of the paper that the poem was written on.”
“A code?”
Moolman waved a hand. “It’s kids’ stuff, some secret language they use to communicate with each other. I used to do it all the time.”
“I still think you should check it out,” Neil said. He pursed his lips and turned to Eben. “In your opinion, do you think Alida could have committed suicide?”
Eben kept quiet for a while. “Mitsu, her mom, suffers from depression. But I knew my daughter. She wasn’t like that.”
“But you said she was reserved and quiet?”
“That doesn’t mean she was depressed. Anyway, Moolman said her stomach was cut open. She couldn’t have done that to herself.”
They looked up as the door swung open. A short Japanese woman walked in and looked around uncertainly. Eben de Vos stood up and walked to her with outstretched arms then hugged her tightly. She relaxed visibly. He led her by her hand to the table. “This is my wife, Mitsu,” he said, and he introduced each of his companions to her. She looked at everyone nervously, greeting them softly. Alexa thought she was beautiful, small and petite. She wiggled into the booth beside Eben, and he put a protective arm around her shoulder.
“Do you want something to drink?” Eben asked her.
She shook her head, biting her lower lip. She pulled an envelope from her sleeve and placed it on the table with trembling hands. “I found this at home. Someone slipped it beneath the door,” she said quietly, her voice wavering. She spoke with a slight Japanese accent.
Eben frowned. He picked up the envelope and opened it. He removed a blank sheet of paper and unfolded it. A Polaroid photo fell out.
It was a photo of Alida and a friend in their school uniforms. Both were looking up at the camera shyly. Eben set it down, held the letter to the light, and read. “I knew Alida de Vos. There is a cult operating in Slander's Peak and the surrounding area. They are known as the Witches. I must tell you that people say they were planning on killing a young girl. Trust me, my sources are good. They wanted to offer her to the earth mother, Gaia. She was sacrificed. You must protect your children.”
Eben shivered visibly before he folded the paper back into the envelope and looked up. “That’s all it says.” He turned to Moolman. “Is that true? Was she sacrificed?”
Moolman looked uncomfortable. “Look, Eben, a crime scene could be interpreted—”
Eben de Vos motioned to his wife to stand up. He heaved himself off the bench. “I want to see for myself,” he said, pulling on his jacket.
“Eben, now let’s not jump to any hasty conclusions,” Moolman said.
“Come, show me, Inspector,” Eben said louder. “Or I go on my own.”
He marched to the door then turned around as Moolman called, “Wait, Eben. We’ll all go together.”
Alexa, Neil, and Bruce cast each other a quick glance, nodded, and stood up, following Eben outside. “Where are we going?” Alexa asked Eben.
“To Mueller’s Dam, where my daughter was murdered.”
They drove far out of town and followed a winding path up the spine of the mountain to get to the dam, as there was no direct access to it from the front. According to Moolman, water was pumped up to the reservoir from a dam below and served as a distribution point for Slander’s Peak and the dozens of small towns in the area.
The dam wasn’t so much a dam as it was a huge water reservoir, three stories high and as big as a football field. A large clearing had been blasted into the rock, and the reservoir had been built on top. A dusty patch of open ground to the side of the reservoir served as a parking area, and a dense forest of cluster pines grew around the open space, almost up to the massive concrete walls of the dam.
They followed Moolman around the dam along a concrete footpath that lay adjacent to the structure. They veered from the path and passed through a thicket of pines, then they came out onto a lookout point
“A code?”
Moolman waved a hand. “It’s kids’ stuff, some secret language they use to communicate with each other. I used to do it all the time.”
“I still think you should check it out,” Neil said. He pursed his lips and turned to Eben. “In your opinion, do you think Alida could have committed suicide?”
Eben kept quiet for a while. “Mitsu, her mom, suffers from depression. But I knew my daughter. She wasn’t like that.”
“But you said she was reserved and quiet?”
“That doesn’t mean she was depressed. Anyway, Moolman said her stomach was cut open. She couldn’t have done that to herself.”
They looked up as the door swung open. A short Japanese woman walked in and looked around uncertainly. Eben de Vos stood up and walked to her with outstretched arms then hugged her tightly. She relaxed visibly. He led her by her hand to the table. “This is my wife, Mitsu,” he said, and he introduced each of his companions to her. She looked at everyone nervously, greeting them softly. Alexa thought she was beautiful, small and petite. She wiggled into the booth beside Eben, and he put a protective arm around her shoulder.
“Do you want something to drink?” Eben asked her.
She shook her head, biting her lower lip. She pulled an envelope from her sleeve and placed it on the table with trembling hands. “I found this at home. Someone slipped it beneath the door,” she said quietly, her voice wavering. She spoke with a slight Japanese accent.
Eben frowned. He picked up the envelope and opened it. He removed a blank sheet of paper and unfolded it. A Polaroid photo fell out.
It was a photo of Alida and a friend in their school uniforms. Both were looking up at the camera shyly. Eben set it down, held the letter to the light, and read. “I knew Alida de Vos. There is a cult operating in Slander's Peak and the surrounding area. They are known as the Witches. I must tell you that people say they were planning on killing a young girl. Trust me, my sources are good. They wanted to offer her to the earth mother, Gaia. She was sacrificed. You must protect your children.”
Eben shivered visibly before he folded the paper back into the envelope and looked up. “That’s all it says.” He turned to Moolman. “Is that true? Was she sacrificed?”
Moolman looked uncomfortable. “Look, Eben, a crime scene could be interpreted—”
Eben de Vos motioned to his wife to stand up. He heaved himself off the bench. “I want to see for myself,” he said, pulling on his jacket.
“Eben, now let’s not jump to any hasty conclusions,” Moolman said.
“Come, show me, Inspector,” Eben said louder. “Or I go on my own.”
He marched to the door then turned around as Moolman called, “Wait, Eben. We’ll all go together.”
Alexa, Neil, and Bruce cast each other a quick glance, nodded, and stood up, following Eben outside. “Where are we going?” Alexa asked Eben.
“To Mueller’s Dam, where my daughter was murdered.”
They drove far out of town and followed a winding path up the spine of the mountain to get to the dam, as there was no direct access to it from the front. According to Moolman, water was pumped up to the reservoir from a dam below and served as a distribution point for Slander’s Peak and the dozens of small towns in the area.
The dam wasn’t so much a dam as it was a huge water reservoir, three stories high and as big as a football field. A large clearing had been blasted into the rock, and the reservoir had been built on top. A dusty patch of open ground to the side of the reservoir served as a parking area, and a dense forest of cluster pines grew around the open space, almost up to the massive concrete walls of the dam.
They followed Moolman around the dam along a concrete footpath that lay adjacent to the structure. They veered from the path and passed through a thicket of pines, then they came out onto a lookout point
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