Magician's Muse

by Linda Joy Singleton

  “To make up for being such a bitch.”

  “An apology would have been easier.”

  “Not when you won’t answer your damned phone,” Jade retorted. “Why didn’t you call me back?”

  “I was too angry and …” Emotions cracked my voice. “It’s bad enough that you’re going out with Evan, but trash talking me hurt.”

  “Maybe it did, but you weren’t the only one hurt. You said stuff to me too. But I was willing to drop my pride and admit I was sorry. Only you never gave me a chance. Then after I left Evan’s, I stopped for gas and there was Josh’s pal Grey filling up his convertible. I caught him checking me out like he knew me.”

  “Probably because you look like me.”

  “You look like me,” she corrected in a superior I’m-older-than-you way. “Anyway, that’s when I came up with the idea to find Josh. So I sweet-talked Grey, then let him think I was into bad-ass guys like him. I even admitted I knew what he’d done at Trick or Treats and thought it was cool.”

  “Cool?” I choked with outrage. “More like horrible.”

  “I was playing him and saying what I thought he wanted to hear. It worked, too, and I could tell he was really into me. When I asked about Josh, he said, ‘He’s exactly where I want him.’ I got a bad feeling and was more determined to find Josh. So I told Grey he didn’t have the guts to go back to Trick or Treats and I dared him to meet me there.”

  “But why? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It would have if you’d answered my calls,” she snapped. “I thought you could spy on our meeting and when Grey left, you could follow him to Josh. And that turned out well—not. So I convinced him to let me go with him, and now I’m trapped in a cult of crazies and Josh is locked up until the initiation.”

  “Initiation?” The word sent tremors through me.

  “Yeah—no clue what that’s about. Everyone is dressed weird and talks strange and I swear I saw a head floating by itself. I want out of here ASAP! I’m afraid that—” She cut off abruptly. “I hear footsteps! Listen fast. I’m in the mountains at the freaky magician retreat owned by the Amazing—”

  “Arturo,” I finished.

  “Do you know how to get here?”

  “I can find out.”

  “Good! That will make it easier for you to—” Jade gasped. “Someone’s at the door! Sabine, come be me tomorrow! Noon. Damn!”

  The phone went dead.

  *

  Years seemed to pass as I stared at the phone, stunned.

  The temptation to call Jade back was overwhelming, but I knew in my gut she wouldn’t—couldn’t—answer. And what if someone else answered? Jade, and Josh, could end up in worse trouble. Jade’s words played over and over in my head, spreading fear like a raging wildfire.

  Would Grey really kill Josh?

  I remembered the destruction Grey left at Trick or Treats after he’d smashed the glass candy cases with the bat. Someone that violent was capable of anything. But Josh was his friend, so why would Grey threaten him? And why on earth kidnap Jade?

  I mentally listed all the weird stuff in sequence:

  Josh going off with Arturo—totally out of

  character.

  Jade hooking up with Evan—combusting into an epic argument.

  Jade playing Nancy Drew, setting up the meeting with Grey. Disaster!

  Had Jade really done that to help me? Or was it some kind of rivalry? She’d spent the last four years, even before I knew she existed, trying to be like me (better than me?) by copying my interests (school newspaper and fencing). What did she hope to prove? And who did she want to impress?

  This wasn’t the time to go all pseudo-therapist. Jade was a prisoner and counting on me to help her. Josh was in danger, too. Had Grey forced Josh to call his parents, so they wouldn’t report him missing? Was the magician society some kind of warped cult that tortured its new members?

  The dial tone droned and I realized I was still holding the phone. Flipping it closed, I paced my room. I wanted to rush to the rescue, bringing Jade and Josh back ASAP. Of course, going alone would be all kinds of stupid.

  But Jade had been adamant: we couldn’t tell anyone. Besides, what would I say? “Excuse me, Officer, but my half-sister and ex-boyfriend are being held prisoner in the mountains by professional stage magicians.” The Amazing Arturo was highly respected. Adults wouldn’t believe a teen over him without convincing evidence. And Josh’s parents hadn’t reported him missing, thinking he was safe with his mentor.

