The Fifth Victim (24 page)

Haden had strenuously objected to her practicing black magic, but when she threatened to end the fun and games he couldn’t live without, he became more tolerant. At first he had refused to join her in the rituals, but when sexual orgies were added to the coven’s list of practices, Haden had been unable to stay away. He never participated himself, but he watched with lascivious pleasure.

Esther knocked on the office door and waited. She’d learned not to flounce in on her husband while he was at work.

“Yes, please come in,” Haden said.

She opened the door and peeked inside. “Are you alone?”

“Yes, I’m working on my Sunday sermon.”

“I have something wonderful to tell you. Something you aren’t going to believe.”

She burst into the room and ran straight to him. She threw her arms around him as she flopped down on his lap. Stunned, he drew back tensely and stared at her.

“I made a telepathic connection to someone this afternoon,” Esther said.

“My God!” Haden’s eyes widened in shock. “Who…?”

“Calm yourself. I didn’t speak personally to Old Scratch.” Esther laughed. “I linked with a woman who says she’s not a witch, but I know she is. She’s a white witch, though, and—”

Haden grabbed Esther’s chin. She yelped when his long, thin fingers bit into her cheeks.

“You’ve allowed someone to learn your identity, someone you don’t know and trust?” Haden glowered at her. “You little fool, do you know what you’ve done?”

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you so upset?”

“Do you know who this woman is?”

Esther shook her head.

“Does she know who you are?” he asked.

“I don’t think she knows—” Esther gasped.

“What?”

“She called me Esther.”

“You’re an idiot. You’ve exposed yourself. Exposed us. This woman who is capable of telepathy knows you’re a practicing witch. Our lives will be ruined if that truth is revealed.”

“But…but…why would she…what would she have to…oh, Haden, who do you think she is?”

When he shoved her off his lap, she almost lost her balance, but managed to grab hold of the desk. He paced the room. Esther stood silently by and waited until he’d worked off some of the anger-fed energy.

“Genevieve Madoc!” Haden cried. “The girl who lives on the mountain. The people here in Cherokee Pointe say her grandmother was a witch woman. Supposedly she has strong psychic talents. It has to be her. I don’t think there’s anyone else it could be.”

“Isn’t the sheriff her cousin or her brother or something?”

“Her cousin. And if she tells him about you and he starts poking into our business—”

“I’ll hide everything,” Esther said. “I’ll gather up all my books and potions and…I promise I won’t—”

He grabbed her shoulders. “If he connects us to the animal sacrifices that were done in the woods last fall, then it will be only a short leap to suspecting us of murder.”

“Murder? But who—”

“There have been three women sacrificed in Cherokee County. Don’t you think people are going to believe that someone who sacrifices animals as part of their devil-worship rituals might easily sacrifice human beings?”

“Maybe it wasn’t Genevieve Madoc that I contacted. Maybe it—”

Haden shook her soundly. “You didn’t contact her, you fool. You have no powers. She contacted you. Now she knows who you are.”

“What—what are we going to do?”

“You’re going to get rid of everything connected to your black magic. I don’t care what you do with it, just make sure it can’t be linked back to us.”

“But what about the Madoc woman?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”

Chapter 23

With his strong arm firmly placed around her waist, Dallas walked with Genny from her grandmother’s room to her own. She had depended on Granny for most of her life, whenever she’d recuperated after using her gift of sight. But during the past six years, she’d had no choice but to rely on Jacob and Jazzy and occasionally Sally and Ludie. They were the only people she trusted implicitly, the ones who truly understood her situation. But now she had Dallas, for however long he chose to remain in her life. He gave her strength, as no one else could, the bond between them unique.

As Dallas helped her into her bed, Jacob stood in the doorway. Genny held out her hand to him and called his name.

Jacob went to her and took her hand in his. “I’m here,
i gi do
. What is it?”

