by Rose Pressey
“I guess it’s a chance we’ll have to take,” I said.
“What do you want me to do?” my mother asked.
“I think we should try to go to Liam’s. After all, we’re this close and since the cars aren’t there…”
My mother turned left and headed toward the road for Liam’s place. I knew it was risky, but everything I did right now was risky. Finally, we made to Liam’s road. It seemed as if this trip had taken forever. The gravel road led to the plantation’s driveway. Trees lined each side of the drive. My mother turned right and inched the car down the path. The white plantation came into view. Trees surrounded the narrow lane. Green foliage populated the landscape. It looked as if we were driving into a forest until soon the clearing appeared.
“Wow, this place is stunning,” my mother said.
She pulled up in the circle drive. There were no other cars there. Did that mean that Liam and Nicolas weren’t here? Probably so. I’d come all this way for nothing. Where could they be? Maybe they didn’t want to be found.
We got out of the car and walked up the wide steps to the door. Once in front of the door, I rang the bell. It felt strange being here after everything that had happened. A few seconds passed and I rang the door again. The porch was even larger one when were up there standing on it. Large black urns with ferns flanked the door.
“I guess he’s not there,” I said.
“What should we do now?” my mother asked.
I sighed. “I guess I’ll have to go home. I don’t have any other ideas.”
Just then footsteps sounded. Someone was approaching the other side of the door.
“Someone’s coming to the door,” I whispered.
The door opened at that moment, startling me. I clutched my chest and stepped back. Neither Liam nor Nicolas was standing in front of me. I had no idea who this man was. He wore black slacks with a beige linen shirt. His dark hair matched the color of his eyes. There was no denying his handsome features.
“Who are you?” I asked.
He looked me up and down and then looked over at my mother and Annabelle. “The better question is who are you?”
I didn’t like this guy’s attitude right away.
“I’m Halloween LaVeau.” I almost forgot and added that I was the leader of the Underworld. “We’re from Enchantment Pointe and I’m looking for Liam Rankin. Is he here?”
Again the man gave me a strange look, eyeing me up and down. It looked like he wanted us to get lost. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t try to kick us off the front porch.
When he didn’t answer, I asked, “Where’s Liam? What have you done with him?” Panic raced through me now. “What have you done with him? Is Nicolas here?” I looked over his shoulder. I was about to storm inside and check for them myself.
“He’s not here,” the man said.
I eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you?”
“My name is Brent Stonewater. I’m the new coven leader for New Orleans.”
I should have known.
“Are you related to Monique?” I asked.
He nodded. “She’s my long lost cousin. Do you have a problem with her?”
That made sense that she would give the job to someone in the family. Okay, so I had given positions to loved ones and friends too, but that was totally different, right?
“You have to tell me where Liam went. When did he leave?” I asked.
Brent quirked an eyebrow. “I have to tell you? You mean nothing to me, and I don’t have to do anything.”
My mother stepped closer to the door and waved her finger in his face. “Now let me tell you something, young man, you don’t talk to my daughter that way.”
I moved in front of my mom before she did anything else to escalate the situation. “We don’t want trouble. I just need to know where Liam is.”
Brent looked me up and down again and then said, “Liam said something about going to the French Quarter. Someplace called the Raleigh Company.” Brent didn’t say another word. He just closed the door in my face.
I motioned for Annabelle and my mother to follow me. “Let’s go there now.”
We rushed down the steps and hurried into the car.
“It’s odd that the man we just met was named Raleigh,” I said.
“It has to be a coincidence,” my mother opened the driver’s side door.
“I don’t know if I trust him,” Annabelle said.
She was right, but I had to follow every lead.
Chapter 12
I was on high alert as we traveled to the bar. I had no idea why Nicolas and Liam would be here. I’d never heard them mention this place before. My mother drove through the French Quarter, which was terrifying enough without me being worried about being chased by Monique and her goons. At least we could see Annabelle again now. I had to find out what was in that sparkle bottle of my mom’s.
I’d always loved the atmosphere of the French Quarter. Unfortunately, right now I couldn’t enjoy it.
We passed by the old buildings, looking at each one to find the bar. Luckily, we found the place and a parking spot.
“Are you sure you got the name right?” my mother asked.
The bar was practically empty. Only a few people sat at the bar. The place was dimly lit so it was hard to see though. For all I knew there could be people standing in one of the dark corners. The place was decorated with a deep red color on the walls and matching velvety chairs. Gold accents, like framed art and other decorative pieces filled the walls.
“I can’t imagine that they’re here,” I said.
“Maybe they needed a drink after all the bad news lately,” my mother said.
“Well, they could have had a drink at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet me,” I said.
I scanned the room, looking for Liam and Nicolas. That was when I spotted the table at the back of the room. I recognized the two men and woman at the table.
“They’re New Orleans Coven members.” I gestured. “Let’s talk to them.”
Maybe this was a good sign that Nicolas and Liam had been here or were still here. We walked up to the table. At first they didn’t notice us. Chris and Matt were drinking beer. Brandy was staring blankly at the wall. She glanced over as I neared.
