by Gerri Hill
“Are you saying she doesn’t have free will?” CJ asked, trying to swipe a taste of the casserole, only to have her hand slapped.
“Well, she’s got a car, she comes to the school. She has a job. I assume she keeps her salary. Hell, maybe Mother Hogan gets it.”
CJ took her hand, stilling her movements. “This has you worried?”
“Yes. And after we eat, we need to go check on her. You’ll see what I mean.”
“Great. Then let’s eat. I’m starving.” This time Paige let her take a corner sample and she grabbed a pinch of cheese, licking her fingers of every bite. She felt Paige watching her and she paused, seeing Paige’s blue eyes darken.
Dinner was suddenly forgotten as Paige moved into her arms, not shy as she pressed her body tight against her.
“Had to lick your fingers, huh?” Paige murmured against her lips.
She pulled back from the kiss. “Let’s go to bed.”
“I thought you were starving,” Paige reminded her.
“I am.” She pulled Paige after her, hearing Paige laughing delightfully behind her. She grinned too, already planning how they would spend the next hour. And it did not involve a casserole.
***
“Fiona?”
Paige knocked again when she got no answer. She turned to CJ. “I have a bad feeling.”
“Let’s just go in and check on her. She’s probably still sleeping.”
Paige hoped that was the case. She saw firsthand how quickly the drug had knocked her out to begin with. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Fiona was in the same position as when she left her, her breathing slow and even. Paige touched her face, then jerked her hand away.
“She’s burning up.” She pulled the covers away, revealing soaked sheets.
“I’m going to call Avery,” CJ said, holding up her phone. “Have him get in touch with Gretchen.”
Paige nodded, then went into the bathroom to get a damp cloth. She wiped Fiona’s face, shaking her lightly.
“Fiona? Can you hear me? You need to wake up, sweetie.” Fiona moaned, but her eyes never opened. Paige patted her cheek lightly. “Come on. Wake up.”
“Avery is going to call Gretchen and ask her to come over,” CJ said. She shook her head, eyes wide. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. She’s huge.”
“I know. And two weeks ago she wasn’t even showing.” She shook her harder. “Fiona? Please wake up.”
“Maybe we should just let her be until Gretchen gets here,” CJ suggested. “We don’t know what kind of drugs she took.”
Paige stepped back, knowing CJ was probably right. But Fiona looked so helpless, and judging by the grimace on her face, still in pain. “I haven’t actually met Gretchen. Have you?”
“No.”
She looked away from Fiona, taking CJ’s hand and leading her out of the bedroom. “I keep telling myself this is none of my business,” she said. “Fiona just looks so innocent. So, I don’t know, so helpless.”
“She’s obviously been very sheltered.”
“Ester Hogan is her aunt. And she’s very obedient, as far as I can tell. She obviously needs a doctor—a real doctor—yet Ester forbids it. So Fiona, as sick as she is, obeys.” Paige shook her head. “I just don’t get it.”
“She is subservient, for whatever reason. As we saw in the café, they all are.”
“So what kind of hold does Ester Hogan have on them? Fiona is educated. She has a degree. She teaches science. Why, then, does this happen?” she asked, pointing to the bedroom. CJ had no answer for her other than a shrug.
Paige paced back and forth, impatiently waiting for Gretchen Hogan to arrive. When headlights flashed across the window, she let out a relieved sigh. She hadn’t really conjured up a mental picture of Gretchen so to say she was shocked was an understatement. Gretchen Hogan was nearly six feet tall and built like an ox. Her dark eyes were like daggers, and Paige automatically took a step back.
“You may leave now,” Gretchen said curtly as she headed directly to Fiona’s bedroom.
Paige and CJ exchanged glances. She wasn’t about to be dismissed so easily, so she followed Gretchen, only to have the door slammed in her face.
“Who the hell does she think she is?” She was about to open the door when CJ grabbed her hand.
“Let’s just let it be,” CJ said.
“But—”
“We can’t blow our cover,” she whispered.
Damn. Paige took a deep breath, nodding. “Okay. You’re right.”
Back at the house, while CJ made a call to Avery, Paige stood at the window, her eyes glued to Fiona’s front door. Fifteen minutes later, Gretchen helped a very slow-moving Fiona into her car, then sped away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“Can you walk?”
Fiona could barely open her eyes, and she wondered just what drugs were in the mixture Mother Hogan had made for her. She shook her head feebly, knowing she couldn’t even stand, much less walk.
“Stay in the car,” Gretchen instructed curtly, slamming the door behind her.
Stay in the car? Even in her hazy state of mind, she found that funny. Her head rolled to the side, her eyelids heavy. It was black dark, but she could make out the shapes of the houses. She was back in Hoganville. But it wasn’t her mother’s house nor was it Gretchen’s. She felt her eyes slipping closed again and she blinked several times, trying to focus. The door jerked open and Mother Hogan bent down, staring at her. Behind her stood Don Hogan, the closest thing they had to a doctor.
“Help us get her inside.”
