“Where are we?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say we’re in the trunk of a car,” Esme said sarcastically.
“But whose car?”
“I don’t know, Lenny. I pulled over to help a woman on the side of the road. It was dark, and I didn’t get a good look at her face. She called out to me that she needed a tire iron as soon as I got out of my car. Right after I got mine out of the trunk, she hit me on the back of my head. I woke up in here with you.”
“Can’t we use magic to stop the car or something?”
“We could, but you’re drained. Maybe we should just wait until she stops the car and we’ll ambush her. Whoever she is, she won’t know that we’re not tied up anymore. We can take her by surprise, and then I’ll bind her crazy butt until the cops can come get her.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
At some point, I wished that we would have stopped the car. We drove longer than I expected and went over some severely bumpy roads. When the car finally stopped, I felt like we’d been run through the spin cycle in an overactive washing machine.
I held my breath and waited for the trunk to open. When it did, the light blinded me. As my eyes adjusted, I could tell that there were large flood lights above the car and wondered what kind of building we were close to.
My eyes then start to focus on the shadowing figure that had opened the trunk. I felt a sudden rush of relief. I knew the person opening the trunk, and I thought that the individual who took us must have taken off. Now, a friendly face was here to rescue us.
“Tammy, oh my gosh. I’m so glad to see you.” I gushed, but then something about the way she looked at us made me cringe.
She had this weird half-smile on her face as if she found my being relieved to see her amusing. Then it hit me. What was she doing here? It was a strange coincidence that she’d been in the same place as our abductor had stopped. And, how did she know we were in the trunk? Esme and I weren’t kicking or screaming.
I had to stay calm and collected until I knew what was going on. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to hurt Tammy if I didn’t know for sure whether she was the one who’d kidnapped us or if she was our savior.
“Where are we?” I asked and struggled to sit up.
Esme and I had agreed to pretend like we were still bound so that we could take our abductor by surprise. So, I wiggled and scooted like I was having trouble getting myself upright. I guess I was having trouble because I wasn’t using my hands and I had to keep my knees together so that Tammy thought my ankles were still tied together.
“We’re at an old hunting lodge.” She said. “Let me help you out.”
She reached in and took me by the arm. Her words sounded helpful, but the tone of her voice was sinister. I looked at Esme and gave her as subtle a nod as possible I hoped that she understood I meant to attack.
Just as I was about to lash out at Tammy, a horrified expression spread across her face. She reached both hands up and started clawing at the back of her head. As she spun around trying to fight whatever had a hold of her, I saw what had gotten her.
Jezebel.
“I’ll save you, lady,” Jez said before she started hissing and spitting while clawing at Tammy’s face from behind her head.
Tammy clawed back at Jezebel, but she couldn’t remove my familiar from her head. Eventually, she started to wail in agony and dropped down to her knees.
“Please. Please let me go.” She begged.
Esme and I were out of the trunk and on Tammy in moments. We took the ropes she’d used to bind us and hogtied her face down in the dirt. Esme said a little chant, and the woman was magically bound as well.
I took out my phone and called the police. I should have called Brad, but I knew he’d gone home to sleep. His deputy would have to do. We needed someone to come get Tammy as quickly as possible.
While we waited for Deputy Barret, Tammy wouldn’t shut up about why she’d killed Nikolay and Victor. I took out my cellphone and recorded as much of it as I could.
I’d even told Tammy that I was recording, so maybe what I got will be admissible in court. By the time the deputy showed up, Esme and I knew that Tammy was of Polish descent, and her family hated Russians. The only people she hated more than the Russians were the Ukrainians. She told us several times how disgusting and unnatural it was that a Ukrainian and a Russian were carrying on the way Nikolay and Sofia were.
Now, from what I’d understood, most of the sentiments were from her WWII-era family, but recent events had sparked a renewed hatred in Tammy. She’d become obsessed with social media and the current developments in Eastern Europe and Russia. The more time she spent arguing with people online, the more hateful and unhinged she became.
In the end, she’d poisoned Nikolay to punish Sofia for being stupid and for being a Ukrainian mail order bride. These were her words, not mine. She’d killed Viktor for being Russian and because he was using some of his old contacts to look into Nikolay’s murder. He’d thought it was a mafia hit, but all along it was a crazy lady who spent too much time on the internet.
That brought her to us. She’d been following me for a while, and my little breaking and entering stunt into Sofia’s house convinced her that I was a liability. She decided to off Esme for good measure. Plus, we were together when she had the opportunity to take me.
Apparently, she did not see me talking to Nikolay’s ghost or see Jezebel appear at Sofia’s house. So, we didn’t have to convince the police that she was crazy.
“How did you kill Viktor?”
“What, you think that just because I’m a woman, I can’t hang a man from the ceiling by his belt. I was the state champion powerlifter and regional champion Olympic lifter in high school. I hit the gym six days a week.” She responded.
“Well, at least you’ll be able to continue your hobby in prison,” I said.
“So, Tammy. Why did you run down Nate that way? Was it just because he’s engaged to Lenny and friends with me? Why didn’t you just take us all at once?” Esme practically spit the questions at her.
