“Good.” Nihilist smiled in satisfaction. “Then the demons will help us be rid of the humans. Find the watcher; find Pernector NOW!—Wait.”
Homunculus turned back to Nihilist. “You don’t want me to find the watcher?”
First, find the one who can drive humans insane.”
“Why not me?” Homunculus protested.
“We need the invisible one. Find Energumen.”
“As you say, chosen leader of the Kumrande.” Homunculus dove into the earth and disappeared.
Nihilist pulled a black and purple sphere from his robe.
“No one knows I have you. No one will know until I make my play.” The thing hummed a melancholy tune. Nihilist curled his clawed fingers around the ball. “Glad we saved you from the destruction of your friends, Pet.”
The small being purred as Nihilist stuck him into a sack of salt, then into the pocket of his robe. He patted it softly. “So glad.”
Mandy opened the door and looked at Ken, Kat, and Bart. She took a step back and waved them in. “Excuse the mess.” Mandy pointed to a mound of clothes piled in one corner of the room. A makeup case and shoes held the small hill in place. “Still haven’t gotten unpacked—not to mention acquired any furniture.”
Kat smiled. “Has Wendy got anything you can use to store your clothes at least?”
“Didn’t ask. Hello, Bart. How are you?” Her tone was soft and inviting.
Don’t you dare, Mandy. Don’t you dare. Kat thought.
“Doing great. How about you?”
“Could be better.” She whipped around to Kat. “To what do I owe this visit?”
“Detective Dayton called.”
“Oh, for goodness sake, why won’t he leave me alone?” Mandy plopped onto the only piece of furniture in the room—a folding chair.
“You are no longer a suspect in the murder of Spawldine,” Ken said.
“Is that why Dayton called? And who are you? Mandy asked.
Kat’s protective instincts rushed to the surface. “This is my fiancé, Ken Melbourne. Ken, meet Mandy Thomas.”
Mandy winked at Ken. “If you’re ever available, give me a call.”
Ken gripped Kat’s hand. “Not interested, Ms. Thomas. I’ve been looking for this woman all of my life. I’m not going to let her get away.”
‘Too bad.” Her face lit up. “On the other hand, glad I’m no longer a suspect.”
“Not in the murder but something of Spawldine’s is missing.”
“Missing? You were with me the whole time, Kat. Why would he suspect me?”
“It’s logical. He asked me about it, too. I don’t know how you’d have gotten it, but I think you should call the guy. Otherwise, he could show up and drag you back to Anchorage for more questioning.”
“What’s missing?”
“A statue from Spawldine’s house.”
“Was it a woman with a snake?”
“How do you know what it looks like?”
“You do think I stole it! For your information, I saw the ugly thing the day it came in the mail.” Mandy shivered. “It is the scariest ‘work of art’ I’ve ever seen. Do you know I was sure I saw the snake move one time? Anyway, he told me it was part of a rare collection.”
“You only saw the statue once?” Ken asked.
“Yes. When I asked where it had gone, he said it was in a safe place. I never asked again.”
“If it was rare, maybe there was someone else who wanted it. Anyone come to mind?”
“Look, I didn’t know much about Grady’s personal life—other than the part I played in it.” Mandy dropped her head to her hands. “And I am trying to forget our, umm, association.”
And looking for another one as fast as you can, Kat thought.
“Did you ever meet any of his friends?” Bart asked.
“He didn’t exactly show me off to anyone. But one time I showed up early. Five or six people were just leaving. He rushed me into the kitchen and shut the door.”
“Did you get a good look at any of them?”
“No.” Mandy twisted the hem of her jacket. She raised her eyes. “I do remember this one lady. She was old. Her back was hunched and she used a cane. I’ll never forget the stick she had.”
“Why?”
“A silver snake wound around the full length of the cane. It reminded me of the one on that horrible statue.”
Kat sighed in frustration. “Mandy, can you just offer some of this information without the twenty questions?”
“Sorry. Still feel like I’m a bad guy.” She lifted pleading eyes to Bart.
