Case #3 - The Mystical Jewel CHAPTER ONE Katie Spencer stepped off the number 2 bus on a cool, late October day. She received a call on her cell phone from her father during her lunch break to have her pick up a ring at the jewelry store after school. Her grandmother's old wedding ring was being restored and resized for Karen to wear as her wedding ring. The event was just one week away, and neither of them wanted a big ceremony""since it was both of their second marriages""so her dad suggested having a small gathering out in the backyard over at the gazebo. After the engagement was announced, Katie had gotten to know Karen very well, and they both got along really good, much to her father's delight. Even though Katie knows that Karen could never replace her mother, she nonetheless accepted her as one. Katie turned the corner onto Deming Street and headed for Christy's Fine Jewelry Store. She entered the small store and gasped at the sight of the clutter before her. Glass from the display cases was smashed and pieces of jewelry were scattered all over the carpeted floor. Katie quickly walked around the place, but found no sign of anyone. "Christy!" she called out urgently. Right away she heard a faint bumping sound coming from the rear of the store. Katie dashed over there and went into the back room. The sound was now louder and came from a door in the corner of the room. She opened it with her handkerchief""as to not get any fingerprints on the doorknob""and gasped at the sight of the proprietor, Christy Johnson, sitting in a small closet, bound and gagged with duct tape. She looked up at Katie with pleading, tear-streaked eyes, and muffled cries through her tape gag. "Oh my goodness ... Christy!" Katie knelt down and gently peeled the tape off from Christy's mouth. Christy spat out a sodden wad of cloth and coughed as she took in a deep breath. "I thought I was going to choke with that thing in my mouth! Oh, thank you for finding me, Katie!" "Here, let me get you out of there," she said and pulled Christy out of the cramped closet. Katie began to unwind the tape from Christy's wrists first. "Are you all right? What happened?" she asked all at once. "I'm fine. Two people walked into the shop. They were both wearing these weird monster masks over their heads, and being that this is Halloween today, I didn't think anything of it. One of them suddenly pulled a knife on me and told me that if I cooperated, I wouldn't get hurt. Then before I knew it, they tied me up and stuffed me in the closet." "How long ago was that?" Katie asked. "Oh ... I don't know maybe an hour. It seemed like I was in there a lot longer than that." Katie finished with the last of the tape around Christy's nyloned ankles. She then noticed her black high-heeled pumps in the closet and handed them to her. "Here, you're going to need put these back on before going out of the store." Christy slid her feet back into the pumps and followed Katie out of the room. She too gasped at the sight of the mess the two of them no doubt left behind. She went to reach for the phone when Katie stopped her. "No, don't touch anything until the police clear the area first. I'll call them on my cell phone," she said, grabbing her cell phone from her purse. "Not to sound selfish at this particular moment, but is my ring still here?" Christy went over to the spot where items to be picked up for the day were kept, and noticed that it was empty. "I'm very sorry Katie, but I'm afraid that your grandmother's ring was also taken." Katie had an alarmed look on her face at hearing that news. CHAPTER TWO Katie and Christy waited outside the store until the police arrived. Christy still felt a bit shaken up from her ordeal, and Katie quietly comforted her, knowing full well how it felt to be tied up and completely helpless. A squad car that was in the area responded to the call and arrived quickly to prep the area for the detective. Not long after, another car came to a stop at the curb, and a burly-looking, trench-coated man stepped out. Katie's face cringed as she immediately recognized him. Oh great, now on top of all this, I have to deal with him ... "Miss Spencer, what a pleasant surprise to see you here," Detective Jack McGruder said in a sarcastic tone. "I'm here only as a witness to the scene. I came by to pick up a ring and found Christy all tied up," Katie responded defensively. "Well, that would be a first," he said as he walked right up to her. "I already gave my statement, so I could I please go now so I could tell my father that he won't be getting his mother's wedding ring for his future wife?" "I should have you frisked first to make sure that you didn't take any possible evidence from here." "We already checked, detective. She's clean," one of the officers responded. Detective McGruder paused for a moment. "Okay, you're free to go. But if I find out that in any way you tampered with this crime scene, I'll bring charges down on you so hard, you won't even have time to make your one phone call." Katie just looked at him and slowly walked off. She waved bye to Christy as she headed back to the bus stop. What a complete jerk. The police have stated numerous times to have the public involved with being mindful of suspicious things around them. This guy just has real big ego problem; can't stand the fact that some teenage girl had solved some pretty big cases instead of him. Katie really couldn't take anything from the store even if she wanted to. Those two crooks