Devil May Ride Read online

  Sadie and Zack turned to face the detective.

  “We can’t talk about the money,” Orr growled. “And neither should you.” He looked specifically at Zack.

  “It’s not me you’ve got to worry about,” Zack said, his voice deceptively casual, but Sadie noted the tightening of his jaw as he nodded to the street.

  The Emerald Nine News van was just pulling up.

  “Aw, shit on a stick,” Orr grumbled, and headed off in the direction of the van, ordering some officers to accompany him.

  “Let’s call it a day,” Sadie said, suddenly sick of the heat.

  Just before Sadie dropped Zack off at his apartment in Bellevue, she remembered to tell him about her visit from Thuggy.

  “He just showed up at the house out of the blue. Said he needs the work,” Sadie explained.

  “Use him,” Zack replied, opening the passenger door.

  “Are you sure?” Sadie frowned. “He showed up drunk at a scene.”

  “He got a beer dumped on him during a fight. He wasn’t drunk.”

  “That’s what Thuggy told me, but I thought he was feeding me a line.”

  “It’s the truth. I did security with him for a short time before I came to work for you. He’s a good guy. Use him.”

  With that last comment Zack closed the door, leaving Sadie shaking her head.

  The rest of the drive home seemed to take forever. It was the dinner rush, but no cars near Seattle were rushing; they were doing the bumper-kissing-bumper crawl. By the time she pulled the company van into the garage attached to her house, Sadie was dreaming of an ice-cold vodka martini after a refreshing shower.

  She stepped into her house through the garage entrance and stripped. The tiny hallway that was between the garage and the rest of her home had a shower stall next to her washer and dryer. She’d had it installed to prevent any part of her stinky career choice from entering the rest of her house. The clothes she wore went directly into the washing machine before Sadie jumped into the hot spray. She soaped, rinsed, and repeated every inch of her body to help wash away the grungy smell of Jake the Snake’s decomposing corpse.

  After scrubbing down, she snagged a clean towel from a nearby trunk, wrapped it tightly around her damp body, and opened the hall door. She quick-stepped into her bedroom.

  And screamed.

  “Jesus!” Sadie hissed, and stomped her foot in anger. “Dawn, you just about gave me a heart attack.”

  Sadie’s sister grunted as she sat up in bed.

  “Sorry, I came over to talk and decided to take a nap.”

  “Did you ever hear of calling first?”

  “I left a message on your answering machine and your cell phone.” Dawn yawned. “Besides, didn’t you see my car parked a few houses down and notice that you didn’t have to disarm your alarm system when you came in?”

  Sadie frowned. No, she hadn’t noticed. That wasn’t good. She needed to be vigilant about that kind of thing. Last year getting in over her head in a murder-suicide cleanup had almost resulted in her own death.

  “Whatever. That spare key I gave you was only to be used in case of emergencies. A nap isn’t an emergency,” Sadie snapped.

  “I’m nearly nine months pregnant and Seattle’s having a heat wave. Trust me. My need to nap comfortably is an emergency.” Dawn swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched like a cat. A cat with a pumpkin belly.

  Sadie opened her drawers, pulled out clean clothes, dropped the towel and dressed. When she turned, she regarded two large boxes in the corner.

  “What are those?”

  “We’ve been converting the spare room into a nursery. Those are the boxes I’ve been storing for you. Remember, I said I’d drop them off?”

  “Oh. Brian’s things.”

  “Yeah.”

  Sadie stared hard at the cardboard separating her from her dead brother’s belongings and swallowed thickly.

  “I know you’ve had a bad day,” Dawn said softly. “Maybe I should just go.”

  “What do you know about my day?”

  “Thanks to Emerald Nine News, all of Seattle knows about your day. I even recorded it for you.”

  “Oh, God.” Sadie groaned.

  “Your hair looked really cute on TV. I could tell right away that you touched up the highlights.” She was walking out of the bedroom. “Let’s watch it.”

  “Forget it.”