Bart ignored the appeal. “Do you have any information to help Detective Dayton find the thief?”
“I remember Grady calling the old lady Madame something… like a title. Let me think.” Mandy pursed her lips then snapped her fingers. “Piquant. Her name was Madame Piquant—I think.”
“Okay. Now we have something to work with.”
“Here’s Dayton’s number. He said to call him as soon as we reached you.”
“Fine. I’ll do it in a minute.”
Kat took Mandy’s cell from the small counter dividing the living room from the kitchenette. She plopped it into Mandy’s hand.
Mandy looked at the phone. “Guess I’ll do it now.”
Dayton answered on the first ring. Mandy explained what she had told Kat and the group, then handed the phone to Ken. “He wants to talk to you.”
“Melbourne, is it?”
“Yes.”
“Madame Piquant has a reputation with the police here. I’m going to try and find her. I don’t expect her to head in your direction, but I’ll send you her photo just in case. Got a fax?”
“Uhhh…” Ken remembered the copier at the station. It had fax capability. He just prayed it was functioning. “Yes.”
“I don’t know why she’d show up in Ravens Cove but if she does, trouble’s sure to follow. Keep an eye out.”
“Will do.”
“Oh, and if she does surface there, I’d appreciate a call.”
“Will do.” Ken just didn’t say when.
“Seems the old lady has made quite a name for herself with the APD. Think we’d better do some checking on our own.”
Bart nodded. “Good thing you still have connections in high places.”
“Gonna find out if I do first thing in the morning. Right now, I think we’d better call it a night. I’ll drive this one”—he pointed to Kat—“home and meet you later, Bart.”
Kat climbed into the SUV. “Where are you staying, fiancé of mine?”
“Bart offered me a place to stay. I was pretty sure you weren’t going to.”
“You were right.”
“One can only hope.” Ken smiled at Kat.
“Keep hoping, my man, keep hoping.”
Mandy watched the trio leave.“It could have been different, Bart. It could have been so different,” she said under her breath. She picked up the cell phone and dialed. “They know.”
“They don’t know enough. Keep your mouth shut.” The line went dead.
Chapter 8
Divide and Conquer
Kat waved to Ken and watched the SUV’s headlights fade as he backed down the driveway. She took a close look at the flowerpots lining her small deck. The orange and yellow marigolds had become black silhouettes in the deep-blue dusk.
The dark outline of something or someone tall rocketed past the corner of Kat’s eye. She whirled to her right and scanned the logs for the source of movement. “Hello?” She crept over to the rough-hewn beams. She touched the timbers. They were still warm from the sun. Kat shook herself. I need sleep.
She crossed the threshold and tensed for the usual hide-and-attack by her feline friend. It didn’t come. Darn cat. Probably still out looking for fresh game.
“No presents tonight, BC. I couldn’t take it. The last time almost killed me.” She remembered the mutilated gift from BC—a dead shrew. Black Cat had placed it squarely in front of the thres
hold. She saw the bloody corpse, jumped backwards and managed to regain her balance right before she tumbled down the deck steps. “I still don’t know how I stayed upright.”
Kat made her way to the bedroom. “I was sure I had put those on the bed before I left.” She snatched up two sage and burgundy bed pillows, tossed them onto the closet floor, and made her way to the bathroom.
A rustling sound brought her back out. She shrieked. The pillows were on her floor again, in a neat line against the bed frame, and facing the bathroom. She heard a loud thwack and stared in disbelief when a photo of Mount Denali took on a life of its own. It jumped off the picture hanger, slid down the wall, and came to a stop with a light thud. Memories of the first Iconoclast siege sent chills up her spine. She saw the dead—purple and yellow oozing from their eye-sockets—and the purple and black shapeshifter called Pet who had almost lured her into eternal slavery.
A vision of the second time Iconoclast came to Ravens Cove slammed her brain. A Kumrande had found its way into her bedroom, intent on taking her to Iconoclast and his nasty man-eating boulder named Dacoit. She remembered watching Wendy entranced by Pet and waiting to be the horrible demon’s next meal. Fear turned to fury.
