“That’s how the demon got in. My potion in the chocolates did work… Well, sort of. It didn’t vanquish the demon. It jumped into you instead because you were weakened by the hives and scratches.”
“Did I do all this?” Raine gestured to the room, and Issy’s heart twisted at the anguished look on her cousin’s face.
“’Fraid so. But that’s okay. We’ll help Enid clean up, and things will be good as new. No harm done, right, Enid?”
“Of course.”
“But I don’t remember any of this. What day is it, and what have I been doing since Wednesday?” Raine asked.
“Raine, try to remember that whatever you were doing wasn’t actually you. It was the demon. Memory loss is a common side effect of possession, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember anything. The same thing happened to Enid that day we brought the chocolates, remember? How do you feel otherwise?” Ember asked.
“I’m a little sore.” Raine stretched then winced. “But, otherwise, I’m okay.”
“Good.” Issy helped her cousin to her feet. “Can I get you some water?”
“No.” Raine looked around, her still-shocked expression soon morphing to horror. Tears gathered in her eyes. “Wait a minute. Did I kill someone too?”
“No. You didn’t kill anyone.” Issy helped Raine into an undamaged dining room chair. “You tried, but the victim survived.”
Now it made sense that the victim had heard her assailant arguing. It was Raine, the real Raine, deep inside the demon, struggling to keep it from killing. Issy felt a rush of pride for her cousin. It must have taken all she had to force her will on the demon from within.
Enid, who stood nearby, clutched the edge of her kitchen cabinets, her face pale. “Did I… kill someone?”
“No.” Issy rushed to the older woman’s side to comfort her. “It wasn’t you, Enid. It was the demon who killed that dishwasher.”
“Excuse me?” Dex stalked over, his voice razor sharp. “Someone better start explaining all of this to me right now before Owen gets here.”
Issy took a deep breath then relayed everything they knew about what happened. The last thing she wanted to do was get Dex involved in their paranormal business, but what choice did she have at that point? It was either tell him the truth, or have him haul Enid, and perhaps Raine, off to prison for crimes they hadn’t committed. By the end, at least he didn’t deny the paranormal involvement this time. Nor did he threaten any of them with Area 59.
She’d just finished her story when a brief knock sounded on the door, followed by DeeDee and Gray barging in.
“Hey, Quinns. What’s going on here?” DeeDee asked.
“Is everything all right?” Gray looked from Issy to Ember to Raine then back again. “I got a text from Raine telling me the meeting here was off and sending me into the boonies instead.”
“About that.” Issy scrunched her nose. “Turns out Raine was the demon’s new host after Enid. Pretty sure it wanted you out of the way. The demon’s gone now, though.”
“No kidding?” Gray stared wide eyed at Raine. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Raine put an arm around Issy and Ember and squeezed them tightly to her sides. “Thanks to these guys. And Enid.” Raine shot Enid a grateful glance.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time.” Gray raked a hand through his uncharacteristically mussed black hair, his aqua eyes sad. “The minute you guys didn’t show up at the new location, I knew something was wrong, but then my car died, and I had to call DeeDee to come get me.” He glanced over at the deputy and smiled. “Thanks for being my backup.”
“I’ve always got your back, Gray,” DeeDee said.
“Thanks.” He gave her a friendly nudge on the arm then looked out into the living room and scowled. “What’s he doing here?”
Issy tracked her cousin’s gaze to Dex. “He’s here to help.”
“Help?” Gray gave Dex a suspicious look. “How? By calling the FBPI on us?”
“I hope not.” Issy moved to stand beside Dex, cradling her sore arm. “If he is, then I think I’m the only one they should take. It was me who saw what happened from the beginning, and I didn’t report it. The rest of you are innocent bystanders.”
She hazarded a glance at Dex, who continued to stare at her with a puzzled expression. He looked as if he was trying hard to remember something. His gaze kept flickering to her lips then back to her eyes as if… Her heartbeat tripled, and she swallowed hard. Did he remember what happened between them in the woods when they caught Christian Vonner?
