Lilia King investigates claims of evil influence with a level of precision and detachment that has earned her the nickname, the Ice Lady. A title she proudly claims until her job lands her in rural America, where the threat of an age-old enemy to her employer changes everything. Murders, kidnappings, and threats shadow her every move.
Unusual from the beginning, Lilia faces a small-town rivalry that is much more than it seems. With a growing attachment to her new neighbors, Lilia will risk it all to investigate what’s really happening and put an end to it—whether it’s from a human threat or something darker. If only she could trust her companions…
Lilia King investigates claims of evil influence with a level of precision and detachment that has earned her the nickname, the Ice Lady. A title she proudly claims until her job lands her in rural America, where the threat of an age-old enemy to her employer changes everything. Murders, kidnappings, and threats shadow her every move.
Unusual from the beginning, Lilia faces a small-town rivalry that is much more than it seems. With a growing attachment to her new neighbors, Lilia will risk it all to investigate what’s really happening and put an end to it—whether it’s from a human threat or something darker. If only she could trust her companions…
One
The black vehicle was alone in the early morning hours. The sedan’s color matched the driver’s mood. Her mood wasn’t dark because of her personality, but because of her profession. With this job, she was forced to press the truth out of people. Sometimes pressing people to see past their perceptions, and other times, when they were outright lies.
It was fall once again in the Midwest, but this one would prove to be anything but normal. The morning sunrise was an orange sky on the eastern horizon. The rain cleared out late last night. The black sedan drove on the now dry roads with a few leaves that had dropped.
The woman driving had her windows up, and she didn’t listen to the radio. She used a GPS Navigator that was now old and uncommon. The temperature outside was normal for autumn at around fifty degrees that morning, and it would probably climb too near mid to high sixties.
She had been driving for a little more than an hour from Indianapolis. She’d flown in as soon as possible from New York. She was wearing one of her blue suits, and despite what most people felt about her attire, she was comfortable in her suit.
As she looked at the GPS, she saw she was near her destination. Almost on cue, she saw a group of homes ahead and could read the sign, “Scottsdale, Population 895.” As she entered town, she passed a car heading east.
A man waved at her, and Lilia waved back with a smile. Once he passed, her smile faded. She was on the state route, and when she got to the county road, she started heading north. That should lead her to the town square. Lilia took a quick trip through the town. She went about three blocks when she got to the county road.
Lilia was driving right at the twenty-five miles per hour speed limit. She wanted to drive slower but didn’t want to draw too much attention. Lilia saw a group of kids heading south on the sidewalk. They were older kids heading to the school on the south side of town. She definitely avoided looking at them. Nothing drew a town’s attention more than a strange car with someone staring at their kids.
Lilia proceeded north and glanced at the homes as she drove. The homes were old. Some were painted, and some had new vinyl siding. The homes were mostly frame homes, but it wasn’t the poorest town. At least from the major streets, they seemed to have the money to keep the homes in order.
Lilia continued up three blocks and stopped at a stop sign when she found herself on the west side of the downtown area. If she turned right, she would parade down the town center. The downtown area is comprised of brick, mostly two-storied buildings. The bottom half of the buildings were the town’s shops and small businesses. The top half of them were probably apartments or storage.
Lilia headed north and passed the volunteer fire department on her left. It sat dark and quiet. She drove up two blocks and had to turn right, or it would lead her out of town. She turned and went down the street. She went to the end of the road where her only choice was to turn right. She was already on the outer edge of the small town.
Lilia sat there for a moment. She pulled up her cell phone and saw they had service, although it was weak. She looked at her phone for a few minutes and found what she was looking for when a car pulled up behind her. It was a Scottsdale police car.
“Shit,” Lilia said quietly to herself.
The police lights flicked on, and the officer got out of his car. He had his hand on his gun as he approached. Lilia shook her head slightly and sighed. As he walked up, Lilia made sure her hands her visible. She quickly hit the button on the door, and her window went down.
The officer was polite. “Good morning, ma’am. What brings you to Scottsdale?”
Lilia smiled. “I was looking for Tabby Hurts? She owns the only place to stay in Scottsdale. It’s a bed-and-breakfast?” Lilia quickly glanced at the name tag on the uniform. “Officer Frank, is it?”
He relaxed. “Yes, ma’am, but I’m Assistant Marshal Frank,” he corrected her. Then he pointed to the only direction she could go. “Tabby’s B&B is down two blocks and turn left. The road is a dead end but stops right at Tabby’s B&B. It’s on Cross Street.”
“Thank you, Assistant Marshal,” Lilia replied with her British accent. As Officer Frank headed back to his car, Lilia closed her window.
With her dark, blue-focused eyes, she glanced back at the police car. She turned on her turn signal and went right. Following his directions, Lilia made her way to the B&B.
She looked over the homes as she drove. The homes on the back streets had less upkeep, but still nothing was too bad. When she arrived at the B&B, she sat there for only a moment before getting out of her car. Lilia made her way to the door and knocked.
A younger woman answered with a smile. “Good morning,” the woman said.
Lilia replied, “Good morning. I was looking to rent the B&B for a while.” She had seen that the rooms were not booked on the website.
The woman replied, “I’m Tabby. Well, of course.” She waved Lilia in and asked her if she wanted some coffee. Lilia agreed to the coffee and looked around the place. Tabby asked, “How long do you tend to stay?”
Lilia gave a shrug. “I’m not sure. Perhaps a while?” Tabby’s face brightened. Lilia added, “But I’ll need both rooms. I have friends coming to join me.” Tabby now had a broad smile. “I’ll pay for the month, and we’ll see how it goes from there?”
Tabby turned and grabbed her paperwork. She started filling in her part of the paperwork. “So, I hear your accent. Are you from the UK?” she asked curiously.
Lilia nodded. “Yes, although it’s been a long time since I lived there.” Lilia looked around the place, and it seemed welcoming. “I just remembered, add in the contract that my friends will bring my dog.”
“I hope it’s housebroken?” Tabby asked.
“Fletch is well-behaved, and he’s housebroken,” Lilia answered back with a smile. She stood up and walked around. There were some shirts hanging on a stand, as well as other knickknacks. The shirts had printing on them, Scottsdale; Hard to find, even harder to leave! Lilia smiled at that. She looked around at the various sizes and colors.
“Can you have some of these made up in black? A dozen. I’ll get you the sizes,” Lilia asked her.
Tabby smiled. “Of course, it will take a few days. I think we are going to get along very well, Ms. King,” Tabby stated.
“I’ve seen you have two churches here?” Lilia asked.
Tabby answered, “Well, there is the Church of Mary in the center of town, but the other church was shut down a couple of years ago. The Pastor had a nervous breakdown, and honestly, few people attended it anyhow.” Tabby kept on chatting while finishing up the paperwork. “I took my daughter there with me once before it shut down. We still go to the Church of Mary when we go.”
Lilia replied, “I’m fond of old churches. Is your church old?”
Tabby nodded and looked up from the paperwork. “Oh, yes. Both churches are very old. They built the town on top of the area of Fort Hawk, and they built the two churches in the same year of the founding date, 1824. Supposedly, the Church of Mary is sitting on top of the original fort’s church.”
Lilia smiled. “You know your town history, don’t you?” She glanced toward Tabby.
“Well, it goes with the business. But honestly, I’ve always liked history.”
Lilia liked Tabby after just the few minutes she’d spent with her. “What’s your daughter’s name?”
Tabby smiled. “Katie. She likes visitors, and if she pesters you, just let me know, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Sounds good, love. And if any of my friends pester you or your daughter, let me know. They like to visit people, too,” she said with a smile.
Tabby replied, “I sure will. But you are the guests.”
