I’m a new person. I’m different. I’m not the needy girl I used to be.
“No,” I say. “I can handle this on my own.”
Max smiles. “Good answer,” he says. “You really are becoming more of a witch, Penny Banks. Do you know that?” He looks at me intently. I feel like his dark smoldering eyes are burning holes right through me. He lifts his chin, motions towards the lawn behind us. “Go,” he says softly. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“I’ll be done with this soon!” I promise, as I begin jogging away from him.
Though Sarah keeps sinking into the lawn, she and Marty have been able to move fairly quickly. They are just disappearing around the far corner of the inn as I cross the lawn. I slow down, and then press my back against the inn’s siding.
I peer around the corner. I can see them, fifteen feet away from me, standing beneath an aspen tree. Their heads are bent together. I see that they’re talking, but I can’t quite hear the words. Not from here.
Curiosity drives me forwards. I have to know what they’re saying.
Moving as quietly and stealthily as I can, I crouch down and begin running out towards a low shrub, situated five feet from the aspen tree.
I make it to the shrub and I freeze. With every cell of my body, I’m listening for signs that I was spotted.
To my great relief, I hear Sarah speaking in a low tone to Marty. It’s obvious that she hasn’t seen me.
“We have to figure it out,” Sarah says. “I don’t like having loose ends like this. Where did the body go?”
The body? If I was a cat, my ears would have just perked up, and rotated to the front. Since I don’t have ears that rotate, I try to quiet my breathing so that I can listen to her low voice even more intently.
“You said that you went into the room,” Sarah says. “The wolf was there. I know. I spotted him with my own two eyes, when I looked through the window.”
Marty responds. His voice, too, is a low whisper. “I can’t figure it out,” he says. “The wolf was there, curled up on the bed. He was holding his paw in a strange way. I think he might have been hurt. He didn’t try to escape as I got closer to him.”
“And you tazed him? Like I paid you to do? With the high shock levels?”
“Enough to kill him,” Marty says. “I had my taser turned up to five-million-volt charge. It was more than enough to give him cardiac arrest.”
My heart is hammering in my chest. The more I hear, the angrier I feel. Marty, the man whose career was dedicated to protecting wild animals, is actually a bad guy!
I want to jump out, but I force myself to stay down.
Marty continues. “I tazed the beast, and it died within seconds. I left the room right after I confirmed that his pulse had stopped. I thought I could stage a raid the next day, and find him dead.”
“Fine,” Sarah says. “But if you really killed that wolf, like I asked you to, then where did the body go? That’s what I don’t understand, Marty. I need an explanation. I’m going to meet with the CEO of Powder Paradise tomorrow. He’s going to lease the land for the winter, and if there’s so much as one little sign of a wolf on that property, he’s going to drop it like a dirty sock. Do you understand how much is riding on this?”
Her voice, though still held in a whisper, is rife with aggression. I can tell that in the dynamic between Sarah and Marty, Sarah has clearly earned the Alpha position.
“I know,” Marty says. “I know how important this is to you. But I’m telling you, Sarah, I don’t know where the wolf’s body went.”
“Without the body, how do I know that you followed through with your instructions?” asks Sarah. “Why would I give you the money that we agreed on, without knowing if the job is done? What if you chickened out? What if that wolf is still out there, running around on the loose, ready to ruin my real estate deal?”
Silence.
I swear, my heart is beating so loud in my chest that for a moment I wonder if Sarah and Marty can hear it. With a slightly shaky hand, I pull my cell phone out of my pocket, and quickly type out a text message to Chris.
‘Meet me on the east side of the inn. Now!’ I type. ‘I know who killed Raul.’
Sarah continues, still unaware of my presence. “Those are my questions, Marty, and I’m not going to rest until I have some answers.”
“I don’t know!” Marty whimpers. “I—”
I don’t need to hear any more. I stand. “I have some answers for you, Sarah,” I say.
I begin walking towards her. While I walk, I begin reaching for my handcuffs. Maybe I haven’t thought this completely through. Chris isn’t here yet, and I only have one set of handcuffs. Who am I going to detain first?
