Raven, Red

by Connie Suttle

  "I do, but that's all it is—an empty lot," Erly shrugged. "Still pay the taxes on it, too."

  "The Rangers have investigated it," Del said. "You're right; it's only a bare lot, with a patch of grass front and back. They hit a dead end, looking for you there."

  "Are they still blaming Hunt and me for that mess? Like he'd kill his own kin, or I'd kill friends," Erly growled low in his throat, as if his Jaguar was just as upset as the human.

  "You're listed as persons of interest, mostly to keep the public at bay," Del replied. "Word was sent through our Department that you were away from home at the time and had nothing to do with it."

  "Is that coffee I smell?" Everette swept into the kitchen, with Renault right behind her. "Oh my goodness, the sun is out, too."

  "Welcome to daylight," Nico turned to smile at Everette. "Pull up a chair and we'll get you some coffee. How do you take it?"

  "Sweet and dark, honey, sweet and dark."

  "Reverend Benny and I will be there, although no others will see us," Belhar informed Darnell. "My suggestion is to allow the others to ask questions—as we will direct them to do so."

  "You're planning to redirect any accusations?"

  "Obviously. You will vote as you desire, and it will become their desire, too."

  "Are you saying that I'm actually in charge of the legislature, now?"

  "In a manner of speaking," Belhar confirmed. "It's only a matter of time before the judicial branch falls under our sway."

  "What about the executive branch?"

  "You are so shortsighted, my friend," Belhar revealed pointed teeth as he smiled. "Come now, it's time to make your appearance at the capitol."

  "I need to check in with my wife."

  "You don't need her," Belhar removed the cell phone from Darnell's hand and tucked it in his shirt pocket. "Your family is but a distraction, you understand. Reverend, it's time to go."

  Killebrew, standing nearby, dipped his head to Belhar. Darnell Cheatham didn't fully comprehend what was happening—not yet, anyway. Killebrew understood completely, and he welcomed it.

  Everette had chosen a demure, cream silk blouse and black slacks, and left her wig behind so as not to call attention to herself while attending the hearings with Nico and the others. Ari complimented her on her natural hair, which was dark brown with a natural wave. Cut stylishly, her hair swept back from her face, exposing delicate, gold earrings.

  We must remain silent, Renault cautioned Everette as she followed him into the empty gallery above the hearings.

  I can do that, Everette responded, although being able to communicate silently with several in the group still excited her so much, she couldn't keep the bubbly effervescence from her mental reply.

  No matter what you hear, Renault cautioned.

  Of course. Everette schooled her enthusiasm this time.

  They can't see us, Nico told Everette. I'm still working on a sound shield.

  You're very talented, Everette smiled. I haven't seen daylight in twenty years.

  Ari did that for you, I didn't, Nico said. Just—let me know if you see anything that shouldn't be during the hearing.

  Of course. I'm sorry—I still find this exciting.

  Then remember last night, and why you find yourself in this position today. The topic will come up unless I am very mistaken.

  Oh. That doesn't sound good.

  It isn't. You'll see. They're coming in, now.

  Senator Cheatham walked in and took his seat at the curved desk above the witness table, then adjusted his microphone so he wouldn't have to lean in or work to make his voice heard.

  His fellow senators filed in and took their seats too, some attempting to make their seat more comfortable; others talking in whispers with a neighbor. Two seats down, his main adversary in the Texas State Senate, Esther Johnson, set a yellow pad on the desk in front of her and clicked a ball-point pen, ready to take notes.

  He wanted to remind her (as he often did) that the questioning would be recorded, but there she was, preparing to take handwritten notes.

  Of the thirty-one senators in the Texas legislature, only nineteen had made an appearance for today's questioning. Darnell's mouth stretched into a judgmental grimace—all of them should be here. He'd have a word with the Governor later about that.