Tabby finished her part of the contract and handed it over to Lilia. Lilia only spent a few minutes going over it and she signed it. She handed Tabby her credit card.
Tabby ran the credit card through her credit card reader. Lilia took a mental note that the reader was connected to the phone line. She wondered if the landline was a single line. Most likely… Lilia thought.
Lilia picked up the contract, looked through it again, and then noticed that there was internet access. They had that option later on if it was needed. A beeping sound came from the reader, and the receipt started printing. Tabby handed over the receipt to be signed and gave Lilia a copy of the receipt. Tabby got out two keys and handed them to Lilia.
“One room is upstairs, and one is below it. They overlook the pond, and you can park back there or walk back from here.” Tabby pointed out the back window. Lilia was glad it wasn’t attached to the main house.
She smiled and took both keys. “Thank you, Tabby. I don’t think we’ll need much room service.”
Tabby said, “There are plenty of linens and towels, plus a washer and dryer. But I’ll do linens on Fridays unless you need more frequent changes?” Lilia thanked her one more time and made her way out the door.
Lilia went out and got in her car. She pulled the car around on the gravel path to the cabin, grabbed two of her bags, and went into the lower level of the cabin. She walked in the unlocked door and noticed the two-room ground floor was bigger than it appeared on the outside. There were stairs leading up, and a padlock was on it on the upstairs door. Lilia would need to ask for it to be unlocked the next time she stopped in to see Tabby.
Lilia pulled out a laptop and put it on the desk. She pulled out another cell phone and powered it up. This phone was used as a hotspot when the internet wasn’t available. Until she could get a thorough setup done with Forest, her company security expert, she didn’t want to use the unsecure internet. She pulled up the internet and accessed it through the company servers. She looked up the town’s history and confirmed what Tabby had stated. Tabby had a few more details than what was available to Lilia, but she sent a quick message to the company to validate those discrepancies.
Lilia stood and pulled a 9mm out of the back of her skirt. She walked over to her bed and opened a suitcase. She threw the 9mm Glock onto the bed as she changed into a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black hiking boots. Once dressed, she put the 9mm and holster at the small of her back. She put extra magazines in a black jacket before she walked over and tossed it on a chair.
Lilia went back to the computer and continued to search the company servers and internet for local history. The Town of Furor was the next town over and at the center of Darke County. They were rivals of Scottsdale that dated back as far as the founding of each town back in 1824. Lilia stretched and stood. She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.
Lilia hopped in the car and headed out past Tabby’s house and onto the road. She made her way through town, went down to the town center, and drove past the Church of Mary. She slowed and glanced at it. It seemed well-kept, and she noticed it had a dark red brick. She liked the old brickwork. It wasn’t large but was in line with its size for the town’s population. The doors were painted red, and the steps led up from the sidewalk that sat right next to the road.
Lilia drove on and passed the other church. It was a stone church, and the windows were now boarded up. The front door was stained wood, but it was in pretty good condition, considering it has been closed for a few years and most likely didn’t have any regular upkeep. She took a quick drive to the next town over, Furor. Although it was the next town, it was thirty minutes away. The roads were far from straight and wove around the various farms.
Before she knew it, she was approaching the town and saw the sign, “Furor, Population; 1692.” She took a quick picture with her phone. The sky was cloudy, and the picture turned out okay but not really clear.
Furor looked to be twice the size of Scottsdale. The roads looked clean and recently blacktopped. The main road led right to the town center and looked very similar to Scottsdale. Lilia took a side street and could see that the homes further away from the main road and town center were in worse shape, and they’d actually boarded some of them up. She snapped a few pictures. She stopped and pulled up the maps app on her phone and found the local church.
Lilia drove past the church. She followed the phone app and saw that the church was a converted old school building. The sign above it was the Church of the Discipline Followers. Lilia had never heard of it. She took a picture and headed out of town. She stopped at the gas station and filled up.
A car pulled up to the gas pump just on the other side of the island. A tall man got out and started pumping gas. Lilia got a chill down her spine. She glanced over at him, and he was staring at her. She returned to pumping her gas. When she turned back the car was still there, but the man was gone.
After looking around, she opened her door and hopped into the car. Lilia drove away. Driving the speed limit, she headed east, back toward Scottsdale. She made a deviation and flipped on her GPS. She programmed it for Wal-Mart and started following it.
She grabbed the few things she wanted. About half an hour later, she emerged from the store and headed to her car. She glanced around and noticed one of her back doors was ajar. She looked in and didn’t notice anything unusual. She loaded the bags into the back seat, making sure that it was completely closed when she was done. She got in and started back toward Scottsdale.
The fall day was far nicer than she thought it was going to be. The temperature was sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. But the cloudless sunny day made it feel warmer. Lilia could have sworn it was cloudy earlier. She looked at her phone and saw a text message from Bruce. He was a well-known and respected investigator within the company. They had landed in Indianapolis. They would be in tomorrow after they got their gear and vehicles loaded.
“What the hell?” Lilia said aloud. “I haven’t even done an evaluation.” She was about to make a call when she decided not to. At this point, it was moot to do so.
Lilia put the GPS back up on her dashboard and programmed Tabby’s cabin as home. She hit home and started driving. Continuing to drive, she thought as she drove. She paid little attention to her surroundings and followed the GPS. It was mostly farm country and very little in between. The black sedan made its way back to the cabin with Lilia in deep thought, although she was the one actually in control. She was mentally running on autopilot. She pulled up at the house and turned down the gravel driveway to the cabin.
As she climbed out, she saw a little dark-haired girl staring at her. She kept her distance.
Lilia called out, “Are you Katie?”
The little girl grinned and ran up. “Yes, I am.”
“Glad to meet you. I’m Lilia,” Lilia said.
The little girl asked, “You’re from Britain?”
Lilia answered her, “Yes, I was born there. But I have spent very little time there in the past fifteen years. To me, my accent is about gone. Although people here say it’s not.”
Katie laughed. “I love your accent!” She said it with an even bigger smile.
“Where’s your dog?” Katie asked.
Lilia answered her, “He will be here soon, perhaps even tomorrow.” She had her hands full at this point. “Well, Katie, I’m glad we met, but I have some work to do. I’ll see you later?” Lilia said, intending to end the conversation.
Katie smiled and replied, “See you at breakfast.” Lilia glared at Katie questioningly.
“Bed and Breakfast?” Katie said as if it was a duh moment.
Lilia caught on. “Oh, yeah. We’ll see how the night goes?” she replied and walked to the door, unlocked it, and walked in.
After putting the bags on the counter, she went back to grab the rest of them and closed the car. She put away the food and stored the other things in the storage cabinets. After that, Lilia noticed gray soot on her hands. She wasn’t sure where that had come from but washed it off. Lilia returned to the desk. She grabbed the TV remote and put something random on when she sat down at the desk.
Lilia preferred silence but wanted to have something on if anybody got close to the cabin. Pulling up the e-mails, she had intercompany messaging. She opened a message from Steven Forest and saw he had a remote in on her computer and had established a secure connection through the internet. That should speed up any needed access to the company and its resources.
She replied in a message, Thank you, Forest. Then she deleted and closed the message. She logged into the company server again. This time she was using the direct internet and not her hotspot.
After a few hours of work, she stopped at 8:00 p.m. She got up and grabbed her jacket. She went out to her car and jumped in. Driving slowly out of the gravel driveway, but once she made it to the street, she casually drove down a few blocks and pulled in front of the church. She got out and walked to the front doors. She pulled the latch and walked in.
The church was nice, and candles were lit. The pews were old and wooden but had padded cushions on them. It was Thursday, and no scheduled events were planned. The pastor was up front talking with three people. Lilia walked around. She made sure they saw her, but continued to look at the stained-glass windows and at the building itself. She walked around, not getting close enough to hear the conversation.
