Or burn it down.
She subconsciously clenched her fists but released them when Mitch glanced at her curiously. She swallowed hard and brushed it off.
Vowker motioned to the two guest chairs opposite his desk as he took a seat.
“I just don’t know what to say about this.” He shook his head. “Such atrocity in our peaceful town. Can you tell me what happened exactly? I mean I… can imagine, but… talk is already beginning to spread around. I want to clarify the rumors if they’re not true.”
“What have you heard?” Salvi asked.
Vowker looked at her hesitantly for a moment. “That she was defiled.”
“Defiled?” Salvi asked. “What do you class as defiled?”
Again, Vowker hesitated. “Things were done to her that a Child of Christ would not take part in.”
“From what we can tell Sharon didn’t take part in anything,” Mitch told him. “What happened in that house was forced upon her.”
Vowker nodded and lowered his eyes, quickly performing another sign of the cross. He shook his head again. “Dreadful business. I will continue to pray for her and her family.”
“What kind of girl was Sharon?” Mitch asked.
“She was a good Christian. Caring. Loving to those less fortunate. She was well liked. A solid contributor to our parish.”
“You don’t know of anyone who would want to hurt her?” Mitch asked.
Vowker shook his head. “No,” he said adamantly. “Absolutely not.”
“Who did she hang around with?” Mitch asked.
“Her fellow Children of Christ. They are all good kids, well behaved, like any Child of Christ should be.”
Salvi felt an involuntary twitch of the muscles in her neck. A flinch of anger maybe. “Did she have a boyfriend?”
He seemed to ponder something for a moment. “I suspected she had become curious about boys, but that’s to be expected at her age. We counsel our young and provide them with the support they need to avoid such temptations. I had the utmost faith that her vows to Christ were intact. She was a model citizen at the Children of Christ… For someone to do that to her… to corrupt such a pure heart…”
“Pure?” Salvi said. “An interesting choice of word.”
Vowker looked at her. “Purity and chastity are two important vows the Children of Christ live by.”
“And do you live by these vows?” Salvi asked, then motioned to his wedding ring. “I see you’re married.”
Vowker looked down at his wedding ring. “Yes,” he smiled. “Twenty-three years last month.”
“And did you practice chastity before marriage?” Salvi asked, unable to help the sharpness of her words. “Or do you just expect everyone else to?”
Mitch threw her a glance, while Vowker stared at her with surprise.
“Elizabeth and I were then married in the eyes of God and that is how we live. And anyone else who chooses to marry in the eyes of God can do so too.”
“How long was Sharon a part of your group?” Mitch took the conversation in another direction.
Vowker turned his eyes to Mitch. “Ever since she was born. Her parents are devoutly religious, were one of the founding residents of this town alongside myself, and they have raised her as such.”
“You never directly answered my question about Sharon having a boyfriend?” Salvi pressed.
Vowker stared at her for a moment as though in analysis. “No. As I said, she was a Child of Christ.”
“They can’t have boyfriends and girlfriends and just abstain from sex?”
He analyzed her again. “I don’t expect non-believers to understand, Detective. Especially those from the city,” he said with an air of condescension. “But we believe. This is our faith. This is our way of life. This is why we established this community, so we could live good, clean lives, live the way we want to. Away from the city. Free of temptation.”
“I understand how it works,” Salvi said with a smile. “You cut them off from the outside world so the only life they know to exist is the one you tell them that does.”
Mitch glanced at her again, and Preacher Vowker stared.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Salvi persisted, her eyes piercing the preacher’s. “Can’t they have boyfriends and girlfriends and just abstain?”
Vowker gave her a patient smile. “If one does not want to be tempted, then one should avoid temptation in the first place. We encourage our flock to have friends. If their friendships deepen, that is when they know the time is right to marry. That is when they know their friendship is special.”
“How young do they marry here?” she asked.
“As young as their parents will consent to, within the boundary of Californian state law.”
“Did Sharon ever have any special friends?” Mitch asked, taking the reins of the conversation.
Vowker hesitated a moment, considering his answer. “She was friends with one boy. They seemed to be getting close, so I counseled them. Reminded them of their vows.”
“Which boy?” Mitch asked.
Vowker looked back to Mitch. “Oh, he would never–”
“Which boy?” Mitch asked again, more firmly.
The preacher hesitated, then answered. “Tobias Brook. But he is dedicated to his faith. He would never do anything like that.”
Salvi and Mitch exchanged a look.
“Is there anyone else in town you think we should talk to?” Mitch asked.
“Anyone that may have strayed from your restrictive values?” Salvi added, unable to hide the acidic tone to her voice. “Anyone you think might be living an unclean life?”
Vowker stared at Salvi again. Mitch did too.
“No,” Vowker said calmly. “This is a good town full of good people, Detective. We live good lives and we work to help others. That is what Bountiful is all about. That’s what this town was founded on. Love, peace, and goodwill to others.” He smiled again as though explaining something to a child. “The people around here do not believe our values are restrictive. Our values protect us from the devil that lurks in the outside world.”
