Spirelli Paranormal Investigations Box Set 2

by Kate Baray

  “But the family has no magic. How could they create a magical place with so much power?” Jack asked.

  “No human is capable of creating a refuge.” Pen stared at him. Her pale lavender eyes grew huge in her face, giving her an alien appearance.

  The hairs on the back of Jack’s neck stood at attention.

  She blinked, and her face softened, looking again like a normal human teenager.

  Jack exhaled. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until those freakishly bright purple eyes had blinked. “So how are they created?”

  “A house becomes host to the magic when a refuge is needed.” Penelope patted her mouth and stacked her second empty plate atop the first.

  “Needed by whom?”

  “By whomever needs it.” Pen’s nose wrinkled. “Such simple creatures with such limited, linear thinking.”

  As the simple, linear-thinking creature in this equation, he figured pushing for answers wouldn’t get him much more. Jack looked to Marin for a cue, but she simply lifted a shoulder.

  Pen made the decision when she stood up to leave.

  “Thank you, Pen.” Marin leaned in and kissed the air near Pen’s left cheek.

  Pen hugged her. “Report and invoice are in the mail.”

  And then she left, leaving behind a faint scent of…spring?

  Jack sniffed the air: the sweet smell of blooming flowers, the fresh smell of crushed grass—but underneath, a hint of fishy decay.

  Jack watched the door close behind her then turned to Marin. He shook his head. “Just bizarre. And what’s with mailing the report?”

  “She means email. Trust me; she’s very technologically savvy. And, yes, a bit bizarre—by your standards.”

  “So, you going to tell me why we’re not paying her for information on refuges? It’s obvious she knows something.”

  “Two different types of information. If she has it, we can’t afford it. And no telling what she knows. Disinterest in humanity coupled with a fascination for the artifacts of human life, well, it makes for an odd hodgepodge of information.”

  Jack looked at the door where Pen had exited and felt that creep along his spine again. As he followed Marin out of the restaurant, he couldn’t help but wonder: how many more ancient, powerful, and not particularly friendly beings lurked around the next blind corner?

  Chapter Five

  Several hours passed before Pen’s report arrived in Marin’s inbox. As Jack and Marin had waited, they’d done a little research of their own. Neither of them turned up anything online about magical refuges, and none of the sources they’d trusted enough to ask seemed to know much about them. Ewan probably had some nuggets he hadn’t shared—but he hadn’t yet arrived from Prague.

  Jack had sent a follow-up email to the client. Nothing too specific, just that he had an expert coming to take a look at the house. Marin had looked like she might keel over when she heard him explaining there’d be no charge since they’d booked the expert without the client’s prior approval.

  It pissed him off. He wasn’t a cheat, just perpetually two inches shy of broke. And charging the client for Bob’s services when Bob didn’t charge Jack—that was just shitty. He wouldn’t abuse the client’s or Bob’s trust that way. Keeping the client in the dark about IPPC…that was entirely different, and Jack had no moral qualms on that front.

  When they’d updated Ewan on the plan to meet Bob at the house around midnight, he’d claimed he could make the meeting. Seemed tight to Jack, but as of a few minutes ago Ewan had confirmed by text he planned to be there.

  It was right at eleven thirty, so Jack printed out an old-school paper copy of Pen’s report—no laptop for this trip—and then he and Marin left for the refuge in her Range Rover.

  About five minutes into the drive, Jack flipped to the last page. “Pen may have questionable eating habits, but she certainly came through. It looks like the Kaisermann family has been affiliated with more than just one refuge.”

  “She said as much at our lunch meeting.”

  Jack braced himself against the door as Marin took a turn too fast. The pages crumpled in his fingers. He had to unclench his teeth to reply. “Yeah, but she’s listed three here.”

  “And if she’s listed three, there are probably more. She wouldn’t reveal an undiscovered and still operational refuge. Not for the price we’re paying. Possibly not for any price.”

