Wisely, Lilac decided to ignore the pouting and return to her story. “He stopped in for a drink one day when he was in town for supplies. This was two or three years ago, before they lost the legal battle for the parcel near the water.”
“Why is that important?” Griffin asked, his fingers on Aisling’s back as he rubbed.
“He was happier then,” Lilac replied. “You have to understand, when they first started their cult, people assumed they were merely kooky morons who wanted to smoke pot on the beach. You know, live a bohemian lifestyle and the like.”
“That sounds horrible,” Aisling commented. “My father took us camping once. It was the worst experience of my life.”
“The way he tells the tale, it was worse for him,” Griffin said. “I believe you guys ended up in a hotel after a few hours. I don’t think that counts as camping.”
Aisling rolled her eyes, which was Lilac’s cue to continue.
“They had a big spread on the land, and I went out of curiosity more than anything else,” Lilac said. “I wasn’t really interested in participating, which Taurus said was fine, but when I got out there I couldn’t believe the number of people at the event.
“There were people there I had no idea had ties with him,” she continued. “They did a big dance and banged some drums. They did some chants, some of the men spit fire. I have no idea where they learned that, but it was wicked cool.”
“And what did the ritual entail?” Galen asked.
“I’m not a hundred percent certain,” Lilac admitted. “The women all went up and laid on this wooden altar that someone had obviously carved. He put a hand on their foreheads and chanted some gobbledygook that I couldn’t quite make out. Then the group started chanting and the next thing I knew all the women were up and dancing naked.”
I hadn’t anticipated the second part of the statement, so I choked on my rum runner. “What?” I sputtered, coughing.
Galen gave me a solid thump on the back to clear my airway as he grinned. “I’ve heard there’re some nude hijinks up there. I’ve never actually seen them doing anything, but the stories are fairly prevalent. Wesley swears that they were in his cornfield once.”
“Doing what?” I asked, appalled.
“I believe shucking was probably involved,” Griffin quipped.
“Pretty close,” Galen confirmed. “When we went up there today. Everyone was dressed. Barry was angry; said you guys were spying on him and he wouldn’t have it. He warned that something terrible would happen if the town tried to move him again. He’s mostly talk, if you ask me, but I don’t doubt he could do some damage if he put his mind to it.”
“I still don’t understand how the women ended up naked,” Aisling pressed. “I mean ... was it magic? Did he chant away their clothes?”
Lilac shrugged. “I have no idea what caused it. All I know is that all of sudden everyone was naked and dancing. I couldn’t get out of there quick enough ... after watching a bit of the dancing, of course.”
“You watched?” I was horrified, and mildly intrigued.
“Of course I watched.” She wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. “How often do you get to say that you saw thirty women dancing naked to help the fertility gods spread sperm to the world?”
My cheeks burned as Galen’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. Griffin averted his gaze, but Aisling was officially intrigued.
“Was there sex?” She asked the obvious question. “I mean, did you see your buddy the bull mount anybody?”
“Aisling!” Griffin’s voice was sharp. “I don’t think we need that much information.”
“Oh, like you’re not curious,” she scoffed. “Seriously, did you see any hanky-panky?”
Lilac shook her head. “I didn’t, but I left before things got serious.”
“It gets more serious than that?” Aisling was incredulous. “Everything we saw was boring. I can’t help thinking we missed out.”
“And you’re going to keep missing out.” Galen’s tone was firm. “You both promised you wouldn’t go back out there. I’m holding you to that promise.”
“I have no intention of going back out there,” Aisling said. “I’m just curious how this fertility ritual works. I mean ... they’re a cult. There are obviously some men for security purposes, and to keep them happy Taurus must be letting them graze with his flock. Most of those women are there for him, though. I’m simply trying to figure out how it works.”
“You leave that to me,” Galen ordered. “I’m not sure they have anything to do with this. It makes sense that they might go after Jacob at the construction site because if they cause enough trouble Barry might believe that the developers will pull out. But what’s the motivation for Adam Grimport?”
Aisling shrugged. “I don’t know. I bet if you find that answer, though, everything will fall together pretty fast.”
“So, now you’re a detective?”
“I would make an awesome detective.”
“Of course you would, baby.” Griffin kissed her cheek. “But for now your main job is being my wife. Can’t you just stick to that for a few days? For me?”
Aisling graced him with an angelic smile. “You bet, snookums.”
Griffin’s smile slipped. “I know you’re just placating me, but I’ll take it.”
Galen nodded. “You’re a wise man.”
Griffin grinned as they fist bumped.
21
Twenty-One
Once Griffin was convinced Aisling was back to her normal self — which essentially meant zinging insults and twisting her face into a sarcastic mask — he kissed her goodbye and headed out to the golf cart to wait for Galen.
Perhaps sensing my deep thoughts, Galen tugged me aside for a lingering kiss and hug before pulling back and scanning my features.
“Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Several things,” I admitted, forcing a smile. “Some things Aisling said at the cemetery kind of threw me for a loop.”
“What things?”
