Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation (10 page)

“I’m not gonna stand on ceremony,” Ben
announced with a shrug, then reached out and grabbed a
sandwich.

“Aye, do you have a hollow leg or something?”
Felicity gave him an astonished look. “You just ate three
sandwiches less than forty-five minutes ago!”

“Don’t get decent food that often,” he told
her between bites. “I’m not home that much.”

“Don’t let Cochise over here scare you,” I
told the group. “Dig in. We need to wait for R.J. anyway.”

Quietly, one by one, they helped themselves
to the food before them. They ate mainly in silence; uttering only
necessary polite phrases required whenever offered a drink, or more
to eat. It was rapidly approaching eight P.M. when the doorbell
finally sounded again. Felicity brought the dogs to rapt attention
as they once again began to howl, and I excused myself from the
table.

As expected, R.J. was on the opposite side of
the door when I pulled it open. He smiled sheepishly and pulled
open the screen door.

“We were starting to wonder about you,” I
told him quietly as he stepped inside.

“I’m sorry, man,” he apologized and looked
around nervously. “I saw Cally’s van out front. Is everyone
here?”

“Yeah,” I answered, shutting the door. “We
were just waiting on you. Everyone’s in there.”

I pointed to the dining room, and he advanced
around the corner with a solemn expression and joined them at the
table. Something definitely seemed different about R.J. since I had
last seen him, and I wasn’t sure whether it was good or bad. In any
event, before he had ever exited the living room, my ears discerned
a low growl followed by a throaty yowl and hiss. I turned and
looking up at the rafters, saw Salinger glaring down at R.J., ears
laid back and tail twitching. Animals being considered by some as
good judges of character, I took note. Something about R.J. had set
Salinger off. Fortunately, for the moment, I was the only one who
noticed.

“Where ya’ been, kid?” Ben was asking as I
rounded the corner into the dining room.

“I had some stuff to do,” R.J. answered as he
took a seat next to Cally.

“You couldn’t call?” Ben retorted.

“I was busy, okay?!” The young man spat
indignantly. “It’s not like I’m under arrest or something, or am
I?”

“It can be arranged!” Ben challenged,
starting to rise from his chair.

“All right, all right, all right,” I
intervened. My voice rose with each syllable, and I motioned him to
sit back down. “Before this goes any further, let’s all calm down.
Now, R.J…” I looked over at him. “It would have been common
courtesy for you to call and let us know you were running late.” I
turned to my simmering friend. “And Ben, no one here is under
arrest to my knowledge, right?”

“Right,” he answered grudgingly.

“Sorry I didn’t call,” R.J. muttered.

“I know everyone is on edge here.” Felicity
reinforced my intrusion into the dispute. “But going at each other
like that isn’t going to accomplish anything.”

“Listen,” Ben offered. “Maybe I was outta
line jumpin’ on R.J. like that, but I’ve just got this thing about
bein’ on time.”

The group looked silently around at one
another then back at him. They all seemed too tightly strung but
quietly nodded in assent.

“Okay then,” he proceeded. “We might as well
get started then. I’ve already been through this with R.J., so I’ll
ask the rest of ya’. When was the last time you saw Ariel Tanner
alive?”

“See, I told you,” R.J. announced haughtily.
“The cops are trying to blame it on us!”

“Do you intend to Mirandize us, Detective
Storm,” Cally interjected bluntly.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess.” Ben threw up
his hands and rolled his eyes. “Law student.”

Cally held her position at the table, but the
look on her face showed that Ben had just exposed what she believed
to be a trump card. It became immediately obvious why she had been
picked as the speaker for the group. Now that he had knocked some
of the wind from her sails, I hoped we could get on with what had
brought us all together.

“I already told ya’,” Ben explained. “Nobody
here is bein’ accused of anything. These are just routine
questions. As for Miranda, since nobody is under arrest, there’s no
reason to read anyone their rights. We just wanna talk to ya’ about
Ariel Tanner and Devon Johnston. Okay?”

“There’s no reason for any of you to be on
the defensive,” I added. “We’re all on the same side. We just want
to find whoever is responsible for Ariel’s death.”

Once again they cast timid glances between
themselves. Finally, someone other than Cally spoke up.

