He looked over toward the road. “Yes, my dear.”

He placed the boat in reverse and quietly backed into the mangrove swamp.

She looked towards the grave. It was now a pile of dirt.

“I suppose the question is: was she alive or dead when they got her out? Either way, it’s still the same result. They’ll be looking for us. Best we leave before the police see us.”

The high priestess placed her head in her hand. What did it mean if the girl was still alive? Did it mean the god hadn’t been appeased? What did that mean? Did she need to offer another sacrifice?

And what of the clue she’d left behind? Perhaps it had sunk into the estuary mud. She hoped so. Deep in the estuary mud.  

Part Two – The Detective

11 – A Scottish doctor

RUBY HAD BEEN TAKEN TO A NEARBY LODGE for the night, where she’d washed the dirt and darkness off in a hot shower and had her wounds cared for and bandaged up. Then she’d slept, watched over by one of the island’s doctors. 

She drifted in and out of darkness—bad dreams. Each time she came out of the darkness she saw the same face hovering over her, reassuring comforting. The person spoke with a lovely accent. 

Yer gonna to be fine, my love. 

Eventually, the darkness departed and her energy flowed in.

Walking around the room a few times had helped. Although she felt hung over, she was also in a state of euphoria. She was free, and her body’s natural equilibrium was finding its way back. The doctor dozed off a number of times in the large lounge seat. Ruby appreciated her presence.

She raised the blind on the window and moonlight flowed into the room. 

Where are you moon? 

She found it.

You’re so beautiful, but why did you do this to me? 

No. That thinking was childish. She returned and sat on the bed. She’d asked them to dig around in case her friends had been buried as well, but they seemed convinced she was the only one. She needed to understand how they knew that. Had someone seen what happened? If so, she hoped those involved would be punished. An image of a tall hooded woman came into her head, and Ruby’s skin prickled. Who was that woman?

She rubbed her arms like she had in the shower, vanishing the dirt down the drain. Trying to wash the memories away. Although she was feeling better, the doctor had said recovery would take time. She’d have to deal with symptoms when they came. If she needed professional help, she should seek it. She would.

“You okay, love?” the doctor asked.

Ruby looked at the doctor. Her eyes were large and caring. “Yes, I’m okay. Just my mind, wandering.”

“Did ye want to take something?”

“No, I’m fine. Besides, I think I’ve been sedated enough already.”

The doctor nodded. “The blood sample we took will give us an idea what they gave you. There doesn’t seem to be any after-effects, although ye may feel hung over and disoriented for a wee while. But these types of drugs can leave the body very quickly.”

Ruby raised her eyebrows. “Types of drugs?”

“I’d say they put something in your drink—like a rape drug. But as I said, we’ll know once they analyse the sample.”

“I suppose that doesn’t really matter now. It’s all over with.”

“Maybe, but it will still give ye peace of mind knowing there will be no lasting effects, nothing lingering in your body.”

“Just in the head.”

“I get the impression you’ll handle that okay.”

“Thank you . . . but why . . . who would do such a thing?”

The doctor gave a brief sigh. “There are crazy people out there. They were probably sacrificing you to some kind of god. Sorry to be so blunt.”

“I think I might start going to church. The Christian god doesn’t seem to get into these things.”

“I think you’re right there. It’s these alternative religions that seem to cause problems—although church isn’t perfect either. They say there’s a battle going on between good and evil and I’m starting to believe that.”

Daylight crept into the room as the moon handed over its reign to the sun. The doctor’s phone rang. 

The doctor listened and nodded a few times then looked at Ruby and raised her eyebrows. “You up to some visitors?” 

The police? Yes, she’d see the police. She wanted them to catch whoever was responsible for doing this. Was she ready? Not really. But she’d do her best and hope the floodgates weren’t going to burst open. She knew she just had to ride with her emotions. They would get her through this.

“Yes, that should be fine.” 

Her breathing increased and her heart throbbed in her chest. She took a deep breath. 

Calm yourself, Ruby. We need to get this creepy hooded person and make them pay for what they’ve done. 

The people coming to see her were going to help her do that.

<°)))><

The diggers hadn’t had much sleep. Christopher sat on his deck, sipping his tea and reading his Bible. The steam from his tea fogged up his reading glasses. He took them off and gave them a wipe.

Pee-wee.

He looked down at the lawn and watched a magpie-lark plodding around responding to the ‘pee-wee’ call coming from another magpie-lark somewhere out of view.

He returned his gaze to his Bible and reviewed what he’d read. Witchcraft and sorcery were a dangerous work of the flesh, and in the past, God had wiped out the nations that practised such things. Those who do such things will not enter God’s kingdom. We need to trust God and his word, and not ignore Jesus Christ. Not seek answers to the future from other entities like the moon, sun, tarot cards, or horoscopes. 

A chair screeched as Wally pulled it out and sat next to Christopher.

“I didn’t bring my Bible, Churchie, so you can enlighten me this morning. What does the good book say about last night?”

“Sure, Wal,” Christopher flicked through some pages. “You know the Lord detests the things that we saw. It was witchcraft. They were calling down evil spirits, demons masquerading as angels of light. Those people are blinded. Witchcraft is meant to ward off evil but it attracts evil.”

“It’s simple, isn’t it? They’re dabbling in something our Lord forbids.”