by Raven Snow
“Yeah, like he promised her. He promised her and breaking promises is bad, so she was going to make sure he kept his promise.” Sara’s words were quiet and halting, like she was trying to repeat a conversation she couldn’t quite comprehend.
***
It didn’t take Ben too long to arrive. When he did, Eric let him in through the back. An ambulance had come as well. They wanted to check the girl over, which was probably a good idea.
Sara was playing with some gems Lydia had brought over when everyone filed in. She froze, her eyes wide. The poor thing had no idea what was going on. She didn’t know that her mother was dead yet and that her brother might suffer the same fate—assuming he hadn’t already. She did start to cry, however, when the EMTs tried to get her to the ambulance.
That was all Lydia could stand. “Wait, wait, wait,” she urged. “Let me come with you.” She handed Sara a tumbled moonstone. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”
Sara turned the stone in her hand a few times as she nodded. An EMT started to object, but Ben interrupted. “Let her. The girl needs some company.” It wasn’t like her brother or mother could ride along with her.
Sara was a little more amenable to getting in the ambulance when Lydia went with her. “Tell Nadine and Norm I’m busy!” she called back.
“Find anything out?” Ben asked once they had a bit of privacy.
“A few things.” Rowen went on to explain what they had learned. Ben nodded the whole while, taking it in.
“Well, that certainly gives me a lot to look into and consider,” Ben said with a somewhat defeated look. This was a difficult case. He was working against the clock and already at a disadvantage given how understaffed he was. “Where are you two planning on going next?”
Eric looked to Rowen. They hadn’t talked the matter over yet. Heck, Rowen hadn’t even had a chance to think much about it. Suddenly, it hit her, though. “I think we’ll head back to the campground. Harmony’s spirit wasn’t with her body. She might have moved on by now, but… I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe she’s still in those woods. I think, maybe, she’s still looking for her children.”
Chapter Fourteen
It wasn’t a good day for an investigation. Granted none of the days since the tourists flooded in were great for investigations. Still, Rowen wasn’t overly fond of the fact that it was getting dark by the time they managed to park their car outside of the campground.
“Think we should come back tomorrow?” asked Eric.
“No. They’ll be leaving tomorrow. And, I dunno, maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. The search party will be heading back now around this hour. We’ll have the woods all to ourselves.”
“Unless there really are aliens in there.”
Rowen swatted her husband on the arm. “Don’t joke around like that. People are dead. Though, I mean, yeah… They were kind of jerks.”
“Honestly, call me heartless, but I’m just worried about the kids.” Eric opened the car door and got out. Rowen followed. “Do you ever think about having kids?”
Rowen looked at her husband, dumbfounded. “Is now really the time to talk about having kids?”
“I don’t know! It’s been a long day.”
“I’m happy with Chester right now.” That was all Rowen was willing to say on the subject.
“That’s fair.”
“You’re planning to have kids?” asked a familiar voice. Rowen turned to find Julia Martinez standing on the sidewalk with her camera man. She looked both Eric and Rowen up and down. “You would probably make cute kids. Would they be little wizards? Which is worse for you Greensmiths, learning how to walk or learning how to fly on a broom?”
Rowen really wasn’t in the mood for Julia’s usual goading insults. “What are you even doing here?”
“Trying to follow up on a lead,” Julia said with a sigh. “And relax, I was just kidding. You should be glad I’m this upfront with you. At least I’m not sweet to your face and duplicitous behind your back. That Irene Jones is a snake.”
“Yeah, I’ve been getting that impression.” Rowen eyed the camera man. “Don’t put that on the news.”
“Don’t worry. Out of context, ‘getting the same impression’ doesn’t really hold a lot of weight.”
“What sort of lead are you following up on?” Rowen could feel Eric’s hand on her arm. He was trying to pull her away. Rowen held her ground. She couldn’t help it. Her curiosity demanded to know what Julia was standing out there for. It seemed like she might have something worthwhile.
