Wild and Witchy

by J. D. Winters

  “Okay, so am I a suspect or not?” I thought I’d start out with the most pertinent question.

  “I’d say you’re in the category we call, ‘Don’t leave town without telling us where you’re going’ but don’t necessarily expect handcuffs in your immediate future.’”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Of course, that can always change on a moment’s notice. And the Sheriff would love to find something to charge you with, so watch your step.”

  “Don’t I know it.” I sighed. “Okay. What about Oliver?”

  “He was at the scene of the crime. Has no alibi. Left evidence behind.”

  “Has no motive,” I chimed in.

  “None that we’ve found at any rate.”

  That was so frustrating. “What about the werewolves. What have you got on them?”

  His gaze sharpened. “Do you know where they are?”

  I threw my hands out and didn’t answer the question, which I knew he would notice. “How would I know where they are?”

  “They seem to have skipped town. Along with your friend from the old days. What do you call him?”

  I hesitated, but there was no sense in trying to hide that. “Marcus.”

  “Marcus.” He looked into my eyes. “What’s he promising you, Haley? And why do you believe him?”

  I swallowed hard. I couldn’t get into that with him. “Have you found another name for him?” I asked on a sudden inspiration. “Who do you think he really is?”

  He shook his head slowly. “We haven’t caught up with him yet. I’ve got feelers out to contacts all over the state, but so far, I’m coming up empty.”

  I thought for a second, then said, “If you find out something about that, will you let me know?”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  I only half believed him. He would tell me as much as he thought was good for me to know. Anything that might put me in danger or tempt me to do something crazy would be another story. But that was understood.

  “Okay, I’m off.”

  I wanted to touch him, just put my hand on his shoulder or on his arm, but we were in the public area of the sheriff’s station by now and I knew he wouldn’t want me to do it. So I held back. But someday I was going to go ahead and do it. Someday.

  And with a wink and a wave, I was out the door and down the hall and out into the parking lot, where a long black limousine slid smoothly up, a door opened, a hand flashed out, and before I knew it, I was yanked inside and slapped back into a completely luxurious seat and Marcus was grinning at me.

  “What?” I said, struggling to sit up. “How did you get hold of this fancy thing?”

  “Just a moment of your time, Haley,” he said, leaning back as though soaking up the luxury of it all. “Nice, isn’t it? Let’s just say I’ve got resources. Friends to turn to.”

  I noticed his clothes looked better too. He was wearing a sharkskin jacket and a silk tie. Nice wardrobe for someone who had just been burned out of house and home. For just a moment I thought of what Randy looked like the last time I saw him. Quite a contrast.

  I thought Roger was driving, but when I looked again I realized it was somebody new. I nodded to him but he was paying no attention to me.

  And Marcus was still talking. “It’s getting late. Are you ready for tonight?”

  “Yes. No.” I made a sound of exasperation. “I haven’t had time to pull those things together yet, but I think I know where to get them.”

  “You think?” Marcus suddenly looked as though he was ready to explode and his voice was cold and vicious in a way that startled me. “What the hell do you mean, ‘you think’?”

  I actually moved back a bit, out of his reach, as though I just naturally expected anyone who sounded like that to be about to hit me. And he leaned forward as though not wanting to let me get away.

  “Haley, this is your last chance. If we can’t get this together now, you’ll never get your memory back. It’ll be over. Don’t tell me ‘you think’.”

  He spit those last two words out as though they burned his mouth.

  I was shaking my head. “Hey,” I said. “Calm down. What’s the matter with you?”

  And just like that, the wild man he’d been a few seconds before disappeared and the normal Marcus was back.

  “Oh, uh, sorry Haley. But I get a little wound up when we get this close to success and someone tells me we might not have everything we need to get there just because of someone’s incompetence.”

  What? Who said anything about incompetence? I was beginning to wonder if this guy was as stable as I’d been assuming he was. But it was too late to think about that. There wasn’t much time for anything but preparing for the performance.

  I filled him in on how my part in the drama had expanded and he actually was happy about that.

  “Good. Then there won’t be any last minute glitches and balking at blending our spell in with the one your grandmother has prepared, because you’ll be the one casting it, right?”

  “I think so. If things happen the way I’ve been told. I’m just hoping Oliver gets released in time to help me. He always assists Gran Ana and I would feel a lot better with him beside me.”

  Marcus was looking incredibly self-satisfied. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there. You don’t need any other assistance. We’ll make sure everything runs like clockwork.”

  I shook my head, wondering if I was going crazy. How was this all going to come together without some advance planning? But at the moment, I just wanted to get away from Marcus and be somewhere I could think.

  “Okay. Where are you going to meet me?”

  “I’ll let you know. Just keep your bracelet on so I can reach you. We’ll drop you in front of the bakery.”

  I looked up. We were already there. “I…”

  “Out,” he said, swinging the door open and giving me a push. “See you later.”

  And just that unceremoniously, I was out and he was gone. I stood there in a daze for a moment, then shrugged and went up the steps and into the bakery. The wonderful smell of just baked bread filled me with a sudden burst of good feeling and I smiled when I saw Krissy covered with flour, kneading away and talking to Gavin at the same time.

