Devil May Ride

At Louise’s insistence, Sadie repeated numerous times what happened to her inside the garden shed and everything she both saw and felt. Terry had given up on the women and gone off to bed after helping to clean up Louise’s broken wineglass and pouring everyone a refill. Sadie’s wine remained untouched.

“How much longer do we have to go over this?” Sadie asked, stifling a yawn. “It’s nearly midnight.”

“Good thing you called Dawn a couple hours ago and told her not to wait up or she’d’ve called the cavalry out for you,” Maeva said.

“I’m sorry, but I just need a couple more things,” Louise said. She downed a gulp from her new glass of wine and leaned forward to focus her bleary eyes on Sadie. “After you ‘fell through’ ”—she drew air quotes around fell through and continued—“and you experienced the ‘burning’ sensation”—air quotes around burning—“did you do a protection ritual in the area and cleanse yourself spiritually?”

“Oh my God, Maeva, she doesn’t know a thing about the dark forces? Have you taught her nothing?”

“Lay off,” Sadie warned, feeling a prickle of annoyance at the way Louise talked to her friend. “I haven’t wanted Maeva to teach me any of that metaphysical mumbo jumbo.”

“Our relationship has not been one of teacher and student,” Maeva explained. “We’re only friends that share a basic understanding of each other’s ability.”

“Still, to leave your friend so ill prepared . . . especially knowing her occupation. Surely you must’ve understood that in her dealings with the other side it was just a matter of time before she could be in over her head and accosted by a dark force?”

“It’s true that Sadie’s work puts her in the position of helping wayward souls find their way over to the other side, but from everything Sadie tells me, it seems she is only called to help those who truly want to go over. That has been her place in the spiritual plane and I respect it.”

“You’re welcome.” Maeva smiled at Sadie, but then she sighed deeply and spoke to Louise. “But you’re right. By not educating her even a little on the dangers that are out there, I’ve left her vulnerable. She had no skills to deal with the spirit of Penny Torrez, so she couldn’t deflect the spirit’s malevolent powers.” She turned to Sadie. “Sorry. You could’ve done more in that situation if you knew in advance it might happen.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Sadie said with exasperation. “I walked away from Penny Torrez’s ghost. There was nothing else I could do.”

“Not true,” Louise said. “At the very least, you should’ve left a form of protection banishing the darker side from that area. Now Penny Torrez’s spirit is hanging out there. Probably up to no good and—”

Since Maeva and Louise had consumed a couple drinks, Sadie was chosen designated driver for their little escapade. Louise rode in the back of Sadie’s Honda, while Maeva rode shotgun. They left Hairy with Terry at Maeva’s house. It was with trepidation that Sadie steered her Honda into the Kenmore area. She slowed down and took the gravel road that led them behind the acreage where the meth lab was located. She opted to take the road behind the tree line and not park near the house.

“Don’t know why we have to go stomping around a crime scene in the middle of the night,” Sadie grumbled as she made a hard left turn onto the back road.

“I’ve already explained it twice,” Maeva said simply. “You can’t just bring a spirit like Penny Torrez out into the open and leave her. She has to be dealt with and, hopefully, driven back.”

“You make it sound like I sent out engraved invitations and asked her to pay me a visit,” Sadie said, barely keeping the whine from her voice. “She just showed up when we found her baby. I wasn’t looking for, or expecting, a ghost of any kind that day. Even the dog was a surprise.”

“You summoned her when you interrupted the ritual,” Louise pointed out, sounding sober after the drive. “Most likely her spirit would’ve moved on after the baby’s baptism and whoever killed her would’ve made sure of that. But when you scared off the perpetrator and the ritual was left incomplete, well, Penny Torrez was left in a kind of limbo.”

“Don’t forget,” Maeva pointed out, “that she willingly gave her life and her own baby for this cause. She believed that baby was going on to be something great because of her sacrifice. You took that away from her.”

“Couldn’t all of this just be about a really crazy thing that happened because of drugs?” Sadie asked.

Sadie drove a few more feet before veering the car onto the shoulder. She cut the ignition and turned off the headlights, plunging them into complete darkness.

“So we’re just going to confront a supposedly evil force in the dead of night and tell her to go to hell. Literally.” Sadie shook her head. “Why am I the only one who thinks this is a very bad idea?”

“Because you don’t know what I’ve got in my little bag,” Louise said, holding up an oversized purse.

“Smudging is the burning of herbs. It’s a cleansing ritual that helps to spiritually cleanse an area and it’s been used for centuries to drive away evil spirits.”

“Oh, it’s great. Just great,” Sadie mumbled. “Please remember that this is a crime scene, ladies. And not just the spot where Penny Torrez was killed. Remember, they dug up Bambi today after she was buried under a tree on the other side of the yard. Let’s try not to do anything that’ll destroy evidence or get our asses thrown in jail, okay?”