“When was the last time you saw Sharon?” Salvi asked, eyes still fixed firmly upon him, her face unrelenting.
“She was here for the weekly Youth Corps meeting. She left around 4pm.”
“And what did you do after that?”
“I closed up the hall and went home for supper.”
“Your wife, Elizabeth, can verify this?”
Vowker paused, eyes narrowing in analysis of Salvi. “Yes. She can.”
Mitch pulled a card out of his pocket and offered it to Vowker. “If you think of anything, please give us a call.”
Vowker took the card and read it, then opened a drawer at his desk and pulled out one of his own. But instead of offering it to Mitch, he offered it to Salvi. She looked at his proffered arm and the card it held.
“We have certified counselors here, including myself, who can talk about anything you want,” he said. “Your job must be a tough one, Detective. You shouldn’t bear the burden of that alone. If you ever want to talk, please call my number.”
Salvi looked from the card back to Vowker’s face, a slap of anger burning up her cheeks. She stood, ignoring the card and Vowker, and walked out of the office.
“What the hell was that about?” Mitch asked as he climbed back into the Raider, where Salvi was waiting.
“What was what?” Salvi asked, nonchalant.
“You giving the preacher a hard time. Asking him those questions about his sex life.”
Salvi shrugged. “I just think it’s hypocritical. While he screws his wife every night, he expects those teenagers to abstain.”
Mitch stared at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Since when did you become an advocate for people’s sex lives.”
Salvi stared back.
He shrugged. “You’re suddenly the spokesperson for free sex?” he said. “From what I hear you’ve been
single a long time. What do you care if people choose to abstain? Doesn’t that make you hypocritical?”
“You’ve been asking people about my sex life?” she questioned, the muscles in her back tightening.
“No. But I’ve heard the guys at the hub joking about it.”
“You really think I’m going to report in on my sex life to them?”
He shrugged again as he looked out the window, but he didn’t answer.
“Alright, what about you, then?” she shot. “How long have you been single, Mitch?”
“Ever since my girlfriend was murdered,” he shot back. “Almost four years ago.”
They stared at each other for a moment, Salvi caught a little by surprise. It was the first time he’d mentioned her.
“But is that what you’re asking me?” Mitch said. “Or are you asking how long it’s been since I had sex? Because the answer is a lot different.”
Salvi turned to look out the front windscreen. “Just drive.”
“Ah,” a smile broke his face, “there’s the partner I’ve come to know. Forever sailing on an even keel.”
She threw him a confused look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You,” he said, eyes twinkling with curiosity. “You’ve been a constant flatline these past few months, but five minutes with the preacher and suddenly we have a pulse.”
“I told you, I think he’s a hypocrite.”
Mitch studied her curiously. “So?”
“What?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “I’m just curious is all. You keep this façade, pretending to be this emotionless vessel, so in control, when clearly you’re not.”
“I’m not emotionless, Mitch. I just don’t wear my heart on my sleeve like you seem to. You’re the one turning up to work hungover.”
“I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve, Salvi. It’s called being normal. I’m human. It’s normal to have emotions.”
“I keep my emotion out of my job. Something you should do.”
“You didn’t just then.” He pointed back to the hall. “You, Miss Controlled, just let a little emotion escape. Something about that preacher got you wound up. I’m curious.”
She turned back to stare out the window. “Your desire to see me be an emotional mess like you, is clouding your judgment, Detective.”
“Emotional mess?” he said. “Ouch. That was cold, Salvi. Even for you.”
Mitch went to start the Raider up, but his eyes caught on something and he paused.
Salvi followed his line of sight and saw two men moving along the sidewalk, heading toward the church. They were dressed in beige uniforms: long cotton pants covered by a long-sleeved cotton robe, tied with a beige cotton belt. They wore brown sandals and they carried baskets of fruit. Their heads were shaved, and a strange strip of silver sat wrapped around backs of their skulls, somewhat reminiscent of an ancient Roman laurel wreath.
“Well, would you look at that,” Mitch said, not taking his eyes off them. “They must be the Serenes. Just walking around the streets of Bountiful, free to do whatever they want. No guards present.”
Salvi studied the men. They looked like their names suggested. Serene. Placid. Content. She watched as they approached members of the Children of Christ and handed over the baskets of fruit. One of the women smiled, and Salvi lip-read a “thank you”. The Serenes both bowed and smiled, then turned and began to walk away again.
“The Serenes are the ones they’ve fixed, though, right?” she said. “How do we know that’s a Serene and not a Subjugate?”
Mitch tapped at the Raider’s controls and Riverton appeared on the screen.
“Riverton, can you tell us how the Solme Complex distinguishes between the Serenes and the Subjugates?”
“One moment,” Riverton said. A few seconds passed before the AI spoke again. “There is little information publicly available on the Solme Complex,” it said. “But according to what information is available, the ones they have converted, the Serenes, wear the belts. The ones they call the Subjugates, that haven’t yet graduated, don’t.”