Mother Hogan stepped back, allowing Don closer. Fiona and Don rarely saw each other and when they did, they were never alone. She used to think it odd. If there was anyone in Hoganville she had something in common with, it would have been Don. They had both been sent away for their education, they had both been outside. Of course, she came to realize that was the very reason they were kept separated. They had both been to the outside.
“Can you try to stand?”
She nodded as she grabbed his arm, trying to pull herself up. Her legs felt wobbly still, as if she had no control over them. Their eyes met for a moment and she saw genuine concern in his. And why not? She must look a sight.
“Inside quickly,” Mother Hogan instructed.
It was then Fiona realized they were at Don’s home, the one he used to share with his mother. She had never been there before, certainly had never been inside. He led her into a back room and eased her down into a large chair. She looked around, the white walls adorned with a few old medical posters. This must be his examination room.
Mother Hogan hovered, her eyes darting between Don and Gretchen. Fiona was surprised to see fear in them.
“She has a fever,” Mother Hogan said. “Do you have something for her?”
“Yes. Let me examine her.”
“Do not give her anything until I’ve cleared it. Understand?”
“Of course, Mother Hogan.”
“Gretchen, come with me. I want to know why the two strangers were in Fiona’s house.”
Fiona watched them leave, their voices muted now as they stepped outside and closed the door. She raised her eyes to Don questioningly.
“What did she give you?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “Something for pain.”
He lowered his gaze to her belly, then back up. “Why do you have pain?”
She swallowed, wishing she could confide in him. “You saw the coupling. Should I be this big?”
“Of course not.” But he, too, appeared to be afraid to ask questions. He glanced out into the living room, seeing the outside door still closed. He touched her face, his brow furrowed. “I think you need to go to a hospital. Your fever is very high.”
She shook her head. “You know Mother Hogan will not allow it.”
“No. But I’m not a doctor.” He motioned to the cabinet. “Whatever pharmaceuticals Belden has b
een able to confiscate over the years are mostly expired. And the potions that she mixes up, who knows what’s in them,” he said. “You may have had a reaction to it.”
Fiona frowned, not used to hearing someone criticize Mother Hogan, even if it was the truth. She grabbed his hand, deciding to trust him. “She kept me drugged the entire week after the coupling. I was shackled,” she said. “And I was bleeding.”
“In the cave?”
She nodded. “She said it was so that Antel could be with me. But I don’t think he was.”
He took a step away from her, glancing quickly into the living room again.
“Do you know what lives in the caves?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I try not to think about it.”
“I know. Me too. But whatever it is, I think this,” she said, pointing to her belly, “is his. Not Antel’s.”
“You’re saying your coupling was your...your first time?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “That’s why I know this can’t be Antel’s baby.”
Their eyes held for a long moment, then he nodded. “We need to get you out of here.”
“I can’t,” she said. “How could I explain whatever it is that’s growing inside of me?”
They both looked up at the sound of raised voices. Belden had apparently joined Mother Hogan and Gretchen. Belden and Gretchen appeared to be arguing.
Don bent closer to her. “Let’s get out of here together. I’ll go with you,” he said quietly. “We can escape this.”
“I can’t,” she said. “It’s too late for me.” She squeezed his hand. “Why do you stay? Why haven’t you left?”
“I’ve been afraid. Afraid to even think about it. Mother Hogan always seems to know. So many have been culled.” He stepped away from her again. “I didn’t want to meet their fate.”
She closed her eyes, feeling very tired again. “Come to the school tomorrow night. Come up the trail and through the break in the fence. We should talk.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can chance it.”
They heard the outside door open, and Don went to his cabinets, making a show of looking through his medications.
“Beware of the guard named Richard,” she whispered. “He is a spy for Belden.”
She closed her eyes again as she heard footsteps approach. There was a sudden chill in the room and she knew Mother Hogan was near.
“What do you think?”
Fiona’s eyes fluttered open as Don handed a plastic wrapper to Mother Hogan.
“That should help get her fever down,” Don said. “I think she may have had a bad reaction to something she took. An allergic reaction, perhaps,” he said vaguely.
“Yes, maybe Fiona overdid it with my potion, hmmm?” Fiona felt cold fingers digging into her shoulder, and she glanced up at Mother Hogan. “Did you take it as I instructed you?”
Fiona nodded. “Half of it mixed with water, yes.”
Mother Hogan shook her head. “No, child. I told you to mix up half of it, but to sip it sparingly. Are you saying you took it all at once?”
She nodded, remembering no such instruction from her. Mother Hogan bent lower, her words meant for Fiona and no one else.
“You must be very careful. Your child is special. We can’t have anything happen to you.”
“Yes, Mother Hogan,” she dutifully answered.
“Good.” She straightened back up. “Now, Gretchen is waiting to take you back. Do you feel up to it? Perhaps you should stay with me tonight,” she suggested.
“I should go back,” Fiona said quickly. “We don’t want my absence to cause questions,” she said, hoping this would appease her.
Mother Hogan stared at her, her eyes boring into her own. Fiona prayed she could not read her thoughts. She finally nodded.
“Very well. The two new ones from the school are nosing where they shouldn’t. We don’t need to add to their curiosity.” She handed over the pills that Don had given her. “For your fever,” she said. “You will check in with Gretchen in the morning. She will report back to me.”