  Even as I debated this, I knew I was going to go rescue them. But I wouldn’t be stupid about it—I’d let someone know where I was going. Only who?

  Definitely not my father. He’d order me to stay at home, then he’d call the police.

  Nona wouldn’t want me to go after Jade either, and she might call Dad.

  I couldn’t involve Penny-Love or Thorn—they already had too much drama.

  What about Manny? I could trust him with my secrets, but what if he got all macho and wanted to come with me? He had superhero powers with a computer … but he wasn’t so great in the wild outdoors.

  My gaze drifted out my window to the barn … the empty loft room. There was only one person I wanted to turn to. Dominic would know what to do, but he hadn’t even called.

  Flopping on my bed and curling a pillow under my head, I stared up at the ceiling, tracing ideas in the paint swirls. After tossing out all the things I couldn’t do, I still needed to let someone know where I was going, just in case I needed backup, and Manny was my choice. I’d text him—but not until I was far enough away that he couldn’t come after me. I’d send the text once I reached the retreat.

  Before I did anything drastic, though, I’d write down everything Jade told me so I wouldn’t forget. I’d been so shocked to hear her voice that our conversation was a blur. It took an hour to write down words and phrases from my memory, and even then I wasn’t sure if I had it down verbatim. What had Jade said before we were disconnected?

  Come meet me tomorrow?

  Close but not quite right.

  Come be me tomorrow.

  Yeah, that’s what she said—cryptic and abbreviated, sort of like a verbal text. What was she trying to say? Probably something like, “Come be with me at Arturo’s mountain retreat tomorrow.”

  But Arturo’s retreat was on a hundred wooded acres. How could I find her?

  Think, I urged myself. Had Jade given me any other clues?

  I looked at my notes again. Jade said she went out every day at noon for a walk “like a dog.” And before hanging up, she’d said I should be there at noon.

  So all I had to do was:

  1. Drive to Arturo’s hideaway.

  2. Sneak past any security fences.

  3. Find a walking trail.

  4. Rescue Jade.

  But if Jade couldn’t get off the property, how was I supposed to get in? And what about Josh? I had to rescue him. I couldn’t leave him with a “friend” who might kill him.

  Something about Jade’s message still didn’t feel right—I had the sense that I’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and overlooked an important piece of information. Glancing down at my paper again, I analyzed each word. But it was the missing words—the ones I’d had to guess at—that nagged at me.

  Reading through it one more time, I suddenly understood.

  Jade had told me her plan—an extreme, crazy plan. It’d never work, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

  I knew where to go now: the mall.

  I was going shopping.

  The mall on the last Saturday before Christmas was insane.

  After years of searching for a parking space, I made my way through an obstacle course of frenzied shoppers into a burst of climate-controlled warm air. The cacophony of voices and holiday music rattled my brain so much it was hard to think—which wasn’t a bad thing, because if I thought too much I’d lose my nerve.

  I noticed two guys and a girl from school, loaded with shopping
bags. The girl smiled and waved. I waved back, but couldn’t smile. Hanging out at the mall was usually fun, but being here alone was sad and ironic. Penny-Love and I had planned to come here before life changed drastically. All the awful drama with Jacques and Jade and Josh.

  How strange to be here without any friends, passing jewelry shops advertising 75 percent off diamonds, a bath and body shop with an elf offering free soap samples, a toy store with singing electronic snowmen. I felt disconnected, as if the silver cord connecting me to ordinary life had been severed.

  Wheels squealed and I jumped aside to avoid getting rolled over by a young mom pushing a stroller. She didn’t pause or apologize. Why were some people so rude? I hurried along, pausing at a Hallmark shop, a favorite of Penny-Love’s. She thought it was hilarious to read the goofy rhymes on romantic cards. A few times she even invented her own corny rhymes and turned them into cheers, jumping and chanting without caring if anyone was watching.

  So where was Penny-Love right now? Still in shock over finding Jacques’ body? And had Thorn been serious about finding Jacques’ murderer for her? I hoped not—that was just too dangerous. But they’d missed the last few days of school, so something must be up. What was going on with my friends?

