"Maybe she was adopted and had her name changed, and she wasn't exactly sure which of the five she actually was."
'That's pushing it, don't you think?" She sipped at her coffee for a moment. "Helen told me that she'd tried to find out who her parents were, and that's why we were involved."
"The first victim had also begun looking for relatives." Maybe their killer worked for the government department responsible for adoptions. Why else would they all be killed after they'd begun inquiries, and not before? "Had you?"
She shook her head, grimacing slightly. "Too afraid to." If she hadn't have been, she might now be dead, right alongside Helen. He reached out and clasped her hand. "Sometimes it's better not to know." She wrenched her hand from his. "Have you got parents? Family?"
"Yes."
'Then how the hell could you know that? You've never known what it's like to be alone, knowing there was no-one—no-one—you could really turn to when..." She broke off, but her unfinished sentence whispered through him, sharp with pain and memories. When the bad things happened. She was right, of course. He could never know what it had been like for her, but he could imagine. For the last ten years he'd been alone, away from his family, and it had certainly provided an insight. And yeah, he'd had friends and the occasional lover to fill the void, but it just wasn't the same.
And she'd spent her entire life with that feeling. "At least you had Helen," he murmured lamely.
She looked down at the table. "Yeah. I guess I did." He watched her a minute longer, then resignedly got out his cell phone and dialed Camille. He quickly filled her in on what the ghostly Helen had told Kirby.
"I was afraid of this," Camille muttered. 'That circle being carved into the doors has to represent an elemental circle."
"Which is?" He pulled the phone away from his ear so Kirby could hear. The old witch had a loud voice, and it would carry across the table easily enough.
"It was thought for a long time to be little more than a myth, but we've been doing some research and our findings are saying otherwise." She sniffed.
"An elemental circle is the combination of five elements—fire, water, earth and air. The fifth element is strength. One of those five is usually the binding element. We think it might be strength, but as no one's encountered an elemental circle before now, we can't be sure."
"Sounds like a pentagram."
"It ain't. A pentagram is used to perform magic or to protect. An elemental circle is a force."
"Why would one of the five be killing the others, if they need each other to work this circle?"
"She's not just killing them, she's sucking their abilities from them. Maybe she tasted the power once and now hungers for it all." His gaze met Kirby's. The caretaker had said they'd formed the circle to attack him. That's when it had started, all those years ago. But why wait until now to attack? It didn't make any sense. "One of those three names on your list might be the killer, Camille."
"If the list is right, Kirby certainly wasn't on it."
"It's the only real lead we have right now. We have no other choice but to trust it."
Camille grunted. 'True. I'll take Trina Jones. You two can take Vicki Campbell and Marline Thomas. If none of us is successful, Russ can continue the search tonight."
"You got addresses?" He pulled a pen from his pocket and grabbed a table napkin, quickly jotting them down as Camille read them out. There were close to fifteen. They weren't going to get through them all today.
"Kirby wants to head home and grab some money and clothes, then we'll head off."
"Don't go back to your car. Leave whatever is in her bag right where it is. Safer that way for you both."
He frowned. "Someone will report it as abandoned."
"So? You didn't actually rent it did you?"
He glanced at Kirby. She'd raised an eyebrow, a knowing gleam in her eyes.
"Well, no." And he'd worn gloves when driving, so they wouldn't find his prints. But they'd find Kirby's. And they'd find her backpack.
"Believe an old witch when she says its best not to go back to that car. If she saw you in Rachel Grant's house, she's had the time to set a trap. Kirby's probably got a car. Use that."
He hadn't thought of that. He raised an eyebrow in query, and she nodded.
"Keep in contact, Shapechanger. Hourly reports."
"Will do." He disconnected and tucked the phone away. Kirby picked up the list, studying it. 'The third address is actually not far away from my place."