A few minutes later, the pastor made his way to Lilia. He smiled as he approached. “Good evening. I’m Pastor Joe Pilkington,” he said with a friendly grin.
Lilia held out her hand for a handshake. “Hello, Pastor.”
The Pastor shook her hand, and they started walking. “You are the young lady staying at Tabby’s that I heard about?”
Small towns, Lilia thought. “Yes, I’m Lilia King.” They walked while Lilia looked the church over.
“So, how can I help you?” Joe asked her.
She continued to look around as they walked. “I’m really into old churches and wanted to have a look if that’s okay?” She asked respectfully.
He quickly replied, “Of course, I’ll show you around.” Joe waved at one of the volunteers to join them. Her name was Maize, and she stayed close but didn’t interact, other than to say hello. They stayed with her and let Lilia look around at her leisure. She could see steps going down and pointed without a word.
Joe answered her, “Of course.” He led the way down the steps. “Do you plan on attending while you are here?” Joe asked her.
With his back to her, she replied, “Yes, me and my friends will most likely attend this Sunday.”
“That would be wonderful!” he said enthusiastically. “Are you Catholic?” he asked her.
She answered him, “I’m Protestant like your church. Although, we are slightly different and do have a strong connection to the Catholic Church, similar to the Lutherans.”
He nodded his understanding.
Lilia changed the topic. “Do you know who would have access to the other church here in Scottsdale?”
Joe turned and looked at her as he stepped on the floor at the bottom of the steps. “I’ll get the keys, and I take you myself. How about tomorrow? Any time good for you?”
Lilia shifted toward Joe. “Any time is good for me.”
“Let’s meet here at 2:00 p.m. We can walk from here. It’s only a few blocks.” He turned to show her the basement of the church. Lilia looked around at the foundation and structure of the church.
She finally answered him after a while, “Thank you for doing this.” Joe remained quiet as she looked around. Despite the messy areas and storage of old boxes, they showed her the complete church.
She looked over at the Pastor. He had a large build and was dark-haired. His hair was a deep black. His eyes were brown, and he carried himself as a proud and strong man.
When they were done in the basement, they made their way back upstairs and showed her his office and the sanctuary. They stopped at the podium.
“And this is the Church of Mary of Scottsdale,” he said to her.
“Thank again, Pastor Joe.” She grabbed his hand and shook it.
He returned the handshake with the tilt of his head. “It was my pleasure. I’ll see you tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.”
“See you then!” she replied. Maize, with her small frame, walked up and shook her hand as well, as almost an afterthought.
Lilia turned and walked out the door as two more people were walking in. Nothing was said between them as they passed each other. Lilia made her way to her car and drove back to the cabin.
Once there, she went back to work and continued working until midnight. In her report, she ended it with, The Church of Mary seems to be in good order and not a concern from my visual observation. In fact, it could prove to be a sanctuary if the need arises.
Lilia pushed her chair back and shut down her laptop. She looked out the front window and saw the pond in the moonlit night. The stars were out bright and clear. It was a beautiful and quiet night. She pulled her weapon out of the back of her jeans and grabbed her clothes. She had the habit of wanting to react to any situation while sleeping alone, so she wore sweats and a t-shirt to bed.
She went into the bathroom and started the shower. She undressed and took her crucifix off, placing it on the edge of the bathroom sink. She went into the shower and found the water not only had a good amount of force, but she enjoyed the hot water running over her head.
The hot water was plentiful, and Lilia had more than she needed. She shut off the water and grabbed a towel after pulling back the shower curtain. As she stepped out of the shower, a blast of cold air filled the room. Her skin filled with goosebumps and turned purple under the coldness that filled the room. Her teeth started chattering, and her stomach turned.
The light in the bathroom dimmed. Fear filled the small room. There was a dark presence now. Lilia started to pray. The light became a little brighter, but not back to its full illumination. She reached for her crucifix and pushed through a cold barrier. She felt a deep coldness and an electric static shocking her arm. Despite the pain, she launched herself toward the crucifix. Everything she had wanted her to turn and crawl back into the shower.
Lilia screamed and threw up, yet she pushed forward. She grasped the crucifix. The pain, cold, and turning of her organs immediately stopped. The light returned to normal, and the room seemed to be clear. Lilia sank down to the floor, sobbing. She cried and lay there wrapped in a towel, soaking wet. Her blue skin now had burns and blisters. Her eyes closed, and she lost consciousness. A few moments later, she shook herself awake.
Lilia sat there for an unknown amount of time. When she crawled out of the bathroom, she looked around the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary in the cabin. After a moment, she slowly stood and tried to regain her nerve. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor again.
She finally got the strength to stand up. Lilia grabbed her sweats and slowly put them on. She weakly moved to a chair. As she sat there, she tried to review what had happened to her. She had experienced nothing like this before. The same gray soot was on her hands again. She wiped them off and sat there taking in fresh air.
Lilia looked at her watch, and it was 4:13 a.m. She had been in the bathroom far longer than she’d realized. Lilia gained enough strength to clean up, scrubbing her hands. She grabbed her phone and made a call to the company. She dialed her emergency number.
“Lilia, are you okay?” a man’s voice asked with great concern.
Lilia started sobbing as she told the man what had happened. The man listened, and she could hear some whispering in Italian in the background. He told her, “The rest of your team will be there by 1630 tomorrow.”
Lilia had regained her composure and confidence. “I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll take care of things here,” she replied.
“I have great respect for you, Lilia. I’ll reach out to Mr. Simon and get him up to speed,” he said.
She cringed at the thought of that. She now seemed weak to her boss and would seem weak to her peers. “Yes, sir,” she replied. They both hung up.
“Fuck!” After the call had ended, she screamed. She got up and washed her face in the sink. She went to the computer and started back to work.
Lilia got enough nerve to go back into the bathroom and treat her wounded arm. She knew there would be no sleep tonight, so she worked until the sun rose. She moved out to the porch to get fresh air.
Looking at the sunrise, it peaked and reflected off the pond. It was quite beautiful. The red sky turned yellow and bright white as it continued to rise. She drank in the sun’s light like a person dying of thirst, gulping down water.
Lilia got dressed and cleaned herself up as best as possible. She wanted to get a feel for what had happened last night. If she didn’t get moving now, she might struggle to face this town today. She finished getting dressed and decided she would walk to the main house. She grabbed the crucifix that was around her neck and took a deep breath. She grasped it tight as she walked. Feeling the sun changed everything in her mind. Have I overreacted? she asked herself. But she looked down at her now bandaged arm. That answered that question.
The side door was open, so she knocked and walked into the main house as she was instructed to do. Lilia walked into the kitchen, and Tabby was at the stove. Katie sat at the table.
Tabby looked tired as she welcomed Lilia. “Good morning. What would you like?” Lilia looked over at Katie, who had dark rings under her eyes.
Katie’s mood brightened when she saw Lilia. “I’m glad to see you, Lilia,” she said happily but in a tired tone.
Lilia said hello back to Katie and answered Tabby, “How about three eggs and some toast?”
“You got it!” Tabby said, despite being tired. “I’m sorry we are not our same chipper selves, but we had nightmares last night. Katie woke up screaming this morning.”
Lilia took that thought in and replied, “I’m sorry.” She went over and sat down next to Katie, who was waving her over. Katie seemed to brighten even more.
Tabby was finishing up breakfast when Katie talked nonstop. “My dad died in Afghanistan. He was a hero. My mom met him in the military,” she said as a matter of fact.
