High Priestess

by Wendy Hewlett

  She crossed the room to Ena’s office and opened the drawer on the left side of the desk. Apparently, Ena received flowers on a regular basis because there was a massive stack of those little cards florists provide. Raven rifled through them and although the handwriting differed, each one was signed with a little heart and the letter K. Wow. Had Ena finally settled down with just one lover? Interesting. It took a while to scan through all of the cards, but she didn’t find one signed from an admirer. Was Ena yanking her chain?

  No, I’m not. Someone must have taken them. And must you call me Ena?

  “What would you prefer I called you? Slut?” Raven dropped the cards back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

  Not that it’s any of your business, but when I take a lover, I’m monogamous as long as that relationship lasts.

  Raven snorted. “And that’s usually a whole night.”

  If I was in my physical body right now, I’d slap you for that.

  “Well that hasn’t changed in twelve years then. Blame Raven and defend your flavour of the night.”

  Is that why you hated me so much? You were jealous of my lovers?

  Heat surged up Raven’s throat and flamed over her cheeks. Her hands were tight fists desperate for a target. “Jealous? Are you freaking kidding me? I was a kid and I was all alone. I had no one in my corner. It was always you and your lover du jour against me. You were blind to me. You didn’t see me. All you cared about was getting laid.” Raven stormed across the room and out the door, slamming it shut as hard as she could and hoping, praying her mother didn’t follow.

  She stomped past her car then picked up her pace to a quick jog. She needed to expel some of the rage coursing through her veins and tamp down the memories their discussion had conjured. She was so charged up she felt like she could flick her fingers and electric blue sparks would shoot out of them. If Ena got in her head right now, she’d know exactly why Raven ran away from home and never went back. There was no point in Ena knowing the truth. She was dead. Gone. She’d been dead to Raven for twelve years.

  She’d had a rip roaring fight with Ena on that night twelve years ago when she fled the house and sat in the park, hoping her mother would come to her and apologize for not seeing what was going on under her own roof. Stupid. Her mother never stopped thinking about herself long enough to concern herself with what was going on with her daughter. Ena never came for her. If it hadn’t been for Adara, she would have been Solstice’s only street person. Yay.

  When Raven returned to Ena’s house, she circled it, checking for signs of a break and enter and found none. If someone stole Ena’s card and chalice, they had a key or they were very good at picking locks.

  * * *

  Her next stop was the local hospital where Ena had been taken hours before her death. Raven walked through the sliding glass doors and caught sight of flaming red hair in the triage office to her right. Her heart fluttered and she skidded to a halt. This whole thing with her mother had her so distracted that she hadn’t even given a thought to the fact that Riley might be working. She was just about to spin around, resigned to coming back the next day, when Riley’s voice drifted across the hall.

  “Rave? Everything okay?”

  Riley’s hair was tamed into a tight twist and her pale green eyes hid behind the black-framed glasses resting on her lightly freckled nose.

  “Yeah. I’m not, um … here for me. I’d like to speak to the doctor who saw my mother when she came in last week.”

  “Oh.” Riley’s face flushed. “I’m sorry about your mom, Rave. I know you weren’t close, but still.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” It still felt awkward responding to people saying sorry about her mom, even coming from Riley. She’d been closer to Riley than anyone else in her entire life until Raven screwed up. She didn’t blame Riley for ending their relationship, but she wished there was something she could do to fix it, like turning back time and making smarter choices.

  Riley held up her finger and disappeared around a corner. Raven stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans and leaned against the door jamb while she waited. Now that the adrenaline had worn off from her rant at her mother and her run, her eye lids felt weighted. She yawned just as Riley stepped back in.

  “Dr. Tang. He’s scheduled to work in the ER again tomorrow afternoon, or you can catch him at his office. I wrote the number down for you.” Riley handed Raven a yellow post-it note.

  “Thanks,” Raven said as she accepted the note, pushed herself off the door jamb and started towards the door.

