by Tegan Maher
"Oh, sorry about that." Five seconds later, and the line was quiet. "Back to why I called. Did you guys find anything in that book or whatever?"
It struck me again how out of his depth he was, so I tried to be patient. I also decided he didn't need to know that we'd gone to the office or talked to Rob Thompson. "Sort of. We think we're looking for a lantern."
He was quiet for a minute, and I wondered if I'd lost him. At least with the wind tunnel going, I knew the line hadn't gone dead.
"What kind of lantern? I know his wife said he collected eclectic things. Is it possible he kept it in his craft building behind their house?"
I rolled my eyes. This was what I got for trying to learn to be a detective on the fly. "It's absolutely possible. Could you call and ask her if she minds if we come over and check that out?"
"Sure thing. I'm finishing up some paperwork here, but then I can pick you up."
I gave myself a mental forehead slap. I hadn't exactly meant to include him in the we part of that statement, but I didn't have much choice. He was turning out to be much more hands-on than I'd have preferred. I was toeing a line with the council already. They were harsh about non-magicals knowing about our world, and if I didn't play my cards right with him, I was opening him up to a mind erase. That wasn't a sure-fire thing, but those folks didn't play.
So far, I'd convinced them that he was working with us on a need-to-know basis, but not everybody wanted to be outted. Sybil had already agreed, and I was sure Luther didn't mind just because he used his magic to torment James. I wasn't sure about Charity, though.
"Hang on a sec," I said, then muted him and walked back to the porch.
"This is James. He says there's a craft barn behind their house and that the lantern might be in there. He also thinks he's going with us."
Luther arched a brow. "Why does he think that?"
My patience with that was whip-thin. I rolled my eyes. "Uh, let's see. Because he's the sheriff and the one running the case, and I asked if he could arrange it so we could check the shed out."
"And you didn't tell him that by we, you didn't mean him?" The superior look on his face made me want to smack him.
"No, I didn't think to phrase it that way." I turned to Charity. "I can probably find a way around this if you don't want him to know who you are."
"And who am I?" she asked with a smile. "I'm just a poison control specialist from the next town over. He doesn't know me, and as long as he doesn't know my real name, he never will."
That was good enough for me. Names had power in the magical world, and though stuff like demon possessions where sharing your name could get you dead or worse weren't much of a thing anymore, the tradition continued.
"Cool. Then I'll tell him we'll meet him there."
I unmuted the phone. "Hey, I'm back. We don't need you to pick us up, but we'll meet you there. Does that work?"
"Sure," he said, and I picked up just a trace of disappointment in his tone. "Give me thirty. I'm fairly sure after her day of drinking yesterday, she's probably not up and at it yet."
"Thanks, James. We'll see you there."
I sighed. When did my life turn into visits with hungover widows, hanging out with my ex, and battling the advances of a mage/shifter/whatever-else-he's-hiding?
The day I'd been stupid enough to haul up a trunk of cursed artifacts and set them loose on the town. That's when.
Chapter Twelve
Since we were only ten minutes from Old Town, thirty minutes gave us plenty of time to drink a glass of tea and talk strategy. We decided we'd let James lead. Hopefully, that would be enough to get us in the door without having to answer too many questions. If Carmen did want to know what we were doing, we decided to go with the lead poisoning thing, except I'd had the brilliant idea to combine it with the meds.
At first, Charity wanted to keep her first name, but somehow got hung up on Peters for a last name. Once we made her say that out loud a few times, she figured out why Eli and I hadn't been able to stop laughing, so she'd changed the first name to Sandra, or Sandy for short. When that about put us on the ground in tears, she landed on the name Sandra Smith. Generic but functional.
Fifteen minutes in, we all piled into Sybil's Men In Black-style black SUV with the tinted windows. Climbing in, I remembered the first time we'd ridden in it. We'd been in a rush because a poltergeist had been possessing a nice lady who'd gotten a haunted pendant from our gallery.
An old-as-dirt butler had been hobbling along behind us and offered to drive, and before I knew it, he'd transformed into the Greek god we now knew as Luther. That had been the first of many surprises that day, and I still didn't know much more about him now than I had then. Of course, if he'd laid all his cards on the table, I might not have found him intriguing, so I guess there's that.
As I buckled my seatbelt, I caught him looking at me in the rearview mirror, his eyes turned up at the corners, and I knew he was remembering that day, too. I smiled back. We'd come a long way since then, and aside from his continued animosity toward James, I found him much less objectionable than I had back then. I might even go so far as to say we'd become friends.
Sybil had also become important to me. She'd spent hours training me how to counter different curses, and though I still wasn't comfortable with anything big, I was starting to gain some confidence that I could manage less lethal ones.
"Wow, nice place," Charity said as we pulled up in front of the Emerson House. "What did you say these people did again?"
"Emerson Foods," Eli replied. "You know, the ice cream and frozen meal delivery people."
"Oh, yeah! I love their vegetarian meals. I'm on a weekly subscription."
Holy geez. Was I the only person on the planet who didn't have my meals delivered to me?
Luther laughed. "No, princess, you have a cook." I jumped a little when his voice sounded in my head, and I scowled at him.