  “Speaking of, aren’t we owed an invoice?”

  Marin stomped on the gas and switched lanes. “Once I’m sure Austin’s around to stay—then you’ll get the invoice. No point in raising your blood pressure if we’re all going to die.”

  “So practical and yet so pessimistic.” Jack tried not to imagine a sum, failed, and decided he could wait for the real number. “What do you think of the family connection? Three refuges—four if you add ours—two countries, and one family.”

  Marin glanced in her blind spot then crossed two lanes of traffic. “Too many coincidences become a pattern.”

  “Agreed. What I don’t understand is how Kaisermann could be as unaware as he appears. How do you have a family background tied to a mystical house and not know it? No family myths, no guesses as to why the house has to be maintained. Just a sense of duty to keep up the property. That’s strange.”

  “You keep forgetting that you have a skewed viewpoint. You have this… It’s like a talent. You see the magic that exists around you.”

  “Yeah—with the help of my magic-seeing spectacles.”

  Marin snorted. “That’s not what I mean. You may not literally see the sparkle and shine of magic without help—but you see its impact on the world around you. You have an awareness that most humans not only lack, but that they actively work to avoid.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “It must be genetic.”

  “Or maybe I have ninja-like observation skills. Give a guy some credit,” Jack said. “Although I really don’t understand how someone misses a dragon sitting on top of a moving car.”

  Mari’s lips pressed tighter together. “Circumstances dictated that particular solution; I never said it was a good idea, just the only option.” She shrugged. “Most humans possess a constitutional inability to accept magic when the evidence is right in front of them. You’re different—and I don’t think it’s your PI training.” She arched an eyebrow. “Or your ninja abilities.”

  Whatever Marin said, he’d been a decent PI back before magic had jacked around with his and his friends’ lives—so he definitely had mad ninja skills.

  “Okay, so say our client can’t see magic even though it’s right in front of him. He has a strong sense of duty either to the house directly or to his family—is that due to some magical influence? Or he’s just a conscientious guy?”

  “We should have a little chat with Mr. Kaisermann after our midnight rendezvous with Bob.” Marin exited the highway and this time cut across three lanes of traffic.

  “Yeah.” Once he was sure impact with another car wasn’t imminent, Jack pulled out his phone. He sent a quick email then stuffed it back in his pants pocket. “I’ve requested an appointment at ten tomorrow morning. We need to provide him with a more extensive update anyway—and by then, I’ll know what IPPC decides is legit to pass along.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Marin pulled into the driveway a few minutes before their midnight appointment. After she parked, she gave the house a hard look. “Did you notice the other detail Pen included about those three houses?”

  Jack eyed the simple, well-maintained, and in most ways very ordinary house. “Yeah. They all had a history. If the Hansel and Gretel story she told us over lunch was any indication, the stories were provided as cover to protect the homes from mundane interference.”

  “Yeah. I wonder why our little gem doesn’t have some terrifying story attached to it.” Marin shut the engine off.

  “Are you kidding? Attach some story to the house and you draw attention. We live in the age of reality TV and sensationali
sm. We’ve moved from being terrified of the dark to being both terrified and fascinated. Absolutely ordinary is the cover story.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  “You remember the other thing your friend mentioned over lunch, that humans didn’t create it?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that.” Marin shifted in the driver’s seat, getting more comfortable. “Pen has a different view of the world and a bizarre sense of humor. Maybe she truly meant the houses aren’t connected. The actual structures.”

  “Shit, that’s right. She said something about the house being host to the magic. I would have asked, but she made it clear she wouldn’t answer any more questions. Host is an odd choice of word; it implies a guest. So what type of guest is this house hosting? What type of magic?”

  Even in the poor light, Jack could see that Marin looked annoyed. “Or whose? She might have chosen her words carefully, no connection between the houses, but—”

  “There could be a connection between the magic inside this and the three other houses.” Jack suddenly felt very small. “I have this weird image of all this magic roiling around under the surface. You know, like those illustrated pictures of magma they had in our earth sciences book as a kid?”

