High Priestess

by Wendy Hewlett

  Oh, this is exciting. I’m beginning to see why you enjoy police work.

  Raven rolled her eyes. She studied the house as she approached Ena’s and confirmed that anyone delivering a package would have left it at the front door instead of going around to the side entrance to the kitchen which was hidden from view when you pulled into the driveway. She parked behind Ena’s car, a little disappointed that Kiran was home. She retrieved her evidence kit from the trunk and approached the side door.

  Normally, she would have let herself in, but it felt like a stranger’s house now that she knew Kiran was living there. She knocked on the kitchen door and waited. She was about to knock again when the door flew open and Kiran stood there in faded blue jeans and a white t-shirt. His hands were covered in pale yellow paint and there was a slash of paint across his handsome face. For a man in his early fifties, he was in great shape. Through his white t-shirt, Raven could see the square slabs of his pecs and the ripples of washboard abs.

  “Raven? Hello. I wasn’t expecting you.” He opened the door wider and took a step back. “Come in. You don’t need to knock. It’s your house, love.”

  Raven frowned at his comment. He knew she didn’t want the damn house and he knew she didn’t want him to call her love. Stubborn old fart. “I need to find something in Ena’s office. Is that okay?”

  “Aye. Help yourself.” He motioned to the stairs. “I’ll be upstairs. If you need anything, just give me a shout.”

  Raven nodded, wondering why he was painting if he thought she was going to get the house. She watched him as he jogged up the creaking stairs and listened to his footsteps going down the hall. If she wasn’t mistaken, he had gone into her old room. Curious, she made her way up the stairs.

  Bright light shone into the dark hallway from her childhood bedroom along with a tune she couldn’t identify playing softly. She made her way quietly down the hall and peeked around the door frame. All of the furniture had been removed and the floor was covered by drop cloths. The sickening bubblegum pink walls had been covered with the pale yellow she’d seen on Kiran’s hands and face.

  Kiran’s back was to her as he rollered a second coat of paint on the far wall, his movements in rhythm to the tune emanating from the small boom box sitting on the floor. He turned, moving towards the paint tray sitting on the floor in the middle of the room and froze when he saw Raven in the doorway. His hand dropped to his side and he straightened to his full height.

  “Raven?” He swiped his free hand through his hair, leaving a stripe of paint in it, looking like a little boy who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I’m sorry, love. I thought maybe you’d be more comfortable with the house if I got rid of your old room, made it new. Or different. I guess I’m trying to paint away your bad memories, darling.”

  Raven stood there staring at him with her mouth open. He was doing this for her after the way she treated him?

  “Please, say something.” His eyes pleaded with her.

  “Why?” It was all she could think of to say in that moment.

  His short laugh portrayed his nervousness. “Because I knew the room held bad memories for you.” He placed the roller in the paint tray, rubbed his hands down his thighs, leaving yellow streaks on his jeans, and turned sad eyes on Raven. “I don’t know what to do for you, love. I know you're hurting, but I don’t know how to fix it. Moving furniture and painting I can handle. Being a father? Well, that’s new territory for me.”

  Raven could only stare at him. She swallowed the knot in her throat, turning away from him so he couldn’t see the emotions she was sure were written all over her face. “Thank you.” Her lower lip trembled as she spoke, so she bit into it. Had anyone ever done something like that for her before? She didn’t think so. It seemed this man felt something for her even though they just met and despite how rude she’d been to him.

  “You’re welcome, love. Would you do something for me?”

  She knew she should turn around and face him, but she turned her head to the side instead, seeing him in her peripheral vision. “What do you need?”

  “Would you give me a chance to be your father? I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes, Raven. But, I promise I’ll try my best.”

  Her chest tightened and her eyes pooled despite trying desperately to push it all back. She dropped to a crouching position and covered her head with her arms. This was too much. She’d been on her own for years. Even with Adara, she felt alone in the world. Hell, she was alone when she was with Ena. Could she let this man in and risk getting hurt?

