"Besides, I realized today that there's no way you knew what kind of person your so-called best friend really was. Looking back, I could hear it in your voice, that horror and disgust as you finally saw him for what he really is. I was wrong to assume all these years that you were just as bad as he is just because you were friends. I know better now."
"Thank you." Ray squeezed his eyes shut and some of the tautness around his shoulders eased. He looked back at me. "I should have taken you at your word instead of giving a piece of human garbage like Collin the benefit of the doubt."
I took a hesitant, half-step closer. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Ray. He never gave you a reason to doubt him before. He needed to look like one of the good guys, so he hung out with you and modeled your behavior. He slipped up when it came to me, and honestly, I'm not even sure how much of that was really his fault. He probably never would have known I existed if I hadn't done that stupid spell hoping to get you to notice me."
A wash of red flooded Ray's cheeks and his breath hitched in his chest. My breath stuttered in time with his.
He cleared his throat and stared down at me. "Did you really write me a letter from a secret admirer back then and leave it in my locker?"
My mouth went dry and I swallowed hard as my pulse picked up.
"Yes." I dropped my gaze to his breastbone, all my self-assuredness and calm suddenly gone in the face of more potential mortification.
"I wish I would have gotten it." The soft rumble of his voice gave me goosebumps and I shivered.
"Really? Why?" I twisted my fingers together, trying to choke out my terror with a white-knuckle grip.
"I would have dumped Blair in a heartbeat if I thought for a second that I might have a shot with you."
I laughed and shook my head. "How could you even imagine not having a shot with me? You were hot, rugged, and popular, to say the least."
He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was a dumb jock and you were the high-achieving librarian's granddaughter who also took night classes at the local community college. I kind of assumed I wasn't your type. Besides, I can't really imagine that your granny would have been thrilled about you dating somebody like me."
"I've dated way worse." I snorted. Just thinking about Kris induced a heart-pounding, nauseating fight-or-flight kind of feeling in me, but I took a deep breath and plowed ahead. "I ended up dating an older guy from my night classes that year. He was magical, like me, but he was into far darker things than I was. He took advantage of all my anger and embarrassment, plus the torture that Collin and Blair put me through. He's the one who convinced me to follow through on the urge to kill myself—"
"What?" Ray's head snapped up and his nostrils flared. The way his eyes blazed set my insides quivering. "Why the hell would you ever agree to something like that?"
I took a step back and stared down at the scuffed toes of my high-tops, desperate to put some space between us. Maybe if I didn't stand so close to him, it'd be easier to breathe.
"I had so much pain and regret, and he offered me a way out. He said my problems would be over if I gave him my power. The only way to do that was for me to die, but he'd promised to resurrect me after. The only thing that saved me was Granny busting in and stopping the ritual." I paused, swallowing hard. "I was more dead than alive by the time she stopped it...I just thank my lucky stars she got there in time."
As I spoke, Ray turned pale and pulled out one of the kitchen chairs, sitting down hard. He dropped his face in his hands. After a long moment, his head snapped up and he blinked several times. "Is there any chance that he could have taken your sister?"
I shook my head and sighed. "I wish the solution was that simple, but I have a hard time believing that he could do something like that."
Ray cocked his head. "You don't think he'd do that?"
"Oh, he probably would if he could, but I feel like it'd be extremely hard for him to get to her when Granny banished him to Tartarus seven years ago."
"Tartarus?" Ray blinked. "Like...in Greek mythology, the part of the underworld reserved for punishment and torment, where Zeus trapped the titans? That Tartarus?"
I nodded, and Ray just stared at me wordlessly. "There are tons of names for it. You probably think of it as Hell. Every major world religion defined it for a reason. It's real. I know it probably feels strange to you to think of the Greek ‘gods’ as real entities that human beings used to interact with, but it's true."
"Used to interact with?" Ray frowned and scratched his chin. "What happened?"
"Have you ever heard the theory of Planet X? Some people call it Nibiru, but to the ancient Greeks, it was Olympus. Its orbit is extremely elliptical, and Olympus only comes within communication range of Earth once every twenty-six million years or so." I did a palms-up gesture. "In any case, I don't think we can expect any direct help from the so-called gods. All we've got is a few shreds of magic left behind from their last visitation."
“I knew my crazy-haired dude on that ancient extraterrestrial visitor conspiracy theory show was onto something!” Ray grinned and did a victorious little fist-pump. I rolled my eyes.
“So, let me get this straight. You didn’t believe in magic until you saw it with your own eyes, and ghosts freak you the hell out, but you’re totally here for the whole aliens visiting us in ancient times thing?” I snorted and crossed my arms.
"To each his own," Ray defended, mirroring my crossed arms.
"Okay, fair." I shrugged and turned to get a glass of water out of the filter pitcher in the fridge. "So, before we get any more philosophically sidetracked, what was the news you were so eager to share with me?" I stood to the side and motioned to the fridge, wordlessly asking Ray if he wanted anything. He waved me off and I let the fridge door close.
