GODDESS OF THE MOON (A Diana Racine Psychic Suspense) (44 page)

Lucier’s head
pounded,
the result of drug residue and his futile attempt to
break
free.
H
is stupidity in succumbing to the lure of the crescent moon
left him in a state of despair
. He’d underestimated these people and had only himself to
blame for Diana’s predicament.

T
hink
, Ernie
.
Clear your head
.
No one would come for them. They couldn’t, because no one knew
where they were
. With Slater exposing the group’s intent, Lucier would never leave
there
alive.

“She behaved beautifully Saturday night, though,” Slater went on.
“The night of the crescent moon.
Of course, she couldn’t do much else, considering her condition. She enjoyed the place of honor. Wish you
’d
have seen
her
. Diana, Goddess of the Moon.
A
glory to behold
.”

“You fuck
―
”
Lucier
fought the straps again, jumping the chair toward his tormentor until Slater moved back, clearly
wary
. But Lucier couldn’t keep up his assault, and he collapsed once more. “What did you do to her?”

“Tsk, tsk. Calm yourself. You’ll get sick. Too much action and those drugs can make you nauseous, and we gave you an extra strong dose. Don’t worry. We didn’t do anything to Diana this time. We were all in awe. Once she goes through some
…
reconditioning, she’ll enjoy what happens.”

Lucier
found a new level of strength and screamed.
“You’ll kill her.”

“I
’m well acquainted with
the state she’s in,” Slater said. “Been there, done that.
For many years, in fact.”
He walked over to Diana and ran his index finger down the side of her cheek. “Don’t worry. She doesn’t feel anything, and she won’t remember what’s happened.”

Lucier sensed the interview was ending.
K
eep
Slater talking
. Information was power, and he needed power.
“People will
search
for us
, and they’ll keep searching
. I’m a cop, for
crissakes
.”

“Yes, that’s the one
issue
that bothered Martin.
Funny how different things bother different people.
He wasn’t in favor of kidnapping babies or even bringing Diana here.
He wrote the notes, hoping to frighten Diana off, but she’s not one easily frightened, is she? You knew, though, didn’t you? Martin
went along,
but he
fears
cops.
Didn’t like you.
Bad experience from his childhood.
After the incident at Silas’s house with those two idiots Maia brought there, he got
cold feet
. And when he found out you were accompanying Diana the night of the crescent moon
…
well,
he made his objections public. Not good
.”

“
Martin
wa
s right. You should be worried.”

“The
re
’ll be speculation, no doubt. Did you and Diana run away together? Have an accident? The newspapers will have a field day, but they won’t find either of you.
Ever.
Your cop friend will say you called and said everything went fine. It’ll be one of the world’s great mysteries. Like what happened to Jimmy Hoffa
or Amelia Earhart
.”

Diana’s body slumped
pitiful
ly
in the chair.
Lucier
didn’t care whether Beecher sent out the FBI, the CIA, or the Canadian Mounted Poli
ce. All he cared about was her. He had to save her from whatever indignit
ies the
y
had in store.

“You can’t keep her like this.”

“Oh, we won’t,” Slater agreed. “Not all the time. Only if she’s a problem when we need her, like the other night. Th
e
dream she spoke of
at
Silas’s house
happened. She
took center stage
, lying
on a revolving platform,
naked for us to worship. Unfortunately, we didn’t give her enough drugs that time, or she’d never have remembered the experience.
Our error.
It won’t happen again
, but I doubt we’ll have to resort to that method forever. She’ll fall in line
.” He gazed at Diana, a smile crinkling his weathered face
. “She’s the perfect offering.”

Slater walked to Diana and
ran his fingers across
her chest.
“Except for one thing.
She’s not made the way the men in our group like their
women
.
Too flat-chested.
We cultivate women here who have special endowments to aid in man’s pleasures. Our doctor is experimenting with a growth hormone to ensure those who lack the gene get a little boost. Our men love the results. So do the women, by the way. Makes them feel more like women. We might try some on our little goddess here but, frankly, we’re more interested in her eggs to perpetuate her unique talent.”

The bastard touched her breasts
.
Lucier
emitted a low growl as he
jiggled his hands,
wasting energy
to stretch the plastic cord
.
Slater checked them from afar, giving Lucier no chance to come in contact.

“Fortunately, Cybele’s
well-endowed
mother passed
those enhancements
to Cybele
, a fact
Phillip couldn’t ignore when he chose
the
fifteen
-year old
beauty as
his wife.
S
he
, of course,
passed
the genes to her daughters, who
in turn passed
them
to theirs.
The sensual beauty of his immediate family gave
Phillip
the idea to take
the religion of his father and his father’s father to a new level
―one of
hedonistic pleasure.”