  She felt Kiran next to her then his arms wrapped around her, cocooning her in his warmth. Raven did something she hadn’t allowed herself to do since she was a little girl – she let go. Leaning into him, she buried her face in his chest and wept. Kiran’s big hand cradled her head, holding her to his chest as he rocked her in his arms.

  Raven cried until she was sure she had no tears left. When her ragged breaths returned to normal, she pushed away from Kiran, embarrassed by her loss of control. “Sorry,” she whispered as she dried her cheeks with her hands.

  “Don’t be sorry, love. I have a feeling that was a long time coming.”

  Kiran stayed at her side, but made no attempt to touch her or pull her back in. He gave her the space she needed to regain control. She had to give him points for that. “I…” She pointed towards the hallway and pushed up to her feet. “I need to go.”

  “Alright then, love,” Kiran whispered.

  * * *

  Raven stood in the middle of Ena’s office with her evidence kit in her hand, still shaking from her emotional outbreak. It took a minute for her to remember what she was looking for. Oh, yeah. Gift bag. She slid open the closet door, pulled a large bin from the shelf and set it down on the floor. Inside was a massive collection of gift bags and wrapping paper.

  “What does it look like?” She waited for Ena’s response and was met with silence. “Damn it, Ena. Where the hell are you?”

  Raven slapped the lid back on the bin and clicked it into place by slamming her fist in the middle of it. She was going to have to take the whole bin until she could get Ena to identify the bag. She carried it out to the kitchen and placed it on the counter near the door then went back for her evidence kit. As she came out of the office, Kiran was coming down the stairs carrying a large cardboard box.

  “Have you got a minute, love?”

  Raven placed her kit by the door then turned to him. She was hoping to get out before she ran into him again. “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “I came across this box in your mother’s closet.” He set it on the kitchen island. “It’s got your name on it.”

  Raven closed in on the box as if she was approaching an explosive device. She peered at the elegant scroll written in black marker across the top – For Raven. Had Ena done this before or after she knew she was dying?

  “I’ll carry it out to your car for you, aye?”

  Raven’s eyes met Kiran’s over the box. He was looking at her like he was trying to figure out if she was still fragile and emotional. She just wanted to get out of there, away from the man who was making it very hard not to love him and let him be the father he wanted to be. It made her feel like she was going to lose control and the last thing she wanted was to blubber on his shoulder again. She nodded. “Yeah. That would be great. Thanks.”

  She swore Kiran’s ice blue eyes twinkled when he smiled. He hefted the box off the island counter and they took everything out, loading it into her trunk. Her eyes met Kiran’s for a second before she dropped her gaze. “So…thanks.” God, this was awkward.

  “Will you come for dinner tomorrow? Six o’clock?”

  Her gaze flew up to meet his again. That was the last thing she was expecting. She wanted to say no, but she couldn’t think of an excuse. “Yeah, sure.” His eyes lit up again and Raven felt her heart swell. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to get to know him a bit. She motioned toward her car door then dropped her hand to her s
ide, her palm slapping against her thigh. “I need to go.”

  He stepped into her, wrapped her in his warm, strong arms, and squeezed.

  “Alright, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” When he stepped back, he placed a sweet, chaste kiss against her cheek then walked around the car and stood at the edge of the driveway. Raven’s chest and eyes were on fire. She’d stiffened and didn’t hug him back, but she wanted to. She was stopped by the urge to collapse into those strong arms and let go again. She’d already made a fool of herself once. She wasn’t about to do it again.

  Raven got in the car and began reversing out to the road. He watched her the whole time then waved when she shifted into drive. Raven waved back and then sped off, not exactly sure where she was going. She couldn’t go home because of the media camped out around her little cottage. She didn’t want to go to Adara’s. Riley’s and Jaxon’s were out and she didn’t want to call Mick again.

