Raven, Red

by Connie Suttle

  "I think she'd prefer that you keep that between the two of you," Mac replied dryly.

  "Very well. You wish us to watch the neighbor's house?"

  "Yes, but from a distance. I know the stench is getting worse the longer those cattle are exposed," Mac told him. "Claudio wishes to stay here at the house with Nico and me. He's already asked Alejandro to keep an eye on Val's herd while he and the hands shift."

  "I will do this gladly. Are you expecting anyone? Is the wife still at home?"

  "She's staying at the hospital in Abilene with her husband. The property should be empty and temporarily abandoned. Something bothers me about that."

  "Of course I will watch it carefully," Renault said. "I will have my cell phone with me and let you know if anything out of the ordinary happens."

  "Please do. I can fly out to help if it becomes necessary."

  "You mean, if others arrive with weapons?"

  "That's possible, I suppose. For now, I don't feel that as a pressing matter. Just let me know if you see anyone coming onto the property."

  "It could be messy out tonight—rain is coming up from the gulf coast and is expected to arrive in Dallas and Fort Worth shortly," Alejandro remarked after checking his cell phone.

  "That would certainly make for a messy night," Mac conceded.

  "Alejandro and I are used to poor conditions," Renault said.

  "Not that we like them—we're just used to them," Alejandro gave a tight smile.

  "Yes. As he says," Renault agreed.

  "The others are ready to go out," Nico turned toward Mac.

  "We will go," Renault said and floated swiftly toward the back door. Alejandro followed closely.

  Ari watched as Val, Hunter and Janie's wolves trotted toward the small pack that waited for them atop a knoll at the north end of the ranch. A forested area that most ranchers would have cleared for more grazing land, the Jordan family had nurtured the trees instead, making it a good place to hunt rabbit, deer or other prey. To the south, it was fenced off to keep the cattle away from hunting werewolves.

  Ari had never been here as a mountain lion. Her father had died somewhere on the property, but she'd never been shown the place. Her mother had gone out during the trial, but she'd stayed at the house with Janie, who'd made chocolate chip cookies and kept a nine-year-old safe and busy.

  Would her father's remains be in the Franks' house?

  Later, perhaps, she'd investigate. Tonight, the moon called, although its pull wasn't as strong as it was in the past. In fact, she wasn't sure she had to shift, but the others expected it of her.

  Besides, Erly's black jaguar and Laronda's coyote were close by; they would be hunting with her. Erly hadn't hunted with anyone else in a long time, so she intended to give him that experience tonight.

  Laronda yipped and trotted away, nose to ground. Erly and Ari were content to let her take the lead; a rabbit had left fresh tracks—it was time to hunt.

  "There are three of them with video cameras. The logo on their shirts is that of the Texas Animal Rights Federation," Renault informed Mac over his cell phone. "They are wearing masks over their faces and recording images of the dead animals in the crevasse."

  "Too bad they didn't show up months ago," Mac rumbled. "They might have saved some of the herd. Now, it's all diseased, wasted meat."

  "What do you want me to do about this?"

  "It's TARF," Mac held a hand over his phone as he informed Del of the interlopers on the Franks ranch.

  "I'd leave them alone," Del shrugged. "Just make sure they don't come on this side of the fence."

  "Keep an eye on them, but don't interfere unless they come onto Jordan property. I do suggest you record them with your phone, if that's possible."

  "Of course."

  Laura McGrady stuffed her video camera back in its bag while Mark and Renata did the same. The scene was just as bad as her informant in the Texas Highway Patrol said it was. Piles of dead cattle in the ravine—all of them diseased before the ravine magically opened to swallow them.

  Who knew how many suffered from injuries before dying? Why hadn't someone reported this mess before now?

  "We're going to the ranch next door to ask them why they never reported this," Laura set her camera bag in her car's trunk.

  "I think that's a good idea. I don't care if it is nearly eleven at night," Renata agreed. "If they knew about this and didn't report it, they're almost as guilty."