didn't leave anything obvious behind, and Christy said in her statement that they both wore gloves, so no usable fingerprints would be recovered. Unless the criminologists find something hidden among the evidence, the only hope that Katie could think of on getting the ring back would be if it turned up in some pawn shop. From the look of the mess, it was pretty obvious that the robbery was done just to make a quick buck""even the cash register was cleaned out. It absolutely frustrated her that she had no leads to follow, and now she has to be the bringer of bad news to her dad about his mother's now stolen ring. CHAPTER THREE Later that evening, Katie sat in the back seat of her father's Cadillac, dressed in her Little Red Riding Hood costume that Karen had made for her. The Sheehan Center was hosting their annual Halloween costume party. Her father and Karen were both up front dressed as Frankenstein and his Bride respectively. They both were on their way over to St. Francis, after dropping Katie off first, for the costume party the hospital organized for the kids at the children's ward. And after that they were then heading over to a friend's house for another party. Katie told her dad that Tracy Garner was going to be at her party and that she would take her home later. Her father had taken the news about his mother's ring quite well considering. However, Katie knows her father too well that he doesn't tend to display his emotions in public. Karen was willing to postpone the wedding until the ring could be found, but her father immediately dismissed that request, saying that it may never be recovered. He intends to buy a ring for her first thing in the morning. Katie felt very bad for her dad, knowing how important it was for him to give his mother's ring to his new wife. She wished that there was something she could do, but she had to admit that this time it was totally out of her hands. She hoped that the party would help break her discouraged mood. The car soon came to a stop, and Katie exited the vehicle. She leaned over to her father's window. "You have a good time tonight," her father said warmly. "I will, and you two have a wonderful evening as well. Thanks again for the costume, Karen. I love it." Her outfit consisted of a short red and white-checkered dress, white thigh-high stockings with shiny red maryjane shoes, and a big red cape that extended down to her knees. "It's my pleasure. I think you look adorable in it," Karen responded back graciously. "So do you in yours," Katie replied back humorously at Karen's ghoulish costume. "Be good, pumpkin, and don't stay out too late," her father said and kissed his daughter on the cheek. He then drove off. Katie placed the hood of her cape over her head, and walked up the small flight of stairs to the large brick building of the Sheehan Center. The outside of it was decorated to make it look more like a haunted house. She walked through the front doors into the foyer, and saw a colorful, smiling clown standing there. Katie reached in her picnic basket she carried and pulled out her ticket to get in the party. The money for the tickets sold were being used to fund a big raffle at the end of the festivities. Katie handed her ticket to the clown. "Cute costume, Tracy." "Thanks, I always wanted to join the circus as a kid and become a clown," she said and honked her little horn loudly. "Well, you look all adorable, Red Riding Hood. Taking a pit stop on your way over to grandmother's house?" Katie involuntary flinched at the mention of the word, grandmother. "Yeah, something like that." "Well, have fun inside. I'll see you in a little bit." Katie stepped through the doors into the gymnasium, which had been so marvelously transformed into a big Halloween party. There had to been close to sixty kids inside the spacious room. Dance music was playing over the speakers at one end of the room. She made her way through the crowd of costumed kids over to the refreshment table to get some punch. As she poured herself a cup, she noticed one of her friends, Brenda Peterson, over at the chips and snacks, piling up her small plate. The plump redhead was dressed as a witch, with an actual old looking broomstick. Brenda turned her head and saw Katie standing close by. "Hey, Katie!" "Hi, Brenda. Nice costume." "The same goes for yours. Where did you buy it?" "I didn't, Karen actually made it." Brenda looked impressed. "Wow, she's really good. I wish I knew someone who could make good costumes." "I think your costume looks really neat. I like the broomstick, adds an authentic touch." Just then, Katie felt a pair of hands grip down on her shoulders. She immediately spun around with her arms raised in a defensive position. "Whoa, Katie ... calm down, it's only me!" Stacey Campbell exclaimed, her brown eyes wide with alarm. Katie lowered her arms, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, bad habit I'm afraid." She then got a good look at Stacey's costume; she was dressed as a drop dead, sexy red devil, complete with little horns and a long pointy tail. "Do you like it?" Stacey asked as she did a little twirl. "It was my mom's costume a few years back." Brenda rolled her hazel eyes at Stacey's obvious display of vanity. Katie looked down and noticed that Stacey was wearing fishnet stockings and the exact same red high-heeled pumps that she suffered through during her dreadful experience with the white slavers. Stacey can be such a floozy when she wants to be ... "They