Blood Moon argi-9

by M. R. Sellars

“Great.”

  “Just thought you should know. But I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “It’s kind of hard not to.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I’m tellin’ ya’ don’t. It’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, but I’m still sorry you’re getting sucked into it.”

  “Like I said, I’m used to this shit,” he replied with an audible shrug in his voice. “Besides, I worked the case. I was gonna get subpoenaed anyway. I’m just surprised it came today.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “It ain’t my day off.”

  “What’s that got to do with it?”

  “It’s a cop thing, don’t worry about it.”

  Obviously there was a hidden meaning in the comment, but I didn’t press him for an explanation. His call actually wasn’t the first I’d received this morning, and a quick glance at the clock in the corner of my computer screen reminded me that I had someplace to be in less than an hour. I simply jotted down the information he had for me then rushed off the phone.

  Whether I felt up to it or not, I really needed to make it to this particular meeting. However, it had become apparent over the course of the past several minutes that I was going to need a handful of aspirin deposited into my system before I did anything else.

  CHAPTER 9:

  “Thanks for meeting me here, Maggie,” I said to the woman on the opposite side of the cafe table. “I know it’s been a pain trying to get our schedules to jive, so I really appreciate you calling this morning.”

  “It’s no trouble, Rowan,” my mother-in-law replied as she glanced at her watch. “I’m sorry I can only spare a few minutes. I do need to be home soon.”

  Maggie O’Brien was petite in stature, just like her daughter. Of course, as was to be expected, there were also several other resemblances between them; therefore, even with a cursory glance there was definitely no denying their familial connection-it was just that obvious. The ever-present Celtic lilt in her voice simply cemented that observation on the audible level. However, within a scant few minutes of conversation, it was easy to see that my wife’s penchant for Gaelic curses must have come from her father’s side and not her mother’s.

  These days Maggie’s shag of hair was more along the line of grey highlighted with chestnut, rather than the other way around, as it had been when I first met her quite some time ago. But other than that, she still maintained a far more youthful appearance than her actual years, and almost anyone would be hard pressed to pinpoint her true age simply by looking at her.

  “I understand,” I said with a nod. “But I promise this shouldn’t take long.”

  “I must admit, you’ve sounded rather urgent on the phone when we’ve been trying to schedule this, so my curiosity has been piqued.”

  “I suppose I do owe you an apology for that. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.”

  She shook her head. “You didn’t. Obviously it is something important. But I am wondering about why you insisted on speaking with me privately.”

  I glanced around. We were sitting in the back corner of a coffee house, and while they weren’t terribly busy at the moment, that could easily change. For now, however, there were only a few patrons besides us. If I had to guess I would say they were all most likely students from the nearby university. Of course, that assumption was a no-brainer given the proximity of the college. That, and the book bags and notebook computers propped on their tables. Complimentary wi-fi internet access was one of the advertised features of this particular shop, and from the looks of things it was definitely being used.

  But, the truth is they didn’t really matter. They were strangers. The people I didn’t want hearing this conversation weren’t. They were family.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say private, exactly,” I returned with a shrug. “Maybe just somewhat confidential.”

  Even though I had been trying to set up this face-to-face with her for better than two months, I was finding it hard to get the ball rolling. Now that the opportunity was finally here, I had to take advantage of it and I knew that-even though my head still hadn’t stopped pounding and a phantom pain was once again setting up shop in my neck.

  “In other words, you wanted to speak to me without Shamus around,” she replied.

  “Well, I think we both know I’m not his favorite person,” I said, struggling not to wince as a fresh sting made itself known. Unfortunately, I failed miserably and felt myself physically twitch.

  “Are you okay, then?” Maggie asked, furrowing her brow as she looked at me.

  I nodded slightly then picked up my overpriced cup of coffee and took a sip, for no other reason than to stall while the stab faded. “I’m fine,” I told her. “Just a headache is all. Tension probably.”

  “Did you take anything for it?”

  “Yeah. I took some aspirin before I left the house. Hopefully they’ll kick in soon.”

  I knew full well the handful of analgesics weren’t going to get rid of the pain, they never did. But if I was lucky, they just might dull it enough for me to function, at least until I was back home and didn’t have to do anything other than stare at a wall.

  “You aren’t coming down with something, are you?” she asked.

  “Maybe,” I agreed to appease her, just as I’d done when I’d heard the same thing from my wife the day before. As common as the simple question was, the way she asked it gave me the distinct impression Felicity had picked up a few verbal traits from her mother as well.

  Before Maggie could push any further, I continued my earlier thought. “So, like I was saying, since I’m sure Shamus would just as soon not have any more contact with me than he has to, I thought we should meet someplace other than your house.”

  “He would just have to get over it then,” she replied. “But I certainly understand your not wanting to deal with him right now. We all know Shamus can be very vocal about his opinions, not to mention totally unreasonable as well.”

  “Thanks for seeing my side of things,” I said with a slight nod.

