Magic (Coeur du Bayou Trilogy Book 3)

by Lisa Coots

  Looking again, she could see what Eva saw. The TV crews would have a field day with the abundance of scenic shots. To Eva it was nothing more than a set, and a means to an end. To her fame seeking eyes, it was a gold mine. To Serena, it was home. Her sanctuary away from the funny looks and snide remarks.

  She understood Ben’s search for proof and the appeal it would have to most people. But she knew things. She felt it. It was her magic. It didn’t matter what other people thought or believed. She knew what she knew. Nothing would change that. Eva could plot and plan, but nothing would change her mind. Pausing at the door, she touched it softly resolving that Coeur du Bayou’s story, ghosts, and secrets would remain private. The house welcomed her as she opened the door, enveloping her in a warm golden light.

  “There you are,” Mason’s worried voice sounded from the parlor.

  “Sorry, hun. You were sleeping. I hated to wake you just tell you I was going to meet Claire and Faith at the diner.”

  “Oh, everything alright?” Mason came to her, wrapping her in loving hug. She melted into him and sighed. Pulling away he looked into her face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I saw Eva in town. Why is she still here?”

  “Eva?”

  “Yeah, she got out of a dark SUV while I was at the diner. Would she know anyone in town?”

  “Not that I know of. She’s probably just trying to find out about the house.”

  “It’s my house,” Serena mumbled to herself.

  “I know. Rena, look at me.” Waiting until she looked up at him, Mason locked eyes with her. “You have to know she can't come between us.”

  “No, but she’ll try, Mason. She practically threatened me.” The heat had taken most of the fight out of her. She felt as wilted as her sundress that stuck to her sweaty body.

  “What?” Mason’s jaw clenched in anger.

  “She said you’d have to believe her ‘this time’.” Serena pulled at the damp material clinging to her legs.

  “This time?”

  “Meaning you didn’t believe her before. Was it her that made you think I sabotaged the investigation?” Serena watched his reaction carefully. She knew Eva was unaccustomed to not getting what she wanted.

  “No…” Mason ran a hand through his hair as he paced. “She wasn’t there. And why would she take the money?”

  “Hey…” Ben walked into the room stopping in mid-sentence awkwardly. “Whoa… What’s going on?”

  “Was Eva there?” Mason turned to him, his green gold eyes honing in on Ben.

  “Where?”

  “At the shoot for the investigation. You said you had video of everyone that went through that room. Was she there?”

  “I don’t remember seeing her, but I can go back through. Why?” Ben seemed reluctant to hash it over all again.

  “She just threatened Serena. Something about me having to believe her ‘this time’.” Mason’s eyes narrowed on Ben. “And how did she end up with your report?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t send it to her.” Ben turned away from Mason’s accusing stare to Serena, hoping for her support.

  Mason stared at him for a moment then shook his head.

  “No, but Gabe did say she had been showing up at the office. Maybe she took it while that girl I hired wasn’t looking. I need to call Gabe to see if she’s been there recently.”

  “Ok.”

  At Ben’s less than enthusiastic response, Mason asked, “What Ben?”

  “I don’t understand. She wanted it more than anyone. Why would she do that? And what can she do about it now? It doesn’t make any sense.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shrugged.

  “To get me out of the way,” Serena answered him. “She practically said that.”

  “There’s no way she can come between us,” Mason said again. Serena felt his heat from across the room.

  “Well, last time it worked for three years.” Serena shook her head sadly. “And not to hurt your feelings, but that show still means more to her than any of you.”

  CHAPTER 25

  “You look terrible.” Faith looked over her shoulder at Serena as she entered the kitchen. The scene had become all too familiar. Faith cooking. Ben eating. Their normal routine. They had formed an odd sort of family and Serena was thankful.

  Ben nodded in agreement from his favorite spot. “I thought it was Mace that was having trouble sleeping.”

