Ceremony In Death

He smirked again when Eve lifted a brow. "Okay, subject exited premises in the company of three individuals, two male, one female. You already got their descriptions, so I'll say they were later identified by investigator as Selina Cross, Alban, and Lobar. They proceeded east, on foot, then entered multiunit housing structure owned by Selina Cross. Investigator observed light go on in top window. After weighing the options, investigator decided to enter building. Security was bypassed with minimal to average effort. Can I have another Pepsi?"

Saying nothing, Roarke took the empty tube, slipped it into the recycling slot, and fetched the boy another.

"It was really quiet inside," Jamie continued as he broke the seal. "Like dead. Dark. I had a minilight, but I didn't use it. I got upstairs, bypassed the palm plate and the cameras. The locks weren't that tricky. I figure they didn't think anybody'd have the nerve to come that far without an invite, you know? I got inside and the place was empty. I couldn't figure it. I'd seen them go in, I'd seen the light, but the place was empty. So I poked around. They've got some screwy stuff in there. And it smelled… off. Sorta like the incense and junk in a Free-Agers' shop, but different. Just off. I was in one of the bedrooms. There's this wild statue in there. This guy with a pig head and a man's body with a really monster cock at full alert."

He stopped, flushed a little as he remembered he was talking to females as well as cops. "Sorry."

"I've seen cocks at full alert before," Eve said mildly. "Go on."

"Okay. So I was just sort of looking at it, and this guy comes in. I thought, Shit, I'm busted, but he didn't see me. He got something out of a drawer, turned around, and walked out. Never even looked my way." Jamie shook his head, sipped deeply, as he re-experienced the bowel-liquefying fear. "I got to the doorway just as he was going through the wall. Secret panel," he explained with a quick grin. "I thought they were only in old videos. I gave it a couple of minutes and went in after him."

At this, Eve simply pressed her hands to her face, digging her fingers into the knots. "You went in after him."

"Yeah, my luck was holding pretty good. There's this stairway, narrow. I think it was stone. I could hear music. Not really music, more like voices, sort of humming. And that off smell was stronger. The stairway turns and there's this room. About half the size of this one, with mirrored walls. Lots of candles and more horny statues. It's smoky. Something's in the smoke, because it makes me lightheaded. I try to be careful not to breathe too much in."

He stared down at the drink in his hand. This part was hard, he realized. Harder than he'd thought it would be. "There's this raised platform, all this carving. Some sort of words, I think, but I can't make it out. Alice is lying on it. She's naked. The three of them are standing over her saying something. Singing it, I guess, but I can't understand them. They're doing things to her, to each other."

He had to swallow again. His face was bone white with high, red blotches on the cheeks. "They've got like sex toys and she's… letting them. Both of them. And she lets them, she lets them do her while that Cross bitch watches. Alice just lets them…"

Without realizing it, Eve reached out, took his hand, let him grip her fingers hard enough to rub bone.

"I couldn't stay there. I was sick, seeing that, and the smoke, the sounds. I had to get out." His eyes were wet now as he looked up. "She wouldn't have let them do that if they hadn't messed with her mind. She wasn't a slut. She wasn't."

"I know. Did you tell anyone?"

"I couldn't." He swiped the back of one hand over his face. "It would've killed my mom. I wanted to hit Alice with it, hit her hard with it. I was so pissed off. But I couldn't. I was embarrassed I'd seen her like that, I guess. My sister."

"It's all right."

"I went back to the club a couple nights later and got in."

"They let you inside?''

"I got fake ID. Places like that, they don't care if you look twelve if you got ID that says different. Security's tighter there. They've got sca

He let out a sigh. "I thought she'd straightened herself out, that it had gotten through what creeps they were. She talked to me a little."

"Did she tell you about the people she'd been involved with?"

"Not really. She just said she'd made a mistake, a terrible one. That she was like, atoning, cleansing, that zip brain stuff of hers. I knew she was scared, but she talked to my grandfather, so I figured things would be mellow again. Did they kill him, too?"

"There's no evidence of that. I'm not going to discuss it with you," she added when he lifted his haunted eyes to hers. "And you're not to discuss this with anyone. You're not to go near that club or that apartment again. If you do and I find out – and I will find out – I'll slap a security bracelet on you and you won't be able to burp without a sca

"It's my family."

"Yes, it is. And if you want to be a cop, you'd better learn that if you can't be objective, you can't do the job."

"My grandfather wouldn't have been objective," Jamie said quietly. "And now he's dead."

She had no answer for that, so she rose. "Now the problem is getting you out of here and keeping your involvement out of the media. They'll be watching the gate."

"There's always an alternative," Roarke commented. "I'll arrange it."

She had no doubt he could, and nodded. "I've got to change, get down to Central. Peabody." She flicked a meaningful look in Jamie's direction. "Stand by."

"Yes, sir."

"She means guard dog me," Jamie muttered as Eve and Roarke left the kitchen.

"Yeah." But Peabody flashed a companionable smile. "Want another Pepsi?"

"I guess."

She got up to play with the delivery slot on the fridge, helped herself to a cup of Roarke's magnificent coffee. "So how long have you wanted to be a cop?"

"For as long as I remember."

"Me, too." She settled down to talk shop.

– =O=-***-=O=-

"I'll take him out by air," Roarke told her as he and Eve cleaned up and changed in the bedroom.

"By air?"

"I've been meaning to take the minichopper out for a spin, anyway."

"This area isn't zoned for personal choppers."

Wisely, he disguised a laugh with a cough. "Say that again when you're wearing your badge."

She muttered to herself and pulled on a clean shirt. "Take him home, will you? I appreciate it. The kid's lucky to be alive."

"He's resourceful, bright, focused." Roarke smiled as he picked up the jammer, admired it. "Now, if I'd had one of these at his age… ah, the possibilities."

"You do well enough with your magic fingers."

"True." He tucked the jammer in his pocket. He was going to have one of his engineers analyze and very possibly reproduce it. "I'm afraid youth today doesn't appreciate the satisfaction of hands on. If young Jamie changes his mind about law enforcement, I think I could find a nice slot for him in my little world."

"Don't even mention it. You'll corrupt him."

Roarke picked up his slim gold wrist unit, fastened it on. "You did very well with him. Firm without being cold. A nice, authoritative, yet maternal style."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"You're good with children." He gri