by Amy Boyles
“My powers are waning,” she said dramatically. “That’s why I had to use the ladder. But I can still make tonics and potions, powders and elixirs. The night Mr. Albod supposedly died, I instructed Neville to give him a tea of a tonic I created.”
I closed my eyes. “And it made him appear dead.”
“Yes. Then it was just a matter of replacing his real body with a fake one. Once Frederick was dead, no one bothered to check that it was really him. That part was easy.”
I quirked a brow. “And the hard part?”
We were being led farther into the forest. I recognized the location. She was taking us to the old tree. The big one, where Axel had said the old witches used to perform rituals.
Ingrid faced forward and tugged on our ropes. “The hard part was that Mr. Albod wouldn’t tell me what I needed to know. He refused to give up the familiar holder.”
“So you had no choice but to drug him.”
“That’s right. But still then there were things he wouldn’t reveal. It doesn’t matter now. I have the vessel. I’ll figure out the rest of it myself.”
I shook my head. “Why? Out of all the things to want, why do you want this? Why the critterling?”
Ingrid whipped back around. “Because I’ve lost so much of my power. Don’t you see?” Her eyes filled with some sort of sadistic glee. “I’ll be able to do anything. Anything I want. I can go places as a familiar and use the animal’s magic to help me. See, familiars possess their own magic. It may not be the likes of what we have, but something is better than nothing.”
The great tree loomed ahead. I bit down on my lip, trying to figure out a way to escape. The ropes were tight. I had a feeling they were unbreakable.
“And don’t think that cat will help you,” she said. “Mr. Albod spelled him back at the shack. The cat isn’t hurt, just out of commission for a little while.”
I frowned. “So why keep Mr. Albod alive? Why’d you bother if you really didn’t need him? He wouldn’t tell you the location of the familiar vessel, not even when he was drugged. You said yourself you didn’t need him to teach you how to use the thing. So why, Ingrid? Why keep him alive?”
She sniffed. “It’s none of your business.”
My mouth curled into a slow smile. Bingo! I may have just discovered Ingrid’s weakness.
We approached the tree. Ingrid led us until we were underneath the long, knobby branches.
They reminded me of witch’s fingers, reaching to strangle me.
I shivered. Not exactly the image I needed to be concerning myself with right now, was it?
“But why did you kill Willow Dean Gar?”
“Why do you think? Because she knew it was me. She figured it out that night, that I wanted the vessel.”
There was nothing I remembered from the night at the familiar society meeting that made me think Willow Dean knew that.
“She didn’t write it in the letter to me. She didn’t say your name.”
Ingrid grimaced. “I went outside after they’d escorted her out. She saw me and spouted off that she knew I always wanted the critterling. Said she had proof. I went back inside, grabbed the knife and killed her. That old woman would’ve ruined everything.”
I shook my head sadly. “It must’ve been Willow Dean going out on a limb. She never gave me your name.”
Willow Dean had only suspected. It was too bad that suspicion had gotten her killed.
Ingrid shrugged. “If you’re going to threaten someone, you’d better have the cojones to back it up.”
I rubbed my lips together but didn’t say anything. Poor Willow Dean. My entire adventure had started with her, but now it was ending someplace very far away.
Ingrid dropped the ropes and yanked my purse from my shoulder. A slow smile curled on her lips. “And I was right.”
She hoisted the gold figurine high in the air. “Thank you for making my job that much easier.”
Ingrid kissed the gold cat with her thick, full lips and handed it to Frederick, who lumbered up beside her. “Hold this please.”
He took it and scratched his head. It appeared the memory was back there, in his brain, but he couldn’t quite make the truth of it come out.
And Cordelia lumbered on.
“I know why you didn’t kill Mr. Albod.”
Ingrid’s gaze darted nervously to Frederick. “Why’s that?”
“Because you love him. You adore him. That’s why. What do you think you’re going to do? Keep him in your shed forever? You can’t do that. He’s old. He has health problems.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, girl. Keep your mouth shut.”