"I convinced James to let you talk to their suspect face-to-face." Ray's slow, victorious grin sent a thrill through me and I squealed.
"Really?"
Ray nodded and I shot forward, hugging him.
"Thank you so much! How did you manage to convince him, though?" I started to pull back, worried that my invasion of his space was unwelcome. He reached out and caught my waist and I went still, licking my lips as his warm arms cut off my escape route. His arms tightened around my waist, prolonging our embrace.
"I told him about your sister being missing and said that maybe you could get a different reaction out of him than the cops have since you actually have something to lose if he doesn't talk."
"You don't know how much this means to me," I whispered and gave him another tight squeeze.
His breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling erratically under my cheek.
"I owe you after what I put you through today." His voice was strained and rough.
I tilted my head back to look up at him and he glanced away, his posture stiffening. I reached up to turn his face toward me. "You shouldn't beat yourself up, Ray. You didn't know."
"But I should’ve known." He shook his head and gently gripped my arms, holding me at arm's length. "You deserved better from me."
I shivered at the loss of his body heat and shook my head. "The self-flagellation really isn't necessary." Something about the wild, distant look in his eyes ignited a desperate need to shift his attention. "I just realized I never got around to telling you about what happened during the séance! Granny wants me to keep looking for Kat, but she’s been bewitched to tell me things that will deter me.”
Ray's expression sharpened. "That's great news!" His excitement dimmed after a moment, though, and it tied my stomach up in knots. "I know I said that magic and ghosts make me uncomfortable, but I feel like I should learn as much as possible about it...just in case."
He didn't have to finish his sentence for me to know what he meant.
Just in case I lose control.
As I followed Ray through the jail's front entrance, I clutched the cameo pendant of the charmed necklace Misty had given me, squeezing its solid, cool mass between my fingers
like a lifeline before slipping it on. I did everything the security guards asked of me as if on autopilot, my mind already running wild as I tried to wrap it around what was about to happen.
Finally, I can make some real headway toward possibly locating Kat.
My stomach fluttered and Shadow's voice floated through to me from quite far away. If this guy even had anything to do with her disappearance.
"Only one way to find out," I muttered, shoving Shadow's voice back down into the depths of my mind.
Ray shot me a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow at me, but he didn't ask as he led me to a cramped hallway where Detective Stapleton waited outside a narrow metal door.
He reached out and shook each of our hands, and he studied me with cool gray.
Ray cleared his throat. "James, this is Roxanne Cole. Her sister Kat went missing not long after the witch festival. Rox, this is Detective James Stapleton."
"Hi, detective." I gave him a respectful nod. "It's nice to meet you."
"I just wish we were meeting under better circumstances." His intense gaze flicked over Ray from head to foot before he turned his attention back to me. "Is there a reason you're working with Ray to find your sister, rather than filing a missing persons report with our department?"
I looked away and took a small step closer to Ray. "I tried to file a report with your department right after she disappeared, and I was basically laughed out of the building because they thought I was being an alarmist. Ray took her disappearance seriously from day one."
I crossed my arms, silently daring the detective to make another smart-ass remark.
The detective held up his hands in a "my bad" kind of gesture, but it hardly appeased me. "Fair enough. They shouldn't have dismissed your concerns just because you came in a little soon." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "Do you remember who all you spoke to? If you do, it might not hurt for you to report them to the guys over in internal affairs."
"Why don't you report them, detective?" I pursed my lips and took a long moment to study him. He was taller than Ray, wiry, and held his shoulders in a deceptively unassuming slouch. Suddenly, I remembered the things Ray and I had discussed about him. "Wait...let me guess. You're just trying to keep your head down and do your job without making waves. You're not necessarily okay with certain things that go down in the department, but it's not your job to fix those problems. You like the stability and job security that ignoring the corruption affords you. With a wife and kids, who could blame you there? What bothers me is that I also get the sense that you don't want to be seen as a rat by these other guys that you don't even respect."
Ray gave my arm a light squeeze. "Hey...not why we're here." He darted an apologetic glance at the detective, and I shrugged off his touch with a quiet huff.
"You're right." That was as close to an apology as the detective was going to get from me.
You know how ironic it is that you and Ray have basically flipped roles since the conversation you had about the detective the other night, right?
I shook my head, refusing to answer Shadow, even mentally.
"There are a few rules you'll need to follow while speaking to the suspect." Detective Stapleton folded his arms and nodded at the door, all business now. "First and foremost, no physical contact with the suspect, no matter what he says or how much he taunts you. Do not try to coerce or threaten the suspect with bodily harm. Finally, I did a little digging after Ray told me about your sister going missing. I realize she was one of the girls who set up the witch festival. They showed her more than anyone else in the TV coverage, so please no...spooky stuff."
He wiggled his fingers at me like a bad stage magician and I snorted.
"I get the drift. You don't have to worry about that kind of thing from me." I touched the cameo pendant. At least I hope not. I tucked the necklace inside my shirt so the pendant rested against my heart and took a deep, calming breath. "Anything else?"