actually let you in here wearing that?" Katie asked all surprised. "C'mon, it's not like we're little kids anymore. Anyway enough of that, I just met the hottest looking guy. He's dressed as Zorro, and he looks positively dreamy in it!" "I'm very happy for you," Katie said, knowing how ecstatic Stacey can be at times when it came to boys, particularly cute ones. "Love your costume, Katie. We do kind of match, at least in color anyway." Katie raised an eyebrow as she compared her relatively conservative costume with Stacey's rather skimpy little outfit. She could fit right into one of those gentlemen's clubs with the way she looks. Stacey continued on talking, "I'm going to go find him and introduce you, okay?" "Sure, but I'm just going to mingle around for a little bit first." Katie grabbed her cup of punch and slowly strolled along the perimeter of the gym. There were definitely some very good costumes she noticed. She spotted two girls dressed as salt & pepper shakers and a boy as Robin Hood, with green tights no less! Over in a corner, she saw someone as a very creepy looking Dracula. Katie suddenly stopped and dropped her punch at the sight of two individuals nearby. They were both wearing the exact same costumes that Christy had described as the two men that robbed her store! Katie couldn't believe what she just witnessed. She had assumed like Christy and the police, that the two perpetrators were adults. However, the things that kids get into today, she was not too surprised to suspect that the crooks could actually be a couple of teenagers. Assuming of course that those two boys she spotted were in fact the robbers. She did a little checking on the masks the crooks wore and discovered that they were very common and sold in just about every costume store around town. Still, she couldn't just sit there and ignore this possible lead. Katie saw the two of them head towards one of the exits, and she casually followed them. She opened the door and saw them in the distance. They disappeared from her view as they turned a corner. Katie stepped in after them. In the quietness of the hallway, the elevated heels of her shoes were making a discernible tapping sound against the hard floor. I got to start wearing more sensible shoes again for my capers. Katie reached down to unbuckle the straps and took off her shoes. She opened her basket and placed them inside, then continued on in her stocking feet. As Katie rounded the corner, they were no where to be seen. She saw a door up ahead, which read, "Boys". Maybe they had to go to the rest room, or maybe they needed some privacy to talk. Katie walked up to the door and slowly opened it. She stuck her head through and saw that no one appeared to be inside. Katie carefully walked into the rest room. This was nothing new for her, for she had been inside a boys rest room once before during the time at the mall when the girls room was out of order and she couldn't hold it long enough to get to the other one. She peered down at the stalls to see if any of them were occupied. She stopped at the last one and found no one present. That's strange, if they didn't come in here, then where did they go off? Katie cursed at herself for apparently losing them; she hoped that she would still be able to find them again. Just then, the door to the rest room opened. Katie panicked, and ran inside the end stall and closed it. She quickly realized to her dismay that the latch to lock the door was broken. Great, that figures ... Katie stood precariously on the toilet seat, and held the door open just a little bit to see out. She saw that the same two individuals had entered and checked the place to make sure that they were alone. They then took off their masks, revealing two teenaged boys. One was tall and lean with short brown hair, and kind of cute looking, while the other stood shorter with a stockier build and reddish-blond hair. Katie carefully studied their faces, but didn't recognize either of the boys. The short one produced a small bag from underneath the black cloak of his costume. He opened it and pulled out some pieces of jewelry! Katie's eyes widen at seeing that. "You kept some of the jewelry? Are you crazy, that stuff is hot!" the tall one exclaimed. "Would you just relax, there was a whole bunch there, and I figure that I take a few pieces as a bonus. She didn't pay us very well for that job anyway." Katie reacted to that statement with surprise. She? Who's she? Someone hired those two to rob a jewelry store? "Anyway, she doesn't care about making any money, all she wanted was that stupid necklace." Now Katie was starting to figure out their little scheme. Someone heists a jewelry store just to get one item, but makes it look like an ordinary robbery. But what's this necklace? What's so special about it? Katie moved in closer to the door to get a better look at the pieces of jewelry, in the hopes that her grandmother's ring was among them, when suddenly she lost her balance, and her foot fell into the bowl with a loud SPLASH! She stepped off the toilet and winced as she heard the two of them approach in her direction. A second later the door swung open, and Katie came face-to-face with two very annoyed looking crooks! CHAPTER FIVE Katie tried not to look scared as she attempted to bluff her way out of this bad situation. "Hey, what are two doing in the girls rest room?" she spoke as if surprised. They both looked at each other a little confused. "Girls room?" the tall one spoke. "Then