  “Really?” She sounded disappointed. “Mom and Dad have already called. Don’t you want to know what they saw?” Her voice held a touch of amusement that made Sadie anxious.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me,” Sadie said, but Dawn only shrugged in reply. “Fine. Let’s get this over with,” Sadie relented.

  They walked into the living room, where they were greeted by Hairy, Sadie’s black-and-white pet bunny. Sadie scooped the rabbit onto her lap as she waited for her sister to rewind the tape. Dawn lowered herself carefully into the big armchair next to the sofa and hit play on the remote.

  The scene opened to a close-up of reporter Scott Reed, using his most serious face. His wavy, sun-streaked hair was tousled by a light breeze, making him look like a model out on a fashion shoot, and his blue eyes glinted with star quality. He gestured to the house in Kenmore standing ominously behind him.

  “A reliable source told us that the traumatic-incident cleanup crew from Scene-2-Clean were here decontaminating a clandestine meth lab when they made the shocking discovery.” The camera cut away from twentysomething Scott Reed’s chiseled features and zoomed in on the Scene-2-Clean company van. Beside the van Sadie stood offering Zack a broad smile of her own. The camera went for a close-up of the two of them and showed Zack as he leaned in to whisper in Sadie’s ear. Sadie proceeded to toss back her hair in what appeared to be a flirtatious manner and giggled while gazing at Zack with a look of unadulterated adoration.

  “Oh. My. God!” Sadie shrieked as she got to her feet. “Turn it off. I’ve seen enough.”

  “That was about all there was of you anyway. The cutesy reporter went on to talk about a baby found with a mutilated goat. Tell me that’s not true.” Dawn put her hand on her swollen belly.

  “Never mind the barn animals. I looked like a love-struck teenager with Zack as my prom date!” Sadie cried. “I do not look like that. Please, tell me I don’t look at Zack that way.”

  “Well . . .”

  “Oh my God, just shoot me now!” Sadie screamed.

  She began to pace. “We were just joking around a little about him getting information and still having connections with the police. That’s all it was. Really. Nothing more.” She put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. “Christ, people are going to think we’re cold and inconsiderate. It looks like we’re joking at such a serious scene. Or worse, they might think we’re lovers.”

  “You did sleep together.”

  “Once. It was a mistake.”

  “It was a mistake because you only did it once,” Dawn pointed out. “Remember how things were before? He worked for you, but you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Finally, the two of you came to your senses and gave in to what was obviously between you—”

  “It was right after that freak nearly killed both me and Maeva at my place. It wasn’t like we dated. I went to stay with Zack for a couple days because my place was trashed and—” Sadie stopped short. Memories of that time always made her think of Pam and thoughts of Pam always cut deep.

  Sadie and Pam became quick friends when they worked together at the same grade school. Sadie had taught second grade and Pam was the special education teacher, but they’d been more than coworkers. Pam had been Sadie’s shoulder to cry on when Brian died and a big supporter of Sadie’s metaphysical talent. She’d been the kind of friend you could lean on, but she still gave Sadie a kick in the ass whenever she needed one.

  Sadie was shaken from her memories of Pam by the fact that Dawn was still talking. She was saying something more about Zack.

&nb
sp; “Look,” Sadie said. “It was a bad time and Zack felt sorry for me. He slept with me out of pity and—”

  “Pity. Right.” She smiled.

  “It was pity. Anyway. It happened only once and then Zack turned to ice and things got all weird between us for months. We’re okay now. Finally.” She reconsidered and admitted, “Well, sort of. But this!” Sadie waved her hands at the television just as the phone rang.

  “Hello?” Sadie answered.

  “I saw you on the six o’clock news,” Maeva Morrison said over the line. “You didn’t tell me you and Zack were back together.”

  “First of all, we were never together, so there’s no way we could be back together. Secondly, channel nine caught us joking around at a scene and the reporter played up a sneaky angle. As a friend and a psychic, you’d think you’d be able to figure these things out yourself!”

  “Okay, I get it. Calm down. You don’t have to yell.”