  There was one way to find out.

  I sat down on a bench by a play area where little kids squealed as they climbed ropes and slid down slides. Then I pulled out my cell.

  “Hey, Sabine,” Penny-Love answered casually. Like she hadn’t been splattered in blood and mourning her dead boyfriend less than a week ago.

  “Pen, are you okay?” I exclaimed, bending over to muffle my voice.

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Last time I saw you, you were in bad shape. What’s been going on?”

  She groaned. “Too much to explain. Can this wait till I get back?”

  “No, it can not. Get back? Where are you?”

  “Bakersfield.”

  “You did not just say Bakersfield!”

  “Crazy, huh?” Penny-Love’s laugh was brittle.

  “Talk fast and tell me everything. How did you get to Bakersfield?”

  “In Thorn’s car. Actually, it’s her mother’s jeep and a sick shade of yellow. It took like four hours to get here. That’s why we missed school—not that there’s anything important at school before a vacation. Everything happened too fast, and we had to keep going or lose the guy.”

  “What guy?”

  “The dude sneaking out of Jacques’ apartment. When we were staking it out, this chunky guy with sideburns—totally not a good look for him, by the way—came out carrying boxes. So Thorn said, ‘Let’s follow him.’ I said, ‘Don’t be stupid.’ But you know how she never listens to me. The guy got on the freeway and headed south. We almost lost him when we had to stop for gas in Fresno, but Thorn can drive really fast.”

  “Let me get this straight.” I switched the phone to my other ear, as if maybe that would somehow clear up this crazy conversation. “You followed a stranger—possibly a murderer—all the way to Bakersfield and you’re still there?”

  “Still here.” Huge sigh. “Totally bored in the car while Thorn does who-knows-what in a library. She said I’d just get in the way and ordered me to wait here. She can really piss me off! Like on the drive down, after I drank this huge cup of Pepsi, she wouldn’t stop for a bathroom and I had to hold it for like two hours. When we finally stopped, we found out something totally shocking.”

  “I can’t take any more shocks today,” I said, thinking about Jade.

  “Then I hope you’re sitting down. The guy we were following—” Penny-Love paused dramatically. “He’s a cop!”

  “A cop!” I spoke so loudly that a father holding a sleeping baby glared at me.

  “He switched into his uniform at the memorial service he was headed to. Thorn and I went too, since it was crowded and we figured no one would notice. It was for a thirty-one-year-old rookie detective named Oscar Dalton. We listened while the cop talked about how badly Oscar would be missed, and how his death during a drug-deal-gone-wrong was senseless. It was so sad, listening to Oscar’s parents and his fiancée.”

  “Whoa! That’s a lot to take in—cops, funeral, drugs. But how does this fit in with everything?” I grimaced, wondering about the gun Thorn had hidden.

  “Well, that’s how we found out Jacques was a big fat cheating liar. ’Course, we had no idea we’d find this out hundreds of miles from home, at his funeral.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.” Penny-Love paused in a familiar drama-girl way. “Oscar and Jacques were the same person.”

  “But you said Oscar was thirty-one and engaged!”

  “Jacques wasn’t his real name—he was working undercover.”

  “At our school?” I watched a little kid hanging on a bar by his knees, my thoughts turned upside-down, too. “No way!”

  “Everything about my so-called boyfriend was fake. He was a big fat cheating liar. Oh … here’s Thorn.” I heard a shuffling sound and muffled voices.

  “Hey, Sabine,” Thorn cut in, an edge to her voice that fit the barbed-wire jewelry she usually wore. “So did Pen fill you in?”

  “I’m still tripping on Jacques being a cop,” I admitted.

  “A NARC,” Thorn said bluntly. “That’s why his death wasn’t reported. Jacques never existed. Officer Oscar Dalton died while working undercover. No one would say much more than that—except that he wasn’t shot. He was stabbed.”

  “Stabbed? But what about the gun!”

  The dad nearest to me snatched up his baby and glared daggers at me again, then strode away from the play area.