  “Hey, Rave?”

  Raven turned back, her heart leaping in her chest, hoping Riley was going to say she’d made a mistake, that she wanted Raven back.

  “Get some sleep. You look like shit.”

  A soft smile appeared on Riley’s face and Raven’s heart sank. It was like losing her all over again. She tried to smile, but couldn’t quite pull it off. “I’ll get right on that.” Riley’s smile had the power to weaken her knees, so she was proud of herself when she managed to make her exit without falling on her face.

  * * *

  “You drive.” Raven tossed the keys to Warren.

  “Sweet. Nice ride.”

  Raven settled into the passenger seat. She didn’t trust herself to drive all the way down to Orillia when she was this sleep deprived. While Warren adjusted the driver’s seat, Raven tilted her seat back as far as it would go with the partition behind her.

  “Didn’t get much sleep, eh?”

  Raven opened one eye to look over at Warren. She was driving with a smile on her cute, heart-shaped face. “You got a first name, Warren?” It just sounded too weird calling the woman Warren.

  “You know I do. You would have checked my file by now.”

  At least she could take some pride in pegging this kid as smart. “Yeah, I read your file, but it didn’t tell me how to pronounce your first name. Michaluckachucka. Or something.”

  Warren laughed as she pulled onto Highway 11 to begin their journey south. “It’s McHaela, but my friends call me Mick.”

  “How much sleep did you get, Mick?”

  “Oh, about four hours, I guess.”

  “That’s about four more than I got, so I figure shutting my eyes for the next hour wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Absolutely. I’ll wake you up when we get to Orillia.”

  The next thing Raven knew, Mick was yelling, “DC Bowen?”

  It jolted Raven awake. The view through the windshield was the OPP Headquarters building. “Crap.” Raven swiped her sleeve over her chin. God, had she been so out of it she was drooling?

  “Sorry, DC. I tried to rouse you a few times, but you wouldn’t wake up. I got you a coffee though.” Mick picked up a large coffee from the console and handed it over to Raven.

  Raven rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and ogled the cup. She took it and smiled at its warmth in her hands then closed her eyes as the aroma drifted up to her. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  “Mind if we just sit here for a few minutes while I drink this and wake up a bit?”

  “Not at all.” Mick took a slow sip of her own coffee and turned to Raven. “Let’s play a little game in the interest of getting to know each other. Three questions. They can be anything, but you have to answer honestly. You can go first.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Raven said with a raised brow. Damned if she was going to play some stupid game. She had no interest in getting to know McHaela Warren.

  “I’ve been at the Solstice Detachment for over a year and I’ve never had a conversation with you before last night. I thought it would be nice to get to know each other since we’ll be working together.”

  Raven sat up straighter in her seat. “Let’s get something clear. I work alone. The only reason you’re here is because LaCroix didn’t give me a choice.”

  “Wow, that was … cruel. I guess it’s true what they say about you.”

  Raven didn’t have to ask what Mick was referri
ng to. She knew people thought she was a loner with a bitchy attitude and that was fine with her. It kept people from bothering her. But, she felt bad about hurting Mick’s feelings. “One question. That’s all you get.”

  “Why aren’t you involved in the coven?”

  Whoa. Raven totally wasn’t expecting that one, nor was she sure how to answer it. “It’s just not my thing.” Mick raised her eyebrows and stared at Raven, waiting, but there was no way Raven was going to elaborate. She’d answered the stupid question, hadn’t she? “How did you know I used to be a member of the coven?”

  Mick grinned. “Is that your question?”

  Raven rolled her eyes.

  “I should probably tell you that I knew your mother,” Mick said. “My mother is Wiccan and she was a single mom, so she took me to a lot of the gatherings and ceremonies.”

  “Apparently we didn’t need three questions to get to know each other better. At least, you didn’t.” She wondered what else Mick Warren knew about her. “Are you Wiccan?”

