Part 29 (1/2)
”Yes, of course. What a wonderful idea, since all my things will be here-”
He clutched the back of her neck and drew her to him. ”If for any reason the sheriff questions you and Haden, you mustn't reveal the names of the members of your cult.”
With fear in her eyes and tension tightening her body, Esther shook her head. ”No, of course not. I'd never do that.”
He smiled at her; she relaxed and returned his smile.
”Does Haden know you've brought your things here to store them for safekeeping?”
”He was still at the church when I packed everything up and put it in the car,” she said. ”I left him a note on the refrigerator telling him I was stopping by here. If he came home and found me gone, he'd worry.”
”I would prefer for Haden not to know about my helping you. At least not for now. When you return home, destroy the note you left.”
”Sure, I'll do that. Unless Haden's already seen it.”
He tightened his hold on her neck, yanked her up against him, and put his mouth to hers. She trembled. He laughed.
With their lips just barely touching, he said, ”I want to f.u.c.k your mouth.”
She sighed deeply.
He released his tenacious hold on her neck. She dropped to her knees in front of him and hurriedly undid his zipper. When she started to reach inside his shorts, he grabbed her hand.
”I'll do the rest,” he told her. ”Just open your mouth wide.”
She did as he requested. Some high priestess she was. His mother would never have allowed a man-any man-to tell her what to do. Mother had been a true high priestess. She gave the orders. She inflicted the pain.
He freed his p.e.n.i.s, cupped the back of Esther's head and slid his s.e.x into her mouth. When the tip reached the back of her throat, she gagged, but he held her in place, withdrew, and repeated the process.
Such an obedient little wh.o.r.e. If she hadn't left her husband that d.a.m.n note, she could become his fourth victim.
The sheriff's big truck was parked in their wide driveway. Esther cursed, wis.h.i.+ng d.a.m.nation on the man. What was he doing here? Had his cousin, that Madoc woman, already called him and told him about their telepathic conversation? What if the sheriff asked her if she was a witch?
Oh, G.o.d, what if Haden was entertaining him in the kitchen? What if the sheriff had seen the note?
Esther eased her older model BMW Mini Cooper past the sheriff's truck and parked it beside the church's Sedona minivan that Haden drove. When she tried the back door, she found it still locked. Good. That meant Haden had come in through the front when he'd returned from his church office. She unlocked the door and rushed into the kitchen. She heard voices coming from the living room. Haden and the sheriff. After dumping her shoulder bag and keys on the counter, she looked at the refrigerator. Her note to Haderi was still there. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She lifted the magnet and s.n.a.t.c.hed away the note, then tore it into tiny pieces and threw them into the trash.
His smell was still on her, his taste still in her mouth. She couldn't walk into the living room and greet the sheriff until she'd removed the evidence of her recent s.e.xual encounter. First she rinsed her mouth out with water, then took a bottle of lemon juice from the refrigerator and squirted some into her mouth. After she washed her hands and face with liquid soap, she reached under the sink, took out the Lysol canister and sprayed a heavy mist of the deodorizer all around her. That's as much as she could do without going to the bathroom, and she couldn't go to the bathroom from the kitchen without being seen from the living room.
Esther squared her shoulders, forced a warm, welcoming smile, and went into the living room to greet their guest.
”Esther, my dear,” Haden said the moment he saw her. ”Come in and say h.e.l.lo to Sheriff Butler.”
Esther and the sheriff exchanged pleasant greetings.
”You'll never believe what the sheriff and I have been discussing,” Haden said, his nose crinkling as he sniffed. Esther faked a puzzled expression. ”He's been telling me that he suspects there's a satanic cult here in Cherokee Pointe. Devil-wors.h.i.+ping witches. Isn't that unbelievable?”
”Yes,” she replied. ”Quite unbelievable.”
”I thought your husband should be aware of our suspicions,” Sheriff Butler said. ”I'm contacting all the ministers in Cherokee County. I think it's something our G.o.d-fearing preachers should concern themselves with.”
”Of course. Of course.” Haden nodded.
”We appreciate your sharing this news with us,” Esther said. ”Do you have any idea who these people are?”
”I'd rather not say, ma'am. But you can be sure we'll do our best to find out. Folks around here won't put up with any more animal sacrifices.”
Haden rubbed his hands together nervously. d.a.m.n him! Esther could slap the man. Now wasn't the time to weaken. Earlier today when he'd warned her to get rid of anything that linked them to the coven, he'd been quite masterful. She preferred the harsh, demanding Haden to the simpering, weak creature he often was.
”You-you don't believe there's a connection between the animal sacrifices and the sacrificial murders, do you?” Haden asked, his voice quivering ever so slightly.
The sheriff looked directly at Esther. ”We think there's a possibility a member of the coven is our murderer.”
”How awful.” Esther shook her head in a mock show of sadness.
”I'll be checking in with you from time to time.” Sheriff Butler held out his hand to Haden, and the two shared a quick handshake. ”I have a few more stops to make, so I need to get going.”
Haden walked the sheriff out to the sidewalk, then as soon as he got in his truck, Haden rushed back into the house. The minute the sheriff backed out of the driveway, Haden turned on her.
”See what your insanity has done?” he yelled. ”He knows. I tell you, he knows.”
”He doesn't know anything except what Genny Madoc told him, and believe me, anything she said isn't something that will hold up in court.”
”Court? Do you think being arrested is my only concern? If the truth about your being a witch ever came to light, I'd lose my job. I'd never be allowed to preach ever again.”
”I can't say that would be so bad. I hate being a minister's wife. I always have.”
”Yes, I know.” The look Haden gave her told her that he loathed her every bit as much as she despised him. ”We have a great deal to concern us. A great deal. What if Genevieve Madoc tries to contact you again?”
”I hope she does. She's very powerful and she could-”
Haden slapped Esther. She reeled backward, rubbed her cheek, and glared at him.
”I won't allow it,” he told her. ”Do you hear me? You must know how dangerous that woman is to us.”
She laughed at her husband. ”I did as you asked. I've made sure all the items that could connect us to the coven are well hidden. I intend to do my part to protect us. But understand this-I'm not afraid of you, Haden. You can't control me.” She walked right up to him and smiled. ”And no matter what you think, you can't control Genny Madoc. But maybe I can. I can put a curse on her. I can-”
”You're a fool if you think you can cast spells or put curses on people. You don't have any magical powers.” He looked at her, running his gaze from her head to her feet. ”The only talent you have is using your body to pleasure men. You can't handle Genny Madoc, but I can. I know a way.”
Wallace MacKinnon had called late in the afternoon to ask if he should come to work the following day. Dallas had told him he should, unless he heard otherwise from Genny. There was no reason to a.s.sume Genny wouldn't be able to continue her life in a fairly normal way, despite her knowing she was the final target for a madman. Dallas felt reluctant to leave her alone, even if Jacob could provide adequate protection. But as it was, Jacob's deputies were limited in number, and each was needed, so it would cause a hards.h.i.+p to the Sheriff's Department to post one officer to guard Genny. And Dallas wasn't sure if he would trust her safety to anyone else.
While Genny rested, Dallas inspected the greenhouses for her as she had requested when she'd awakened briefly. He'd left Drudwyn at her bedside and had double-checked all the doors and made sure they were locked before he'd gone outside.
The sun had already set, and twilight shadows crept across the hills. Night was fast approaching. Standing near the back porch, Dallas gazed skyward. Overhead storm clouds swirled. Off in the distance, thunder rumbled. They'd probably get rain before morning. And if the temperatures dropped into the low thirties tonight, they might get some fleet.