Ritual

by Alex Duval

  “Yeah, you guys will have to go in the next one,” Erin called. She and Maggie giggled as the wheel began to move and their cart was lifted up into the air, leaving Jason and Sienna all alone.

  Now she had no choice. She had to look at him.

  They gazed at each other in silence for a moment. “They’re so rude,” Sienna said finally, breaking the tension.

  Jason laughed. “That’s all right. We’re tough. We can handle a ride by ourselves.” He opened the door, and they climbed in. Sienna sat on the bench to the right, so he moved to sit across from her.

  “Get over here,” Sienna ordered playfully. “I can barely even see you all the way on the other side of the car. You’re like eight feet away from me.”

  “It’s more like three feet.” But he got up and moved to sit beside her. He’d just managed to get his butt in the seat when the ride began to move.

  “It will take at least ten minutes to get the whole wheel loaded with people,” Sienna said as they jerked to a stop a few seconds later.

  “I guess we have some time, then,” Jason said, wondering what to do with his hands. He was sitting so close to Sienna now that their thighs were pressed lightly together. The obvious thing to do was to put his arm around her. But he couldn’t. They were just friends. And even though Brad wanted nothing to do with him, Jason still considered him a friend, as well. It was too soon to make a move on Brad’s ex. As long as Brad still had feelings for Sienna, Jason felt that she was off-limits to him.

  The ride moved again, pulling them another few feet into the air before it stopped. Neither of them had said anything in a while, and Jason was starting to feel awkward. “So how’s Belle doing?” he asked.

  “Not too good,” Sienna said softly. “I called her cell tonight, but she didn’t answer. I doubt she would have felt up to coming out, anyway. She’s still really upset about Dominic. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. You just take things for granted, you know? Like that Belle and Dominic would always be together. They’d go to the prom together, head off to the same college, all that stuff.”

  She paused, and Jason took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure he should say anything about Brad, but he felt he had to. “You probably felt that way about you and Brad, too,” he said gently. “That you’d go to the prom, and go to college together.”

  “Yeah. I guess I did.” Sienna turned to face him. “But the truth is, I was just taking that for granted. I didn’t necessarily want it anymore. I mean, I love Brad. But I’m not in love with him. Not anymore.”

  Jason didn’t answer. What was there to say? He couldn’t exactly ask whether she’d stopped loving her boyfriend because of him, and it really wasn’t any of his business.

  “I think I started having second thoughts about Brad around the time school started this year,” Sienna went on, and she looked up at Jason briefly, meaningfully.

  Jason leaned back against the seat, his heart racing. He’d first met Sienna at the beginning of the school year. So she’d basically answered the question he’d been wanting to ask. But Jason felt powerless to do anything with that information. Brad was still cut up about Sienna and mad at Jason, and apparently with good reason. Jason hadn’t intended to steal the guy’s girlfriend, but still …

  “Brad’s a great guy,” he said carefully. “He was the first one on the swim team to make friends with me.”

  “Yeah. He’s the best,” Sienna agreed. “The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt him.”

  “Me either.” Jason was glad that Sienna seemed to understand what he was saying.

  “I think he’ll realize I was right about us, that we weren’t really in love anymore,” Sienna said. “But he needs some time.”

  “Right. It’s not like you could run right out and start dating someone else,” Jason replied.

  “Exactly,” Sienna said, her face lighting up in a huge smile. The ride took them higher still, and then their car jerked to a stop at the very top of the Ferris wheel. “I think I can start seeing someone else one of these days,” she went on. “Just not right away.”

  Jason nodded. “Sure.”

  They sat quietly for a moment, gazing out at the view—the dark ocean to one side, the brightly lit pier to the other. Jason knew they’d reached an understanding. Without ever really saying so, they’d agreed that they couldn’t be together yet. They had to wait for a while, out of respect for Brad.

  But that still meant that he and Sienna could be together someday. And that was enough. For now. In fact, Jason thought, that was fantastic!

  He grinned. “You’re right about the Ferris wheel,” he told Sienna. “Problems seem smaller up here.”

