The bus came, and I got on with a goblin and a firebird. The firebird was only partially transformed. She looked normal enough except for the plumage coming from her back. I guessed it was her tail. The gold feathers with orange, red, and yellow tips glowed in the sunlight. They kissed the ground as she walked. I had never seen one up close. I wanted to touch them. Run my fingers through the wispy feathers just to see if they were as soft as they looked. After two stops, I got off and walked a block to the Shut Up and Read bookstore.
I stepped in and the store immediately became my new favorite place. I hadn’t been to a bookstore since Marple’s Books closed a year ago when Marple left the island. She gave me some free books, but I’ve read them all twice. The store was bigger on the inside than it seemed on the outside. Shelves of books littered the walls. Three round tables were in the middle of the floor. A boy with bright blue hair, pointy ears, and tribal tattoos on both arms sat at one table reading. He looked up when I walked in. His turquoise eyes screamed water dragon, but the pointy ears said elf. Perhaps he was both. It was considered rude to ask so I walked by him. A checkout counter sat between two stacks of books where a girl with bright green hair, pierced cheeks, and black-rimmed glasses sat on a stool reading The Mystery of Life: It sucks, the end.
“Hello,” I said when I reached the counter.
“What do you want?” she asked as she turned a page.
“I’m looking for Paige,” I said as I took my notebook out of my purse.
“I’m Paige. Who are you?” She closed her book and sat up.
“I’m Hazel. I called you earlier about Rose.”
“Oh yeah! I’m not sure what I can tell you I haven’t already told the police,” she said. “Come on.”
We went to one of the tables and sat down.
“Her mother hired me to help find her. I’m just trying to understand what happened to her. Do you think she ran off?” I asked.
“Rose?” she scoffed. “That doesn’t seem like her. She was the perfect one in the group. She got good grades, did volunteering. She wouldn’t want to disappoint her mother.”
“No ties to the revolution?”
Paige shook her head. “No.”
“Did she have a boyfriend?”
Paige bit her lip.
Detective Warren was right. Rose was a beautiful girl. She had chestnut hair, green eyes, and a beauty mark on her right cheek.
“So that’s a yes.” I made a note in my notebook.
“No, she didn’t,” she said. Paige folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.
“That’s defensive behavior,” I said. I pointed to her folded arms. She straightened up. “That tells me you’re lying. Who was her boyfriend?”
Paige turned her head.
“What if he has her and is keeping her against her will?” I asked.
Paige’s head turned towards me.
“What if something has happened to them and he’s missing too?” I asked.
She sighed. “I don’t know who he is.”
“I thought you two were close. Why wouldn’t you know?” I asked.
“She kept him a secret. None of us have ever met him. I don’t think. I figured—”
“He was someone her mother wouldn’t approve of?” I asked.
“Yeah and maybe that’s why she didn’t say anything. She was always running off to be with him like that— um…” Paige leaned back in her chair. She stared at the floor.
“You’re the one who put her pink bag back in her apartment,” I stated.
Paige’s head jerked up. “How did you—"
“A neighbor saw her come home in the middle of the day to change. But when the police looked around her apartment and took pictures there was no pink bag. But when I went it was at the foot of her bed. So, someone had to drop it off after the police had already been there. Why?”
“She left it with me. I needed her notes for my History of Others class. I-I had missed two classes and I was behind. I told her I would return her notes when I was done but she just gave me her bag and said she’d pick it up later. She said she was going to meet him. When she was reported missing, I didn’t know what to do with it and I figured me having it would seem suspicious.”
“It does,” I said making my notes. “Did she say where she was going?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell someone?” I asked.
“I-I don’t know,” she said. Paige played with the bracelet on her left wrist. “I didn’t want to get her in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” I asked.
“Her parents were strict as far as her dating. I didn’t want to get her in trouble in case she came back, and all of this turned out to be nothing.”
“And if she doesn’t come back and it turns out to be more than nothing?” I asked. I closed my notebook and stared at her.
A tear slid down her cheek.
“You really have no idea who the guy was? Would anyone else know?”
She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I don’t think so. We would ask, but she wanted to keep it private. All she would say was that she was in love. She loved him, and he was sweet and a good guy.”
I sighed. “Okay. That’s it for now. I’ll come back if I have more questions,” I said. I left the bookstore and walked to the bus stop.
Rose was in love with some guy no one knew or had ever seen. I know first-hand young love or better yet young stupidity, will make you do stupid, stupid things. Things you never thought you would ever do. And once you snap out of it and reflect you can’t believe you were ever that stupid.
I’m not saying I don’t believe in love. I do. Kind of. Well, I believe the likelihood of me ever finding it is highly improbable. That’s okay, though. I’m completely capable of making stupid decisions all on my own. But I’ve seen enough love potions and love spells to know that love and obsession can seem like the same thing. It’s difficult to know if it’s real. You think you’re in love with someone, but how do you know they didn’t go to a black-market witch to have a spell put on you?