  I didn’t have time for small talk. I waved but headed straight up to my room. Mandy was dozing in the armchair and she woke up as I came in, but I went straight to the bed and looked down at the red-headed werewolf. And…he looked better.

  My heart soared. I’d been sick to my soul over what had happened to him and whatever Mandy and I had been able to put together spell-wise, had done wonders already. The burns were still there but healing and the cuts no longer oozed blood.

  “Good, huh?” Mandy said softly, leaning over him beside me. “I’m amazed at how fast it’s working.”

  I hugged her and breathed a sigh of relief. “I felt so bad about not taking him to the clinic, but I think he’s going to be okay. Don’t you?”

  She nodded. “So what do we do with him now?” she asked.

  I looked at her. “You got me. I have no idea. Can you think of anyone we can ask to take him in for awhile?”

  Her eyes looked huge and sad. “Sorry. No one is too fond of werewolves around here.”

  “I know. But I think he might be a good one. Relatively speaking.”

  She gave me an incredulous look and laughed softly. “You hope, you mean. You’re so optimistic about supers that you like.”

  Hey, that was the point, wasn’t it? “I usually turn out to be right, though.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “We’ll see.”

  I grinned but her eyebrow wiggling reminded me of her little companion.

  Suddenly, her face changed. “Oh hey, something was delivered for you while you were gone. Something long and beautiful.” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation of my reaction.

  “What?” I couldn’t guess what she could possibly be talking about.

  She smirked, like she’d found the catbird seat. “This.
” She opened my closet and brought out a long gown on a hanger.

  My jaw dropped. It was gorgeous. I’d never worn anything like it. The style was long and fitted through the bodice, with sleeves that drooped and a low v-neckline.

  “It looks like something a princess should wear,” I said, almost hesitant to touch it. “Is it really for me?”

  “From Gran Ana, it says. She attached a card.” She picked it up and read it. “‘Good luck. Break a leg. Do your duty. From your grandmother.’”

  “Break a leg. Hah!”

  “Isn’t that what they say on Broadway when you wish an actress or an actor to have a good performance?”

  “Yes, but this is hardly Broadway. Still…”

  Yes, I got the connection. And I appreciated it. Even if this festival performance was not something I in any way wanted to do. In fact, if I could think of a way out…

  Ah, but this dress! The fabric was basically white but as it caught the light it shimmered in rainbow colors and moved as though it were some kind of extraordinary liquid.

  “There’s a tiara!” Mandy squealed, picking up a cellophane bag attached to the hem. “Oh Haley, you will look like a princess! Lucky you!”

  “Oh yeah, lucky me.” But I was, in a way. To tell the truth, I was starting to get just a little bit excited.

  And scared. Very, very scared.

  Once I stopped to think about it I realized I hadn’t got much of a clue what I was supposed to do. The flame and the ashes and the totem, yeah, okay, but what about the speech? What about the timing on things? I needed help badly and I wasn’t sure how I was going to get it.

  Gran Ana would have been best, but every time I tried her number, I got voice mail. This was her job and hers alone…wasn’t it? How could she think that I could take her place without some sort of coaching from the side?

  But I wasn’t going to think about that right now. No time. I had to get going.

  “Are you going to be okay staying here to watch him for a bit longer?” I asked Mandy.

  Slowly, she shook her head.

  Chapter 16

  “I don’t see how I can,” Mandy said. “Krissy is going to be wanting me to get Gavin ready to go to the festival soon. And if you don’t want her to know that there’s a werewolf in your bedroom….”

  I nodded. “I know. You’re going to have to leave him on his own. But he’s far from in crisis any more. If your spell holds, I might be back before he needs to be dealt with.”

  “Right. And what are you going to do with him?”

  I hesitated. “Good question. I’ll think about that later.” I sighed. “But you go when you have to go. This is my problem, not yours and I’ve already pulled you in too deep. I’m really sorry about that, Mandy. And I do so appreciate all you’ve done.”

  “No problem. Just get back as soon as you can.”

  I jumped in my car as the quickest way to get back and be able to carry the gown and other things I was going to need. Luckily, Rennie had blocked off parking spaces for us and I was able to park very close.

  “Hey Rennie,” I said when I caught sight of her dancing around the still empty bonfire pit. “When do we bring in the ashes?”

  “The ashes?” She looked at me blankly. “I don’t know. I’ve never done that part before.”

  Gulp.

  “Who does it?”

  “Uh…I guess it must be Oliver’s job.”

  Of course. I knew that. And he was in a cell at the sheriff’s station.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’m going over there and see if I can find out anything from him.”

  “Good idea.” She smiled at me brightly, twisting her red side braid around her finger.

  I stared at her, wondering if she was really as lost as she looked.

  “You have been involved in this ceremony before, right?”

  “Uh…kind of.”

  I decided to cut my losses. No point in having a tantrum this late in the game. I just had to concentrate on what was vital to the plan. Oliver. That was what. I put away the gown inside the closet in the back room of the shrine and headed for the station.