how do you explain the urinals over there?" He gestured with his thumb to a corner of the room. "Oh ... I'm very sorry. I guess I was in such a hurry, I didn't read the sign properly," Katie said as she stepped out of the stall and proceeded to leave. The tall one then suddenly grabbed her arm to stop her. "Hold on there, you were eavesdropping on us, weren't you?" "Eavesdropping? I don't what you're talking about? I just had to go relieve myself," she spoke in an innocent tone. "Now please let go of my arm!" "Really, then how come your foot is wet?" the short one spoke. Katie looked down and saw that her foot was soaked through her stocking, making it appear pasty white. "Oh that, I just ... " Without warning, Katie jabbed her elbow hard into the tall boy's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Then she quickly shoved the other one against the wall, and took off running for the exit. Before Katie could get to the door, her wet foot slipped against the smooth, tiled floor, and she tumbled down with a painful WHAP! As Katie managed to get herself back up, the tall one quickly tackled her down. Realizing she couldn't break free of his body weight, she started to scream. "Help meeee ... mmmmph!" A hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her cries. The other one rushed over and helped pull Katie back up on her feet. "What are we gonna do? She heard us about robbing that jewelry store!" the short one spoke nervously. The tall one held onto Katie tight as he was thinking, then came up with an idea. "We'll take her to the boss, she'll know what to do with her," he said in a menacing tone as Katie looked up at him with dread in her green eyes. CHAPTER SIX "How are we gonna get her out of here? The only way out is back through the party," the short one announced nervously. "Take off the sash from your cloak, and use it to tie her hands together," the tall one responded quickly. The short one did so and binded Katie's slender wrists tightly behind her back. "Now we have to find something to gag her to keep her quiet. Wished we still had that duct tape." Thinking quickly, the short one reached down to Katie's legs. She squirmed and tried to kick him as he peeled off her stockings one at a time. He rolled one up in a ball and shoved it in her mouth, then quickly placed the other one between her lips and tied it securely in back of her head. Katie almost retched at the thought of her stocking being in the toilet. After that, he removed his long cloak and draped it over Katie's body. Then he grabbed his monster mask from the sink, placed it over her head, and clasped it onto the cloak""it was part of one whole costume. "There, now she looks more like one of the party guests." The tall one was impressed. "Not bad at all, pretty clever disguising her like that." The tall one dragged Katie along while the other one opened the door to exit the rest room. Katie grunted angrily through the makeshift stocking gag, and fought with each step she was coerced to take. The mask over her head was a little big on her, so she had trouble seeing through the eyeholes. Katie heard the noises of the party grow loud as they all entered back into the gym. She cried out as loud as she could, but the volume of the music muted what little sounds the gag permitted. Her bare feet squeaked against the polished, hardwood floor as she still tried to prevent them from taking her out of there. Through one of the eyeholes, she managed to see her friends up ahead talking. As she past by them, Katie kicked out with her foot, knocking over Brenda's broomstick. "Hey, what's your problem?" Brenda yelled out. The two boys halted for a moment; Katie spun around and struggled with them frantically in a desperate attempt to get their attention that it was she underneath the costume. "I'm very sorry about that, my friend here is having a little seizure, and we just need to get him outside for a moment," the short one spoke quickly. "If he's having a seizure, shouldn't you remove his mask?" Stacey asked concerned. Katie mumbled louder at hearing that. It frustrated her that she was only a mere ten feet away from her friends, and none of them had even the faintest clue that she was being held against her will. "Thanks for the concern, but we know how to handle this," the tall one replied, and quickly began to hustle Katie out. Katie soon felt a cool breeze hit her and realized that they were now outside. She was quickly dragged to the rear part of the building. Her foot stepped on a sharp rock and she mewled in pain. She had difficulty walking and was slowing their progress. "Come on, quit stalling!" the tall one yelled at her. "Would you just carry her instead, no one is around to see us anyway," the short one said. Katie squealed as she felt herself being picked up bodily and carried over his shoulder. She noticed them taking her to a car parked nearby. The back door was opened and Katie was shoved inside. She managed to get herself up into a sitting position and looked around. She saw the two boys had sat up front and started the car. Katie screamed again through her gag, and kicked out frantically with her feet at the front seats. "Hey, cut it out back there!" the tall one yelled back at her. He then raised his hand, which held a long knife. The sharp, steel blade shimmered threateningly from the overhead streetlight. The car started up, and Katie sat back down motionless as she quietly contemplated on the latest mess she'd gotten herself