They passed a closed door on the left and she fought the urge to hiss at the sickly sweet stink. Even a full human couldn't help but be overpowered by the stench. "They're in here, I take it. The barrels?"
"Yes, I'm sorry about that. It's not exactly the impression I wanted to make with you."
"There's nothing to apologize for, Lee." Jamison's voice was gently reassuring. "I should have remembered."
Jamison didn't want Lee to believe she thought less of her for something she had no control over. Everything in the root cellar had been there months before she arrived. The Council should have made sure the house was cleaned out before anyone else moved in, out of respect for their Kadin if nothing else. But the full burden didn't rest on the Council of Elders. As soon as Lee mentioned it, Jamison should have followed through to see that they were removed.
Lee soothed the small transgression with a simple smile. Jamison felt that she could fall into that expression, immerse herself in the calming mien and bask in it without end. She cleared her throat and broke the moment.
"Pictures?"
"Right."
Lee opened the darkroom door and flipped on the overhead safe light, casting a reddish hue over the contents. Rolls of film and photographs in the development process hung from what looked like a clothesline, giving the area a cluttered feel though it was really quite organized.
Jamison blinked against the abnormal light spectrum and followed her over to a table near the back where a few pictures were laid out. Lee picked up two 8x10 inch sheets and presented the first one.
"This is the jaguar. As you can see, it doesn't look like it's ready to pounce, but it isn't exactly frightened either. Cleo really spazzed out when she saw it and I was afraid all that baying and barking would make it attack us."
Jamison studied the image for several long seconds. Although the picture had been taken at night and was camouflaged by trees and brush, it was very clean. Every detail of the cat, herself, was clearly depicted. If this got onto any of the local news feeds it would quickly get out over the wires and half the hunters in the country would descend looking for a personal safari trophy.
"What are you going to do with the picture?" she asked quietly, hoping that Lee wasn't planning something outlandish like sending it to the newspapers.
Lee shrugged. "Nothing at this point. I told my agent about it and I might include it in one of my showings at some time in the future, but that's it."
Jamison looked at her and tried to gauge her sincerity. She believed Lee, but this was too important to take a chance. "You're not going to advertise it anywhere else, are you?"
"What, do you think I'm crazy? I'm not deliberately going to incite some kind of riot."
"I'm not trying to insult you," Jamison said, hoping that Lee believed her.
Sighing somewhat dramatically, Lee handed over the other photograph. "If you liked that one, you're going to love this. I told you I contacted Sheriff Macke about some trespassers last night. What I didn't tell you, or the sheriff, is that I got them on film. I'd like to hear what you think because I have something to tell you that I don't think you're going to believe."
Jamison already knew what she was going to see when she took the other picture. The paper was heavier and it didn't take much to realize that when Lee said she got it on film she meant it. She had developed this one herself and there would be a film roll lying around, possibly overhead. The first photo must have been printed off on Lee's computer and would be saved either to a flashdrive, disc or hard drive. Maybe all three.
The Council was already stirred up about the fact that Lee had pictures of them. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that they'd decide to retrieve them and all copies Lee might have. If they did, things could get very dangerous.
Jamison finally looked at the image and almost gasped out loud. It was worse than she suspected. Lee hadn't just captured a group of people standing around a fire, wearing brown robes. She had caught the elders in mid-flight, trying to run from the scene. She could see Dominick Crane's face, snarling toward the camera as he leaped straight up over the flames. Marie Tristan at least had her back to the camera, but Jamison recognized her long, red hair.
She had to get these pictures away from Lee. She wouldn't mention the idea of copies when she brought the snapshots to the Council and it might buy her some time to find their rogue killer before the elders thought about it.
"What do you think?" Lee said. "The sheriff said they were probably a bunch of kids playing around in the woods, but that guy doesn't look a day under thirty."
Lee was building up a head of steam, her voice rising as she spoke and Jamison had a hunch she was about to drop a bombshell. She'd already said she had something to tell that Jamison likely wouldn't want to believe.
"There is something going on around this town that no one wants to talk about. I think it has to do with both of those pictures." Lee gestured to the photos Jamison still held.
Thinking on her feet, Jamison said, "How can you draw that conclusion, a jaguar and a bunch of people on Mafdet land wearing robes? Granted the timing might be a little suspicious, but I'm sure it's just a coincidence."
"Coincidence my foot. That's not all. I found a trunk in the attic that belonged to Aunt Chris. Inside, I found a brown robe just like the ones those people are wearing." Lee pointed at the pictures again. "I also found some kind of spell book, or whatever."
Jamison felt herself pale at the words and was grateful for the reddish hue overhead that would help mask it. She wanted Lee to find out all these things, of course, but only when she was ready. Hammering her with the facts all at once might drive her off the mountain, or worse. At the moment, she couldn't do anything about any of it until she learned exactly where Lee was headed with her thoughts.
"And you think Chris was tied up with these people somehow?"