Lilia frowned. “I’m sorry about your dad!” She looked at Tabby, who kept fixing the breakfast with her back now to them. “Thank you for serving!”
After a quick moment, Tabby turned and answered, “You’re welcome, Ms. King.” Lilia could hear a crack in her voice. Tabby forced a smile. Lilia decided this morning was not the right time to question the Hurts family.
Katie said, “My Grandma on my mother’s side came from the Philippines. If you liked the eggs, my mom uses Grandma’s secret spices.” Lilia noticed the strong family traits in both of them.
Lilia smiled. “I do like them!”
They ate their breakfast, and Katie continued to talk. The topic turned to all her school activities and the other children. She went on about a couple of them, but Lilia didn’t catch some of it, thinking about the incident a few hours before.
She focused on the conversation, but it ended when Tabby said, “Katie, I’m taking you to school today. There will be no walking to and from school the rest of the week.”
“Okay, Mom. But today is Friday, so it is the rest of the week.” Tabby shook her head. They stood up and started getting the last-minute things together.
Lilia finished her meal and walked over to the sink. She rinsed off her plate when Tabby walked over and grabbed it. “Oh no, Ms. King. I’ll get that later,” Tabby said with some authority. Katie nodded her head in agreement with her mom, and Lilia just smiled.
“Okay. Will you be here later? I’d like to have a quick talk. It’s nothing urgent or any problems,” Lilia said.
Tabby shrugged. “Oh yeah, sure. If my car is here, walked over.”
The house became very busy as Tabby glanced at the clock. “Shit, we are going to be late.” The chaos began as Lilia made her way out of the house and walked back to the cabin.
Lilia took a deep breath and stepped through the front door. There were no dark feelings. But Lilia looked toward the bathroom with some concern. She grabbed the crucifix hanging around her neck and entered the bathroom. Lilia still didn’t feel any negative feelings.
Lilia grabbed her phone and headed out the door. She sat in her car looking at the internet on her phone. She had until 2:00 p.m. before she could check out the other church, and later that evening, the team would arrive. She surfed the web and saw what she was looking for on her phone. There was one here in Scottsdale. She read the front page of the website, Shirley Wilmington, Scottsdale Astrologer.
Lilia drove to the address on the website and found herself in front of a home. On the far side of the home was a sign that confirmed she was in the right place. Lilia got out of her car and walked up to the door near the sign. It looked like it was a connected room that was still part of the house but had its own entranceway. Lilia walked up and saw the sign on the door, Open. She opened the door and walked in.
A bell rang as she entered. Lilia stood there a moment. She looked around. The room was a small store filled with various items like crystals and books of all sorts. A woman walked in from a door in the back of the room. She was tall and redheaded with freckles.
“Good morning,” the woman said as she walked up. Off to one side were two chairs and a table in between. The chairs were clean and part of a matching set. They resembled recliners but didn’t push back.
“Please have a seat.” The woman pointed to the chairs. Lilia moved to sit down. She instinctively went into the chair on the right. “You must be Lilia. I’m Shirley.” Lilia had a look of concern. “Before you think I read that, I heard you were in town.” Lilia relaxed and sat back.
Shirley asked Lilia, “So, what brings you here to see me this morning?” Lilia was about to answer her when she added, “So, what happened last night?”
“I had an incident last night,” Lilia stated.
Shirley took notice of her arm. “I don’t think anyone in Scottsdale slept very well, but I can see that it was more than that for you!” Shirley pointed to Lilia’s arm.
“What can you tell me about this?” Lilia asked Shirley.
It was clearly a test, and Shirley saw it for what it was. “Oh no. I’m not here to impress your curiosity about my abilities. I can help you, but only if you really want it,” Shirley replied.
Lilia relaxed more. “Sounds good.” Shirley waved her hand as she stared at the arm. Lilia reached her arm over to her. Shirley stood and then lightly touched the arm.
Shirley flinched but held Lilia’s arm gently. “Damn, girl. Now tell me what happened.”
Lilia told her a far-reduced tale of what happened.
“Oh, no way. It was far more involved than what you just described.”
Lilia shook her head, and the memory caught up with her.
Shirley waved her hands. “It’s okay. No need to add any further details.” She looked into Lilia’s eyes while still holding the arm. “I’ve felt nothing like I do now. The actual…incident, is that what you called it? Has far more dark energy than I have ever felt!”
Lilia thought more about the decision to come here. She knew her role, and her team investigated unnatural incidents and proved them to be real or not. Those that weren’t almost always proved to be either a medical condition or a wild story fabricated for all kinds of reasons. After considering this, she knew she should not have sought outside help.
Lilia gently pulled her arm away. “I’m sorry I’ve burdened you with this.” She stood up to leave.
Shirley grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Look, you’re here. Let’s try to work through this together. I will not rest knowing you are out there dealing with this. Besides, if there are some risks to my town, I want to be part of the solution.”
Lilia looked at Shirley. She clearly had more understanding than people would give her credit for, but this could be a deeper problem than anyone here wanted to get into. Shirley nodded with a look of consideration. “So, I would like to do a cleansing at the site this occurred.” She got up and started gathering some of her tools of the craft.
Lilia thought about it. “Okay, sure. It happened at the cabin I’m renting,” Lilia stated.
Shirley’s eyes widened. “Tabby’s place?” Lilia nodded her head. “I cleansed the entire property last fall.” Shirley was still gathering things. She grabbed a bag and started adding more items. Lilia decided that this was the right course of action.
The ladies left the Wilmington house and went to Lilia’s car. They drove back to the cabin and saw that Tabby wasn’t yet home. Shirley did a cleansing of the cabin and focused on the bathroom. Lilia watched her at work. Lilia felt like there was a weight that had been lifted from her shoulders. She gave Shirley cash for everything she had done and for the cleansing and protection of the main house as well.
By the time the cleansing of the property was completed, it was 11:00 a.m. Lilia saw Tabby still wasn’t home. She felt guilty that she let Shirley into the main house as well but thought better about it. After the night she had, she didn’t want any chance that she brought that on Tabby or Katie. Whatever happened directly resulted from her being there. She was surer of that the more she reflected on it.
Lilia drove Shirley back to her home. While traveling back, Shirley said, “I think I need to re-bless my own house.”
Lilia understood that.
Dropping her off, Lilia drove away as Shirley entered her front door. Lilia leaned into the sun coming through the window and let it soak into her skin, warming her face. After driving back to the cabin, she went back to work.
The alarm went off on Lilia’s phone, and she silenced it. She got up, grabbed her jacket, and walked to the church. She found that Tabby wasn’t home. If she’d returned, Lilia could have missed her. Lilia walked down the street to the church.
There were a few people out, but not many. Most of them were older and cleaning up the first round of leaves that had started falling. Lilia continued her stroll to the church. She didn’t feel any negative energy from the homes she passed. In fact, she felt a more positive feeling than she had in a while.
Lilia made her way to the Church of Mary. She walked up the steps and opened one of the double red doors. She entered and saw Pastor Joe talking with a young couple. Gray-haired Maize hovered behind him, not saying a word. He looked down at his watch when he saw her enter the church. Lilia started walking around, looking at the stained-glass windows yet again.
The main windows behind the altar had Mary with the baby Jesus in the center, and to her left and right were windows of Saint George and Saint Michael—both slaying the adversary.
“The greatest warrior and the greatest angel,” she whispered. Along each side of the sanctuary were stained glass windows of various colored glass that didn’t form any pictures or scenery. Lilia studied the side windows for any patterns.
It was about twenty minutes before Pastor Joe could free himself up. He made his way over to Lilia. “My apologies. I’m running a little late.”