Spells that can control a person’s mind or change who they are were outlawed years ago, but you can always find someone to do something illegal for the right price.
I wondered if Rose had gone missing because of her boyfriend as I waited for the bus. I reviewed my notes when I got on the bus. Why would someone keep their boyfriend a secret? I couldn’t understand that. Paige said her parents were strict. If that was the case then, I could understand keeping him a secret from them but why not tell your friends?
When I entered my apartment, I stood by the door waiting to see if I felt the same presence from the night before. There was nothing there. I grabbed my computer, Rose’s file and headed to my office. I left the window open, so the cat smell was gone. I sat at my desk and opened the computer.
“Where are you?” I whispered.
“Working a new case?” Blossom stood in the doorway.
“Yeah. Missing girl,” I said. “Come in. Sit.”
Blossom sat down in the chair still covered with cat hair. “So many are going missing these days.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah. Not just young girls. Mr. Wit. He owned the repair shop two blocks over. I think he went to join the revolution.”
“Why?” I asked.
“His daughter was killed on one of the main islands. Haven, I think. She was killed because of the Blood Queen and her mess. He joined to help fight.”
“Oh, I thought the Blood Queen was a separate thing.”
“She is but she isn’t. No one knows why she’s doing what she’s doing. Killing all those people with fire powers. I heard a rumor she’s looking for a Phoenix to open a portal to the human world. She needs blood or something. Mrs. Lin thinks she’s angry because she was allegedly exiled from her own island.”
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I think someone needs to get her before she comes here,” Blossom chuck
led.
“We’re not a part of the conflict, so I think we’ll be okay. I hope so anyway. When did she go crazy?” I asked.
“Child, before you were born. When the rules changed and all contact with humans was forbidden. Others were forced back from the human world and the portal was closed to certain types. It made a lot of people extremely angry. Mostly those from Malius, the darkness island. You can only cross the veil if you have some human blood. But if you are from Malius, you can never cross. Vampires and werewolves were very upset. Blood Queen was one of them.”
“Hmm. In a way, it doesn’t seem fair but I kind of understand it.”
“Well, let me see how I can explain this without so much detail. There was a time when the veil wasn’t so strong, you could get on a ship and get to the human world easy. But certain types mostly vampires, and some others, would go there and cause all kinds of problems. Killing humans and turning them and all that mess. Rules were put in place, so they would stop killing humans, but most didn’t listen. Humans aren’t as stupid as we think. They started to catch on. Even wrote books about vampires and werewolves and witches and all that. People thought it wouldn’t end well for us. It was the consensus that the more humans who knew about us the more danger we would be in. So, they closed the portal.”
“There are books about us?” I asked. The thought of someone reading a book about me was intriguing.
“Uh-huh. Witches, dragons, vampires, werewolves, elves, fairies, and a lot more. But to them we’re myths. We aren’t real, and it’s thought we should stay that way. My grandfather brought a book back with him from the human world once about witches and how they burned them alive. It was never a place I wanted to go.”
“Oh.”
“They didn’t teach you that in school?” Blossom asked.
“Not completely. They left some parts out. Whenever a teacher talked about closing the veil it was vague. We just knew you had to have human blood to cross.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, I think more people are going to join the revolution because they have family on the main islands or know someone who has been hurt. And it’s not just the Blood Queen, it’s the five royals of the main islands. I guess they haven’t been treating their people well, and it caused a revolt. They also won’t do anything about the Blood Queen,” Blossom explained. “How’s the shadow in your apartment?”
“I haven’t felt anything since I used the sage and started wearing this necklace,” I said. “Thank you for that. But I felt it when I went back to her apartment. I’m not sure what it is. A shadow person lives across the hall from her but it’s not her.”
“Maybe a guardian spell. Or—”
“A stalker,” I finished.
“True. That happens,” said Blossom.
“Yeah. I’m fully aware of that,” I said. “But I don’t think so. If it was a stalker or a guardian spell why is it still there? The stalker would have her so that thing wouldn’t be in her apartment.”
“What does it mean if it’s still there?” Blossom asked. “Why is that important to you?”
“I’m not sure. I think whoever took her, put it there to see who comes in and out. To monitor what the police say and do. I think that shadow thing followed them home too. The detective is an elf so maybe he didn’t notice it, but the mother is a witch I think she would have.”
I looked up to find Lola standing in the hallway.
“Find anything?” asked Lola.
Blossom spun around at the sound of her voice.
“Nothing really. Rose had a boyfriend but none of her friends knew who he was,” I answered. “I’m still trying to figure out the shadow thing in her apartment.”
“Did you sense it?” Blossom stared at Lola.
“I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t see anything,” answered Lola. Lola slid onto my desk facing Blossom.
“Then it’s magic. If it was a shadow person, she’d be able to sense it or see it. If it only works on witches or those with magic then… it’s magic,” said Blossom.
“That confirms what I was thinking. It was put there after Rose was already taken. Otherwise, she would have sensed it and done something,” I said. “Someone wanted to know if the police had any evidence against them.”