Shaking his head, Dex finally put his gun away. “I’m not sure exactly what happened here tonight. There’s been a lot of crazy electrical phenomena happening in Silver Hollow lately. Summer storms, maybe? I don’t know. This place looks a bit trashed, but it doesn’t seem to be a police matter. What would you say, Deputy?”
“I agree with your assessment,” DeeDee said, shooting Issy a quick wink.
“Good.” Dex held Issy’s gaze for a few moments more before heading for the door. “From the looks of it, I’d say lightning struck the roof and came out of one of the electrical sockets then ping-ponged around the room. No need to arrest anyone or take anyone in at this time. You might want to call your insurance company, though I’m not sure it’s covered. Act of God.”
With that, he left.
Issy exhaled slowly, relief washing over her in waves. She wasn’t sure if Dex was still in denial about the existence of paranormal activity or if he was generously giving them an out, but either way, he seemed in a hurry to leave her behind. Given the differences between them, Issy couldn’t say she blamed him. Honestly, why would an FBPI agent like him want to date a witch?
Her happiness over Raine’s and Ember’s recoveries floundered slightly, and her chest pinched. She’d liked Dex, and the kiss they’d shared on the boardwalk had been unbelievable, but she wasn’t under any illusions. A real relationship between them was doomed. Never mind his job—relationships between humans and witches were notoriously tricky.
Besides, what was important now was that her family was okay and the demon was gone.
Ember frowned at the door then at Issy. “I was awake for the last part of that. You jumped in front of him to save him from the demon’s energy. You know what that means.”
Sighing, Issy turned away. “It means nothing.”
“No.” Raine came up beside Ember. “She’s right. It means you’re responsible for him now. You have a bond.”
“Don’t be silly. That’s just an old wives’ tale. It doesn’t mean anything.” Issy crossed her arms against the sudden chill invading her body. Legend said that if a witch put her life in jeopardy to save a human, that sacrifice created a soul-bond between them. Good thing she didn’t put much stock in those old stories.
Otherwise, she might just think there really was something happening between her and Dex, and that would be bad. Bad because he was human and wouldn’t be held to the bond the same way she would as a paranormal. He could be free to go off and find his happiness elsewhere while she pined away at home alone for a man who might not ever care for her as much as she did him. She had enough trouble with her love life. No need to add magical twists and soul-bonds to the mix.
“Well, I, for one, am glad we’re all okay,” Enid said. “That’s the important thing.”
“Exactly.” Issy narrowed her gaze on Raine’s arms. “There’s barely any sign of those scratches now.”
Raine smiled and cocked her chin toward Issy’s left arm. “How about you? How are you feeling?” Raine’s face fell as she added, “Sorry to cause you any pain.”
Issy tested her range of motion. Still achy but not nearly as bad as before. “No worries. It wasn’t you, and anyway, I’ll live.” Then she bent down and held out her hand. “And how’s poor little Becky?”
The potbellied pig snorted and trotted over to her for a scratch behind the ears, apparently none the worse for wear.
Enid gave a surprised laugh. “I
still can’t quite believe that spell worked. You know, I think perhaps all those juice drinks from The Main Squeeze really are helping.” She turned toward the table and the still-smoking blackened pizza. “I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. Let me just cast a little un-charring spell on this, and—”
Gray rushed over and pulled Enid into an impromptu hug, lowering her arms to her sides before she could unleash any more wonky incantations. “I’m just so glad you’re okay, Enid,” he said, giving Issy a “help me here” look over the top of the older lady’s head. “I’ll take care of dinner, Enid. You must be tired.”
“I’m glad you’re okay too, young man,” Enid said, her voice muffled against Gray’s muscled chest. With her short stature, her nose barely reached his upper abdomen. “And I am a bit pooped.”
Issy wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline still zinging through her system or the fact that they’d banished the demon and all lived to tell the tale, but the whole situation struck her as funny. Her giggles soon turned into full-blown laughter, and before she knew it, the rest of the family joined in. Even DeeDee, who was watching them all from the side of the room and doing her best to look official, snickered.
