In Death 05 - Ceremony in Death

She had the door open in seconds and waited just outside it for the sound of a security alarm.
    There was only silence inside.
    No security, she decided, and resisted the temptation to go in. The average civilian wouldn't have access to a master, but there were other ways of popping unsecured locks.
    Hadn't the apartment been empty the day before? With both Forte and Isis at Central, how easy would it have been for someone to slip in, to plant a bloodstained robe in an obvious place?
    Eve shut the door again and stood arguing with herself. Mirium had implicated him. She'd said his name as she sat on the floor, blood still running from her hands.
    Delusional, sociopathic, easily influenced.
    Damn it. Eve trooped down the steps, back to her car. The evidence was there, wasn't it? Motive, opportunity. It was a fucking textbook checklist. She even had a confessed accomplice in custody.
    An accomplice he'd been sleeping with on the side. Having sex in Central Park, using his influence to bring her into the coven right under his lover's nose.
    It fit, she told herself. And that was the trouble. It slid so well into place it was as if someone had oiled the slot. All you had to do was leave out love -- selfless, devoted, unquestioning love. Add that, and it scraped along the sides of that slot, screaming in protest.
    If there was a chance it was a setup, and that she was being used to make it click, she was damn well going to find out. She considered calling Peabody, started to reach for her 'link, when she heard the scream. She was out of the car, her hand on her weapon, when she spotted the black-robed figure dragging a woman into the shadows.
    "Police." She rushed forward, drawing. "Back off."
    He did more than that. He ran. When Eve reached the woman, she was lying facedown, moaning. Holstering her weapon, she crouched down.
    "How bad did he hurt you?" As she rolled the woman over, she saw the glint of a blade. It was pressed, keen-edged, against her stomach before she saw Selina's face.
    "All I have to do is push, just a little." Selina smiled. "I'd enjoy that. But for now..." Her hand tapped against Eve's throat. She felt the pressure and the sting an instant before her vision blurred.
    "Now you're going to help me to the car. Or it's going to look that way if anyone notices." Smiling, Selina put her arms around Eve, keeping close so it appeared she was being lifted to her feet. "And if you don't do exactly what I say, your guts will hit the sidewalk and I'll be gone before you realize you're dead."
    Eve's head was swimming, her legs like rubber as Selina led her down the sidewalk. "Get in," Selina ordered, "slide over."
    She found herself obeying dully, while a part of her mind screamed in protest. "Not so smart now, are you, Lieutenant Dallas? Not so cool. We led you right where we wanted you. Stupid bitch. How do you set this thing to auto?"
    "I -- " She couldn't think. Fear couldn't get through the haze, nor could anger or training. She stared blankly at the controls. "Auto?"
    Her voice was enough. The vehicle shuddered, then hummed discordantly.
    "I don't believe you're in any shape to drive." Selina threw back her head and laughed. "Give it the address. My apartment. We have a very special ceremony in mind for you."
    Mechanically, Eve repeated the address and stared straight ahead as the vehicle slowly slid from the curb. "Not Forte," she managed, struggling to snap back. "It was never him."
    "That pathetic excuse for a man? He couldn't kill a fly if it landed on his dick. If he's got one. But he and that half-breed Wiccan are going to pay. You've seen to that, haven't you? They thought they could save poor little Alice. Well, so did her stupid grandfather. See where it got them. No one challenges me and lives. You'll find out just how much power I have very soon now. And you'll beg me to kill you and end it."
    "You killed them all."
    "Every one of them." Selina leaned closer. "And more. Many more. I enjoy the children most. They're so... fresh. I walked right in on the grandfather, used his weakness for females. Sobbed, told him I was afraid for my life. Alban would kill me. Then I slipped the drugs into his drink and I killed him. I wanted blood but, well, it was nearly as satisfying to watch his eyes as he realized he was dying. You've seen how the eyes die first, haven't you, Dallas? They die first."
    "Yes." The mists were moving back to the corners of her mind. She could feel her legs and arms tingle as the