Intuition

by Jennis Slaughter

  “I need time Jessie, to get things ready. Please...I know that it’s hard, but at least give me tonight,” the witch pleaded.

  “Okay, just we can’t wait too long. Please,” she said sadly. She was going to say more when they heard a light knocking on the back door. Kasey motioned for everyone to stay still and she retrieved her gun from the living room. She approached the door and looked out the peephole. “Who is it?”

  “Umm… it’s Tia. I have some very important things I need to talk to Raelin about, if she’s in.” Was the nervous reply.

  Kasey looked over at Raelin. “It’s a girl named Tia. You know her?”

  “Yeah, she’s the one that gave us the heads up about Delaney’s story in the paper. Let her in.” Raelin stood up and smoothed back her hair.

  Nodding Kasey opened the door and closed it behind the nervous looking girl. She’d lowered her gun, but neglected to holster it and she led the girl to the kitchen where the others were still gathered.

  “Mrs. Delacroix. I’m sorry to bother you at your home,” Tia said quietly, her eyes darting around the space. Her dark eyes paused over each woman, and then widened when she finally got a look at the tall deputy, the gun in her hand and the no nonsense look on her face.

  “Don’t mind Kasey...she’s really a gentle kitten.” Raelin walked forward and gently took Tia’s arm and showed her to a chair. “I’m sorry to ask this, but how did you find out where we lived?”

  “I had to ask someone for directions in town. Everyone knows you are from Leroy, but I’ve never been here, so I kinda got lost and had to ask the guy who runs the gas station where I might find you,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important, I promise.” Relaxing somewhat when Kasey finally holstered the weapon.

  Raelin stared at the young woman for a few moments, knowing that Jessie, Kasey, and Jenny were waiting for her to make the first move. “Okay then, why don’t you tell us what’s so important.”

  “I know he took your wife,” she said shyly. “Mr. Bisanti was expecting an important guest so when I called him to let him know his guest had arrived; he forgot to hang the phone up properly.”

  Raelin leaned forward as Jessie stood up. “What did you hear?” the attorney asked.

  “He said something about going down to the basement to check on the blondes,” she said quietly.

  Raelin reached out to hold the young woman’s hand. “How do you know he was talking about Delaney? Did you see her?”

  “He said something about having a little fun with the Chief. I only know one blonde Chief and it’s Mrs. Delacroix,” she said. “I didn’t see her, but he wouldn’t keep her anywhere where she’d be seen. Not with the kind of business he does,” shuddering as she thought about it.

  Kasey stepped forward, her sharp eyes catching the nervous ones of the young girl. “What kind of business does he do?” she asked seriously.

  Tia shrank back a little as Kasey’s tall build practically towered over the already nervous girl.

  Jenny stepped forward to place her hand on the small of Kasey’s back and spoke to her fiancée. “Easy there Dawg. It won’t help if you scare the only lead that we have.”

  Kasey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be scary. I just want my best friend back. Just like Raelin wants her wife and Jessie wants her daughter. Now, can you tell me what you meant by the kind of business he does,” she said, crouching down so she didn’t scare the girl.

  “Well, no one really knows for sure. Some of the workers say that they’ve heard of girls being called to his office and never coming back out, or that his guards can make men disappear. I’m just a hotel clerk, he wouldn’t share any details with me,” she said, her fingers fidgeting.

  Jessie spoke up. “Tia, is it? I’m an Assistant District attorney and I can promise you protection, and I know that as a desk clerk, you see when people come and go, and you’ve probably had checkouts that never returned for their possessions. If you can help us, you can help so many other people out.”

  “You try not to question things, because Mr. Bisanti is a very strict man. I’ll do what I can to help you. I promised I would help you Raelin, if you ever needed it and I’ll do my best,” Tia said with a determined nod as she got more comfortable with the women gathered around her.

