Mortal Sin (59 page)

Jared had hacked into the school security feeds, so the minute they went down, he knew.

“Skye—someone shut down the school’s security from the inside.”

“Do you know who?”

“Could be anyone. Brianne and her friends got in before without tripping anything.”

Skye didn’t know what to do. Rafe hadn’t returned, but he’d only left twenty minutes ago. Hank had left after explaining what he’d found in Anthony’s car—which was nothing, other than a smoking car. She clued him in on the basics, and he said he’d check on the three triangle points to make sure everyone was okay. So she couldn’t call him to investigate the school.

Santa Louisa High School was large, but contained in one square block. It should be fairly easy to spot activity—they’d need lights, or a flashlight, to navigate the halls.

“I’m going to check out the school,” she said.

“Not alone,” Jared said.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re staying here. I’m not going to confront anyone. I just need to know where they are. Call Rico, David, and Anthony and tell them that something is going down at the school and be alert.”

St. Francis was across the street from the school, so she left the rectory on foot. The air still smelled of the burned hull of the church. It saddened Skye, more than she thought. Not only because a good man had been killed and a history building destroyed, but that her town was a virtual war zone.

She stayed on the street opposite from the school and walked around in a complete circle. No cars, no lights, no movement… until she reached the far side of campus.

The gym.

A faint flickering of light could be seen through the narrow windows of the main doors, but that was it. The gym was a perfect place for secrecy because there were no other windows. They would have room and privacy, especially now that the security had been shut off.

She jogged back to the rectory. “They’re in the gym,” she said to Jared.

“I can’t reach anyone.”

“Are the phone lines down? A cellular tower? Could these people have zapped the airwaves or something?”

“I don’t know. But no one is answering.”

Skye called Hank via radio. He answered immediately. “I’m still ten minutes out from the cliffs.”

“We can’t reach anyone on radio or cell phone.”

“Understood. I’ll proceed with caution.”

Skye hung up and looked at Jared. “Divide and conquer,” she murmured.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s what they’re doing. They know we’ll try to stop them, so they’re making sure we’re running around with a tails between our legs. I have to go to the school.”

“What are you going to do? They’ll kill you. Or worse!”

“I have an idea. But I need your help. Do you know how anything about the water pipes at the school?”

Jared frowned. “No. But I can learn.”

“Do that while I go to the basement.”

He was skeptical, but didn’t ask anymore questions. Good thing, because Skye’s one idea wasn’t all that thought out.

She walked down to the basement, then down to the sub-basement that she and Rafe had escaped through when the church was on fire. She’d seen several glass jars full of liquid, and she hoped she was right.

They were labeled.

Blessed water from the River Jordan.

Blessed water from the Nile

Blessed water from St. Peters.

She had no idea where St. Peters was, but if it was important enough to store down her in an air-tight glass jar, it would probably help. There were many jars, but she could only carry six. She walked carefully back upstairs.

Jared looked at the jugs and immediately caught on. Then he smiled. “I have great news.”

“We can use some of that.”

“The school sprinkler system is on a city pump that goes through the water station on the south side of downtown. It was upgraded with the remodel. But the gym’s system is older. It’s attached to a water tank on the roof. There’s a back-up that firefighters can tap into in the event of an emergency, but if there’s a fire, the water tank is drained first.”

“On the roof?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going.”

“I’ll do it.”

“No,” she said forcefully. “You stay here and find out why no one is responding. Your dad will be calling back, hopefully soon, with an update on Rico and the others.”

Jared was reluctant, but he agreed.

Skye left and hoped she could dump this holy water in the big tank undetected and return. And would six gallon jugs of blessed water be enough to spread throughout the five thousand or so gallons of water that was in the tank? She had no idea. But she was out of options, and this might buy them time.

#

When Rafe met up with Gideon and Phineas, it was dark. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Phineas said.

“Nothing?”

Gideon said, “Lily went into the house an hour ago. She hasn’t come out, and no one else has gone in. I don’t know how many people are in there.”