  Sadie blew out a breath. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.” “Yeah, and we should probably talk about that goat thing. I might know some stuff—”

  “I don’t want to talk about the goat. As a matter of fact, I’d be quite fine never hearing the word ‘goat’ ever again. Call me later. After I’ve had a couple of martinis.”

  “Better yet, how about I come over? You’ve got air-conditioning, right?”

  Sadie rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

  “I’ve got to go,” she said, and disconnected.

  Dawn was looking at her with a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

  “Don’t look all smug like you’ve got me figured out. I do not, I repeat, do not look at Zack that way,” Sadie said vehemently. “That reporter just caught us at a weird moment and that’s all.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  The phone rang again and Sadie recognized the number as belonging to their parents. Dawn reached for the receiver.

  “Touch that phone and you can kiss any future napping here good-bye,” Sadie warned.

  “You’ll have to talk to Mom eventually,” Dawn said, and she yawned again. “You and I both know she expects you to throw me a surprise baby shower before I pop.”

  “What kind of surprise is it if you already know?”

  “I promise to act surprised.”

  “How about we skip the shower, but I buy you an extranice gift?”

  “No. I want a shower. Tacky decorations. Yummy food. The works.” She got slowly to her feet. “I’ve got to pee. Again.” She sighed and shuffled off down the hall.

  “I’ve got to go. John’s taking me out for Italian,” Dawn said on her return. “I’ve had a craving for fettuccine Alfredo. Feel like coming along?”

  “Thanks, but not tonight.”

  Sadie passed a couple hours first sharing a salad with Hairy and then going for a nice long jog. Her body ached on her return, but it was a good-to-be-alive soreness. She felt relaxed and settled down to watch mindless sitcoms. On a commercial break she’d just poured herself an icy martini when the doorbell rang. It was just after eight and Sadie assessed her guest through a peephole she’d had installed.

  “I didn’t think you were serious,” Sadie said to Maeva when she opened the door.

  “I never joke about air-conditioning when it’s almost a hundred degrees in my kitchen.” The woman with the sharp-angled features brushed back her black curls and stepped around Sadie to walk into the living room. She stopped, spread her arms wide, and sighed. “Bliss.”

  “Ya know, it’s cooled off to about seventy-five outside. If you just opened a few windows at your place, it would be fine.”

  “Tried that, but there’s no breeze and Terry’s been working on new recipes for a wedding next month. Our oven’s been on all day and all night. It’s like a freakin’ inferno.”

  “Oh, c’mon.” Sadie rolled her eyes. “We both know that ever since you met Terry and he moved in, your life has been perfect.”

  “I’m not complaining,” Maeva said, a smile playing on her lips. “But living with a caterer isn’t all fancy desserts and gourmet meals.” Maeva plunked herself down on Sadie’s sofa and put her feet up on the coffee table. “Well, I guess it is that, but according to Terry, you can’t use a microwave to bake. Practically everything he caters has to be cooked in a hot oven that’s going almost twenty-four/seven.” She bent and patted Hairy’s head as he paused to wiggle his nose at her. “How’s it hanging, Hairy? Be grateful your mom didn’t find that goat alive or you’d have company.”

  “Ugh. Let’s not talk about the goat,” Sadie said, cringing in disgust.

  “Yeah, except that’s exactly why I’m here. To talk about the goat.”

  “I thought you were here for a martini and to suck up my AC.”

  “Those are just great bonuses.” She glanced over at Sadie. “About that martini . . .”

  Sadie went into the kitchen and returned with a fresh vodka martini for Maeva in a frosted glass. She handed Maeva her drink, then sat in the chair next to the sofa.

  “Dawn was napping here when I got home. I think the heat’s getting to her,” Sadie remarked.

  “The heat’s getting to all of us, but Dawn must be really uncomfortable because she has a built-in furnace growing in her belly, making it worse for her. Speaking of her belly, when’s the baby shower?”

  “I kept hoping Dawn’s friend Chloe would step up to the plate, but so far, she hasn’t. She keeps using the excuse about how she just had a baby of her own a couple weeks ago, so she’s not up to it.”

  “She’s evil,” Maeva said, smiling over her martini. “But Dawn’s your sister. You should throw the shower.”