  Raelin leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, as she was mentally walking through the Casino that she and Jessie took on their visit. Slowly she turned to look at the attorney. “Do you remember a section past the kitchens, but near the loading docks that Bisanti said was under construction when we were there?”

  “Oh yeah, I thought it was weird that there was no construction noise during a weekday. I just chalked it up to them maybe having that day off or something,” she replied.

  “Sorry, I was too busy watching the people to pay attention to much else.” Kasey admitted.

  Turning back to the clerk, Raelin asked, “Do you know the area that we’re talking about? Do you think that’s the place that they’re being held?”

  “It’s possible. Must be some kinda construction he's doing back there otherwise. Every new employee hired is told the same thing, and I’ve been there a couple years now.”

  “I’ll bet you anything that’s where he’s keeping her. Although, you said it was dark like a basement. That section is on the ground floor, unless there’s a staircase in there,” Kasey said thoughtfully.

  Standing up to walk around the room, Raelin stopped to pick up Delaney’s coffee cup, holding it to her chest. The hole in her heart was so dark and deep without her wife, and the witch promised that she would get her and Ariel back safely.

  Turning back around, she faced the women in the room, looking at each on in turn before she settled on Tia. “I need you to go into work tomorrow and act like everything is normal, but I’m going to show up in the afternoon, and I need for you to get me into Bisanti’s office without being seen. Can you do that?”

  “There’s a back staircase the maids use to get up there. I can try,” she nodded with a smile. “He’s an asshole, he treats us like his slaves and I’d be more than happy to do my part to serve him his just desserts.”

  “Okay, now did you let anyone know that you were coming here? Anyone at all?” Raelin asked.

  “No, it’s my afternoon off and I live alone,” Tia reassured the women. “I don’t work again until tomorrow afternoon.”

  “What are the chances that you might get called in early? The sooner you get there, the sooner that you might overhear something else?” Jessie suggested. “Could you volunteer to take someone’s shift? Like you need some extra money?”

  “It would be difficult to do so. Most people try not to call in sick, we risk losing our jobs every time we do,” she said sadly. “I’ll call around and see if anyone wants to trade shifts, but it was just luck that I heard anything this time.”

  Raelin could tell that Jessie was getting frustrated, and she reassured the desk clerk. “And we really appreciate you helping us. We don’t want you to put yourself in any position that would get you fired or hurt. Would you like to stay the night? There is a spare room and the road back to Canal City is awfully dark.”

  She looked around at the women in the kitchen before her eyes landed back on Raelin’s. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble and as long as I’m not putting anyone else out. I don’t really know those roads well enough to find my way in the dark.”

  Kasey leaned down to whisper in her fiancée’s ear. “What about you? You think you should stay here for Raelin or you think it’s okay?”

  Raelin interrupted whatever Jenny was about to say. “No, it’s not a problem at all. You all are welcome to stay. Please make yourselves at home.” Raelin turned to Jenny. “Would you mind fixing something for everyone else to eat? I’m going to go upstairs for a while.”

  “I’ll get it.” Kasey smiled. “We don’t need the kitchen burning down on top of everything else that’s hap
pened,” she said, giving her fiancée a playful elbow to the side.

  “Hey...I should get something for trying.” Jenny elbowed her lover back.

  “Don’t you usually?” Kasey replied with a smirk as she opened the fridge to see what was available.

  Tia just watched the banter for a minute before piping up. “Excuse me, I didn’t get everyone’s names,” she said shyly.

  Raelin sighed and wiped her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to my manners. Tall, dark and imposing is Kasey Spaulding, who is Delaney’s Deputy, and the feisty red-head is her fiancée Jenny Montrose,” she motioned to Jessie and said in a quieter tone. “This is Jessie Bell…the mother of the little girl that was taken with my wife.”

  “I’m Tia, which I’m sure you guys already gathered. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” she said sadly.