“The things about my mother. I don’t know how to explain it. We talked a bit about how she was close with her mother and lost her but was suspicious the moment she returned. That didn’t stop her from longing to make the woman who came back the mother she remembered.”
Galen’s fingers were gentle as they combed through my hair. “And you wonder if it’s worse to never know your mother and pine for what could have been. I think it’s a vastly different scenario. Besides that, Aisling had her father and brothers. It sounds as if they’re a big tribe. You only had your father.”
“Who isn’t a bad man.” I don’t know why I kept saying those exact words to Galen. It was as if I was trying to convince both of us by repeating the mantra.
“I never said he was.” Galen briefly rested his forehead against mine. “It’s okay. You don’t have to make excuses for him. I’ll like him regardless because you love him.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Look at Griffin. Aisling’s father apparently threatens him with great bodily harm at the drop of a hat. I’ve never heard Griffin say anything other than respectful words about that man.”
“I don’t know that it’s the same thing.”
“Well, whatever it is, we’ll get through it.” He gave me another kiss and turned somber. “I don’t know what you have planned with your buddy for the rest of the day, but you might want to keep her in the shade. She is clearly not used to the heat and humidity here, and Griffin might melt down if she looks that rough when we meet for dinner.”
“I’ll keep her in the shade,” I promised. “We basically got sidetracked with Jacob’s soul.”
“Next time, if you find him, collect him and leave it at that. Jacob was a nice guy. I would hate for his soul to go crazy.”
“Yeah. I think we both learned our lesson.”
“I don’t believe Aisling learned her lesson, but it’s not my business.” Another kiss and he backed away. “I’ll see you
later. Be good.”
I waved, smiling, and was wistfully thinking of things we might do together once it was just the two of us later that evening when Aisling appeared at my side.
“Oh, wipe that goofy grin off your face,” she ordered, shaking her head. “You have lust in your eyes.”
“So what?” I snapped, reality smacking me across the face. “We’re in that lovey-dovey portion of our relationship. Sue me.”
“Yes, I remember that period with Griffin.” Aisling adopted a far-off expression. “I believe it was a Tuesday ... and then my father caught us sleeping together in my old room at Grimlock Manor. Suffice to say, after that, we were more careful around my father.”
Something other than her intended message occurred to me. “You named your house? I mean ... Grimlock Manor. It really does sound like a castle.”
Aisling heaved out an extended sigh. “My father named it. The house is his baby ... other than us, I mean. He would trade the house for us if there was ever a ransom demand, but it’s kind of like a sixth child to him. Anyway, I have an idea about where we should go.”
“Oh, yeah?” I perked up. “Where?”
“The wife’s house.”
“You think Jacob ran to his old house to be close to Casey?” I’d thought it about it, and it did make sense. “It certainly couldn’t hurt. I’ll find out where she lives from Lilac.”
“That’s not the only reason I want to head over there,” Aisling added. “There’s another reason.”
“What?”
“That fertility ritual.”
“I don’t get it.”
“That ritual supposedly helps those who can’t help themselves, right? Well, Casey is pregnant with a miracle baby she was never supposed to be able to carry. What if all of this is part of that ritual?”
Worry clawed through my stomach as I considered the statement. “Oh. You think Jacob is dead because Casey is pregnant.”
“I think it’s a possibility that we should check.”
“Okay, but ... how are we going to approach her? That won’t be easy to broach in a normal conversation.”
“Trust me. I’ve got everything under control.”
I hated it when she said that.
AISLING WASN’T KIDDING WHEN she said she had everything under control. Once we parked in Casey’s driveway, she marched to the front door. She didn’t hesitate to bang as hard as possible. That saying about being loud enough to wake the dead? I think that’s what she was going for. After waiting a few minutes, she did it again. Once we were reasonably assured Casey wasn’t there, she slid her eyes to me, the question obvious.
“Absolutely not,” I hissed, keeping my voice low and glancing over my shoulder to make sure we weren’t drawing attention. “If you break into another house Galen will melt down like you wouldn’t believe. He really will lock you up.”
“It would hardly be the first time I’ve been locked up,” Aisling pointed out, covering her eyes with her hands so she could stand on her tiptoes and peer through the glass panel in the door. “I think we should go inside.”
“No!” I grabbed her arm and firmly shook my head. There was no way I was going to allow this to happen a second time. “We can’t. I promised Galen.”
“I didn’t promise Galen. You can wait here and I’ll break in. That way you’ll keep your promise and I’ll get the important information.”
“No!” I gripped her wrist so tightly my knuckles turned white. “You swore to Galen that you would behave yourself.”
“Yes, but that’s a sliding scale. I believe figuring out what sort of murderer you have running around your island is more important than keeping Galen’s fragile ego in check.”
“His ego isn’t fragile.”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s one of those really thin but pretty wine glasses that last for one use and then die in the dishwasher. That’s how fragile he is. I’m going to check inside whether you like it or not. You can’t stop me. You can, however, choose to remove yourself from the situation and wait outside. It’s totally up to you.”
I was furious. “I don’t want to break and enter.”
“So, stay here.” Aisling already had her lock pick out. “I’ll be quick. Trust me.”