Lilia smiled. “Not a problem.” The window in front of her was still being reviewed. She pointed to the main stained-glass windows in the front. “We never spoke of it, but I see that Mary and the baby Jesus are centered beside the Saint Michael and Saint George. Was this a Catholic Church at some point?”
Pastor Joe nodded. “No, it wasn’t. But it’s my understanding that the entire congregation paid for them to change the main windows in the 1900s… 1901, if my memory serves.”
Lilia nodded and made a mental note of that. She brought a small notebook but didn’t record that just yet. They walked out the door and then headed south. Maize continued to follow and play on her phone. Despite her advanced age, she resembled the younger population’s trend to do that. The sun was bright. They walked at a slow and relaxing pace. There was little conversation, walking and looking over the town.
“So, it seems that the town had some nightmares last night,” he said in a light tone. “It’s the hollowed month, and with all that is on television nowadays, I’m not surprised.” They walked with no reply from Lilia.
“Nothing to do with television. Could you bless the cabin I’m staying in?” Lilia asked him in a very calm tone.
“Well, of course. Let me know when, and I’ll stop by,” he stated.
The sooner, the better. “How about after we’re done?” she asked.
He nodded his approval. “Yeah, I should have time depending on how long we take here.” Pastor Joe looked back at Maize, who looked up and nodded. They turned a corner, and the church was on their right.
Pastor Joe unlocked and held the door for Lilia and Maize. Lilia walked in, and the door opened to a mudroom. The doors to the sanctuary were open, and they looked in. She started looking around after pulling out a small flashlight. The windows were boarded up from the outside. One window was broken, but the rest were intact.
The windows were just like the ones in the other church along the sides. In fact, they were as close to the same as Lilia had ever seen. She wrote a few notes and added her note from earlier about the Church of Mary in 1901. Lilia walked around as Pastor Joe was looking at the electric breaker box to turn on the lights. Maize followed Lilia.
Lilia walked around, and the lights came on. Well, most of them did, anyhow. Pastor Joe caught up to them. They strolled through the empty church. The pews were gone, as well as the podium. The altar still sat there intact, although it was empty. They walked quietly but stayed together without pacing each other. Lilia enjoyed walking around churches.
Pastor Joe started gazing at the windows as Lilia did, trying to see what the woman was looking at. “We owned this church up to a few years ago. But with financing, we just couldn’t keep it on the books.”
“It makes me sad when I see old churches lying in ruin along roadways,” she said in a seriously sad tone.
“I understand and agree. But the church is really where the congregation is, not the building,” Pastor Joe added. Lilia didn’t actually agree with that statement. In part, he was correct, but she made her point.
“I understand that, but honestly, Holy Ground should be respected,” she added in a stronger tone.
Pastor Joe raised his hands in surrender. “I don’t disagree with you.” Maize looked up and shook her head but didn’t say a word.
They went to the basement. There were old boxes still in storage. Lilia looked at Pastor Joe. “Who owns the church now?”
He shrugged. “The Town assumed ownership at the beginning of the year.”
Lilia quickened her pace, and they made their way through the church.
After Pastor Joe turned off the lights and locked up the church, they walked back to the Church of Mary. Pastor Joe grabbed a bag before they walked to the cabin. They quickened the walk to the cabin. As they passed the house, Lilia saw Tabby was home. She handed the key to Pastor Joe and Maize, saying she would catch up with them shortly.
Lilia made her way to the side door after a knock. Tabby yelled for her to come in. Tabby was working in the kitchen and smiled when Lilia came in. “Good afternoon, Ms. King,” Tabby said.
Lilia broke the formalities. “Please, call me Lilia.”
Tabby nodded. “I can do that. So, what do you want to talk about, Lilia?” Tabby asked.
Lilia decided to be blunt but not totally open. “I had a nightmare last night and found it odd it was about the same time as Katie.”
Tabby frowned. “I’m sorry. It could have been her screaming. I’ve not heard of anyone complaining about hearing her before,” Tabby said. “She has nightmares, and we’ve had little success with getting her over them. I’m afraid that I should cave in and take her to Indianapolis like the doctor recommended.”
Lilia paused and suggested another course of action. “I have Pastor Joe blessing the cabin. Perhaps if he blessed the house with Katie here, it might affect Katie at a spiritual or even emotional level?”
Tabby thought about it. “If it will help, I’ll try almost anything. Sure, let’s do that.” Lilia told Tabby that she would return with Pastor Joe once he was done at the cabin. Tabby said Katie was due home at any time.
Lilia went down to the cabin to see that Pastor Joe was in the bathroom, reciting a blessing.
Maize glanced at Lilia and with a scratchy voice said, “Nice place.”
Lilia smiled and agreed.
He finished and finished the final blessing with a prayer. He asked that they all pray together. Then he looked over at the counter and saw one of the 9mm magazines. He raised his eyebrow in question.
“I hope you have good intentions here in Scottsdale?” he asked pointedly.
She raised her hands in surrender. “I have nothing but good intentions.” She gave him a warm smile. Pastor Joe returned the smile.
“So, I will make a donation, but can you bless Tabby’s home as well?” Lilia asked him.
He agreed, and they walked up to the house. They walked in to find Tabby and Katie in the kitchen. Pastor Joe told everyone what he’d be doing, and Katie observed Lilia.
She nodded back at the cabin. “He blessed the cabin for me.”
That was all that Katie needed to hear. “Okay. Can I walk with you?”
Pastor Joe answered her, “Well, of course, you can. Show me and Maize around as we go!”
Katie walked Pastor Joe around as he blessed the house. Lilia and Tabby stayed in the kitchen and listened to them as they went into each room.
“You know, she looks up to you,” Tabby stated to Lilia.
Lilia smiled at the thought. “Well, she’s a good-hearted girl, and she’s smart,” Lilia answered.
Tabby smiled back. Lilia sat in the chair, listening to Pastor Joe, Maize, and Katie as they walked through the house. I hope whatever is happening doesn’t hurt these two.
****
Pastor Joe walked through the house with this bright young lady. He blessed each room, and they walked into Katie’s room. Joe felt a little uneasy. He wasn’t sure why, but he entered the room and began his blessing of the room. Then he looked over at Katie, and she started crying. Katie hugged the Pastor, and Maize quickly took her hand as he finished the blessing.
Once all the rooms were done, Pastor Joe did the final blessing of the entire house. Everyone joined in prayer at the end. Lilia thanked him and offered to take them back, but it was Tabby who said she’d take them.
The conversation between them wasn’t much, but at the end, Tabby said, “Thank you and see you both on Sunday.”
****
At the house, Lilia and Katie sat in the kitchen. Katie seemed to have far more energy compared to this morning, with little sleep. Then Lilia’s phone rang. She picked up and stood up.
“If you have time, I have someone I want you to meet.” Katie nodded with a smile. They both left the house and saw a large black SUV sitting at the gravel driveway entrance.
The car window went down, and Lilia smiled. “Hello, Bruce.”
He grinned widely. “Hello, King. What’s up with the Bruce?” She shook her head. A large black lab jumped out of the back door. The dog came to Lilia, and she kneeled to pet him. The dog’s tail wagged, and Lilia continued to pet him. She glanced up at the man who always seemed to be tan.
“Katie, this is my friend Fletch.” Katie hugged Fletch, and Lilia opened the back door the rest of the way.
Lilia looked in. “Hello, Chun.” The lady inside was a strong, smaller woman. She wore the same type of blue suit that Lilia wore when she came into town. She smiled with no reply. Lilia looked back to the front. “I’m glad you made it safely.”
Bruce Simon narrowed his brown eyes, and Bao Chun joined with a similar look. Clearly, they had been briefed by the company.