  Squashing yet another desire to taunt Esther in some way, he forced himself to turn away from her as he waited for the first witness to appear—Captain Verlen Belwether from Dallas PD's Central Division.

  The Captain finally walked in, flanked by his state representative and an attorney representing the police department.

  I hope you have good questions planned, Darnell told Belhar.

  Never fear; I know what I'm doing, Belhar replied. I've done this sort of thing before.

  "You're not on trial here, Captain Belwether," Esther said, before Darnell could say otherwise. "This is merely a fact-finding mission, you understand. We expect honest answers to some of the troubling questions we have regarding unusual events in the past month."

  "Of course," Belwether leaned forward to speak into the microphone. Darnell smiled; he always enjoyed making witnesses uncomfortable, no matter how petty or insignificant it was.

  "Captain Belwether," a fellow senator on Darnell's right spoke next. "Is it true that you've known about these—zombie attacks—from the beginning?"

  "At the beginning, it was a bombing," Belwether said. "There were no zombies connected with that, not that we know of. Those creatures you're calling zombies—I have no idea what they are or how they came about. Can you explain that, Senator? I sure can't."

  "Would you describe these creatures as supernatural?" Another senator asked.

  "They're not normal," Belwether shook his head. "I don't know what they are."

  "So, supernatural, then," the Senator confirmed.

  "I didn't say," Belwether began.

  "Do you believe that these supernatural creatures may have been created by supernatural power—negative energy, perhaps?" Someone else queried.

  "I have no idea whether there's anything supernatural involved," Belwether was clearly off-balance already.

  "But it would have to be—supernatural, that is. These creatures are supernatural by your own admission. Could any normal human achieve this? I think not," the Senator answered his own question.

  "If I could just," Belwether attempted to interject his thoughts.

  "What about the murders of that witch coven outside Swindall?" The fourth Senator spoke up. "Aren't they supernatural? Could they not have made these creatures to begin with? We've seen that they can turn humans into wolves. If this is true, then perhaps their killing is justified."

  "Yes, that could certainly explain things," a female Senator replied. "My question to you, Captain Belwether, is this; are witches attempting to take over our country? Who else could have created these—zombie-like creatures, who can infect others by mere contact? If they can make zombies and werewolves, could they not also create those flying demons we saw only a few blocks from here? Tell me about the cruise ship that was taken in the Gulf. Where are those people now, Captain? Are they perhaps—zombies? Werewolves—or demons, perhaps? Were witches aboard that ship, casting terrible spells?"

  "It has come to my attention that at least two members of the murdered witch coven were homosexuals," someone else hissed at Belwether. "Are they aligning with the witches in this? Could this be the reason the nightclub was attacked last night in your district—was someone brave enough to take down some of the enemy for us?"

  "That has nothing to do," Belwether sputtered.

  "It has everything to do with this, if they are our enemies," the female senator mocked Belwether's attempt to set the record straight.

  "You say that this started with a bombing?" the first senator spoke again. "Weren't the owners of that restaurant Hispanic? Don't tell me for a minute that they aren't involved in this plot—they've wanted to invade this country for a long time, haven't they?"<
br />
  "That's not what we're dealing with," Captain Belwether shouted.

  Darnell cast a swift glance in Esther's direction. She hadn't spoken since the beginning, when she assured the Captain he wasn't on trial.

  Except that's exactly what was happening—this was a trial and Belhar was hitting every hot button topic he could, making far less than logical leaps to do it.

  Esther's mouth was set in a grim line as she scribbled on her notepad. He wondered what she was writing. I'll ask someone to steal it later, Darnell promised himself before turning back to the circus that should have been a routine questioning.

  Ari's hand gripped Mac's wrist so hard it would leave a bruise. I see it, he told her. Throughout the questioning, the giant, black-and-brown serpent, invisible to those below the gallery, wound its way through the senators, touching this one or that, and in turn, the one touched would speak and make wild accusations.