"Get out of my head," I thought back. As much as I wanted to yell at him, now wasn't the time to do it.
"I didn't do it on purpose. It's just sometimes when you're surprised, your thoughts practically scream at me. I'll leave now."
I glared at him in the mirror, and when his eyes crinkled into a full-blown grin, it was all I could do not to kick the back of the seat.
He pulled to a stop behind James, who was leaning against his SUV, legs and arms crossed.
The look on his face was almost comical, and I thought about what we must have looked like to him. A bunch of weirdos climbing out of a clown car, probably. I guess I couldn't blame him for being surprised.
"Hey," I said as he walked toward us. "You know Sybil, and this is Sandra Smith. She's a poison control specialist visiting from out of town, and that's all Carmen Emerson needs to know."
He gave her a bit of the hairy eyeball, but let it slide. Maybe he was starting to get the hang of our world. Or maybe he just knew he wouldn't get any more than than and decided to tolerate it in the name of getting a dangerous artifact out of the hands of his citizens. Whatever worked for him.
Carmen was a little more put together when she answered the door this time, though she was wearing designer shades that were amber enough at the top to keep the light out, but light enough through the middle and bottom that she could still see us inside. I'd been there and done that.
"Hi, Carmen. Thanks for having us back. I know this is a rough time." I gave her a sympathetic smile and was careful to keep my voice at a level loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to set off the herd of elephants currently living behind her eyeballs.
She pressed her hands down the cream linen pantsuit she was wearing and fiddled with the rust scarf. Her lips curved into a wan smile. "It is, and thank you for recognizing that. You've been kind, and if I can help figure out what caused me to lose him, my doors are open."
Her chin wobbled, and I got the sense that there was only grief and not a drop of drama behind it. "Follow me. The shed's out back, though I thought you said yesterday it
was some sort of interaction with his meds."
"We do think that," Eli said, and I was thankful he was the better liar of the two of us. I was fighting the urge to tell her the truth, and that wouldn't do at all. "We just want to see what he was working on so we can get a total picture."
Charity nodded as she followed us through. "We've seen a lot of lead poisoning lately, especially in people doing crafts. They sand the paint off or dissolve it with thinner and get it on their hands and in their nasal passages. Several of your husband's symptoms fall in line with that."
She nodded. "That doesn't surprise me, then. He's been spending a lot of time out here. I've been busy with a couple new clients, which has kept me away for a few evenings. We're not really going-out type people, so he occupied himself by puttering around in his shop restoring antiques he found at sales.
We followed her out the back of the manor and into a yard that was about the same size as ours, but rather than the family escape we'd turned ours into, they'd shot for more adult ventures for theirs. They had a putting area, a large outdoor kitchen similar to ours, and a large lawn that I suspected had seen many a cocktail party.
Luther and James were walking in front of me, and Eli and I were bringing up the rear. James kept glancing over his shoulder and smiling at me. While I was being a bit of a pig and comparing their forms from behind, James threw me for such a loop that I almost fell down.
He clapped his hand on James's shoulder. "You know what, buddy? This yard reminds me: you and I should go golfing one of these days. What are you doing Tuesday morning?"
Eli snatched me by the elbow, and his eyeballs were about popping out of his head as the world tilted on its axis. I couldn't decide if the crackling in my ear was leftover from a little water I'd gotten in it during my shower or if it was the sound of Hell freezing over.
James was as surprised as we were if his expression was anything to go by, but it was the utter horror on Luther's face that confused me the most. We kept walking, and I was glad when we made it to the shed, though calling it that was a bit of an understatement. A medium-sized barn would be a more accurate term.
Carmen pulled the doors open and stood back so we could go in. "This is it. He loved to tinker. We used to do makeover projects together, but then we got on sort of opposite schedules and stopped." Her eyes welled with tears again. "I'd give anything to change that and just restore one more piece with him. I can't be in here right now; you guys do what you need to do and I'll meet you on the back deck."
The entire place was filled with all sorts of items that ranged from junk to some nice smaller pieces that would have sold well at the gallery. He didn't seem to have been too discriminating, either. The rough-cut walls were lined with different types of tools, and cans of paint, paint thinner, and several different varnishes and stain filled shelves built under long workbenches that stretched each side of the building. One side was covered in clutter that he'd obviously dragged in, but the other was cleared and ready to provide a clean work area.
Eli and I hung back while Charity and Sybil pulled on gloves similar to the ones I had at the gallery meant to protect them from nasty magic. They took their time doing their thing, making a slow turn around the whole place.
Charity picked up a small oil can and studied it, then carried it with her. Sybil found the lantern, and I nearly did a fist pump when she turned to us with a small nod after she picked it up.
James stepped closer to me and bent down so that he could whisper, though I'm not sure why he felt the need to do that. "What are they doing?"
"They're looking for curses. Dark magic, or anything, really, that can harm somebody." I figured I could give him at least that much.
"You know what you should do, Sage?" Luther said, stepping closer to us. "You should take him to dinner and explain all this."
My mouth fell open, and I had to resist the urge to punch him in the throat. He knew what a precarious relationship I had with James, and never once had he missed an opportunity to bait or belittle the guy in front of me.
