Antsy to the point of pulling her hair out, she got off the stool and went to the deck. She could see her yellow cottage. Apparently, the power company had been there, and Kit had turned the kitchen light on. Deep in thought, all she cared about at the moment was locating Renée, praying she was safe.
From her view, she watched the sun make its slow descension, noting the pale yet striking palette of colors streaking across the blue sky. Pink and violet—some deeper, others a pale pastel—blended into so many shades, Ali felt like she’d stepped into a painting, a masterpiece. Amazed, she walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the beauty marking the end of the day. She almost had to pinch herself when she realized she could now see this any day she wanted. Taking her cell from her pocket, she noted the time. It was almost eight o’clock; she’d been waiting well over two hours, with no news of Renée and nothing from Kit, though she saw her lights were still on when she stepped out onto the deck. The cooler evening air emitted a briny scent, reminding her of seaweed. While it wasn’t a horrible smell, it wasn’t exactly pleasant. Could have something to do with the tides, she thought.
As she returned to her perch on the stool, hunger pains gnawed her stomach, reminding her she hadn’t eaten all day. With no word from Valentina, and the dinner they’d planned now out of the question, she peered inside the refrigerator again, searching for something to eat. Taking an apple from the produce drawer, she walked across the room to the dining area. The view was just as spectacular from this angle. Munching on her apple, gazing out at the view, she jumped when she heard a knock on the door.
Kit.
“Any news?” he asked once he was inside the house.
“Nothing. No calls. I’m beyond worried,” she said. “I saw the power is turned on at my place. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”
“Your real estate agent didn’t show,” Kit said. “You can have these back.” He placed her keys on the kitchen counter by the phone. “And it wasn’t an inconvenience.”
“I’ll call her tomorrow. Were you able to find whatever it is you’re searching for on my property?” Ali loved the sound of those words: my property.
“I’m afraid I didn’t have enough time, or light, but the smell is still lingering,” he told her. “Are you sure you removed all the fish?”
“Of course. The smell is still bad?”
“It is, probably because the place is closed up. Once you open the windows and let some fresh air inside, it’ll go away.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow.”
Kit leaned against the counter, his eyes scanning the room, stopping on the refrigerator. “You hungry?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just finished an apple. You want one? I’m sure Valentina won’t care.” She’d offer to make him a sandwich, but she wasn’t one-hundred percent comfortable even taking the apple she’d had. Having been on her own for so long, she didn’t have the best social skills.
Grinning, he said, “I can order a pizza if you’ll share it with me.”
Would that count as a dinner date under these circumstances? She didn’t dare voice this thought, but a pizza would be good no matter what. “Sure, but only if you let me pay half,” she said, just to see if he’d insist on picking up the tab. If so, this would be her first real dinner date—ever. With the few men she’d dated, if you could even call them dates, she’d always paid for her own dinner.
“Nope, I refuse. What do you like on yours?” he asked as he scrolled through his smartphone, one of the latest models. She only knew this because last night, when she’d been watching a movie, the same phone was being advertised as the most current of its kind on the market.
“Anything. I’m not picky,” she told him.
“I’ll get the works,” he said, then ran his finger across the phone, tapping on the number. She wondered how he knew there was pizza delivery on the island. She hadn’t seen any pizza joints, but that didn’t mean much. These days, you could get pizza anywhere. When he spewed off Valentina’s address, an alarm triggered in her head. How did he already know her address from memory?
He placed their order, then clicked end.
“I can guess what you’re thinking by the look on your face. The house numbers are on the front of the house, and there’s only one main road. Plus, Terri’s Diner makes a mean pizza.”
That was the diner that advertised in the paper. “Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you’re aware of what goes on in this insane world.”
Ali nodded in agreement. “Are you going to tell me what you’re searching for? I’m intrigued, to say the least.” Not much of a conversationalist, she was trying her best to maintain what little social graces she possessed.
“The cult story goes way back. I can tell you about this part without revealing too much. It’s just my job, nothing personal. It’s not that I can’t trust you, it’s just crucial I keep a few things to myself for now.”
“I understand. You’re not obligated to tell me anything you don’t want to,” she said. Though Kit didn’t know it—at least, she didn’t think he did—she was very, very good at keeping secrets.
“This particular cult, the Koreshan cult, was founded by a young guy, Cyrus Teed. This was back in the late 1800s. He was into different types of pseudo-science—eclectic physics and alchemy. Story goes, he was messing around with an experiment that involved electricity and shocked himself to the point of passing out. During his so-called unconscious state, he believed he became the messiah. From that moment on, his mission was to save humanity through science. Not too far off the mark in those days. Everything was new, unexplored. Cyrus changed his name to Koresh, the Persian word for Cyrus, and from there, he started the Koreshan Unity organization.
“Cellular cosmogony was Cyrus’ theory that the earth and the universe were contained in a concave sphere or a cell. They did all kinds of experiments. Their most famous, or infamous, if you will, was in Naples on the beach. I won’t bore you with all the scientific details, or what they believed to be scientific at the time. Fast forward to the early twentieth century. Cyrus proposes his movement live on through his creation, calling it the new Jerusalem. His followers, or rather his cult members, had what one considered strange beliefs. Sacrificial stuff, not unlike more modern-day cults. They formed a commune in Estero. Everyone shared the work, and no one received any form of payment, all working in order to keep this new faith, Koreshanity, active and thriving. Cyrus bit the dust in the early part of the twentieth century. In the sixties, there were still four remaining members. These folks deeded the land to the state, which is now known as Koreshan State Historic Site. I believe the cult is still active today. They’ve changed locations and methods, though now they’re eviler than they were then.”
Ali listened intently to his story. “So you believe this Cyrus still has followers, and they’re here? On Palmetto Island?”
“I can’t say where the cult is, but I know they’re still active. I’m sorry I have to keep repeating myself. It goes with the job.”