“You think?” asked Blossom.
“Right now? Yeah,” I answered.
“Mm-hmm. Excuse me while I go back to my shop of no drama and mystery,” Blossom said as she got up.
“Thank you for your help,” I said as she got to the door.
Blossom waved her hand and closed the door behind her.
Lola sat in the chair. “Why didn’t the police know about Rose’s boyfriend?”
I recounted what Paige told me when I interviewed her and what I thought about the conversation.
“Sounds like someone she thought they wouldn’t approve of,” said Lola.
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” I said.
“What now?” she asked.
“I’ll talk to her friend Wolf tomorrow, maybe he’ll know something,” I answered. “What did you do today?”
“Things” answered Lola.
Chapter 5
Blood with a side of fries
After a good night's sleep, I awoke refreshed and ready to start my day. I showered, grabbed a muffin, coffee and headed to my office. I called Rose’s mother to give her an update. She was shocked to learn that Rose had a boyfriend and couldn’t understand why she had kept him a secret. She agreed to pack up Rose’s computer and bring it to me as soon as she had the chance.
Lola and I agreed to meet around ten to interview Wolf, a friend of Rose. While I waited for Lola, I cleaned off my desk, dusted, and organized my file cabinet.
Lola swayed in, a little after eleven, in her emerald green leather jacket, black tank top, and black jeans. “Am I late?” she asked before she sat down.
“Usually,” I answered.
“Oh okay.”
“Where were you yesterday?” I inquired.
“I had stuff I had to do,” answered Lola.
“Stuff?”
“Yes. Stuff. It’s for another job,” she said.
“Okay—”
My phone beeped before I could continue questioning her.
Meet me at this address.
-Wolf.
I sighed and handed Lola the phone.
“He wants you to meet him here?” she asked.
“Us,” I corrected. “I’m not going there by myself.”
Lola smiled. She tapped my desk a couple of times. “So…should we get going or do you want to continue interrogating me?”
I had to think about it. I had more questions, but I knew, in the end, she probably wouldn’t answer them. “Okay, we can go.”
She smiled. “Good choice.”
“You weren’t going to answer my questions anyway.”
“Exactly.”
The ride to the address Wolf sent took ten minutes. It was just outside of downtown.
“This is a nice building,” remarked Lola as she hopped off her bike.
“Yeah,” I said.
The brick building towered over the other buildings on the street. It was in a prime location. There was a farmer’s market down the block, a grocery store, restaurants, and a few clubs scattered within two blocks of his apartment building. Which, of course, meant the rent was way too high. We walked up the steps to the front door. I found the button for the apartment number and pressed it.
“Hello?”
“It’s Hazel Moondance,” I answered. The door buzzed open. We took the elevator to the sixth floor.
“It’s so—”
“Clean,” I finished.
“Yeah, that’s it,” said Lola.
She was right. The building was so clean it was practically sterile. The smell of cleaning solution surrounded us from the time we walked into the lobby, into the elevator, and up to Wolf’s door. It was the cleanest building I had ever been in.
I knocked twice. The door
creaked open to a dark apartment. Lola and I stepped inside. “Lights,” I commanded.
Round spheres appeared along the wall leading to what I assumed was the living room. We followed the lighted path carefully.
“What’s with the light?” whined a voice from the living room. We stepped into the living room. A young man sat on a dark-colored sofa hunched over a plate of fries that rested on a glass coffee table.
“Well, I’m not a vampire, so I need to see where I’m going,” I answered.
“Oh, right,” he mumbled.
The living room was dark. Thick velvet curtains covered the windows. There was the dark-colored sofa he was sitting on, the glass coffee table plus two oversized chairs and a tacky animal skinned rug. The place screamed vampire.
“Are you Wolf?” I asked.
“Nope.” He took a fry and dipped it in something red.
“Is that ketchup?” asked Lola.
We stepped further into the room and the orbs followed, spreading out. An orb rested on the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. The kitchen housed an expensive stove and refrigerator, a clear kitchen table with red chairs, a pantry, and a door that probably led to the laundry room.
He placed the fry in his mouth and smiled, showcasing fangs so white and shiny they glowed.
“No, no it's not ketchup,” I answered.
He jumped up. “What do you want with Wolf?”
“Freeze,” I commanded.
“What did you do?” he grunted. He struggled against the spell. The veins in his neck bulged as he tried to step forward, but he couldn’t move towards us.
“I’m here to see Wolf. He told me to come by, so I could interview him. Where is he?” I asked.
“Please let my friend go,” requested a voice from the dark hallway in front of us. “I’m Wolf. He’s Peter.” Wolf appeared from the shadows shirtless wearing dark blue jeans.
“Release,” I said. “Difficult to be afraid of a vampire named Peter.”
Peter flicked on a light switch.
“Oh, come on,” complained Peter. He pulled his hood over his eyes.
Witch Hunt Page 5