  “And beautiful things seem bigger,” Sienna replied with an answering smile. “Look at the moon. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  Jason glanced at the full moon, hanging low over the horizon. From where they sat, the moon appeared to take up half the sky. But his eyes immediately returned to Sienna. The silvery light danced over her silky hair, and her face seemed to glow. “You’re gorgeous,” he said softly.

  Sienna gazed into his eyes, and Jason found himself even closer to her. Close enough to brush his lips against hers …

  The Ferris wheel gave a jerk, and Jason fell away from Sienna. He gave a rueful laugh as the ride began in earnest. Their car whizzed down the other side and began to climb smoothly back up again.

  Concentrate on the ride, Jason ordered himself. No kissing Sienna.

  Not yet.

  “You missed a spot,” Jason told his sister the next morning. “On the left side of the windshield.”

  Dani dropped her soapy sponge into the bucket and frowned at him. “You’re pushing it, big brother,” she replied. “You know I don’t think this counts as one of your chores to begin with.”

  “Well, the car doesn’t wash itself,” he said, grinning as he took another swig of his Coke and relaxed in the cushy porch swing near the front door, “And you use it too, sort of.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Dani grumbled. She squeezed out the sponge and soaped up the windshield again. “But I don’t know why you have to watch me.”

  “I’m supervising,” Jason said. “You’d never do it right otherwise.”

  “You’re not supervising, you’re torturing.” She flicked some suds at him. “Go away!”

  “Oh, all right. I guess you can handle the rinse yourself.” Jason stood up and stretched. He was just pulling open the front door when he heard the beeping of a horn. He turned to see Adam pulling into the driveway on his Vespa.

  “Freeman!” Adam yelled. He motored past Dani, hopped off the bike, grabbed Jason’s arm, and dragged him inside. “I have news. They haven’t released it to the public yet, but I had to come and tell you.” He took a deep breath and then spoke in a tone more serious than Jason had ever heard him use before. “There’s been another murder.”

  THIRTEEN

  “Who was it?” Jason demanded, his heart pounding with fear. Had one of his friends been killed? Was it Sienna?

  “Trinny Dareau,” Adam replied. “She was killed this morning. It was another crossbow-bolt murder. You’ve seen her. She’s a cheerleader in your sister’s year.”

  Jason nodded, relaxing a little. It was horrible that a girl had been killed, but he couldn’t help feeling relieved that it was nobody he knew. “She’s got red hair, right?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. Well, her name sounds familiar, anyway,” Jason said

  “Yeah.” Adam headed for the stairs. “Let’s go up to your room.”

  “Okay.” Jason followed him up and closed his bedroom door behind them. “What’s up?”

  “It’s Trinny,” Adam said seriously. “She wasn’t a vampire.”

  Jason dropped down into his desk chair. “And they’re sure it was the same killer?”

  “According to Tamburo, it’s the exact same MO.” Adam paced up and down the room. “Except for the fact that Trinny was human.”

  Jason sighed. “But that doesn�
��t make sense,” he said.

  Adam nodded. “Looks like my vampire-hunter theory was wrong.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Jason said slowly. He could hardly believe it. Adam’s theory had really grown on him. He’d been sure it was true. “So the theory is wrong,” Jason repeated, drumming his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. “That means that the killer’s just a nutjob, like Tamburo said.”

  “Yeah. I feel stupid for doing all that research on hunters,” Adam said. “Zach told me there was no such thing. I should’ve believed him.”

  “You were only trying to help,” Jason said. “And at least you had a theory. Does Tamburo have one? Does he have any idea who’s doing this, or why?”

  “I don’t think so. He knows it’s the same killer, because the bolts from the crossbow are very specific,” Adam said. “Tamburo had the forensics guys check out the bolt that killed Trinny. It’s got a groove in the same place as the bolts that hit you, Dominic, and Scott. The groove is made by an uneven piece of metal on the crossbow he uses.”

  “But that’s all? He doesn’t even have a suspect?” Jason asked.

  “Unfortunately, no. But my dad says he’s handling the case as well as it can be handled.” Adam frowned. “I think it’s just that without anything linking the victims, it’s impossible to figure out what the motive is.”