“Oh, Hallie.” Brandy got up and rushed to me. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tightly. “Am I glad to see you.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She must know something about Liam and Nicolas.
“Hallie, it’s terrible. They kicked us out of the coven.” Brandy was so upset that she was trembling.
“Who kicked you out?” I asked, although I was sure I knew the answer.
“Monique, the new leader. She said she doesn’t need us in the coven. Furthermore, she told us not to practice magic. As if that’s going to happen.”
Chris and Matt sat in silence, occasionally taking a drink from their mugs.
“Have you seen Liam or Nicolas?” I asked.
“Yeah, they were here,” she said.
“They were? What did they say?”
“They didn’t talk to us. Liam and Nicolas were talking to a man and woman and then they left.”
“But it wasn’t Monique?” I asked.
“No, I haven’t seen her and don’t want to.” After scanning the area once again, I focused my attention to the ex-coven members. “Do you know who owns this place?”
Matt placed his beer on the table. “It used to be owned by this guy named Raleigh, but he sold it a few years back. I heard he lives in a little cabin in the woods now.”
I exchanged a look with Annabelle and my mother. So much for a coincidence.
Chapter 13
The bartender was looking at us strangely so I figured it was time for us to get out of there.
“We can talk more outside,” I said.
The group followed me out onto the sidewalk.
We’d barely gotten adjusted to the daylight when Brandy said, “The
re’s one of the men now.”
“Hey you,” I said, going after him.
He glanced over his shoulder and immediately zapped magic my way. I ducked and it missed me. Unfortunately for Brandy, she wasn’t so lucky. It hit her and instead of falling to the ground, she was as hard as stone. Now she was like a statue just like Nicolas had been. The man turned the corner and I quickly lost sight of him.
“Are you okay?” I ran over to Brandy.
“She’s not moving,” Matt said in a panic.
“Oh no,” my mother said. “You know what this means.”
“What do we do with her?” Chris asked.
“You just have to wait for the spell to fade away. Put her in the car now.”
He helped me get Brandy into the car. She was frozen just like Nicolas had been. I didn’t want to tell them that I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that she would snap out of it like Nicolas. Because, of course, I had no way of knowing for sure.
“You call me if anything else happens. As a matter of fact, call me when she wakes up from the spell too.”
A man was nearby playing jazz music. The melody from his saxophone carried across the air like a backdrop for the night. It reminded me of the times Nicolas and I had walked the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the French Quarter. Plus, that time Liam had too much to drink and we carried him out of the bar down the street from where we were now. Good times that I hoped weren’t lost forever.
“I wonder if he’s been here long?” I asked. “We could ask if he’s seen Nicolas or Liam.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Annabelle said.
Annabelle and I walked over to the man. I left money in his guitar case after he finished his song and we clapped.
“Have you been playing here long?” I asked.
“I’ve been coming to this spot for about a year now,” he said.
“Well, I meant today. Have you been here long today?”
He looked at me oddly. “I’ve been here a couple of hours.”
That meant that he must have been here when they claimed Liam and Nicolas were here.
“Did you see a couple of guys coming in or out of the bar?”
He frowned. “I’ve seen a lot of guys going in there.”
“They look alike with dark hair.” I doubted my description of “good-looking” would help him identify them much. That was totally subjective.
“As a matter of fact, I saw a couple of guys go in there who fit that description.”
“Can you tell me a bit more about what happened?” I asked.
He wiped off his saxophone as he talked. “They went to the bar and about twenty minutes later they came back out with a woman and a man. They got into the car. It didn’t look like they were happy.”
“What kind of car was this?” I asked.
“It was a black Mercedes four-door.”
“Do you know which way they went?” I asked.
“They just drove straight down the street,” he said.
I placed more money in his case. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile. “Good luck.”
I would need more than good luck if I was going to find Nicolas and Liam unharmed. We got back in the car and had no choice but to head to Enchantment Pointe. I didn’t know where else to go, so I would have to just go home and try to wrap my mind around everything that happened.
When we got to Enchantment Pointe, I had my mother swing around to Nicolas’s place so that I could see if by some weird chance they were there. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. I had a key, so I decided to take a look around. Maybe he’d left some kind of clue as to where they were going. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Annabelle and my mother came with me.
Nicolas always kept things neat, but not to an obsessive point. The living room was simple with a black leather table with glass end tables and a coffee table in the middle of the space. A small dining room table was in the area near the kitchen. My stomach sank when I spotted the framed photo of Nicolas and me at the Valentine’s Day dance. Those were the good times.
“At least he’s neat,” my mother said.
“Yeah, he’s not a complete slob,” Annabelle said.
We looked around his apartment, but nothing was out of place. No dirty dishes in the sink. No dirty laundry lying around. It looked as if he’d even vacuumed recently too.
“What’s this old thing?” my mother asked.
I stepped over to the sofa where she stood. There was an old trunk that I had never seen before. “I don’t know what that is.”
