Part 27 (2/2)

Awan stepped over to them and examined Claude. ”That's a message.”

”A message?” Deem said, turning back to the grisly scene. ”What message?”

”The bowels removed,” Awan said. ”A penalty. For violating an oath. A Mormon thing.”

”The secret council?” Winn asked.

”This is because of me,” Deem said. ”They knew he was talking to me. They killed him because of it.”

”You don't know that,” Winn said.

”They're watching everything!” Deem said. ”They knew we followed them to Caliente. They knew I was being attacked by the skinrunner. They must have known I'd met with him.”

”Now you're becoming paranoid, like him,” Winn said.

”He'd been talking about strange things on the radio for years,” Awan said. ”But he never talked about this secret council, at least not on his radio program. I guess speaking to you about it crossed a line.”

”So they killed him, for talking to me,” Deem said, angry. ”They didn't have to mutilate him like this.”

”He violated an oath,” Awan said. ”That's what the disembowelment is about.”

”What oath?” Deem asked.

”It used to be a temple oath,” Awan said. ”It isn't anymore. But old timers remember the original oaths, which had penalties for breaking silence. Being cut open and having your bowels removed was one of the penalties.”

”He left the church long ago,” Deem said. ”When you leave, those oaths no longer apply, do they?”

”To some old timers,” Awan said, ”they still apply, whether you leave or not.”

”Maybe it doesn't have to do with the temple at all,” Winn said. ”If Deem is right, and this is in response to him talking to us, then it's all about the secret council. Maybe he took an oath with them. Maybe he was part of it, at some point. This has to be their work.”

Deem left Winn's side and walked to Claude. ”I'm so sorry,” she said to him.

”We need to get out of here,” Awan said. ”This is a crime scene, and I don't think any of us want to get wrapped up with the cops.”

”He had a security system,” Winn said. ”There might be tapes of us coming in.”

”I'll find it,” Awan said. ”I know something about security systems.” Awan left them and began searching.

”Wait,” Deem said, staring at a stack of boxes to the right of Claude. ”This stack of boxes wasn't out when we were here last time.”

She opened the top box and pulled out some of the paperwork inside, leafing through it.

”It's all council stuff,” she said. ”Maybe they made him collect it like this before they killed him.”

”When we startled the killer,” Winn said, ”he ran off without them.”

”We're taking these,” Deem said.

”What if someone sees us?” Winn asked.

”His nearest neighbor is two blocks away,” Deem said, grabbing the first box and walking out. ”It's a risk I'm willing to take. Are you going to help me?”

Winn grabbed the next box in the stack and followed Deem out of the house. They piled the boxes into the back of Winn's Jeep, then went back inside for the rest. Once they finished, there were six boxes of doc.u.ments in Winn's vehicle.

They looked for Awan, and found him in a back room. He was reviewing video footage on a small black and white monitor. ”This guy was old school, used tapes that he'd rotate. The tapes in the machine go back about a week. When did you first visit him?”

Deem tried to remember their first visit. ”A week ago, maybe?”

”The date at the beginning of this tape is last Monday,” Awan said, ejecting the tape and placing it in his pocket. ”Let's hope that covers it. It looks to me like he locked his older tapes in that.” Awan pointed to a small safe sitting on a counter behind them.

”We've taken some of his boxes,” Deem said. ”I think the intruder made him collect everything he had on the council before he killed him. Intended to take it with him before we interrupted.”

”That's a very dangerous move,” Awan said. ”They'll know you took them. They'll want them. They'll hunt them down.”

”Guys, we've got to get out of here,” Winn said. ”We can talk about this after we've left.”

”Go back through the house,” Awan said. ”Wipe fingerprints. Remember everything you may have touched.”

They methodically walked back through the rooms they'd entered, wiping switches and door handles. Finally they left through the front door.

”Leave it ajar, just as we found it,” Awan said. Deem pulled the door so that it caught in the door jam, but not until it latched closed. Then they walked to Winn's Jeep and got inside.

”Should we call this in, anonymously?” Deem asked.

”There's no such thing as anonymous,” Awan said. ”You'll have to leave it be.”

”He deserves better than being left like that,” Deem said.

”He does,” Awan said. ”But you must not do it. They would track down anyone who called that murder in. Of greater concern are these boxes. If they were willing to kill Claude for them, they will certainly kill you for them.”

”I need time to go through them,” Deem said. ”I need to store them somewhere.”

”You can't take them home,” Winn said. ”You'd be putting your mother at risk.”

”Would they really do that?” Deem asked. ”Wouldn't that draw too much attention?”

”Please don't be offended, Deem,” Awan said, ”but you've underestimated these people from the beginning, giving them the benefit of the doubt when they don't deserve it. I know they were a.s.sociates of your father's, but you need to start thinking of them as cold blooded killers and a.s.sume the worst, because they'll do whatever they think they have to, including burying you in a hole in the desert.”

”How can they justify this?” Deem said. ”It goes against everything. I can't believe they would take it this far. Don't they have some kind of conscience?”

”They think G.o.d is on their side,” Awan said. ”That makes them the most dangerous of all, because it overrides everything else. You cannot take these boxes home. You and your family will be in enough danger as it is.”

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