into ... CHAPTER SEVEN Having that rubber mask over her head for quite sometime, Katie's face began to sweat profusely, and she found breathing to be somewhat difficult, especially with that mouth-filling gag on her. Since she had been in the car, Katie kept working on the sash around her wrists, and eventually it started to loosen a bit. She knew that if kept at it, it should slip off. It didn't take long before the car came to a stop at a quiet, residential neighborhood in the city. She looked around through the windows and saw houses with lights on, and kids in the distance dressed in costumes trick-or-treating from door to door. It was then that her hands broke free of her bonds! Katie kept her hands behind her back to pretend that she was still tied up. Katie watched as the short one exited the vehicle and came to the back door to take her out. She waited patiently to make her move. The car door opened, and a hand grabbed her arm to pull her out. She stepped out of the car, her bare feet touching the cold pavement of the sidewalk. Catching the boy completely by surprise, Katie grabbed his arm and quickly swung him forcefully around her, sending him into an assortment of garbage cans with a noisy CRASH! She then took off running. The tall one, who was still seated in the driver's seat, climbed out the car and helped his friend. Katie didn't care that she didn't have any shoes on; she just kept on running as far as she could get from them. During her sprint, she tried to remove the mask from her head, but realized that it was attached to the cloak. She would have to stop running to figure out how to remove it, and that was something she couldn't do at the moment. Katie rounded a corner and saw a house up ahead with the porch light on""she dashed for it at top speed. She went up the stairs and tripped on the long cloak, causing her to fall flat on her face on the wooden porch. Katie quickly picked herself up and rang the doorbell. While she nervously waited, she again tried to take off the mask, but it still wouldn't come off. What the heck is holding this damn mask in place, a padlock? Katie then heard the sounds of running footsteps, and looked over to her left""she saw the two boys in the distance. She urgently rang the bell again, and just then the door opened. Through the screen door, Katie saw an attractive, middle-aged woman holding a large bowl full of bite-sized candy. "Oooo ... What a scary looking ghoul," she said in a feigned scared tone. "Mmmmmmph!!" Katie mumbled loudly to her through the gag still fastened in her mouth. She spun her head around and saw them approaching in her direction! Reacting quickly, Katie opened the screen door and rushed inside the house, knocking the woman to the floor, the bowl of candy flying all over the place. She then slammed the front door shut and locked it with the chain. "Hey, just what do you think you're doing barging in here like that! Get out of here before I call the police!" she said angrily as she got herself back on her feet. Katie worked on getting the mask off again, and this time she succeeded. The woman's mouth dropped open at the sight of Katie looking all wild-eyed and sweaty with a white stocking fixed tightly in her mouth. "Oh, my ... " she managed to say with her hand held up to her mouth. However, before Katie could get the gag out of her mouth, the door suddenly burst open with a loud CRASH! The two females looked up startled at the two masked intruders! CHAPTER EIGHT The woman was taken aback by all that was happening around her. Katie noticed that the short one, whose mask she had with her, was now wearing a black ski mask, no doubt to conceal his identity. She started to run off, but was quickly tackled down to the floor by the short one. The woman also began to run for the back door, but the tall one stopped her dead in the hallway. He grabbed hold of her and clamped his hand over mouth before she was able to utter a scream. "Are you alone?" he hissed at her in a low, menacing voice. She slowly moved her head up and down answering yes. He then dragged her back into the living room. The black cloak and red her cape were removed, and the sash was again tied around Katie's wrists. The short one then grabbed one of the sofa pillows nearby and removed its cover. Using his knife, he cut the cover into several long strips, and tied one of them securely around Katie's bare ankles. The tall one forced the woman down on her knees. After finished with Katie, he went over to the woman and began tying her up with the remaining strips""wrists behind her back and ankles together. A wad of cloth was forced in her mouth, with the last strip wedged between her teeth and tied tightly in back of her head. The tall one opened the front door and stepped outside. A moment later, he came back pulling in a large plastic garbage container from the curb outside. He opened the lid and both boys picked up Katie, who fought them despite her bound condition, and placed her inside the cramped container. They also threw the cloak and cape in with her and snap-locked the lid into place. The woman sat there on the floor in total disbelief at what she was witnessing. She could hear poor Katie's muffled cries from inside the garbage container. The short one bent down and picked up some of the candy that was scattered all over the floor. "Trick or treat," they both said in unison as they wheeled the container out and waved goodbye at the frightened bound and gagged lady of the