I pulled out the crossbow and stared at it. “What the hell is this?”
Oren laughed. “That’s a witch’s favorite weapon.”
“A crossbow?”
“You can load arrows, tranquilizer darts, and even inject someone with whatever you’ve loaded it with. This holds a variety of arrows and lethal needles for the crossbow.” He placed a square cardboard box in front of me. “And for the gun, there are silver bullets, holy-water bullets, salt bullets, tranquilizers strong enough to put someone to sleep for a week, and a few silver-tipped arrows. Oh, and I’ve even included five very special shells for you—salt with holy water tips.”
I gasped. How did he know about those shells? It was a trade secret I’d learned but never used. The Council taught their top students how to make the only types of bullets capable of “killing” a spook. Once a spook was hit with one of these, they wouldn’t be moving anywhere else—they’d simply fade like ashes in the wind. It was why I’d never even bothered to make one.
“Pepita told me about them,” he answered my unasked question.
“Was there anything Grandma didn’t share with you?”
“We shared just about everything,” he said, with that familiar sad look in his eyes.
“Can I ask you something?” I hesitated for a moment, unsure about whether I should ask what was on my mind. Not only was it none of my business, plus I didn’t particularly want to hear any more intimate details about Oren and Grandma, but I needed to know this one thing.
“Sierra, you know you can.”
Here goes… “If you and my grandmother were so close and obviously meant so much to each other, why did she end up marrying another man?” Instead of you was the bit I left out, because my intention wasn’t to hurt him. I was just curious.
Oren’s eyes flashed pink for just a microsecond, before returning to their icy blue. “The truth is complicated. Nothing was ever straightforward between Pepita and me. We were too much alike, too different at the same time. We might both have been involved in the supernatural world, but her path was very different to mine.”
“That still doesn’t answer—”
“I know it doesn’t, I’m getting to it.” A small smile curved his lips. Almost as if I’d once again done something to remind him of her, which really didn’t surprise me.
I was a lot more like my grandmother than I’d ever been like my mother. I even looked more like her than Mum. My mother had been disappointed in me from very early on. Shortly after she realized what I could do, she freaked out and the great dividing distance began between us. My grandmother stepped in and helped as much as she could, but she’d died too young.
When I was a kid, I’d often wished it was my mother who’d died and not her. Morbid, I know, but I would’ve preferred to live my teenage years with Grandma and Grandpa. As it turned out, I did live with my grandfather in this house, until I enrolled with the Council and into Mace Clamber’s seductive clutches.
“Okay,” I said. “Take your time.”
“When your grandmother decided she didn’t want to be in the game anymore, she told me. She suggested we both stop. She dreamed of moving away from the congested cities to enjoy a quiet life. As much as I loved her, I just wasn’t ready to retire yet. So I tried to encourage her to hold on for a bit longer. She did, but eventually left without telling me.” Sorrow hardened his features. “She probably didn’t believe I would ever retire, but she was wrong. I actually did, but by the time I tried to surprise her, she’d already married another man.”
“So you waited too long?”
“I was stupid,” he said. “I put the right thing off for all the wrong reasons and she slipped away from me. I’ve always regretted it, but when she had my daughter…” At this point, he stopped. He knew how much it hurt for me to know Grandma had not only cheated on Grandpa, but also had another man’s child. My stupid mother was the result. Would she have been a different, more understanding person if Oren wasn’t her father? I didn’t want to dwell on it.
Without hesitation, I reached for his pale hand and squeezed it. “She was right, though.”
“About what?” Unshed tears shimmered in his eyes.
“You never did retire.”
He chuckled, but it sounded more like a cough and his eyes had the glare of a man lost in deep thoughts of past regrets.
“So, what’s the symbol on both the book and case?” I thought changing the subject might help ease him back to the present and away from painful memories.
“It’s the McKee family crest,” he said, looking into my eyes. “You’re my family, my descendant, so it’s also yours to wear.”
“Do you have any other children or grandchildren?” I had wondered about this before, but never cared enough to ask. Now, my curiosity and the newfound respect I felt for him pushed me to at least ask.
“No, I don’t.” He looked away, out the window. “Pepita was the only woman I ever loved enough to even consider having a child with.”
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry.” When he first told me about his involvement with my grandmother, I hadn’t believed him until he actually showed me the night he went to her and she admitted she still loved him. That had also been the night my grandmother told him she was carrying his child—my mother.
“Don’t. There’s nothing to be sorry about.” He smiled. “I’m happy with the granddaughter I have.”
“Thank you.” I squeezed his pale, cold hand once more before releasing it. “I really appreciate you giving me all this. I’ll put it to good use.” Oren giving me these magical tools meant much more to me than I’d expected, and I felt a lot closer to him. The fact he wanted me to share his family crest really made me…happy.
“What now, Sierra?”
I sighed, sticking everything back into the leather case and zipping it up. “I need to take care of a few of these cases. We’ve really fallen behind.”