My mother reached down and tried to open it.
“You shouldn’t look through his things,” I said.
“Why not? Maybe it would let you know where he is.”
“It’s an invasion of privacy.”
“But you’re in his apartment,” Annabelle said.
“I have a key,” I said. “Besides, the trunk’s locked.”
My mother studied her fingernails. “Well, let me know if you want to know what’s inside the trunk and I’ll find a way to get in.”
I shook my head. “I’ll make sure to let you know, thanks.”
“Okay, let’s get out of here, obviously we’re not going to find anything,” Annabelle said.
“I just need to go home and think about everything.” I blew the hair out of my eyes.
My mother took me back to the apartment, but soon enough, I would have to be out of here too. I worried that Monique would show up in the middle of the night and kick me out. I looked around for her as I made my way past my mother’s shop. There was a staircase on the side of the building which led directly to the apartment’s door.
Annabelle’s car had turned up in front of her house. I had a feeling Monique was responsible for that, but at least she’d returned it.
I lay across the bed with my newfound old book. I immediately started writing down all the spells that I remembered. I didn’t know why I was doing this, but something just told me to do it. Somehow it was cathartic. As I scribbled the spells out, it took my mind off of a lot of the problems. After working on the spells for a while, I dozed off with the pen in hand. It dropped out of my hand.
***
My cell beeping woke me up. I was a bit dazed at first, but then I realized where I was and what was going on. I ran over to the table where I’d left the phone and grabbed it. Relief washed over me when I saw that it was Nicolas’s number.
“Are you okay?” I asked when I answered the phone. “I’ve been so worried.”
Instead of getting an answer to my question, I was met with silence.
“Nicolas, are you there? Are you okay? Can you talk?”
Still, he didn’t answer. A few more seconds and the call was dropped. I dialed his number again, but it went straight to his voicemail. This made me more upset than ever. I knew that he was reaching out to me. He needed my help, but I didn’t know what to do to find him. I had to go to the police. But what could they do? They’d just say he was a grown man and didn’t have to answer my calls.
I stayed up waiting for another call. I even thought about going to find them. The only problem was I had no idea where to look. I made myself a cup of chamomile tea in the hopes it would relax me and I’d be able to sleep. That didn’t work. That night I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned while I thought about Nicolas and Liam.
***
The sound of a message on my phone woke me up. I had no idea what time it was. I reached over and grabbed my phone. Sun streamed in the window. It was seven thirty in the morning. I’d slept all night at the foot of my bed in my jeans and t-shirt. I’d passed out from exhaustion while writing spells.
I scrambled for my phone, still blurry eyed from what little sleep I’d had. There was a message from Nicolas on my phone. It wasn’t a voicemail, but I was just relieved to hear from him, even if it was just a text. I wasn’t sure what was keeping him from calling.
The message was odd.
Get th
e trunk.
If I hadn’t been in his place last night I would have never known what he was talking about. But since I’d seen the trunk at his apartment, then I assumed that was what he meant. It was a good thing I’d gone in there. I guessed he knew I had been looking for him. But why did he want me to get the trunk? What would I do with it once I had it? I assumed he couldn’t talk so I decided not to call and ask. How was he able to text me if he couldn’t call?
I quickly typed out a response. I just let him know that I would get the trunk. Whatever was going on, I would find out and help him. I pushed to my feet and rushed over to the closet. After a quick change of clothing, I would hurry over to Nicolas’ apartment. I hoped that Annabelle could help me get the trunk out and into her car.
Just then someone knocked on the front door and I froze. Who was at my door at this hour? Instantly a bad feeling rushed over me. I tiptoed over to the door.
Thank goodness for that little peephole. Monique stood in front of the door. My stomach flipped and my anxiety surged.
“I know you’re in there,” she said with a big smile.
She couldn’t possibly see me watching her, could she? I ran over and shoved my feet into my sneakers. I had to get out of here. Since she had the door blocked, I would have to think of another escape. This wouldn’t be easy, but there was no way I could answer the door. I grabbed my bag and stuffed my cell phone and my new spellbook inside.
There was only one other way out. Since I wasn’t the most athletic person in the world, this could prove to be a big problem. The apartment was on the second floor, but at least there was a fire escape. I didn’t know if the ladder worked properly, but I had to try. I hurried over to the window and heaved it open. I poked my head out and looked around. So far, I didn’t see her or any of her goons. If I didn’t hurry though I was sure they would come looking for me. A few people walked down the sidewalk, but they didn’t look down the alleyway to notice me. They were going about their daily lives. Trash cans were the only things in the alleyway. I would hate to land on one of those.
I looped the bag around my neck and climbed out the window. As I pushed the fire escape ladder down, I held my breath that it would work, and that it wouldn’t make some loud noise that would attract her attention. I hated heights even if it was just the second floor. A flash of me landing on my ass after falling flashed in my mind. What if I broke a leg and she came around and caught me? I didn’t know what she wanted, but I knew it couldn’t be good. One by one, I made my way down the rungs.