house. CHAPTER NINE The container that Katie was in reeked of stale food and other types of odors she couldn't quite recognize""not that she would want to know. It was very stuffy inside, and with no air holes present, she tried to conserve as much air as possible; she hoped that they would get her out soon before she suffocated. Finally after what seemed like a small eternity, she heard the lid open and popped her head up to take in a breath of cool, fresh air into her starved lungs. She was lifted out of the cramped container and placed onto her feet. She quickly took note of her surroundings, and saw a large house on a hill. It looked old and foreboding, just like the house on "Psycho." She felt the cloth tied around her ankles come free, and was being escorted to the old house on foot. The terrain under her bare feet was rocky and uneven""which explained why she was taken out of the container. Katie was careful not to step on another rock. Even though her red maryjane's weren't the most practical of shoes to wear, she wished that she still had them back on. They reached the front door, and one of them opened it with an eerie creak. The hairs on the back of Katie's neck stood up as they led her into the dark, creepy house. In the darkness, Katie saw a faint light up ahead and heard a soft, murmuring sound. She was led towards the light, which was coming from the bottom of some stairs going down, most likely to the basement. Upon reaching the door, the murmuring sounds grew louder. The trio stopped and the tall one knocked on the door three times. After a short pause the door slowly opened to reveal a dark, hooded figure standing before them. The person was wearing a dark robe, the face of the figure was hidden in the shadow of the hood as he/she stepped to one side to allow them to pass through. Katie was beginning to wonder exactly what kind of trouble she was really in, and soon after she let a loud shriek through her gag at the ghastly sight before her! CHAPTER TEN Katie gasped at the unholy sight before her. Large pillars of stone stood up and formed a large circle in the middle of a enormous undergroudn hall""sort of like Stonehenge. Around the circle were at least twenty hooded figures, kneeling and chanting some form of gibberish, and in the center was a large, stone slab. Torches mounted on the walls provided the only light shown. Katie saw in the far end of the circle a figure approach her. A closer look at the person revealed it to be woman. She guessed this must their 'boss' they mentioned back in the restroom. She was tall and thin, and dressed all in black from head to toe, even her long, straight hair was jet black. Her face, however, was a stark contrast to her wardrobe; pale white skin, blood red lips, and ice cold blue eyes that stared right through into Katie's soul. Just the mere presence of her sent goosebumps racing all over Katie's body. The woman, who looked more like a priestess, stopped and fixed her attention on Katie. "What is this?" she asked as coldly as her appearance. The tall one stepped towards her and spoke. "This girl knows that we robbed that jewelry store today, so we decided to bring her here to keep her from telling the cops about us." The priestess then looked at the boy with fury in her dark eyes and struck him hard across his face, sending him down on his knees. "You fool, how dare you interrupt the ceremony when it is almost commencing!" The boy was dazed as he held his while looking to the floor, not wanting to look up as he continued speaking. "Please forgive me, I-I don't know what I was thinking. I was only trying to do the right thing." Katie could see that he was trembling in fear as he just stayed there crouched on the floor. The priestess then returned her gaze back to Katie and stepped right up to her. She slowly reached out with her hand and stroked Katie's cheek with one of her long, black fingernails. Katie wanted to back away, but for some strange reason she felt powerless to do so. It was like her legs wouldn't move. "This one may suffice. She's young and healthy, and I sense a virgin as well." Katie growled angrily to her at that remark. The priestess raised her hand up as a gesture, and twohooded woman approached. "Take her to the sacrificial alter, we'll use her instead of the goat." The hooded woman then grabbed Katie, and dragged her over to the center of the circle. As she approached the slab, Katie panicked even more when she saw what appeared to be dried blood on it! CHAPTER ELEVEN Before Katie could comprehend everything that was happening, she was securely fastened to the stone slab; her arms and legs were stretched out to the four corners. Katie groaned painfully at the strain on her limbs. Lying on her back, she could see what her captors were doing, and it didn't look good at all. Katie watched as the priestess returned back to her original post. She noticed that she was holding onto something, and pulled it up towards her. It appeared to be a round, gold medallion with a small, green crystal in the center of it. Strange markings adorned the circumference of the piece. So that's what she was after in the jewelry store? The priestess placed the medallion around her neck and began chanting along with the rest of the group circled around. Katie looked over and saw the two boys standing just outside the circle. She could see that they didn't at all look happy about what was happening; like they felt sorry that she was going to be killed. Katie