"I'm sure of it. How else do you explain it?" Lee paced away a few steps before she retraced her path, a fierce look of concentration on her face. "There was also a letter in there. Chris wrote it to me a month before she died and in it she talked about a society called the Panthera. She said she was one of them and that so was I. Jamison, she said she was a medicine woman. A Kadin, whatever that is, and she said I was supposed to follow in her footsteps. Now I don't know what you think about all this, but I believe Chris was involved in some kind of pagan religious cult."
For the first time since the conversation began, Jamison felt a flare of anger and annoyance.
The Panthera a religious cult? Ridiculous!
She bit her tongue to keep from blurting out her response. She had to approach this logically or Lee wouldn't listen. Maybe the time had arrived for her to know what was going on.
"Panthera, huh? Did she tell you what they are?"
Lee nodded. "It was all a little cryptic, but I gather they commune or worship nature. That's what I understand from the letter, but there was this guy I ran into in Harmon and he said the Panthera are actually capable of taking on other shapes and--"
"Lee! You've been questioning the townspeople about all this? What are you thinking?"
When this got back to the elders it would be a disaster. They'd begin to see Lee as a threat and someone would be out here to visit her. If they couldn't make Lee see reason and give them the photos and all copies, something bad might happen. She might even wind up dead since it was the community's livelihood and security at stake.
"I wanted to know what was going on."
"Why didn't you talk to me about any of this?"
"You said it yourself," Lee almost shouted back. "You've been a little busy and it's not like you were calling me back. Maybe if you had, I'd have talked with you about all this. Do you know what's going on? If so, I'd love to hear about it."
With the challenge thrown before her, Jamison had a decision to make. Telling Lee about the Panthera was a given, she'd have to do it, but right now her protective instincts were surfacing and all she wanted was to get Lee to back
away from this whole thing. Once the killer was apprehended, there'd be time to fill her in on everything.
Her mind made up, Jamison said, "I can tell you that the Panthera are not a religious sect of some kind. They're peaceful people who just want to be left alone. I can also tell you that I'm worried that if these trespassers you photographed are dangerous, you shouldn't be out questioning half the town about it. Now, I'm not saying that they are. Just let me have the pictures and I'll talk to Sheriff Macke about it myself."
"You? Why should you be the one to do it?"
"Because I'm in charge of the safety of anyone in this area of Adirondack Park and that includes the town and you. And I don't want you taking any more walks after dark and trying to get pictures of jaguars or anything else as long as there's a killer on the loose."
As soon as she said it, Jamison knew she'd made a mistake. Lee grew very still and scrutinized her before asking calmly, "Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about the jaguar?"
Jamison slapped a hand over her eyes and quickly removed it, trying to figure out how to get out of this one. "There have been some animal killings; a bull and some sheep. I told you about Hank," she finished lamely.
"Your friend? You said he died, but you didn't say how. Jami, don't you see? This is just another layer on top of what's going on around here. How can you expect me to stay locked up inside my home and not want to do something to help?"
"Because I care about you!" Jamison finally shouted. Why can't you just accept that I want you to be safe?"
"Because I'm not a child!" Lee railed back. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I'm not about to let you tell me what I can and cannot do. You have no right to try and control me. If we can find out what's going on we can prevent anyone else from being hurt."
"That's not your job, it's mine."
Jamison was frustrated and angry that she couldn't reason with Lee to stay out of this, but she knew that arguing further was pointless. She had to get away from her and get some fresh air, try to clear her head and see if she could argue her standpoint with Lee from a more logical angle.
"Can I at least have the pictures? I'd like to talk with Sheriff Macke a little more and I need to get a copy of the jaguar to the rangers in the area so they know what to look for."
"Fine, keep them, but I'm not changing my mind about trying to figure out what's going on. You can't just expect me to bury my head in the sand."
Jamison clenched her jaws and grated, "I'm going to look around before I leave, if you don't mind. Maybe I can find something near the fire ring. Where did you say it was?" Having spent many years running around the area, Jamison knew where the ritual pit was located, but she'd already slipped up enough for one evening.
"Straight west, the trail right out the front door. Are you going to come back?"
The question caught Jamison by surprise. When she'd first arrived, things had been headed in a very pleasant direction, but both of them were upset now. Lee was obviously hurt that her capabilities were being questioned and Jamison was still angry that she wouldn't listen to reason. For a second she almost told Lee how she felt, that she was falling in love with her and only wanted to keep her out of danger. She wanted to hold her close and eliminate all the secrets between them, but with their emotions riding so high now wasn't the time.
"I want to, believe me. I care about you so much, but I don't think I can right now."
Lee's eyes met the floor and even in the low lighting Jamison could see tears swimming. "I understand."
Obviously, she didn't, but Lee was trying to be gallant and Jamison almost folded. "I'll still come by tomorrow to get those barrels. Ten o'clock, be okay?"
"Fine," Lee said, her chin quivering slightly.