They sat there in silence for several minutes. Nothing happened. It was quiet.

“Are you certain she’s still in there?”

“Yes,” Gideon said without hesitation.

“Phineas,” Rafe said, “Moira’s missing. They have her.”

“How did they take her? That girl is fierce.”

“I don’t know, but they did, and Skye and Jared are alone at the rectory. It’s only a few hours until midnight. I need you to go back there. If I’m not back before eleven, you’ll have to find a way to stop the ritual.”

“How?”

“I don’t know!” Rafe squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. “What I do know is that without Moira, we can’t send the Seven Deadly Sins back. We don’t know what Walker’s coven plans to use them for, but it’s for no good. We have to stop them.”

“The way of the Sword.”

“I hope not.”

“Raphael. Rafe. I’m not the monster you think I am.”

Rafe took a deep breath. “I’m trusting you to stop what could very well be the apocalypse. I will save Lily.”

“What’s so special about that girl?”

“Other than she’s innocent and had no idea what her mother had done to her?” Maybe Phineas couldn’t see beyond a basic cost-benefit analysis. “Father Philip sacrificed himself to save Lily, and entrusted Lily’s life to Moira. Moira isn’t here to protect her, so I will. For all three of them.”

Phineas nodded. He squeezed Rafe’s hand. “I understand. You can trust me.”

Rafe nodded.

I hope so.

Phineas left.

“Gideon, we need to go on the offensive. I know you haven’t had a lot of training, but—”

“I’m ready, Raphael.”

“Rafe. Only Rico and my brother call me Raphael.”

“I mean, I can do this. You need to find Moira.”

Rafe was in physical pain thinking about what she might be suffering. “I’m going to get the information out of Elizabeth Ellis.”

“They’ve been in that house for hours. They didn’t take her.”

“They have to know where she is!”

“Rafe, I can’t explain why I need to do this alone, but every fiber in my body is telling me to do so.”

“Why alone?”

“A feeling. Jezebel knows I can track her. She’s just waiting for me to make my move. But I don’t think she can sense you. Maybe because of that.” He tapped the necklace around Rafe’s neck. On the same chain as his St. Michael’s medallion was the small vial of Moira’s blood.

Gideon handed Rafe the vial that Moira had given him earlier.

“I can’t let you go in there unprotected,” Rafe said. “I can’t let you go in their alone. Especially if they’re waiting for you.”

“Yes, you can. Jezebel doesn’t want to hurt me, not yet. She has questions. I felt those questions at Olivet when I looked into Lily’s eyes but saw Jezebel. They’ll bring Lily to the school, to serve as their
arca.
I’ll be there.”

“I hate this idea.”

Gideon grasped Rafe’s hands in his own. “
They won’t kill me because they want to know how I do it.”

“How you tracked Lily?”

“How I can see a possessed soul.”

“You’re taking a risk, Gideon.”

“Yes. But God gave us free will for a reason. This is what I am supposed to do. You must find Moira. If we don’t destroy the
Conoscenza
we will all be hiding for a millennia.”

Rafe ran his hands through his head. “I have no idea where to look for her. I’d hoped the spirit inside Lily would tell me.”

“She won’t because she doesn’t know. This coven isolates information. You find one witch, she won’t know what the others are doing. And no one trusts Jezebel.”

Rafe hesitated.

“You are not responsible for me,” Gideon continued. “I know my path. Go. Dig deep into your memories, into what you know about Moira and what you know about the coven. You’ll then know where to find her.”

Rafe clasped Gideon’s shoulder. “Peace be with you, brother.”

“And also with you, brother.”

Rafe watched Gideon walk down the street, then he started the ignition and drove off.

Find Moira.

Yes, he would.

He just didn’t know where to start.

Dig deep.

Where?

They won’t want Moira anywhere near the
Conoscenza
—
and that’s assuming they know what her blood will do to it. If she’s alive, she’ll be in the farthest place. If the ritual is at the school, and the three points are all covered, all equi-distant. Where will they take Moira to keep her under wraps?