tugged fiercely at the ropes that held her wrists and ankles, but they would not give. There seemed to be no way out this. Katie began to come to grips with her situation. Unless some sort of miracle happened, she was a goner for sure. The chanting began to increase steadily in volume, and the hooded figures began to rise slowly in unison. Katie saw a flash of light coming from the corner of her eye and turned to see the priestess standing directly over her. A soft, pulsing, green glow was emitting from the crystal in the medallion. The chanting abruptly stopped, and the priestess began speaking in normal english. "By the power of the sacred Loc Nar, I command you Samhain to grant us power and everlasting life." She then looked down at Katie, who continued to squirm fruitlessly, and raised her hand up revealing a sharp dagger! Katie squealed at the sight of that and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would all be over quickly. "I present to you this sacrifice as a token of our eternal gratitude to you." Katie opened one eye and saw the priestess ready to plunge the dagger through her chest, when suddenly, a shrieking cry was heard. Both Katie and the priestess turned to it and saw one of the robed figures overcome by flames. He was writhing and screaming as he attempted to extinguish the fire by rolling on the floor. Katie soon saw how he was caught on fire""one of the boys had a torch in his hand. "Let her go!" the tall one shouted. The priestess cackled wickedly at them. "Seize them!" she shouted and the hooded men rushed at the two boys. The other one also grabbed a nearby torch and swung it at the advancing henchmen. The odds were fifteen to one, and despite the advantage of fire the boys had, the henchmen wouldn't let them pass through to Katie. "Those two infidels, how dare they come between me and my reward. I must hurry and finish it before it's too late," she said and proceeded to strike the dagger at the helpless Katie. CHAPTER TWELVE Katie closed her eyes again as she saw the priestess plunging the dagger towards her. It was at that moment for a fraction of a second that Katie felt perfectly at peace with herself, as if she wasn't afraid of dying. She accepted her fate. But as Katie waited for the cold steel to pierce her soft, warm flesh, nothing happened. Puzzled, she again opened her eyes slowly and saw something that caused her to react with alarm. The priestess still remained standing over Katie, but was completely motionless""like a statue. However, what really caught Katie's attention was the medallion around her neck""the green crystal started to glow and was rapidly shining brighter and brighter. The priestess suddenly began to move backwards, dropping the dagger to the ground. She cast a shocked look as her face turned paler than it already was, and then let out a loud, piercing scream, which caught everyone else's attention. Katie looked back over at the two boys who were trying to rescue her, and noticed that they all stopped fighting, staring past her in total disbelief. She turned her head back over to the priestess and gasped at what she witnessed as well. The priestess' eyes, nostrils, and mouth all started to glow, as if light was shining from inside of her. She started to shake uncontrollably in convulsions, then a green stream of light instantly shot out from her open mouth with a loud WHOOSH, and went sailing towards one of her henchmen. It hit him square in the chest, and the force of the blow was so strong, that it actually lifted him off the ground and hurled him over to the far end of the room, smashing him solidly into the concrete wall with a body shattering THUD! One of the other henchmen started to flee for the exit, but was cut down by another volley of that green glow. Panic then overcame the room as the remaining henchmen ran for their very lives. During the chaos, the two boys quickly rushed over to Katie and began untying the ropes from her wrists and ankles. After one of her hands was free, she reached over to her mouth and tore the gag off. "Please hurry!" she yelled out frantically. "I'm working on it!" the tall one responded back. Finally the last of her bonds came undone and Katie hopped off the slab. She saw pandemonium all around her as unearthly streams of green light were flying all around her. Shrieking cries of the henchmen filled the room as their bodies were being tossed through the air like they were nothing more than rag dolls. Katie turned to see the priestess again and noticed that she was shaking even more wildly now. She sort of resembled a bomb that was ready to explode. "Come on, let's get out of here!" she yelled at her two now-rescuers. As they desperately were making their way for the door, a bolt of that green lightning suddenly struck the short one. "Ahhhhh!!" he cried out in horrible pain as he fell to the ground. The tall one stopped and went back over to him. "Leave me ... save yourself!" he shouted weakly. "Oh, no you don't, you're not getting off that easy. If I'm going to prison for burglary and kidnapping, you're going to be there watching my back in the shower stalls." He tried to laugh a little through the pain as he was being lifted off the ground. "You always did manage to find the humor in any situation." "Who's being funny, do you realize just how big those guys in prison are?" Katie was waiting nervously at the door while she held it open. "Could you two please cut the chatter, we have an apocalypse to escape!" The two of them finally made their way to her and Katie clutched the other arm and helped the injured boy. