“Like all of it? From beginning to end?” I asked, thinking about all the times I’d watched my mother writhe in agony on the bathroom floor as her favorite poison left her body.

She nodded.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Aren’t drugs dangerous?” she asked with a smile.

She led me back into the main room and through a door on the other side. A maze of hallways lay in front of us, and she talked while we walked. I tried to peek into any slightly opened doors, but she walked too fast for me to get a good look. She slowed when she came to the end of the L-shaped hallway. “And this is Ray’s area.”

“He stays on-site with the members?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Oh, no, disciples don’t stay on campus.”

Interesting that she called it a campus. “There’s a difference between the members and the disciples?”

“Yes.”

“Who are the disciples besides Ray, and where do they stay?”

She smiled and motioned down the hallway and toward the door. “Come.”

It wasn’t lost on me that she hadn’t answered my question.

She knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a male voice responded.

She pushed open the door. A man rose from behind a desk in the center of the room and strode toward us wearing the same matching beige T-shirt as Bekah. I’d figured he would be handsome, since the college girls got all swoony eyed whenever they talked about him, but he was stunning. His curls were midnight black and swept away from his chiseled face. His eyes gleamed icy blue, and he smiled at me, revealing a crooked grin that, combined with the slight bend in his nose, marked his perfect looks in a way that only made him more attractive.

“I’m Ray Fischer,” he said as he stuck out his hand to shake mine. “And you must be Kate.”

“I am,” I said, hoping my palm wasn’t sweaty. Nerves always made me sweat. His handshake was firm, confident.

He pointed to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.” He turned to Bekah. “Thank you so much, Bekah. Will I be seeing you at dinner?”

“Of course.” She nodded at him before turning to me. “I enjoyed meeting you, Kate. I hope to see you again soon,” she said, shutting the door behind her before I had a chance to respond.

I pulled out my notebook and placed it on top of my lap while he sat back down. He leaned across the table and folded his hands together, resting his chin on top.

“What would you like to talk about today?” His eyes pierced me, immediately making me feel naked and exposed, like he could see right into my soul. It was unsettling.

I swept the room for any framed degrees or personal artifacts that might give me insight into him or the movement, but the walls were as blank as the rest of the place. They’d recently been coated in a layer of fresh beige, but that was it. “Maybe you could start by telling me a little bit about yourself?” I asked.