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The leader paled, shaking his head violently, looking visibly distressed at the thought.
After some discussion, they decided that the best thing to do would be for Cora and Gabe to leave, to wipe the gun clean, and then leave it somewhere the police would find it as if the person who murdered Bouchard had dropped it.
That way, they'd have a victim and a weapon, which had probably been used for other illegal activities in the past.
Cora was happy to do that. She wiped the gun carefully.
"We'll leave it somewhere between here and the road, she decided. “There's a paved track leading that way." She wanted to make it somewhere obvious, seeing she wasn't too confident in the powers of these local police to do something as simple as find their own buttocks using both their hands.
"Thank you again," the leader said.
Cora turned and stared at him, frowning. "I didn't like you at the start," she said. "I understand you better now, but I think it was totally heartless not to tell Heidi's family what had happened to her, regardless of what she signed or the fact you didn't know who the killer was at the time." She took a deep breath. "However, I understand now that you're not a cult, that you are a gentle organization, and that you do good work for the community. If people choose to join you, I'm glad they won't risk being murdered for making that choice. So stay safe. And be careful."
“And you, too,” he replied softly.
Then, she turned and walked away with Gabe.
When she reached a place close to the road, she dropped the carefully wiped, stolen gun.
It would close the circle, make it easier to wrap up the case. And although she was sad to say goodbye to it, she did have another one.
She might need it, where she was going next.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Cora looked around her, taking in the ambiance, checking for any sign of the people they were there to meet. She and Gabe were seated in the same bar where they’d been two days ago. It was six p.m., and already the place was busy, buzzing, with glamorous people thronging in. Every night in Paris was a party night.
This time, they were the first to arrive, waiting for the two men they'd met before. She felt a cold nervousness inside her as she realized that this step, the one she was about to take, might get her closer to finding Rose. Perhaps, at last, she'd learn what had happened to her sister.
“Here they are,” Gabe said, and Cora’s head snapped around. Here they were.
This time, all three of the family were walking in the bar. Stefan, his brother, and also his sister, the blond woman that had possessed such force of character and who'd fought the men in the brothel with fire in her eyes.
She was looking better now, Cora saw. Calmer. But still nervous. She guessed that after an experience like that, getting her drink spiked, being abducted, and everything else she’d gone through, she would be jumpy for a long time. Maybe forever.
She walked in between her brothers, and Cora could see they were guarding her closely.
The three of them sat down. It was an uneasy start to what she knew would be a difficult conversation, starting with the news she had to break. No point in delaying it. She didn’t want to leave them agonizing over that for another moment.
"I found out what happened to Heidi," Cora said, getting to the point. "It's not good."
She could see in their eyes that they had already known and dreaded this answer. The three of them exchanged glances. The blond woman took one of her brother’s hands in each of hers and held them tightly.
"What happened?" Stefan asked.
"Heidi was killed. Murdered." Cora paused. "Do you want the details? I can tell you now that it was quick, and she didn't suffer."
“Yes,” the woman said. “Please. We do want the details. Her father will want to know.”
"There was a killer on-site. A serial killer, who was murdering people who'd gotten accepted and moved up the ranks," Cora explained. "He was choosing people who reminded him of a previous mentor he'd had. Green eye color was the main criterion."
Now they were staring at each other in shock as she continued. “When Heidi was inaugurated into a higher level, the water was poisoned. It was a toxin that affected the heart – I'm not sure what because the tox screen isn't back yet. But she died immediately. It was quick and probably painless. And I would like you to know that she was happy when she died. This was what she wanted for herself at this time. She was doing well there, she was accepted, she was part of what she thought to be a bigger cause."
"But - but that's crazy. Targeted by a serial killer," Stefan said, exchanging bewildered glances with his siblings. “How many people did he kill?”
“Three in total. It would have been more, but he was stopped.”
“Stopped? How?”
