Joyce & Jim Lavene - Taxi for the Dead 02 - Dead Girl Blues

by Joyce Lavene

  Shaking my head, I knew I had to focus if I wanted to have any chance at all to get through all this crazy stuff and still be me.

  Artemis was waiting for me at the van. “What about that drink, lovely lady? You and I have a lot to talk about.”

  His bravado was staggering. He was changing—perhaps stealing—Abe’s people right out from under his nose. For some reason, I could see it, but Abe couldn’t. No one else could except Artemis.

  “Thanks, but like I said, my daughter is at home. That’s where I’m going. I guess I’ll see you later.” I put my hand on the door handle to make my escape.

  Artemis came up behind me and put his big hand on my head in the same manner that Lucas had—the same thing he’d done tonight to the man in the house.

  He whispered a few weird magic words near my ear. I couldn’t see anything around his big paw, and I couldn’t move. A terrible dread that I was about to forget everything important in my life raced through me. I knew I had to fight back.

  I held Kate’s image in the forefront of my thoughts. I even imagined Addie and Lucas. I saw Jacob’s smiling face and our room at Apple Betty’s Inn. I kept those pictures in my brain and refused to let them go.

  He took his hand away, a swaggering grin on his face. “You are surprisingly strong! Come with me, Skye. You and I belong together.”

  I smiled back at him and raised my hands toward him. In one of them was my Beretta.

  “If you ever touch me again or try to do magic on me, I’m going to shoot a big hole right through your head and all your spells are going to fall out. Do we understand each other?”

  He actually took a step back. I thought it was my threat but that didn’t seem to bother him.

  “How is it possible you avoided my magic?” His face and tone was filled with disbelief.

  “I guess I’m better than that.” I nudged him aside and opened the door.

  “But you don’t have the training or resources, not yet.” He sniffed. “Wait. Something is different about you, isn’t it? You’ve been fooling around with Lucas. Deny it if you will.”

  While he’d been babbling, I was already in the van with the engine started. If he’d jumped in front of me again, I would’ve run him down and dealt with the consequences Abe would bring later.

  “Leave me alone. I don’t know what you’re doing yet, but when I find out, I’m going to tell Abe and he’ll take care of it.”

  He laughed. “He’s only a puppet master. Not even a real sorcerer. Say whatever you want to him. He won’t believe or understand you.”

  I put my foot down hard on the accelerator, but the van didn’t move. The wheels spun, and the engine revved. But that was it.

  “You’re making a mistake, Skye. But don’t worry. It’s one that will be corrected.”

  He released his hold on the van, and I went careening down the street between parked cars before I could slow down. Even then I didn’t stop until I was miles away. I pulled over, panting as though I’d run a race.

  “Traitor,” I said to the van. “How could you let him possess you that way?”

  The engine clunked along like it always did. Eventually I was able to put Artemis’s threat behind me and drove home as quickly as possible. I could swear I felt him coming after me the whole way. I didn’t feel safe until I was inside the inn.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucas met me at the door.

  “I need a drink. And how do you kill a sorcerer?”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Later, when we were alone in bed, everything that had happened spilled out of me.

  Lucas listened silently until I’d been quiet for a few minutes. “What do you think Artemis has in mind?”

  “I think he wants to own me, for whatever reason, like he’s taking over Abe’s people one at a time. Maybe he’s the one who created this crazy curse in the first place. He’s getting bolder every time I see him. Why doesn’t his magic work on me? I mean, I’m glad it doesn’t. He made that brother and sister see what he wanted them to see.”

  “Has he made romantic overtures to you?”

  I smiled at his prim words. “No. I could handle that. It’s something else. He mentioned you and that I’ve changed.”

  “If you shielded your mind from him, it was reinforced by your magic.”

  “But wouldn’t Abe have known I had magic when he turned me into one of his people?”

