Page 41 of Phoenix Rising

“We’re fine. Our belongings are not.” She told them about the break-in and destruction.

“You rattled someone’s cage,” Logan concluded.

“Yeah, I think we did.”

“Have you discovered anything that grabbed your interest?”

Reese told them about the drug-dealing yogi and bartender while she briefly summarized the other seminars they had attended.

“Where were you before the car tried to run you over?” Luke asked.

“The fur-meet.”

Logan chuckled. “Better you than me. Let’s circle back to the religious session. You said there was heightened security.”

“Cameras everywhere,” Reese confirmed. “No cell phones or weapons allowed, and we had to pass through a metal detector.”

“For a meeting on spiritual awareness?” Luke scoffed.

“We thought it was strange and over the top too,” Audria agreed.

“Earlier, you said the speaker was charismatic, Audria. How so?”

“I’m not sure. His appearance was dramatic. The room was plunged into darkness, and he was there when the lights came on. And it was the way he spoke. I found his voice to be mesmerizing. Everyone in the room was quiet, hanging on his words. His sermon was over before I realized it.”

“Luke, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Logan questioned.

“I am. What did he look like?”

“It was hard to tell,” Reese answered. “Medium build and height. He wore a long brown robe with a hood.”

“It sounds like Richard Caraway,” Logan deduced.

“Who is he?” Audria asked.

“The Lightkeeper.”

Chapter Twelve

The Lightkeeper. The moniker sounded familiar, but Audria couldn’t place it.

“I remember him,” Reese acknowledged. “Richard Caraway, also known as Elijah. He’s on our Most-Wanted List.”

“Who is he?” Audria questioned.

“He’s a rogue preacher who started a cult,” Luke said.

“And murdered at least two women,” Logan added.

“That was former FBI Agent Hunter McGrath’s case, I believe,” Reese said.

“It was,” Luke confirmed. “His first case with us. He and his now-wife Talia went undercover and infiltrated the cult.”

“I’ll call them and see if they can join us,” Logan said. He came back a minute later. “Audria, Reese, Hunter and Talia are on the line with us.”

They exchanged pleasantries, and then Luke said, “Audria, tell them what you told us about Guru Phoenix.”

Audria gave them the rundown from security to his dramatic appearance. “He was very charismatic.”

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