Lilia pointed to the cabin and closed the door to the SUV. Simon waited for Katie, Lilia, and Fletch to be clear of the vehicle and drove down to the cabin. Lilia viewed them as they drove down, jumped out, and immediately unloaded everything.
Lilia turned to Katie. “Can you watch Fletch, so I can help my friends unload?”
Katie’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes, I can watch him!”
Lilia gave a hand motion to Fletch, and Fletch stayed as she walked down to help unload the SUV. She jumped in, helping, and they started carrying luggage and hard plastic cases with locks on them onto the ground floor of the cabin. They finished unloading, and Katie was still playing with Fletch. Simon and Chun stood next to King, next to the SUV, and out of earshot of the little girl.
Simon asked, “Fill us in on the incident.”
Lilia told her team the details and her reaction. She removed the bandage and showed the wounds to them. Simon looked closely. “This could actually be a class one threat.” Lilia didn’t respond.
Bao’s intense brown eyes narrowed. “We have activity, but do you really see this above a class zero threat?” She looked directly at Lilia. With all eyes on her, she was really spooked, but to classify this, even a level 0 threat meant they had to prove it.
“There is no point in speculating. Let’s do the work and let the data speak for itself,” Lilia stated.
Bruce shook his receding brown-colored hair. “That’s what I like to hear. We have our Lilia King back. Whatever can spook you makes me nervous.” He turned to Bao. “Let’s do a sweep of the cabin. See what we find.” Lilia now felt like an ass.
She knew the protocol and broke it. “I had it blessed by a psychic and also Pastor Joe.”
“What the hell?” Bao said aloud.
Bruce waved it off. “There is no point in complaining. Let’s do the research and take a deeper dive.” He studied Bao and waved her inside. Before entering, he studied Lilia. “We’ll be reviewing the report. We’ll need a thorough debrief in an hour or so after we read it.” Lilia nodded and walked up to wait with Katie. She would stay there until Tabby returned.
****
Bruce and Bao started reading the report once they settled into the room and unpacked the gear. They both ran through it twice.
Bao commented first. “If this wasn’t the ice lady, I’d say this was a rookie report or a mental break.”
Bruce flared back. “Check that ice lady shit!” he replied sternly. But Simon could not argue with that assessment. He chewed over the report for a third time.
Bruce thought he’d made his point well. He understood she was probably stunned by the report and the follow-up actions after the incident. Lilia King was nearly a legend within the company. She dissected incidents and reports like she was using a surgical instrument. If Lilia defined something as a class zero incident, you could put money on it.
Bao asked, “So, why did Lilia join the company?”
Simon shrugged. “Almost all of us in the company have lost somebody to these adversaries. I heard she lost her whole family while she was at boot camp. She regrets not being home with her parents and little sister when it happened. They made some arrests, but the suspects claimed it was evil that faded into the shadows. She didn’t believe them. She won’t talk about it, so don’t bring it up!”
****
Both Bao and Bruce looked up as Lilia and Fletch walked through the door. Lilia sat down in the chair and was ready for the debriefing. Fletch wandered around the cabin and sniffed. Until he finally laid down at Lilia’s feet. She laid out the incident as she wrote it. Simon scratched his chin, and Chun sat back.
“If you didn’t walk into the situation when the incident occurred and it came to you, it has to be higher than a level 0,” Bruce stated. Lilia nodded her agreement. Bao remained quiet. “Are you sure you don’t want to amend your report?” Bruce asked.
Lilia shook her head in reply. “We need to do the investigation. We won’t classify this until that’s completed.”
Everyone agreed to that. Classifying a class zero incident required a lot of paperwork and follow up. With each additional class level, the paperwork increased tenfold. There would be a lot of oversight from the Corporazioni Private Equity Group’s Section V111, and no one could predict what directions would follow from that. If this wasn’t happening to Lilia herself, she’d almost think it was some sort of twisted prank.
Bruce asked, to look at the wound on her arm again. Lilia unwrapped her bandage from around her arm. They considered the blisters and scars. The wound had the faint look of purple, black, and blue, although that was surfacing. The blisters were in line with frostbite. Lilia looked at this as an investigator and wondered if Bruce or Bao would think of it as a fake or a self-inflicted injury. They would have to eliminate that possibility.
Bao asked, “Okay, where do we go from here?” She considered both of them. “We find the source, prove what we find, and then we remove it like any other job,” Bruce replied.
Lilia regarded Bao. “I don’t see any sign of it in Scottsdale. Well, it’s not obvious, at any rate. The only historical red flags are the two churches. Both Churches were founded the same year, 1824. Why would a small-town build two churches so close to each other in a time period when the people could barely afford one church?” She let that sink in. “Then in 1901, the church of Mary’s congregation changed the main stained-glass windows in the sanctuary to the picture I put in the report. I’m not as concerned about the last one, but I found it curious.”
Bao nodded her agreement. “The founding of two churches the same year as the town was formed is unusual.” She was typing away at the computer. “Let’s start there. Have you investigated the churches?”
Simon examined Lilia. She kept her composure, although she was not used to micromanaging. But under the circumstances, she understood it.
“I’ve sent the report of the two churches via instant message off the company server,” Lilia reported. She was typing away on her laptop. She couldn’t put her finger on what was happening here. Lilia had never experienced what had happened to her before. She had always questioned the victim and was never the victim herself. She felt humbled by it.
Lilia got back into her normal work ethic and was hammering away at the data. The team was working hard to get the facts. There was clearly something going on here. But Scottsdale seemed to come up clean.
Bao pushed back her chair. “We need to see these churches again.” Bruce agreed with a nod, and Lilia didn’t disagree.
“I could have missed something, but all the pictures are on file,” Lilia added without taking offense to the frustration.
Bruce seemed to be talking through what he was thinking and said, “I have found frequently that the data is in the field and not on a computer. The modern era had left us wanting to find the answer before we even go out instead of doing the hard investigations.”
Lilia took a quick look at Bao Chun’s file. She was only a couple of years younger than Lilia. And she had far less experience with the company. They recruited her from China, and it was a hard sell for the Chinese Secret Service to let her go. If it weren’t for one of her superiors having an “incident” himself, the company might never have recruited Bao Chun. But Lilia had heard more than once that Bao was determined to retire at the end of it, with the best record for eliminating threats. You have a lot of catching up to do, to pass up Lilia King.
Bao looked at Simon. “I’d like to take the lead on this.”
Lilia remembered reading that Bruce had turned Bao down on the last few requests to take the lead. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t qualified this time, but Lilia already had the contacts.
“Agreed,” he stated.
Lilia quickly turned her head but tried to relax. Considering the breaking of protocol on the cleansing and blessing of the cabin prior to the investigation, it would be prudent to hand it off.
She didn’t reply at first, and then added, “I’ll support you in any way I can.”
Lilia looked over to Bao Chun, who nodded to both of them and went to work on her laptop. She seemed to be focused on forming a plan. Based on the time of day, Lilia figured the operation would start in the morning. Still tired from the incident from the night before, she went up to the top flat and took Fletch with her. She fell asleep almost as quickly as she laid her head down. Fetch sat next to her bed, keeping watch.
****
Bruce Simon sat looking at the laptop. He had a few searches going on through the company server, but he kept going back to the report written by Lilia King. He was unsure how to proceed. In a normal investigation, they had victims, and they followed the evidence. But this victim was the company investigator. Not any investigator, either.
There were those rare occasions that it would be classified as a class zero event. Those incidents proved few and far in between. He read the details of the arm injury and decided to do a search on that. Bruce looked up to see Bao Chun putting on her all-black clothes and jacket.
“Going somewhere?” he asked her.
