Coven of Lies (The Bayshore Witch Legacy Book 2)

by C. J. Beaumont

  "There's nothing on the video footage that we didn't already know," Ray grumbled. "Misty left first and went back the same direction she came. Darlene offered to drive Nell home since they live close to each other. The only interesting thing that happened on the cameras all night was when a really obese raccoon tried and failed to climb your trash can, so we got nothing useful off the camera footage."

  "Great." I sighed and slumped down in the chair next to him. "What now?"

  He scratched his goatee. "Do you know if Misty tends to drive a specific route home?"

  "Of course! Great idea. I'm going to grab some fresh clothes and clean up real fast, then we'll drive her route and look for clues." Before I had a chance to think about what I was doing, I leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

  His eyebrows lifted, and one corner of his mouth curved up in a mischievous half-grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you still have a bit of a crush on me."

  Blood rushed to my cheeks and I rolled my eyes at him.

  "Gee, what gave me away? It can't possibly be the hot, naked dream you spied on, can it?" I smirked as his cheeks blushed a hot red to match mine.

  "Touché." He laughed.

  I grabbed fresh clothes out of my room and locked myself in the bathroom for a quick shower. When I returned to the kitchen, Ray was pacing and tense, definitely not in the lighthearted state I’d left him in.

  "What's wrong?" I finger-combed my still-wet waves as I padded to the door and slipped on a pair of sandals.

  "James called." He paused and my blood ran cold as the possibilities raced through my mind at warp speed.

  I gripped the back of the chair nearest me and took a deep breath. "What did he want? Did he have news?"

  "Mr. Graves says he has news for the police, but he won't speak to anyone but you."

  I crossed my arms, trying to hide my shivering as Detective Stapleton led us down the jail’s hallway, pausing in front of the same interview room door as last time. I hesitated, hanging back a couple of steps.

  "Did Graves say why he refuses to speak to anyone but me?" I asked.

  James shook his head and did a palms-up gesture. "He didn't say, but based on what I saw last time, I think he just enjoys screwing with your head."

  "If you think he's just messing with us, why bother even bringing me in?" I rolled my shoulders, battling the knot of tension that was already forming there.

  James reached up and scratched the back of his neck, blowing out a short, frustrated breath. "We don't want to waste the chance that he might slip up and give away something useful in the process of toying with you."

  "So he wants to play games, huh?" I reached up and fidgeted with my calming charm for a second, and then started to take it off

  Ray reached over and stilled my hand.

  "Not a good idea," he murmured. He shook his head, slow and sure of himself.

  "Fine." I spoke through gritted teeth, glaring around Ray at the closed door. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get back to looking for Misty."

  Ray nodded at James, and the detective unlocked the door and swung it open.

  "You guys remember the rules, right? No touching." James shot Ray a pointed look and Ray nodded sheepishly.

  I strode in and sat down at the plain metal table, bouncing my leg furiously as Ray sat down to my left. The door on the other side of the room slid open and Graves shuffled in with a guard at each arm. He grinned like the cat that ate the canary as they locked his shackles and cuffs in place.

  "I'm so glad you decided to meet with me again,” he said. “We have so much to discuss."

  "Really?" I sneered. "What could I possibly have to discuss with a crazy-ass scumbag like you?"

  Graves giggled and shook a finger at me. "Now, now Ms. Cole. That's not the way to learn what you want to know."

  "I'm not sure I want to know anything badly enough to endure playing whatever game it is you think you're running," I snarled.

  "Oh, so you don't want to know where your sister is and what happened to your elderly friend after she left your house last night?" He chuckled and motioned to the guard that he wanted to leave.

  "Wait!" I shuddered. My hands went clammy and I wiped them on my jeans. "Who told you about Misty?"

  With another gleeful cackle, Mr. Graves leaned down so he could tap his temple with his index finger despite being cuffed to the table. "God told me another of your despicable friends disappeared. He knew you'd want to know what happened, and he told me to speak to you. You can't win, Roxanne, and there's nothing you can do to save your friends."