  So, she drove aimlessly, thinking about Ena and Kiran and how different her life could have been if Kiran hadn’t left all those years ago. Or, if he’d come back before Ena got involved with Gregor. She was so lost in her thoughts she neglected to check her surroundings, not noticing the car that pulled in behind her until it’s red and blue lights began to flash all around her and it’s siren squealed. She flashed her eyes to her rear-view mirror and recognized the SUV belonging to DS LaCroix.

  “Damn it.” She didn’t want to deal with him yet. But, she pulled to the side of the road and sat there with her hands white knuckled around her steering wheel. She waited until he was beside her door before rolling the window down.

  “Is your phone broken, Bowen?”

  “No, sir.” Raven continued to stare straight ahead as LaCroix sighed loudly. He was pissed at her and she couldn’t blame him.

  “Here’s what your going to do. You’re going to drive to the detachment and pull your vehicle into the garage so you’re not hounded by the media. Then you go straight to my office and wait for me. Got it?”

  Her hands were still white knuckled on the steering wheel despite the gash in her palm. She needed more time before she dealt with this, but she wasn’t going to get it. Time to face the music, damn it.

  “Yes, sir.”

  LaCroix tapped the roof of her car twice before walking away.

  CHAPTER 12

  RAVEN FELT LIKE she was doing the walk of shame as she made her way through the detachment to LaCroix’s office. No one said a word, but she could feel everyone’s eyes on her. She met Mick’s gaze for an instant before Mick dropped her eyes. When she stepped into LaCroix’s office, she slammed the door behind her and dropped into one of the chairs facing his desk wondering how long he’d make her sit here and wait. She could still feel everyone’s eyes boring into the back of her head.

  Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity. The second hand on the clock above LaCroix’s desk appeared lethargic, every tick and tock amplified. Raven began tapping her fingers against her thigh then bouncing her legs on the balls of her feet. What the heck was taking him so long? He had no right to make her sit here and wait when she was supposed to be off sick. Okay, so she wasn’t sick, but he didn’t need to know that.

  She nearly jumped right out of her seat when the door flung open. She turned her head to see LaCroix carrying two large coffees. He set one down on the desk in front of Raven and took his to his chair. Raven stared at the cup wondering how the hell she was going to drink it? Would it hurt the baby to have one coffee? God, she really wanted it.

  She picked up the cup, opened the lid and took a long sip. God, it was good. Until she opened her eyes and found LaCroix staring at her with a scowl on his face, she hadn’t realized she’d closed them.

  “What?”

  “You missed your appointment with the psychologist this afternoon, Raven.”

  “I didn’t know I had an appointment.”

  LaCroix exploded out of his chair, banging his fist on the desk on his way up. “Damn it, Raven. I’ve been trying to call you all day.” His palms landed on the desk and he leaned over it, an imposing figure making her feel small in her chair. “I must have sent you fifty text messages. Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone?”

  Now he was pissing her off. She didn’t deserve to have him yelling at her and trying to intimidate her. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and threw it on the desk between LaCroix’s hands.

  “Someone gave my cell number to the media, so it’s been ringing non-stop. Oh, and my home address as well. I went to the lawyer’s this morning about my mother’s estate and when I tried to go home, it was surrounded by satellite trucks and reporters.”

  A frown line appeared between his brows. “No one should be able to access your number or your address.” He picked up her phone and scrolled through her call log and text messages. “Who would do that? Riley?”

  “No, she’s not vindictive.” Raven put the coffee cup back on LaCroix’s desk, dropped her elbows to her knees and rested her head in her palms.

  “Jaxon?”

  Jesus. Did everyone know her business? “He wouldn’t hurt me either.” Except he had, but he wouldn’t have sicced the media on her.

  “The same person who killed your mother?”

  Raven’s head shot up to meet his gaze. “What?”

  “If they know your investigating her case, they may be trying to sidetrack you. Why? Who do you think would do something like that?”