  “You and me both. We’ll get things figured out though, you’ve been a big help,” the Deputy opened the pantry and turned back to the group. “Does anyone want anything specific? Or is stir fry and rice okay?”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Raelin left the group and slowly made her way up the stairs. Having to be calm and polite was getting to her, and she needed some quiet time. Closing the door to their bedroom the witch choked back a sob when she saw their unmade bed and she remembered cuddling with her wife and Ariel just that morning.

  Crawling up onto the bed, Raelin grabbed Delaney’s sleep shirt and brought it up to her nose and inhaled her wife’s scent. Tears fell from her eyes as she focused as hard as she could on Delaney and sending her all the love that she could force through their link. She could only hope that maybe some of it was getting through.

  Not that she was expecting to get any response back, but after around ten minutes she couldn’t stop herself from sobbing into the sleep shirt and pressing her fist into her mouth to keep from wailing aloud.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kasey tossed the veggies and strips of season beef in the wok a few more times, as she mulled the current situation over. She’d phoned Jacobs as she cooked and managed to convince the straight-laced director to give Raelin a chance. Jacobs was planning on showing up to the house sometime tomorrow and she knew she’d need to discuss that with Raelin.

  Turning off the burner, she started to set the table and was joined by Jenny. “Jessie, can you go get Raelin, let her know that supper is done?”

  “Yeah sure, I’ll be right back,” the attorney answered and headed for the stairs. She was about to knock on the door when she heard the unmistakable sounds of someone crying. She slowly opened the door and peeked her head in spotting Raelin curled up in the bed and clutching a shirt tightly to her chest. “Raelin? Kasey asked me to get you for supper. You okay?” she asked, stepping hesitantly into the room.

  Raelin continued to cry, she was too far-gone now to stop. “I need Delaney...I have to get her back...I can’t live without her,” she looked up into Jessie eyes. “I know I can get them back here. I know I can.”

  “I know Hun, and she feels the same. She loves you too much not to come out okay. We all have faith in you Raelin. I’m sorry I was so harsh with you earlier, I know you miss Del too,” she said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the witch.

  Raelin shut her eyes and tried to get a hold of herself. She needed to explain what was going to happen, because she needed someone here to tell Delaney what to do when they got back.

  Sitting up and wiping at her face, the witch took a deep breath. “I found a teleportation spell in my family’s journal, and I think I can get them from the casino to the glen with it. I’ll need to stay up most of night to prepare, but by mid-afternoon I should have everything ready. I plan to teleport them back to the glen. It’s one place that both Delaney and Ariel can picture perfectly in their minds.”

  “What about you though? You can teleport yourself out with them right?” Jessie asked. She wanted her daughter and best friend back but she didn’t want Raelin to get hurt in the process.

  “I won’t be able to come back at the same time. It will take too much energy for me to do that. Sending them back will almost empty me, but I know of a way that I can replenish myself and get back a little while later.” Raelin reached for Jessie’s hand, and swallowed a couple of times. “It may take me a few hours before I can get back, but you tell Delaney...You tell Del that I love her and I will stop at nothing to get back to her.”

  “Don’t you talk like that! You’ll come back here just fine and everything will be okay,” the attorney said back, around the lump in her throat.

  “You just tell her okay? You promise?” Raelin pressed with eyes bright with tears.

  She grabbed Raelin’s face between her hands and pressed their foreheads together, her eyes locked with the witches. “I promise. You tell Ariel that Mommy loves her and that I’m waiting for her. Promise.”

  “Just be in the glen...I’ll get them there.” Raelin weakly smiled.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Del groaned as she felt the outside world encroach on the deep sleep she’d been in. Her head felt heavy as she blinked her eyes open, her vision still blurry as she tried to get an idea of where she was. She tried to move but further investigation found she was still tied to a chair of some sort, her entire body ached from sitting in the same place for so long. She looked down and saw where skin had been rubbed raw from the rope, even bled in some places.

  Hearing a shuffling and a sniffing beside her Delaney looked over to see that Ariel sat against a pipe near the wall, rope wrapped around her so she couldn’t move. She turned and spotted a bored looking guard sitting in a chair near the door.

