The blinding light of a storm lantern suddenly illuminated the room.
“Rowenna Cavanaugh!” Ginny said, distressed. “What are you doing? You’re going to ruin your lovely costume.”
“Put her down, Rowenna. She’s half-dead already,” Dan said patiently. “Put her down or else I’ll make you.”
She shook her head. “No, Dan. You can’t make me.”
“Of course I can. I can make you see or do whatever I want you to.”
“I see and do what I choose to,” she said with far more confidence than she felt. “I saw your crimes before you wanted me to,” she told him.
He stared at her and began to frown as she stared back without flinching. He was trying to make her see something, she realized. He was trying to make her envision herself putting Mary back down on the ground. But she knew what he was up to, and she wouldn’t do it.
He swore and strode toward her, and she had to put Mary down then, so she could protect herself. She struggled, using everything she had ever heard about self-defense—knee to the groin, elbow in the ribs. She threw him off finally, but then Ginny rushed her.
To her amazement, she had no difficulty at all in sending the old woman who had fed her cookies all her life flying right across the room and into the wall.
But then Dan was on her again. She fought him wildly until…
She felt the knife against her throat.
“You have a few minutes left. A few minutes of precious life. So use them wisely,” he whispered, the blade cold and sharp against her flesh.
There were no cars around, but Jeremy saw tire tracks in the dirt, faint but perceptible, as Billy pulled him along.
Without Billy’s help, he never would have seen the trap door, which had probably led to a storm cellar but was now covered with leaves and refuse. He pulled the door open and stared down into the darkness.
But there was a ladder; as his eyes adjusted, he could see it. He turned to Billy for guidance, but the boy was gone again. He inched down the ladder….
And heard voices.
“You might as well slit my throat now, Dan Mie, because I will never stand here quietly and let you strangle that woman. Besides, he won’t let you.”
Thank God! It was Rowenna’s voice. She was alive.
“Who? Your hotshot investigator boyfriend?” Dan mocked. “It will take him forever to get here—if he even figures it out. He should be out looking for the good Doctor MacElroy right now.”
Jeremy inched closer until he could see what was going on, could see that Dan was holding a knife to Rowenna’s throat.
“No, I’m not talking about Jeremy, actually. I’m talking about that little boy right there,” Rowenna said.
My God, Jeremy thought. Billy was there—and Rowenna could see him, too.
“There’s no little boy,” Dan said.
He heard a woman’s faint gasp. Someone else was there. Mary?
“There…is something….”
It was Ginny. Ginny MacElroy. She sounded weak and hurt.
“I think he’s here to protect Mary and me,” Rowenna was saying. “See how he’s glowing? He’s from a very good place, I think. And he’s here to send you to burn in hell forever. Isn’t that what you want? To be with Satan?”
“I will be Satan. I will have my seven!” Dan Mie roared.
Enough was enough, Jeremy thought, and strode forward, heedless of how much noise he made. He had his gun drawn, and he aimed it at Mie.
“Billy can’t shoot you, Dan. But I can,” he promised grimly.
But the knife was still at Rowenna’s throat. He was a crack shot, but…
All it would take would be a twitch.
Her eyes met his. Amber gleaming gold, and strong, so strong.
“Dan, watch out for Billy,” she said. “Don’t you see him? He’s right there beside you.”
Dan twisted slightly, but Jeremy decided not to chance the shot. Instead he dove for the man, yanking him away from Rowenna, and together they tumbled to the floor.
The knife glittered in the light as Dan tried to drive it into Jeremy’s chest, but Jeremy sat up, head-butting Mie.
The knife flew out of the other man’s hand just as Jeremy heard a shrill cry, like the cawing of a crow, and looked up to see Ginny MacElroy rushing him.
Rowenna tackled her just as he slammed a fist into Mie’s jaw, driving him back against the wall.
Suddenly gunfire split the air, freezing them all in place.
His brother had arrived at last, and Brad was right behind him.
On the floor, Ginny started sobbing and swearing at Dan. “I told you to hurry up and kill the first one, that you had to complete the ritual before they caught you. You don’t deserve to be the Prince of Darkness!”
Brad let out a deep, harsh sound and ran past everyone to where Mary lay.
“Mary, Mary,” he sobbed, cradling her in his arms.
“Took you long enough,” Jeremy told Zach with a grin.
“I broke every speed limit known to man,” Zach said. “How the hell did you get here so fast?”