Deep Waters

sound of an off-key flute and loud voices rising and falling in an enthusiastic chant forestalled what ever response Elias might have made to her deliberate challenge.
    "Looks like the show has started," he said as they emerged from the trees.
    Charity looked around. They had reached the out skirts of the old campground. A large assortment of recreational vehicles were clustered together on the bluff overlooking the cove. Several of the vehicles had been decorated with designs that vaguely resembled ancient Egyptian motifs. Others were painted with imaginative futuristic landscapes and bizarre visions of the universe.
    There was no one in sight. Gwendolyn Pitt's follow ers were all down on the beach.
    At some point in the distant past, a long fence had been installed along the edge of the bluffs. It stretched the length of the campground. There were two open ings, one in the center and one at the far end. Each provided access to a narrow path that led down to the rocky beach.
    The droning chant filled the air. Charity looked over the edge of the sagging fence and saw the Voyagers gathered below at the water's edge. There were about twenty of them, she estimated. The number had grown during the past week. There was just enough light left to make out the flowing blue and white robes and the brightly beaded headbands that comprised the cult's uniform.
    She saw that the small crowd had formed a circle and linked hands. They swayed to the beat of the drum and flute.
    The last of the coppery twilight glow disappeared as the sun sank out of sight behind the mountains. The first star appeared. The chants grew louder. The drum beat faster.
    A dynamic figure broke free of the circle and raised her arms above her head in a commanding gesture. Silence fell. The Voyagers turned to face her with murmurs of anticipation.
    "That's Gwendolyn Pitt," Charity said to Elias.
    "I know. She introduced herself the other day at the grocery store."
    "Did she? I've talked to her a few times during the past month. She seems committed to her concept, but I can't quite bring myself to buy into her act. Something about seeing a successful, hard-nosed realtor turn into space alien guru is a little tough to swallow."
    "You can say that again." Elias studied the woman on the beach with a thoughtful expression. "Looks like she shops at the same places Radiance Barker does."
    He was right, Charity decided. Gwendolyn Pitt looked as if she could have stepped straight out of one of the sixties' era posters Radiance had used to decorate the nail salon.
    When she raised her arms, the sleeves of Gwendolyn's gown fell back to reveal rows of wide metal bracelets. But there was still the hint of the professional real estate saleswoman about her in her short, tailored, artificially blond hair and expensive shoes. It did not take much imagination to picture Gwen Pitt in a crisp business suit with a briefcase in hand.
    She was in her late forties, not especially attractive, but her features were strong and assertive. There was a certain steely quality about her. Whatever else she was, she was a driven woman. Charity could almost see the sparks.
    "Five nights, my friends," Gwendolyn intoned in a loud, sonorous voice that carried up the side of the bluff. "Only five more nights until the great starships come. Midnight of the appointed day will soon be here, and they will arrive in all their brilliant splendor."
    "Something tells me that woman knows how to close a deal," Elias said.
    "Enlightenment awaits, my friends," Gwendolyn continued in rolling accents. "Unparalleled knowledge of our own true sexuality and an understanding of the philosophical laws of the universe shall be ours. Our bodies will be made perfect by advanced alien science. Our lifespans will be vastly extended in order that we may have the time to learn all that we are destined to discover."
    The crowd sent up a rousing shout of agreement.
    "That is one angry lady," Elias said softly.
    Charity glanced at him curiously. "How do you know that?"
    "It takes a lot of rage to pull together an operation the size of this scam."
    Charity recalled what he had just finished telling her about his own plans to destroy an old enemy. Elias knew whereof he spoke, she thought. She would do well to bear that in mind. The sizzling sexual attraction she was feeling was certainly interesting, but that was no excuse for being stupid where this man was concerned.
    "Maybe she really is simply deluded," Charity mused. "I