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“Whatever. Would you do that for me?”
“Do what?”
“Tell me something about prison…but not anything bad.Tell me one thing that you actually enjoyed.”
She almost told him this was a stupid idea but she alsounderstood what he was doing. He was trying to center her, to ground her. Hewanted her to face the ten years that hung over their heads like an anvil, butin a way that was positive.
So she thought about it for a moment and then, with asmile on her face, gave her best answer.
“The library.”
Derik raised an eyebrow. “The library?”
Morgan nodded. “Yeah. I mean, of course it wasn’t as bigor as varied as a public library, but it was still a place where I could losemyself in a book. And it was quiet. There was no yelling or fighting oranything. Just me, a book, and peace and quiet.”
Derik nodded understandingly. “I get it. Sometimes it’sthe little things that matter. And you did always like to read.”
She almost stopped there, though she did have one morething to tell about the library. She decided to share it with him because itwas something she had been excited to share with her father. But now that herdad was gone, she figured she should share it with someone, no matter how sillyit seemed.
“Believe it or not, I learned how to knit because of afew of the books in the library,” Morgan said, remembering the countless hoursspent with needles and yarn. “It was a skill I never thought I’d pick up, butit was so calming and therapeutic. Plus, I made some pretty cute scarves.”
Derik chuckled. “I never would have guessed. Knittingdoesn’t really seem like your thing.”
“Well, it wasn’t until I had to spend every day for yearswith nothing but my thoughts,” Morgan replied. “You learn to try new things tokeep your mind occupied.”
Derik nodded. “I can imagine. But, still…knitting?”
“Yes. And if you keep poking fun, I won’t give you thescarf I made you.”
“You made me a scarf?”
“Sort of,” she said, starting to get embarrassed.
Derik smiled as the subject was dropped.
As they drew closer to the address, Morgan realized sheknew exactly where they were headed. Early in her career, she’d responded to acase on the property in question. It was a strange-looking building, situatedin a wooded lot about a mile down a gravel road.
Still, the place seemed strange and slightly creepy asshe guided the car down the gravel road. The trees on either side loomed largeand gloomy, casting deep shadows over the car and the road. The road itself wasa long, winding path that took them deep into the woods before finally openingup into a small clearing, where the cult’s building stood. It was a tall,narrow structure, with a steeply pitched roof and dark, forbidding windows thatseemed to stare back at them.
Morgan parked the car next to a small shed, which was theonly other structure in the clearing, and she and Derik got out to take acloser look at the building. There were a few other cars parked in the dusty littleparking lot. Three people were currently exiting a small car, heading for thebuilding’s front doors. One of them looked over at Morgan and Derik, givingthem a small nod.
“Seems like we’re just in time for…well, for something,”Derik said.
This became even more apparent as they got close to the tall,heavy front door, which was made of a dark wood. Morgan could hear voices chantingfrom inside, and it sent a shiver down her spine. One of the three ahead ofthem politely held the door open for them. So far, Morgan thought it was likeattending a typical church service, only at three in the afternoon on aThursday.
They stepped inside with the group of three and foundthemselves standing in a small entryway. There was a large desk sitting againstthe wall to the right. A piece of paper on a clipboard served as a sign-insheet. Beside it were three stacks of sleek, black robes. Directly ahead ofthem was another large wooden door. This one was open, revealing a larger roomon the other side. Morgan looked over the shoulders of the group ahead of themand she could see eight people dressed in the robes, standing in two lines andfacing one another.
Morgan watched as each of the three people ahead of themtook a robe and slid it on. They then signed the paper at the desk and as theydid, Morgan noted a very serious expression on each of their faces. Theycertainly seemed as if they’d done this before. Morgan assumed a group such asthe Order of the Black Star wasn’t big on attracting new followers.
“You sure about this?” Morgan asked, whispering to Derik.
He nodded and picked up one of the robes.
Morgan followed suit, taking a deep breath as she slippedthe black fabric over her clothes. The material was smooth, almost silky to thetouch, and it made her feel uneasy for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. Shecouldn’t shake off the feeling that this was a bad idea. But they were here now,so there was no sense in turning back.
As they approached the open door to the larger room,Morgan could hear the chanting growing louder. She could now see that the robedfigures had formed a circle.The room was dimly lit with a few flickeringcandles, and the air was thick with incense.
Morgan tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible, butshe couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that settled in her stomach. This onlyincreased when she saw two of the people who had already been inside the room staringat her and Derik. One member, a gorgeous brunette who wore a hood over herhead, attached to the robe, made no effort to hide the fact that she wasstaring them down with scorn.
