“Serve him? You mean as his assistant.”
“Yes, yes, of course. But also as a disciple. Mr. Ammon feels that he holds the sleeping beast within him. Once he has the Avaritia Stone and the ceremony is performed, Mammon will finally awaken and rule the earth.” Rutherford wiped his sweaty palms on his fatigues. “It will be glorious. Glorious.”
“So you believe in Mammon?”
“Very definitely. Mr. Ammon feels very strongly about Mammon. It came to Mr. Ammon in a vision shortly after he inherited the diary. He believes Mammon has been lying dormant in the males of his family for eons. Can you imagine? And when you examine everything it becomes obvious. The ruthless ambition. The relentless acquisition of power. Mr. Ammon’s whole family history is a rogue’s gallery of notorious villains. It’s very impressive. If you have the opportunity you should ask Mr. Ammon about it. I’m sure he would enjoy telling you his history. It’s fascinating. Fascinating. Mr. Ammon is quite taken with you, you know. He speaks of you often.”
“Because I have the ability to identify the Avaritia Stone.”
“No, no. Mr. Ammon is certain he’ll recognize the stone once it’s uncovered. Although you were helpful in finding the various pieces of the coin. I must admit we couldn’t have done that without you. And goodness, it wasn’t as if we hadn’t tried.” Rutherford rocked back on his heels, smiling wide. “Here’s the fun part of the equation. Mr. Ammon is a big fan of your cupcakes.”
It took a moment for this to compute in my head. I’d pretty much forgotten about the cupcakes.
“I can see you’re surprised at this,” Rutherford said, doing a lot more smiling. “Mr. Ammon is multifaceted. He’s a shrewd businessman, and he knows a good product when he sees it. True, he inherited much of his wealth, but he also made many, many excellent deals on his own. And he has his eye on you. You’re a lucky woman. I suspect you’ll get rich and famous under the Ammon brand. Of course, it will be necessary for you to embrace our lord Mammon, but I’m sure you’ll find that quite painless. We’re a happy, fun-loving group. Though, now that I think about it, there’s the possibility of a sacrifice…but, again, that shouldn’t be too painful.”
Someone whistled from far above us. “We’re sending her down,” they shouted.
I looked up and was blinded by the spotlight. I shaded my eyes and saw something descending, dangling from a rope. It was something in a short pink tutu-type skirt, black motorcycle boots, and an orange thong. It was Glo.
“We thought she might be useful,” Rutherford said. “We understand that you have a special ability to find the stone, but this one seems to also have strange powers. There’s a rumor that she can cast spells and see into the future.”
Double oh boy. Glo had a book of spells that never worked as they should and a Magic 8 Ball she got at a yard sale. She was strapped into a harness that was attached to the rope. Her tote bag was slung over her shoulder. Broom was tucked into the tote bag.
“What the heck?” she said when her feet touched granite and she was able to stand.
I thought What the heck? about summed it all up. Beyond that I didn’t know what to think.
“They kidnapped me when I wasn’t looking,” Glo said. She glanced at the body sprawled on the floor of the cave. “Whoa.”
“It’s Devereaux,” I said. “He slipped and fell.”
“He’s not moving.”
“It’s a permanent condition.”
“He’s paralyzed?”
“He’s dead,” I told her.
“Bummer,” Glo said. “Do you want me to say some words? I’m an ordained minister. I even have a certificate.”
“What church?” I asked her.
“The Church of the Barley Goddess.”
“I don’t think that’s a real church.”
“They have a website,” Glo said. “The World Wide Web wouldn’t allow them on there if they weren’t real.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” I said.
“I’m sure Mr. Ammon wouldn’t mind if we took a moment,” Rutherford said.
Glo bowed her head. “We commend the spirit of Quentin Devereaux to you, Great Old Ones and New Sprouts. Give him safe passage to the afterlife and if there’s reincarnation we hope he doesn’t come back as a snail or a spider because they’re icky.”
Everyone said “Amen,” and looked to Rutherford for direction.
“Now that we have that solemn task behind us we can move forward,” Rutherford said, going into jolly mode. “Mr. Carter can lead the way.”