Murder Casts Its Spell

by Margaret C. Morse

  "I feel like someone has hit me on the head with a hammer. It hurts to think," I said.

  Jake's phone buzzed. He read the screen. "It's Vidoc. Ira wants to talk to you in the break-it room. It's on the second floor, to your left."

  Accompanied by the escalator's creaks, I left a voice mail message for Sal. I'm sorry you got upset and left so quickly. I want to help you. Please let me know if you get close to finding Ronan Flynn. He may be dangerous.

  Hoping this would encourage Sal to talk to me, I paused at the second door on my left. Hands at his sides, Ira stood in the middle of a room painted a brilliant white. He pointed at a plate on the floor. The plate sailed up and hit the wall with a satisfying bang before it smashed down on the ceramic tile. When Ira made a circle of his thumb and forefinger, the fragments repaired themselves, and the restored plate returned to Ira. After he repeated the break it/fix it cycle two more times, he gestured at me. "You want to try?"

  "Does it help?"

  "I've broken that plate ten times. My thinking is clearer."

  I touched his back lightly. "I'm still trying to figure out what it means that your uncle was Felicia's lover."

  He exhaled a shaky breath and sank onto the floor. Rocking with his head in his hands, he grunted out harsh sounds. I pressed his head to my chest, felt his sobs echo through me.

  I stroked his shoulders and arms. He must be devastated at his uncle's betrayal. "I'm sorry."

  Those ordinary words reached Ira, for he gripped me tighter. By the time his breath quieted, Jake arrived and helped him up. Before Ira left the room, he turned to me. "The only good thing is Sal will never find Ronan. If he and Mona want to disappear, nobody will find them." He blew his nose loudly. "He wanted me to be in a safe place."

  I didn't accompany Ira to the healing session because I wasn't a soothing presence. With Ira in competent hands, I could shower. Under the flow of lukewarm water, I scrubbed myself and washed my hair twice. After patting my skin dry, I slathered lavender-scented cream all over. My cell rang from the pocket of my shorts. Detective Gonzales of the Tempe PD wanted to interview me about Sal and the picture of Ronan. On the phone wouldn't do. Cops have to see to believe.

  Jake agreed to drive me to Detective Gonzales. Jake had called in Kai to do a healing with Ira. On our way out, I caught a glimpse of Ira, flat on his back, suspended in midair in the living room. Kai paced around him, chanting, followed by a flute.

  Jake sat in on my interview at Tempe Police Headquarters. He had to make sure I didn't accidentally zap Gonzales. Worried that Sal was in trouble for interfering with an investigation, I emphasized his distraught mental state.

  Gonzales snapped off the tape recorder with a beefy forefinger. He had a booming voice that echoed around the interview room. "The longer it takes me to find him, the deeper the hole he digs for himself. And the gun is a big mistake."

  On the way out to the car, I talked Jake into a stop so I could pick up some more clothes. We were a block from my house when I checked my email. I have to meet with you. I can save Keegan. I'll be at your office at 10:30. Ronan Flynn.

  My phone buzzed. I was relieved to see it was Sal. "Hey, are you okay?"

  "Yeah, sure."

  "What can I do for you?"

  "Ronan Flynn wants to meet with me at your office." His voice rose. "Can you be there?"

  That didn't make sense. Why would Ronan send messages to meet with Sal and me? It had to be some kind of trick. I covered the mouthpiece and punched Jake in the arm. "Turn around and go to Three Twenty-five North Second. Fast. It's an emergency."

  I held on to the dash as Jake made a U-turn. "Sal, where are you?" Silence, he'd disconnected. Bracing my feet, I waited until Jake peeled around a corner. "Something crazy is going on. Ronan messaged me to go to my office to meet about Keegan, but he also told Sal to be there. It's some kind of trap."

  Jake sped up to get through on a yellow light. "Aren't you going to call Detective Gonzales?"

  "This isn't his jurisdiction. He'd call Phoenix cops to send out a patrol car. Sal might go nuts with his gun. If we can get there and disarm Sal, we'll call the cops."

  He pulled up in front of the office behind a jacked-up pickup with oversized tires. "I like the no shooting part of the plan."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  SUNDAY MORNING

  Sal charged out the front door. "Come in here! You've got to see this!"

