“Jeezus!” This time the explosion was a little less controlled. “It’s after six and they just called! What the fuck were they waitin’ for? An engraved invitation?”
The other officer took a noticeable step back from the seething mountain that was Detective Benjamin Storm. Of the things that could set him off, anything he perceived as incompetence was the most likely to do it. Combining it with the fact that a child’s life was now most likely perched perilously close to the edge of nothingness only served to feed his growing temper.
“We still have time,” I stated calmly.
“What?!” he turned on me quickly, responding only to the sound of my voice. His demeanor softened slightly when he realized whom he was facing.
“I said, we still have time. Not much, but it’s better than nothing. He’ll keep her alive until the time arrives for the ritual. He might keep her drugged, but I don’t think he’ll harm her at this point.”
“Why’s that?” Deckert queried.
“He has to keep her pristine,” I explained. “No rape, no torture. He’s not going to hurt her… Not yet anyway.”
“He picked ‘er out, didn’t he?” Ben demanded. “This wasn’t just some random grab, was it?”
“I’m sure he did. The fact that her name is Ariel is probably just a coincidence. I doubt that it had anything to do with his selection.” The little girl in my visions flashed before my eyes. “I should have recognized it sooner though.”
“Recognize what?”
“The little girl in my visions.” I spelled out my thoughts for them, “She appeared as a young, childlike version of Ariel Tanner. I was being told that THIS Ariel had already been chosen, but I didn’t understand. I just assumed he would grab any child he could.”
“So, if he had her picked out in advance, then the bank must still be the connection,” Deckert volunteered. “She must have a trustee account or something.”
I nodded in assent. “I’d be willing to bet on it. That’s how he was able to see her and pick her out… For all the good that does us now.”
“We might not have stopped ‘im from grabbin’ this kid,” Ben declared indignantly, “but we’re on the right track now… We’re close, and I’ll be damned if he’s gonna get a chance to hurt ‘er. You got anything else from these dreams of yours we should know about?”
“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.”
“You read?” Felicity inquired.
“Yeah. I learned from Ariel,” she acknowledged. “She was really into tarot.”
“Unfortunately, we aren’t,” I outlined. “So I had to do a little research on the meanings. Even so, it still didn’t make any sense until today.”
“I almost forgot to ask,” Felicity expressed. “Was your idea about that right?”
“He was on the nose,” Ben spoke up. “All of the victims had accounts at the same bank except the Radcliffe woman. So Svengali here says, ‘What about her roommate?’ And bingo! There it is. Her roommate’s bank account matched up with the other three.”
“More than likely she was the intended victim,” I finished the story. “But they were both flight attendants, and they just happened to trade flights that day.”
“Talk about bad luck,” R.J. whistled. “But what about the little girl?”
“Her name’s Ariel, believe it or not, but I don’t think that’s her connection. They’re checking, but the guess is that she has a trustee account or something at the same bank.”
“Well, that would make sense,” Cally mused. “Money, bank accounts, and all that.” She shifted slightly in her seat. “But you’re right. It’s pretty obscure.”
“So you figure that the killer works at the bank they all used or something?” R.J. ventured thoughtfully.
“Capitol Bank to be exact,” Ben responded. “And yeah, that’s the theory right now.”
“Capitol Bank?” Cally echoed. “Wow, that’s weird.”
Ben shifted his gaze over to her. “Whaddaya mean?”
“Roger.” She turned to me. “You know, the guy we told you about that was just a poser? Well, he works at Capitol Bank. That’s where he met Ariel.” She gave a visible shudder. “To think he might be working with this sicko. It gives me the creeps.”
“By any chance,” Ben reached into his jacket and pulled out the familiar, worn black notebook that never seemed to leave his side. “Would either of you know if he happened to move here recently, like say, within the past year?”
“Yeah, I think he did,” R.J. nodded thoughtfully. “He was from somewhere out West or someplace like that.”
“I seem to remember him saying something about Washington state,” Cally added. “Why?”
“Because another one of the clues in the dream was constant rain,” I explained. “When I finally managed to connect that with Seattle, we found out that a murder just like these happened out there about a year ago.”
“Do you really think it could be Roger?” Cally’s eyes had widened almost instantly.
“I don’t know,” Ben announced, “but I plan ta’ find out.”
“What does Roger look like?” I queried.
“Oh, late twenties, early thirties,” Cally described. “Kind of stocky, about five-eight with sandy hair.”
