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.”
“Yes. And we know the fate of those who practice witchcraft—the fiery lake of burning sulphur.”
“Funny, got a whiff of something like rotten eggs last night. That’s sulphur, isn’t it?”
“Yep. It’s the mangroves and the breakdown of the organic matter with the mangroves providing a large portion of the matter. It could be stronger, but we’re out of the smelly season at the moment.”
“You know everything, Churchie.”
“No, I don’t, Wal.” He took a sip of his tea. “Could you imagine what that poor girl could smell buried in that ground, in that soil.”
Wally gave a small cough. “Hope she’s okay.”
“Hopefully we can spend some time with her and slip in a prayer of comfort.”
12 – A step into the unknown
THE OVERCAST SKY ENHANCED the outline of the grey metallic Water Police barge against the smaller white craft moored in the marina—a menacing presence of strength and power. The barge could transport two vehicles but today just one Toyota Land Cruiser sat stationary on the lower deck.
Detective Sergeant Jack Kinnaird stood with his partner, Detective Catherine York, on the top deck of the barge looking at the dark cloud hovering over the bay island awaiting their visit. He hoped it wasn’t a rain-bearing cloud. He heard chatter and looked down at the two officers from the Forensic Services Group leaning on the bonnet of the vehicle. One gave him a wave.
