“Not exactly the evening you had planned,” Officer Peck said from the front, not bothering to turn his round bald head to look at us directly.
“Not exactly,” I replied kindly. “The other officer—”
“Detective Morrow,” Officer Peck supplied, cutting me off.
“Sorry, he never introduced himself,” Jax replied, before I could snap back with my more colourful reply. He scrunched his eyebrows at me and nodded for me to go on.
“Does detective Morrow know what killed the man?”
“Not yet, but the ME will have a better idea. The park is not without its furry friends, but it looked like something far bigger ripped through that man. If he wasn’t found in a pool of his own blood, I would have sworn it was a body dump.”
“Wow, that bad?” Jax asked as we drove through an arched driveway and onto a properly paved road. I glanced back at the sign above the archway. Garigal National Park. Not too far from the cabins I used to visit with Mum back when I was small.
“Yep. Poor thing’s insides had to be bagged up separate by the ME. Even he struggled to keep it together. Funny thing though, when we were pulling into the park the sun hadn’t quite set yet, and I swore I saw a rainbow through the trees.”
I gripped Jax’s hand tighter beside me. “Maybe there was a sun shower in the area just before? It smells like rain, do you think it will storm soon?”
The officer shook his head. “Nope, not a drop in two days. News did say to expect some rain later this evening, though. That’s why it was so strange. Must have been something shiny reflecting the light through the trees. So, where is home?” Officer Peck enquired, this time slowing the cruiser and turning to look at me. His face was covered in a thin layer of sweat that made his pale skin look like wax. His eyes were far too close together, and his large nose was bent slightly to the left and had a major dent in the bridge. Obviously a bad break not corrected properly.
“We were staying in the caravan park not far from here. If you drop us up the road a bit we can make it the rest of the way on our own.”
“Sorry mate can’t do that. Have to drop you there me self. Plus need to grab your info, and a pic of the mutt too, if you have one. That way if we see it, we can get the thing back to ya.”
I tensed but Jax took my hand and squeezed it. Almost instantly I felt calmer. I loved that he could do that. Wait, what was it Madel said? Jax affects change. Is this what she meant?
“It’s no problem I assure you. Now which park was it you said you were staying at?”
“I can’t remember the name,” I said, then rattled off the description I remembered from my visits as a child. Officer Peck knew it instantly. And I relaxed back into the leather seats of the cruiser as we continued on our way.
Officer Peck’s cruiser smelled like stale McDonalds and cigarettes. I pushed my shield over me to keep the smell from my senses, and, on seeing Jax’s nose scrunch, I willed it over him as well. He relaxed into the chair, the instant the smell disappeared. I leaned into him, taking a slow breath as we rounded the final corner into the holiday park.
“Des,” Jax whispered into my ear. “Can you spell a cabin for us in there. One at the end, maybe hidden by trees, or something?”
It was good thinking. The officer would probably want to see where we were staying. I could use the cast I used to transform Ava’s room. I slipped the book carefully out and turned to the page I needed. Concentrating on the back section I remembered as a child I muttered the cast under my breath. I hoped it was still the same tree covered area. I spelled a small one bedroom cabin into place using the wood of the trees it replaced. I threw in some bare essentials, like clothes and shoes. I use the transfer cast for that , swapping twigs and stones with things from a nearby Salvation Army. I would return them as soon as the officer left. Thankfully the park’s cabins had a shared cafeteria and bathroom facilities. I had no clue how I would construct working plumbing.
“Which one is yours, then?” Officer Peck asked, as if on cue.
“The one up the end, behind those trees,” Jax said, pointing further down the dirt road. We passed cabins all crafted the same. A few porch lights illuminated the wooden panelled walls and hand carved wooden doors that were still as I remembered, lacquered to a shine.
I didn’t see any one still up and about and I figured it must be pretty late. I didn’t wear a watch anymore, and my phone had been useless in Baldea. Except to play candy crush, occasionally. I peered over Officer Peck’s shoulder to see the time on his dash. Ten thirty-seven. So they must have been at that site for quite a while when we showed up. Then why didn’t we see their flashlights earlier?
At least that should be enough of a gap to remove us from suspicion. I hoped.
He stopped just in front of the wood log cabin I had created and climbed out, coming to my door first.
“Thank you for your help,” I said to him as I climbed out of the back seat. Jax quickly followed.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Officer Peck asked, arms folded across his chest.
“I am not sure—”
“I need ya statements on why you were in the woods, and any contact details so that we can reach ya should we have any follow up questions.”
“Oh, right. Would you like to come inside?”
“Thank you,” he said, stepping around Jax and following me up the stairs and through the door of the cabin.
I hadn’t been careful when I pulled the items from the Salvation Army and the clothes lay strewn around the room.
“Sorry about the mess,” I said, scrambling to grab the bits and pieces to tidy up. Would you just go already? I don’t have time for your crap.
He shrugged off my apology, taking a seat in the small lounge area. Jax and I joined him and we went over our false statement on why we were there, and what we didn’t see. I tried to get Officer Peck to reveal some information about the man, but he was not very forthcoming with details. He would only say that he had been mauled and would have died in a lot of pain.