“What color are his eyes?” I pressed.
“Bright blue.”
“No they aren’t,” R.J. interjected. “Those are contacts. Remember, he lost one at a coven meeting once, and he looked like one of those malamutes or something. He’s got grey eyes.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I forgot about that,” she agreed and then turned to me. “Is that important?”
I didn’t answer her directly. I looked over at my friend who was now holding his pen frozen in space inches from his notebook, staring back in amazement. “I saw grey eyes when I channeled Karen Barnes. The killer has grey eyes.”
We all stared around the room at one another silently for a moment. The pieces of the puzzle had fallen completely into place, making a fully formed image-the image of a young man with light hair and light eyes.
Ben was the first to break the stunned hush. “I’m gonna use your phone.”
CHAPTER 21
Tell ‘im that’s not my problem, and yes we do have a warrant,” Ben roared into the telephone. “Now I want the employee file on Roger Henderson yesterday!” He covered the mouthpiece with his hand and glanced over at me. “President of the bank is throwin’ some kinda black tie thing at his house tonight. He seems ta’ think that it’s more important than… Hell No!” Someone apparently spoke at the other end as he abruptly ended his comment and returned his attention to the handset. “Why don’t ya’ ask ‘im how he’d feel about havin’ a sobriety checkpoint right outside his front door?” The pause was brief while the person at the other end assumedly relayed Ben’s intimidating rhetoric. “Yeah, I thought so. Have a patrol in the area pick it up and tell ‘em to ignore the stop signs… Yeah, Uh-huh. Thanks… Yeah, is Deckert still there? Yeah, put ‘im on…”
Cally, R.J., Felicity, and I watched wordlessly as Ben continued directing the efforts of the Major Case Squad via the telephone. The device had been cradled between his ear and shoulder for over fifteen minutes while he relentlessly barked questions and orders into it. He stopped only momentarily to quickly shift the handset to the other shoulder and turn to a fresh page in his notebook.
The atmosphere in the room had stiffened with morbid tension the moment Roger’s name became associated with the murders. The original response had been one of sympathetic horror at the prospect of him working side by side with the killer. That feeling was almost instantly replaced by disbelief, followed by disgust the moment the light of suspicion fell directly upon him. Stunned as I was by the revelation that a member of Ariel’s coven, poser or not, might in fact be the killer, I could only imagine how Cally and R.J. were feeling. They had stood in circle with him, and if I were either of them
, it would be making me sick.
“…Tell me we actually do have a warrant, Deck,” Ben was continuing his conversation with Detective Deckert now. His query didn’t surprise me, as there had been no such document when we left the MCS Command Post, and this was the first contact he had had with them since. “Good, good. Better get the prosecutor on the phone, and have Benson tell the judge not ta’ get too comfortable, ‘cause I’m bettin’ we’re gonna need another one.”
Ben proceeded to outline the events of the last hour that had caused the few remaining pieces of the puzzle to slip easily into their respective places. The picture was becoming clearer every moment, and I had the distinct feeling that my friend was preparing to frame it and hang it on the wall.
“…Okay, so you get everyone back in. Let’s see…” Ben glanced at his watch. “It’s seven-ten now, so I should be back no later than seven-thirty… Yeah, I know. Yeah. Yeah. Just tell ‘em ya’ can’t find me or somethin’… Yeah, see ya’ in a few.”
“If you don’t mind my asking,” I queried as he settled the handset back onto its cradle, “what was that last bit about not being able to find you?”
He looked around the room letting his gaze flicker uneasily past Cally and R.J. before once again locking with mine. “I guess it doesn’t matter who knows. The media’ll be all over it soon enough. Seems that since there’s an abduction involved, the Feds are all over this thing.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Don’t know yet, but I can tell ya’ one thing for certain…” He let out a frustrated sigh and directed his index finger at me. “They ain’t gonna be real excited about you.”
“Have they taken over the investigation or something?”
“Not yet, but they’ve apparently been callin’ every ten minutes lookin’ for me. Hell, I’ve been expectin’ it since the beginning. I’m surprised they waited this long.”
“How do you plan on handling it?”
“Right now?” Ben reached up to smooth his hair in his distant manner that bespoke of intense thought. “Right now I need ta’ get back and help Carl take care of all this shit with warrants. As for the FBI, I’ll just hafta cross that bridge when I get to it.”
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