My hand fingers the steel of the cuffs, but then I leave them where they are. I can’t cuff both of them. If I go after one, the other will run—or fight back. It’s the latter that worries me most.
My only hope is to keep them talking until Chris joins us.
“Penny!” says Sarah, in shock. “Where did you come from? How much did you—”
“Overhear?” I supply. “Everything. I heard that you paid Marty Stevens to deliver a lethal shock to an innocent, endangered wolf.”
“I—I wouldn’t call him innocent,” Sarah says. “He was dangerous! He was going to ruin Hillcrest. I know what’s best for this town!”
“Oh, you do?” I say. “And what’s that, Sarah? A fancy, shiny, monstrosity of a resort? Powder Paradise?”
Sarah and Marty are backing away from me as I walk forward. Sarah’s heel dips into the sod and her ankle falters. She quickly rights herself.
I continue. “You’ve barely just moved to town,” I say. “You don’t know Hillcrest like I do, Sarah. I’ve lived here my whole life. This whole place is my home. The people who live here are my family.”
Sarah scoffs. “You just think you like it here because you don’t know any better,” she says. “I can show you better. With more commerce flowing into Hillcrest, you’ll be able to expand. An airport, bigger roads... more restaurants and shops. You’ll see. This is for the best.”
“Killing a wolf was for the best?” I ask. Where the heck is Chris? He should be here by now.
“It had to be done,” Sarah says. “I couldn’t risk the fact that George Barter would spot a wolf in Hillcrest, when he came to lease the land. And what if the wolf stayed around, chasing after tourists when they ski? Barter wouldn’t want to stay.”
“Just like in Southwest Colorado,” I say. “With the mountain lion.”
“Precisely,” Sarah says. “You understand. I couldn’t let that wolf ruin everything. He had to die. Wolves are dangerous. They deserve to be killed.”
“Sarah—that wolf is a protected, endangered species. You realize it was illegal to have him killed, don’t you?”
I turn to Marty. Even though this side of the inn is blanketed in shadows, I can see that his face is turning pale. “And you—Marty! You should have known better. You served the government as a special agent—protecting endangered species for years! What were you thinking?”
“I just—just tazed him,” Marty says, fumbling over his words. “To stun him a bit, so that he could be removed safely and taken to a wolf sanctuary...”
“No,” I say. “You didn’t. You delivered a shock that you knew would kill him. I heard you say that yourself. You’re not getting away with this, Marty. You—both of you—” I look over at Sarah and then back to Marty “are going to go to jail for a long, long time.”
“No, we’re not,” says Sarah. Her voice is cold.
Suddenly, she springs forward, and I feel one of her hands wrap around my mouth. With her other hand, she twists one of my arms behind my back, and then holds me tight to her. I struggle, but I can’t get free. Her hands are ice cold and surprisingly strong.
“Marty!” she says, over my muffled scream. “Take out your taser!”
Where is Chris? I wonder desperately, as I try to use all of my strength to wiggle f
ree from this maniacal woman.
Marty is fumbling as he pulls something from his pocket.
“Turn it up!” orders Sarah. Her voice is cold and steely.
“You mean...?” asks Marty.
“All the way up! I want five million volts!” Sarah says with authority. Yep, she’s definitely the Alpha of this little two-person crime ring.
I see Marty moving his hand on a dial in the middle of his taser. Is he going to give me a cardiac arrest, just like he did to Raul?
I know now that it was Marty who killed Raul, not Zeke as I’d thought.
Marty was in the room before Zeke and Silas ever arrived. Marty delivered a fatal shock to Raul, while he was in wolf form, lying on the hotel bed nursing his wounds. Marty killed Raul, and then left the hotel room.
Raul, dead, transformed back into human form.
Zeke must have been very disappointed to find the Tenebris Alpha already dead. But that didn’t stop him from staging a murder of his own. He positioned himself over the body, and, just as Silas entered the room, he plunged his dagger into Raul, making a great theatrical show out of it.
I’ve figured the whole thing out, but what good is it going to do, now? I might die before I can tell anyone.