  "Maybe you should let me do the talking," Mark reasoned with both women. "We may be able to get more information if we don't go in with guns blazing."

  "Don't mess it up, then," Laura warned as she slammed the trunk of her car. "Do we know who owns the ranch next door?"

  "I can find out." Renata pulled her cell phone from a pocket before climbing into the front passenger seat.

  "The car is approaching the house now," Renault informed Mac.

  "They wish to ask questions, perhaps?" Claudio suggested.

  "I can get rid of them easy enough," Del said, pulling his ID out.

  "Perhaps a joint effort?" Claudio asked.

  "Shall we meet them at the door—before they have the opportunity to knock?" Lance asked.

  "I'm all for it," Mac agreed. "Mona, will you stay with Nico in the kitchen?"

  "Sure," Mona herded Nico toward the back of the house.

  Mac opened the front door just as one of their three guests was poised to knock, surprising all of them.

  "We ah, are from TARF—Texas Animal Rights Federation," the man stuttered.

  "Is there something we can do for you?" Mac asked.

  "We have questions about the dead cattle on the uh, adjoining property," the man gulped as Mac stared him down.

  "We know you were there earlier—one of my employees reported it and recorded your presence," Claudio said.

  "We ah," the man was at a loss for words.

  "We want to know why that whole debacle wasn't reported—before it came to this," one of the women demanded.

  "But it was reported. Several times—to the Sheriff and several other local agencies. Nothing was ever done about it until we called in the Department of Agriculture," Del opened his ID badge and presented it to the woman. "Now. I would like your names and your position or affiliation with TARF, the name of your supervisor if you have one, and appropriate phone numbers," he added.

  "Jesus, Laura," the man whispered, sounding terrified.

  Catherine and the rest of her Wiccan coven had gathered for an Esbat, a ceremony held at the full moon to honor the goddess. Tonight, they would also seek healing for one of their own, recently diagnosed with skin cancer.

  The last time they'd used this particular clearing, Hunter had changed for the first time. Catherine's mind wandered back to that event as she and four others waited for three more members to arrive.

  That night, after Hunter's change, he swore that he'd heard someone running away. Granted, his werewolf hearing was quite sharp, but his nose told her someone had definitely been there.

  The scent led to tire tracks a quarter mile away; Catherine had been frightened that someone had seen Hunter change. They'd even visited a local church the following Sunday, to see if Hunter could identify the scent belonging to the trespasser.

  If he were a member of the church, he hadn't attended that Sunday. As the days and weeks passed and nothing came of it, Catherine began to relax until she'd blocked it from her mind. And, until tonight, the coven hadn't met in that same place again.

  Tonight, she'd brought her favorite purple amethyst rock crystal to mark the northern compass point, representing Earth. Three others would also place symbols, one for Air on the eastern point, one for Fire on the southern point, and the last for Water on the western compass point, to cast their circle.

  Three hooded figures approached, one holding a candle, another a chalice of water, and the third held three long, white goose feathers.

  "Let us cast the circle," Joe called, bringing the coven together,
his robed arms held wide.

  Everyone approached their proper places; Catherine set down the amethyst crystal and prepared to thank Earth for its presence.

  Gunfire erupted around them; bullets sprayed the coven and surrounding trees. Someone screamed. Catherine turned to run; she fell at the sudden pain in her back. The last thing she heard before final darkness came was the sounds of men whooping and shouting in celebration.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nico! Ari's mental shout echoed Nico's calling of her name by less than a second. She knew—and he knew.

  Hunter's aunt was dead, along with several others.

  We can't save them all, and we'd have been targets, too, Mac pointed out moments later. This is the first volley—somehow, the Adversary chose these as his first targets. His followers will flock to him, now, and his demons will surely arrive with them. Nico tried to warn them; they did not listen.

  I'm coming back to the house, Ari growled.

