Beth looked at her strangely and then smiled. “I don’t think Rocky was attacking me or Wiccans in general.” She looked at him. “Devin isn’t one of us. I think she’s just an out-of-time-and-place hippie, like her parents. I love them, but they’re not entirely part of the twenty-first century.”
Rocky smiled at Devin, then turned to Beth. “I’m still so enchanted by those necklaces—like the one Devin got from you. Silver stands for purity, doesn’t it? And you said the artist only works in silver?”
Beth nodded.
“Is there symbolism in the silver?”
“Well, silver is associated with the moon, femininity and with clarity, single-mindedness, purpose.... I particularly like the idea of purity,” Beth said.
“It’s a beautiful metal, and easy to work with,” Gayle said. “And I think the association with purity explains its popularity in the Wiccan religion. It’s associated with the color white, snow...things that are themselves considered pure.”
“And this association between silver and purity has been around a long time, right?” Rocky asked.
“Oh, yes, back to the Greeks, the Celts...the Romans,” Gayle said.
“Please do tell me as soon as you have more of Ms. Marston’s jewelry in stock,” Rocky said to Beth.
“I will,” she promised.
The conversation turned to other topics at that point, and eventually they all parted for the night. Theo was going to make sure that Beth got home safely, and Brent would walk Gayle home. She actually lived in the old jail. Though it had once been slated for demolition, the haunted structure that had witnessed many an execution had been saved and turned into very nice apartments.
Devin and Rocky headed to his car. As they drove, she was pensively silent. When they reached her house, he came around to open the car door for her, but she was already out. He walked her to the house. When she opened the door, he said, “I’ll check the place out for you, if that’s all right.”
“Um, yes, sure. Thank you.”
He went through the same ritual as he had the other day. Devin decided to wait for him in the parlor. As she stood there, she saw the ghost of Aunt Mina peeking out from the kitchen.
“Everything all right, dear?” Aunt Mina whispered.
“Yes, fine,” Devin said, waving at her aunt to please disappear for the moment.
Rocky joined her in the parlor just as Aunt Mina disappeared.
Still a little unnerved by her aunt’s strange comings and goings, Devin said, “So now you’re convinced that the women were murdered by a Wiccan with an athame?” she asked.
“The weapon could have been an athame, yes,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that a Wiccan used it—anyone can buy one. As you so charmingly pointed out,” he said, smiling to take the sting out of the words.
“And you really believe that?” she asked him.
“Yes, I really believe that’s a distinct possibility,” he said.
“Are you any closer to finding the killer?”
“I wish I could say yes,” he told her.
There was a strange moment of silence as they stood there looking at each other. Devin had the wild thought that she should pretend that it had been a real date. That she should walk to him, smile...and lean up and give him a kiss.
She suppressed the insane desire. And yet it seemed that even from a distance she could smell his scent. Nice, not like a sweet perfume, just something clean and woodsy and a little bit musky.
Then she reminded herself that the ghost of her great-aunt was haunting the house even as she was picturing him undressed.
“Well, thank you,” she murmured.
“My pleasure,” he told her, and headed to the door.
She followed and as she was about to close it behind him, he caught hold of it and smiled, then indicated something behind her.
“Great-Aunt Mina, huh?” he said over Devin’s head before turning his attention back to her. “Next time I’m here, you’ll have to introduce me.”
Before she had a chance to do more than stare at him wide-eyed, he closed the door behind him. She spun around, and of course, there was Aunt Mina.
Devin could have fallen down, she was so stunned.
Aunt Mina was not. “How delightful!” she said. “He sees me. Now, quit standing there like a dime-store dummy, child. Lock that door.”
*
As he drove, Rocky smiled.
It was intriguing to discover that Devin also saw ghosts. Of course, he hadn’t given her a chance to respond to the fact that he’d seen Mina. He’d just let that sit with her awhile.
He was glad that Devin was like him. Damned glad. Surprised, yes, but pleased that they could be free to speak about things they’d learned from the dead—a boon in this situation.
Rocky wondered again as he returned to his room if he had done the right thing; he might have gone on his way living a normal life. Well, something that resembled a normal life, anyway. He was a good agent; he was focused and methodical—and passionate in his search for justice for the victims of violent crime.