“Satan, sex, and pedophilia,” Lucier said. “How did Crane convince all the men to
embrace
that?”

“Really, Lieutenant.
You’re joking, right? You’ve seen those women. They could make a priest forget
his
vows and genuflect before them.”

“And the Sunrise Mission?”

“A repository of young women
with low self-esteem,
tossed away like garbage by the men in their lives. My job was to feel them out, ease them into the mindset. Not all the women responded, but most
did
. They trusted me, and when they
were willing, they came here.
No money worries, food
prepared,
education for their children. They think they’ve died and gone to heaven.
”

With an
expression of self-satisfaction
,
Slater pranced in front of his captive. Lucier listened, sickened at
Slater’s words
. “You’re no different than the men
who used them before
.
”

“
Y
ou’re wrong. We’ve given them a good home and a purpose. Some act as surrogates and others, the
beautiful, intelligent
ones,
are
happy to procreate to help us avoid inbreeding
, a
difficult
task
at times. The young are so romantic. We’ve only experienced one unfortunate mating.”

Lucier huffed almost under his breath.
“My
G
od, you’re mad
.
”

“A reaction of the unenlightened,” Slater said.

This travesty must be exposed
.
They couldn’t keep him strapped forever. They
’d
either
have to
kill him or untie him eventually.
“And Jeanine Highsmith?”

“I tried. Subtly of course, but I never felt comfortable she’d embrace our goals.
Too independent and confident.
She didn’t
need
us. That’s what it’s about.
Need and acceptance.”

Slater took a handkerchief out of his pocket. He moved closer to wipe the sweat from Lucier’s forehead but must have realized he
’
d be vulnerable to an attack, even from a man teth
ered to a chair. He
retreated
.

“We never mentioned our religious persuasion with any of the women,” he continued, “just love and affection. By the time the worshipping began, they were so happy, so loved, they didn’t care if the devil showed up in his horns and cape and swept them away to Hades.” He put the handkerchief back in his poc
ket. “By then, they needed us.”

Lucier couldn’t say anything.
T
hat was how cults worked. Lure in the weak, the outcasts
. Make them feel they belonged.

“I find your lady appealing
,” Slater said
.
“S
he
’s
highly intelligent
with
amazing sex appeal. Once she produces babies, she’ll
develop more
interest in her sexuality. Between giving birth and
her harvested
eggs planted in surrogates with the chosen sperm, she’ll produce enough offspring in the time left to her. She’ll nurse them, and I guarantee the motherly instinct will take over. Maybe I’ll keep you around long enough to witness that.”

Lucier thought about the morning in the pink house, in the rocking chair—Diana’s lactation and its effect. He
saw his hands around
Slater’s neck, but it was only a mirage. His arms and hands were still strapped to the chair, his fists clenching and unclenching with the fury of a man poised on the threshold of committing murder.

Anyone
could be brought to the point of homicidal rage, given the right conditions. He’d seen it as a cop, now
experienced
it as a man. He needed to save his strength until he found an opportunity.
Unless they killed him shackled to the chair, he would.

“I’m sure I can interest her in me again,” Slater said. “
S
he is already
―
the tortured man, striving to
find peace in his ruined life.”

“Man?
” Lucier sneered.
“
H
ardly.”

Slater ignored the sarcasm.
“Enough of one to make a woman forget.
I
possess
unique talents.”

Lucier’s stomach sank.
They were going to turn Diana into a sex zombie. “What you’re doing is not only illegal, it’s immoral.”

Slater’s laugh was the most evil sound
Lucier
ever heard.

“I have no morals, Lieutenant. May I call you Ernie? I’ve never felt close enough to you till now.”

“Fuck you.”

Slater crouched in front of Lucier’s chair, just out of reach. “Only weak men resort to cursing. I was weak once, but not now. Diana will find out. Of course, I’ll share her with the others. All the men will want their time with
the
Goddess of the Moon. That’s how it works here. Don’t worry.
Being a pragmatist, s
he’ll grow to enjoy
the adulation
. No sense fighting what you can’t change.”

The scene
resembled
a bad horror movie. Slater had obviously lost his mind along with his manhood. They’d all lost their minds.

Diana looked pitiful. Her head lolled to the side, drool hung like a liquid thread from the corner of her mouth. Fighting the restraints only sapped Lucier of
what little energy he had left.

Slater, the bastard, knew
it
too.

R
eturn to the Comfort Zone

C
aptain Jack Craven knew Ernie Lucier as well as he knew any
man
. Before
the deaths of
his
wife and children
, his lieutenant never took off a day he didn’t have coming, and he was back on the job the day after he buried his family. Craven had begged him to take time off, but Lucier
refused
. No way would he miss
work
for anything less than a calamity.
U
nless he
were
seriously hurt or dead, he
’
d have checked in.