I saw a twinkle on the window sill and Madel appeared. She jumped up and down waving her little arms to get my attention.
“So if that’s it? I am getting pretty tired,” I said, standing to escort him out. I really am tired. I haven’t slept in over a day now. Thank God my casts were holding.
“Before I go, do you have a picture of Madel?”
Madel froze on the window sill. “Yes, our dog, Madel. I will get that for you now. Jax would you like to escort the officer out? I will meet you in a moment.”
Jax motioned to the door. “After you, Officer Peck.”
I rummaged through a bag on the side table looking for the imaginary photo. I found a small piece of paper and quickly spelled it into an image of white and grey Shepard.
Just as Officer Peck turned the door handle I called out to him. “Here it is. Our little Madel. Please, if you find him, call us on the number on the back. We will be returning to my apartment in the city the day after tomorrow, so it would be great if you can call if you get any news. Madel probably ran home, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Yes, she will probably be waiting on the stoop. Thank you again, Officer Peck,” Jax said, holding out his hand for the officer to shake it. I tried not to look concerned and hoped Officer Peck didn’t catch Jax’s slip up.
“It was lovely to meet you both,” he said, taking Jax’s hand. “Please stay out of the woods until we have resolved this case. Wouldn’t want you stumbling into another crime scene.”
We both nodded, and Officer Peck thankfully left.
Madel stood at the window sill in the corner watching as the patrol car pulled away, and when we could no longer hear it she flew across the room and landed on Jax’s head.
“Get off, you!” Jax scolded, flinging his fingers through his hair.
“I found her!” Madel screamed in her joyous tone as she easily avoided Jax’s fingers and continued to jump up and down on his head.
“Oh
my Fey, you found her?” Jax asked as he stopped trying to swat her from his hair.
I held out my hand and she readily jumped onto it. Then ran up my arm to take her place on my shoulder.
“Where is she?”
“She was with the gone man, her magic on him.”
“Who is the gone man?”
“The man who not here now, in the woods. He was alive now he is gone.”
“The dead guy?”
“Yes he’s gone now, but her magic was still there.”
“You don’t think…” Jax started, but I shook my head. No way would Ava have had anything to do with that man’s death. After all, the officer said it was an animal.
“Where is she now?” I asked, looking down at her.
“She’s nearby, her magic is pretty easy to track. She hasn’t portalled again yet, the ones she makes keep breaking.”
“Okay, lead the way.” I opened the cabin door and headed into the night yet again. When we moved a few feet from the cabin I spelled it back to the trees it had been and the clothing returned to the Salvation store.
“We should bring Ava to a place like this when everything is back to normal,” Jax said, catching up to take my hand as we walked.
“I used to come here with my mum. We would spend a few nights in the cabins and I would play with the kids who holidayed here too. She would do readings from a small table she set up outside our cabin, and at night she would tell me stories of magical creatures.” I laughed a little. “I guess they weren’t really stories, now that I think about it. Well, whatever they were, it was nice being here with her.”
I could bring Ava here and tell her stories, if I…
“We will get her back, Des,” Jax said, answering the question I didn’t ask, but had been on repeat in my head.
“She can’t be too hard to find, she looks like a bloody rainbow with that hair.” I looked at Madel. “Which way, how far is she?”
“Her magic is growing in that direction,” Madel said, pointing to a housing development to the right. “It growing a lot.”
“What do you mean?” Jax asked.
“Why would her magic be growing?”
Madel shrugged. “Easy to find if it bigger.”
We headed into the development. It was dark but the many street lights lit the surrounding area pretty well. Jax passed too close to a house and its motion sensor light turned on, freaking him out and making me laugh.
Madel giggled from my shoulder, holding onto the strap of my top so she could lean back in cheer without falling off.
“Shh…” Jax hissed at us, more to ease his embarrassment than to help our tracking of Ava. “Something moved up there.” He stopped and pointed to a house up on the left. The sensor light had been tripped by something. It was too far away for either of us to see anything.
“Madel, is it her?” I asked softly as I moved to hide behind a tree.
“The magic is strong up there, it could be her.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when an enormous red flash illuminated half of the block.
“What the hell was that?”
I shielded my eyes. When the light cleared, the street was dark. Completely dark. All of the street lights were out and when we moved into the path of the sensor lights none of them lit up.
“That could have been Ava. Her power could have caused a black out. Madel did she portal?” I asked.
We crept forwards together using only the partial moonlight and the glow from Madel to guide us. The moon was a sliver of a crest. How many days was it I had? Five, five days till the new moon. Crap.
“Maybe her, maybe no her,” Madel said holding firmly to a strand of my hair.
When we reached the house where the pulse originated, I had to hold back the bile that rose in my throat. A woman lay on her back staring blankly up at the dark sky. Her stomach ripped open, her insides now outside, spilling over onto the tiled drive.
“It’s not Ava,” I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Madel, are you sure Ava was here, was it Ava that made the flash?”
“Yes,” she squeaked into my ear. “Her magic is still on the lady. Can’t you see it?”