Marty now has the cold, metallic butt of his taser pressed against the side of my neck. I strain against Sarah, but she holds me still with steely determination.
“Do it, Marty!” she says. “I’ll give you ten million dollars. How’s that? Once the land deal goes through. Ten million dollars, instead of one million, like we’ve already agreed on for killing the wolf. Ten million dollars for killing her, Marty... think of it... how does that sound?”
The taser presses farther into my flesh. I feel it shaking, as Marty’s hand shakes. Where is Chris?
“Ten million dollars, Marty. You could retire to Mexico. You could leave this dump behind. You could—”
That’s enough! I will not tolerate listening to this malicious no good woman call my home a dump.
With a burst of tenacity, I pry my jaw open. Then I snap it closed, biting Sarah’s hand in the process. In shock, she draws her hand away from me.
“Ow!” she cries. Her abrupt movement knocks the taser from my neck.
“Hillcrest is not a dump!” I yell, now that Sarah’s hand is no longer covering my mouth. Then, while Sarah is still in a state of shock, I manage to swing my leg and kick her shin with my cowboy boot.
These boots may not be the best for biking, but they sure are great for kicking!
“Ow!” she says again.
“Serves you right!” I say, while jamming an elbow into Marty’s rib cage.
“Son of a—” blurts out Marty, just as I maneuver myself so that I can deliver a sharp kick into his gut.
He doubles over, dropping the taser. I swing my foot again and manage to punt the rectangular black taser across the grass.
Sarah’s redoubling her efforts to detain me, but she’s lost her edge. I’m throwing elbows and high kicks now in every direction. Some land in the air, and some land on flesh—Marty’s or Sarah’s, I’m not sure. I’m fighting as though my life depends on it, which, well, it does.
Suddenly, I’m aware that Sarah is falling to the ground.
Did I do that?
No, someone is on top of her. Ted McDougal!
Then I spot Chris, tackling Marty.
“Police!” shouts Chris, as he tackles Marty to the ground. Once he has Marty pinned, he calls out to me. “Penny, are you okay?”
“I’m all right,” I say. As I say it, I finally stop swinging my fists and kicking my legs. I’m all right. I’m alive.
Chris secures cuffs around Marty’s wrists. Marty is struggling to get up, but Chris holds him down with a booted foot. “Stay on the ground,” he says forcefully. “Penny, what happened?”
“I—I caught Sarah and Marty talking,” I say. “Sarah paid Marty one million dollars to kill a wolf. Marty delivered a lethal shock to an endangered animal.”
“What wolf?” asks Chris.
I hesitate. This is still a sore subject between us. I don’t quite know how to explain, without navigating us back into the werewolf waters that I know will drown us. Chris and I can’t see eye to eye when it comes to the existence of werewolves. I can’t ignore that fact.
But I can ensure that justice is served. I just have to be careful about what I say.
“A wolf that was in Raul’s room,” I say. “Marty knew that the shock he delivered would cause cardiac arrest. He did it anyways. Sarah paid him.”
I’m about to go on, but the sound of sirens approaching cuts me off.
Just then, I feel a soft, warm body press against my leg. “Turkey!” I say telepathically as I lean over to scoop up my cat.
“Penelope, I caught it all on video!” Turkey transmits, as he reaches up and nuzzles my chin with his cheek. “It’s on your phone—back behind that bush!”
“Turkey... how?” I ask silently.
Chris is distracted by the arrival of backup. I’m glad that I have a moment to communicate with my cat. “I left my phone on the grass, after I texted Chris,” I transmit to Turkey.
“You did,” Turkey responds. “I ran over to see if you were okay. I should have tried to help, but I was afraid.” He trembles.
“That’s okay,” I say, petting him.
“I pressed record. It’s all there—Sarah and Marty attacking you.”
“You’re brilliant!” I say. Still carrying Turkey, I rush over to the grassy area behind the shrub, and grab my phone. I see the video, all cued up to play.
