Free The Book Waitress Series Volume One by Deena Remiel Page A

know. Remember, lunch today is scheduled for one o’clock. I trust you’ll make something equally delectable.”
    “Oh, Mr. Victor, of course. Only my best creations for you.” He grinned and grabbed her hand to kiss the back of it. “Now, now, you know I’m a married woman, sir.” She giggled.
    He sighed. “Alas, yes. But it doesn’t hurt to flirt.” He winked, gave a last look at the unfortunate, misguided former High Priestess and shook his head. Susan should be able to fill her shoes well enough. At least she understood loyalty.
    ***
    Derek stood on the front porch of Zachary Michael’s house, having finished the interview with his parents, and regarded the lake across the street. Every few moments, something from below broke through its glassy surface, creating gentle, unfettered ripples. He sighed. Who could be trusted to stop the rippling effect created by the cult here? At this point, he’d spoken to most of the parents either by phone or in person, and they all confirmed their missing children had a birthmark like the one mentioned in The Devil’s Handbook .
    When he visited the police department on the island, a whopping force of two, they gave him access to their records, but curiously, a “flood” in recent years destroyed those he needed. He’d asked to see the computer backup files and they looked at him like he had two heads. Backup files were paper, too, and had been damaged beyond keeping as well. A closer scan of the small office area and he saw typewriters on desks rather than computers. How convenient for the cult to keep the police force here in the dark ages with antiquated tools.
    Evil people stole those children for satanic rituals and now they were all dead. He knew it in his heart. The Mission Satanic Cult never folded as once thought. Rage and frustration swirled in his heart at the corruption that allowed these children to be exploited and murdered for the sake of evil. Hopefully, Zachary remained alive and could be found before any harm came to him.
    Bounding down the steps, his thoughts drifted to Camille and it did nothing to soothe him. When she first showed him the handbook, it piqued his interest and wound up being a great lead. But when she opened her shirt and showed him the very same mark above her breast, warning flags waved before his eyes. She could be in danger, too. He needed to read more in that volume and see if anything indicated what role, if any, a person like her played in the cults’ rituals. And he needed names. Newspaper articles should have given him names of the Mission’s cult members who’d been prosecuted, but the ones he’d read through yesterday made no mention of them. The internet may wind up saving this investigation in the end.
    At least he didn’t have to worry about his book waitress for today. She had the day off to unpack boxes. Hopefully he wouldn’t need her help. And even if he did, would she acquiesce and give it? She threw a mass of mixed signals to him last night. Or had he read those messages wrong in the first place? He hadn’t a clue. The last relationship he’d had wound up disastrous. She clung and needed and possessed. All three qualities he never wanted in a woman.
    As he drove over to the library, thoughts of conspiracy and a massive cover-up swirled in his head, and he now believed the library to be at the center of it all. What did he already know? First, more than likely, the Mission still ran business as usual, and the police department shielded its activities. Second, they used the basement of the library to store one of their ritual objects and it used to be their meeting place. He bet they housed all sorts of paraphernalia across many places so that no one would be the wiser. Third, all the missing boys had the mark designating them as a sacrifice and were six years old when they disappeared. He didn’t know who led the cult at this point, or where they met. And did he need to be concerned for Camille’s safety