  “Hey,” she tried to say, her voice rough from disuse. “Hey!” she repeated, her voice stronger this time.

  The guard looked up at her and sneered. “Well, well, look who’s awake. I’m surprised you can still talk around that gash in your lip.”

  “Look, I don’t care what happens to me, but is it really necessary to keep a toddler tied up? She’s no threat to you,” Del said.

  “Delly! I scared! I wants to go home. I want Mommy and Daddy,” Ariel cried, squirming against the ropes that bound her.

  “I know baby, we’ll get you home soon. Be brave for me Ariel, okay?” She turned her attention back to the guard. “Look, she’s scared and she isn’t going to go anywhere. Just untie her so she can be close to me, she’ll stop crying at least.”

  The guard rose from his place and grabbed Del’s chin between his forefinger and thumb. “My, my, I don’t think you’re in a place to make demands. I’ll untie her, but only because I am sick of listening to her cry,” he let go of Del’s face and saw the defiance in her eyes, even through the haze of the drugs. Bringing his arm up, he backhanded her across the face, his ring slashing through the skin of her cheek.

  She felt the warmth of the blood trickling down her cheek and she blinked as her head rang. She managed to keep herself aware long enough to feel Ariel’s weight as she clutched at Del’s leg before she passed into darkness once more.

  “Delly, you gots ta wakies.” Del heard softly, a tinge of fear behind it. She managed to blink her eyes open and saw Ariel looking up at her earnestly.

  “I’m awake baby, you okay? You hurt anywhere?” She thought back.

  “No...I’m just scareds. They threw me into the van though.” Ariel pouted.

  “I know, but it’s going to be okay. You and me are going to be just fine.” She tried to reassure the girl, even as she looked her over. She was dirty and her face was tear streaked, but there was no signs of any injuries. “Have they said anything to you Ari? Have the bad men mentioned anything?”

  “They says that Aunty Raden has to gives them their socks or we cannot go home. Why does Aunty Rae have their socks?” Ariel wrinkled her face.

  “She has stocks baby, not socks. It’s like little pieces of the casino. Like if, you built a castle with your Lego’s. Raelin has more Lego’s than the bad men and they want them so they c
an make more money.” Del explained, unsure if Ariel would understand. “I was talking to Aunty Rae on the phone, and she knows where we are. They’ll come get us and then we’ll have all the ice cream we can eat.”

  Ariel’s eyes lit up. “Chocolate?”

  “But of course. What other kind is there?” She scoffed. “Now why don’t you climb up in my lap here and have a nap okay? It’s late baby and you need to sleep.”

  Slowly the little girl looked over to the guard before she slowly climbed up into her Aunt’s lap and snuggled up to her front. “I love you Aunty Delly.”

  “I love you too, Ariel, so very much,” she answered, tears welling up in her eyes. She pressed kisses to the top of the girls head, burying her nose in the fine blonde curls and drifted off once Ariel’s breathing had evened out into sleep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The bedroom was lit only by the moonlight, and Raelin was leaning against the headboard, still holding Delaney’s shirt. She had passed on dinner, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to keep anything down. She felt close to her wife in their bed, and kept trying to reach her or Ariel through their link and no talkies, but to no avail.

  The silence was shattered by her phone vibrating on the nightstand. She quickly picked it up and opened it. “Hello...”

  “Mrs. Delacroix, please excuse the hour,” Bisanti sneered over the phone. “I was just calling to inform you that our lawyer has emailed you with the directions on signing over the shares.”

  “Let me speak to Delaney and to the child. You get nothing if they’re not alive.” Raelin clambered out of bed and went into the next room to wake Jessie up.

  “Oh, they are a little busy right now,” he chuckled even as Ariel’s crying came across the phone line.

  “Let me talk with Delaney...please. Or at least Ariel. I can calm her down,” the witch begged.