They agreed and climbed out of the car. Sadie felt immediately vulnerable as the inky blackness surrounded them in a thick, warm blanket. She felt her way around to the back of her car, opened the trunk, and snagged a couple of flashlights.

“Knock it off,” Maeva hissed. She snagged the second flashlight and shone it back in the car. “Hang on. I’m getting the holy water.”

Maeva retrieved a small clear vial from her purse and stuffed it in her pocket. Then she pointed the light across the field beside them. “Show us which direction to go in.”

Sadie used her light to point to a path between the tall cedars a few feet away and across the field of tall grass beyond to the shed.

“That’s the shed where the baby and goat were found,” Sadie said as they walked, her voice low. When they got to the cedar tree line, Sadie shone her light over to the left. “Penny Torrez’s body was found over there.”

Sadie swung the beam of light to the left, illuminating shrubs and blackberry bramble, to stop at a ribbon of yellow a dozen yards away. “The crime-scene tape is still up.” Sadie swallowed thickly. “We shouldn’t be here.”

“We aren’t going to do anything that’ll disturb the crime scene,” Louise said, sounding confident and strangely enthusiastic about their venture. “We’ll burn some sage and a little bay leaf while I mumble a few chosen words and then we’re out of here.”

The tall grass rasped against the legs of Sadie’s jeans as she walked shoulder to shoulder with Maeva and Louise. Beyond their own rustling movement through the field, the only other sound was a chorus of crickets.

“This is far enough,” Louise said once they were a few feet from the crime-scene tape. “I’ll just get my smudging supplies ready.”

She slipped her bag off her shoulder and Maeva shone her flashlight inside the tote so that Louise could see what she was doing. She removed a couple of clear Ziploc bags.

“Huh. Look at all those little Baggies of green stuff. Don’t suppose you brought rolling papers too?” Sadie asked.

“I’ve got the herbs and my bowl, but I seem to be missing . . . ,” Louise murmured. “Could you keep the light shining straight inside my bag? You keep shaking the flashlight and I can’t find what I need.”

“It’s really simple. We’ll be out of here in five minutes. Ten tops,” Louise said, still routing around in the bottom of her bag. “I’ll mix the sage and bay leaves and set them on fire. The smoke will billow around and—” She blew out an exasperated breath and stomped her foot. “Damn!”

“Oh, c’mon, you mean we came all the way out here to have your minibonfire and you don’t have anything to light it with?” Sadie said, feeling at once annoyed and relieved.

“Well, don’t look at me,” Maeva said. “Since I quit smoking a couple months ago, I’ve stopped carrying a lighter.”

“A lighter!” Louise exclaimed. “That’s it. I’ll just run back to the car and use the cigarette lighter.”

She snatched Maeva’s flashlight from her hands, took Sadie’s keys, and hustled back across the field toward the car.

“And then there were two,” Sadie whispered. “It’s like one of those bad slasher flicks where—”

“You’re scared,” Sadie said. A smile played on her lips. “You act like you’re the big mighty clairvoyant who’ll solve all my ghostie problems, but you’re really just as shit scared as I am.”

Sadie lifted her flashlight a little. The beam of light played on something behind Maeva, and Sadie’s blood ran cold.

“I’m scared?” Maeva chuckled. “You should see your own face. You’re ten shades of pale and your hands are shaking like crazy.”

Maeva turned slowly to look in the direction Sadie was pointing to with the beam from her flashlight.

Penny Torrez’s spirit wore the same blood-soaked blue sundress and the same casually demented facial expression. She was standing, almost floating, in the grassy field and moving slowly toward them.

“My master told me you’d be back. I thought he was wrong. I told him you were too smart for that.”

She took a step forward and waved her arm right through the apparition of Penny. Briefly, the ghost’s eyes sparked red as she shot Maeva a look of impatience.

“If my master were here, I’d ask him to get rid of your friends. Then you and I would have ourselves a nice little chat.” She threw back her head and laughed maniacally.

“Who is your master?” Sadie demanded, fighting to keep her voice calm. “Is it Satan? The devil?”

“The devil is a figure invented by Christians,” she said, chuckling lightly. “We are so much more than that ridiculous imagery. See? No horns.” She bent her head and took a step closer. Sadie jumped back.

Penny glanced at Maeva like she was a pesky bug. “Let’s cut to the chase,” Penny said. Her dead eyes felt like they were drilling into Sadie’s. “You. Took. What. Was. His.” Each word was punctuated with the spirit’s finger stabbing the air in Sadie’s direction.

“I’m talking about the child!” Penny snarled viciously. “He was mine to give to the Alliance. He was going to be great. You ruined everything!”

“That baby was my gift to Witigo. He would’ve been raised in the order. It was a privilege I gave my life for.”

“But what about Jake?” Sadie asked, taking a step backward. “Didn’t he have any say about your child?”

