Free Mother of Demons by Maynard Sims Page A

themselves.”
    “I’ve never heard that term used before.” Violet sat in her library, a pile of books stacked on the desk in front of her. She was still wearing her dressing gown. She hadn’t even showered yet. The email from her contact in Bremen had come in at seven, and since then she’d had her head buried in various textbooks and had been firing off emails to her contacts throughout the world. Personal hygiene had taken a backseat.
    “How did you find out?” she said into the phone.
    “Martin, here in the office. He and his girls were working on it all day yesterday, and again this morning.”
    “So you’ve stopped doubting me?”
    “Vi, I never—”
    “Harry, you know better than to flannel me. I knew from the outset that I hadn’t convinced you, but I knew also that you would come round, once you’d dug a bit and discovered the facts for yourself.”
    “Martin was right. You are a witch.”
    “But a white one, Harry, not a black one. Never black.”
    “So we’re moving forward. I was thinking of getting John McKinley to join the team.”
    “McKinley? Do I know him?”
    “You met him once. African American, tall enough to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.”
    “Oh, John, yes. I remember. Charming man.”
    “And a powerful psychic. I think we might need him.”
    “I think you could be right. I got an email from my friend in Bremen. He’s found out why Markos was removed as CEO at Hematite Software.”
    “Why”
    “Wolfgang Metz, the chairman at Hematite, has a granddaughter, Karin. Markos started a relationship with her.”
    “Let me guess, a blue-eyed blonde?”
    “On the money,” Violet said.
    “What is it with this guy and Nordic types?”
    “I don’t know. It seems to go deeper than just a penchant. He seems to be specifically targeting them. There’s an underlying motive. So far I haven’t discovered what it is, but I’ll get there. Anyway, he zeroed in on Karin Metz, much to her grandfather’s disapproval. They began a relationship, and old Wolfgang moved quickly to knock it on the head. Maybe he could see something in Markos that everyone else seemed to miss.
    “Unfortunately Karin took his interference badly. She was totally in Markos’s thrall, and her grandfather’s actions started a family rift that still rumbles on to this day.”
    “What was the upshot?”
    “Well, Wolfgang Metz is no fool. With some shrewd boardroom maneuvering, he had Markos removed as CEO, effectively putting him out of work. He also has some powerful friends and he called in some favors. The police got involved at the highest level, and a judge slapped a restraining order on Markos that stopped him having any contact with Karin. Markos was now in a corner. Thanks to Wolfgang, he was unemployable in Germany and he couldn’t have contact with Karin. So he left and came to England to start again.”
    “I see a pattern emerging here. Flee, rather than face the consequences of his actions.”
    “Exactly. And he carries on where he left off. Going by his past history, his involvement with Alice has nothing to do with romance, or, if it has, it’s from her side only. To him she’s just a cipher. She could be any pretty blonde. I think the man’s sick.”
    “Well, he obviously has issues,” Harry said. “How does all this tie in with the Children of Hecate?”
    “I don’t know. But I think if we keep examining Anton Markos, we’re going to find out. I’m glad you’re bringing John McKinley in. He can help you here in London. I think Jason can be useful elsewhere.”
    “Really? Where?”
    “Austria. Karin Metz’s family shipped her off there to get over the affair with Markos. She now works as a ski instructor in Kitzbühel. Send Jason over there. Get him to use his charm on her. I know Jason’s strengths. He can charm the birds off the trees. See what he can get her to spill about Markos. It may be our chance to finally get an advantage over him.”
    “Do you think Jason will agree