  “Yeah, I keep having that dream, and Mason wasn’t here. I’ve gotten used to having him around.” Serena didn't mind admitting how quickly she had grown accustomed to having him close. Waking from the dream in a frantic state and finding herself alone had been more distressing than the dream itself.

  “With the dresses? Still?” Ben’s curious gaze made her pause.

  “That’s weird.” Faith flipped a pancake unto the cast iron griddle. “Do you think it’s Richie?”

  “I don’t know…” Rubbing at her temples, Serena tried to shake the uneasy feeling left by the dream.

  “Is it the same dream, or has it changed?” Ben tapped his fork anxiously on the empty plate in front of him.

  “No, it’s the same dream. We’re here in the house picking out dresses. Everything gets dark. There’s blood on the dress. Then I can hear Claire crying, but I can’t find her.”

  “Hmm.” The tapping stopped as Ben considered.

  “What?” Pouring coffee into a mug, Serena inhaled the delicious aroma.

  “I don’t know. I’m not much on dreams but I don’t know why you’d still be having it unless something else is going to happen.” The tapping started again.

  “Why did Mason leave?” Faith asked, a frown formed on her face.

  “He had business to take care of. I think he had to meet with his brother.” Serena stifled a yawn.

  “When’s he coming back?”

  “I’m not sure. I figure he'd be back in a day or two. Is something wrong?” Warming her hands on the mug, Serena held it close to her heart.

  “I just wanted to talk to him about Jake. Why didn’t he remember?”

  “Faith, he did remember. We talked about this.” Sighing, Serena put her cup down on the counter. Obviously their talk at the diner hadn’t done any good.

  “No, it was different. He didn’t remember me.” Faith turned her back to Serena.

  “But it wasn’t you. He remembered Anna.”

  “No. Like I remember the guy, but it felt like Jake.” Waving the spatula with one hand, Faith arched a brow at her to get her point across.

  Ben and Serena exchanged uneasy glances.

  “Faith.” Serena rubbed at her temples again, sighing. “He remembered a past life. I told you it’s not always clear. Most people don’t remember anything at all.”

  “But it was me, right?” Taking the last pancake from the griddle, Faith carefully placed it on a stack.

  “No, Faith. It wasn’t you.” Putting his fork down, Ben watched the stack intently as Faith picked up the plate.

  “Ben, don’t,” Serena warned.

  “Rena, she doesn’t understand,” Ben answered her, then turned to Faith in a calmer tone. “Faith, listen to me. Anna is here. You've seen her, right?”

  “Yes, I did.” Faith nodded hesitantly, placing the stack of pancakes on the island counter within Ben’s reach.

  “She shows you her memories?” Ben locked eyes with Faith even as he slid the plate closer to his.

  “Yes,” Faith agreed with more enthusiasm.

  “You can’t be her if she’s already here.” Ben shrugged, lifting his hands at the revelation.

  Serena bit her lip and waited for Faith to connect the dots.

  “What?” Faith’s eyes narrowed on Ben, her pony tail shaking vigorously. “No, that can’t be right.”

  “Yes, think about it.” Picking up his fork again, Ben pointed it at Faith. “She attached herself to you because of Jake.”

  “No, I felt it.” Hand clutching her apron, Faith looked around the room breathing heavi
ly. “You found her grave?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m going out there.” Pulling the apron overhead, she left it on the counter. “I remember. I was her.”

  Not waiting for a response Faith stalked out, slamming the door behind her, letting in a draft of warm air.

  “I’m sorry, Rena.”

  “I don’t know if that was a good idea.”

  “She was getting too emotional. That's not going to help anyone.” Using his fork, Ben picked up half the stack and transferred it to his plate.

  “You’re right. I’ve been growing more concerned about her. She’s so distressed that Jake didn’t remember her or the baby.” Serena watched as Ben began to pour syrup over the pancakes. The sweet smell reached her nostrils, turning her stomach.

  “I didn’t want to say anything in front of her, but about your dream…” Ben looked up from the river of syrup that now pooled around the stack encasing it in a sticky shell.

