“Yeah,” I replied. “That’s what I saw him do. I don’t know if it will do any good or not. He didn’t take the glove off until just before he pulled her heart out.”
“Shouldn’t that have caused you some damage or somethin’?” he queried. “You know, like Felicity was talkin’ about this afternoon.”
“If I had experienced it directly,” I explained. “Like I did with Ariel. This wasn’t the same. I didn’t get pulled into the experience. It was like I was just a spectator.”
“So you didn’t feel anything this time?”
“Well, yeah, I felt some of the pain. Just not directly.”
We continued along quietly for a moment or two, winding along the park access road and out to the main street.
“Did ya’ see his face?” Ben asked.
“No,” I answered. “I wish I had. I’ve never witnessed a past event like that before, and it came on me all of a sudden. I think when I got sick I let my guard down, and that’s why it happened. How long was I blanked out anyway?”
“Around a minute, maybe two,” Ben told me. “Deckert thought ya’ were gonna puke again.” He paused for a moment and merged with the main street traffic. “Did ya’ see anything besides the glove thing?”
“Ariel’s athame,” I told him. “He used it again.” I hesitated. “A lot of fear… A lot of pain… She was trying to recite the Lord’s Prayer to herself when the bastard pulled her heart out.”
We rode the rest of the way to my house in silence. The storm was dying out now, and the rain had tapered to a gentle, patchy sprinkle as the tail end of the system moved through the area.
“I don’t know what’s gonna hit the news tomorrow, Rowan,” Ben spoke as he came to a halt in my driveway. “But for now, this whole thing stays with us. You can tell Felicity, but I don’t want those kids in there babblin’ all over creation if ya’ know what I mean.”
“Yes,” I answered, “I know exactly what you mean.”
“Do you think you can meet with the MCS tomorrow?” he queried.
“What for?”
“I’d like you ta’ fill them in on the symbol and inscription,” he explained. “Along with some of the ideas you had tonight. I think it might give us some places to start.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, mulling over the implications. “I’m not some kind of ‘FBI shrink’ like Detective Deckert said.”
“I know, but you’re the closest thing we’ve got to an expert,” Ben answered. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay. Just say when.”
“I’ll call you in the mornin’. Go get some rest. And give the squaw a hug for me.”
I watched as Ben backed out of the drive. The handset of his cell phone was pressed to his ear. Even at a distance, I could see his mouth moving rapidly and a sad look in his eyes. I knew then that he was talking to Allison-telling her yet again not to wait up for him.
“We saw you on the news.”
I heard my wife’s voice behind me and turned to face her. She had come out on the porch where I was standing.
“Did they get my good side?” I joked half-heartedly and then gave her a tired peck on the cheek.
“The cheek?” she pouted. “Don’t you love me anymore?”
“Considering the gastric event I experienced, until I brush my teeth and get a swig of mouthwash…” I trailed off.
“It was bad, huh?” she asked, instantly understanding.
“Worse than Ariel,” I told her. “But I can’t tell you about it until we’re alone.”
“I understand.”
We went into the house, and I headed directly for the bathroom where I could make myself a bit more presentable. When I returned to the dining room, the entire group was seated around the table talking. They were in a much more relaxed mood than before I left.
“So what happened?” R.J. immediately asked as I sat down.
“I can’t tell you much,” I answered, pouring myself a glass of tea. “Suffice it to say, there was another murder.”
“Well,” Cally intoned. “Was it the same killer or what?”
“We think so,” I replied.
“We saw you on the news, Mr. Gant…” Shari stated.
“…But just from a distance,” Jennifer continued.
“Rowan. Please.” I nodded, remembering the glaring lights and sea of reporters at the scene. “So, what did they say?”
“They’re calling him the Satanic Serial Killer,” Randy intoned. “They said he killed this woman the same way he killed Ariel. Is that true?”
“I wish I could tell you guys,” I answered, “but I can’t. If the police are going to be able to trust me to help them with the investigation, then I have to follow their rules.”
There was some grumbling, but with Cally’s prodding, they all grudgingly agreed. She was a strong young woman and level headed for the most part. With a little further training in The Craft, I felt certain she would be able to pick up with the coven where Ariel had been prematurely forced to leave off.
“So how did things go around here after Ben and I left?” I questioned, looking about. “From the looks of things, I missed a circle…Any good discussions or revelations?”
Extinguished candles still sat in holders on the table: yellow, red, blue, green, and a white one in the center. Two small dishes, one containing salt, the other water, were positioned together with the white candle, and the last crumbs of a honey cake adorned a plate. A pewter goblet and Felicity’s athame completed the centerpiece. I could still feel the leftover energy that had been created by the casting of the circle and raising a cone. I was sorry I had missed it, especially since I could feel a trace of darkness in the energy. Something tainted was lingering in the background, and I feared it was coming from a particular individual in this room. If I had been present in the circle, I might have been able to pinpoint its source.
“We talked quite a bit about crossing over,” Felicity chimed with a smile.
“Yeah,” R.J. added. “It was pretty intense.”
“Ariel never said anything about the crossing,” Cally interjected. “We had all read about it, but…well, you know.”
“Yes, I do,” I answered. “I’m afraid I was probably a little lax in her teachings when it came to that. I had to deal with another particularly difficult crossing a few years back, so I have a tendency to avoid the subject sometimes.”
“Who?” Cally asked.
“My mother,” I answered.
“Your mother was a Witch?” Randy questioned.
“Yes, she was,” I told them then fell quiet.
“So we held a simple death rite for Ariel tonight.” Felicity broke the silence. “It went fairly well, except…”
“Ariel won’t leave…” Shari interrupted.
“…She won’t cross the bridge,” Jennifer finished.
“That isn’t unusual,” I told them as I pondered what the twins had just said. “In the case of a violent death, one’s spirit sometimes hangs around on this plane searching for closure.”
“You mean Ariel’s stuck here?” Randy exclaimed, emphatic concern in his eyes.
“Maybe for a while but probably not permanently,” I comforted him. “We can try another rite once the killer is caught. Maybe that will allow her to move on.”
I looked at my watch. It read midnight. I suddenly realized I was running on four hours sleep out of the past forty.
“I don’t know about the rest of you,” I stated with a shallow yawn. “But I’m beat, and I need to hit the sack.”
The pendulum clock on the wall began to bong out its count of the hour as the hands finally came to rest on