  “I wasn’t thrilled to think that all the vampires were in danger. But I’m less thrilled now,” Jason said thoughtfully. “Because if the killer isn’t targeting vampires, then everyone is in danger. And the guy is also that much harder to catch. If he’s after random people, and we have no idea what his motive is, he could go after anyone.”

  “At any time,” Adam agreed. “If it were a vampire hunter, the season would be over after tonights—at least until the next new moon and the next hunting season starts. But now we’ll have to keep worrying. There’s no end in sight.”

  Jason sighed. “It’s useless to sit around thinking about it. Tamburo’s a hotshot. He’ll find the killer sooner or later. We just have to trust him to do his job.”

  “I guess so.” Adam cracked a smile. “And I trust him more than I trust the regular cops. Around here, the worst they usually have to deal with is credit card fraud. At least Tamburo has actually caught murderers before.”

  Jason stood up. “I’m going to head out back and do a few exercises in the pool,” he said. “I’m not allowed to swim, but I can use the water for resistance training. I need to start getting myself back in shape.”

  “I’ll come along and stick my feet in the water,” Adam said. “Those of us without luxurious heated pools have to pounce on any opportunity we get.”

  Jason led the way downstairs and out to the backyard.

  “You’re a glutton for punishment,” Adam commented. “I saw you driving to the pier last night, wincing every time you had to turn the steering wheel. You’re still in pain.”

  “I need to keep my muscles in shape for when I can actually swim again,” Jason told him. “And I’m only in a little pain now.”

  “Yeah, but if I were in even a little bit of pain, I would use it as an excuse to sit around eating Fritos and channel surfing,” Adam said. “But you, Mr. Overachiever, you have to get back in shape before your wound is even healed!”

  “Oh, please,” Danielle said, carrying the car wash bucket over to the storage shed near the pool. “Jason just wants to impress Sienna with his rippling muscles at the charity ball tonight.”

  Adam laughed.

  “Not true,” Jason said. “And if you keep saying things like that, I’ll tell everyone at the ball that your dress only cost fifty bucks!”

  Dani gasped, shooting a mortified look at Adam.

  “Hey, don’t worry about me,” Adam told her. “My tux is rented from Cheap Tuxes R Us.”

  “It doesn’t matter how much it cost, anyway. Billy helped me redesign the dress, so it’s really an original couture design piece now,” Dani told him. “And if Jason tells anyone else how much I spent on it, I might have to mention a little trip he took out to the desert. Because I don’t think Sienna will find him so cool once I tell her about the Arcana Psychic Fair!”

  Adam burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I had a friend who’s into the occult,” he teased. “I thought I was supposed to be the wacky one. But even I draw the line at attending psychic gatherings.”

  Dani winked at Jason as she put the bucket away.

  “So what’s your specialty?” Adam went on, mock-seriously. “Astrology? Or are you more of a palm-reading type, dude? No, wait, don’t tell me—you divine the future using tea leaves, right?”

  Jason decided it was time for a subject change. “I bet the ball isn’t even happening tonight, is it?”

  Dani paled. “It’s not? It has to! I’m supposed to meet the love of my life tonight! Why would the ball be cancelled?”

  “Er, no reason. I’m just kidding,” Jason said quickly. He’d forgotten that the news about Trinny Dareau wasn’t public knowledge yet.

  “Don’t joke about things like that,” Dani said. She disappeared back inside the house, and Jason turned to Adam.

  “Is the ball cancelled?” he asked. “I mean, three murders in a row—that’s got to have everyone on edge.”

  “Nope, it’s going on as scheduled,” Adam said. “My father is getting a lot of pressure from the Devereuxs not to cancel it. They’ve got all kinds of influential people coming from Bel Air and Beverly Hills.”

  “Plus, if they cancel it, the charities it benefits won’t get the money,” Jason said.