  Cold sweat enveloped me. "I don't think God is a cruel, sick puppet master who would torment a human being for kicks. I think you're lying to me...or being deceived."

  "Shut up!" He banged his hands on the table, his eyes wild. "I am a prophet. You're a blaspheming non-believer. You don't know anything about God, but you will when you're rotting in Hell along with the rest of your coven. Your ill-gotten magic and dark powers are nothing. I'm going to enjoy watching Him smite you one-by-one."

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I glared across the table at him. "If you're really a prophet for an almighty power, why is he letting you rot in jail instead of setting you free to spread his word?"

  Graves laughed, shaking his head. "You think this is a punishment?" He made an encompassing motion at the room and lounged back in his chair like a king on a throne. "I was homeless, starving, and sick before God came to me. He told me that if I did what he asked, I would be rewarded, and now here I am. I spread his word and delivered His enemies into the hands of my brothers. Now I have everything I need. I have food, shelter, clothes, and access to healthcare. Most importantly, I have the favor of my lord and savior." He smirked, his face simultaneously triumphant and serene.

  Despite the calming charm, I could feel Shadow's energy boiling inside me, trying desperately to break free.

  Oh, I'll show him dark powers. Shadow's voice growled, strong and clear, no longer a faint, suppressed whisper.

  I reached over and grabbed Ray's hand, giving it a panicked squeeze as I struggled to keep Shadow in check. My limbs shook with the effort it took to hold her back.

  Ray cleared his throat and stared at Graves with a hard, cold look. "Is that all God told you to say to Roxanne, or was there something else?"

  "Oh, I have plenty more to say to your little witch whore." Graves licked his lips, his wild eyes dissecting me from across the table. His chest rose and fell quickly, and his face flushed with pleasure. "There's no point looking for the old lady, you know. It's too late for her."

  "What did you do to Misty, you sick bastard?" I shrieked, unable to control my shrill tone.

  "Me?" Graves chuckled. A slow, cruel smile tugged his thin lips back from his yellowing teeth. "I didn't do anything. Little old ladies get lost all the time, you know. You've got to know when it's time to take their driver's license away. And who am I to stop the hand of God from uprooting evil from this world?"

  Uncontrollable nausea slammed through me and I turned away, dry heaving at his implications.

  Ray pushed back from the table and banged on the door. "We're done here."

  He gripped my elbow and helped me to my feet.

  "Oh, we're far from finished with each other," Graves cooed like he was talking to a lover and I retched again.

  "Wrong,” I snapped. “You and I are never going to see each other again."

  "Not if you want Kathryn to live." Graves's taunting, sing-song voice flooded me with rage and I whirled on him.

  "If you know where my sister is, you better tell me right now, Graves, or so help me—"

  "Or what?" He drummed his hands on the metal table. "What is an impotent witch with no control over her magic going to do to God's chosen prophet? Nothing. You're broken, and you can't do a single thing to stop us. Even if you could use your magic, you'd never defeat us. We are servants of righteousness. You will fail,
and I will enjoy every second of destroying you."

  I stormed back toward the table, knocking one of the chairs out of my way as I went. "If destroying me is what you want, why don't you just cut to the chase and do it? Why bother with my friends and family? If your so-called 'God' has such a problem with me personally, then relay this message. Come at me, bitch. Declaring war on the coven was a fucking mistake, and threatening the people I love is the worst choice you could possibly have made. Stop the weak tactics and the sniping. If you're going to come for me, then do it. Leave everybody else out of it."

  Ray wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me away from the table as the door opened. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

  I glared at Graves and gritted my teeth as Ray dragged me out of the room and deposited me in the hall.

  "I'll be sure my brothers mail you Kathryn's head for your blasphemy!" Graves shouted.

  Something in my gut nagged at me and I took a step back toward the open door, so I could watch Graves as I responded.

  "Oh, yeah? What does Kathryn look like?" I crossed my arms, never taking my eyes off him.