  I wished there was a way I could sneak in, but when you were dealing with law enforcement, that was often a bad idea. I knew I was going to have to talk to someone who could get me in to see Oliver again. Shane was the only person I could count on, but I didn’t see him in the lobby and when I started to edge down the hall to his office, Tommy at the desk caught me at it.

  “Hey there, Haley Greco,” he said, giving me a grin. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “You know what, I just didn’t want to bother you, but I’ve got something I need to see Oliver about and….”

  “Oh, no no no.” He shook his head. “Strict orders from the top. Haley Greco is not allowed any further into the building than this very lobby. So you might as well give it up. Sheriff Hayes’ patience has been stretched to the limit with you. At least, that’s what he told me.”

  “Oh. That’s too bad.” I glanced down to the end of the hall. “I don’t suppose you know where Shane is?”

  “I think you mean Deputy Sheriff McAllister, don’t you?”

  “Well of course. But we’re friends, aren’t we Tommy? You and I and Shane….”

  “Miss Greco, I’ll have you know that when I’m behind this desk, I’m presenting a professional face to the world and I’d appreciate it if you would abide by that rule of thumb.”

  He went on from there but I wasn’t listening. I could tell he was in no mood to give me any leeway. I was going to have to resort to other methods. The trouble was, other methods meant using my magic and I needed to conserve that aspect of my makeup for important spells later on that evening. Did I have enough in reserve to risk spending a little on this nonsense? It didn’t look like I was going to have much choice.

  It was going to be ham-handed. I didn’t have time for finesse. I was pretty sure my bracelet was going to help here. I touched it, said a few special words, and what do you know? A sudden fire broke out in the waiting room trashcan.

  Tommy jumped to immediately and I turned and headed down the hall. I wasn’t going to stop by Shane’s office. At this point, I just didn’t have the time. As I made that last turn, just before the stairway down to the holding cells, a door opened and before I could react, Sheriff Hayes was standing directly in my way. There was no getting around it. He was a large man and he took up the whole hallway.

  My luck had just run out.

  “One more step toward the holding cells and you’ll be visiting one of them on a permanent basis,” he said coldly. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been trying to find you for some time. Lucky for me, here you are.”

  “Sorry Sheriff,” I said as calmly as I could. “I really don’t have time to….”

  “You have the time I am talking about, because I’m taking charge of your time, Haley. I’ve got a few questions and you’re not going anywhere until you answer them.”

  I forced myself to relax and not to scream and not to run. That was the best I could do.

  “My first question is, what were you doing out there in werewolf country this afternoon?”

  I steadied myself. “I heard there had been trouble and I wanted to see it for myself,” I said truthfully.

  “Really? And what business was it of yours?”

  “Nothing in particular. Am I not allowed to drive through that part of the outskirts of this haven?”

  He sneered at me. “You and your grandmother think you run the place, don’t you?” he said nastily. “Well, you don’t. Now come clean and tell me where those werewolves went.”

  I looked at him in surprise. “Are they suspects in the murder of Sam Wellington?”

  “Could be. You got anybody else in mind?”

  I shook my head.

  “Then it looks like the werewolves win the prize. Now where are they?”

  I blinked. “Are they all gone?” I said, not really sure myself. “Is that normal? Do they c
ome and go or are they stable residents?”

  He looked at me as though he didn’t believe a thing I was saying. “Give me a break,” he muttered. “I think you know everything about those wolves. As a matter of fact, I just got a warrant from the judge and I’m about to take a deputy over to your bakery and search the place. Something tells me I might find some interesting information there. What do you say?”

  My heart sank. I didn’t want him to search my home and I didn’t want him to find Randy. But there was nothing I could do to stop him. It was too late for that. I couldn’t race him over there, and even if I won that race, it would be a sure sign that I was guilty of something. Harboring a fugitive? At least that.

  Besides, I had this festival to deal with. I would have to try to get a phone call out to Mandy and warn her. But for the rest….

  Okay. All I had left was the truth. Would this guy who hated me buy it? Not likely. But there was no other choice left.

  “Sheriff Hayes,” I began earnestly, “you’ve got me over a barrel here. You forced my grandmother into withdrawing from the festival, which left the performance and operation up to me. The only way I can put on this show is if I have Oliver to help me. And you have him in a cell. Can you at least let me talk to him to find out what I’m supposed to do? Without him I’m really flying blind.”

  He leered at me as though he was really enjoying this. “Your grandmother isn’t answering her phone?” he said, chuckling. “What a shame. When the chips are down, she’s not much help, is she?”

  “Please, Sheriff. Let me talk to Oliver.”

  “You’re not talking to anyone. In fact, why don’t you ride with us over to your bakery? You can help us find what we need.”

  Someone called to the sheriff from down the hall and he turned, giving me the opening I needed. I took off running, past the lobby where they seemed to have the fire out, past the desk, past the entryway and I didn’t even think about stopping anywhere until I made it back out into the central park and into the bonfire area. Then I pulled out my cell and tried to call Mandy, then Krissy. No answer from either of them. I turned to see if anyone from the sheriff’s station had followed me, but I didn’t see a sign of anyone.