“Do you mind if I tag along with you?”
Normally, I would have denied and bitched about it. Today, I could use the company, especially his. “Sure, I’d like that, but first I just want to check in with Eb again.” I dialed her number.
She answered after only two rings. “What the hell? Are you my mother now? Stop calling me every two minutes.”
I laughed, grateful she was okay. “Where are you? Are you done yet?”
“You know where I am. Now let me do my job. I’ll be okay,” she said, hanging up on me.
“Sierra, how about I teach you those spells I was about to before the police arrived?”
I was really interested in at least learning something I could add to my new journal. “Sure, that sounds like a good idea. Can we start with the shrouding incantation for my dagger?”
For the next thirty minutes, we concentrated on two spells. The shrouding incantation on the dagger and sheath—which Oren said I’d successfully done on my second attempt—and another incantation that set up an invisible, impenetrable barrier around me. Then he showed me a spell that required the use of herbs and candles. I doubted I’d be able to do the second one on the go, but the room did smell nice afterward, eliminating any trace of the black dog’s presence. Plus, I was surprised at just how many ingredients, tools and weapons Oren was able to carry in his standard-sized pouch.
“You’ll have to teach me how to make my pockets and bags hold as much as yours do.” I didn’t like carrying handbags, so it would come in very handy.
“I will, but now you need to master the protection incantation as well as you did the shrouding one.”
Oren made me set up the barrier around myself until I felt confident enough to recite the incantation without his help. Of course, remembering the exact wording in the proper sequence when terrified out of my mind would prove a challenge.
I should start writing some of this down.
“Very impressive. Now make sure you don’t forget.”
I headed back toward my desk and flashed the grimoire at him. “I won’t
forget because I’m going to write it all down right now.” He claimed the protection barrier would only last as long as I was holding it steady and chanting the magic words, but what would happen with the shrouding one? “Oren, will the incantation on the dagger and sheath hold for a long time?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. That’s one that needs to be reapplied as needed. It could hold for a day, a week, a month…you just need to keep an eye on it if you want to carry the weapon and keep it concealed from other people.”
“Okay, thanks.” I quickly scribbled both of the incantations still circling around inside my head. I never wanted to forget either one of them. Not like I’d forgotten to check where the letter opener I’d used to stab the black dog had ended up.
Shit, where is it? I looked around the floor but couldn’t find it.
“Sierra, is something wrong?”
“I was just trying to figure out where I dropped something.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” I could look for the letter opener another time.
Avoiding Oren’s gaze, I changed into the spare sneakers in my bottom desk drawer and stuffed the torn, bloody ones into a plastic bag before shoving them into the safe. Along with my brand new toolkit—because I was ready to embrace anything that would help conquer my enemies.
Chapter Eleven
Oren’s prediction proved to be right. We’d remained inside the office for another three hours while other cops poked their heads in and asked the same questions more than once. The others went about their business downstairs and near the broken stairwell window, doing whatever it was they did at crime scenes. They’d also sectioned off Benita’s office doorway with some police barrier tape.
At least I’d gotten a chance to memorize the self-protection incantation well enough to feel confident it was now embedded inside my brain. Though, I was glad to have finally put some distance between myself and the office block. I usually ran to my office when I needed some time to think, or wanted to be alone, but right now I wasn’t sure if I’d ever feel comfortable there again.
With a bunch of files sitting in the backseat of the Fairlane and Oren backing me up like a silent shadow watching me work, I was slowly making my way through the thick pile. While I was out in the field, the answering machine was probably still filling up, but at least I would be able to cross a bunch of tasks off my to-do list.
So far, I hadn’t done much actual work.
After visiting ten different houses and finding the same problem, I started to feel like a robot spouting off the same line to everyone. It also made me wonder if the Council was fucking up the tenuous balance of the ghosts in Sydney so badly that it would eventually spread out into the rest of Australia. I hated to think what it would mean to my business, or why the hell it didn’t bother them that they were doing this.
Maybe they didn’t know.
As stupid as the thought seemed, it could be exactly what was happening. If they were so gung-ho about using their own catchers as fuel, maybe they weren’t aware of what was really going on. I hadn’t actually run into any other spook catchers in a while. Not even Ebony had mentioned any of them when she dropped off canisters.
What if no one even noticed?
The Council was screwing with nature, and soon it could bump back.
I looked at the woman standing in front of me. She appeared very young to have been married. Her short pixie hair made her look like a teenager, and her blotchy face announced to the world just how much she was suffering. An array of toys and Lego blocks on the floor confirmed she had children, as much as the bedrooms had. But there were no kids in this house today.
“Are you sure?” she asked, hopeful.
I sighed, and felt like the worst kind of person for having to verify what she’d known for several days and probably wasn’t ready to accept. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Stacey, but your husband isn’t here anymore.”
Actually, I couldn’t even feel any residue of spirit energy in the air of the living room, or anywhere else in the house. She’d even had me step into closets, to make sure he wasn’t hiding. I’d nodded, not bothering to tell her that if a spook was comfortable somewhere and felt welcomed, they wouldn’t dream of hiding.