“That wasn’t me, Esmerelda. I didn’t touch the forest ranger.”
I couldn’t figure out why she would admit to the other killings and our kidnapping but deny running over Nathan if she’d actually done it. My only conclusion was that she hadn’t. My blood ran cold when I realized what that meant.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Esme growled. “Why lie now?”
“She’s not lying,” I said to Esme. “There’s someone else. Someone I’ll have to tell you about.”
The only other possibility other than a deranged stranger was that Nate’s girlfriend and stalker had come back to finish the job she’d started before being sent off to the mental hospital.
Irene wasn’t going to stop until she killed Nathan. Well, I wasn’t going to let that happen. She had no idea who she was dealing with, and I was prepared to use all of my powers to take her down.
I was shaken from these thoughts by the approach of lights from a police cruiser. As they took Tammy into custody, the state police, who’d shown up at the same time as Deputy Barret, she started screaming about needing an ambulance for her cat scratches. They looked at her like she was nuts because Jezebel was gone. No one but Esme and I knew she’d been there.
“Yeah, cat scratches. Sure lady.” The officer guiding her to the cruiser said and rolled his eyes. “We’ll let the jail doctor take a look at you when we get you booked.”
It was obvious that they thought she’d sustained the injuries during the struggle. She did sound a little nuts, though. I wondered if Tammy was going to end up in the mental hospital too.
Chapter Fifteen
Nikolay was shocked to learn that Sofia had nothing to do with his death, he’d convinced himself completely that she’d done it. He confessed that it must have been his own guilt about not marrying her while he was alive.
Nikolay had to admit that Sofia loved him with all of her heart and that he’d not
believed it. He couldn’t fathom that someone so young and beautiful could actually care for him. Now she was alone again.
“She brought up going to college several times,” Nikolay said as he sat on my sofa. “I blew her off every time. I shouldn’t have done that.” He said regretfully.
“Well, she could sell the house. That place must be worth a small fortune even here in Tree’s Hollow. Maybe that would give her enough to start school and live off the rest for a while.” I offered.
“No.” He growled. “I did this. I can fix it too.”
“How? You guys weren’t married. She isn’t legally entitled to anything. Your family is already moving in with an army of attorneys to pick your estate apart according to the rumors I’ve heard. She’s lucky you put the house and her Mercedes in her name, or they’d be going after that too.”
“Remember how I said you could have the money in my secret safe deposit box if you solved my murder?” He said with a smile.
“Yeah. Oh, of course. I can give her the money. That’s an excellent idea.” And, it was. I hadn’t intended on taking his money anyway.
“No, you keep that. It’s just a token of appreciation. But, there is something else in that box. Something no one else knows about.”
“What is it?” I leaned towards. My curiosity was getting the better of me, and from behind Nikolay, Abby leaned in as well.
“There is a final copy of my will. It’s the most recent copy drafted by my best attorney. It’s been notarized, witnessed, and signed. It will hold up in court. My family doesn’t have the most recent will, and they won’t if you don’t go get it from my safe deposit box and return it to my lawyer. He and I drew it up in secret because I wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted to do yet. Well, Lenora, now I’m sure. That version of my will leaves everything to Sofia.”
“Yes, I can do that,” I said.
“Oh, and Lenora, you can write about it for your paper if you want. Just don’t say anything bad about my Sofia or I’ll haunt you forever.” Nikolay said.
“Okay.”
He told me where the box was and what I needed to say to the bank manager to get in. Apparently, a lot of people worked for Nikolay.
It was a small bank in a little town about an hour south of Tree’s Hollow. And when I say small, I mean that the bank manager was the only person working when I went in. The teller had called in sick that day, so it was just him there running everything. But, running everything meant he was sitting there with his feet up on a desk reading a book.
I told him the phrase Nikolay had given me, and the bank manager, Bob, led me down into a basement area. I was surprised to see thousands of safe deposit boxes lining the walls of a vast underground bunker. Apparently, the little bank on top was a front to cover what was hidden below. This was a place where serious people hid serious things.
“I don’t have a key.” It occurred to me that Nikolay had never mentioned a key, but there was a keyhole in every box.
“That’s okay, Ma’am. The phrase is your key.” He said as he began to walk towards the center of the room.
“What if I walked in and said the wrong phrase for the wrong box?”
“It’s best not to dwell on those kinds of things, Ma’am.” He said and pulled a key on a chain out from his shirt collar.
He was wearing the key that opened the boxes around his neck. As he shifted, I saw the gun holstered at this waist. He saw me looking at it.
“It’s mostly for my own peace of mind, but I’d never have to use it.” He said matter-of-factly.
“Why not?”
“Because anyone who knows this place knows better than to mess with the people who store stuff in these boxes.” He clicked the lock and pulled the drawer out for me. “I’ll give you a moment. If you need a bag, they’re over there.” He said and pointed to a table next to the farthest wall.