  Followed by Jake, I ran into the office and gawked at the mess around the secretary's desk. The computer and phone had been swept onto the floor. In the middle of the polished wood, a memorial crystal ball glowed. Streaming dark hair obscured the face displayed inside.

  Sal held up a card with a typed message. Quit looking for me. I'm leaving town for good. RF. Sal lifted the crystal ball—about the size of a basketball—off its base. "Now that you guys are here—"

  Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "Put that crystal down, Sal. You might set off a dangerous spell."

  Sal hugged the ball to his chest. "I want to see her face." He backed up until the desk was between him and Jake. Sal put the crystal ball down and made a pushing motion. "Back off."

  Jake instead moved forward. "Get away from that thing. You don't know if it's safe. I can check it for you." He reached in his backpack and pulled out the shortened wand.

  Jaws clenched, Sal rubbed the top of the ball. "Felicia, Felicia."

  My heart twisted at the sorrow in his voice, but I started as the whirling strands, a tangled web at first, formed into a pattern that arced out of a central dark mass. Sal flinched when a tendril struck at the crystal's shell. He scrambled around the desk to stand by Jake, who tapped the ball with his now extended wand.

  Jake's wand didn't stop the activity in the ball, for the irregular blob turned into a round shape. The strands formed into legs attached to the body. They moved in rhythm, pulsing. Short, coarse hairs sprouted from the legs. From the body, buds popped up and glared at us.

  Rolling off the desk, the crystal thudded onto the floor without breaking. It aimed right at us. A big ugly spider twirled inside.

  Jake lengthened his wand. "Stop."

  The ball did stop but increased in size until it was knee high. The spider's eyes tracked me as it swelled and pushed at the glass with hairy legs. Frantic, I backed up and moved toward my purse, which I'd left by the door. Pulling out my phone, I froze when I saw Jake's eyes burning with an orange light. It made him inhuman, a creature consumed completely with an inner fire.

  Jake kept his wand pointed at the spider. "Petra, get out and call for help."

  I tugged at Sal, who yanked away and pulled his gun out, aiming it at the ball.

  "No!" Jake smacked down on the gun with the wand. Sal dropped the gun, which slid across the floor. Released from the power of Jake's wand, the ball headed straight at me. I kicked out at it hard enough to send it to the desk, where it bounced back, knocking me down. I landed on the floor with the ball poised on my chest. The spider frantically scrabbled at the glass, its red eyes boring into me.

  Panicked at the repulsive closeness of the thing, I slapped at it, hurting my hand. The ball's weight pressed the air out of my chest. I wheezed and flailed. Jake circled his wand along the top of the crystal. When he lifted the wand, the ball rose as if glued to the wooden staff. I gasped in a deep breath and struggled to my feet.

  Jake positioned the memorial crystal on the desk. With the wand attached, he stroked the glass with his left hand. He spoke in a low voice. "Be still, be centered, be fixed. Mother of Mercy, grant this creature peace."

  The spider's legs stopped their thrashing and curled into its body. The red eyes closed. The spider floated, a black lump in the middle of a thick liquid. I reached for my phone, which I'd dropped, but Sal bumped me aside as he lurched past.

  "Watch out," I called out because he had recovered the gun.

  Sal aimed at the crystal, and light flashed from the gun. Smoke poured from the muzzle. The bullet made a cracking sound
as it hit the crystal. Released from the wand by the force of the bullet, the ball sped off the desk. Sal emptied his pistol at the ball. Some bullets went wild and sprayed into the wall.

  The ball plowed into Sal. He crashed to the floor, his arm reaching out to break his fall. When he was down, the ball banged into his face, then slammed into the front door, crunching the wood. When the door remained in place after being battered three more times, the ball zoomed to the reception area, where it smashed into chairs. They hit the wall and splintered apart.

  Almost tripping on a scummy liquid, I moved to Sal, who was flat on his back. "Oh, no," I whispered when I looked at the ball, which had crushed the last chair. From a long crack in the glass, liquid oozed. Inside, the spider thrashed madly. Its legs worked at the fissure. The creature opened its maw and displayed fangs. Jake strode over to it, his wand extended. The ball rolled back until it hit the wall and remained still.

  The spider's gaze was compelling, but I managed to look away and lean over to touch Sal's shoulder. His eyes were open but unfocused. Blood trickled from his nose and a red bump on his forehead. A bone stuck out of his arm.