  There was a time when I would have been shocked to hear her say that about her husband. I had long been under the impression I was merely tolerated by the majority of my wife’s family, especially her parents. I couldn’t be sure of all the factors surrounding the negative sentiment, but I knew the primary reason was because of my religious beliefs since I had been told as much. In fact, I had even been accused more than once of corrupting Felicity, which was laughable given that she had been a practicing Witch long before I ever met her.

  However, very recently, some of the dynamic had radically changed due to an O’Brien clan secret that had been brought into the light. With it had come a personal revelation that, while minor in comparison to the secret itself, was monumental to me: it was the fact that Shamus was really the only one who truly had the issues.

  Unfortunately, his self-righteous attitude where I was concerned hadn’t dulled in the wake of the shakeup, even though he was actually the one harboring the dirty deeds. It didn’t seem to matter to him that the family skeleton revealed was the fact that he had carried on an extramarital affair with his sister-in-law, Caitlin, and had even fathered a child with her. Granted, something like that certainly wasn’t the end of the world, but it wasn’t exactly nothing either. However, Maggie had apparently forgiven him since she had found out about it early on, and they had still stayed together all these years. So, in that sense, it was all water under the bridge. The real problem was that his lapse of fidelity went far deeper than simple betrayal. The child the union had produced was instantly given up for adoption under pressure from the family. Again, not a truly big deal until you considered the fact that she had eventually grown up to become a twisted serial killer named Annalise Devereaux.

  While Shamus couldn’t necessarily be blamed for her sociopathic tendencies, I would have thought such an outcome would at least give him pause. Especially given that a partial DNA match had prompted murder charges being brought against his daug
hter with Maggie-namely, Felicity.

  But, it hadn’t. And, since he still tried to twist everything that had happened to somehow be my fault, I was firmly convinced I would never be able to understand his particular level of arrogance.

  “Are you certain you’re okay, Rowan?” Maggie finally asked.

  “What?”

  “I asked if you’re certain you are okay,” she repeated. “You seem a bit disconnected.”

  I sighed. “I suppose I am. I have quite a bit on my mind. Sorry.”

  “No need to apologize.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So here we are. I understand why you want to avoid Shamus, but what about Felicity, then?” she asked, cocking her head to the side and giving me an odd glance. “Are you keeping secrets from her now?”

  Her question was honest and direct, so I answered in kind, “Only when I don’t want her to worry.”

  “What is it you aren’t wanting her to worry about?”

  My inability to broach the subject I had come here to discuss was now moot. Thankfully, Maggie was providing the opening, even if she didn’t realize it.

  I dug in my jacket pocket then extracted a small jar that had originally held some herb or spice. At first glance, the capped glass cylinder appeared to be filled with nothing more that tiny white granules. However, I gave it several rapid shakes, and the crystals shifted to reveal a delicate chain, at the end of which was a pendant. I continued carefully tapping the jar against the edge of the table until I had successfully uncovered the small half coin ornament, bringing its face fully into view.

  Holding the container at an angle, I showed it to Maggie. “I need for you to tell me whatever you can about this necklace.”

  My mother-in-law looked through the glass at the piece of jewelry. Her face had bordered on being expressionless as she leaned forward, but I caught a quick smile that was immediately followed by a frown tugging hard at the corners of her mouth. With a quiet sigh she sat back and looked up to my face then shrugged while shaking her head as if there was nothing to tell.

  “I’m used to seeing Felicity wear that. Does she know you are carrying it about in a bottle?”

  “As a matter of fact, she does.”

  “What is in there with it?” she asked. “It looks like salt…or maybe sugar.”

  “You were correct on the first guess. Salt.”

  “Do you mind if I ask why?”

  “It’s complicated, but trust me, I have my reasons.”

  She glanced back at the bottle for a moment as if her eyes were drawn there, then looked up and stared over my shoulder. “Honestly, I try not to think too much about that necklace. Of course, that’s hard when I see it around my daughter’s neck.”

  “Why?”

  “Like you, I have my reasons.”

  “I see. Felicity said you gave it to her,” I offered.

  “Yes, years ago. When she was a teenager.”

  “So, it’s a family heirloom then?”

  She finally brought her gaze back to meet mine. “Yes and no. I’m sure that it was for someone,” she mused. “But, not my family. Shamus gave it to me for my birthday a long time ago.”

  I nodded. “So then it didn’t belong to his mother or someone else on his side either?”

  “No,” she replied, shaking her head again. “It’s definitely an antique, but he bought it while he was away on business in New Orleans.”

  The reference to the Crescent City alone was enough to make me catch my breath. Less than three months ago I had been there in search of Annalise, and more importantly, Miranda. It was starting to look like my suspicion may be closer to the mark than I originally imagined.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” I began, “if this was a birthday gift…”

  She interrupted and finished the question “…why did I give it away?”

  I shrugged. “Well…yes.”

  “Unpleasant memories,” she replied, a coldness in her tone. “You see, I later found out my sister was with him on that trip. I think you know the rest of that story.”

  “Which would be your reason for not thinking about the necklace,” I stated the obvious as my brain did the math.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I’d be dredging that up again.”

