Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

half-sisters were doing, she banished those theories too perverse to give credence. S he bet Anat thought the same thing now.
    “What about Dione?” Anat said. “ I s she still the obedient servant ? ”
    Anat hadn’t handled her imprisonment as well as Maia first thought. Resentment colored her tone , not that Maia blame d her. “Don’t be so hard on her. W e can’t all have your courage. Dione’s coming around. Still, I don’t think she has the nerve to go to the police .”
    Anat signed. “ Too bad .”
    “C e bele is a bitch,” Maia said with more venom than she intended, “and she spawned a bitch ―f our bitches ― all with their husband’s dicks wrapped around their little fingers. ” She paused and caught Anat’s eye. “ I’ve asked Seth to help get the babies back to their parents.”
    Anat snorted. “Don’t count on him . He’s their number one soldier and master organizer. He’s sterile except with you.”
    One part of her hoped Seth had lied . Then he’d be easier to forget. But he’d told the truth. “I didn’t believe him.”
    “ Yup, h is little swimmers sank every time. H e sure made beautiful children with you. He brings them here often. I hate what they’re doing to them, and I worry about Phillip.”
    Maia’s nerve endings pricked to attention. She found it hard to draw a breath. “Phillip? Why?”
    “He’s withdrawn and shy, complicated. I’m not sure ― ” Anat stared out over the balcony . “I’m not sure something hasn’t happened to him.”
    “Like what, Anat? Tell me. ”
    Her sister spoke so softly, Maia strained to hear her over the roar of the water below. “I ’m not sure. S omething isn’t right. I’ve asked, but no one’s telling.”
    Maia paced the balcony. “ Phillip did seem unnaturally quiet .” Peering over the side, she looked down at the raging rapids scrambling over the glistening rocks , splashing foam into the air. For a brief moment the rocks came toward her, as if she had plummeted over the side in a feverish attempt to avoid what she didn’t want to face. The vision seemed so real. Did her mother s ee the pavement coming toward her when she threw herself out the window, or did she close her eyes until she splattered to her death? Had her guilt about her retarded son, Maia’s brother, been the cause of her death?
    Her own guilt churned inside her. How many times had she wanted to steal her children and run away ? Except where was the compound? Each time she came by company jet , she relinquished her cell phone so the GPS couldn’t reveal the location. Seth knew because he flew in and out on occasion, even though this w as his home , and he rarely left.
    She’d failed her children miserably. If they were damaged, she blame d herself. She was no better than the others, probably worse. “We need to get out of here. Send the authorities. Something, Anat.”
    “ Cal and I have had a plan for years,” Anat said, “but we couldn’t carry it out alone. W e need Seth. With him on our side, we might have a chance to stop this madness. You’re our only hope . ”

Chapter Thirty- Seven
    W ho’s W atching the Children ?

    L ucier pushed aside the papers on his desk to answer the phone.
    “You were right, Lieutenant,” Dione Compton said. “My father took my phone and checked the numbers in the data bank. He found nothing, thanks to you. I would never have thought of doing that.”
    “Did you find out anything about your sister ?”
    “No. After I asked about Maia, everyone clammed up more than usual.”
    “What’s your honest opinion?”
    “ I’m almost sure t hey’ve sent her away . ”
    “Do you know where?”
    A long pause hung on the line. “Hmm, yes…and no.”
    What the hell did that mean? “Your father’s group is on the verge of being exposed . I’d hate to see you caught in the crossfire.” Lucier could almost hear Dione Compton wrestle her conscience.
    She remained silent for a long moment before she spoke. “I can’t . You don’t understand. I’m afraid. Terrified. ”
    “I do understand, Ms. Compton. Without satanic ritual abuse, worshipping Satan in itself is not a crime. F ive babies, maybe more, have been stolen from their parents. Whatever justifications your father and his friends gave, kidnapping is a federal crime.”
    Dione didn’t respond. The telephone line crackled with the silence of fear. Was he getting through to her?
    “ Maia and I didn’t know about the babies until that