“I know what I’m talking about,” I spat. “You don’t drug someone you love. You don’t. That’s not how it works. You can’t do that. Not so that you can slink around at night as a cat. What’s wrong with you?”
“Shut up!” Ingrid raked her fingers down her face. She took a deep, cleansing breath and shoved a hand in her pocket. “You stop it!”
When she pulled her hand free, a knife glinted in the moonlight. “I’m going to finish you and your cousin, and then I won’t have to worry about you.”
I squinted at her. “You think it’ll be that easy? You’ve got a long line of missing people and dead behind you. It’ll catch up to you one day. Besides, I told my boyfriend where I was headed. He’ll go to the shed.”
Ingrid licked the blade’s edge. “I’m not worried. Think they’ll be able to find me? Never!”
Panic swelled in my chest. Heat flushed my body, and my heart thundered. The black powder still dampened my mind. I couldn’t work my magic. I couldn’t focus on harnessing my power to stop Ingrid from harming me.
My sternum buzzed. I glanced down and noticed my chest shimmered.
The locket!
The gold protection locket that Axel had made using his own blood broke from the chain around my neck and flew toward Ingrid.
Ingrid charged forward. The knife arched in the sky, aimed straight at my heart. The locket slammed into her chest and pushed her back, forming a bubble around her and encasing her on the grass.
Magic buoyed from her body, flashing over us. Cordelia awoke. Mr. Albod scratched his head and blinked.
“Where am I?” he said.
I plucked the critterling from the ground and crossed to him. “It’s a long story. But Peaches and I will be happy to share it with you when we find him.”
Cordelia rubbed the back of her neck. “What happened?”
I pointed to Ingrid’s thrashing body. “She tried to kill us, but Axel’s locket stopped her.”
Cordelia blinked wide. “Good thing he loves you so much.”
I nodded. “Yep. Good thing.”
Cordelia fished her phone from her pocket. “I’ll call Garrick.”
“Thank you.”
I turned away to retrieve my purse and call Axel when a figure in the distance caught my attention.
My breath hitched. Standing in the shadow of the trees, his black hair slicked back and wearing tight leather pants, stood Rufus.
I approached slowly, unsure if he’d received my call or if he was here to destroy me.
I folded my arms across my chest and shivered as a wind broke through the trees.
He spoke first. “You called.”
Relief flooded me to my toes. Maybe he was only here because of that and not because he wanted me to suffer.
“You didn’t answer.” I stopped about six feet from him. We stared at each other. Energy swelled between us, and the fine hairs on my arms rose to attention.
His mouth quirked. “I thought it best to come. If I’d returned your call and you didn’t answer, that would’ve meant you misdialed my number.”
“I didn’t misdial.” I inhaled a deep breath, puffed up my chest and said, “I was a real jerk a few weeks ago.”
“No.” He shook his head sadly. “I shouldn’t have placed a tracking device in the amulet. That was my fault. At least, I should’ve been honest about
it.”
“You saved my life,” I argued. “If the divination powder that Beverly blew at me had reached me, it would’ve been me who wound up dead and not her.”
“Oh, tomato, tahmahto.” Rufus’s mouth curved into a smile. “I’m as much to blame as anyone.”
“So, does this mean you accept my apology? Or have you come to destroy me?”
“I said some things I shouldn’t have.” He rubbed a thumb down his jaw. “I have somewhat of a temper.”
I bit back a laugh. “You could say I have a temper as well. As you discovered.”
He paused. “Look, Pepper. I’m sorry for those things I said. It was uncalled for.”
I brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. “And I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance. It wasn’t fair. You deserve more than that.”
Sincerity filled his dark eyes. “So you’re not angry at me?”
I shook my head. “Only if you’re not angry with me.”
His lips tipped into an amused smile. “I’m not angry. It’s the last thing I am. In fact, I’m glad you called. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Pepper!”