  “My dream?” Confused at his turn of topic, she glanced down at her untouched cup of coffee.

  “Yeah, you say you were trying to find Claire, but you never say what happened to Faith. Where was she when it got dark?” Ben snapped the lid of the syrup closed and waited for her reply.

  “I don’t know.”

  Mason stood at the bar of his parents’ greatroom, his hands dropping ice cubes into the tumbler before him. The clinking sounded unfamiliar to his ears. He had dreamed of Serena, of course. The cursed memory would never leave him. His main discomfort on this day was not regret, but anger. The detective had left quickly after giving him the disturbing news.

  Serena had not been found because she had not been using her name, which he already knew. What he hadn’t known was that Serena had been working for his main competition in the paranormal investigation business, Sentinel.

  Sentinel’s owner, Graham Young, had used the capital and resources generated by his alarm business to start up his own ghost hunting team. He personally had done his best to upstage Mason’s investigations. Going behind them and capturing video of questionable apparitions after Spirit Catchers hadn’t found anything. The devious bastard must have recruited Serena as soon as she left him.

  On the upside, there was no evidence that she had taken the money. He had secretly hoped for that all along, but his suspicious nature kept him doubting.

  “Who was that?” His brother’s deep voice startled him causing the whiskey to splash haphazardly against the glass.

  “Private Investigator,” Mason said without turning to look at his brother.

  “Oh, ha. I hope you got your money back,” Gabe chuckled.

  “What?”

  “If he was supposed to find Serena for you, I think he failed miserably.” Pointing to the drink in Mason’s hand, “Kind of early, even for you, isn't it?”

  “I don’t know why I poured this.” Mason sniffed at the tumbler, then put it back on the bar.

  “What’s going on Mace?” Gabe took a seat, obviously concerned with his brother’s behavior.

  “Eva showed up at Serena’s.”

  “Because? Ah, don’t tell me. She’s still madly in love with you. Good god.” Gabriel's exaggerated eye roll was meant to lighten the mood, but Mason was numb with anger.

  “No, that would be Sebastian’s story. Apparently she’s bound and determined to get that TV show.”

  “And she needs you? How did she even find you?” Leaning back into the arm chair, Gabe waited for the story.

  “She got a hold of Ben’s report. I’d like to know how. If that girl I hired gave it to her, she’s fired.” Mason paced in front of the bar, running his hands through his hair.

  “Report? What kind of report?”

  “Here. I wasn’t going to mention it, but even you might find it interesting.” Mason picked up the file and handed it to his brother.

  Skimming through the papers briefly, Gabe seemed uninterested until he came across the photo of Claire at the top of the stairs.

  “Pretty girl. Hmm. What’s this shadow? Photoshopped?”

  “No, Ben took that picture.”

  “Reuben? You two have been working an investigation this whole time?” Closing the folder, he slapped it on his knee.

  “It’s Serena’s house. She called Ben for help. That’s how I found her.”

  Gabriel’s laughter echoed through the room. “I certainly hope you got your money back. Serena found a haunted house, imagine that.”

  “Eva saw the report and came running. TV crew just waiting for her signal.”

  “What’s the problem?” Gabe frowned at him.

  “Serena doesn’t want anything to do with it. It’s her home. Some of her friends have had experiences there that are personal. She doesn’t want them exploited.”

  “Fair enough. Again, what’s the problem?”

  “Eva threatened Serena. She said ‘this time’ I’d have to believe her.” Mason watched as Gabe sat up straight in his chair. When his brother didn’t comment he continued, “Not even an hour later, I get a phone call from the P.I. needing to meet with me because he has new information.”

  Gabriel narrowed his eyes on Mason, then howled with laughter. Strands of salt and pepper hair fell loosely around his face as his body shook with amusement.

  “What is so funny?”

  “Please tell me he thinks he found Serena after all this time,” Gabe chuckled, wiping at his eyes.