  "That's a stupid question." His eyes went wide and I could see him scrambling for an answer. "She looks just like you, but younger. Same hair, same eyes, everything."

  I turned back to Ray and smirked as Detective Stapleton closed the door to the meeting room.

  "What?" Ray squinted and searched my face as I burst into laughter.

  "He's bluffing about Kat." My knees went weak with relief and I gripped Ray's forearms until I was sure I'd be steady on my own again. "We look about as different as any two biological siblings can possibly look." I was almost dizzy with giddiness. "That guy has never laid eyes on my sister, and I don't think we have any reason to believe anything else he says. If he was wrong about that, he could be wrong about everything, right?"

  "As happy as I am for you considering this guy probably doesn't pose any real threat to your sister, I hate how many problems this creates for me and my team." Detective Stapleton groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face.

  "I'm sorry." I winced. "I hate this may set back your investigation into the murders. I didn't mean to create more work for you; I was just following a hunch."

  James ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the usually neat, dark crew cut. "I really thought we had the guy bagged. He knew things he couldn't possibly know unless he was there."

  "Unless the so-called ‘God’ voice in his head was actually the one who was there. Whoever the voice is, maybe they’re feeding Graves the information they need him to have. That way, he gets what he was promised and takes the fall for what they did."

  James turned pale under his tan and swallowed hard, glancing back and forth between Ray and me. "He hasn't had any visitors or phone calls since he's been here. The only people who've talked to him at all are jail employees, detectives, and cops. How is it he's finding these things out? How does he know an elderly lady went missing after she left your house last night if nobody from the outside is slipping him this information?"

  Ray and I exchanged a furtive look before I spoke. "There are only two explanations and you're not going to like either one of them."

  James pivoted and waved for us to follow him as he made his way back up the hall toward the exit. "I know I'm going to regret asking, but go ahead and hit me with those explanations."

  I opened my mouth to answer, but Ray elbowed me and shook his head. "I think it's probably best if you escort us out to my SUV, don't you?"

  James paused mid-step and cut Ray a sideways glance. Ray stared at him, tight-lipped and wide-eyed until James relented. "Of course.”

  We continued through the security checkpoint in silence. Ray waited until we were outside to blow out a relieved breath. "Sorry I made you wait, but I'm not sure who's listening and who's not when we're in there."

  He motioned to me.

  I swallowed hard. "Either Graves is getting his information from someone he is having contact with in jail, which doesn't look good for the police department, or the voice in his head is real, which makes it more of a supernatural problem." I shot him an apologetic grimace before continuing. "Honestly, I'm not sure you're really equipped to handle either option. No offense, but we both know why it’s a bad idea to be the guy who starts digging into department corruption in a town this small. No matter how far it goes, it’s going to be a level of ugly that could ruin lives. If it weren’t, you’d have done it a long time ago."

  “Yeah, and not just my life, but the life of everybody I know and love, too.” James let out a low whistle and jammed his hands in his pockets with a slow shake of the head. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

  I started to apologize, but Ray's phone rang. My heart skipped a beat, though I didn't know who might be on the other end.

  Ray answered his phone.

  "Hey, Celeste. What's up?" He frowned and the color slowly drained from his face as the county coroner, Dr. Abrams, spoke on the other end of the call.

  I moved closer, taking Ray's free hand and tangling my fingers with his as I mouthed, "What is it?"

  He swallowed hard and held the phone away from his ear. "It's Misty."

  I blinked at Ray, uncomprehending. "Why is Misty with Celeste? I didn't know they knew each other."

  The softness in his eyes and the almost imperceptible tremble of his bottom lip when he reached for me made my breath catch. My chest squeezed impossibly tight and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to catch a full breath.

  "No." I shook my head and held up my hands. "Don't say it."

  "Roxy, I'm so sorry." Ray's voice broke.

  I crumpled against his chest and sobbed into the soft fabric of his t-shirt. I felt him move to lift his phone and heard Celeste’s voice loud and clear. "You still there, Ray?"