“So this isn’t just some shakedown ‘cause of
us being involved in The Craft?” Randy asked.

“No,” I answered. “Not at all. Surely R.J.
told you that Felicity and I are Witches. I was Ariel’s
teacher.”

“Yes, he did…” Shari said.

“…But you’re with the cops,” Jennifer
finished.

“So?” Ben interposed, “You got some kinda
problem with cops?”

“It’s usually the police that have a problem
with us,” stated Randy, still wearing a befuddled expression.

“Yeah,” Shari agreed. “Ever since that one
cop here in the county started giving lectures...”

“...About how WitchCraft is evil and the same
thing as Satan worship. You know,” Jennifer finished again.

“Are you two gonna do that all night?” Ben
asked staring at the twins.

“Do what?” they asked simultaneously.

“Never mind,” he shook his
head. “And yeah, I know what you’re talkin’ about. I’ll admit that
there are quite a few coppers that don’t understand what you guys
are all about. Hell, I don’t even understand it, but I can tell ya’
this... Rowan has been my friend practically forever. Shit, I was
his Best Man when he and Felicity got married. I know that Rowan
isn’t doin’ anything
quote quote
evil.” He held up his fingers and made invisible
quote symbols in the air before him. “And if you guys are into the
same thing he is, I’ve got no reason ta’ believe that you are
either.”

“So are we all clear on where everybody
stands?” I asked after an expectant pause.

“Yeah,” Cally once again spoke, this time
with a relaxed smile. “We’re clear.”

The rest of the group voiced and nodded their
agreement, and the tension drained quickly from the room. I had
expected a little rough going at first because of Ben’s presence.
The last thing that crossed my mind was that I would come under
some kind of suspicion because of my relationship with the police,
especially after the way R.J. had behaved toward me earlier in the
day. I was painfully aware that the general public misunderstood
Witches, but I never imagined that Witches would misunderstand one
of their own.

As the group was settling in, I noticed
Dickens, our black cat with the fondness for male visitors, lurking
in the shadows. He silently padded forward to the chair R.J. was
seated in and then reared back on his haunches as if he were about
to climb into his lap. Suddenly, the hair along his back stood on
end, and he puffed out like a furry black balloon. His ears laid
back, and he dropped back down to all fours then skirted widely
back around the chair to investigate Randy instead. “That’s two of
them who don’t seem to like him,” I thought to myself and wondered
if Emily would make her opinion known.

“I’m glad that’s taken care of,” Felicity
piped up. “Now can we get down to business?”

“Ben?” I looked over to him
questioningly.

We had discussed this meeting earlier between
ourselves and decided that he should take the lead. What we would
reveal regarding the case so far was already public knowledge.
There had been a leak at the department, and the local paper’s
headline for the day had read “SATANIC KILLER LOOSE IN CITY.” The
story that followed contained grotesque, sensationalized details of
Ariel’s death.

“As you already know,” he
started, “Ariel Tanner was murdered sometime this past Wednesday
evening. There were no witnesses, and I’ll spare ya’ the details of
her death, except ta’ say that it was particularly gruesome, and
whoever did it is one seriously sick bastard. I brought Rowan into
the investigation as of Friday evening because of some symbols left
at the scene. He was able to decipher what our
expert
couldn’t and has helped pick
out a few clues we might otherwise have missed. Any questions so
far?”

“R.J. said you told him that the murder was
connected with The Craft,” stated Randy. “Do the symbols you
mentioned have something to do with that?”

“Yes they do,” I answered. “There was a
Pentacle drawn on the wall, and it was shaded with the colors of
the four towers, leading me to believe they were hailed.”

“How do you know it just wasn’t something
that Ariel had done?” Cally posed.

“Because,” I took a deep breath and
continued, “the Pentacle was drawn, and the Southern Tower shaded,
with Ariel’s blood.”

Cally gasped and the rest of the group stared
on at me as if I’d just slapped them. In a way, I guess I had.

“I’m sorry,” I told them. “I really am.
Believe me, it gets worse, so if you don’t think you’re up for
hearing this...”

“No,” Cally answered my hanging question
quietly. “Go on. We have to know what happened.”