  “No, I’m not Wiccan. I may go that route at some point, but I’m focusing on my career. It’s what is important to me.”

  Now Raven was desperate to ask why policing was so important to Mick. What catastrophic event pushed her toward seeking justice?

  “You have a reputation for being the best at what you do, DC. I was hoping that you would take me under your wing, but … I guess that’s not going to happen.”

  She supposed it was a compliment that Mick thought she was good at her job, but she wasn’t interested in training anyone. Ever. “Look, Mick, I don’t want to offend you, but I don’t have a partner for a reason. I prefer to work alone. That’s just the way it is.” She turned to stare out the passenger window so she wouldn’t have to see the hurt on Mick’s face. For some reason, this kid wanted to work with her specifically. Raven didn’t understand it. Maybe she had an ulterior motive, something to do with the coven perhaps.

  * * *

  They crossed the lobby of the OPP Headquarters building and Raven introduced herself to the desk Sergeant. “We’re here to see DC Sawicki.”

  “Right here.”

  Raven turned and watched a very good looking man she judged to be in his early thirties walking across the lobby towards them. His dark blonde hair shone under the florescent lights. A brown leather jacket accentuated his wide shoulders and slim hips. Smiling, he extended his hand and Raven clasped onto it, studying his hazel eyes all but twinkling at her.

  “I’m Detective Constable Bowen. This is my partner, Constable Warren. Thanks for meeting with us.”

  When he didn’t let go, Raven pulled her hand out of Sawicki’s and he offered it to Mick, but kept his eyes on Raven’s.

  “I was just going to head over to see Dr. Maxwell. He’s our lead pathologist,” Sawicki said.

  “Why don’t we follow you? What are you driving?”

  “Black Chevy Suburban. You can’t miss it,” he said and flashed a cocky grin.

  Raven and Mick laughed. Every other OPP unmarked vehicle was a black Chevy Suburban.

  “Why don’t I meet you out front?” he asked.

  Raven and Mick walked back to Raven’s car and Mick handed her the keys.

  “Keep them,” Raven said with a wave of her hand. “We’re just going down the street.”

  “Those were some serious sparks between the two of you,” Mick said as she settled into the driver’s seat. “I thought you were gay.”

  “What sparks? And why are we talking about my sexuality?” If there were any sparks, they were totally one-sided. Raven wasn’t attracted to men. She liked women. One in particular.

  Except she’d slept with Jaxon. Jaxon and Raven had been friends since they were toddlers and Jax’s mother was a member of the coven. She knew Jaxon loved her, but she’d never felt that way about him and she’d been honest with him about it. Why she’d slept with him that night was beyond her. She’d rolled it around in her head countless times and still couldn’t get a handle on it.

  “Because there was definitely something between you two in there. He couldn’t peel his eyes off you,” Mick said with her eyebrows bouncing up and down.

  “Exactly. He couldn’t keep his eyes off me. It wasn’t reciprocated.” Sawicki pulled up by the front doors and flashed his lights and Raven pointed out the windshield. “Drive.”

  “He’s hot though, right?”

  “Seriously?” Raven rolled her eyes. “If you think he’s so hot why don’t you make a play for him?”

  “He only saw you, DC.”

  “If you’re going to talk about my sex life, you can at least call me Raven.”

  “Okay, Raven.” Warren pulled into the parking lot of the forensics building and parked next to DC Sawicki. He stepped out of the Suburban and leaned back into the car for something. “See? Totally hot. Look at that ass.”

  Raven turned to look out her window and said ass was right in her face. She turned her head back and glared at Mick. “Oh. My. God. Can you shut up about Sawicki already?” So what if the guy had a supreme butt? He was probably all muscle – ripped abs, tight ass, strong back. Jesus. Now she was picturing him naked. “I’m not interested in Sawicki.”