“You’re kidding, right?” she yelled into the empty room. “What is it about this one little town? Why can’t you leave us alone? And another thing, is my bedroom just the hotbed of activity for the demon army? If so, then bring it on you nasty thing, bring it on. I’m too tired to be fighting something I can’t see! In the name of Jesus, show yourself!”
Nothing happened. Anger turned to humiliation. I am so glad no one was here to see me make a fool of myself. I definitely need sleep.
Kat snatched up the pillows and stopped. A normal-looking shadow on the wall fluttered in a nonexistent wind. Kat’s eyes widened when a torso, then arms and legs formed out of the dense silhouette. Malevolent red eyes burned through the inky mass, followed by two pinpricks for a nose, and a blood-red hole of a mouth. It grinned, revealing its barbed teeth. “As you command,” Energumen stepped into the light.
Kat scrambled backwards to the closet wall. She reached behind, took hold of a hanger and lunged.
Energumen blasted to the ceiling. He waved a gnarled hand. The coat-hanger vibrated, then jerked itself from Kat’s hand. Energumen dove and hovered a few feet above her.
“If this is my end, so be it!” Kat stood straight-backed and glared at the demon.
“So be it!” Energumen flew at Kat.
Kat squeezed her eyes shut. “I won’t hide from this!” Her eyes popped open. She focused on the blade-like claw barreling inches from her nose. Kat threw her arms over her face. Searing pain traveled to her shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound, making a sickening plop-plop sound as it struck the floor.
Energumen hovered a foot above her head. “I’ll take my time—the other arm, then your legs. Don’t worry, though. It won’t take you too much time to bleed to death—just long enough for you to regret calling me out.” He sniggered and raised a gnarled, long-fingered hand.
“Ahhhh! Release me!”
Kat saw a semitransparent rope wind through Energumen’s arms. The mist yanked Energumen down and through the floor. She stood paralyzed—unable to move while her brain digested the incomprehensible event she had been through.
Pain shocked Kat into movement. She jogged into the bathroom, snagged a towel, and covered the oozing arm in a makeshift bandage. Waves of nausea slammed her stomach and drove her into the bathroom for a second time.
“You showed yourself to a human! Tell me why I shouldn’t send you plummeting into the abyss!” Pernector hissed.
“Oh, Watcher, she commanded me in the Name! I had no choice,” Energumen whined.
“Not good enough!” Pernector raised his arm and pointed to the ground. It began to vibrate. “This place is too important to our master! Now, the Gorgon has been released and the humans will know we are here.”
“Maybe. I left a package in the vile woman’s home which will make her question her sanity—better yet, others will question her honesty.”
Pernector lowered his arm and the earth quieted. “I am listening.”
“I was told to discredit one of God’s faithful ones. I have.”
“You were told to drive one of them insane.”
“Is this not better? The others will think one of their own is untruthful or crazy. Divide and conquer.”
A smile played at the corners of Pernector’s mouth. “Will it be found?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I have always counted on you to make a bad situation worse. Get away from me before I change my mind.”
Energumen bowed and shot into the night sky.
“That hurts!” Kat leaned back against her bed pillows and glared at Doc Billings.
“If you’ll hold still it won’t hurt as much.” Doc tied off the knot.
“She’s always been a baby when it comes to needles and things.” Wendy let go of Kat’s hand and wiggled her fingers. “For someone almost in a puddle on the floor when I walked in, you sure got your strength back in a hurry.”
Doc Billings taped large gauze pads over the wound and wrapped it in an Ace bandage. He pulled a syringe out of the old-fashioned doctor’s bag. “Roll over.”
“You’re kidding right? Can’t I just get some pills?”
“Roll over!”
“Told you—needles and doctors,” Wendy said.
“Fine.” Kat rolled onto her stomach. She grimaced at the sharp prick of the hypodermic.
“All done. And, yes, you need an oral antibiotic, too. I’ll give you a prescription for penicillin. Get it filled at the pharmacy tomorrow. The wound is already inflamed.”