Sure enough, there were burgundy velvet bags of all sizes on the table. Everything from a small pouch perfect for jewelry to a much larger sack that could carry several stacks of cash. My heart raced a little as I realized that was the one I would need.
It turns out that a small token from Nikolay adds up to a quarter of a million dollars in large bills. I stashed the money in two of the biggest bags, and if not for magic, I’d have had to drag them out of the bank.
I also got the will, so I get in my car and drive straight to the lawyer Nikolay specified. After I’ve handed him the paper, the attorney gives me a knowing nod and a hearty handshake.
I look at the clock on his wall. I’ve got just enough time to get back to the hospital. Nathan’s latest surgery should be over soon. He was strong enough today, so they decided to proceed. The doctors were amazed, but I wasn’t. I could still feel the bone-deep fatigue of using all of my remaining energy to heal him. Esme had done the same, but we both agreed that it was worth it.
As I was walking out of the attorney’s office, I got a text message from Esme. It put a smile on my face.
The surgical tech just messaged me and said the surgery is almost done. He’ll be out soon. Get your butt back here Lenora Brewer. By the way, the surgery went well.
Epilogue
I sat next to Nathan’s bed, and for the first time, the sounds of the machines comforted me. It meant that he was alive and that he was getting better even if I couldn’t fully heal him to the point where he could just go home. He was out of the ICU and in a regular room, and his father whose flight had gotten in while I was held hostage signed a release allowing me to visit. That isn’t even a real thing, but you can bet I made it one.
Now that I was here, Nate’s dad had gone back to his hotel to shower and take a nap. I had never met him before, and we both agreed that we’d have rather met under different circumstances. But, I was glad his dad was there, and Lincoln was happy that I was there for Nate too. We were the only close family that Nathan had left other than his friends.
Nathan had a step-mother as well, but she and Lincoln had gotten married after Nate was an adult. They weren’t super close, and she’d been sick with the flu for a week. Helen called for regular updates on his condition since she couldn’t fly in with Lincoln. She obviously cared a great deal for Nate, but Lincoln had said she kept her distance sometimes for fear of Nathan thinking she was attempting to replace his mother.
“It’s silly, but she’s so sweet,” Lincoln said with a chuckle. “I’m sure after this she’s going to get over her fear and let herself mother him a little bit. She doesn’t have any kids of her own, and I don’t think she ever planned on marrying a widower.”
After Lincoln had left for his hotel, I tried to read for a while, but I couldn’t focus. I went down to the waiting room to grab a coffee and almost spilled it rushing back to the room. I didn’t want him waking up with no on there.
Nathan was sleeping, but I held his hand and drank my coffee. Unless he woke up and told me to leave, I was sticking by him for the rest of our lives. If he tried to make me stay away from him for my own safety, I’d explain to him about the premonition and how I could have prevented all of this. Then, I would apologize profusely for not preventing his attack.
The sound of the monitors beeping rhythmically lulled me into a deep state of relaxation. It had been a long couple of days, and I’m sure I was about to drift off to sleep while holding his hand and watching cartoons on the television in his room.
My eyes were heavy and started to close no matter how hard I fought. But, I felt Nathan’s hand squeeze mine, and I shot up to attention.
“Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry.” Nate croaked as soon as he woke up.
I could tell he was thirsty and I scrambled to get him a cup of ice water. “Here, drink this. And, I love you.” I blurted out right before the tears started.
We held each other and apologized for everything we could think of. Nate promised he’d never shut me out again, and he swore to protect me. It was sweet considering everything he’d been through.
He had a long recovery ahea
d of him, but thanks to Nikolay’s little safe deposit box, we’d be set financially for a long time. I’d had every intention of taking him home with me when he was released, and if that meant we had to get married right here in the hospital, I’d been prepared to run down to the hospital chapel and get the priest.
It wasn’t the wedding we’d been planning, but Nathan’s eyes welled up with tears of appreciation when I suggested it.
“You’re going to give up your dream fall wedding for me? To take care of me while I’m broken.” His voice broke as he continued to stoically hold back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
“We can still have it,” I said and kissed his nose. “It just won’t be the official ceremony. But, let’s worry about that after you’re better.”
“Do you think the Priest is down there?” He asked with a smile.
“You want to do this right now?” I smiled back.
“More than anything in the world, Lenny.”
“I’ll go check. In fact, if he’s not down there, I’ll find him. When I come back, you and me are getting hitched.” I said and started for the door.
I looked back at him before I left the room, and my heart began to thunder in my chest. Nate’s face had gone ghostly white, and he was trembling. I looked at his monitors, and all the alarms started to go off at once.
“Lenny? Lenny, are you still there? I don’t feel right.” Nate said and reached out for me in a way that told me he couldn’t see me.
I rushed back to his bedside and started furiously pushing the call nurse button with one hand and holding his hand with the other. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here. Stay with me.”
He turned to look at me, and I relaxed for a split second. That was until I realized he was looking behind me not at me.
“Mama? Mama is that you?” Nathan whispered.
***
Thank you for reading!
Don’t miss the next installment in the Tree’s Hollow Witches series:
Brewing Trouble Page 12