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“They could have been twins, Clance!”
Clancy swept a hand through his hair and made a frustrated sound. “Sure! Three young white women with red hair and fair skin who share very common interests. Want to see how many twenty-two and twenty-three-year-old white men with red hair there are that like baseball between here and Boston, Nox?” He said, then glanced at Nelson.
“It’s a fair point,” he conceded. “Red hair isn’t common, but it’s more common in parts of the US Eastern Seaboard among Irish-American communities.”
“Even if I had known about this poor girl,” Clancy said with a heavy sigh. “I’d still need more before I saw a significant pattern.”
“What about seven missing witches, counting this dead girl?” Nox challenged.
“Seven?” Clancy asked in horror. “Are you sure?”
“Yup. Seven girls who look like they could be sisters, all taken in the last ten days.”
Clancy’s jaw fell. “Seven? How did you…?”
“It’s a long story,” Nox answered with a snort and took the file from Clancy. “We had already found a pattern and then she turned up outside of New Castle. Someone in the Roanoke medical examiner’s office remembered that I was the FBI’s spooky symbol guy. He faxed me a picture from the crime scene Friday morning and I got Agent Nelson to drive me down to New Castle to take a look.”
“Gods, Nox! You went there?” Clancy’s voice had dropped to a broken whisper. “Are you okay?”
“Me?” Nox spluttered at him for a moment. “Did you miss the part about the seven girls?”
“I did.” Clancy grimaced apologetically. “But I’m worried this might be traumatizing for you.”
Nox made a frustrated sound. “I’m not a child, Clance!”
“I know!” He nodded and pressed his hands together. “Just be careful! You know how nervous I get when you visit crime scenes. What was this one like?”
Nox’s expression clouded. “Horrifying. Fascinating. Disappointing.”
That last part seemed to surprise Clancy. “Disappointing? Why disappointing?” He asked, earning an eye roll from Nox.
“It’s the new Tuath Dé. They’ve finally revealed themselves and they…” Nox’s face twisted as he shook his head. “They suck.”
A shocked laugh burst from Clancy. “They suck?”
“Yeah.” Nox nodded. “Hard. I’ve seen signs and I’ve been looking for something like this for years. You know,” he said, waving at Clancy who appeared dumbfounded. “But I got a look at their dogma and it’s backwards and rather basic.”
“How…?” Clancy managed and Nox shrugged as he tucked the folder under his arm.
“The cult itself wants to awaken the Dagda and bring about the end of mankind, like summoning an ancient kraken. While its leader thinks he can channel and harness that power for himself.”
Clancy still looked confused. “And you think that’s basic?”
Nox shrugged. “Different flavor of god and more antlers than a hunting lodge, but the rest of it’s pretty textbook.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for something like this?” Clancy asked hesitantly, then reached for Nox’s face when he started to object. “You, my boy, are the most…intuitive and brilliant person I have ever met. I know you are capable of incredible things and I believe you could change the world. But you don’t like to follow directions and you are stubborn!”
“Come on, Clance!” Nox tried to pull away.
“Listen to me.” Clancy gave his cheek a gentle slap, stilling Nox. “What did I tell you about shooting stars?”
Nox rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips twitched. “You only see them for a moment when they’re close and just before they burn up.”
“Don’t get so close that you burn up,” Clancy whispered tenderly.
“I won’t.”
“Remember: the goal is to get old, to get tenure.” Clancy chuckled as he pushed Nox away, gesturing for him to get out. “Please be careful.”