I turned around to see Garrick and his men on the scene. “Yes?”
He waved me toward him. “I need you over here. You’ve got to tell me what the heck is going on!”
I threw Rufus an apologetic look. “It appears I’ve got some work to do. Will you be around for a while?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Yes indeed. I will be.”
With that, I turned to assist Garrick, leaving Rufus standing alone, under the trees.
TWENTY-SEVEN
So it turned out that Ingrid Puryear was arrested, much to the dismay of her husband. Jerome Puryear had known nothing of his wife’s kidnapping and murderous tendencies, which I suppose was a good thing since he was alive and well.
Ingrid did admit to killing Willow Dean Gar and kidnapping Mr. Albod, all so she could discover the secret of the critterling. And even though Mr. Albod refused to divulge his secret, Ingrid had kept him alive, admitting to Garrick that she did love Mr. Albod, even though he didn’t return her feelings.
It was a few days later, and I was walking home from Familiar Place. Hugo lumbered beside me, the dragon’s tongue lolling to one side as he tromped down the sidewalk.
I spied CJ Hix, Della Frost and Frederick Albod walking toward me. CJ had his arm wrapped around Della’s shoulders, and in turn Della held Mr. Albod’s hand.
Not exactly sure how they could walk all tangled up like that, but it worked for them.
“Why, Miss Dunn,” CJ cooed, “it’s so great to see you.”
I grimaced. “I’m sorry about the other night. You know, when Peaches attacked you.”
Peaches appeared on the sidewalk. “I’ve already apologized.”
CJ waved me away dismissively. “Don’t you worry about it. You heard me and Della talking about how we’d wanted to sell the house for Mr. Albod’s sake.”
“It was much too big for him to handle,” Della added.
I studied CJ’s hand as he squeezed Della. “Well, I’m glad everything worked out.”
CJ beamed at Della. “Me too. If it hadn’t been for y’all, Della and I might never have come together.”
“And now”—Mr. Albod smiled—“I have a second chance to get to know my daughter again. Thank you for finding me.”
A wide grin split my face. “Like I said, I’m just glad it all worked out.”
They continued on, and I reached the house. I found Betty relaxing in the rocking chair on the front porch.
I dumped my purse in the porch swing and joined her. “So. How’re you doing?”
Her toes pointed and flexed as she swayed back and forth. “I’m okay, I guess.”
I hitched a brow. “What do you mean, you guess?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard.”
“Haven’t heard what?”
Betty pulled a folded sheet of paper from her dress pocket and opened it. “Got a letter from my secret admirer. He says he has to move because of his mother. Says he’s sorry we never got a chance to be together, but that he’ll treasure the time we had.”
I bit my bottom lip. I wanted to ask, What time you had together? But instead I kept my mouth shut.
“Oh Betty, I’m so sorry.”
She shoved the page back into her pocket and sniffled. “It’s okay. I knew it was too good to be true.”
My heart broke for her in that moment. I rose, crossed to her and wrapped my grandmother in a hug.
The front door opened, and Amelia and Cordelia stepped onto the porch. Amelia carried a large pitcher of sweet tea and four glasses on a tray.
She took one look at Betty and said, “You know what you need? A glass of sweet tea.”
I squeezed Betty’s shoulders. “After all, that’s what we sweet tea witches live for, isn’t it? A big glass of the sugary stuff?”
Betty nodded and took a glass.
Amelia leaned into her. “One glass of this and you’ll feel better.”
It seemed to work. After about ten minutes Betty was back to her old ornery self. She had the three of us laughing in no time.
Me? I was relieved. I hated to see my grandmother heartbroken. It definitely wasn’t something I enjoyed watching, not by a long shot.
For what it’s worth, I think Amelia learned her lesson as well. It wasn’t a good idea to meddle in someone’s love life. You’d have thought she’d know that from when Betty had dabbled in hers, but sometimes I guess it took experience to teach you the real lesson.
With all the mysteries solved, I awaited Axel to pick me up for a quiet dinner out.