Julia must have figured the same. “What will you give me for it?” she asked, an impish smile forming on those full red lips of hers.
Rowen should have known. She felt another tug on her arm but continued to stand her ground. “I can’t tell you anything,” she said, plainly. “I’m working with the police right now. You know how that is. If you have a piece of information that would help, you need to tell us.
Julia’s disinterest was immediate. “Well, that’s a shame.”
“Julia, what do you know?”
“I don’t really know anything. I was just fishing to see if you knew anything of interest. I see you don’t, so… move along.”
Rowen was certain Julia knew something. It would be on the news tonight. She started to say as much, but Eric pulled on her arm again. Rowen finally went with him this time. “I hate that woman,” she grumbled as they went.
“No, you don’t,” said Eric with a weary sigh. “You dislike her a lot. Most people do. At least she’s up front about it, though, like she said.”
That was a fair point. Rowen still preferred Julia to Irene. For once she couldn’t wait for Channel 2 News to be back on top.
As expected, people were filing out of the woods and returning to their tents and RVs. Like Eric, Rowen wasn’t thrilled about searching through the woods at night. At least fewer people would make it a little easier to read. Their residual energy might still prove a problem, but her initial theory still felt like it was worth trying out. Rowen was making a beeline for the tree line when something caught her attention over near the WNT trailers. She nudged Eric. “Is that Margo?”
Eric turned his head and squinted into the distance. “Maybe? It kind of looks like her from here.”
Rowen’s interest was piqued. She changed course for that direction rather than the woods. “Margo?” she called as soon as her cousin was close enough to hear her.
Margo looked back. Her over-plucked eyebrows raised as she recognized who it was approaching her. “What are you doing here?” Her tone was icy. Her head was held high so that she had to look down along her nose to see Rowen. Granted, that was an easy feat. Margo was almost a head taller than she was.
“I’m here on police business.” Rowen had no problem answering outright. It was hard to find fault with helping to solve a murder and find a missing kid. “Are you helping out Julia Martinez? I saw her out there on the sidewalk.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
Rowen didn’t have time for this. She was about to leave when something else occurred to her. “Is she not letting you in?”
“That’s really none of your business.”
So she was definitely having trouble getting in. Rowen didn’t ask if Margo wanted her to help. Knowing Margo, she would immediately shoot her down and spend the rest of the night sulking. Rowen moved into action instead. She looked around and immediately caught sight of Veronica standing about twenty feet away. She was chatting with the younger of the two security guards. “Hey!” called Rowen getting Veronica’s attention and moving to meet her halfway. “Do you think you could give me a hand?”
Veronica looked to the security man, saying something quietly to him before shooing him from her side. “What do you need?” she asked, her tone guarded as she studied Rowen, Eric, and Margo all in turn. “She’s not really in the mood for visitors.”
“It’s about the murder.” Rowen had no time to beat around the bush. “Please. I know you�
�re all leaving tomorrow. Some new information has come up. I really need to talk to her about it. I’d rather do it before the police come and do it themselves.”
Veronica was staring. She couldn’t stand it. Rowen could tell. She couldn’t handle the not knowing. It was hard to blame her. All of this was rather nerve wracking. “I’ll… I’ll tell her you’re here, but I can’t promise anything.”
Rowen offered Veronica what she hoped was a warm smile. “I appreciate it.”
“This isn’t going to work,” Margo said plainly, once Veronica had gone.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Rowen watched as Veronica knocked on the door to Irene’s trailer. “I think it might.”
The door opened and words Rowen couldn’t quite make out were exchanged. Irene poked her head out briefly. The door closed and Veronica headed back down the stairs. “She’ll see you.”
It felt a bit like they were being told they could see royalty. Rowen didn’t hesitate. She led the way upstairs and let herself in. Eric and Margo followed this time. Irene frowned at the sight of them. “I thought it was just you.”