  No. We're dealing with the TARF animal rights group who chose tonight to visit the dead cattle and poor conditions on the Franks ranch, Mac replied. Now is not a good time, Ari. Stay there with the others; they need you.

  Damn, Ari sent a mental sigh. When it rains, it pours.

  Pray that the Adversary doesn't know how to make it rain, or any tracks and evidence left behind by the killers could be destroyed.

  Ari was stunned into momentary silence. He—can do that?

  Some have done it in the past. I cannot say yet what this one's strengths or weaknesses are. You did it, too, remember—when you created the earth-rift?

  You're not reassuring me at all, Ari countered.

  Being reassuring isn't my job—I have to give you the reality of the situation, or we will fail.

  I have to go—Erly found a giant rat to chase. Thanks for the reality check.

  Her sarcasm wasn't lost on Mac, who turned back to the conversation between Del and the animal rights trespassers.

  "Thank you for the coffee—and the information, Agent Reeves," Mark Hall said as Del saw them out the front door.

  "What do you suppose will happen to the dead cattle? Will the Franks try again?" Laura asked.

  "The Franks are already looking for a buyer to cut their losses," Del replied, his voice a deep rumble. "After Mitchell Franks was killed by lightning that night, I doubt they want to stay and face charges for the way they handled everything."

  "You think they'll try to leave the state?" Laura demanded.

  "I'm not a mind reader, young woman. I have no idea what their plan is. Good-night."

  Del, with Claudio standing behind him, made sure the three got in their car and drove off the ranch. No doubt, Renault would watch carefully to make sure they didn't return.

  "That was a difficulty we didn't need," Claudio said as Del shut the door and locked it.

  "Hunter's aunt was killed a few minutes ago," Mac reported as Del and Claudio walked into the kitchen. Nico, sitting at the island, looked pale, but didn't speak.

  "Why would they target her? Do they know we took Hunter?" Mona asked quickly.

  "I have no idea why they targeted her, and I doubt they know we have Hunter or Erly. I figure we'll have more information tomorrow."

  "Where did the murders happen?" Del asked, frowning.

  "In a clearing about half a mile from Catherine Charles' house, outside Swindall," Nico mumbled. "You can check to see if anybody reported gunshots or a disturbance in the area."

  "Thanks, kid." Del pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He put the call on speaker so the others could hear. Lance and Mona listened carefully as the call connected.

  "FBI, Director Smith speaking."

  "Ray, this is Del. We may have a situation near Swindall, Texas. Can you check for any local reports of gunshots or disturbances?"

  "I'll check. Hold, please."

  While they waited, they were regaled with information about contacting the FBI for specific crimes or occurrences, plus a message that someone would be with them shortly. Roughly three minutes passed before Director Smith was on the line again.

  "Have a report of gunshots, but no other information," Smith said. "What would you like us to do?"

  "Do you have two or three to send out?"

  "I can arrange it, but it may take a couple of hours, including transport time."

  "If you would. I have reliable information, I think, that murder is involved."

  "I'll put a rush on it, then. Do you have a specific location?"

  "What I got is that it happened half a mile from Catherine Charles' home outside Swindall, and there may be more than one dead."

  "I'll send for a helicopter. That'll make the travel time shorter."

  "Thanks, Ray."

  "I'll let you know what we find." Smith ended the call.

  "That was fast," Mona breathed as Del pocketed his cell phone.

  "That was a vampire," Del replied. "All the wolves are off tonight, so they'll send vamps to investigate. Even if there are armed humans in the area, they won't get a good shot at any vampire before they're put down."

  "Ray Smith won't be his real name," Claudio remarked.

  "No. The other Director, a werewolf, calls himself Jay Jones. They help run the special division that Laronda and I belong to. That's why we were sent to investigate the zombies popping up in Texas. Lara has a good nose; she can smell when they're lying. I'm good at annoying people and forcing them to answer questions. We know when they're telling the truth ninety-seven percent of the time."