“Esther Stowe is practicing witchcraft. She is the high priestess of a coven in Cherokee Pointe,” Genny said. “While I was inside her mind, I drew images from her thoughts, images of animal sacrifices and wild orgies.” Genny paused, took several shallow breaths and then continued. “She yearns for magical powers and is calling on the devil with incantations that she actually believes will work.”

“Did you get a sense that she is in any way connected to the sacrificial murders?”

“No, but…” Genny’s eyelids drooped, then closed.

“Genny?” Dallas called to her.

“She’s asleep.” Jacob released her hand and turned to Dallas. “You’ll stay here with her?”

Dallas nodded and the two men walked out into the hall.

“I think I’ll pay a friendly visit to the Reverend and Mrs. Stowe,” Jacob said. “I can’t accuse them of anything since I have no evidence of any kind. And no judge is going to issue a search warrant so we can inspect the church and the parsonage just because Genny had a vision. But I can shake the Stowes up a little simply by dropping by to see them.”

“Genny didn’t seem to sense that Esther Stowe was connected to the murders, but what if Reverend Stowe is? Or maybe one of the members of Esther’s coven. Could be our guy has a past history with witchcraft.”

“I’ll call—”

“Let me contact Teri. We’ll get quicker results that way.”

“You’ll have her check out Carson, Pierpont, and Jamie Upton, as well as Haden and Esther Stowe?”

“Most definitely,” Dallas said. “Call me after you talk to the Stowes.”

“Yeah, I’d planned to call you to check on Genny, anyway.”

“Don’t worry about her. I’ll be here to keep watch over her.”

Esther Stowe was a delicious creature, lithe and supple, her body made for fucking. When she’d asked a favor of him, he’d readily agreed, knowing she would repay him with sex. Since he was a faithful member of her inept little coven, she believed she could trust him. And she could—up to a point. If he gave away her secrets, he’d also be admitting that he belonged to a devil-worshipping cult. Not something he wanted made public. But if she ever betrayed him by naming him as a follower of Satan, he would punish her severely.

“You’ll have to keep everything in your basement,” Esther told him. “I know it’ll be safe with you. And we won’t be able to meet for a while. Haden said not until we’re sure the sheriff isn’t watching us.”

“There’s no need to worry,” he told her. “We’ll find a way to get around Sheriff Butler. In a few weeks, we can use my basement, if we’re very discreet.”

“Yes, of course. What a wonderful idea, since all my things will be here—”

He clutched the back of her neck and drew her to him. “If for any reason the sheriff questions you and Haden, you mustn’t reveal the names of the members of your cult.”

With fear in her eyes and tension tightening her body, Esther shook her head. “No, of course not. I’d never do that.”

He smiled at her; she relaxed and returned his smile.

“Does Haden know you’ve brought your things here to store them for safekeeping?”

“He was still at the church when I packed everything up and put it in the car,” she said. “I left him a note on the refrigerator telling him I was stopping by here. If he came home and found me gone, he’d worry.”

“I would prefer for Haden not to know about my helping you. At least not for now. When you return home, destroy the note you left.”

“Sure, I’ll do that. Unless Haden’s already seen it.”

He tightened his hold on her neck, yanked her up against him, and put his mouth to hers. She trembled. He laughed.

With their lips just barely touching, he said, “I want to fuck your mouth.”

She sighed deeply.

He released his tenacious hold on her neck. She dropped to her knees in front of him and hurriedly undid his zipper. When she started to reach inside his shorts, he grabbed her hand.

“I’ll do the rest,” he told her. “Just open your mouth wide.”

She did as he requested. Some high priestess she was. His mother would never have allowed a man—any man—to tell her what to do. Mother had been a true high priestess. She gave the orders. She inflicted the pain.

He freed his penis, cupped the back of Esther’s head and slid his sex into her mouth. When the tip reached the back of her throat, she gagged, but he held her in place, withdrew, and repeated the process.

Such an obedient little whore. If she hadn’t left her husband that damn note, she could become his fourth victim.