  “Yeah, so my mom tells me. Over. And over. But I’m busy as hell handling Scene-2-Clean and Scour Power. I have to schedule time to breathe. Besides, I’m not that good at this kind of stuff.”

  “It’s not that big a deal. Just pick a day and I promise to help you with the details. It’ll be great.”

  Sadie sipped her drink and eyed her friend from over her martini glass.

  “You’ll help? Really? We’re talking a normal shower, right? No séances or trying to contact our ancestors from beyond the grave?”

  “You know, some people actually like that kind of thing. That’s why my business does so well.”

  “Only crazy people like that stuff.”

  “Madame Maeva’s Psychic Café is not filled with crazy people.”

  Sadie looked at her pointedly.

  “Well, not only crazy people.” Maeva giggled. “Fine. If you insist, I’ll help you with a normal boring shower. Nothing new age. I’ll even get Terry to make the food. He can do cute little triangle sandwiches, appies, and canapés that will knock your mother’s socks off.”

  “I’ve tasted Terry’s cooking. If you’re offering his services, you can consider it a deal.” Sadie clapped her hands in delight. “I’ll choose a day and let you know.”

  There was a moment of silence while they sipped their drinks.

  “Now, about that goat . . .”

  “Oh, God.” Sadie blew out an exasperated breath. “It was a freakish thing done by some sort of a weirdo. The baby, thankfully, made it out alive and that’s all that matters. Just drop it.”

  “I can’t drop it. I’ve heard of this kind of thing before and so has Terry. We were at a seminar last summer—”

  “A goat seminar?” Sadie said, wiggling her eyebrows.

  “A paranormal workshop that also dealt with satanic cults and rituals.” She shook her head from side to side. “This goat thing creeps me out.”

  “Is it barnyard animals in general or goats specifically that you have a problem with?”

  “Not funny. The woman who gave the session on satanic cults told us about all kinds of crazy rituals by some wack jobs in her area.”

  “Which area?”

  “She was from Dallas.”

  “We’re not in Dallas.”

  “So what? Freaks can travel. It’s not like Texas has the market cornered on goats. Anyway, she
talked about a cult who performs rituals involving goats and babies.”

  Sadie put down her martini glass and gave Maeva her full attention.

  “Goats and babies,” Sadie parroted. Then she relented. “Okay. You’ve got my attention.”

  “Good. It was a type of baptism ritual welcoming newborns into a life to be raised worshipping the dark forces.”

  “The babies . . .” Sadie swallowed thickly. “Did they die?”

  “No. That’s why there’s been no media attention on this. She’d talked with people who’d left the cult and they described the ritual. The followers put the babies inside the body cavity of a goat only long enough for a few chants. Then maybe the Satanist sickos will have a round of blood to drink. After that, the baby is symbolically delivered from the goat and is said to be reborn from Satan.”

  “Ewww. That is the sickest and most revolting thing I’ve ever heard and as someone who mops up grossness for a living, that’s saying a lot. Why the hell would they do something so stupid?”

  “The followers believe the babies are given extra powers and that as they grow inside the cult, they’ll share those powers with the group.” She sipped her drink. “You know the goat has long been a symbol of Satan. If we’re talking about the same kind of thing here, then you and Zack interrupted the ritual and took off with their prize.”

  Sadie closed her eyes against the vision of the woman with the evil eyes and whose ghostly touch was like liquid fire.

  “She told me that she gave her son willingly.”

  “Who?” Maeva asked.

  “The baby’s mother. They found her body in the field and someone had cut the baby right out of her. Weird thing was, she seemed okay with the whole thing.” Sadie looked at Maeva. “I figured she was either in shock or stoned out of her mind on meth.”

  “But she was dead?”

  “Yeah and there was something major wrong with her.”

  “Well, yeah, if she was perfectly okay with someone killing her to take her baby and stuff him next to a dead goat, she’s got something missing up here.” Maeva tapped her head.

  “There’s something else. Her eyes.” Sadie shook her head slowly. “They turned really red.”