  “I think the gun was Oscar’s,” Thorn guessed. “He must have grabbed it to defend himself, only the other guy was faster. I don’t know much—but seeing his friends and family made it more real … and sad.”

  Her tone was heavy, and I felt sad, too. A life was lost. No matter how or why, he’d been someone we knew, and he had family and friends who mourned him. Still, I wondered why a NARC had chosen Penny-Love as a girlfriend. Had he thought she had drug connections because she was mega-popular? Maybe her hyper personality made him assume she was a druggie. Of course, he would have quickly figured out he was wrong. So why didn’t he dump her?

  Oh yeah … he did dump her.

  “Are you and Pen coming home now?” I asked Thorn. “It sounds like we’re all off the hook.”

  “Except we still hid his gun, and I want to find out more about that folder with Josh’s photo on it. I have a weird feeling it’s important.”

  Now that she mentioned the folder, I had the same feeling.

  “Do you know where it is?” I asked her.

  “Probably in one of the boxes that the cop took from Jacques’ apartment.”

  “The box could be anywhere by now. How can you find it?”

  She chuckled. “How do I find anything?”

  I was smiling as I closed my phone until I glanced up at the dad-with-baby, who was having a whispered conversation with a mall security cop and pointing my way.

  My cue to exit.

  I checked the store directory, found the specialty store that I hoped would have what I needed, then made my way up an escalator to the second floor. It was just as crazy-crowded here, and I had to move quickly or risk being knocked over.

  I stopped at a shop with a window display showing a pirate, a Klingon, and a unicorn. This was the place.

  When I left the mall an hour later, my arms were sagging with bags. My trusty credit card had gotten a good workout. Fortunately, my parents expected me to splurge on Christmas gifts. There was no reason to explain that my purchases had nothing to do with the holiday.

  For the rest of the day I was a bundle of nerves. Nona had lunched with Mr. Heart Lights again and was so excited about the prospect of merging professionally (and romantically?) that she didn’t pay much attention to me. I was too worried to eat much at dinner, shifting my food on my plate while I tappe
d my fingernails on the table and pretended to listen to my grandmother. When she asked if I was okay, I lied and said, “Great.” But she studied me, her psychic radar sweeping over me, and I could tell she was suspicious.

  I hated lying to my grandmother, but sometimes it was necessary.

  Unfortunately, one lie snowballed into more, and the next day I came up with a story about meeting Penny-Love and Thorn at the Roseville Galleria. It was such a huge, busy mall, and the drive there so long, that Nona wouldn’t expect me to return for hours.

  I just hoped I returned, period.

  I prepared a backpack full of emergency supplies like snacks, a flashlight, a multi-use knife, water bottles, a first-aid kit, and at the last minute I’d tossed in Josh’s plastic Muse wand. For luck, I wore the charm bracelet that had belonged to my great, great, etc. grandmother. The tiny silver fish, house, cat, and book dangled from my wrist, catching the light as I drove up Highway 80 past Roseville. I followed the signs for Auburn.

  Crossing my fingers, I hoped my plan would go smoothly and that by evening, Jade and Josh would be home. Safe.

  The towering trees bordering the road like warrior guards gave me a scary feeling—it seemed like I was winding farther and farther away from reality. The trees stretched so tall that their piney needles prickled the sky and shut out the sun. This was a startling contrast to yesterday’s bustling mall. I felt as if I was leaving humanity and entering a strange landscape of endless trees.

  I followed the directions Manny had sent me, and left the main highway for a narrow, paved road that wound deeper into the forest. Although it seemed completely remote here, I noticed signs and steep roads that disappeared down the hillsides. I checked the address for Arturo’s property again: 1022 Sap Tree Road. I drove slower, and still almost missed the turn for Sap Tree.

  Once I was on that road, I had to look among bushes and trees for markers or mailboxes. There weren’t many and they were spaced miles apart: 1005, 1013, 1019. The numbers ended when I passed a beautiful lake in a deep canyon, glittering like a jewel in the sun. I kept going, relieved when I found some numbered signs again. But wait a minute—the numbers resumed at 1115.

  How had I missed Arturo’s address?