“Snake was nothing. Less than nothing. He was only good for his sperm and even that took too many tries for me to count. Good news, I have been told that one newborn can replace another, and one with an inherited power would be even better. With my own son in your arms you talked about your sister’s pregnancy. My master was very pleased to hear about it. A baby born in a family of your power would make him richer still. It’s what he always wanted anyway.”

“You and your so-called master stay away from my sister! If you touch Dawn or her baby, I’ll—”

“You and your little pals thought the smoke from a few herbs was stronger than me? More powerful than Witigo?” She laughed loudly and the sound of it was vile and dark.

Suddenly the spirit of Penny Torrez was directly in front of Sadie, and she reached and embraced Sadie in a tight hug.

The pain was excruciating. Sadie felt like her arms were on fire and she could smell the acrid scent of her own burning flesh. In the distance, she could dimly make out her friends’ shouts, but the world around her swirled to black and the ground rushed up to meet her.

When Sadie came to, Maeva and Louise were screaming for her to get up as Penny Torrez stalked angrily toward them. Maeva seemed to hold her off with sprays of the holy water. Sadie got unsteadily to her feet. She had an idea.

Penny Torrez inched closer. Maeva’s holy water had slowed but not stopped the spirit. Penny Torrez no longer had fingers, only long flames that snaked out from her palms.

Just then an angry Rottweiler came charging through the tall grass. Brutus was snarling, his big powerful jaws snapping at the image of Penny Torrez. The spirit of Penny shrank away from the dog before her image began to dissipate. Before she totally dispersed, Penny flung a long drop of liquid blue fire toward Brutus. The dog yelped in pain, then disappeared. Penny’s image vanished too, leaving real flames licking at the tinder-dry field at the spot where she’d stood.

Sadie glanced back over her shoulder and was horrified to see flames six feet high devouring the tall grass. By the time they reached Sadie’s car, the entire acreage was engulfed with a blaze that lit the night into day.

Sadie barely recalled the ride back to Maeva’s home. She was afraid to speak until they were all sitting around Maeva’s kitchen table.

“I need to call Dawn,” Sadie said, getting to her feet. “I don’t know how to explain what just happened, but she needs to be warned.”

“Maeva’s right,” Terry said, handing Sadie a hot cup of decaf with a shot of some kind of liquor in it. “Try to relax a moment.”

“We don’t know that Dawn is in any real danger,” Maeva pointed out. “The dark force that is Penny Torrez spoke with you at that location both times, correct? It’s not like she’s wandering Seattle looking for your sister. We have to be realistic.”

“An evil ghost fueled a five-alarm blaze after threatening my sister’s unborn baby. I think being afraid is very realistic. Besides, she may not be wandering Seattle, but other Witigo crazies are and they’re very much alive!” Sadie’s hands flew in the air animatedly. “The guy she called her master will be whoever cut open her belly to take her baby.”

Sadie wrapped her hands around the coffee cup for warmth. Even though it was probably eighty degrees in the kitchen, Sadie felt chilled.

“I didn’t say she’s overreacting,” Maeva said. “I doubt when Penny Torrez was alive, she could talk to spirits. So Sadie’s right that it’s a real live person who convinced her to donate the baby to a satanic cult. Besides, you’re just annoyed that your smudging didn’t work,” Maeva stated, smiling a little. “You did your best. Don’t sulk.”

“I’m not sulking,” Louise said, but she folded her arms like a young child when she said it.

“I’m sorry,” Maeva said, taking his hand in hers. “I know you have no supernatural powers, but your macho presence would’ve been enough to protect us.”

They talked in circles for over an hour but were not able to formulate a plan on how to handle the dark force that was Penny Torrez or how to protect Dawn, if protection was needed.

Good-byes were said. Ever the good host, Terry walked Louise to the door. When he came back into the kitchen, he paused between Sadie’s chair and Maeva’s.

Terry patted Sadie and Maeva on the back affectionately. Sadie flinched as though she’d been struck.

“What’s wrong?” Maeva asked, getting to her feet and coming around the table. “Are you hurt?”

“What is it?” Sadie asked. She craned her head to see over her shoulder but couldn’t see what they were looking at.

“Bapho who?” Sadie asked. She got abruptly to her feet and ran out of the kitchen and down the hall, almost stepping on Hairy in the process.

Maeva and Terry followed her into the main-floor bathroom. Sadie stripped off her T-shirt, beyond caring what Terry could possibly think of seeing her in her plain cotton bra. She turned her back to the large wall mirror and Maeva handed her a hand mirror.

Her eyes grew wide at the angry welt on her left shoulder blade. A five-inch diameter circlular shape had bubbled with painful blisters. Sadie squinted as she got a closer look. There was a shape singed into the center of the circle.

“A goat’s head in an upside-down pentagram,” Maeva explained. “It’s a satanic symbol.”