“Yes, Mother Hogan.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Avery paced, waiting impatiently for the agents to arrive. He didn’t like the idea of them showing up at his house like this, but CJ thought it was important for them to talk. If anyone questioned it, he would have to make up some excuse. He hadn’t seen Fiona himself, but he’d heard from some of the other teachers that she was very pregnant. That certainly surprised him.
A light knock on his door had him moving quickly to open it. CJ and Paige walked in and he closed it behind them, locking it out of habit.
“Do you know anything?” Paige asked. “Gretchen left with her. We assume she took her to Hoganville.”
“That’s all I know,” he said. “Gretchen has not called me back. I wouldn’t expect her to. This is a family matter. It has nothing to do with the school.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Paige asked. “You should have seen her. I thought she was going to die.”
Avery glanced at CJ, wondering at Paige’s obvious concern. They were agents on an assignment, yet Paige’s distress seemed very personal. CJ seemed to understand his unspoken question.
“Paige and Fiona have become friends. Since she’s a person of interest, we thought it best to befriend her,” she explained. “Paige saw her drive up this afternoon.”
“She was doubled over in pain,” Paige said. “I went to help her inside. She had this small jar, some kind of powder that she said Mother Hogan had given her.”
“Mother?”
“Yes. She calls Ester Mother Hogan. Apparently they all do,” CJ said.
“She mixed it with water,” Paige continued. “And just like that,” she said, snapping her fingers together, “she was out. I got her into bed, then left,” she said, glancing at CJ. “We went and checked on her later and found her like that. Her fever was very high, the sheets soaked. I couldn’t wake her up.”
“You did the right thing by calling me,” he said. “Despite everything, we must keep a low profile and not call attention to ourselves,” he said, repeating the words Howley had told him. He wasn’t a field agent, but he knew the manual backward and forward. These two might have street smarts, but he knew the written word. “Let’s don’t lose sight of what our assignment is.” He noted the quick glance the two of them exchanged.
“We know what our assignment is, Avery,” CJ said as she went to the window, absently separating the blinds and looking out. “And so far, it’s been pretty benign. Our way into Hoganville—if we ever hope to get inside—is through Fiona Hogan.” She turned back around. “I assume Howley is keeping you in the loop, but really, we’ve got nothing. The team in Baton Rouge has nothing. The gate log proved helpful and—”
“Yes, I heard about the pattern. Quite shocking, actually, to think Fiona could be involved.”
“We all know they take their direction from Ester Hogan,” Paige said. “Whatever happens to those abducted—and we can all guess what that is—I think it’s premature to lay blame with Fiona. Or Gretchen, for that matter.”
“They appear to be involved in some capacity,” he reminded them.
“I seriously doubt they have free will,” Paige said. “But yes, they must have some knowledge of what goes on.”
“The pattern seems odd, doesn’t it?” CJ asked. “Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. What do you think happens? I mean, originally, we thought it was some kind of cult, right?”
“That was mere speculation,” Avery said. “Is there some sort of ritual? Torture?” He shrugged. “It’s anyone’s guess at this point.”
Paige shook her head. “Look, I’ve spent enough time with Fiona to know she couldn’t be involved with that. Torture? Come on, she’s as sweet as can be.” Paige looked at CJ. “Right?”
“I don’t think she’s directly involved,” CJ said. “But the little evidence we have suggests her participation in something,” she sai
d.
“Perhaps she is playing you,” Avery said. “I’ve been around her a handful of times, and you’re right, she appears to be very nice, very amiable. It could be a front.”
“No. I’m not some rookie off the street, Avery,” Paige said. “I know how to read people. She’s not feigning, she’s not play-acting.”
Avery held up his hands. “I understand you want to defend her. But as CJ pointed out, she’s the only link to Hoganville. Gretchen is out of the question. You cannot get close to her.” He went to the same window CJ had vacated from earlier. Mimicking her actions, he too opened the blinds a bit to look outside. “We’re sure she’s pregnant?”
Paige laughed. “Oh, yes, we’re sure. I don’t know how far along she is, but she wasn’t showing at all the first time we met her. She looks, I don’t know, six or seven months pregnant.”
“At least,” CJ added.
“Do you think her illness is related to that?”
“I think her illness is related to whatever the hell it was Ester Hogan had her drink,” Paige said.
He sighed. It was obvious he was going to get nowhere with Paige. He glanced at CJ.
“I think we should call Howley,” she said. “If this is as close as we’re going to get to Hoganville, this little interaction we have with Fiona, then we’re wasting our time here. We either need to raid the place and find out what the hell is going on or forget about it.”
Avery shook his head. “I assure you, they don’t want another Waco on their hands. There will be no raid.”
“Then what the hell is the purpose of our being here? To gather evidence that seems nonexistent? To simply observe?”
“Well, obviously we have more questions than answers, I know.” he said, wanting to end their meeting. They were accomplishing nothing and the longer they stayed, the greater chance they had of being seen. Howley’s words echoed in his brain: Do not call attention to yourselves.
“Is it possible for you to confront Gretchen?” Paige asked. “Find out what happened to Fiona?”