AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We might be barking up the wrong tree,” Gedrose said, “but ultimately, I can’t see any other reason for killing these women. You both need to be careful. The people you work with know about The Book. Maybe someone with the police department or the FBI alerted the Circle.”
“I can’t believe anyone in law enforcement would be involved in some kind of cult,” Alex blurted.
Gedrose looked at her strangely. “Well, I was, and I was a good cop. LEOs are just people. Not all of them are perfect, Alex.”
“Law enforcement officers are the angels. Criminals are the demons.” As soon as the words popped out of her mouth, she gasped.
“What did you say?” Logan asked, his expression one of astonishment.
“I ... I don’t know.” Alex was stunned. Where had that come from? “Forget it. Channeling my aunt, I guess. I’m ... sorry. I don’t really believe that.”
“Willow was always trying to jam that stuff into your head,” Gedrose said gently. “I see some of it got through.”
“No.” Alex shook her head vigorously. “I rejected all that crazy stuff years ago. I’m just ... tired. I need some sleep.” She glared at Logan. “I’m all right. Just ignore what I said.” She knew she sounded a little manic, but those words flying out of her mouth made her feel violated.
“It’s fine.” Logan nodded toward Gedrose. “Can you nose around? See if you can find out what’s going on?”
“So you’ve decided not to shoot me?”
“For now,” Logan said. “But we don’t trust you completely, so—”
“I think he’s telling the truth,” Alex said abruptly, reaching for the training she knew she could believe in. Could trust. She’d been speaking to Logan, but she never took her eyes off the former cop. “He made direct eye contact. Didn’t fidget. Didn’t look away. Leaned in to talk to us. I believe him. Gedrose, if you really cared about my aunt, then help us find out who killed her.” She took a deep breath. “If you had to pick one person most likely to have done this, who would it be? Don’t think. Just react. Now!”
Gedrose blinked several times, then blurted, “Marcus Pannell.”
“And who is Marcus Pannell?” Logan asked.
“He was in our group. The one that met at Willow’s. He’s the only member who could possibly do this. He’s a big man, and sometimes he acted like he was in charge. I eventually realized not everyone in the Circle considered themselves angels, and—”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to give your real names,” Alex said. “How do you know his?”
“I didn’t until after I left the Circle. I saw him one day in a local hardware store. He was checking out, so I hung back until he left. I’m friends with the owner. I told him I’d met the guy but couldn’t remember his name. My friend told me he was Marcus Pannell. I guess he owns an advertising firm in Wichita.”
“Sounds like an educated guy,” Logan said. “How could he buy in to this stuff?”
Gedrose just stared at him.
“Sorry,” Logan said. “I didn’t think.”
Gedrose shook his head. “It’s okay. I guess we’re all looking for answers. The Circle came at the right time, and they made sense to me—in the beginning. The devil is a deceiver. I was certainly deceived.”
“Why hasn’t the Circle come after you in some way?” Alex asked. “Why haven’t they seen you as a threat?”
He smiled. “I was diagnosed with prostate cancer not long after I became a Christian. It’s under control, but they don’t know that. I told them I just wasn’t feeling well enough to be involved—at least until I was cured.” He shrugged. “They accepted that and never bothered me again. I’d been one of their most dedicated members. I guess they trusted me.”
“But now?”
“I need to be careful.”
Alex’s phone rang. It was Harrison. “We need to get to work,” she told Gedrose. “Give Logan your contact information. We’ll let you go for now, but the police will want to talk to you, so expect them. We’ll be in touch as well.”
She got up and grabbed the phone. “We’ve got more information about the missing pathogen,” Harrison said after she answered. “And it’s not good. I want to video conference with you and Logan in fifteen minutes. I’ll give you the information then. Will that work for you?”
“Sure. We’ll be online.” She said good-bye and made eye contact with Logan. “Harrison wants to talk.”
Logan grabbed the notebook Alex had used. Turning to a clean page, he handed it and a pen to Gedrose. “Write down Pannell’s name too, so we’ll know how it’s spelled.”
“Please call me Jimmy,” Gedrose said. “I want to do anything I can to assist you. But call only this number. It’s an old burner phone that can’t be traced.”