  “Yes. He knew. He took advantage of your grief and weakness in that moment. You didn’t need him to stay alive. You must acknowledge that you have a gift. Once you understand and begin to develop that gift, you’ll be stronger than Abe.”

  It was too hard for me to grasp. Maybe I had magic, but I didn’t feel like it. I couldn’t make my van stop moving with a nod of my head like Artemis had.

  “What should I do? If Artemis takes over all the zombies, Abe will die.”

  “You won’t die. Trust me on this. Whatever happens to Abe won’t affect you.”

  Lucas was only interested in my welfare. What happened to Debbie and Terry and all the others meant nothing to him. How could I explain that I cared about them too?

  And it didn’t seem that my ‘magic’ would have kept me alive that night after Jacob had died. It was Abe who brought me back. I couldn’t help feeling that I owed him.

  I wasn’t able to sleep again that night, wandering the house aimlessly. I finally ran into Addie in Jacob’s old room. Sometimes I’d find her there, resting a foot above the blankets.

  “Are you working in here now?” she asked in a cranky voice.

  “No.” I took a deep breath. “Addie, have I been different? Do I act like someone else is controlling me?”

  She sat up. “If you’re talking about Lucas, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s hard to see my son’s wife with another man in my own house. Yes, you’ve been happier since he came here—we all have. I wouldn’t say he’s controlling you. It seems to me that you’re making the stupid decisions on your own.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Why are you asking? Worried that betraying Jacob’s trust is wrong?”

  “Go back to sleep.” I smiled at her, but it was more in relief that she knew me well enough to see if I’d changed—and enjoyed telling me when I was wrong. It had to be that Lucas’s magic hadn’t made me his zombie. She would’ve had a field day with that.

  I knew by morning what I needed to do. I joined Lucas in the shower and told him what I thought. “Artemis killed Harold the Magician so he’d have access to Abe’s people. All I have to do is find a way to prove it.”

  He dumped shampoo on my head and spread it around with his hand.

  “Watch it.” I put my hand on his. “I’m getting a little sensitive about people touching my head—especially sorcerers.”

  “A good sorcerer doesn’t need hand gestures. They are only for show, as is Artemis’s ring, so that people he wants to impress know something is happening.”

  “You put your hand on my head too,” I reminded him as I worked the shampoo into my hair. He always used too much.

  “Exactly. I wanted you to be impressed too.” He grinned and shoved my head under the shower spray.

  I came up for air, blustering and spitting. “I know you like showers, but you’re getting carried away. Addie told me you’re taking four or five a day. We pay for the water, you know. It’s not free.”

  “I adore hot running water. In my day, there was no such thing. Not even for sorcerers.”

  “In your day? Have you remembered something of your past?”

  “I remember bathing in a tub of hot water that several other people shared. It wasn’t this hot rain that you have. It is a wonder.”

  “What else do you remember?”

  “Bits and pieces.” He closed his eyes. “There was a castle. And great wealth. But also great poverty. I remember riding on the wind at night, and a terrible war that scorched the earth.”

  “Were you part of the war?” I poured shampoo on his head. “Riding
the wind, huh? Sounds exciting. Have you tried it here yet?”

  It was his turn to have his head under the super hot water. The action didn’t seem to bother him. He opened his eyes and let the water sluice over him.

  “I don’t know about the war. I haven’t tried riding the wind because I can’t recall how I did it. Perhaps it’s only a dream.”

  “How about other spells—like taking away a sorcerer’s power? If we could do that, everyone would be safe. I have a feeling that might be what it takes to get rid of Artemis.”

  “Really, it would make no sense for me to tell you how to render one of my kind powerless. I believe it would be a secret no sorcerer would share.”

  “Are you scared I might use it against you?”

  “Not you—but someone you might give the information to.”

  “Thanks! I can keep a secret, you know. I don’t want anyone to hurt you.”

  “It might not be something you could control.” He smoothed a hand down the side of my face. “Not that it matters. I don’t know how to do it.”