“Will do.” Kat gripped her left jean pocket and yanked the pants over her hip.
Kat heard a loud bang on the entry door.
“Who could that be?”
“KAT,” Bart shouted.
“How did you manage to call Bart without me knowing?”
“It’s what I do.” Wendy turned and yelled. “Back here, Bart.”
“I’m not happy with you, Wendy. Now my lug of a cousin is gonna go into protection overdrive. Just what I need.” Kat flopped back against the bed pillows.
Bart stomped through the front door. His foot came down on something with the consistency of a drenched washrag. He released the flashlight from his belt and pointed the beam at a bloody lump of gray fur. “What in the name of…”
A black streak seized hold of the gory mass and dashed toward the bedroom. “No, BC!” Kat yelled as he trotted toward the bed, a mutilated shrew dangling from his mouth. He dropped it.
“Oh, yuck.” Wendy took the last clean towel from the bathroom and picked up the small corpse. “Be right back. Looks like the ravens will be having a complimentary breakfast.”
“Yes, let’s look at the bright side.” Kat grimaced and considered another run for the bathroom.
Doc Billings took in Kat’s pallid complexion and sunken eyes. “Not to be obvious, but you need to rest. You were in a mild state of shock when I arrived, and you’ve lost quite a bit of blood.”
“You tell her, Doc. Back in a flash.” Wendy headed to the front door and came back holding Bart’s forearm.
“Look who I found standing in the living room when I was taking out the, umm, collateral damage.”
“Good morning.” Doc nodded to Bart, and turned back to Kat. “Want you in my office first thing tomorrow.”
“Again I ask you, Wendy. Why did you think it was a great idea to call Bart? I just want to go to sleep!” Kat rolled onto her side.
Wendy marched to the side of the bed wagging her finger at Kat’s back. “There’s some crazy on the loose and you’re gonna sleep? Since when?”
“Where is everyone?” Ken called from the front.
Kat sat up and turned to Wendy. “Him, too?”
Ken looked from the bandage on Kat’s arm to the blood on the floor. “What happened?”
&n
bsp; “Someone attacked her.”
“More like something,” Kat whispered.
Wendy rolled her eyes. “She insists it wasn’t human.”
Bart walked over to the bed. “What makes you say something?”
“Humans don’t usually materialize out of thin air or fly!”
Bart turned to Ken. “Maybe a little too much for her today,” he mouthed.
BC wound himself around Ken’s feet then walked to the closet and sat down. Ken followed.
“Whatcha you doing, little big guy?” Ken pushed the clothes aside. He brought out a small statuette. A semi-naked woman gleamed in the sunlight. A dark, green snake encircled the figure from its neck to its feet.
“How’d that get here?” Kat’s voice rose to a shriek. “HOW THE HELL DID THAT GET HERE?”
“You didn’t take it from Anchorage?” Bart asked.
“No!”
“Maybe you thought it would help Mandy,” Ken said.
“I didn’t take the statue!”
“What’s going on here?” Grandma Bricken walked into the already crowded room. She made her way to the bed. Kat fell into her arms and murmured. “They think I’m losing it—they may be right!”
Grandma Bricken held Kat at arm’s length. “Why would you say such a thing, child?” Grandma Bricken turned to Bart. “Bart?”
“She’s talking some odd stuff, Gram. And we found this.” Bart held up the statue.
Grandma Bricken looked long and hard at her granddaughter. “Pshaw, this girl is sane as any of us in the room. Now tell me what happened and you police types”—she nodded at Bart and Ken—“get back to doing whatever you do to find out who did this to her.”
“Well, it started with the pillows.”Kat leaned toward Alese Bricken. “They were moving on their own.”
“See what I mean, Gram?”
“Hush, Bartholomew! Go on.”
“I saw a shadow, but not a shadow, in the corner. It started weaving. I told it to show itself in the name of Jesus.”
“Oh, my. What did it look like?”
“It had red eyes…”
“Red eyes, you say?” Josiah joined Grandma Bricken.
“Should I expect anyone else, Wendy?”
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