  “And Tamburo told my dad it would be better to let the ball go ahead, anyway,” Adam added. “That’s why they’re keeping Trinny’s murder quiet. Tamburo thinks maybe the killer likes all the attention he’s been getting lately. So if we don’t give him any public attention for murdering Trinny …”

  “Like by canceling the big ball,” Jason put in.

  “Yeah,” Adam agreed. “Well, then he might try to strike again in order to get noticed. And if he’s acting in haste, he’s more likely to mess up and do something stupid. You know, like try to attack someone in a crowded public place. Tamburo is hoping that he’ll try to strike again at the ball itself.”

  “That doesn’t sound very good,” Jason said, alarmed.

  “Don’t worry, my dad’s got every cop on the force working the ball,” Adam assured him. “Some of them will be in uniform, and the rest plainclothes. The killer will avoid the uniforms, but he’ll probably think that’s all the security there is.”

  “And the plainclothes cops will catch him before he acts,” Jason guessed. “I hope it works. The whole thing sounds risky to me. Innocent people could get hurt.”

  “Well, Tamburo is a risk-taker. And he figures innocent people are already getting killed, so it’s worth the risk if it means we can catch the guy.”

  “And your father agrees?”

  “Not exactly,” Adam said. “He’s just made sure that he’s got enough people working the ball that they’ll catch the guy before he can hurt anyone.”

  “It’s probably a good idea either way,” Jason said. “Tamburo obviously thinks the killer is somebody local. Even if he’s not planning to attack tonight, he might be at the ball.” He headed toward the back door. “In which case, I’d better get ready.”

  “What? Why?” Adam asked, hurrying after him. “I thought you were resistance training.”

  “No time. I want to get there early,” Jason said.

  “Why?” Adam asked. “Did Sienna ask you to help set up?”

  “No. I’m sure they’ve hired an army of people to do that,” Jason said. “And that’s the problem. If Tamburo is right and the killer comes to the ball tonight, it’s possible that he may come as a worker, not a guest …”

  “… so he could be there already,” Adam finished for him.

  “Yeah. Which means that Sienna could be in danger,” Jason said grimly. “She’s already there too.”

  T
hey went back upstairs to Jason’s room. While Jason began putting on the tux his father had bought him for his cousin’s wedding last year, Adam scanned Jason’s CD collection. Jason grabbed a pair of cuff links, barely stopping to check that they matched. Right now, he just wanted to get to the ball.

  “It’s weird, don’t you think?” Adam asked. “All the violent things that have been happening around here lately? First that rogue vampire. Then the DeVere Heights Vampire Council sentencing your friend Tyler to death. And now somebody killing people, including a couple of vampires.”

  “Yup. Lots of bad mojo,” Jason agreed. “Which is ironic, considering how safe everybody always says Malibu is.”

  “Hmm,” Adam murmured, staring out the window.

  Jason could tell his friend wasn’t even listening. “All right, Turnball, out with it,” he said. “You’ve got your thoughtful detective look on.”

  “It just seems like every strange thing that happens is about vampires. So why would this be any different?” Adam replied. “Two of the victims were vampires. One is a vampire sympathizer …”

  “Is that what I am?” Jason asked, amused.

  “Yes. A guy who hangs with vampires and who could have been seen at a pawn shop retrieving vampire property,” Adam said. “You’re a vamp-esque kinda guy. And Trinny was French….”

  “And French in Malibu usually equals vampire,” Jason put in, realizing what Adam meant.

  “Exactly,” Adam agreed. “If somebody was looking for the fangy types around here, they’d assume anybody who happened to be of French descent was probably a vampire. I mean, even we thought Trinny was a vampire when we first found out that vampires existed. Remember? We put her on our final list of everybody we thought might possibly be V.”

  “That’s right!” Jason cried. “That’s why her name sounded familiar.”

  “Yeah, we wrote down every single French person in the school,” Adam said. “I think I was a little bit vampire-obsessed back then.”

  “A little bit?” Jason said skeptically. At the start of the school year, Adam had been on a quest to uncover the truth about the existence of vampires in Malibu. He and Jason had started writing down the names of vampire suspects. Then they’d ordered that list into a new, complete and alphabetical list, and then Adam had researched every single person on it.