The Sacred Order

SYNOPSIS

Three mysterious murders have occurred in the small town of Pennington, North Carolina.  All of the victims are successful women with seemingly no connection, except the tattoo they all have on their left arms.  Detective Stephanie Pierce is assigned to the case believing this is the work of a serial killer.  As she investigates, she uncovers a world where witches and ghosts reside within the confines of the town's elite. With few clues to follow, Stephanie enlists the help of two reluctant pagans who know more than they are willing to tell.  But will Stephanie and her witchy friends be able to stop a killer who may not be flesh and blood?



         Shelly didn't understand how she managed to get to the phone. She was so terrified that she didn't even remeber getting into the car and driving to the cottage that she owned on the beach.  She didn't remember if she had left her husband a note letting him know where she was.  All she knew waas here she was, rummaging through her ruby red Coach bag, looking for her miniscule address book.  Finding it, she quickly flipped her manicured fingers through the pages, finding a number near the back of the tiny book.  Sitting on the bed, she grabbed the phone with one hand and held the address book in the other.  It only took her a few seconds to dial the numbers.



         "C'mon, c'mon, you have to be home," she mumbled as she listened to the phone ring twice, then three times.  Finally, on the fourth ring, the answering machine came on and she heard a female's voice informing her that no one was available to take her call.  After the beep, Shelly nearly shouted into the phone, "Maya, this is SilverMoon.  I know we haven't talked in a while, but I really need your help.  I'm in trouble, a lot of trouble.  Please call me as soon as possible at 555-1432.  That's my beach house.  I'll be here.  And don't tell anybody that you've heard from me.  Please call me, or better yet, come up here.  I know you remember how to get here."



         Hanging up, Shelly placed the phone back in its place on the nightstand beside the bed.  All she could do was hope that Maya called her back, and soon.



         Standing up, she took notice of her surroundings for the first time since she had entered the house.  The master bedroom was decorated completely in white, the carpet, the furniture, the bedding and the drapes.  The room could have easily been divided into a small apartment itself.  One side possessed sliding glass doors that led to a comfortably furnished terrace.  The king sized sleigh bed lay near the doors with snow white night stands positioned on either side.  Across from the bed sat a large screen television and a complete stereo setup.  About ten feet away on the other side of the room was a sunken sitting room, complete with a white sofa, recliner, and loveseat surrounding a glass coffee table.  A fireplace had been built into the farthest wall, but Shelly rarely used it.  Next to it was the door to the bathroom, and Shelly wearily began moving in that direction, dropping pieces of her red pants suit as she went.  By the time she entered the bathroom she was down to her lacy red bra, panties, and support hose.  Walking to the tub, she turned teh faucets on full blast and watched the water forcefully flow.  A few minutes later, she was lying in a hot tub full of fluffy bubbles, and before long she drifted into a light sleep.



         She didn't know how long she had been in the tub, but the water had cooled and the bubbles were nearly gone.  That didn't bother her, for she normally took long baths.  But she felt something disturbing in the air, something that had awakened her.  Standing up, Shelly reached for the towels on teh rack beside the tub and wrapped her thin, five foot, nine inch ivory frame in a large white bath sheet.  Carefully stepping out of the tub, Shelly lightly walked into the bedroom.  Going into her walk-in closet, Shelly removed a white silk nightdress from its hanger and pulled it over her damp body.  She was still pulling her long blond hair out of its low collar as she walked back into her room.  That's when she noticed a figure on the bed, dressed in a scarlet hooded robe.  She froze in the middle of the floor, and her face took on a deathly white pallor.



         "I didn't expect to see you here," she stammered. "I just came to be alone."



         The cloaked figure continued to star wordlessly at Shelly, not moving, not making a sound.



         "I swear, I won't tell anyone.  You have nothing to fear from me.  Please just let me go.  I promise I'll never do anything to hurt you.  Just let me go," Shelly pleaded.



          The apparition suddenly stood up and walked over to her.  Shelly could see nothing of the face, just the eyes, huge and almond shaped, that were first brown and then turned into a blood red.  Shelly couldn't tear her gaze away from those eyes, nor could she breathe at that moment.  Clutching her throat, she began gasping as if she were choking.  Reaching out to the cloakded figure, Shelly tried to grab the dark robe.  However, even though the figure stood directly in from of her, Shelly's fingers slipped through the robe as if it was made of air.  The figure watched Shelly as she held her throat and gasped for air, thrashing about the room.  Finally, Shelly fell limply to the ground.  The apparition went to stand over Shelly's lifeless body that now lay at the foot of the bed.  Then turning, the figure walked toward the glass doors and shimmered out of sight.