  He must have switched to speakerphone.

  "Yeah." His voice was gravelly, and he cleared his throat. "We're getting in my truck now. We can be there in just a few minutes."

  "Don’t." Celeste's usually clinical voice came out shrill and she took a deep, shaky breath. "Judging by what I just heard, the victim and your client were close friends. Ray, if you care the least little bit about Miss Cole, you won't let her see her friend like this."

  A chill gripped my spine and I shuddered. "What does that mean?"

  "Do you remember what Olivia Masters' body looked like, Miss Cole?" Celeste's voice was softer and less abrasive. Olivia’s drowned body, and the laminated message that was jammed down her throat, flashed through my mind. We will purge all wickedness from our shores.

  "How could I ever forget it?" I groaned.

  "This is just as bad as that was...if not worse. I can promise you don't want to experience it firsthand."

  Hot, slimy bile boiled up my throat and I gagged. My legs went numb and my knees gave way for a second before I caught myself. "But...what if there's a clue or a piece of evidence, but you somehow miss it because you're not...because you don't know exactly what to look for?" I gripped Ray's shirt, tears still streaming down my cheeks.

  "Ms. Cole, I understand your concerns and I promise you I'll be as thorough as I possibly can in my examination. I am as dedicated to my work as any person can be, and more than that I'm dedicated to getting justice for the victims who end up on my examination table."

  Ray slid his free arm around my waist, anchoring me against him. "I can vouch for her, Rox. Celeste's work is impeccable. Every detail will be catalogued."

  "I can fax copies of my findings to your office, if you want,” she said. “I've still got all your numbers."

  A hot ache flashed through my chest and I squeezed my eyes shut.

  Honestly, how can a one-woman circus like you compare to someone like Dr. Abrams? I couldn't tell if the voice was Shadow or just my normal internal monologue, but I pressed my cheek against Ray's chest, drinking in the warmth that radiated off him. My arms tightened around his waist. That's a stupid thing to focus on right now.
r />   "Thank you, Celeste. I really appreciate you keeping me in the loop on these cases." Ray's chest vibrated under my cheek as he spoke.

  My mouth was dry and my throat was raw from sobbing, but I swallowed hard and licked my lips. "I appreciate it, too, more than you know, Dr. Abrams."

  As Ray ended the call, I slipped out of his embrace and turned to glower at the jail's looming brick facade.

  Looks like creepy wasn't wrong about everything, after all.

  I groaned and dropped my face in my hands.

  "What is it, Rox?" Ray's voice was gentle, and the brush of his hand on my back was feather light.

  "Graves wasn't wrong about it being too late to save Misty. It looks like the only thing he's been wrong about so far is Kat, and what she looks like, and that makes things even more confusing than ever." Hands-on-hips, I glared at the building, wondering where they kept Walter Graves.

  Before I knew what was happening, I was moving, storming back across the parking lot toward the building.

  "Rox?" Ray caught up to me. He scrambled around in front of me and laid his hands on my shoulders, halting me mid-stride. "Hold it. What do you think you're doing?"

  "Get out of my way, Ray." A hot, angry flush flared across my skin as I tried to duck his grasp. "I'm going back in there, and I'm going to make that asshole Graves tell me how he knew Misty was dead."

  "And how, exactly, were you planning on dragging some sense out of that lunatic?" Ray's grip on my shoulders tightened and I reached up, prying his hands off with a feral growl.

  "I'll do whatever it takes to make him tell us what he knows." I slipped off the necklace Misty gave me and pocketed it, focusing on the way my pulse thundered in my ears and adrenaline rushed through my system.

  "Don't," Ray pleaded.

  Shaking my head, I sidestepped, trying to dodge around him. He grabbed both my hands and tugged me against his chest so he could gaze into my eyes.

  "Get out of my way," I growled through clenched teeth. "That bastard knows what happened to Misty, and I'll be damned if I let him get away with his gloating and threats a moment longer.”