Page 20 of Silent Ritual

Sheila sighed, wondering if she'd made a mistake bringing Star along. "Do me a favor? Go wait in the car while Finn and I have a look. Then I'll drop you off at my place afterward."

“It’s gotta be a hundred degrees in your car by now.”

“So turn on the AC.” Sheila pulled out the keys, then hesitated before handing them over. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Star took the keys, her expression hardening. "I won't," she said, turning on her heel and heading toward the car.

“She’s stubborn, that one,” Finn said.

“Don’t I know it,” Sheila murmured.

Turning her attention back to the crime scene, she took a moment to compose herself before examining Fiona. Fiona was in the same posture as the other victims, with the same sort of symbols drawn around her and the same sort of herbs left on her body. The only significant difference was the wound to her shoulder and the cuts on her hands, evidently from defending herself. Strangest of all, the wounds had been bandaged.

“When would she have had time to bandage those?” Finn murmured.

“She wouldn’t have,” Sheila said. “Her killer must’ve done it. The real question is…why would he bandage her wounds if he was going to kill her anyway? Is that part of the ritual—the victims have to be…intact? Hair brushed, clothes unrumpled, wounds dressed?”

Finn crouched down beside Fiona's body, his brow furrowing as he examined the bandages. "Seems that way," he said. "And there’s something else. These bandages—this is the work of someone with experience.”

“A nurse or a doctor?” Sheila suggested, her mind spinning new possibilities.

“Or military. There are a lot of possibilities, but none that explain why the killer would care about leaving his victims so...neat." Finn rose, dusting off his pants.

“You’re right,” Sheila murmured, taking a closer look at the symbols. “But given the ease with which the killer has gotten to the victims…I can’t help thinking it’s another sign that he knows them.”

***

Sheila’s heart sank as she stared at the empty stretch of road where she had left her car.

“I don’t believe it,” she muttered. What was Star thinking, taking her car? Where had she gone?

“Want to go look for her?” Finn asked. “We can take my car.”

“No,” Sheila said with a defeated sigh. “We can’t waste time chasing her around. I’ll put out an APB on her, see if anyone can pick her up. Seeing the inside of a jail wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for her.”

Finn raised his eyebrow in surprise. “Seems a bit harsh.”

“Maybe. But if she keeps going down this road, that’s where she’s going to end up.”

Finn said nothing, and the two of them stood there in silence for several moments.

"Sure, you don't want that ride?" Finn asked.

Sheila grunted. “Guess I don’t have much choice, do I? Let’s head back to the station, do some digging into Fiona’s past. Maybe we can connect her with the other two victims.”

Finn nodded, already striding toward his vehicle, parked a short distance away. Sheila followed, casting a last glance back at the vacant stretch of road, hoping Star was safe.

Once inside the rumbling beast of Finn's old pickup truck, she pulled out her phone and initiated the APB on Star and her stolen vehicle. That task done, she tucked her phone away and began to relax into the worn but comfortable leather seat. Finn’s truck might have seen better days, but it was robust and reliable—much like Finn himself.

As Sheila watched the rugged landscape pass by, she couldn't shake the worry gnawing at her. Star was too young to be caught up in this mess, too young to be on the run. She needed guidance and protection, not a car chase with the Coldwater County Sheriff's Department. Her fingers clenched around the seatbelt, the vinyl cool against her skin.

“Don’t worry about her,” Finn said. “She seems like a very capable young woman.”

“She’s fourteen, Finn. She has no business driving a car, never mind stealing one. What if she gets herself into a wreck? What if she—”

Finn laid his hand gently on hers. "She's stronger than you give her credit for. Besides, getting worked up over what-ifs won't do you or her any good. The best thing we can do right now is focus on the case."

Sheila nodded, relaxing back into her seat. “I know. It’s just…”

---