Nope, this man’s ghost had met the same fate as all the others before him. He’d faded, when he probably wasn’t ready to move on.
“Where did he go?” The woman’s blue eyes swam with unshed tears. “He said he’d stay until the kids were older…” A sob broke through. “I can’t do this without him.”
Oren leaned over, grabbed a tissue from the nearby box and passed it to her.
“Thanks.” She wiped at her eyes, but the tears kept coming. “I’m going to miss him so much.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, but sometimes these things happen.” Did I sound heartless? I hoped not. I might have been dealing with the dead for a long time and not always had good news for my clients, but I prided myself in being sensitive to their concerns. After all, until last month, I’d had my grandfather’s ghost living with me.
“Maybe heaven finally took him,” she said. “I was hoping the angels wouldn’t take him from us yet, but he was such a good man. He was my best friend, and the best father. We’re all going to miss him so much. Do you think he might come back someday?”
I doubted it. What were the odds of this mess being reversed? Not to mention that the human spirit couldn’t return once it completely moved on. I had no idea what happened after. I shrugged, not wanting to completely crush her any more than she already was. “I’m not sure. Stranger things have happened.”
“Okay, thank you.” Mrs. Stacey looked at me and offered me a sad smile. “I already paid for the consultation the other day. Your assistant gave me the bank account and I transferred the funds. Do I owe you more for coming out here?”
“No, you don’t.” Another very useful thing Ebony had set up for us. She suggested I open up a new and separate bank account where customers could pay us directly. I didn’t like accepting checks or credit cards, so having the funds deposited straight into our account was convenient. “We better get going.”
“Yes, of course.” She led the way to the front door.
Oren and I followed her, not saying a word until she’d closed and locked the door behind us and we were headed back to the car.
I exhaled. “This is no fun.”
“Is it usually fun?” Oren asked, waiting in front of the passenger-side door while I made my way around.
“Not fun, per se, but it’s definitely not the doom and gloom I’m spreading now. I’ve had to tell so many people about their spooks fading… I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” This was too close to home. It hadn’t even been a month since my grandfather had gone missing.
I jumped into the car, leaned over and unlocked Oren’s side.
Before doing anything else, I made a quick note on the appropriate file and dumped it on the done pile. To do was on the left, and done was on the right of the backseat. Not a fantastic system, but good enough to keep tabs on. I had three more folders left to tackle, and I wanted to take care of them before I went back to the office.
Oren climbed into the car and belted himself into the passenger seat. “Some of them didn’t seem too unhappy.”
I turned the ignition before I replied. “Some people don’t want anyone invisible sharing their home, even if it is a family member.” He might be surprised, but I’d seen this kind of thing many times before. It put some people off to know their granny, uncle or sister was hovering around in the corridor while they got on with their lives.
Most spooks didn’t hover around watching people all day and night, they just liked to check in and continue being a part of their lives. The living didn’t get it, but it wasn’t my job to explain it to them.
“I suppose it could be unsettling for someone who can’t see them.”
“Can you see ghosts?” I signaled bef
ore swerving into the traffic. We’d lost a big chunk of the day inside my office, so after taking care of so many cases it was already late afternoon.
“Not really, but I can cast a spell to help me see one if I really want to,” Oren replied. “I tried casting many a spell to try and contact your grandmother, but none ever worked.”
I swallowed the familiar lump that always formed in my throat whenever I thought of my grandmother. I hadn’t felt her presence since my late teens. A lot of what I knew and how I learned to deal with this gift was thanks to her. She had explained and showed me a whole lot more than the Council ever did.
“Do you think any of this is similar to what happened to her?”
He shrugged, settling back into the seat. “I’m not sure, but as you know, my investigation led me to that ley line in the city. So by solving this, we might be able to also reach your grandparents. I’m pretty sure.”
I nodded, not wanting to give in to the happiness or sadness either way. It was best to just wait, see what happened, and stay objective instead of getting emotionally set for a downfall. “Do you have any theories about what’s going on?”
“I tend to agree with what Burr suggested.” He sighed. “I think someone’s stealing energy to achieve the impossible. What concerns me the most is that Burr mentioned it at all. If he’s part of the organization able to take care of these breaches and can’t stop it, what chance do the rest of us have?”
I licked my lips, getting ready to voice my thoughts. They might be half formed and not make any real sense, but I had to get them out. “Can I tell you about my insane theory?”
“Of course, go ahead. You’re probably a better person to understand and work through this than the rest of us.” He turned slightly in his seat, waiting.
I told him what had crossed my mind back at the office—about the parapsychologist and his desperate need to prove his discovery to the world. What the professor’s daughter was and how this could fit into what had happened to Mara. The more I spoke, the more it made sense, in a totally wicked and disturbing sort of way. It also roused new questions, like who was behind everything and was it directly related to the man who started it all?
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