The sheriff’s big truck was parked in their wide driveway. Esther cursed, wishing damnation on the man. What was he doing here? Had his cousin, that Madoc woman, already called him and told him about their telepathic conversation? What if the sheriff asked her if she was a witch?

Oh, God, what if Haden was entertaining him in the kitchen? What if the sheriff had seen the note?

Esther eased her older model BMW Mini Cooper past the sheriff’s truck and parked it beside the church’s Sedona minivan that Haden drove. When she tried the back door, she found it still locked. Good. That meant Haden had come in through the front when he’d returned from his church office. She unlocked the door and rushed into the kitchen. She heard voices coming from the living room. Haden and the sheriff. After dumping her shoulder bag and keys on the counter, she looked at the refrigerator. Her note to Haderi was still there. She breathed a sigh of relief.

She lifted the magnet and snatched away the note, then tore it into tiny pieces and threw them into the trash.

His smell was still on her, his taste still in her mouth. She couldn’t walk into the living room and greet the sheriff until she’d removed the evidence of her recent sexual encounter. First she rinsed her mouth out with water, then took a bottle of lemon juice from the refrigerator and squirted some into her mouth. After she washed her hands and face with liquid soap, she reached under the sink, took out the Lysol canister and sprayed a heavy mist of the deodorizer all around her. That’s as much as she could do without going to the bathroom, and she couldn’t go to the bathroom from the kitchen without being seen from the living room.

Esther squared her shoulders, forced a warm, welcoming smile, and went into the living room to greet their guest.

“Esther, my dear,” Haden said the moment he saw her. “Come in and say hello to Sheriff Butler.”

Esther and the sheriff exchanged pleasant greetings.

“You’ll never believe what the sheriff and I have been discussing,” Haden said, his nose crinkling as he sniffed. Esther faked a puzzled expression. “He’s been telling me that he suspects there’s a satanic cult here in Cherokee Pointe. Devil-worshiping witches. Isn’t that unbelievable?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Quite unbelievable.”

“I thought your husband should be aware of our suspicions,” Sheriff Butler said. “I’m contacting all the ministers in Cherokee County. I think it’s something our God-fearing preachers should concern themselves with.”

“Of course. Of course.” Haden nodded.

“We appreciate your sharing this news with us,” Esther said. “Do you have any idea who these people are?”

“I’d rather not say, ma’am. But you can be sure we’ll do our best to find out. Folks around here won’t put up with any more animal sacrifices.”

Haden rubbed his hands together nervously. Damn him! Esther could slap the man. Now wasn’t the time to weaken. Earlier today when he’d warned her to get rid of anything that linked them to the coven, he’d been quite masterful. She preferred the harsh, demanding Haden to the simpering, weak creature he often was.

“You—you don’t believe there’s a connection between the animal sacrifices and the sacrificial murders, do you?” Haden asked, his voice quivering ever so slightly.

The sheriff looked directly at Esther. “We think there’s a possibility a member of the coven is our murderer.”

“How awful.” Esther shook her head in a mock show of sadness.

“I’ll be checking in with you from time to time.” Sheriff Butler held out his hand to Haden, and the two shared a quick handshake. “I have a few more stops to make, so I need to get going.”

Haden walked the sheriff out to the sidewalk, then as soon as he got in his truck, Haden rushed back into the house. The minute the sheriff backed out of the driveway, Haden turned on her.

“See what your insanity has done?” he yelled. “He knows. I tell you, he knows.”

“He doesn’t know anything except what Genny Madoc told him, and believe me, anything she said isn’t something that will hold up in court.”

“Court? Do you think being arrested is my only concern? If the truth about your being a witch ever came to light, I’d lose my job. I’d never be allowed to preach ever again.”

“I can’t say that would be so bad. I hate being a minister’s wife. I always have.”