Rafe drove, but he didn’t know where he was going.

Dig deep.

Underground?

Fiona had tortured Moira by locking her up. Moira had intense claustrophobia in small, dark places. Fiona—or Serena—would put her someplace to torment her.

The best place to keep Moira would be a dungeon, but there were no dungeons in Santa Louisa.

His heart skipped a beat as the truth came to him. He knew exactly where they’d taken her.

He turned the car around and floored it.

I’m coming, Moira. Hang tight.

#

Anthony walked through a garden that was beautiful and evil at the same time.

“Stay here and keep watch with me.”

“Of course. Anything for you, my Lord.”

Anthony sat and watched. The day turned into night and night turned into day. He watched. And watched.

“Are you still sleeping?”

Anthony frowned. The light was no more. He’s been watching, but it was a mirage. A dream.

“Wake up!”

Anthony groaned, his head heavy, and opened his eyes. At first, he saw nothing. His body hurt, as if he’d labored for days without rest. He blinked, and the world came into focus.

He was lying next to St. Jude’s fountain in the courtyard of the mission. Far in the distance, beyond the ruins, was a light. A flickering candle. The wind whipped around the mountain, but the candle stayed lit. Impossible.

Magic.

He rose, his limbs creaking. He had no idea how long he’d been sleeping.

Passed out. Drugged. Under a spell. You weren’t sleeping by any natural means.

As he walked, he regained his strength, and he jogged over to the candle. He stopped far short of the flame.

Next to the light was a body. A young woman, a brunette. Nineteen or twenty. In a long white gown. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket. He didn’t want to touch her, but what if the coven had performed a sacrifice? What is she was still breathing?

Anthony knelt and his light flashed on an odd, unfamiliar symbol.

Not unfamiliar… Juan had drawn it repeatedly.

Still, Anthony didn’t know what it meant.

The wind howled, but the candle stayed lit.

Anthony carefully touched the girl’s neck. He felt no pulse, and her skin was cool. He lifted her arm, trying for another pulse, but her body had none. He opened her eyes, and knew she was dead.

He closed them and said a prayer, finishing with, “In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.”

The candle flared and went out.

Anthony jumped back. The undercurrent Moira had spoken about must have been a sleeping spell. She couldn’t discern it because it wasn’t complete. He thought back to his last conscious thought.

There’s a car on the road.

He’d left the caretaker’s lodge and walked through the garden. He didn’t hear a car, but someone was out there. He’d been about to call Rafe when…

That was it. That was all he remembered. He must have collapsed then, by the fountain. How long ago?

It had just turned dark… seven at night perhaps.

He looked at his watch.

Ten-thirty.

He had been out for more than three hours.

He ran back to the lodge and retrieved Rafe’s motorcycle. It had been years since he’d ridden a bike, but it came back to him quickly, and he sped down the mountain.

It had started, and he’d failed.

#

Hank arrived at the cliffs and didn’t see anything at first. He shut off the car and turned off the lights, letting the night sounds tell him if there was something odd.

There were no sounds.

Impossible. Hank closed his eyes and listened. The ocean sounded farther away than it was. There was a wind, but he couldn’t hear the whistle through the bushes. Something strange was going on.

He got out of his truck and walked along the cliffs, and that’s when he saw a light in the distance. It moved, and he put his hand on the butt of his service weapon. Cautiously, he approached the light, and realized it was a candle.

How on Earth did that candle stay lit when there was a good wind?

He took out his flashlight and saw a body lying near the candle. “Well, shit,” he muttered and approached the body. Young, female, blond. He checked her pulse. There was none. Her skin was cold, damp from the moisture in the air. She wore a white gown. He shined the light on her face and recognized her as Brianne Graves, the girl who’d walked out of the sheriff’s station with her two girlfriends. They’d been looking for her ever since, but no one had located any of the girls.