  Marin snorted. “Because we both had earth science as kids. Sorry—I know what you mean.”

  “Well, the magic had to come from somewhere. Someone had to make that house happen.”

  It wasn’t as if there was this burbling, powerful mass of mindless magic roiling under his feet. He sure as hell hoped not.

  “Hey—you okay?”

  Jack shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling of insignificance. “Yeah. Of course. Let’s say the house is possessed by some benevolent entity that protects its occupants—nuts as that sounds—but then how does the house get hooked up with the humans who act as caretakers?” Jack pulled out a second file, one that contained a background on Kaisermann. “What if Kaisermann is holding out on us? Maybe he knows more than he’s saying.”

  Marin’s lips twisted. “Really? Is that the impression you got?”

  “No.” Jack flipped open the client’s file again. “Widowed, no children, no criminal background, excellent credit, lifetime Austin resident, retired at sixty, volunteers at the food bank. He’s the perfect responsible, dependable person.”

  “No one’s perfect. We’re missing something, because everyone has flaws and secrets.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s not jumping off the page at me.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “I can have Chris do a more thorough background on him—but she’s already been pretty damn thorough.”

  “Skip it. Let’s wait to see what Kaisermann has to say tomorrow morning then go from there.”

  Another set of headlights shone up the drive and a second car joined them.

  “Three minutes to midnight,” Jack said. “Ewan must have managed to snag the IPPC jet. But agreed; we’ll have a nice chat with Kaisermann tomorrow.”

  Marin opened her car door but abruptly stopped and didn’t get out. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Jack walked around the front of the Range Rover, and then saw there were two people in the other car. At first, he thought Ewan had a driver. Then he saw Ewan was driving and a woman was in the passenger seat.

  She stepped out of the rental car.

  Not just a woman. Heike, Ewan’s girlfriend.

  As Jack approached, Heike pushed her short blonde bob back out of her face. Even in the dark, he couldn’t miss the rock on her left hand. Not Ewan’s girlfriend—Ewan’s fiancée…or wife?

  Chapter Six

  Jack closed the short distance between himself and Heike. They’d met before, months ago, before Jack worked with IPPC. He’d been helping out his friend Kenna, and Heike had been a part of the solution.

  A genuine smile spread across his face. “What an unexpected surprise.”

  Heike smiled and reached out her hand. “I heard you could use a spell caster.”

  The faint German accent she’d had the last time they’d met had almost vanished. Probably from speaking a lot of English…with her maybe husband. Jack shook her hand, and then turned to Ewan.

  The men briefly shook hands.

  Jack wasn’t sure where he stood with Ewan after hiring his daughter. He didn’t look like he wanted to roast Jack slowly or turn him into bits of ash, so that was a decent start.

  Jack turned to find Marin still sitting in the driver’s seat with the door open. If he had to drag her butt out of the car… He wasn’t sure what he’d do, but he’d make her pay for it. God, he hated family drama.

  She jumped out of the car as if she’d read his mind, then shut the door with a little too much force.

  “Heike, it’s nice to see you. I didn’t know you were coming.” Marin gave Heike a quick hug, and she looked happy enough to see her. “Dad.”

  The curt nod in her father’s direction told a different story.

  Jack pulled out his phone to check the time. “Midnight on the nose. I’d rather not keep Bob waiting…”

  “Of course.” Heike headed toward the porch, and everyone else fell in behind her.

  Still as no-nonsense as ever, Heike was, however, much softer around the edges than Jack remembered. Probably because she was happier—and safe. He knew a little of her history, and he wondered if Marin did as well. Maybe he’d ask when they weren’t in the middle of a city-leveling crisis…or not.

  When the group reached the door, Ewan opened it and went in before Jack thought to stop him. Hopefully Bob hadn’t arrived yet—or would stick around when a stranger opened the door.