Bao turned to face him. “I want to get eyes on both churches and the town at night.” Simon had worked with Bao before, and she tended to not sleep much as she pushed to solve the job as quickly as possible.
“Make sure we stay fresh this time around,” Simon instructed her. Once Simon agreed to let her lead the investigation, he wasn’t one to micromanage it. But he would step in if needed.
“Copy that,” she said and grabbed her 9mm and put it behind her, at the small of her back. Bruce observed that she had her crucifix, lotus, and yin and yang symbols on a chain that went around her neck, and she tucked them into her shirt. They were taped off so they wouldn’t cling to each other. She put a knife in her boot. He turned back to the computer as she left.
****
Bao quietly left the cabin and walked around the main house. She enjoyed being prepared as she felt the 9mm pressing into her back. She peered into the windows. All was quiet as she laid eyes on Tabby, who was watching the television. The little girl was probably in bed at near midnight. She stayed behind the houses and stayed away from the streets unless crossing them. Even she would cross them at points of poor lighting so she wouldn’t get noticed.
Bao had a slight vibration in her pocket and curled up to look at her phone. She received a text from Clair Rooke. She would read that later, but that always thrilled her. Clair was the special weapon contact for the company. She always seemed to find new toys to play with, and Bao was usually on top of the list to try them out.
Back on track, Bao examined the homes. They were in good shape, and although some didn’t have the money for upkeep, they seemed to be in good order. She soon found herself at The Church of Mary, after going through back alleys and less-lit streets. She was behind the main sanctuary, and the lights were still on. From the back, she could see the stained-glass windows. She took a picture and studied the view from her vantage point.
After a few minutes, she made her way around the church. Bao moved up and got next to the brick building. She moved around it and found a narrow window in the basement. Then she pulled out a tool and jimmied the window open. She slid through and dropped into the basement, careful not to move anything or make noise. Bao went through the basement and did her evaluation.
Bao made her way to the steps and looked up at them. She chanced it and made her way up. She made it to a door that opened into the sanctuary. Peering into the upper part of the church, she saw someone standing at the podium in jeans and a sweatshirt practicing a sermon.
Pastor Joe, Bao said to herself. She slipped out and made her way along the side of the church. The lights in the center of the church were on, but along each side, they were off.
Bao listened as she moved. The sermon was about facing one’s fears. Bao thought that was ironic. But she listened and moved when he was talking. She positioned herself to see Pastor Joe but stayed within the shadows. She studied him and reflected on the stained-glass windows behind him. Her instincts brought her back there again. She sat until Pastor Joe finished his practice sermon. He turned and headed back into his office.
Bao quietly made her way to the area between the podium and windows. She looked around and made a few notes on the note’s app on her phone. She sat there until Pastor Joe finished up in the office and made his way out of the church. He turned off the lights as he left. Bao got up and started moving around freely. She made her way into the church office and pulled up the computer. She pulled a small cylinder and plugged it in between the computer and the Ethernet cable.
That being done, she made her way out of the church and went toward the other church. She did the same type of review, but it was far easier in a church because it was unoccupied. In the basement, Bao found a sheet covering something attached to the wall.
She peeled back the sheet. At first glance, she thought it was the Archangel Michael defeating the adversary, and when the Devil was expelled from heaven. The second expulsion, if Bao remembered her training correctly.
As she looked closer, she realized she was wrong. This was a tapestry of Saint George. He was the mortal hero who defeated the adversary. She thought back to their main section station in upper New York. She saw many works of art depicting both Saint George and the Archangel Michael. Was it a coincidence that they were both here in Scottsdale? Section V111 frequently referenced Saint George and the Archangel Michael. She shook off that notion and laid the sheet back in place and pursued her search.
Once she was done, she made her way back to the cabin before sunrise. Bao opened the door to find Lilia and Fletch getting dressed for a morning jog. Bao regarded Lilia, who appeared better after a good night’s sleep.
“How did it go?” Lilia asked Bao.
Bao smiled. “Fine. I saw nothing unusual, as you reported. I added a tracer for Forest to look at the computer at the Church of Mary. Also, your Pastor Joe friend was up late practicing for today’s sermon.” She added that last point as a nod that she was working there with him in the building. Bao pulled up her laptop to start her report entry.
Lilia interrupted her. “So why did you deploy before I even did my first assessment?”
Bao observed her questioningly. She thought about it for a minute. “It came from the company.” She thought more about that. “But that is unusual?” Lilia nodded to her answer.
****
Lilia finished tying her shoes and made for the door. She waved Fletch to her, and he happily came to her. She opened the door, and they both left for a morning jog. Lilia and Fletch jogged past the main house and didn’t see any activity. She went down the center of the street and made her way to the town center. As she jogged, she took notice that the diner and gas station were the only businesses open on Sunday morning at 6:00 a.m. As she jogged past the diner, she saw five people there watching her jog by.
Lilia looked down at Fletch. “I’m sure we are going to be the topic of discussion at breakfast this morning.” Fletch continued with his tail wagging. Lilia made her way past the church and saw that the front doors were open. She saw a few cars out front, but the service was at 10:00 a.m. She looked down at Fletch, who didn’t give any reaction either.
Lilia circled and jogged her way back toward the cabin. She took different roads back and even went around the outer streets of the town. She saw a few people moving around, but only a few. Most of them waved, not even knowing who she was. She could almost picture herself living in a town like this one day. But she couldn’t see a point in her life where she was not working.
They went down another street when a chill ran down Lilia’s back. Fletch’s ears went up, along with the fur on his neck and back. Lilia slowed and glanced around. She turned to face the way they had come, and a dark van came around the corner and slowed. After a moment, it drove away. Fletch’s ears and hair had dropped back to normal. Lilia looked back one more time, and they proceeded on their way.
They came up to the main house, and Katie was sitting on the porch. Lilia slowed and walked up. “What are you doing this morning, Katie?”
Katie smiled. “My friend Sue texted me and woke me up. She said you and Fletch were jogging. I wanted to say good morning.”
Lilia smiled and thought about small towns. “So, how did you sleep?”
Kate’s smile was even bigger. “Great. I actually had wonderful dreams.”
Lilia thought about her own sleep. “Yea, so did I,” Lilia added, without even thinking about it before now.
Katie sat up to see Fletch. “I know Fletch can’t go, but are you and your friends going to church?”
Lilia nodded. “Yeah, I think so?” Katie’s mouth opened to scream, but she slapped her hand on her mouth instead. Seeing that, Lilia laughed. “We’ll see you there.” Lilia waved Fletch to follow and made her way to the cabin.
Bao was taking a quick nap, and Bruce was working on this laptop when they walked in. Bruce waved hello while he was video chatting with someone on the laptop.
“Alright, Steven, keep me and the team posted,” Bruce stated.
Lilia could hear Steven Forest’s voice at the other end. “No Problem,” when the video chat ended.
Bruce looked up at Lilia. “How was your run?”
Lilia nodded her approval. “It was relaxing for both of us. I have to ask, though. Why were you deployed prior to my first appraisal?”
He studied her. “Bao asked me the same question. To be honest, I don’t know. But I sent a message to the company asking that question,” he replied.
Lilia walked upstairs and put on her blue suit. “We are going to church this morning,” she called from the top of the stairs.
Bruce got up and followed her. “Bao! It’s church time.” Bruce knocked on the wall like it was a door.
Bao groaned and rolled out of bed.
****
All three of them had on their blue business suits. They were in expensive suits and custom-made. Lilia pulled out her cell phone and made a call.
“Tabby, I was going to buy breakfast this morning if you want to ride along with us?” Lilia waited for the reply, and she started nodding to Bruce and Bao. “We’ll stop by in ten minutes.” Lilia hung up the phone. “Let’s walk in with some of the locals.”