  “It might come to you at the last minute like it did with Jasper.”

  “Artemis is a much better, stronger sorcerer than Jasper or Harold.” He turned off the water and got out of the shower. “I’m not certain I could defeat him if I challenged him.”

  “Like he knows how to ride the wind, right?”

  “Yes.” He tossed me a towel. “You needn’t fear that I can’t protect you and Kate. That is a different matter. A sorcerer must be sure of his magic to challenge another.”

  I dried myself and then his back. “I guess I better not outright challenge him either then. I’ll have to sneak around and try to find ways to make him look bad until I can prove to Abe what he’s doing.”

  “A realistic goal. What is your plan? Perhaps I may be of assistance.”

  I raked my fingers through his dark hair until it was out of his face. “I think it might be better if we don’t use your magic. That might be a challenge to him. I can figure this out and impress Abe with it. I don’t know how yet, but it will come to me.”

  “I have every confidence in you, Skye. But I could help in non-magical ways if you need me.”

  “Knowing that you’re here keeping Kate safe is the best thing you can do for me. I don’t want a repeat of the ghoul in the kitchen.”

  “I can do that.” He folded his arms around me. “But be careful. If Artemis meant to kill you, or have his way with you, he would have done so already. What he wants from you might be worse.”

  “And on that piece of advice, I’m going to get dressed. I think I figured out a way to get Gerald back on track. After I check in with Debbie, I’m going to sort him out too.”

  It was still early. I went to help Kate get ready for school. We talked about things she could do over the summer while she was out of school. I remembered how exciting the thought of summer vacation was when I was her age every time I looked at her face.

  “Macy and her parents are going to Canada over the summer.” She peeked at me as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. “You think we might be able to do something like that?”

  “I don’t know. Would you like to go to Canada?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d like to go to Disney World. I bet Lucas would like Harry Potter Land since it’s all about witches and magic.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. I’ll see what I can do about that.” Yeah, when the power company stopped charging for electricity.

  “What about Lucas taking us there with his magic?” she asked as she pulled the blanket up on her bed and arranged her stuffed animals the way she liked them. “He could do that, couldn’t he?”

  “I don’t know. He’s not exactly Harry Potter.”

  “But he’s not Voldemort either, is he?”

  “No. He’s not evil and faceless, and he would certainly never kill a unicorn.” I kissed her cheek. “Let’s get through these last few days of school, and we’ll think about it then. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  We had breakfast—biscuits that Addie had taught Lucas how to make. They were delicious. Addie actually blushed as we complimented her. I took Kate to school and called a friend of mine as I drove to Debbie’s house.

  Colin Lister had been a street lawyer and confidential informant when I’d first graduated from the police academy. He was ambitious even then. His parents were poor, and he had a brother who was a drug addict. But Colin had moved from his tiny law office in an old neighborhood to a Nashville assistant district attorney in record time. He’d been leveraging to become the next Nashville DA for a while.

  He was a good man who was glad to help me with my Gerald problem.

  “I’ll get your friend out, Skye. I know his case. I followed it because of what happened to you and Jacob. What’s up? Are you helping Gerald out now for the same reason?”

  “I feel bad for him for the same reason,” I admitted. “It’s easy to slide over the edge.”

  “But hanging around with this guy isn’t the answer. You should go back to work with the police department. Jacob wouldn’t have wanted you to quit because of him.”

  “I know. I’m doing the best I can. Thanks for your help. I’ll pick Gerald up.”

  “You know I’m here for you. Don’t be a stranger. Come over for dinner one night. Pattie and the kids would love to see you and Kate.”

  “I’ll do that,” I promised, knowing it would never happen. We had nothing in common anymore. I couldn’t tell him about my new life. I could only imagine his response.

  I felt responsible for Gerald’s breakdown. I had to find a way to get him to back off while we worked together to try to figure out if a werewolf was really killing people.

