by Toby Neal
“And…did you get pregnant right away?”
“I did.” She nodded. “The other consorts and I all got along. We took turns in his bed and waited on him at his yurt. We got to have the children at our breast until they were one year old, then they went to the children’s care run by women elders. But we got to be with them every day when we had free time.”
“So no one else in the cult had children?”
“No one else was allowed to.”
“That seems tough to enforce.” Dunn flipped a sleek metal pen that looked like it could double as an assassination device between his fingers.
“Only single people are allowed at the compound, and sex is allowed as part of certain rites—but life at Waipio is a spiritual path. If people wanted to pair up or have children, they had to leave and go to one of the lesser group living situations. Sandoval’s compound was considered the apex of the Society. A utopia of sorts.” Blumfield’s mouth twisted.
“But what makes you think foul play befell these women?” Sophie asked. “Perhaps they simply left and went to these other compounds.”
Blumfield shook her head. “I guess it’s possible, but they were very devoted to Jackson, and their children were at the compound.” She licked thin lips. “There’s a ritual called the rooska. It is a voluntary suicide to help the group in some way. I believe they were asked to rooska. Maybe they agreed to it, maybe they were forced.”
“What does rooska involve?” Sophie typed as she talked, capturing Blumfield’s words for later analysis by DAVID.
“Poison. With oleander. Accompanied by some opiates to make you sleepy.”
“So have you witnessed it?” Dunn asked.
“Yes.” Blumfield looked down, fiddled with the tulsi bead bracelet on one wrist. “One of the people who did taxes for the Society had taken money from the group. There was a ceremony where he renounced his wrong, and we were all sworn to secrecy—a blood vow—and he took the oleander and died. He was buried in the garden to enrich it.”
“Is there a certain burial area?” Dunn pushed his legal pad toward Blumfield. “Draw us where it is within the compound. Being able to search for the body would really help us.”
“Bodies are buried right in the garden. We all come from the earth, and return to the earth.” Blumfield’s eyes gleamed with a strange light for a moment.
“We will need to go over all of this and form a plan,” Sophie said. “I hope you’re prepared for it to take some time and expense.”
“I am. Jake has provided me with a preliminary contract. I’m pledging a portion of my trust fund to stop Jackson’s activities,” Blumfield said. “I want my children’s siblings to have a future beyond those walls—and for my sister consorts to have some justice.”
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About the Author
Kirkus Reviews calls Neal's writing, "persistently riveting. Masterly."
Award-winning, USA Today bestselling social worker turned author Toby Neal grew up on the island of Kaua`i in Hawaii. Neal is a mental health therapist, a career that has informed the depth and complexity of the characters in her stories. Neal's police procedurals, starring multicultural detective Lei Texeira, explore the crimes and issues of Hawaii from the bottom of the ocean to the top of volcanoes, and are so popular that they've spawned a licensed fan fiction world on Amazon. Fans call her stories, "Immersive, addicting, and the next best thing to being there."
More Titles From Toby Neal
Lei Crime Series
Paradise Crime Series
Romances
Romance Thrillers
Young Adult
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