  Mac wasn't surprised by the accusations, either. All of them, at one time or another, had made their presence known, with the Adversary's blessing.

  No doubt, too, the serpent had once been human, but now willingly served the Adversary.

  We can't fight it until we know where his human body is, and it isn't with the serpent, Mac told Ari.

  Everette looks like she's seen a ghost, Ari said.

  Then it's a good thing Renault and Nico are sitting beside her, Mac replied. Nico may not have any blood left in his hand after this.

  I don't like where this is going, Ari said. If this continues, there'll be legislation produced by the end of the day to round up all witches, gays and Hispanics, and it'll set off a hunt for werewolves, too.

  Like they don't have a head start on it already? Mac's sending was gruff and unsurprised. Those subversive websites will send out a call to eliminate them the minute they see any part of this—and they will see it.

  I know.

  I can't see the Adversary, but he's close, Nico informed them. I only need to protect Belwether's mind a little longer—they'll dismiss him soon.

  Thank goodness; I was feeling ill, Renault confessed.

  I am ill, Everette countered.

  "Thank you, Captain Belwether," someone spoke below. Mac wasn't interested in who dismissed the Captain; only that they'd done so.

  The damage was done; now it would only mount higher with each additional witness until the entire legislature was inflamed, and then the inflammation would spread throughout the state.

  Followed by the country.

  The Adversary loved bloodshed, and he'd never had such a free rein before.

  Mac was beginning to feel ill, himself.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Technically, we still own the property," Denton Franks waved the insurance check in front of his wife.

  "But the Jordans are the ones who covered dead cattle and fixed the hole; they should be compensated for the work they did," she argued. "At least deduct it from the sale price."

  "The money for the cattle is being withheld," Denton snapped. "They're saying we knew they were sick, and we neglected the animals. I'm stuck here with a cast on my leg and my father is dead. I'm putting all of this in the bank."

  "Then give them the furnishings in the house, rather than making them pay for all of it."

  "Not a chance. I just got my truck fixed after that mountain lion wrecked it. You notice it never tried to jump Val Jordan. I'm betting it's a pet, and I'm betting that the cat Dad killed all those years ago was a pet, too. That's why they were pissed off about it."

  "All this animosity—for decades—and this is what you have to show for it?" Maurine's hands went to her hips. "Honestly, your father should have let that go rather than allowing it to fester. Besides, he kept the money, just like you're about to do."

  Maurine walked out of the room with a bounce in her step, knowing that Denton couldn't follow her until he reached his crutches, and by that time she'd be out of the house and in her car, driving to her cousin's place in Fort Worth. It was time to leave Denton behind; the kids never came home nowadays because they couldn't stand their grandfather or their father.

  She'd call her kids and an attorney once she reached her cousin's house, and that would be that; she'd stayed with Denton far too long as it was. Maybe she'd call Val Jordan, too, and let him know about the insurance check. After all, half of it—and half the property—legally belonged to her.

  "I understand what you're saying, Maurine," Val spoke into the phone as he exchanged a glance with Janie. "But once he knows you're filing for divorce, he could refuse to honor the contract and void the sale. Joint ownership requires both owners to agree to the sale."

  Val went quiet as Maurine spoke again, then told her; "I understand that it could be foreclosed on if he refuses to sell, and that will hurt you financially. Rather than getting money to split out of the property, neither of you will get anything. It's in his best interest to go forward with the sale."

  Val listened for a few moments before speaking again. "No, Burke doesn't handle divorces, but someone in his firm does. Call and ask for Heather Kirkpatrick, all right? Tell her I sent you. All right, Maurine, you take care, now."

  Val ended the call, then shook his head at his mother. "Denton Franks will do his best to turn all of this into the worst mess imaginable, just like his father did."

  "Seems to be their specialty," Janie sighed. "Do you think Ari and the others will be back for lunch?"

  "Let's have sandwiches. Easy enough to fix if they do," Val suggested. "I hope they're having a better morning that we are."