The large SUV pulled up, and Katie and Tabby climbed in the back. Lilia was in the back, and Bruce and Bao sat up front. Katie sat next to Lilia and her mother. Lilia introduced everyone. After the introductions, they drove to the diner. Bruce pulled up and got a spot near the diner entrance.
Tabby said good morning to Mable as they walked in and grabbed a table. Mable made her way out to the table to get drinks.
“I want coffee,” replied Lilia, and everyone but Katie agreed. Katie went with a diet coke. Mable went off to get drinks while everyone reviewed the menu.
“I recommend the daily,” Katie said with a smile, and everyone laid down their menus, following her lead.
The entire breakfast group finished their meals and sat for a few minutes before having to leave for church. They made small talk, but it was friendly. A few of the town’s folk said good morning. Then they paid the bill, tipped well, and got up to leave.
Bao stated, “This town is filled with the upright.”
Katie asked, “What does that mean?”
Lilia answered, “You are good people.” Katie opened her mouth to cheer again, but after one look from her mom, she covered it.
They made their way to the church, and they were greeted and ushered to a pew in the back of a filled sanctuary. Katie made sure she sat between her mom and Lilia.
The service was on facing your fears, as Bao had stated. It lasted for about an hour and ended. Almost everyone left following the service. Bao, Lilia, and Bruce started looking at the stained-glass windows and made their way to the front. Tabby and Katie went out the front, and Lilia didn’t know if they had waited or walked home.
After a few minutes, Pastor Joe made his way to the guests. He introduced himself, and everyone shook hands. Lilia finished with the introductions. They brought up the topic of church history, but they discovered nothing new in the conversation. They all said their goodbyes, and Lilia led the group to the SUV. She asked for the keys, and Bruce tossed her them.
They all got in and sat there for a moment. Katie and Tabby must have walked back.
“So, what do you think?” Lilia asked. Both Bruce and Bao shrugged.
“I have to agree with you. The town is clean unless there is a single source we’ve not seen yet?” Bao stated.
Bruce added, “Did you go anywhere else?” Both of them now looked at Lilia directly.
“I was going to suggest that next,” Lilia added. “But I don’t see how that could have affected what happened in the cabin’s bathroom. Furor is a town about thirty minutes away. I didn’t get a good feeling about it.”
Bao raised an eyebrow. “You had a bad feeling?”
Lilia nodded. “I went there the day before the incident.”
Bruce shrugged again. “I agree it’s not likely, but it truly is the next best lead.”
It was Bao’s call, so Lilia turned toward her.
“Okay, Furor is now at the top of the investigation,” Bao stated.
****
They decided to head back to the cabin and start research into the town’s history. They passed the house and didn’t see any activity and drove down and went into the cabin. The door opened and Fletch made his way out the door to do his business.
Everyone went to their laptops and went to work. After a few hours on the company server gathering data and with the team members also doing their own search, they compiled some details.
“Furor is in Darke County, Indiana. During its founding, there was no church, and the only current church was registered as ‘The Church of the Discipline Followers’, founded in 1929. It’s not affiliated with any other churches. The Floyds Grocery Store chain was founded in 1929, and the store and warehouse started in Furor. They moved the headquarters to Chicago in 1946, although most of the residents are still employed at the Floyds Canning factory.”
Lilia added, “That sums up what we know. There is a local legend of the caverns being haunted as well.”
Bruce commented on the report, “That’s more to go on than here at Scottsdale. Good job looking into some of the historical details.” He glanced at Bao. She sat looking at the computer.
Lilia added a thought, “The Scottsdale population is rivals with the town of Furor. Perhaps there is more with that as well.”
Bao nodded. “Good idea. Now we need to put eyes on Furor. I’ll take the Furor side. Lilia will investigate the relationship of Scottsdale with Furor on Scottsdale’s side.” Bao regarded Bruce. “Any ideas on what you want to look at?”
Bruce didn’t say anything right away. “Let’s see where the trail leads. But I’m thinking of heading to Evansville to the University?”
Lilia thought that was a good idea. He could do a thorough analysis of the written records that might not have been uploaded onto computers. Plus, there might be regional resources that Bruce could find for future use. Meeting people through networking was always the best method for gaining contacts in an area.
“Why don’t you head that way? I suggest we get another vehicle sent our way, too,” Bao added, as she was doing some additional input on her laptop.
Bruce replied, “I’ll get an Uber to take me to Evansville. I’ll pick up a car there.” He punched his keyboard, added, “I’ll be leaving in about an hour.”
Bao turned to Lilia. “Any special needs on your end?”
Lilia shook her head. “No. Not yet. Let’s see how this goes from here?”
Everyone started getting their gear together. For the time being, they would each be doing the investigation on their own.
Bao came to Lilia. “Any concerns about working alone?”
Lilia appreciated the thought. “I’m not alone. I have Fletch.”
Bao smiled. “Keep us posted, and we can bring in more support. We may have to anyhow, depending on where the trail leads,” Bao said. Bao was handling the lead role well, thought Lilia.
When the Uber arrived, Lilia and Bao walked Bruce to the car, helping with the suitcases. Fletch sat on the porch of the cabin.
“Keep in contact. Also, remember to secure the communication connections in Furor,” Bruce said, looking at Bao. She lowered her head while keeping eye contact. Lilia caught that look. His comments were unnecessary but his way of saying goodbye.
The woman Uber driver glanced at Bruce. “You ready?” Bruce nodded, and he climbed in.
Lilia said, “Stay safe,” as he rolled up his window. The car pulled away and was gone.
Bao started packing her bags into the sedan. “I’ll be staying at the inn in town.” Bao threw the last bag in.
Lilia crossed her arms as she noticed the look on Bao’s face. “Don’t get into trouble. We’re still investigating and not in the cleanup phase yet.”
Bao smiled back and said, “I’ll try.”
The Dark Tales of Lilia King promises to be a thrilling book filled with betrayals and things that lurk in the dark. It's in the title of the book.
It fails to deliver.
The elements are there. The potential is there. However, the writing style creates so much distance from the plot that it is impossible to engage with.
The first thing that stood out the most was the use of unnecessary question marks in dialogue. A character can be shown as inquisitive through their actions. Or, the phrase can be reoriented to justify the question mark. The use of a question mark to convey inquisition and confusion on behalf of the character is a poor choice when it can be shown through action.
Here are a couple of examples.
"'We don't even know its size or makeup?'" (pg. 146).
"'The markings could be from the search party?'" (pg. 113).
You can find dozens more examples of this in the book. In addition to the use of unnecessary question marks, some descriptions are convoluted. Phrases such as this one make it challenging to get a clear view of what the author intends:
"The skin was cold and not cold to the touch, but like frozen meat just taken out of the freezer." (pg. 98).
The author has a habit of telling the reader things instead of showing them.
"Lilia glared at Katie questioningly." (pg. 20).
This could be rewritten as, "Lilia stared at Katie with a raised eyebrow." The inquisition is still there but it doesn't create distance for the reader. Adverbs should be avoided when describing scenes.
"Fear filled the small room. There was a dark presence now." (pg. 24).
The environment in this situation was supposed to be dark and fearful, but tension wasn't built properly due to the lack of description.
The greatest example of telling instead of showing is this sentence.
"It was a little out of her character."
If the reader has to be told when things are out of character for the protagonist, then the author has failed to adequately set parameters for what the character will and won't do. Lilia is ill-defined and feels like a trope. The supporting characters, Tabby, Katie, Bao, Shirley, Pastor Joe, and Bruce, are all flat and one-dimensional.
The Dark Tales of Lilia King has a plot with great potential, but the writing interferes with the reader's experience.