“Yes, I know.” The look Haden gave her told her that he loathed her every bit as much as she despised him. “We have a great deal to concern us. A great deal. What if Genevieve Madoc tries to contact you again?”

“I hope she does. She’s very powerful and she could—”

Haden slapped Esther. She reeled backward, rubbed her cheek, and glared at him.

“I won’t allow it,” he told her. “Do you hear me? You must know how dangerous that woman is to us.”

She laughed at her husband. “I did as you asked. I’ve made sure all the items that could connect us to the coven are well hidden. I intend to do my part to protect us. But understand this—I’m not afraid of you, Haden. You can’t control me.” She walked right up to him and smiled. “And no matter what you think, you can’t control Genny Madoc. But maybe I can. I can put a curse on her. I can—”

“You’re a fool if you think you can cast spells or put curses on people. You don’t have any magical powers.” He looked at her, running his gaze from her head to her feet. “The only talent you have is using your body to pleasure men. You can’t handle Genny Madoc, but I can. I know a way.”

Wallace MacKinnon had called late in the afternoon to ask if he should come to work the following day. Dallas had told him he should, unless he heard otherwise from Genny. There was no reason to assume Genny wouldn’t be able to continue her life in a fairly normal way, despite her knowing she was the final target for a madman. Dallas felt reluctant to leave her alone, even if Jacob could provide adequate protection. But as it was, Jacob’s deputies were limited in number, and each was needed, so it would cause a hardship to the Sheriff’s Department to post one officer to guard Genny. And Dallas wasn’t sure if he would trust her safety to anyone else.

While Genny rested, Dallas inspected the greenhouses for her as she had requested when she’d awakened briefly. He’d left Drudwyn at her bedside and had double-checked all the doors and made sure they were locked before he’d gone outside.

The sun had already set, and twilight shadows crept across the hills. Night was fast approaching. Standing near the back porch, Dallas gazed skyward. Overhead storm clouds swirled. Off in the distance, thunder rumbled. They’d probably get rain before morning. And if the temperatures dropped into the low thirties tonight, they might get some fleet.

Dallas entered the screened porch, wiped his feet on the mat, and removed his coat. He should put on water for tea. When Genny woke, she’d want something warm to drink. And he’d fix sandwiches for supper. She probably wouldn’t want anything to eat, but he’d encourage her to put a little something in her stomach.

After hanging his coat on the rack on the porch, he went into the kitchen and began preparations for their evening meal. Before the teakettle whistled, he heard Drudwyn yowling and knew Genny was awake and playing with the wolf-dog. Quickly, he prepared a cup of tea. As he carried the mug down the hall, he thought about how unlike him it was to be smothering a woman with tender, loving care. In his relationships, the TLC was usually directed at him. Women tended to chase him, and when they thought they had even the slightest chance of catching him, they’d smother him with attention. This was the first time in his life that he’d been the giver and not the taker.

He grunted as he paused outside Genny’s bedroom. Funny thing was, he’d never cared enough about a woman before to concern himself with her needs beyond sexual satisfaction. Genny was different.

God, what an understatement!

When he entered the bedroom, he found her sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. She had her arm draped around Drudwyn’s neck and was stroking him lovingly.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled. “I’m feeling fine.” She eyed the mug he held. “Is that for me?”

“Hot tea.” He brought the mug to her.

“Thank you.” She accepted his offering, then lifted the mug to her lips and took several tiny sips.

He reached down and skimmed his hand over her hair, from earlobe to shoulder. “Drink your tea while I go back in the kitchen and put together a couple of sandwiches for us.”

“I’m really not very hungry.”

“Then you’ll eat what you can,” he told her. “But you’re going to eat.”

“Yes,
yu ne ga
, I will obey,” Genny said teasingly.

“What did you call me?” he asked.

Genny laughed. “I called you a white man.”

“Well, I am a white man, so I guess that wasn’t an insult.” He grinned. “What is it that Jacob calls you?
I gi go?
”