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the whole house started to shake violently. Debris began falling all around as the trio headed straight for the front door. A large chandelier that hung in the long hallway came smashing down to the floor with a deafening CRASH, landing only mere inches from them. Katie let out a loud, involuntary scream. "Girls ... " the tall one scoffed. Katie gave him a quick sneer at that little remark. The front door was just up ahead. Katie turned her head back to where the basement stairs were and spotted a bright green glow emanating from below. Just then, a high-pitched ringing sound began to quickly amplify throughout the house. The piercing noise was hurting their ears as they now made a mad dash for the door! CHAPTER THIRTEEN The screeching noise was now becoming unbearable as they finally reached the door. Katie let go of the injured boy and held it open for them to pass through. It was every person for themselves as the three of them took off running through the front yard. Every window in the house began to glow brightly, and then erupted in a thunderous BOOM of green light. The force of the shockwave was so powerful; it sent them all hurling to the ground. After it was over they all just lied there, grateful that each made it out in one piece. "Everyone okay?" the tall one spoke weakly. "Whoa ... " Katie spoke softly as she sat up and was shocked to see that the large house had just completely vanished. She turned and looked at the tall one with both anger and confusion in her troubled green eyes. "Alright just what exactly was that thing you both stole for her, and who the hell were those characters with the really freaky ceremony?" "I don't know, some kind of weird necklace that she really needed and knew was at that jewelry store. And I honestly don't know, and didn't want to know who they were, we were just the hired help." The approaching sound of sirens was soon heard in the distance. "That's it, I'm going to jail. I'm never going to see my mother again," the short one moaned out in despair. He then turned to his friend with a sparkle in his eye. "Hey, we could still escape. I mean she's not going to able stop the both of us, right? We could even use her as a hostage if necessary." Katie sat up a bit fearful, wondering if their little truce had just expired. "Seriously, Brian, where are we going to go, huh? It's too late now," the tall one responded back to him all worn out on the ground. "We really did it this time, they're going to lock us up for sure." Katie started to feel sorry for the tall one, and approached him. "I'll tell you what, one of the rings you took was my grandmother's, and I really need to have it back, so if you could return it to me, I'll drop the kidnapping charge, okay?" He sat up at hearing that and looked at Katie with a surprised look on his face. "You would do that?" "You saved my life. You didn't have to, but you did anyway, and I'm very grateful for that." Katie really looked at him for the first time. She saw those dreamy, blue eyes underneath his grimy, yet well chiseled face. "Well, I couldn't just stand there and let them kill you like that. I mean petty burglary is one thing, murder is entirely different""I do have morals believe it or not." Katie gave him a slight grin. "I'm sure you do, even though you did have me tied up and gagged." "Sorry about that, no hard feelings?" He then moved closer to her. "And since I did save your life, I would think that entitles me one date with you""when I eventually get out," he spoke rather assuredly. "Well ... I don't make it a point to go out with criminals, I do have a reputation to keep as a detective, but in your case I might make an exception." She also moved in a little closer to him""their faces now only a foot apart. "However, I didn't get your name." "It's Jake ... Jake Perry." "Well, Jake ... I guess it's a date then." Jake grinned and gently leaned over, kissing Katie softly on the lips, which she returned in kind. CHAPTER FOURTEEN Katie did get her grandmother's ring back just in time for the wedding, and the rest of the stolen jewelry was also all accounted for. Since the two thieves were only seventeen years of age, and the judge showed some leniency on them, they each got six months at the juvenile detention center along with six more months of community service. Katie could still not believe that she actually made a date with a convicted felon (okay, a boy doing some time in juvie). Still, she couldn't get over how gorgeous he really was. Of course her dad would certainly not approve of her dating some 'hood', as he would call him. Katie decided to keep this whole Jake thing under wraps until the time was right""which may be never. As far as the identity of that mysterious cult, nobody knows for sure who they really were. The police were completely baffled as to what had happened at the house. The underground hall were the stone of circles was located had been completely collapsed. The strange thing was that the house was never registered and that there was never any record of its existence. The data of who owned the land surrounding the house had somehow disappeared with a computer glitch. The robed people where nowhere to be found, it was like all those people had completely vanished off the face of the earth. This certainly was one case that Katie will never forget.