I tried to focus. I was supposed to be the most powerful fey in existence but I couldn’t see anything. The woman’s energy was long gone and there didn’t seem to be any magic left behind. I shook my head, frustrated, and turned to scan the surrounding area. It was still too dark to see anything further than a few metres but I had the strangest feeling someone was watching me.
The click of a door lock brought us all to attention.
We dashed behind the car in the next driveway. “Madel, do you know where she went? She can’t have gone far.”
“She portalled somewhere, so she could be anywhere. It will take me a moment to track the magic and find her again.”
“Well we better move away from here anyway. We can’t be around when the woman is discovered, follow me.”
I led them up the street a bit, more doors clicked as the residents came to investigate the flash they must have seen. Behind us a man screamed, ‘Carly!’. I cringed as his anguished cries for help followed.
It was no use, there would be no saving Carly. The calls of the neighbours coming to his aid followed.
We neared the end of the block and had to quickly dash behind a large tree as a patrol car zoomed around the corner followed by an ambulance.
“Where do we go?” Jax asked, releasing my hand and placing his on the small of my back. A car drove through the intersection down the end of the street and a cute blue cottage house caught my eye. I know that house. I thought and it suddenly struck me why. I used to pass by it all the time on my way to Dazzle. My apartment isn’t too far from here.
“I know where we can go,” I said, smiling. “But first we might need some transportation.” I looked around. All the cars in driveways were reasonably new, and new meant alarmed. “We need to find a less fancy neighbourhood,” I said, turning another corner. “We should go this way.”
We followed the street, then another, all the while trying to keep to the shadows as best we could.
Finally after what had to be twenty minutes, I saw an older, two door orange Barina parked in the street. Perfect.
I scooted up to the driver side door and used the cast to unlock. The button clicked up and I climbed inside. More car lights rose from up the street and I quickly slouched to the side to hide from view as they passed. When the car was long gone, I reached up and unlocked the passenger door. Jax was ready and jumped straight in.
“Can I drive?” Jax asked.
“Not going to happen. I might be stealing this thing, but they will find it in perfect condition when we are done. I have seen how you steer those cart things with your brother, there is no way I am letting you drive.”
Jax rolled his eyes. I left the lights of the car on low as we made our way out of the street and away from the woman’s body. A few turns later and we had light again. The streets all illuminated by shop fronts and street poles.
“Do you think Ava took out the lights back there?” Jax asked, placing his hand on my leg as I continued to steer the car around the familiar streets.
“Maybe. The electricity here is a bit sensitive, she could have blown it when she opened her portal. Madel, any update on Ava’s location?”
Madel squirmed on my shoulder but shook her head no.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“We will find her.” Jax replied.
“But what if we—”
“Don’t even say it.”
I turned the final corner onto my street in Enmore. There were a few people loitering around the old pub on the corner, but mostly it was quiet. After pulling into a side street, I parked in the shadows and left the key in the centre consol. It was only then that it really sunk in where I was. I was standing on the precipice of my former life.
Jax raised a brow in the direction of my building, and I forced a smile before leading
the way towards my former home. I didn’t want to remember the life I had before. I wanted the life I had now to not be so bloody messed up. The main door sat ajar slightly, we wouldn’t need a cast to get inside the foyer. Once inside I wasn’t really surprised that nothing much had changed. The walls we’re still painted an awful grey and the carpet covering the stairs was stained and ripped from age.
“Which one is yours?” Madel asked from her perch on my shoulder.
I smiled a cheeky grin. “Second from the top.”
Jax groaned behind me, he didn’t like the idea of climbing stairs any more than I did, but these stairs were one of the key reasons I had great legs.
A little dog started to yap, and I pulled Jax along to quicken our pace. The last thing I wanted was to get caught by my downstairs neighbour. Reaching my apartment, I gave a quick flick of my wrist and cast the spell to unlock the door. The handle turned freely and we made our way inside.
My apartment was much the way I left it. My remaining clothes however, were not.
“Someone else has been here.”
“Lots of people have been here, they collected your stuff, remember?”
“In the entire time you have known me, when have you ever seen my shoes displayed so poorly?”
A pair of my pink flats were on the floor and several sandal shoes lay strewn around the room. My father had most of my belongings moved to his property in Baldea when we decided that the human world would probably not be a great place to have the baby. But some of my shoes and items of clothing remained here, presumably safely locked away.
Madel jumped off my shoulder and excitedly bounced around the room flitting between the lounge, kitchen bench, and side table lamp.
“She’s been here! Ava has been here!” Madel squealed.
“What? When?” Jax asked, trying to catch Madel between leaps and bounds.
“Ava came here?” I asked as I began picking up the scattering of shoes. “Can you tell how long ago?”
Madel stopped jumping and sat herself in the middle of a fluffy white cushion on my chair.
“No, but Ava not here now.” She began running her fingers through the fluffy fabric and not paying Jax or I any attention. I scanned the room for signs that my daughter had been there. She had a fascination with my shoes, and it was mostly my shoes that lay around the room, but other than that, there was none.
Enchanting the Fey- The Complete Series Page 31