The Power Page 0,55

must be best for whatever he's going to do. And worst for us fighting him."

"Except," Adam said, "if we know he's" going to move - and he doesn't know we know it. He won't realize we're prepared."

There were thoughtful nods around the Circle. It was the day after Thanksgiving and everyone who had come to rescue Cassie the day before was gathered at Adam's house. Cassie had told them what had happened in the clearing before they came - except about Jordan asking for the Master Tools. This she'd whispered to Adam and Diana in front of Diana's house last night. Now she looked at the two of them with a question in her eyes.

Adam and Diana both regarded the group unhappily. "Right," Adam said. "I guess we'd better tell them. Since he knows, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Faye must have found out somehow," Diana said, looking more unhappy than ever. "She went to Black John - "

"No," Cassie said.

Diana looked at her, surprised. "But - "

"Not Faye," Cassie said, grimly and with absolute certainty. "Sean."

Adam cursed softly. Diana stared at him, then at Cassie. Then she whispered, "Oh, my God."

"What about Sean? What did he do?" Deborah demanded. Nick was very alert, his narrow eyes fixed on Cassie.

After a glance at Diana - who nodded and leaned her head on one hand - Cassie said simply to Deborah, "He told Black John that Adam and Diana and I had found the Master Tools."

"You found - you mean you guys - you mean you really - ?" Deborah was sputtering. The others looked speechless with amazement.

"Cassie led us to them," Adam said. "They were in the fireplace at Number Twelve. On the way back we ran into Sean, who said he'd seen a light. But you think ... ?" He looked at Cassie.

Cassie took a deep breath. "I think Black John has been influencing him all along. I think he was the one who stole the hematite from my room. I figured it out last night, when I was trying to get to sleep. I started thinking about who could have told Black John - and I kept getting this flash of Sean the first time I saw him. He was wearing a belt with his name carved on some shiny stone. I used to see him wear it all the time, but now that it's cold and everybody's wearing sweaters, I haven't noticed it. But I'll bet he's been wearing it underneath, and I'll bet he was wearing it that night he came out in his pajama top. And I'll bet that shiny stone is - "

"Hematite," half a dozen bleak voices chorused, and everyone looked at Melanie.

"Hematite or lodestone," Melanie confirmed. "Yes, it is; I've seen that belt too. How incredibly stupid of us. It never even occurred to me."

Nick leaned forward. "So you think Faye wasn't the one who told Black John we were wearing amethysts as protection? You think Sean did that?"

Cassie looked at the hard line of his mouth. "It wasn't his fault, Nick. If Black John got into his mind - well, I know how I felt when he was trying to get into my mind. Sean wouldn't have been able to resist. In fact, we saw that he couldn't resist, at the assembly when he volunteered to be a hall monitor. I had to yell at him to break the trance."

"Sean . . . God!" Laurel said, settling back. "It's just too awful."

"I'm afraid it's worse," Cassie said. She stared down at Mrs. Franklin's coffee table, pressing one hand flat against it. She didn't know how to say this next. "You guys, I think ... I think Black John used Sean to commit the murders."

There was a deafening silence. Even Diana looked too horrified to support Cassie. But Adam looked into her eyes and then slowly, shutting his own eyes, nodded.

"Yes," he said.

"Oh, no," said Suzan.

"I think" - Cassie swallowed - "that he could have written a note to Kori the night before, asking her to meet him in front of school. She wouldn't have suspected him; she'd have just thought it was Circle business. He could have come up behind her, and - "

"I'll kill him!" Doug shouted, jumping up. Nick and Deborah grabbed him, but by then Chris was shouting too, lunging for the door. Adam and Melanie wrestled him to the ground.

"It wasn't him; it wasn't Sean," Cassie shouted. "Listen to me, you guys! It was Black John; he's