  She gave me a thin smile. “It isn’t your fault, Rowan. It had been dredged up anyway. Don’t worry about it.” She bobbed her head toward the necklace. “In retrospect I really should have taken it to a jeweler or pawnbroker years ago, then I would actually have been rid of it. But I didn’t and that is my fault. Felicity found it in my jewelry case when she was borrowing something.” She shrugged then added, “She was just so taken with it that I gave it to her. I regret the decision every time I see her wearing it.”

  I nodded. “I can understand that.”

  “My turn for a question then. Why do you have a sudden interest in this particular necklace?”

  I glanced at the bottle as I turned it in my hands, then stuffed it back into my pocket and cleared my throat. “It’s hard to explain, Maggie. And I don’t mean to sound secretive. Really. Let’s just say I’m trying to get something straight in my head is all, and the necklace is a part of it.”

  “I see,” she replied. “And this something would in some way make Felicity worry?”

  “Yes, I’m certain it would.”

  “But she isn’t already concerned that you are carrying the necklace around in a bottle of salt?”

  I sighed. “Like I said, it’s hard to explain.”

  She let out a flat chuckle. “Actually, I understand… Your motivation at least… I know it hurt Felicity to find out what her father had done. If she knew the story behind that necklace…”

  “I won’t tell her,” I said as her voice trailed off. “I promise.”

  “I won’t press you about your reasons then,” she said. “I may not believe the same things you and my daughter apparently do, Rowan, but I know that you love her just as she loves you. And I believe that you are convinced that you are doing what is best for her.”

  “Thanks, Maggie,” I said with a smile. “I appreciate that. And, you’re right. On all counts.” I paused for a second then continued. “So, I only have a couple more questions, I promise. Since the necklace was an antique, do you know if Shamus received any sort of paperwork with it? Something that might have given a history or identified the original owner?”

  “None that I am aware,” she replied, shaking her head. “If he did I never saw it.”

  I frowned. I hadn’t expected a yes, but there was always that little glimmer of hope. Until now, that is. “Okay, last question. I know this is a long shot, but since the pendant is a half coin, do you remember if he mentioned the jeweler happening to have a mate to it?”

  She nodded. “Actually, yes. There was definitely a mate. Shamus bought both of them. He gave the one in your pocket to me, and we gave the other to my sister. He thought it a fitting birthday gift since we were twins. It was after that when their story began to unravel, and I found out the truth.”

  My heart skipped and I swallowed hard. “Do you by any chance know what might have happened to the other necklace?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” she said. “I don’t recall seeing it after Caitlin died, but that was so long ago. I simply assumed that she had either lost it, or maybe even sold it. I suspect her memories of the whole incident were as tainted as mine. Maybe more so given what happened with her daughter.”

  I was fairly certain I had an idea where the necklace had ended up, and it wasn’t either of the options she mentioned. The fact that Maggie hadn’t come across it in her sister’s personal belongings all but confirmed it for me. The police investigation into Annalise’s background had turned up the fact that Caitlin had made multiple attempts at recovering her from the orphanage only to be stopped at every turn. She had then fallen into deep despair and eventually took her own life. Something told me one of Caitlin’s final acts of defian
ce against her family and the system had been to somehow get that necklace to her infant daughter. When I included the fact that the night Annalise was taken into custody, she had ripped Felicity’s necklace from her neck, claiming that it was hers, the final pieces of that puzzle slipped together with no effort.

  Maggie glanced at her watch then back to me. “I hate to rush off, but if you don’t have any more questions I should really get home before Shamus decides to get in the kitchen and make himself a snack or something. Otherwise, I’ll be cleaning up forever.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at the candid observation. “I understand. And, Maggie… Thanks. Believe me, you’ve helped more than you realize.”

  *****

  I walked my mother-in-law out to her vehicle and bid her goodbye, then watched as she pulled from the parking lot. With what she had just told me, my working theory had not only been confirmed but expanded as well. While I had suspected the existence of the other necklace ever since the incident the night Annalise had been taken into custody, I hadn’t dreamed it would have as deep a connection, and on as many levels, as it obviously did. Because of that, my resolve to find the hardware behind the spell and put an end to it was re-doubled.

  I started to head toward my truck but stopped after only a few steps. The dull pounding in my head seemed to be getting worse. In fact, it was now moving beyond hard to ignore and right into semi-blinding. I knew I had some aspirin in my vehicle, and with a little luck a quick dose might take the edge off, at least until I could get home. But it was going to take awhile to get into my system. At the rate the ethereal ache was ramping up, I felt I might need something to help it along. Since caffeine always helped speed up the analgesic effects for me, I did an about face and headed back into the coffee house.

  After a short wait in line, I placed my order for a large specialty latte, peeled off a five to pay for it, then dumped the resulting change into the tip jar on the counter. While I was waiting, it occurred to me that I would be facing some traffic between here and home and the possibility that it might take longer than I expected to arrive at my destination. I’d already downed one large coffee and was about to start on another. A pre-emptive pit stop suddenly made an enormous amount of sense.