343 Ch 343 - Pleasing the Gods

"Tell me," Chris demanded, wondering what the man had discovered.

"Thank you, Mr. Steadman," the man said, getting to his feet. "When you said that Silver Lake would be the biggest fight in the history of the martial arts community, I wanted to see it for myself. But when I got there, the police weren't letting anyone in, so I climbed over the wall and found a quiet place to watch the action. By then, Alex had already killed Lee. I was surprised to see Alex alive, and I was too far away to see clearly. Fortunately, I had a camera, and I used it to bring things into focus."

He handed the camera over to Chris. "I found something interesting," he continued. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I think you might be able to figure it out."

Chris looked at the camera and started playing the recording.

"Jessop Clifton was standing by the lake," the man said. "After everyone else had left, Jessop walked over to Alex, and I didn't think anything of it. After all, Alex helped the Clifton family a month ago, and I thought Jessop just wanted to congratulate Alex." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But it's not that simple. Jessop seemed to be more concerned about the woman called Debbie."

Chris watched the video and saw Jessop walk up to Alex. The recording clearly showed him greeting Debbie first, and he appeared to be excited.

Chris thought of his previous suspicion. Was it possible Debbie and Jessop were related?

"Mr. Steadman, I can read lips," the man said. "And in the video, Debbie calls Jessop 'grandpa.' I'm sure of it."

"Oh?" Chris was surprised. "Grandfather?", he thought. "Is Debbie really Jessop's granddaughter?"

There was obviously some connection between them, but he had never heard about Jessop having a granddaughter. Besides, Melissa had said that Debbie had come from poverty and was now a student at Johns Hopkins University on scholarship. So, if Debbie was really a Clifton, then why had the family deliberately hidden her identity?

"When Jessop couldn't control his emotions, Rufus reminded him that they were in public and that he had to show restraint," the man said. "The Cliftons clearly don't want anyone to know about Debbie. There must be a reason for that."

Chris was lost in thought as he looked at the video again. He couldn't understand why the Cliftons were hiding Debbie.

"You did well," Chris said. "You can go."

The man left, and Chris went back inside, still trying to work out why the Cliftons were being so secretive. He knew if the Clifton family's relationship with Debbie became known, it would have a negative impact on the Cliftons. Perhaps Chris could use that to his advantage.

**

A crowd of people gathered in a secluded area in Canada.

The Black Orchid cult members were in high spirits because this was the day, they would honor their gods.

In the middle of a clearing, a log cabin stood by itself. Banging noises came from inside, accompanied by the screams of several young women who had been locked inside. They should be honored to have been chosen, but they were disgracing themselves by crying and begging for mercy.

"Let us go!" came a cry.

"Please let me out of here!" cried another.

"I want my mom!", came a bawling cry.

The current leader of the Black Orchid sect was a bearded man called Cassius Sumter. He stood outside the cabin and looked up at the moon. Then he nodded to another man, who stalked over to the cabin and walked inside. As soon as he stepped inside, the crying inside stopped abruptly, as if the women had been frightened into silence.

The other cult members began to chant, the sound rhythmic and almost hypnotic. Several of them began to sway, their eyes closed, and their heads tipped back.

The ominous silence from the cabin continued for many long minutes.

Finally, the man stepped out of the cabin and nodded at the leader.

"It is done," the leader announced. "May the gods be pleased."

"May the gods be pleased," the cult members repeated.

Cassius spoke to his disciples, reminding them of the importance of performing their rituals to protect themselves from disaster, and then the ceremony came to an end.

Later, four of the senior priests sought out Cassius, who was standing in front of a window, looking at the night sky.

"Master, perhaps the problem is that we're missing the Phoenix jade pendant," one priest suggested.

"No, the Phoenix jade is simply a tool," Cassius said, shaking his head. "That's not the problem. We've been using ordinary women in the ritual instead of the chosen one. I'm afraid that if it goes on like this, then the gods will become angry, and then the whole world will be destroyed."

"Cynthia Clifton died twenty years ago," said the priest. "And the Phoenix pendant is lost to us. We've searched the entire continent, and we haven't found a trace of it. How can we possibly find the chosen one to appease our gods?"

They all fell silent, considering the matter.

"Is the world doomed to destruction?" Cassius called out to the gods. "No, revered gods, we are happy to do whatever you ask of us, but in this one thing, we cannot meet your needs. If you can hear my prayer, then please tell me what to do."

A shooting star flashed across the night sky.

"Thank you!" Cassius shouted, bowing his head.

The four priests breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's pointing us in the direction of the eastern United States," Cassius said. "The chosen one must be there. Go to the United States and find her! No matter what happens, you must bring the chosen one to me."

"Yes," a priest agreed. "Should we inform the Clifton family and ask for their help?" The Black Orchid cult had been established hundreds of years ago. At one time, there had been many branches spread throughout the continent, but now only this one branch remained.