"Shmoo, look at his face," Eli said in my head. "That's not good at all. Somethin's wrong with him."
He was right. Luther looked like he was gonna pop a vein, and his mouth was working like a fish but no words were coming out. I turned toward Charity and Sybil. Though I didn't want to interrupt them, I was scared for Luther.
He took me by the arm and shook his head. "I'm fine. Let them finish." His face was still a little red, but he'd lost the vein-bulging apoplectic expression he'd worn only a few moments ago.
"You sure?"
He nodded. "Yes. I'm good."
Rather than stop once they'd gone around once, they made a second round. This time, Charity didn't find anything, but Sybil scooped up a silver brush and comb set that had seen better days.
Both women stood back and surveyed the room after they were finished, and a wave of magical energy made the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand up.
"What was that?" James asked, rubbing his arms and stepping close enough to me that we were touching. It was an instinctive herd move that would have usually elicited some sort of smart response from Luther, but when I glanced at him, he was staring straight ahead with his jaws locked tight.
Sybil patted the bag she'd stuffed the lantern and the brush set in then glanced at Charity, who nodded. "Ready? We've done all we can here. The place is clean."
Luther turned and stomped out the door, not even looking back to see if we were following.
"What's up with him?" James asked, and I would have loved the answer to that question myself.
Instead of answering, Charity and Sybil looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Sybil waved a hand. "He'll be fine. It's this cursed weather. Allergies, I'm sure."
Charity laughed again, a full-out guffaw, and I knew I was missing out on some joke.
Eli, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what was going on and was grinning, too, and raised his brows. "Cursed weather. Get it?"
"Ahhh," I said, both amused that Luther was apparently cursed to say nice things to James and irritated that it hadn't occurred to me as soon as he invited my ex to lunch. The dinner comment should have been a dead giveaway.
I gave a sharp nod of satisfaction because as long as Charity and Sybil weren't concerned, I knew he was okay. As long as it wouldn't literally kill him to be nice for a minute, it might do him some good.
I took a final look around the shed and sent out my own magical feelers. Sybil and Charity were no doubt better than I was, but nobody was perfect. Once I was satisfied there were no more nasties, I turned and followed everybody else out the door. I was glad to see the end of it.
Chapter Thirteen
As she'd promised, Carmen was sitting on their massive teak deck with a bloody mary, Hair of the dog, I supposed, and I couldn't blame her. She'd had possibly the worst two days of her life, and she was coping better than a lot of folks would.
She stood when we approached. "Did you find anything?"
Sybil nodded. "We did. A few things, actually. It's definitely lead poisoning. Our guess is that with the meds he was taking, his liver just couldn't process it fast enough. That caused the confusion, the anger, and possibly even a bit of blindness."
That sounded plausible even to me, and I knew for a fact what had happened. Carmen nodded, misery etched on her face. "Did you get everything out of there?"
Charity held her bag out to her. "We did. Here they are if you—"
Carmen cut her off. "I don't want to know. Just take them and get them off my property. Are you sure the shed's safe now?"
"I promise, it is," Sybil said, putting her hand on Carmen's arm. "You can go in without worrying about anything."
Carmen sniffed, and a tear slipped out from under her glasses. "I don't know if I want to go in there to be closer to him, or if I want to burn it down for taking him from me."
Charity pressed her lips together, her face a mask of compas
sion. "That's perfectly normal. But don't burn it down until you're on the other side of this, okay?"
Carmen nodded and gave us a small smile. "That's probably a good idea. As much as I've drank over the last two days, I probably shouldn't be breathing around fire, anyway."
I lifted a shoulder. "We all cope the way we cope. Don't drown in it, though. Give yourself a few days' grace, but then reel it in on the booze, okay?"
She nodded. "I know what you're saying, and I've already made plans to go visit my mother. Get some perspective. I have a lot of decisions to make, and I need a clear head to do it. Thank you guys for everything."
We left her sitting on the deck staring out over the lake, and I hoped she'd be okay.
When we got back to the cars, Luther was already behind the wheel, and James headed in his direction.
"Wait," I said, putting my hand on his arm. "We've all had a long day. Maybe just wave to him, then catch up with him later about the lunch, all right?"
James looked a little confused but nodded. "Sure. Tell him to call me. I think it might be good for us to bury the hatchet, and since he took the first step, I'll man up, too. After all, it seems we're going to be in this together for a while. Might as well make the best of it, right?"
"Yep," I said, popping the p. "Might as well."
He tossed a wave at Luther, who grinned like an idiot and returned it before grasping the steering wheel with a death grip. This was gonna be fun.
"You know he's about to explode, right?" Eli said after James was back in his SUV.
"Oh, for sure." Sybil drew her brows down and nodded, her eyes alight with humor. "I was concentrating in there, but even I heard when he told James he should take Sage to dinner. That had to have felt like acid burning his throat."
"Good!" My voice was half an octave higher than normal. "Because I kinda wanted to pour acid down his throat for saying it. That's a ball of yarn I've been trying to wind back up since all this started, and that might have set the whole ball rolling again."