  Jack was close on Ewan’s heels, but he didn’t immediately see Bob. He scanned the room, looking for some sign of him—and there he was: perched atop the mantel. If Jack didn’t know better, he’d swear the little dude could teleport.

  “Hey, Bob. How’s it going?”

  Bob sat, rocked back on his haunches, much like a dog, and watched as four people filled the small living room.

  “Thanks for doing this.” Jack remembered a little belatedly that Bob liked the formalities, so he hurried to correct the omission. “Bob, I’d like you to meet Ewan Campbell, Marin’s father, and Heike Schlegel. And you know Marin.”

  As soon as he’d started the introductions, Bob had stood up. He performed a careful little bow with each introduction.

  “It’s a great pleasure to meet you.” Ewan returned Bob’s bow with one of his own. “Bob?”

  A split second later, Ewan lips tugged upward in the hint of a smile.

  Jack assumed Bob had replied to the curious note in Ewan’s voice. Because Ewan, like Marin, would be able to communicate directly with Bob. Maybe Marin was right and Jack needed some formal method of communication with his friend.

  Heike dipped into an approximation of a curtsy.

  “Hi, Bob. Thank you for meeting us.” Marin had closed the door quietly behind her, and now she stood next to Heike.

  Ewan approached the mantel where Bob was perched.

  “Oh, he’s a little shy of strangers,” Jack said.

  And while Bob did back up, it looked like he was simply trying to keep Ewan within his line of sight.

  “I’m just having a look at the mantel. Bob says the mantel is the heart of the house. No surprise there; that’s an old concept.” Turning to Marin, Ewan said, “What do you think—original to the house?”

  Marin did a visual inspection. “I think so.” Looking at Bob, she asked, “Do you mind?”

  When Bob rocked back on his haunches into a sit again, she approached to examine it more closely. “Yes. I’m pretty sure. What are you thinking?”

  Ewan considered the mantel, and then his gaze swung wide to encompass the room. “I think this is a spell caster problem, and it had a spell caster solution. We can’t move the house, but what about the heart—the mantel—of the house? A little rejiggering of the magic…”

  “Oh, you want me to—” Heike looked a bit pale—but maybe it was
the lighting. “Oh, I don’t think that’s possible. At least, I don’t know how I’d move quite so much magic.”

  Marin squeezed her eyes shut.

  “You guys wanna clue in the non-magical guy?” Jack looked around the room. Only Bob seemed pleased.

  Marin opened her eyes. “If the mantel is the heart of the house—in other words, an object symbolic of the whole—attach all of the magic to the mantel and move the mantel. Theoretically, no big magical boom.”

  Bob squeaked. At least, Jack thought the noise originated from him. He didn’t even know Bob could make noises, but given how excitedly he was hopping up and down on the edge of the mantel and that the noise came from his general vicinity…it looked like Bob could squeak.

  “Okay, Bob seems pretty sure that’s an excellent plan.” Jack glanced back at his furry buddy. “Right?”

  Bob had stopped hopping, but he nodded several times.

  “The only problem, Jack, is that someone has to shove all that volatile magic into that tiny little object.” Marin looked less than thrilled by the prospect.

  “That’s me.” Heike lifted her hand. “I’m the only spell caster around. That is why I’m here. Attaching magic to objects is a spell caster talent.”

  Ewan made a grumbling, annoyed noise. “You’re here as a consultant. As a consultant, do you think a spell caster made this house?”

  Heike didn’t hesitate. “No. No way in hell.”

  “Exactly. Manipulating magic that has an unknown source—that’s hardly in the realm of spell casting.” Ewan clasped her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “That’s a bad idea.”

  “It’s your idea. And if you think Lizzie or Harry have time to fly out to Texas—well, think again. And I’m equally qualified.”

  “Not to be a naysayer,” Marin said, “because I’m on board whatever your decision, but you’re only equally qualified because no one is qualified to do this. No one’s done something like this before, have they?”