M Sellars - Harm none

“According to the call, she got out of school at around three-forty and should have been home by four. The mother went looking and couldn’t find her, so she called it in at a quarter after.”

“Jeezus!” This time the explosion was a little less controlled. “It’s after six and they just called! What the fuck were they waitin’ for? An engraved invitation?”

The other officer took a noticeable step back from the seething mountain that was Detective Benjamin Storm. Of the things that could set him off, anything he perceived as incompetence was the most likely to do it. Combining it with the fact that a child’s life was now most likely perched perilously close to the edge of nothingness only served to feed his growing temper.

“We still have time,” I stated calmly.

“What?!” he turned on me quickly, responding only to the sound of my voice. His demeanor softened slightly when he realized whom he was facing.

“I said, we still have time. Not much, but it’s better than nothing. He’ll keep her alive until the time arrives for the ritual. He might keep her drugged, but I don’t think he’ll harm her at this point.”

“Why’s that?” Deckert queried.

“He has to keep her pristine,” I explained. “No rape, no torture. He’s not going to hurt her… Not yet anyway.”

“He picked ‘er out, didn’t he?” Ben demanded. “This wasn’t just some random grab, was it?”

“I’m sure he did. The fact that her name is Ariel is probably just a coincidence. I doubt that it had anything to do with his selection.” The little girl in my visions flashed before my eyes. “I should have recognized it sooner though.”

“Recognize what?”

“The little girl in my visions.” I spelled out my thoughts for them, “She appeared as a young, childlike version of Ariel Tanner. I was being told that THIS Ariel had already been chosen, but I didn’t understand. I just assumed he would grab any child he could.”

“So, if he had her picked out in advance, then the bank must still be the connection,” Deckert volunteered. “She must have a trustee account or something.”

I nodded in assent. “I’d be willing to bet on it. That’s how he was able to see her and pick her out… For all the good that does us now.”

“We might not have stopped ‘im from grabbin’ this kid,” Ben declared indignantly, “but we’re on the right track now… We’re close, and I’ll be damned if he’s gonna get a chance to hurt ‘er. You got anything else from these dreams of yours we should know about?”

“No, not off the top of my head,” I answered, “but I have them written down in my Book of Shadows at home. I guess I should probably go over them again and see if there’s something I missed.”

“Why don’t you take Rowan home and do that, Ben.” Deckert patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll get on that employee list and warrant.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll get Benson and Jonesey here to give me a hand.” He motioned to the detective that had informed us about the kidnapping. “You check out anything else Rowan might have, and with a little luck, we’ll be going over that list by the time you get back.”

“Yeah, okay,” Ben grudgingly agreed then added,” I don’t care if he had ‘er picked out already or not, I still think they had their heads up their asses.”

I hadn’t expected Cally’s van to be in the driveway when Ben and I arrived at my house. As unexpected as that was, I was even more surprised to find R.J. seated in my living room with her and Felicity. Having had some rest and a shower, he looked much better than the last time we met. The image of him in the interview room was one I hoped I would soon forget.

R.J. stood as we came through the door. He shuffled nervously, looking from us to Cally and back. It was obvious that he hadn’t expected Ben, and his presence brought a fleeting look of anxiety to his face. The expression quickly melted away and was replaced by a thin, sheepish smile.

“I hope we’re not bothering you,” he began uneasily. “Felicity said you were helping Detective Storm.”

“No bother at all.” I extended my hand. “You’re looking much better than you did a couple of days ago.”

His smile widened slightly at my comment. He took my hand and shook it firmly. “I just wanted to say thanks to you and Felicity for sticking up for me. You don’t really know me that well and all…well, you know…I just really appreciate it.”

“I was happy to,” I replied. “I just didn’t believe you were guilty. Problem was, I didn’t have any proof, and unfortunately, the police had a lot of evidence to the contrary.”

“You mean me and Ellen,” he submitted.

“That, among other things.”

“I guess you already know that you were right. We were seeing each other. She and her husband had been having trouble for a while, and, well, I guess I was just there to listen when she needed it.”

“That’s pretty much what I thought,” I nodded. “But the thing that really bothered me was finding your fingerprint on the candle.”

“I brought some candles over to Ellen’s place,” he returned. “We were burning one when we got together that afternoon.”

“Forensics determined that there were two separate white candles in that pile of wax,” Ben added impatiently. “One right on top of the other. We missed it at first. I just found out this afternoon and haven’t had a chance to tell ya’ about it.”

I nodded thoughtfully at his comment and then turned back to R.J.

“Anyway,” R.J. continued, “Ellen and I had this huge fight about…”

“Listen,” Ben interrupted coolly, “no offense kid, but can you two talk about this a little later? We’re runnin’ against the clock here, and I really need Rowan to stay focused right now.”

R.J.’s expression hardened at his comment, and I could see a sarcastic reply forming on his lips. Fortunately, Felicity sensed something was amiss and broke in before he could expel the venomous comment.

“What happened?” her voice began strongly then trailed off in an almost fearful tone, “He didn’t…”

“Yeah,” Ben spat. “Seven years old. She disappeared on her way home from school.”

“What are you talking about?” Cally spoke up. “Are you saying he’s killed a child?”

“Not yet.” I motioned for R.J. to have a seat and then positioned myself on the arm of the nearby loveseat. “But he abducted one, and it’s only a matter of time before he does kill her.”

“I don’t get it.” R.J.’s earlier irritated scowl had been replaced by a look of confusion and concern. “What does he need a kid for?”

“The sacrifice.”

“I thought he’d already been performing sacrifices,” Cally expressed.

I looked over at Ben questioningly. Throughout this investigation, Felicity and I had been privy to information that no other civilian had. I wanted to be sure I didn’t betray the confidence that had been placed in us by saying too much.

“Go ahead,” he told me with a shrug, fully understanding the look I had given him.

“From what we’ve been able to ascertain, he’s just been practicing,” I explained after receiving my friend’s blessing. “He’s never actually performed the ritual.”

“What makes you think that?” Cally pressed.

“The increased precision displayed at each murder. He’s getting progressively better at what he’s doing. Also, the additions he makes each time, like incense and arranging the body.” I recited the major points. “In addition to all that, neither Felicity nor I have been able to feel any residual energies left behind at the scenes. If he had actually performed a ritual, then something like that should be overwhelming to someone sensitive to it.”