a fox, Dovecrest thought and did live in both worlds, spending half of his time with insurance cases and the occasional criminal trial, and the other half lobbying for the Narragansett Indian casino that the state of Rhode Island so vehemently opposed. Dovecrest knew that if the casino ever succeeded, “Slender Fox” would become very fat off of the project.
Dovecrest was surprised when an hour later the attorney arrived dressed in his ceremonial regalia. He was about thirty years old, and, true to his name, slim and fit. The guards led them both to a private conference room in the State Police barracks. This one didn’t have a two-way mirror.
After brief introductions, Slender Fox asked what had happened.
“I’ll try to make this as simple as I can,” he replied. “I discovered a Satanic cult in the woods. They had kidnapped a teenage girl and were about to kill her. I tried to stop them. In the process I killed one of them and wounded another. They killed the girl anyway and planted her body and the body of the other man I killed by the side of the road where they would be found.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police immediately.”
“They wouldn’t have believed me.”
“Why not? Your story sounds believable to me.”
“Well, there’s more to it. This cult is worshipping a demon that’s real. And it’s coming back. It has supernatural powers and could move the bodies before the police ever found the site. In fact, I’m not even sure we could find the site if it didn’t want us to.”
“Ok, slow down. Now this is beginning to sound rather incredible.”
“All right,” Dovecrest said. “I’ll start from the beginning.”
The old Indian told the entire story from it’s beginnings in the distant past, while Slender Fox hastily scribbled notes. When he was finished, the two men looked at one another for a long time without a word.
“If you don’t believe me, look at the old tribal records. Read the songs and the myths. It’s all there. And it’s happening again.”
Slender Fox shifted uncomfortably in the hard chair.
“Mr. Dovecrest, I know you and your family have been tribal leaders for many, many years. But this is the twenty-first century. You’re talking mythology. This stuff doesn’t exist. And it’ll never fly in a court of law.”
“I really don’t care if it flies in a court of law or not. You’ve got to get me out of here so I can do something to stop this before it gets really crazy.”
The lawyer shook his head. “I respect the old ways and our heritage,” he said. “But this, I cannot accept or understand.”
“I guess I can live with that,” Dovecrest said. “The young generation wants all of the ceremony and trappings of the old ways, but not the truths.”
“I….”
Dovecrest held up his hand to stop him.
“It’s all right. I don’t ask that you believe me in anything except this one thing. I did not kill that girl. I killed the man, yes, but I was trying to save the girl.”
“That is something I can believe.”
“Good. Can you get me out of here?”
“I don’t know. I have two courses of action. First, as a member of the Narragansett Tribe I can try to have you brought back to the reservation and tried under our laws. Since the crimes they say you committed were not on the reservation, though, I don’t think that will work. Our best bet would be to claim it was self defense and you were trying to stop a felony. If we go that way I can probably have you released on bail. Then we’ll do some investigation. The F.B.I. will probably break the case open on this cult group before you ever go to trial. If worse comes to worse, we can plead insanity.”
Dovecrest shot him a piercing look. “I am not crazy.”
“I didn’t say you were. But it’s a defense. And the story of the cult is still plausible.”
“So you believe in the demon worshippers?”
“Sure. Why not? People worship all sorts of strange things. I just don’t believe in the demons.”
Slender Fox left and the guard walked Dovecrest back to his cell.
Even if he were to be released on bail tomorrow, Dovecrest thought it would probably be too late. He could already feel the tension in the air, the power that was slowly growing, and the forces that were gathering. It was going to get ugly and it was going to happen fast.
3
Thralls made a few phone calls and before he knew it Erik’s house resembled a military base. Swarms of SWAT team officers were getting into position dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying automatic assault weapons. Thralls gave Erik some photos to look at.
“They’re not very good. They were taken with surveillance cameras.”
Erik looked at them carefully. “I think it’s him. He doesn’t have the growth on his neck, though.”
“Ok,” Thralls said. “It’s almost six o’clock. We need to get out there and in position well before dark, just in case they happen to show tonight.”
Erik nodded. “I’m ready whenever you guys are. I hope we can put an end to this thing tonight.”
“When they show, we’ll get them.”
Erik joined Thralls and they walked to the edge of the forest. “Should we start from here or from Dovecrest’s place?” the agent asked.
“I think I can find it from here, now. If I can find it at all. I don’t think it matters where I start from now.”
Tentatively, Erik stepped into the woods, following the small trail that Todd had followed just a few days earlier. Thralls and the SWAT team stayed close behind. Erik was amazed at how silently they traveled. He walked for about 50 feet, then paused.
“Why are we stopping? Are you lost?”
Erik took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Look, Agent Thralls,” he said. “I know you don’t buy this supernatural stuff. And I’m ok with that, at least for now. But I told you, I can’t draw you a map. I can’t just lead you there by sight. I have to find it by feel. So just bear with me and be patient. I don’t even know if it’ll work.”
“Ok,” Thralls said.
Once again, Erik let his mind go blank and allowed his senses to take over. He heard the sounds of the birds, felt the whisper of the breeze. He could even sense the insects in the ground and on the trees.
And, in the distance, he could feel the sacrificial stone, like a magnetic pole repulsing and attracting at the same time. It felt stronger this time, and he didn’t know whether to be relieved or to be terrified.
“I have it,” he whispered. “Follow me.”
Slowly, he made his way through the forest, walking as silently as the experienced SWAT officers. His eyes