  Grimacing at his brother’s obvious enjoyment he answered truthfully, “No, last time I was here I met with him. I told him I found Serena and put him on something else.”

  “What? Have you lost your mind? You gave him more money?” Gabe’s blue eyes rounded incredulously as his voice lost all traces of mirth.

  “I need to know who set us up and stole the money.”

  “Money?”

  “I had some cash on hand at the office. It went missing right after everything fell apart.”

  “Mason, someone stole money and I’m just hearing about this now?” Gabe stood impatiently. “Did you report it to the police?”

  “No, it had to be one of us. The safe, the security code, the key to the office.”

  “Oh, for the love of Christ!” His brother’s voice echoed through the cavernous room.

  “Gabriel!” Noemi’s voice stopped them both.

  “Mom. Sorry, I am just stunned at the stupidity of your son.”

  Mason turned to greet Noemi. Before he could speak she demanded, “What money?”

  “I’m just hearing about this, too,” Gabe grumbled sitting back down.

  “I put money, cash money, in the safe at Spirit Catchers in case something unexpected came up. It was my money. I was just trying to cover any expenses.” Mason began to pace again; he knew it sounded rehearsed. He had gone over it a thousand times in his head.

  “When?”

  “After the botched attempt at the TV pilot.”

  “Did Serena have the code?” Gabe asked the most logical question.

  “No, not that I know of.”

  “She didn’t take the money.” His mother’s green eyes glinted with disapproval.

  “No, she didn’t. She says she didn’t and I believe her.” Frustrated, Mason dropped his shoulders. He wanted desperately to believe her, but the anger simmered and nagged at him.

  “So that leaves who? Me? Ben? Sebastian?” Exasperated, Gabe sat on the edge of his seat.

  “And Eva,” Mason reminded him.

  “Oh, I see. She got her hands on Ben’s files so you’re thinking she has a way into the office.”

  “Yes.”

  “What exactly did the investigator have that was so upsetting it has you pouring whiskey this early?” Gabe motioned to the untouched tumbler on the bar.

  “I can’t talk about it.” Mason turned away to pace again.

  “Yes you can.” Standing, Gabriel waved the folder in front of him. “I will not be the last to know everything going on around here. Tell me.”

  “Sere
na has been working for Sentinel for the last three years.”

  “Starting when? Before or after she left?”

  “After, from the information he gathered. Bank transactions, phone records and he even snapped a picture of her meeting with Graham. Not only has she been helping with their investigations, he’s been recommending her to people for private readings and what not.”

  “Mason, I know you’re upset and taking this personally, but she had to take care of herself,” Noemi’s voice softened with reason.

  “Why him? Of all people, why him?” Mason knew his anger was unreasonable, but the memory that haunted him had taken on a new element. Thanks to the P.I., the man in the shadows now had a face. Real or not, his mind grabbed a hold of the image and wouldn’t let it go.

  “Mom’s right, you can’t fault her for supporting herself. And surely you’re not thinking they were romantically involved?”

  “Three years. If it wasn’t him, there had to be someone.” Mason’s gaze wandered back to the whiskey.

  “Get ahold of yourself. You’re not thinking straight.” Walking over to the bar, Gabe grabbed the tumbler and dumped it in the sink.

  Mason knew the images would continue to torture him until he talked to Serena in person. She wouldn’t lie to him directly. He would know.

  “I’m going back. I have to talk to her.”

  Ben’s question haunted her throughout the day. Serena had focused on Claire because of her cries. Feeling compelled to find her, she had walked through the darkened rooms searching. Faith had vanished also, but not as dramatic. She had just faded into the darkness. Was that significant? She wasn’t sure. Sitting at her desk, Serena felt just as lost and confused as she had that morning. The only thing she was absolutely sure of was that she belonged here in this house.

  “Hey Rena.” Ben tapped lightly on the open bookcase. “I’m getting ready to leave.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I told you about that shoot. Wedding shoot. Michelle referred me.”

  “Oh, wow, yes. I’m really happy things are working out.”