“Not this time. This is my husband. You’ve seen him before, and well, you’ve met Margo.”
Irene wasn’t in her robe anymore. Quite the contrary, she looked like she had taken a trip to hair and makeup. She looked camera ready in her gray pantsuit and red acrylic nails. “Does she moonlight as a PI as well?” Irene asked, nodding to Margo.
“I don’t,” said Margo before Rowen could voice the excuse she’d made for her. “You’re looking nice tonight, Irene,” Margo continued. “What’s the occasion?”
Irene went to a side table where she had a lit cigarette balanced on the rim of an ash tray. She took a drag before saying anything at all. “Best to be prepared, right? I suppose they’ll be taking me down to the police station soon. I want to be looking my best, obviously. I don’t have anything to hide.” She narrowed her eyes and looked to Margo. “You can publish that, by the way.”
“Good. Can I also publish the part where you faked the alien sighting?”
“What?”
“You set up a meeting with local business owners. Obviously, you didn’t go yourself. You sent an assistant or something. You made sure there were several degrees of separation from yourself. The local shops around here were pleased with the extra business. I notice the offer wasn’t extended to everyone though. It wasn’t extended to my family’s shop, for instance,” Margo said very calmly, her eyes on Irene the whole while. “One of them flew a drone for you. Not very convincing as an alien, but definitely enough to bring in the views, enough for skeptics to try to debunk and folks desperate to see an alien to sink their teeth into.”
To Irene’s credit, she stayed outwardly calm. Rowen could sense what was going on beneath her skin, however. She could sense an inner monologue so loud it was hard to believe Irene was following the conversation at all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said after a few moments of awkward silence. “If what you say is true, I’ll have to look into this. I’ll make sure the police hear about what’s going on. If everything is as you say, it sounds like my personal assistant is going behind my back. She loves this job… Maybe she loves it a little too much.” She sighed and looked down at the floor.
“You’re telling me that Veronica set all this up?” Rowen asked, trying to get a clear picture of what Irene was saying.
“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it? I know I didn’t ask her to do any such thing. I would never. WNT’s credibility is too important to me. I-” Whatever Irene had been about to say next, she didn’t get the chance. The door to the trailer banged out, making even Rowen jump.
“Are you serious?” demanded Veronica. The door swung shut behind her. Her hands were by her sides, balled into tight fists. “You’re just going to throw me under the bus? Seriously?” It seemed that Veronica had been eavesdropping. Rowen had figured she might do something along those lines. She’d been too nervous, too eager to hear more of what was going on.
Irene stood still and with her eyes wide, like an animal caught in the headlights. “Veronica, what are you—”
Veronica didn’t give her boss a chance to question or make an excuse for herself. She turned to Rowen and Eric. “She faked the whole thing. She always fakes things. You can ask anyone on the WNT staff. We all know. We’ve all caught her doing something or another. We get fired if we mention it. We won’t even get a good reference. She’ll just have someone discredit us in some way. So, yeah. I was part of the chain of events with the drone, but it wasn’t my plan. Sending Stephen out was her plan too, I’m sure. This whole thing is a mess, and I plan on staying in front of it.”
Irene had been still the whole time Veronica had been speaking. As soon as she was finished, she seemed to remember herself. “That’s a lie,” she snapped, looking to Rowen and then to Margo, like either one of them would jump to her defense.”
“You can ask around, like I said,” Veronica insisted. “Everyone is scared right now. I think most everyone will tell the truth.”
Rowen nodded. “We have at least one person who has.”
“Who?” Irene demanded.
“That doesn’t matter.” It wasn’t like Rowen was allowed to repeat the name to her anyway. “Eric, you might want to call the cops. Tell them we have some more evidence.”
Eric took his phone from his pocket. He was forced to step to one side before dialing. Irene made a rush for it, grabbing at the phone. It was hard to say what she was hoping to accomplish. Eric quickly and easily moved the phone from her reach.