  Damn Ena and the genes she inherited from her. Ena used to tell her the Bowen women were sexual beings, as if that were all the explanation she needed to explain her raging hormones in her teenage years. Hell, even at twenty-seven she had raging hormones. But, they had never extended to men until she slept with Jax a month ago, and ruined everything good in her life.

  It wasn’t like she just had a quickie with him, either. They’d gone at it for hours before falling asleep, exhausted. Then Raven woke before dawn and rode him like a cowboy in a rodeo. She wasn’t a woman with inhibitions, but just thinking about that night made her feel ill. What the hell had gotten into her?

  Was she getting worse? She was always more aroused on the full moon, as it was on the night she slept with Jax. Was her sex drive so out of control she would sleep with anyone? Was she destined to become a slut like her mother? “Can we start thinking about the reason we’re here?”

  Mick’s smile vanished. She pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened her door. “Yeah, sorry.”

  “Have you ever been to an autopsy before?” Raven asked before Mick got out of the car. She’d never been more relieved to be going into a morgue in her life. She could think about DBs instead of sex.

  Mick looked over her shoulder at Raven, her mouth agape. “We’re going to see Emily’s autopsy?”

  “It’s possible. I just want to make sure you’re prepared.”

  “Awesome. Let’s go.”

  Raven stared dumbfounded as Mick pretty much bounced to the front of the car. She shook her head then joined Mick and Sawicki on the walk across the parking lot, trailing behind a bit so she didn’t have to talk to Sawicki. He led them down to the morgue which was decorated in white ceramic tiles and stainless steel. Formaldehyde was the prevalent scent, although it did little to mask the unmistakable odour of death.

  Emily McMurtrie lay on a stainless steel table, a crisp white sheet folded over at the base of her neck, her red hair a tangled mess.

  Dr. Maxwell was well into his sixties. He walked into the suite wearing light green scrubs, a white lab coat, and navy blue crocks. Smiling, he pushed his wire framed glasses up his nose while Sawicki made the introductions. Then Maxwell picked up a clipboard from a stainless steel counter and began his report.

  “We’re holding off on the autopsy until tomorrow morning to give Ms. McMurtrie’s body time to thaw out, but we’ve done some preliminary tests. I can tell you she was raped prior to death. There is vaginal and anal tearing and bruising. We’ve sent swabs to the lab.

  “Cause of death appears to be drowning, but we will have to confirm that with the autopsy. Time of death, however, will be next to impossible to determine. The outside temperatures over the past several months have preserved the body and, hopefully, evidence. X-rays show a
fractured right forearm which appears to be a defensive wound, a blunt force trauma. There’s not much more I can tell you at this point.”

  “Is it safe to inform Emily’s parents of the cause of death?” Sawicki asked. He stood next to the body, arms crossed over his chest and feet shoulder width apart, like a sentry guarding his princess.

  “Yes, of course. If they would like more information, I would be happy to speak with them after the autopsy.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  Raven stepped forward and offered Maxwell her hand. “Thank you, Dr. Maxwell.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  They walked out to the sterile hallway, making their way to the exit.

  “So, did you ladies want to join me on my visit to the McMurtries? They don’t know Emily has been found yet,” Sawicki said.

  “Yeah,” Raven answered. “That’s one of the reasons we made the trip down.”

  “Great. They don’t live too far from here. You can just follow me again.”

  In the car, Mick was unusually quiet and she kept tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. Raven figured she’d never done a death notification and, instead of questioning her lack of conversation, she used the time to prepare herself mentally for what they were about to do. This was the worst part of the job, but she figured in the McMurties’ case they would be relieved to have their daughter back. They probably knew a long time ago they’d never see her alive again.

  They pulled up in front of an old brick home with a huge wrap-around porch. It was just past dusk and the warm glow of lights from the main floor windows made the home warm and inviting. Raven got out of the car and stood studying the house. It was deceiving. There was no hint of the turmoil this family suffered through every day for the past five months. Two cars sat in the driveway – a navy Dodge van and a silver Hyundai sedan.