  “I was thinking Tate. I totally didn’t go there with Ena’s killer.” She swiped her hand through her hair as a chill ran down her spine. “That would mean Ena’s killer knows my cell phone number and address.”

  LaCroix lowered himself back into his chair and tented his fingertips together then tapped his forefingers against his lower lip. “I don’t like this, Rave. I don’t like it one bit.” He sat forward and grabbed a notepad, turning it around and sliding it over to Raven before slapping a pen on top of it. “Write down every member of the coven who knows your phone number and address.”

  Raven stared hard at the notepad. She could only think of three people that fit that criteria and she didn’t want to write down any of their names. She glanced up at LaCroix and the expression on his face told her he wasn’t messing around. Her fingers passed through her hair again before she snapped up the pen and scribbled three names across the paper – Adara Kirby, Kiran Hayes, and Dr. Simone Wagnar. She slapped the pen onto the desk and shoved the notepad back to LaCroix then slumped back into her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

  LaCroix spun the pad around and read the names. “What’s your gut telling you, Rave?”

  “I need to check with the Royal Navy in the UK, but I think Kiran Hayes was on a ship in the Mediterranean when Ena was being poisoned. Simone was supposed to be away at a conference for the last week of Ena’s life. Again, I’ve yet to confirm that.”

  “That leaves Adara.”

  “She was Ena’s best friend, Grayson. She’s been like a mother to me since I left home. She couldn’t have done this.”

  Don’t forget who could have gotten into your head to distract you before Jaxon hit you with his truck.

  Now she shows up? What the hell did she mean by that? It was Ena who was balling in her head when she walked out into traffic.

  No, darling angel. It wasn’t. Have you ever known me to cry like that?

  “Rave?”

  “Sorry, what?” Had he been talking to her?

  “I asked if you’d found any evidence yet?”

  She couldn’t answer his question because she hadn’t checked her emails yet today. Surely Mick would have picked up any reports that came in from the lab or the Medical Examiner. “I need to check my emails.”

  “What the hell have you been doing all day?”

  Raven frowned at him. “I called in sick.”

  “Bullshit. You’re never sick. What the hell have you been up to all day, Rave?”

  Damn him. “I needed a personal day to deal w
ith personal crap. Okay?”

  “Like your father suddenly turning up?”

  Her blood began to boil and she felt the heat flare up over her face. “It’s called personal crap because it’s no one else’s business, including yours.”

  “It’s my business if it effects how you do your job. You were supposed to be in the psychologist’s office over an hour ago and since that was a condition to you continuing to work this case, you’re officially off of it.”

  Raven shot her feet, leaning over LaCroix’s desk. “You can’t do that. I had a perfectly good reason why I didn’t get your messages.”

  “God, you frustrate the hell out of me, Rave,” he said as he scrubbed his hands over his face.

  “Please don’t take me off this case.”

  He pursed his lips into a fine line. “Don’t make me regret this. I’m going to reschedule you to see the psychologist and I want you to get a new cell phone number by the end of the day and text me so that I have it. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.” She lowered herself onto the edge of the chair.

  “Good. Now we need to discuss Gregor Paigo.”

  Shit. She knew it was coming and still it hit her like a brick between the eyes. “What about him?”

  “Did he molest you when you were a child? Is he the reason you left home, Rave?”

  He asked the question so gently, it was a complete contrast to what the words evoked. Raven dropped her head into her hands again, sliced her fingers into her hair and fisted them, hoping that would stop them from trembling. But, it didn’t. The trembling seemed to start deep inside, spreading out in waves.

  “Rave? There’s no statute of limitations on child molestation.”

  So not ready for this. She raised her head despite the pounding at her temples. “If I did what you’re asking, it would be played out in the media. They’re all over Solstice trying to get a piece of me. What do you think would happen if we charged him?” In a roundabout way, she just answered his question. She just hoped he wouldn’t press her any further.