IN THE END, I COULDN’T LET her go in alone. Even though I knew Galen would be furious if he found out, the idea of someone hiding in the house and perhaps attacking Aisling as she searched for information was too much to bear. I had to go with her, serve as backup and, yes, see if there was anything of interest inside the house.
What? I guess I’m a busybody, too.
My natural urge was to crouch low and press myself to the walls as we walked into the house. Thankfully, no foul smells were waiting to assail our olfactory senses when we stepped inside. The small ranch house was cool, quiet and empty.
“Where do you think we should start?” I whispered.
Aisling slid me an amused look. “I don’t know. I think a home office would be best.” She didn’t whisper, and instead strode through the house as if she owned it. “Come on. Don’t be a baby ... and stop walking like some horror movie creeper. You look ridiculous.”
I straightened. “I’m new at this.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
I followed her through the hallway, heading into the first room on the left. Sadly, that was the guest bathroom. Aisling didn’t see my sheepish expression when I walked out because she was already in the room across the hallway. I hurried to join her, my mouth dropping open when I saw the way it was decorated.
“Holy ... !” I slowly circled, dumbfounded as I took in the outrageous decorations. There had to be at least twenty tiki masks littering the walls, and that was on top of some other rather interesting art.
“Look at this.” Aisling’s attention lasered in on the large painting that served as the artistic centerpiece in the room. She moved closer, furrowing her brow as she took in the bright splashes of color.
I had trouble looking at the painting. That probably had something to do with the fact that it depicted a horned beast having sex with a woman in the middle of a crowd. The art itself felt deviant, but the painting was telling.
“I’m guessing this is local,” Aisling muttered as she leaned closer to the slashes in the bottom right-hand corner to read the artist’s signature. “Ever heard of Aries?”
“No.”
“It fits in with that astrological thing they’re doing out there. I’m guessing Aries is the chief artist.” Aisling dragged her eyes from the painting and focused on the masks. “These look similar to the masks that were found on the bodies.”
“They do,” I agreed, pulling one of the masks off the wall to study it closer. “I think it’s safe to say that the tribe had something to do with the deaths.”
“Definitely. I ... .”
I gave Aisling a moment to rediscover her train of thought as I studied the mask. When she didn’t start speaking again, I looked in her direction and found her gaping at the woman standing in the open doorway.
It was Casey, her pallor white, and she looked absolutely stunned to find us in her house. I couldn’t blame her.
“We need to talk,” I said, holding up the mask. We were already caught. There was no sense in not asking questions before she called Galen and had us arrested. “I’m guessing you know more about Jacob’s death than you’re letting on.”
IF CASEY WAS UPSET TO find us in her house, she didn’t show it. Instead, she ushered us into the kitchen, grabbed a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator, and joined us in the blissfully cool dining room.
“This is the coolest room in the house,” she explained, pouring three glasses of lemonade. “I prefer the chill right now.”
“I’m a big fan of air conditioning myself,” Aisling said. “I don’t suppose you want to tell us what’s going on?”
“I’m not supposed to.” Casey stared at her lemonade. “If he finds out ... .”
“I don’t see where you
have much choice,” I pressed. “We need to know what happened to Jacob.”
“You don’t understand. It’s … above you. You’re blaming me, but I didn’t know what was going to happen. I swear it.”
“You didn’t know what?”
“That he would be the sacrifice.”
She wasn’t making sense. “What sacrifice?”
Casey didn’t immediately answer, instead gnawing on her thumbnail as she stared at that wall. I exchanged a brief glance with Aisling, who looked as baffled as I felt, and then pushed harder.
“Casey, I’m not trying to make this difficult for you. It’s the last thing I want. But we have two dead men. One of them is your husband. Don’t you want to see his death avenged?”
“Of course I do,” Casey snapped, recovering. “It’s just ... I feel so lost. I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid ... so very afraid.”
“We can’t help unless we know the whole story,” Aisling pointed out.
“There’s not much to tell.” Casey took another sip of her lemonade. “I’m not sure how much you know about our fertility problems.”
“I’ve heard most of the story,” I admitted. “My understanding is that you guys tried throughout your twenties to have a baby and then essentially gave up because it was taking too much out of you.”
“That’s mostly true,” Casey agreed, nodding. “Jacob and I were at a breaking point. We loved each other beyond reason and we desperately wanted a child. Neither of us could take the visits to the specialists ... or the hormone injections … or the crushing broken hearts that occurred each time something didn’t work ... so we agreed to take a step back. Jacob was keener about it than I was, but I knew our marriage would break if I didn’t focus on him and let go of what couldn’t be.
“I was downtown one day when I heard Marla Simpson talking, and that’s what got me back on the baby track,” she continued. “You probably don’t know Marla. Well, let me tell you. She’s a fifty-year-old woman who started following Taurus five years ago. Her husband left her because she couldn’t get pregnant and he married some young woman who was pregnant before they even filed for divorce. Marla was crushed. No baby. No husband. Except ... she was pregnant that day in the store. She was fifty and pregnant.
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