“As long as you’re sure.” I looked on and
continued only after they had all agreed. “In addition to the
Pentacle, the words ‘All Is Forgiven’ were inscribed on the wall in
the same manner. Also, a black candle and white candle had both
been burned. A wine goblet was used, and,” I choked slightly, “it
appears that Ariel’s blood was in it.”

“What does it mean?” Shari asked. “What is
this guy...”

“...Some kind of vampire?” Jennifer
finished.

“I doubt it,” I answered. “I expect it’s just
a sick twist he added to the spell.”

“What spell?” Randy questioned.

“An Expiation spell,”
Felicity explained. “You might never have dealt with one before,
but it is pretty basic. It’s a ritual performed in order to rid
yourself of guilt and regrets. Kind of a
self atonement
spell.”

“So you think whoever did it regretted
killing Ariel?” Cally queried.

“So it would seem,” Felicity answered.

“That would mean you’re looking for a Witch
then, right?” asked Randy.

“Yes and no,” I told him. “It’s very likely
that the killer practiced WitchCraft at some point in his life, and
he’s obviously familiar with the Wiccan religion to a degree. The
Expiation spell shows that, even if he did warp it hideously by
using Ariel’s blood.” I paused to let my words settle in. “Based on
the fact that he, for one, broke the basic rule of ‘Harm None,’ and
for two, went through the motions of a blood sacrifice, I would say
he fancies himself a ritual magician. A mage of the Black
Arts.”

“And that,” Ben sighed, “brings us back to
why we asked you all to come here tonight. R.J. spoke with Rowan
and me this mornin’, and I’m sure he’s told ya’ all about it.” He
looked over at R.J. who dipped his head in an affirmative. “He gave
us some information with regards to a Devon Johnston who was
apparently hooked up with your group until recently.”

“Have you found him yet?” R.J. asked

“Not yet,” Ben answered, “but we’re
lookin’.”

“I understand that Devon was starting to play
around with Black Arts and the like,” I stated. “Do any of you have
any thoughts on that?”

With the exception of a few questions, thus
far, Ben and I had done the majority of the talking. Now, placing
that burden upon the group elicited only an uneasy silence. The
atmosphere might have been cleared, but the undercurrent of tension
was still circulating slowly around the table.

“What about you?” Ben urged, directing the
question at Nancy. “You haven’t said two words since ya’ got here.
You got an opinion on this guy?”

“I didn’t know him that well,” she answered,
appearing clearly apprehensive at being singled out. “I’m kind of
new to the coven...I don’t really know.”

“If you want my opinion,” Cally spoke up,
protectively redirecting our attention. “I don’t think Devon
could’ve done it.”

“Why do you say that?” Felicity queried.

“He’s a lot of talk, and no action.”

“What about the invocation rite?” R.J. asked
indignantly. “He sacrificed a dog. He showed it to all of us.”

“A dog is one thing, R.J.,” Cally retorted.
“But a human being? Besides, he wouldn’t harm a hair on Ariel’s
head. He was crazy about her.”

“Excuse me?” Ben chimed and gave her a look
of great interest.

“That’s right.” She turned her attention to
him. “The guy was madly in love with her. It just about destroyed
him that she voted to cast him out of the coven.”

“How do you know this?” I asked.

“He told me himself.”

“When?” I urged.

“He called me the night after the coven
meeting.”

“Why did he call you?” Felicity asked. “I
thought it was a unanimous vote, which would mean you voted him out
as well.”

“True,” Cally answered. “But I guess he
figured I would still talk to him. He’s my cousin.”

“Your cousin?” Ben interposed.

“Not a blood relation,” she added quickly.
“I’m adopted. I can’t say that he’s my favorite relative in the
world, and what he did to that dog makes me ill, but I don’t see
him killing Ariel. He had it bad for her.”

I noticed R.J.’s face was creased with a
tight-lipped frown, and he appeared to be stewing. With every word
that came out of her mouth, his temperature seemed to rise.

“Anyone else?” Ben asked. “What about you
two?” He motioned to the twins, Shari and Jennifer.

“He was in love with Ariel all right…” Shari
told us.

“…You didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to
figure it out,” Jennifer chimed in.