“A belt?” Salvi asked, looking at Mitch. “A belt is all that differentiates between the converted and the unconverted?”
Mitch nodded, then started the Raider and set it in motion.
It was late by the time Salvi and Mitch had finished canvassing the known associates of Sharon Gleamer, in conjunction with Sheriff Holt, then driven back into the city to finalize their reports. All their interviewees had said the same thing; Sharon was a devout Child of Christ, and she was well liked. No one seemed to have any idea who could’ve murdered her. The last time Sharon had been seen was at the Youth Corps meeting. No one saw anything else. And without a circulation of drones in the sky, Salvi and Mitch couldn’t verify her movements. Or that of her killer.
Mitch had been quiet and focused on the drive back to the station. She glanced at him from time to time in study, curious. He’d never spoken to her about his girlfriend before. Salvi had heard the rumors, of course, but she’d never asked him about it. She didn’t like people prying into her life, so she never did it to others. Besides, she figured if he wanted to tell her, he would. And until now he hadn’t.
Until now, the few cases they’d worked together had been relatively simple; victims of muggings gone wrong, or those on the losing end of a street fight or drug deal, or cases of domestic homicide. This was the first case they’d worked together that apparently resembled the death of his girlfriend.
“Stop it, Salvi,” Mitch said, back at their hub. He looked up from his console opposite hers, the glow of his display splashing him with strands of color.
“Stop what?” she asked.
“Analyzing me.”
She didn’t respond, just stared at him some more; his angular stubbled jaw, his green eyes, his dark brown hair that was maybe a little longer than it should be, hanging low on his forehead near his eyes.
“I’m fine,” he told her.
“Never said you weren’t.” She made sure her tone sounded even; just one cop talking to another.
“You didn’t have to,” he said. “You think I haven’t heard the whispers around here? One mention of my dead girlfriend and suddenly you’re on alert.”
Salvi stared at him. “I’m on alert for Sharon Gleamer’s killer. Not you.”
“Well, good. But just so we’re clear, I’m fine. And you can tell Ford that too,” he said. “I know it’s your job to watch me.”
“Watch you?”
“Yeah. Apparently you’re stable and in control. And a woman too. That’s supposed to soften a male cop, right?” he said, then smirked. “Don’t worry, Salvi, I won’t tell them about the way you handled that preacher. Your secret’s safe with me.”
She ignored him, deciding it best to move on. “You find anything?”
He exhaled heavily and leaned back in his chair, then pointed back at his console screen. “Riverton’s identified seventy-two homes and thirty-nine businesses on the electrical grid, which means everyone else is off the grid using BioLume lighting or some other form. We’re talking near eight-hundred homes.”
“Great. We’ve narrowed it down, then,” she said dryly.
Mitch stared at her but didn’t smile back. “Of course, there’s also the Solme Complex that actually produces the stuff.” His eyes narrowed.
Salvi dropped her smile. “Yes. But could someone from there have actually done this?”
Mitch shrugged. “A group of sexual predators and murderers supposedly reformed into priestlike community servants. Yeah, I’d say there’s a good chance.”
“From what Riverton’s managed to find out, they’ve had an excellent success rate out there,” she countered. “The Subjugates are tightly controlled, otherwise they’d never be allowed outside the Complex. The ones that are, are no longer deemed a threat to society.”
“No,” Mitch sat forward again, “the Serenes are no longer deemed a threat to society. The Subjugates have not yet gr
aduated.”
“But they’re always escorted by guards.”
“No system is infallible.”
“What about their curfew?”
“Weston estimated the time of death as yesterday afternoon. A Subjugate could’ve easily done it, then gone back to the Solme Complex last night as normal.”
“And what about traces of blood?” she asked.
Mitch shrugged. “Maybe he knocked her out, removed his clothes, then did what he did, before washing up and putting his clean clothes back on.”
“Possibly. We’ll need the full forensic report to confirm that though. And what about the guards?” Salvi said. “A guard would’ve had to have lost sight of one of them for at least an hour or so.”
Mitch shrugged. “We need to talk to them, find out which ones were in town at the time the murder took place.”
Salvi contemplated him for a moment. “Yeah, we do. But we can’t just turn up there. We need to get that approval happening.”
“Already have.”
“You have?”
Ford came out of her office then, pulling on her jacket, her heels tapping on the floor as she headed over to them.
“You’ve got your approval to head out to the Solme Complex,” she told Mitch. “I just got off a call with Attis Solme, the guy in charge out there. He’ll arrange a time for you to meet with the key members of his staff. I’ll let you know when, but it’ll be in the next day or two.”
“We can’t get out there any sooner?” Mitch asked.
“Hey, it’s the best I can do,” she said. “I take it we’ve had no hits in the VICAP system? No other murders with the ‘pure’ carvings?”
“No, not yet, but Riverton’s searching as we speak.”
The Subjugate Page 5
