Page 31 of Phoenix Rising

Suddenly, the lights snapped off, plunging the room into total darkness.

“What the hell?” Reese exclaimed.

Audria’s senses sharpened. Her muscles tensed, and she prepared for battle. A flurry of nervous chatter picked up around them. Only a few of the lights came back on, casting the stage in shadows, but there was enough illumination to see a man standing on the dais in a long, brown robe with a hood, his arms extended. The only thing she could tell about him was that he had a black beard and wore glasses.

“Welcome, everyone. I am Guru Phoenix Valo.”

The crowd that had been concerned a moment ago broke into applause. Some even cheered. Guru Phoenix seemed to bask in the response, milking it for far too long, in Audria’s opinion. He moved around, at ease in front of the crowd. “You are here because you’re interested in a power greater than yourself. Spiritual awakening is a call to a higher state of deeper mental awareness and consciousness. It can also be called nirvana or enlightenment. It begins the moment a person awakens with a new sense of being in the world. Some of you might have experienced this already, or you might be on the path.”

He wore a headset microphone, leaving his hands free to gesture as he spoke. “Though my higher power is God, yours could be Buddha or Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva, Allah or Jesus. You might be uncertain at first or feel unnerved. You might even feel excitement and wonder.”

Guru Phoenix paused as he scanned the crowd. It was impossible to get a good look at him with the hood casting his face in shadows. “How do you begin the trek to spiritual awakening? It might be that a traumatic event caused you to reevaluate your life—an accident, injury, or illness. Maybe you lost a loved one, or a divorce upended your world. A near-death experience might have factored into your journey.”

He went on to explain the process, though he stressed it was different for everyone. He told of how self-reflection might give a person a clearer sense of their true nature or purpose in life. Dharma, he called it. “A connection to the divine is essential.” Guru Phoenix walked around, including every section of the audience in his sermon. “That was a basic introduction to spiritual awakening.”

As the spectators gave him a standing ovation, Audria was surprised to discover over an hour had passed.

“If you enjoyed today’s sermon and felt the desire to connect with a higher being, I offer a weekend spiritual retreat twice a month. The next one starts two days from now, and I do have a few openings left. Brochures will be on the table in the hallway as you leave. You can speak to Helen at the front desk to reserve your spot.”

Audria had to admit that Guru Phoenix was very charismatic. Even the cadence of his voice was hypnotic. She’d been skeptical going in, but she could see why people might be interested in exploring a journey of personal growth or self-discovery. She might’ve been open to learning more if she’d come across this seminar a few months ago after the Wanda Bunker incident.

Before the room went dark again, Guru Phoenix’s hood slipped down to reveal a shaved head. Then he was gone. When the lights came back on, Reese and Audria followed the flow of the crowd out of the auditorium. She spotted the flyer the guru mentioned and grabbed one as they passed in case they needed to do some more investigating.

A few people formed a line at the reservation desk, but Reese and Audria continued to their vehicle. Audria waited until they were back on the road to their hotel before she said, “I know you noticed all the cameras.”

“They were everywhere,” Reese agreed.

“That seems over the top for a spiritual retreat.”

“My thoughts exactly. Helen said Guru Phoenix beefed up security, but that was next level.”

“It makes you wonder what they are trying to hide.”

Chapter Nine

Reese parked in the underground lot at the resort, and they headed upstairs for dinner at Waterfall before embarking on their last fact-finding mission on Paige Stockton. It was the one Audria dreaded the most.

A woman with brown hair fastened into a ponytail was behind the bar. She smiled when they took a seat and placed coasters in front of them. “Welcome. What can I get you?”

“Thanks, Tamekia,” Reese said, reading her nametag. “I’ll take water and a menu.”

“Same,” Audria responded.

Tamekia scooped ice into two glasses and filled them with a soda gun before placing them on the coasters.

“Is Raphael working tonight?” Audria asked as Tamekia handed them menus.

“Nope. He called in sick. I’m his replacement for the evening.”

They each ordered a turkey club, and Tamekia left to place their order. “Maybe Raphael inhaled too much of Vincenzo Fusco’s product,” Audria mused.

Reese chuckled. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

It was early for the singles crowd, but the bar was filling up. Audria happened to be watching Reese as he scanned the room and noticed when his head snapped back to a table. “Audria, look.”

She glanced over her shoulder at a booth where two men chatted intimately, their heads close together. One man’s long black hair hung in a curtain around his face, while the other sported a closely cropped buzz cut and blond goatee. “Well, if it isn’t Ralph Morris, a.k.a. Yogi Vishnu.”

“Maybe you were right about his sexual orientation.”

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