Jamison felt awful about how things were ending tonight and had to get away before she did something she'd eventually regret. "I'm going to look around."
Lee only nodded, making Jamison feel worse. She stepped forward and started to reach out. "Lee..."
"Just go," Lee said, looking up defiantly. "I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm going to drop this and it's clear we're not going to see eye to eye, so just do what you need to do."
All remorse evaporated in the face of Jamison's renewed anger. "You're so hard-headed."
She left the lower level of Mafdet Manor, taking the steps two at a time. Before she ever reached the trail to the holy area, Jamison regretted her outburst. Her instincts pressed for her to return and apologize, but just as she convinced herself to do so she caught a flash of color through the trees. Someone was on the grounds.
Jamison crouched low and stopped about two hundred yards behind the person on the trail in front of her. The breeze was blowing toward her so, at the moment, she was undetectable. Jamison raised her head and tasted the air, trying to identify who would be lurking about at this time of the night. She could smell old sweat, liquor and the thick stench of cigarette smoke.
Dalton. What's he doing here?
Carefully, staying low and away from the prevailing winds, Jamison tracked him as he stalked through the woods. He made no attempt to be quiet, smashing fallen tree branches and scattering leaves in his wake. He passed by the fire ring without a sideways glance and disappeared into the trees on the other side of the clearing.
If it had been any other member of the hunting teams in charge of ferreting out the murderous carnivore, she could believe he was merely following recent orders to scout the area between Newton Falls and Hayes Brook, but there were a few problems with that theory. His team wasn't assigned along the Mafdet perimeter, he was alone, and there was no reason to be so close to the manor house itself. His movements weren't those of someone on the lookout for a killer and why was he now getting into a car?
Jamison had followed him to a fire trail that would lead directly onto Blue Mountain Road. Dalton got into a late model Ford sedan, slammed the door and drove away without any indication of concern for having been followed.
Had he come to Mafdet tonight to see if Jamison was there? Was he following her, trying to create more trouble for her with the Council? Or was he more concerned about her activities with Lee? When he insisted on that emergency meeting with the elders, Dalton tried to make Lee out to be a threat to them then. Was he really convinced of that or was this just another way for him to gather information to use against Jamison?
She didn't know, but she resolved to pay more attention to his routine in the next few days. A sudden thought occurred to her and Jamison felt her blood run cold. Could Dalton be involved with these killings somehow? There had always been something intangible about the scent surrounding any of the slaughters and he had been there when the monster that killed Hank got away. Been there and let it go. Jamison thought he did it to make her actions suspect, but what if there was more to the story than that?
She felt bombarded with scenarios that flashed through her head. If he was involved, then who else? Was there anyone she could really trust besides Lee? The Council itself had members who would do anything to see themselves in charge, but would they stoop to some sort of conspiracy? What if these random killings weren't anything of the kind? Someone could have been hired to kill a couple of domestic animals or even an entire flock of sheep before they settled down and focused on their real targets. It would be a great way to throw the Panthera off the track, believing they had some nut on the loose killing at will, when the real targets were the senior Council members. Hank had been the most senior of the group and now her mother was in charge.
All right, Jamison, knock it off. You're just spinning theories, don't over react.
She didn't know anything for sure, right now, except that Aaron Dalton couldn't be trusted. Not that such information was groundbreaking news. She'd always known that. All she could do was watch him and make sure he wasn't any more a part of the problem than usual. Beyond that, there was nothing else until he did something to show his hand. At the moment she needed to get the pictures from Lee to her
mother. Darlene could present them to the Council and hopefully take some of the heat off.
Jamison walked back to the house lost in thought, devising a strategy for tailing Dalton without his knowledge. She stopped beside her pickup and looked up at the house, where a light burned toward the back of the first level. Lee was probably getting ready for bed and Jamison desperately wanted to see her, but decided the time had passed. She needed to give her space to cool off.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, able to taste Lee in her mouth from their shared kisses. Jamison carried Lee in her blood now, in her heart and the visceral reaction was so strong it made her ache. A whimper escaped as she climbed into her vehicle. Driving away felt like the hardest thing she had ever done.
Chapter Twenty-Two
THE SOUND OF a snuffling grunt caught her attention as she walked along the wooded game trail. Wisps of fog swirled through the air, preventing her from seeing whatever was ahead of her and somewhere droplets of water trickled, residue from a recent shower. The low pressure weather system had brought cooler than normal temperatures as well as rain that fell in a constant, if not heavy, drizzle. The conditions only served to heighten her dread, but Lee was determined to discover where this animal was going.
Farther along the path, only a hundred yards or so, she could discern the glow from an artificial light source. It seemed to be emanating from a small cave, more of a crevice really, but the glow helped to outline the creature between her and whoever was holding the light. The beast's pelt had been darkened by the storm and she could detect the foul, musky odor of gore and rot. The head appeared to be round with a full mane ringing his neck and shoulders and the sight of it filled her with fear.
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