Urgently, I rush it over to Chris. “This video will say it all,” I say. “I pressed record before I confronted Sarah and Marty. This is evidence, Chris. Evidence of attempted murder. Sarah and Marty attacked me.”
Chris accepts the phone. “Ted,” Chris calls out. “Radio chief and tell him we’re on the bravo side of the inn.”
Turkey is still trembling in my arms. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I panicked. I saw the taser, but I was afraid to try to help you. I should have—”
“Turkey, what you did was perfect,” I say silently, stroking his little head. “You did help me. Starting up the video on my phone was genius.”
“Genius? You really think so?” He purrs loudly.
I give him a kiss on the top of the forehead, and then turn my attention back to the situation unfolding around me. Chief Holcomb has arrived, along with Officer Braxton. The commotion has drawn in a crowd. Townspeople that were dancing and chatting around the bonfire are now crowding around us.
“Stand back!” Chris orders, as he slides my phone into his cargo pocket. “I need everybody to stand back, please.”
“Does this have something to do with that out-of-towner’s murder?” Someone calls out.
“As far as we know,” Chris says, “yes. This is related to the visitor’s death. The victim, Raul, was harboring a wolf in his hotel room. It has now come to light that the wolf may have also been killed.”
Yeah, I think to myself. Because the wolf and Raul are the same being. I bite my tongue.
Chris continues. “As many of you know, we are still searching for the person who killed Raul Rivera. We suspect that he has left Hillcrest, and a country-wide search has been initiated. Chances are, he won’t return to Hillcrest. If he does, rest assured, we will find him.”
I think of the way Zeke disappeared, like a mist fading under the light of bright sunshine. I don’t think he’ll be coming back to the Earth Realm any time soon.
McDougal and Chief Holcomb haul Sarah and Marty away. For a while, the crowd stays bunched up at the scene, murmuring questions amongst themselves. Chris and Officer Braxton bag up the taser gun, and then follow after the Chief. As he leaves, Chris promises to get my phone back to me once the evidence has been recorded.
I tell him to take his time.
I’ve had about enough of work for one night.
It’s time to celebrate.
Marle
y, Cora and Annie want the full scoop, so I fill them in over cups of the hot mulled cider and one of the caramel apples that I’ve been dreaming about.
An hour later, we’re all dancing in front of the bandstand. After a particularly slap-happy and tiring dance to YMCA, I begin to head off of the dance floor. I’m happy to be alive, happy to be celebrating with my friends, and happy that the case is finally solved.
As I look out through the lit up tent at all of the familiar, smiling faces, I feel incredibly grateful.
“Well, you look pleased about something,” says a deep voice to my right. I glance over.
It’s Max. He’s grinning too.
I smile back at him. “I’m pleased about everything,” I say.
“Good,” Max says, thoughtfully.
A slow song comes on, and he offers up his hand. Without thinking twice, I place my hand into his. A tingling zap of energy travels up my palm, over my shoulder, into my heart. It’s a pleasant feeling. I allow him to lead me out onto the dance floor. He holds me gently in his arms as we begin to sway to the music.
“You should be pleased,” Max says, low in my ear, as we dance. “You did very well tonight.”
“I did, didn’t I?” I say dreamily.
“Not many new witches could have handled a Lux wolf like you and your coven did tonight,” Max says. “I was watching, you know. I wanted to be there, in case you needed help.”
“You saw us cast the spell?” I ask.
He nods.
I meet his eyes with mine. His eyes are charcoal black. They’re deep, never-ending pools, filled with life and love—just the way my own were, when I looked in the mirror.
“You looked beautiful, you know,” Max says. “Working magic so fearlessly. You were bathed in moonlight. You were aglow with the power that was flowing through you. It was a sight to behold.”
I don’t know what to say to this, so I say nothing.
“You’re going to be a very powerful witch, you know,” Max murmurs.
“I am?” I say.
He nods again. “I’ve seen a great many witches progress through the cycles of ‘The Art and Science of Becoming a Witch’, you know. But no one has ever done it quite like you.”
“And that’s a... a good thing?” I ask.
A Hillcrest Witch Mystery Collection Page 35