James scrunched his nose. "I wouldn't take anything this guy says at face value if I were you. He kind of gives off some serious lunatic vibes. You never know when he's just babbling some weird shit or when something he's saying might actually be a clue."
My palms went clammy and I wiped them on my jeans as the detective pushed open the heavy metal door in front of us. Ray strode in first, and I was right on his heels. Resisting the urge to reach out and touch him for comfort, I settled down in an uncomfortable metal chair. Ray eased into the one beside me.
A guard on the other side of the room inclined his head to both of us before turning his attention to Detective Stapleton. "Ready, detective?"
James nodded. "I'll be right outside. Knock when you're ready to leave. We'll be recording the encounter just in case Mr. Graves actually says something useful."
He motioned to the guard, and then slipped out and shut the door behind him with an ominous clang.
The guard opened the door on the other side of the room, and another guard guided a grizzled man not much taller than I was over to the chair directly across from us. Something about his sallow, leathery skin and hooded black eyes made me shiver. He stared through us like we weren't even there, his gnarled hands folded neatly on top of the metal table.
"There are some people here to see you, Mr. Graves." The guard's voice was tense and impatient as he clipped the leg shackles to a metal plate on the floor.
The man tilted his head, and his wiry hair strained against the low ponytail that hung down the back of his neck. It looked like he was listening to something none of the rest of us could hear.
He nodded and giggled. Something about his laughter sickened me. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end.
He smirked across the table at us. "They're not people."
The guard held up his hands and backed up against the wall in a ‘not my problem and I'm not dealing with it’ kind of gesture. "Whatever you say, man."
Graves cocked his head, his void-black gaze roving over our faces. "She's just a hamstrung, powerless witch, and he's nothing more than a faithful watchdog. They're nothing...remnants of the false gods...fallen angels...spawn of the abominations that defied the Creator when he asked them to kneel before his new, superior creations."
He splayed his fingers out against his chest and smirked, looking down his nose at us, as if it was obvious he was our better in every way.
How does he know these things about us? Has he been talking to someone? If so, who? Could it be Collin?
I glared across the table at him, unsettled by what he seemed to know about us. “Where is my baby sister, Mr. Graves?" I pressed my palms against the tabletop and made direct eye contact with him.
"Don't look at me with your devil eyes!" His shout was so loud I flinched and leaned away, staring down at my lap.
Ray reached over and laced his fingers with mine, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "My client's little sister disappeared shortly after you claim to have killed Felicia Stone, before you supposedly took and killed Olivia Masters."
"Supposedly? I did it. I am an agent of God, and I did what he asked of me." Graves stamped his feet to accentuate every livid word, like a child having a temper tantrum.
I shot to my feet and sent my chair toppling backward with a fierce bang.
"What did you do to my sister, you Rasputin-looking, crazy creep?" I loomed over him, matching the volume of his outburst with my own indignant rage.
He tilted his head, like an actor listening to an earpiece for his lines. The silence stretched, and his crooked, wild grin stretched with it. He laughed in my face. "You know, it's really a shame you didn't follow the directions that came with the rattlesnake in your car."
Without thinking, I lunged across the table at him. Ray caught me and hauled me back, righting my chair and pushing me into it with a stern shake of the head.
"Remember the rules and don't let him get a rise out of you like that," Ray said in a low hiss near my ear. He turned back to Mr. Graves. "Did you put that snake in her
car and warn her to stop looking for her sister?"
Mr. Graves jabbed an accusatory finger at me. "The anointed have nothing to fear from venomous serpents. God won't let them bite us. The only reason you're afraid is because you're unholy and unworthy of the Lord's protection. Still...I'm disappointed that the rattlesnake missed biting your little devil-spawned witch bitch."
Ray made a growling noise in the back of his throat. He flushed red and his nostrils flared as he leaned across the table, getting right in Graves's face. "I'm going to take that as a yes, and I'll be asking Detective Stapleton to add it to the laundry list of things you're going to be charged for."
I could sense Ray's energy on the edge of boiling over from controlled to enraged. I reached up and tugged on the back of his shirt to rein him in. His gaze snapped to my face, hot and sharp, but softened after a second. He took a deep breath and nodded, easing down in the chair beside me.
“If I have to keep from losing my shit, then so do you,” I whispered, shaking my head as he forced his posture to relax.
Mr. Graves' lip curled with disgust as he watched us. "I can't wait to see you two get what’s coming to you." He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and goosebumps marched across my skin. "Say the word, Lord, and Thy will be done."
I shuddered, pushing my chair back, attempting to get as far away from him as possible in the small, enclosed space. Still, I gripped the edges of my seat, trying to draw strength from the cool metal of the chair. That strange gut instinct tickled at the back of my mind again and I cleared my throat. "I'm sure I will get my comeuppance if you're right, Mr. Graves."
His feverish gaze stilled, locking on me with hair-raising intensity. "Rest assured that you will."
My mouth went dry, but I nodded and swallowed hard. "Did you make sure that my sister got what your God dictates witches should get, Mr. Graves?"
Coven of Lies (The Bayshore Witch Legacy Book 2) Page 9