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Michael interrupted.  
    “Ruby, welcome back. It’s good to see you again,” he said smoothly, coming up from behind the coven. Ruby didn’t miss the warning glance he gave Rebecca as he stepped forward, blocking his girlfriend slightly with his broad shoulder.  
    “Thanks for having us. You remember Cooper?” Ruby said, placing a hand on Cooper's arm.
    “Of course. Good to see again you, though I wish it were better circumstances.” Michael reached out and they shook hands. “I’m so sorry about Courtney.”
    Cooper's face tightened. “Thank you. I’d like to jump in and get this whole thing over with, if you don’t mind.”
    “Of course, I know this must be painful for you,” Michael said. He stepped back and opened his arm to the room. Everyone walked over to the large plush rug in the center of the room and settled into a circle.  
    Ruby took a seat between Cooper and Lacy. She counted five men and eight women, thirteen in all, including her and Cooper. That meant they hadn’t replaced her and Courtney with anyone…or perhaps no one had wanted to join their group. At least no one else had left.  
    Michael sat in the circle next to Rebecca, who stared adoringly at him. Cooper glanced at Ruby and they both rolled their eyes as Michael spoke.  
    “We are not here to practice tonight. We are here to discuss the tragedy of three witches, one of whom we all knew personally. Courtney Wilson was a fine witch and a good friend. We were able to celebrate her life with the memorial yesterday; now we must discuss the unfortunate details of her death in order to better protect ourselves and other witches. Ruby, Cooper, please feel free to jump in as needed in case you have answers I myself may not be able to provide. Now, who has any questions?”
    Lacy raised her arm and Michael nodded gently at her. She took a deep breath before she spoke.  
    “Was she taken from her home?”
    Michael hesitated long enough for Ruby to know he didn’t have a definite answer. She motioned for his attention and he let her have the floor.  
    “No,” Ruby said. “When Cooper and I went to her place, her wards were still up even after…I don’t see how anyone wanting to hurt her could have gotten past those.”  
    “Right. The police believe she was taken in the evening after work. A gym bag with her work clothes was in the back of her car,” Michael said.
    “Sometimes, if she was late for work in the mornings but it was warm enough, she’d go for a run at night,” Ruby said.  
    She’d always told Courtney never to run alone in the dark. Ruby had a brief flash of anger at Courtney before she caught herself. Shame quickly spread to replace the anger.   How dare she be angry with her dead best friend?
    “How long was she gone?” a girl named Denise asked. Worry and fear clouded her light brown eyes. She bit her lip as she waited for the answer.  
    “Less than twenty-four hours, not even enough time for a missing persons report. The guess is she went out for a run, was jumped, killed, and dropped at the river by sunrise. They think the whole thing took maybe eight to ten hours.”
    “Eight hours too long,” Cooper growled under his breath. “Who knows what he did to her while he had her.”  
    “Did they…” Denise tried. She lowered her voice to a shaky whisper. “Did they rape her?”
    Ruby felt Cooper tense up next to her. His hands curled into fists; she placed her right hand on his left in reassurance. She also feared the answer and gritted her teeth together so hard her jaw ached.
    “No,” Michael said. There was an audible sigh of relief in the room, including from Ruby and Cooper. “There was no sign of that particular abuse. The killer must’ve tied her down because she had some bruising, before he…” he trailed off, looking uncertain.  
    Ruby raised an eyebrow at Michael; he met her gaze and quickly looked down. She looked around to see their quizzical faces.  
    “Michael. They don’t