“No, not off the top of my head,” I answered, “but I have them written down in my Book of Shadows at home. I guess I should probably go over them again and see if there’s something I missed.”
“Why don’t you take Rowan home and do that, Ben.” Deckert patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll get on that employee list and warrant.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll get Benson and Jonesey here to give me a hand.” He motioned to the detective that had informed us about the kidnapping. “You check out anything else Rowan might have, and with a little luck, we’ll be going over that list by the time you get back.”
“Yeah, okay,” Ben grudgingly agreed then added,” I don’t care if he had ‘er picked out already or not, I still think they had their heads up their asses.”
I hadn’t expected Cally’s van to be in the driveway when Ben and I arrived at my house. As unexpected as that was, I was even more surprised to find R.J. seated in my living room with her and Felicity. Having had some rest and a shower, he looked much better than the last time we met. The image of him in the interview room was one I hoped I would soon forget.
R.J. stood as we came through the door. He shuffled nervously, looking from us to Cally and back. It was obvious that he hadn’t expected Ben, and his presence brought a fleeting look of anxiety to his face. The expression quickly melted away and was replaced by a thin, sheepish smile.
“I hope we’re not bothering you,” he began uneasily. “Felicity said you were helping Detective Storm.”
“No bother at all.” I extended my hand. “You’re looking much better than you did a couple of days ago.”
His smile widened slightly at my comment. He took my hand and shook it firmly. “I just wanted to say thanks to you and Felicity for sticking up for me. You don’t really know me that well and all…well, you know…I just really appreciate it.”
“I was happy to,” I replied. “I just didn’t believe you were guilty. Problem was, I didn’t have any proof, and unfortunately, the police had a lot of evidence to the contrary.”
“You mean me and Ellen,” he submitted.
“That, among other things.”
“I guess you already know that you were right. We were seeing each other. She and her husband had been having trouble for a while, and, well, I guess I was just there to listen when she needed it.”
“That’s pretty much what I thought,” I nodded. “But the thing that really bothered me was finding your fingerprint on the candle.”
“I brought some candles over to Ellen’s place,” he returned. “We were burning one when we got together that afternoon.”
“Forensics determined that there were two separate white candles in that pile of wax,” Ben added impatiently. “One right on top of the other. We missed it at first. I just found out this afternoon and haven’t had a chance to tell ya’ about it.”
I nodded thoughtfully at his comment and then turned back to R.J.
“Anyway,” R.J. continued, “Ellen and I had this huge fight about…”
“Listen,” Ben interrupted coolly, “no offense kid, but can you two talk about this a little later? We’re runnin’ against the clock here, and I really need Rowan to stay focused right now.”
R.J.’s expression hardened at his comment, and I could see a sarcastic reply forming on his lips. Fortunately, Felicity sensed something was amiss and broke in before he could expel the venomous comment.
“What happened?” her voice began strongly then trailed off in an almost fearful tone, “He didn’t…”
“Yeah,” Ben spat. “Seven years old. She disappeared on her way home from school.”
“What are you talking about?” Cally spoke up. “Are you saying he’s killed a child?”
“Not yet.” I motioned for R.J. to have a seat and then positioned myself on the arm of the nearby loveseat. “But he abducted one, and it’s only a matter of time before he does kill her.”
“I don’t get it.” R.J.’s earlier irritated scowl had been replaced by a look of confusion and concern. “What does he need a kid for?”
“The sacrifice.”
“I thought he’d already been performing sacrifices,” Cally expressed.
I looked over at Ben questioningly. Throughout this investigation, Felicity and I had been privy to information that no other civilian had. I wanted to be sure I didn’t betray the confidence that had been placed in us by saying too much.
“Go ahead,” he told me with a shrug, fully understanding the look I had given him.
“From what we’ve been able to ascertain, he’s just been practicing,” I explained after receiving my friend’s blessing. “He’s never actually performed the ritual.”
“What makes you think that?” Cally pressed.
“The increased precision displayed at each murder. He’s getting progressively better at what he’s doing. Also, the additions he makes each time, like incense and arranging the body.” I recited the major points. “In addition to all that, neither Felicity nor I have been able to feel any residual energies left behind at the scenes. If he had actually performed a ritual, then something like that should be overwhelming to someone sensitive to it.”
They both nodded in agreement.
“The fourth victim was the real kicker,” I continued. “The perfect dress rehearsal, but with two exceptions.”
“What’re those?” R.J. questioned.
“There wasn’t a full moon.” I paused. “And the victim most likely wasn’t a virgin.”
“So that’s why he took a kid,” he mused aloud and then glanced over at Ben. “And the full moon is Friday, so that’s why you’re running out of time.”
Ben nodded. “Give the man a cigar.”
“Do you have any leads? Any clues at all?” Cally interjected.
“A few. Not many though.” I stood and moved across the room as I spoke. Earlier in the day, I had placed my “Dream Diary” on the bookshelf, and I now retrieved it. “That’s why we’re here right now, to have a look at this.”
“What is that?” R.J. asked.
“My Book of Shadows. I’ve been having nightmares ever since I got involved with this case, and I’ve been recording them here. Apparently, they contain clues about the killer, or it seems that way so far. They predicted the death of the fourth victim and the abduction of the little girl… Unfortunately, I just didn’t interpret the meanings soon enough to prevent either of those things from happening.”
“Maybe there’s something we can do to help,” Cally volunteered, focusing her attention on me. “We used to discuss dreams with Ariel all the time.”
“Yeah,” R.J. agreed with her. “Ariel was real good at figuring out the weird stuff.”
“That would explain some of the things in here then.” I waved the notebook. “She’s been appearing in my nightmares, and the clues have definitely been obscure.”
The atmosphere around Cally and R.J. had grown tight with bristling energy. I could almost feel an electrical surge flowing from the two of them as they relaxed and attuned themselves with their surroundings. Even with the weight of the current situation, I was hard pressed not to feel a sense of pride in how well Ariel had taught them about The Craft. It was obvious to me that they truly wanted to help.
“You mean you think Ariel might be directing your visions?” Cally posed.
“I’m sure of it.”
“Whoa, that’s pretty intense, man,” R.J. exclaimed.
I glanced over at Ben who was quietly observing the scene before him with professional detachment. Even though he had recently come to accept my visions as true precursors to future events, what we Witches were now viewing as a normal conversation certainly had to appear outlandish to him. His exposure to our way of life over the past week appeared to have opened his eyes however, as he seemed to be taking it all in stride.
“What kinds of things has she been throwing at you?” Cally prodded.
“A good example would be the Seven of Pentacles showing up all over the place.”
“The suit of coins,” she recited mechanically. “The money card.”
