"Please," Sheila said.

"You're not welcome here no more, don't ya get it?"

And now that they know what we're doing, Martin thought, they won't just let us leave.

"Come on," he said, ushering Sheila to the door.

She came away reluctantly. He held the door as she stepped back into the cool, dark evening.

"If they come here asking about us, please don't tell them anything."

Clarabelle spat a piece of tobacco. "If they come round here, I don't 'spect I got much of a choice."

He nodded. They had already pulled her deep enough into this. She was just trying to protect herself, her dog.

"I'm sorry I almost shot you."

"I'm sorry you didn't," the woman said without looking up from the fire.

20

Sanctuary

ON THE WALK back to town, they passed several beachfront houses against the black backdrop of the ocean and overcast sky. Most of the residents appeared to be home and not many owned boats. The few that did had kayaks, sailboats, canoes. Even if they could manage to steal one, it would be too dark to see anything out on the water. The harsh current would set them adrift.

"Do you believe her? That you're pregnant?" Martin asked, breaking a long, thoughtful silence.

"I don't have any reason to think she was lying. She knew things, Martin. At David and Laura's that night, Ethel Kelly knew the baby was breeched before anyone else."

"Maybe she's just got good eyes."

"She's blind. But she knew. And she knows what happened at the stones. What we did. She could see through that woman's eyes. How can we stand against that?"

He said he didn't know.

The beachfront houses were behind them now. Ahead, the lights of downtown brightened the night sky. It was almost as though the town was sparkling on the darkened horizon.

"There's got to be a way. Maybe we can convince Ruby to let us go."

"We can't go back to that house. Not after what Clarabelle said. If Ethel knows, Ruby knows too."

"But Ethel seemed to think Ruby was protecting me. She said she'll forsake me, remember?"

"A woman possessed by a demon had a poker to my throat. I don't remember much of what she said."

"Well, what if Ruby has been protecting us, like I thought? What if she's not like the others?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. This is all so crazy."

Sheila nodded somberly. "I'm starting to think James Barclay doesn't look all that insane anymore."

"He could've been right, for all we know. Dark magic exists. Demons. Why not witches?"

"Murder is murder."

"Is it? The bible says 'thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.'"

"It also says 'he that smites a man shall be put to death.' Those were innocent women, Martin. Innocent children."

"Maybe. You're probably right."

They walked in silence until the first houses on the outskirts of town winked into view. Within all of that light was a darkness much blacker than the night. The awful truth of Barrows Bay rotted within the walls of every home, every business.