  With Gerald’s situation in hand, I pulled into Debbie’s driveway. She was tired and frustrated when I knocked at her door. She invited me in for a round of loud snarling and growling coming from the basement.

  “You should’ve called, Skye.” Her hands went to her hair and dirty clothes. “Does Abe have a pickup?”

  “No. Not as far as I know.” I told her what had happened last night with the brother and sister and Artemis. “I just stopped by to see how you were doing and to see if I could help.”

  Terry stopped growling and began howling. I could see every nerve in Debbie’s body reacting to the sound.

  “That’s how I’m doing.” She started pacing the floor. “All day and all night, he snarls and growls and howls. When he’s not making animal noises, he gets angry and yells threats. Then he starts pleading for us to let him go. I don’t know how long we can do this. I haven’t slept since we put him down there. I bought ear plugs for Bowman and Raina, but I’m afraid to wear them. What if he gets out, and I don’t know it?”

  “Are the kids at school?”

  “Yes, of course. It’s going to be a lot worse when school is out for the summer. I’ll have to send them away.”

  “Never mind that now. Take a shower and change clothes. Come with me to Nashville, and we’ll talk to Abe. Maybe the new sorcerer can help.”

  “But you said he’s probably evil,” she argued.

  “Maybe he is, but he still works for Abe. Just get dressed, and let’s get out of here.”

  Debbie finally agreed and went upstairs. I walked into the basement and took a look at Terry. He hadn’t changed since we’d brought him home. He was caught somewhere between a man and a beast.

  I took his picture with my camera phone, and he growled at me.

  “Skye,” he pleaded in a harsh, guttural voice. “Help me. Tell Debbie she can trust me to leave the basement. I have to get out of here. It’s driving me crazy.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Terry. I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

  He lunged at me, reaching the length of the rope that had him tied to one of the house supports. “Let me out. I’ll kill you all. First I’ll run my tongue over your body and nip off those extra tasty parts.”

  I�
�d heard enough. I took another picture of him with my phone, hoping they might help identify the problem. Even though Lucas didn’t know what to do, Abe would, and he could send Artemis to work some magic.

  I was waiting at the door for Debbie when she finally came downstairs. She was clean, her hair was brushed, and she seemed composed, even though there were still dark shadows under her eyes.

  “Let’s get going. I’ve got a few things to do in town,” I told her. “We’re going to find a way to fix this. Try to stay positive.”

  She was crying as we went out to the van. “I wish I’d let him die, Skye. What’s the point of him being alive like this? I’ve ruined my life and the kids’ lives too.”

  “Hang in there a little while longer. There’s got to be an answer. Abe knows why this is happening—he did it even though it was an accident. He admitted it. He must know a way to stop it.”

  Debbie wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t argue. She fell asleep in the van on the way to the city. We stopped at Deadly Ink first.

  “You shouldn’t have let me sleep.” She fussed with her hair and pretty blue top.

  “You needed some rest,” I told her. “Let’s go in and talk to Abe.”

  “But what are we going to say? I don’t even know what Terry is turning into. How can I explain?”

  “I have a picture. Maybe it will be worth the thousand words we need.”

  We were lucky. The tattoo shop was crowded, but Morris told us on the way in that Artemis hadn’t arrived yet.

  I hurried in, not wanting to let this opportunity go by without trying to explain to Abe about Artemis. Debbie might be upset if I led with my knowledge about the sorcerer, but we could always tell Abe about Terry when Artemis was there.

  Brandon was in Abe’s office, but I wasn’t worried about him. I immediately plunged into my account of the ghost zombie from last night. I knew before I’d finished that Abe was skeptical.

  He made a pyramid of his fingers in front of his sallow face as he considered the matter. “I have seen no sign of the treachery you are accusing Artemis of, Skye. In fact, he warned me that you might say something like this after you tried to disrupt his work on my behalf last night.”