Gray finally released Enid, and they all started cleaning up the aftermath of the fight.
“So, that’s it, then? We can all go about our business as usual?” Enid said after tossing the remains of the pizza in the trash.
“Not quite, I’m afraid.” DeeDee righted a floor lamp. “There’s still the matter of Owen. He’s looking for a serial killer.”
Enid straightened the cushions on the non-scorched half of her sofa then raised her hand. “That would be me.”
“You’re no killer, Enid Pettywood.” DeeDee set an end table back into position beside a toppled chair then crossed her arms. “It was the demon.”
“I know, but it was still my body that thing inhabited while it did the awful deed.” She stared at her hands, her expression quickly shifting from sadness to horror. “What if there’s physical evidence?”
“The only evidence found at the scene of the murder was that charm, the doll, and the meat cleaver,” DeeDee said. “Seems the force of the meat cleaver makes you being the killer implausible. Maybe we can just tell Owen you lost the charm?”
Enid fingered the gold bracelet that encircled her wrist. “Is that where that charm went?” She shuddered and held her wrist away from her as if repulsed by the entire bracelet.
“Then we’d have to come up with a whole reason why the killer would have had it. And if Owen doesn’t buy that and starts looking into Enid’s whereabouts that day, it won’t be good.” Issy walked over and put her arm around Enid’s quivering shoulders. “We can’t let that happen.”
“I think I might have an idea of how we can stop it.” Gray placed a few knickknacks and doilies back on Enid’s shelves then faced the group. “I don’t want to say anything specific yet, because I’m not sure it will work. But I’m on it.”
Issy rolled her eyes at her cousin’s secretiveness. There was definitely something weird going on with him. She hadn’t figured out exactly what it was yet, but she would. “Okay, so Gray’s handling the whole charm debacle. That still leaves the matter of Luigi. He was gunning for the person who summoned the demon, and I don’t think he’s going to just forget about it.”
“Now there I can help.” Enid straightened a bit and raised her chin. “Don’t you worry about Luigi Romano. I’ll take care of him.”
26
Dex sat in his car in front of Enid’s cottage for quite some time, watching the shadows of the people inside through the curtains and just generally doubting himself and his ability to protect anyone. His head was still swimming with everything that had gone down inside, and he hadn’t quite sorted it all out yet, but one thing was certain.
As he watched a charcoal-colored cat pace back and forth on the front steps of the house, every so often it would turn its golden-orange gaze on him, and a strange feeling would come over him. A feeling that he was right where he belonged. But that couldn’t be true—he didn’t belong here, and he certainly didn’t belong with Issy.
He hadn’t protected her from whatever that thing was in there.
If he closed his eyes, he could still hear its infernal snarls, could still smell the acrid stench of sulphur and taste the tang of fear in his mouth. A lesser man might’ve sunk to his knees and become a believer in magic. But how else could one explain what had happened?
After a deep sigh, Dex shifted the car into drive and took off slowly down the quiet residential street.
He had to admit, the idea of something beyond our reality existing did intrigue him. Not enough to go around hauling in these so-called paranormals like his partner Stan and subject them to the ghastly experiments he’d heard took place inside Area 59. The thought of that turned his stomach. Instead, when he thought of the people in Silver Hollow having paranormal abilities, he felt protective of them.
His phone rang, and he looked down. It was Stan. The guy had an uncanny ability to call whenever Dex was thinking about him. Maybe he was psychic.
“Nolan here.” Dex figured he might as well answer. Otherwise, Stan would keep calling every ten minutes.
Stan’s voice was rushed with excitement. “I’ve got a tip on the underground line something is going down in Silver Hollow right now.”
“Oh, that. Yeah. It’s nothing. Another issue with the transformer. They have major infrastructure problems here,” Dex said.
“Are you sure? My contact said there was weird thunder and lightning but no storm. That’s not normal.”
