"And this has happened before? The same way?"
He nodded. "Not recently, and not the same way, which is what makes it puzzling. Maybe three, four weeks ago. One of the graduates was found after the ceremony. She had a severe head injury. But there was a fallen piece of mortar nearby from the roof. So we were not sure if that could have caused it or if it had been deliberately done."
Cora paused, feeling thoughtful. The first death might be a coincidence. But the second one?
"Sounds like you might have a problem with your water. Did you get it tested?"
He shrugged. "We took samples for testing from the tanks. The tests came back normal, or as close to it as can be."
"Was there a tox screen for Heidi?"
He shook his head. "No. The police said they would do tests, but I understand those results will take a long time, maybe a few weeks, to come back. She died just over two weeks ago."
Cora looked at the copper urn. It had a flat bottom and was about a yard in diameter, big enough for someone to stand in and deep enough that the water would cover their feet. So Heidi had stood here; she had bathed in the water. She had drunk it and had died.
“How often do people get admitted to the inner circle?”
“We have a very carefully thought out system because we require them to learn and to achieve. Eventually, a select few reach the true inner circle, but more people move up the levels regularly. One or two a week. The first woman who died, Serena Cheron, had achieved a higher level. Heidi was about to become a full member."
Was she missing something here? Many other acolytes had been accepted into the cult or moved up a level before and since the deaths. Why had only these two women died?
"What happens to the water afterward?" she asked.
He pointed. "There is a plug there, a piece of cork. We pull it, and the water drains out through a pipe which leads to the back of the church."
"And it's filled how?"
He pointed a few inches above her head to a tap set high in the wall.
"The water is piped through that tap."
"Who has access to this copper tub?" she asked.
"It's filled by the most recent graduates. They take it in turns. I mean, it's not difficult. They just open the tap and wait for it to be at ankle level. It does stand here unattended for a while during the ceremony outside."
She realized his voice was hypnotic. The rise and fall of his words was strangely compelling. It was almost as if when he spoke, he was persuading her that what he said was true. No wonder he’d had such success in converting his acolytes and growing his foundation.
With an effort, she wrenched herself away from the compelling force of his personality and those gleaming dark eyes.
“So someone could have sneaked in here and poisoned it once it had been poured?” she asked, still thinking of Heidi’s scenario.
He nodded somberly. "I guess so. But why? We have never had a problem. I don't see how anyone could want to do this. We didn't want to get the police involved. It creates an atmosphere of disharmony, having outsiders prying in. But we had to in the end, and they found nothing."
“Maybe the police can’t be bothered to investigate an organization that is really nothing more than a cult,” she spat at him.
“That’s not true!” he retorted.
“You lure people into your cult using glamorous events. You have a whole levels system that sounds like a way to keep them hooked in. You hold weird rituals. You literally pry people away from their families and forbid them to see them again. And then, you basically have a bunch of people who are under your control. No wonder things go wrong here. It’s amazing more people haven't died. Or maybe they have, and you've just covered it up so far because the other times, you've known who did it."
He shook his head. “You have completely the wrong impression of us, and I can see why.”
“So prove me wrong,” Cora said.
"Yes, there are elements of spirituality and ritual in our foundation. And yes, if you reach the inner circle, then you can choose to turn your back on the outside world, but that's your choice. Some do, and some don't. We have inner circle members who leave the foundation every weekend for a family dinner with their parents or siblings. We have others who choose not to and prefer to remain apart. By our nature, we do attract troubled people who are looking for answers, and we try our best to help them.”
“Really?” Cora asked.
“We've helped addicts, prostitutes, people who've been at rock bottom. Maybe you should admit that if the police have not closed us down, then we actually are legitimate and do some good?”