  "And you can go about your investigation, no matter what time of day it is," Claudio nodded. "Vampires are relegated to night hours only."

  "What the vamps lack in daytime constraints, they make up for in other areas," Del said. "I hope we have answers on this one in a couple of hours."

  "What will they do if they find something?" Nico raised his head. "Vampires can't stay past daybreak."

  "They'll call in the Rangers, if it looks like a mass shooting." Del didn't sugarcoat his words. "Locals might be pissed when we go around them, but if we're dealing with multiple murders, they need to step out of the way."

  Del's cell phone rang. Del put the call on speaker as he answered. "Ray?" Del sounded puzzled to hear from the vampire so quickly.

  "Locals already on the scene," Ray reported. "All over it, in fact. I won't say this whole thing stinks of evidence tampering, but from what I've heard so far, there are eight dead and civilians all over the crime scene, messing it up."

  "Call the Rangers, if the locals haven't done it already," Del said.

  "Already did that—they're on the way, but I have no idea whether they'll have any uncontaminated evidence to collect. There's something else you should know, too."

  "What's that?"

  "Looks like the victims were a group of Wiccans, out on the full moon. Do you have information on who could have done this?"

  "No—all I have is that it happened," Del cast a glance in Mac's direction. Mac's hands were clenched in tight fists, his eyes held an angry glint, and his body language expressed a desire to explode. "If I get anything else, I'll let you know," Del added and ended the call quickly.

  "Fucking, bloody," Mac began to curse, first in English and then in a language the others couldn't understand.

  "We should have asked Hunter some pointed questions earlier, and we didn't," Nico sighed after Mac stormed out of the kitchen while continuing to curse. "We weren't thinking."

  "Nico, is this going to get worse?" Mona asked gently. His miserable expression worried her greatly.

  "Yeah. I can't say yet just how, but it'll get worse fast. I'm going to my room—I need to think about all this." Nico slipped off his barstool and headed for the hallway outside the kitchen. Mona, Lance, Claudio and Del watched him walk away.

  "I haven't seen the kid this dejected since his parents died," Lance mumbled.

  "Wiccans—witches—will be targeted from this point forward. Whether other groups will be added to that
list remains to be seen," Claudio said.

  "Are we in the dark ages again?" Lance demanded.

  "Yes," Claudio replied. "I must speak with Alejandro and Renault. Excuse me." Claudio lifted a cell phone from a shirt pocket and left the kitchen, not bothering to let his feet touch the floor.

  He should have let her go.

  Hell, he should have gone with her.

  Mac chastised himself. Somewhere, outside Swindall, Texas, an innocent group of people had been gunned down—murdered because of their religious choices.

  Another religion would lay claim to the deed—if not now, then very soon. Had he and Nico been so distracted by the events at the ranch that they'd completely forgotten who—and what—they were dealing with?

  As bad as this was, would tomorrow bring worse news?

  Mac cursed again.

  "Well, I'll be damned." Darnell couldn't hold back the grin as he opened the email from Reverend Killebrew. There was a video attachment, which served to delight the Senator.

  He'd gotten up early; his wife was still in bed, as were his teen children. After getting a cup of coffee from the housekeeper, he'd taken a seat in his study to read emails while breakfast was prepared.

  The video was perfect; it showed the forming witches' circle, and the beginning of an incantation, before gunfire erupted. If Bobby Ray recorded this, then he'd upgraded his video camera.

  "Look at that—got 'em all," Darnell crowed, then jumped when the housekeeper knocked on his door, telling him his omelet was ready.

  "Damn," Darnell spilled hot coffee on his hand in his haste to shut down his email. "I'll be right there," he snapped, jerking tissues from the box on his desk. If things went well, he'd have two videos to deliver to Ralph Hooten, along with a list of other websites to share them with.

  Ralph wouldn't appreciate not being exclusive on this, but Darnell knew the man too well—if enough money were offered, Ralph would sell his soul and his grandchildren to the highest bidder.