“Yep. I checked that all out. I’m tapped in here now to the goings on. You don’t have to keep calling. I’m on it.”
There was a pause, and then Stan said, “Good. For a while there, I was worried about you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You didn’t seem like you were exactly on board.”
“Oh, I’m on board. I’m keeping a close eye on the residents, and believe me, you will be the first to know if something out of the ordinary happens here.”
“Good. Glad to know I can count on you. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.” Dex hung up, feeling satisfied that he had saved Silver Hollow a visit from Stan. But, at the same time, something twisted in his heart. He’d lied about the job again. Now why had he done that?
As he drove through Silver Hollow, his new home, he started to get that same old feeling in the pit of his gut. The one he’d had for months after that botched kidnapping case at the FBI. The one that said he was nothing but a big, fat failure.
Dejected, he stopped at a red light near the town green and scowled at his dashboard. Maybe moving here had been a mistake. Honestly, a big part of the reason he’d come back to Silver Hollow had been Issy. And after their date, he’d thought perhaps they had a shot. But now?
Well, after tonight, no way would she want him now. Having the woman you care for and are trying to impress basically throw herself in front of you to shield you from a lightning attack—or whatever those energy ray things were—wasn’t exactly the stuff of heroes. And even before that…
He shook his head. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to track her on those back roads on the way to the woods. Didn’t matter she’d lived here her whole life, that she probably knew all the twists and turns and turnoffs. Tailing a suspect was FBI Training 101.
Man, he was losing it. Big time.
The smart thing would be to go back to headquarters, start fresh all over again.
Only problem was, he couldn’t leave. He’d signed a six-month lease on his home and had a six-month contract with the FBPI to handle this area. So he was stuck.
Dex continued on through town and turned again onto the street where he now lived. Tall oak trees lined both sides of the street, and warm light shone out of the windows of the houses he passed by. He started to feel a smidge better. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t perfect. Maybe he had screwed up back there at
Enid’s house. But maybe, just maybe, Silver Hollow could grow to be his new home after all. It was nice here, and the people were friendly enough. There were lots of kids and animals, and the place had a quaint charm many bigger cities had lost along the way. So, yeah. Perhaps staying here wouldn’t be such a chore after all.
He’d do his job and keep an eye out to prevent any bad things from happening to this town’s good people. Along the way, if he noticed any more of these paranormal happenings, he’d be sure to keep it on the down-low until he was sure. Wouldn’t make sense to get the FBPI involved when it was something he could handle himself, right?
Dex pulled into his driveway and smiled.
Yep. He vowed then and there to do his best to keep the townspeople of Silver Hollow safe and secure. Now, if he could just keep his distance from Issy Quinn, that should be a piece of cake.
27
Two days later…
Issy sat at the same table at The Main Squeeze where she’d cast that spell to find Enid’s charm. Except, this time, all of her cousins were there, along with their familiars and Enid and Becky.
Her left arm only had a slight ache now when she moved it, and Raine’s scratches had all but disappeared. Even Mortimer had perked up—his flytrap leaves stretching toward the midday sun as if in worship, the tiny hairs quivering as he awaited some poor unsuspecting insect that he could snap into his clutches. Still, it was good to see he was interested in eating. Poor thing had wilted a lot during Raine’s demon possession.
In hindsight, Issy could’ve smacked herself for missing such an obvious clue. Then again, it wasn’t every day a gal’s cousin got possessed by a demon.
Bella glanced at Mortimer then up at her, and Issy’s heart swelled with pride. When Raine had asked Issy to take care of Morty that night in her house, Bella had acted strangely. Issy had assumed it had something to do with the Venus flytrap’s wilting state, but now she realized that Raine had already been possessed by the demon then, and Bella had been growling at Raine, trying to warn Issy that something was wrong. Issy hadn’t been giving the little pup enough credit. She made a mental note to pay better attention to Bella’s attempts at communication. The little dog’s instincts were good, even though she did seem to be overly fond of Dex.
Spell Disaster (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) Page 13