  "Can we have something stronger than lemonade with those sandwiches?" Ari and Nico appeared with the rest of their group.

  "I don't think their morning was better than ours," Janie quipped.

  "Mona and I will help," Renault offered. "I think I can make a sandwich—I've seen it done before."

  "I'll help—my stomach is growling for the first time in decades," Everette declared. "And, after that debacle in Austin, with the snake and the other, totally unsatisfactory shit posing as legitimate political undertakings, I certainly need something to get that bad taste out of my mouth."

  "Snake?" Janie stopped halfway to the fridge.

  "The Adversary's pet has made himself known," Nico told her. "Don't worry, he didn't know we were there and he won't be able to pass the boundary surrounding this property."

  "Maybe you should fill us in while we eat," Val said. "Our only problem is that Maurine Franks is filing for divorce. Denton may put the property sale in jeopardy, just to get back at her—and us."

  "Sounds like his father's son, all right," Ari grumbled.

  "Mitchell is extra crispy," Val opined. "Maybe Denton feels left out. What? Too soon?" He winked at Ari.

  Ari lifted a hand to stifle a snicker.

  "How fast will all this move, now?" Ari asked. She and Mac sat on a thick limb of Janie's enormous oak tree in a side yard, its shade keeping them cool enough on a sweltering afternoon. Ari's shoes had been left behind outside the back door; she swung her feet as they idly lounged seven feet above the ground.

  "You saw how fast it moved today," Mac said. "Did you also notice that the snake didn't visit all the Senators? He touched those who are inclined to his way of thinking already."

  "We can draw a line between those who spoke and the Adversary?"

  "Yes. But he also may choose to leave some in reserve, so there's no way to point fingers at all of his allies just yet."

  "Of course not," Ari hunched her shoulders and bowed her head. Strands of platinum-dyed hair lifted in the breeze. Mac reached out to brush them behind an ear. Ari tried to hide the shiver that coursed through her body. Mac saw it and wisely chose not to comment.

  "The Adversary never makes things easy," he remarked instead. "And here, he's been liberated from everything that contains him on this world. He's not pulling any punches, Arianne. He'll try to kill us and everyone associated with us."

  "So what do we do? Hide and let him have
his way?"

  "No. We fight for every life we can save. Those today? They want what he has to offer. We should keep our eyes on all of them, in case they all feel that way."

  "Nico and Hunter are checking their voting records, and the bills they've introduced," Ari was back to swinging her legs.

  "Good idea. It could help us weed out the undesirables."

  "Undesirable to us or to them?"

  "Either. Both. If we find allies, they're worth protecting, don't you think?"

  "Yeah. I worry that there's not enough of us."

  "We always lose people, Ari," he soothed. "But death is more honorable than joining the Adversary."

  "Honorable? Yes. Less painful? Probably not. I saw the claws on those demons."

  "The souls flee the bodies—it is their final gift in situations like this. These zombies and demons have no souls. Hunger for human flesh and obedience to the Adversary is the sum of their lives."

  "You say we have maybe two weeks before the next batch of demons rise?"

  "Around that much, I believe. I worry that the Adversary may send out his current horde to feed, however, if he's planted all the new ones."

  "A deadly crop." Ari shuddered.

  "Yes. These things—they used to follow a very familiar pattern. That pattern is being broken every day, here in this country. Those who take up the Adversary's cause may attack individuals or families. We may be frustrated and of a mind to help, but I warn you, the Adversary has laid traps in the past, using those tactics. We must plan our moves carefully from now on. Look, Del and Laronda are coming this way. Will you take us down?"

  "I don't understand why you can't transport yourself," Ari's eyes locked with his.

  "The curse," Mac sighed. "The everlasting, fucking curse. Were it not in effect, I could do many things."

  "Maybe you should tell me about that, sometime."

  "And maybe I shouldn't. Come on, let's go hear what they have to say."