Read Online Hex on the Ex by Rochelle Staab - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rochelle Staab
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den to flip through local channels for updates and wait for Nick. As soon as the bell rang, I ran to the door.
“You okay?” he said when he saw my face.
“Happy to see you.” I led him into the den, where a newsbreak replayed Captain Eagleton’s statement to the press.
Nick listened, arms folded, to the captain’s comments. “Eagleton is so smart about community relations. I love his skill for placating the press without revealing too many details.”
“How do you know him?” I said.
“Dave and I broke up a cult a few years ago in his jurisdiction. Eagleton is fair, honest, and tough. Before he took over West Valley, he ran the gang and vice units at Foothill. When he called me to the scene this morning, I had no ideawhose house I entered. Imagine my surprise—I walked in and saw Jarret’s photos in the hall.”
“Imagine my surprise when I saw you on the news.”
“Eagleton asked for my help to expedite the investigation. He wanted me to look at the body before the field investigation unit took over the scene.”
“I don’t understand. You’re not a medical doctor.”
He sat next to me on the sofa. “Before I explain, I have to tell you—for a minute I thought the small brunette facedown on the pillow might be you. I panicked until I got closer and saw the victim’s face. You knew her, Liz.”
“I heard. Laycee Huber. Jarret’s agent told me over the phone.” I held my hand to my chest. I had to know. “How bad was it?”
“Are you sure you want me to tell you?” he said. At my nod, he continued, “Someone repeatedly knifed her in the back, presumably while she slept. The slashes appeared angry, brutal. From her positioning on the bed, I assume she never woke to see her attacker.”
“She would have fought if she did. I know Laycee. She would have fought with everything she had. What did he want you to see?”
“A symbol smeared into the blood on her back,” he said.
I flinched, horrified. “What kind of maniac signs his victim?”
“The first responders assumed the mark was gang related. But Eagleton, who was a gang expert before he took over West Valley, disagreed. He recognized part of the marking and thought the killing may be cult related. That’s why he called me to come over. He didn’t want to risk e-mailing a photo. He wants the symbol kept out of the press, away fromthe public. I met him at the address he gave me, ignorant of what I was heading into.”
“Was Jarret in the house when you got there?” I said.
“I didn’t see him. Eagleton met me at the gate, guided me inside to the bedroom, and waited while I studied the symbol.” Nick reached into his pocket and brought out a small sheet of paper with a sketch of a five-pointed star. The number
5
, scrawled upside down in the center with three small crosses beneath.
“A star?” I said.
“A pentagram, defined by the connecting strokes. Wiccans use it to symbolize their beliefs. Christians, Mormons, and the Bahá’í Faith, among others, used the pentagram in artwork for centuries.” He turned the paper to show the 5, upright. “The killer marked Laycee with an inverted pentagram.”
I took the paper out of his hand and glanced down. “What’s the difference?”
“The inverted pentagram is common to witchcraft and devil worship. It represents black magic to some groups. Others, including a satanic group organized in the sixties, use the three downward points to signify rejection of the Holy Trinity. In occultism, a reversed pentagram indicates evil. In black magic, the sign of fatality,” he said.
“And the five?”
“In my opinion, the key to the killer’s message. Laycee could be a fifth victim. When you take the components together, the five, the reversed pentagram, and the Petrine crosses—”
“Petrine?”
Nick pointed at the three crosses underscoring the five. “Inverted Latin crosses. The Petrine cross has conflictingmeanings, from symbolizing St. Peter to denoting anti-Christian
“You okay?” he said when he saw my face.
“Happy to see you.” I led him into the den, where a newsbreak replayed Captain Eagleton’s statement to the press.
Nick listened, arms folded, to the captain’s comments. “Eagleton is so smart about community relations. I love his skill for placating the press without revealing too many details.”
“How do you know him?” I said.
“Dave and I broke up a cult a few years ago in his jurisdiction. Eagleton is fair, honest, and tough. Before he took over West Valley, he ran the gang and vice units at Foothill. When he called me to the scene this morning, I had no ideawhose house I entered. Imagine my surprise—I walked in and saw Jarret’s photos in the hall.”
“Imagine my surprise when I saw you on the news.”
“Eagleton asked for my help to expedite the investigation. He wanted me to look at the body before the field investigation unit took over the scene.”
“I don’t understand. You’re not a medical doctor.”
He sat next to me on the sofa. “Before I explain, I have to tell you—for a minute I thought the small brunette facedown on the pillow might be you. I panicked until I got closer and saw the victim’s face. You knew her, Liz.”
“I heard. Laycee Huber. Jarret’s agent told me over the phone.” I held my hand to my chest. I had to know. “How bad was it?”
“Are you sure you want me to tell you?” he said. At my nod, he continued, “Someone repeatedly knifed her in the back, presumably while she slept. The slashes appeared angry, brutal. From her positioning on the bed, I assume she never woke to see her attacker.”
“She would have fought if she did. I know Laycee. She would have fought with everything she had. What did he want you to see?”
“A symbol smeared into the blood on her back,” he said.
I flinched, horrified. “What kind of maniac signs his victim?”
“The first responders assumed the mark was gang related. But Eagleton, who was a gang expert before he took over West Valley, disagreed. He recognized part of the marking and thought the killing may be cult related. That’s why he called me to come over. He didn’t want to risk e-mailing a photo. He wants the symbol kept out of the press, away fromthe public. I met him at the address he gave me, ignorant of what I was heading into.”
“Was Jarret in the house when you got there?” I said.
“I didn’t see him. Eagleton met me at the gate, guided me inside to the bedroom, and waited while I studied the symbol.” Nick reached into his pocket and brought out a small sheet of paper with a sketch of a five-pointed star. The number
5
, scrawled upside down in the center with three small crosses beneath.
“A star?” I said.
“A pentagram, defined by the connecting strokes. Wiccans use it to symbolize their beliefs. Christians, Mormons, and the Bahá’í Faith, among others, used the pentagram in artwork for centuries.” He turned the paper to show the 5, upright. “The killer marked Laycee with an inverted pentagram.”
I took the paper out of his hand and glanced down. “What’s the difference?”
“The inverted pentagram is common to witchcraft and devil worship. It represents black magic to some groups. Others, including a satanic group organized in the sixties, use the three downward points to signify rejection of the Holy Trinity. In occultism, a reversed pentagram indicates evil. In black magic, the sign of fatality,” he said.
“And the five?”
“In my opinion, the key to the killer’s message. Laycee could be a fifth victim. When you take the components together, the five, the reversed pentagram, and the Petrine crosses—”
“Petrine?”
Nick pointed at the three crosses underscoring the five. “Inverted Latin crosses. The Petrine cross has conflictingmeanings, from symbolizing St. Peter to denoting anti-Christian
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