I was looking for some alone time with my man. Not that there was anything for us to discuss. Well, if there was, I wasn’t bringing it up.
After he picked me up, Axel drove us out to the pop-up barbecue restaurant. We ordered and sat down at a picnic table to drink peach iced tea and eat pulled pork sandwiches and fried corn bread.
“If a comet is going to land on me, please don’t do it until I’ve eaten every bite,” I said, diving into a bowl of Oreo pie.
“I’ll protect you,” Axel said.
I smiled brightly at him. “Thank you.” We studied each other for a moment. My action of calling Rufus weighed on me.
“What is it?” Axel said.
I took a deep cleansing breath. Here goes. “I called Rufus and apologized.”
Axel’s brow curved into a question mark. “He answered.”
“He appeared. The night Ingrid tried to kill me.”
“But he didn’t save you.”
I clicked my tongue. “No. Your locket did.”
The locket had been nearly blown apart when it used its power. It was currently in Axel’s cellar, awaiting repair.
“Thank goodness for that.” He stared at his food for a moment. “And how was Rufus?”
“He apologized.”
Axel swiped a napkin over his mouth. “Did he promise never to track you again?”
“Yes.” I tilted my head to one side. “At least, I think so.”
Axel chuckled. “Fair enough.” He crumpled his napkin and dropped it on the table. “I’ve decided to give some leeway when it comes to Rufus. You’re friends with him—that’s fine. I can accept that.”
“Good. That should make our lives easier.”
“It will.” His pupils tightened, and the blue of his irises tilted toward turbulence. “Pepper, I wasn’t kidding about what I said before. About what I said in the cellar.”
I dropped my cup of Oreo pie in my lap. “Oh, crap.” I rose to my feet and dabbed at the cream and chocolate crumbs. “Man, I can be so messy sometimes.”
“Here,” Axel said, amused, “let me help.”
While Axel helped me wipe away the mess, all I could think of was—crisis averted. There would be no talk of the M word. Not today. Not for a long time, if I had my way.
But in the back of my mind I al
so knew that if I wanted to be with him, that was the only way it would ever happen. Mating and marriage would go hand in hand. He hadn’t said it, but he didn’t have to.
We finished our meal, and Axel took me home, kissing me briefly. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I smiled. “Can’t wait.”
I scooted from the vehicle and nearly sprinted up the stairs and inside. As soon as the door shut, the bell rang.
I braced my back against the wall. “Wow. Axel can really move.”
I whirled around and opened the door. “Did I forget something?”
I did a double take when I found Rufus standing on the porch instead of Axel. “Rufus? What are you doing here?”
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry if I’m interrupting anything.”
“No. Not at all. Is everything okay?” The slight shake of his head told me it was not. “What is it? Do you want to come inside?”
He ignored my question. “You remember in the forest I said I had something to tell you.”
I nodded. “Right. I forgot.” With everything that had happened, it had completely zipped from my mind. “What is it?”
“You’ve heard of the Head Witch Order?”
I slapped my thigh. “For goodness’ sake, yes, I’ve heard of them. It seems everywhere I turn someone is talking about them. I’ve heard there’s tension with some werewolves and they may want to teach me how to use my powers.”
Rufus slid a hand over his face. “There are conflicts with the werewolves, yes, but they don’t want to teach you how to use your powers.”
I frowned. “They don’t?”
Rufus took a step forward. Heat wafted off his body almost like steam. The magical energy drifting off him was so potent I could almost see it.
“No, they don’t. Do you remember how I’ve told you several times that if it wasn’t me trying to ensnare your powers for myself, it would be someone else?”
A cold shiver like a snake slithered down my spine. I could barely manage the answer. “Yes,” I whispered.
Rufus took another step forward. Worry filled his dark eyes. “The Head Witch Order is coming, Pepper. But they’re not coming to train you. They’re coming to use your powers. For themselves.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “When? When will they be here?”