“Please don’t do this,” Irene begged. She must have realized fighting for the phone was a losing battle. She was pleading now, which seemed only one step above that. It was an odd sight indeed. “You’ll ruin our entire channel. So what if I stretch the truth a little? It’s what people want to see! Can you imagine how boring this show would be if we never found anything? You get it, right? Aliens don’t exist any more than witches do. I was willing to play along with you, why can’t you play along with me?”
Rowen wasn’t sure how she was supposed to take all that. Regardless, it didn’t change what needed to be done next. Eric stepped outside to make his call while Rowen blocked the door. “I suggest you wait here,” she told Irene. “Wouldn’t want the police to put an APB out on you. I’m sure Channel 2 would have a field day with that.”
Irene just glared and sank back down into her chair. She lit another cigarette. These last few moments had used up all the fight left in her. Her logic had kicked in, most likely. She was probably doing her very best to think up some kind of excuse.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Veronica assured them all.
Rowen wasn’t feeling too trustful of Veronica either, but she doubted either of them were going to make a run for it. No, that would just make things worse. More likely they were going to sit down together until the police came and try to sort something out, some way to make it out of all this with both of their reputations intact.
Rowen headed out the door to meet back up with Eric. Margo followed her out. “So, what are you up to now?” she asked Margo. “Going to call Rose or meet back up with Channel 2?”
Margo shrugged. “I don’t know. What are you doing here?”
“Checking the woods for a ghost.” Rowen realized those words probably sounded odd to your average passerby. Even some of the alien junkies were casting curious looks in her direction. She ignored them. “Without people around, and now that it’s darker and more peaceful, I figure I might be able to get something.”
“And what makes you so sure this ghost of yours hasn’t moved on?”
“The ghost is a mother. Her name is Harmony. I’m not sure, but… I think she might be worried about her kids. I think she might be looking for them.” Rowen lowered her voice to a whisper. “We found the daughter, but the boy is still missing. I’d be happy with finding the mother or the kid. Even if we just find one, that’s a win in my book. M
aybe we can find the killer. Maybe we can save a kid.”
Margo stared out toward the tree line. “The news can wait, I guess. This sounds important… I’ll help you.”
“Are you sure?” Rowen hadn’t expected that.
“Rose would call this a better use of my time, and Channel 2… Well, I can’t enjoy seeing my face on the television if I know a kid’s life is on the line.”
“Margo—”
Margo shook her head. “Don’t try to talk me out of it… Because you might be able to. I’m already regretting telling you that I’d help.”
***
Fortunately, Eric and Rowen had brought along enough flashlights for everyone. Well, technically, Margo was carrying the electric lantern. Between the three of them, they were able to light up a large area rather well. The forest still felt creepy, though. Not that Rowen hadn’t been out in the woods plenty at night. It came hand in hand with being a witch when your aunt was Nadine. This wasn’t creepy in a spooky way, though. It was more that the place had been touched by negativity, by the murder that had taken place here. There was unfinished tragedy in these woods. That was a good sign. Perhaps they would find Harmony after all. Rowen followed her discomfort until even Eric was beginning to feel it. “Is anyone else having trouble breathing?” he asked, unbuttoning another button at the top of his shirt.
“Yeah, but that’s a good sign, believe it or not.”
“We’re getting close to a spirit,” Margo elaborated. “An angry and frightened one too. Not the best mix. This is how you get violent hauntings.”
“Not if we can help it, though.” Rowen pressed on. Harmony? she thought, looking this way and that. Are you there? I found your daughter. I need your help to find your son.
“Anything?” asked Eric.
“Not yet. Are the two of you thinking about her? Make sure you focus on the name Harmony, all right? Think of Roswell, too. Tell her we have Sara safe and sound. Think as loudly as you can.”
“I don’t know how to think loudly,” Eric murmured.