  Keeping his wand pointed at the ball, Jake handed me his phone. "Nine-one-one. Now. Tell them we need wizard enforcement. Get that idiot out of here."

  "Three Twenty-five North Second," I screamed when the operator answered, as if that would reinforce my message. "We're being attacked by a monster spider that was in a memorial crystal." I didn't listen to what the operator said in response because the spider crammed its legs through the crack and opened it wide enough for its body to squeeze out. Gummy liquid poured across the floor. Jake flicked his wand. The spider scuttled away, its eyes focused on the wooden staff.

  Tugging at Sal's shoulders, I yanked him up. He flopped against me, his back wet and gooey from the slime that flowed over my shoes.

  "Sal, we've got to get up. Come on, come on."

  We staggered upright. Sal leaned on me, and I shuffled us to the door. Jake advanced on the spider, a ball of fire in his hand. The end of his wand had formed into three tines. The spider pressed itself against the wall of the waiting area, straddling broken chair pieces. Yellow liquid drooled from the sharp tips of its fangs. Sal gagged, and I choked down bile.

  Jake flung out a ball of fire. It expanded as it flew so that it surrounded the spider with a wall of flame. When legs appeared at the top of the wall, Jake thrust out his wand. Its tines flashed out blue streaks. The spider's legs disappeared behind the firewall. Sal, his eyes on Jake, slipped on the wet floor. I clutched at Sal and missed. He toppled forward. With uncanny precision, he knocked Jake down. The wand clattered to the floor. Jake and Sal lay in a tumbled heap. The wall of fire faded. The spider tottered forward, two legs half gone. The creature's cooked hair smoked.

  Sliding on the wet floor, I dived for the wand and swung it at the spider. It wobbled sideways but kept its gaze on me. Without warning, Ruby flew off my arm. She dove at the creature, impaling one eye. Orange-yellow goop spurted out. Ruby soared to the ceiling. The spider flailed out its legs and dashed at me, fangs glistening and uninjured eyes glowing red-hot. It evaded my poke of the wand. Its legs struck at me. I shuddered at the hairy touch. Ruby shrieked and poked out another eye. I jumped back and stabbed the spider in the belly. The tines sunk into the flesh, sending out blue light that crackled. The electricity of the light made the spider jerk in a macabre dance. Spider gore plopped down. Singed hair emitted acrid fumes.

  Jake pushed aside Sal and threw a ball of fire at the writhing spider. The flames engulfed it. The giant ball sizzled as it consumed the spider. Jake made a circling motion, and the fireball spun until reduced to the original basketball size of the memorial crystal. When Jake clapped his hands, the flames extinguished, leaving behind a poisonous black cloud.

  The front door slammed open. Mouth agape, Rusty scanned the smoke, Sal, and me holding a wand that dripped gore. When Sal groaned, she levitated him outside. Two patrol cars, lights flashing, had just braked out front. Before Jake closed the door, I heard the 9-1-1 operator's voice coming from the phone I'd tossed aside. An ambulance jerked to a stop at the curb. Paramedics pushed us aside.

  I stumbled two steps and sank to my knees. Dry heaves convulsed me. Jake put his arm around me and held my hair back. Footsteps stomped by. Cops yelled orders. One cop stayed with us. Bent over, I only saw polished black shoes.

  "Do you need medical assistance?" A woman's rough voice sounded above me.

  Forcing myself upright, I declined help from the woman cop. Rusty offered to stay with Sal until the paramedics took him away. She explained that Sal had also called her with his story about Ronan.

  While the cops sorted out the mess, Jake and I waited across the street on a bench under the filtered shade of a paloverde tree. The presence of so much law enforcement had chased away the street people. Shaking all over, I swallowed to rid my mouth of a bad taste. Veins throbbed in Jake's flushed face.

  "Are you sure you don't want the paramedics to look at you?" He tapped my arm with a forefinger.

  "No, I've had enough stress today. You feel like you're burning up."

  He reached in his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. "My fire familiar spreads throughout me when I use it so hard."

  The water washed away the acrid taste in my mouth. "What would have happened if we hadn't been there?"

  "The spider may have been meant only as a bad scare for Sal. Probably whoever left it there didn't expect Sal to shoot at the crystal ball and let the spider out."

  "I'm assuming Ronan Flynn left it because he set up the appointment." I stopped to cough and blow my nose. "No matter what he intended, it was cruel. Sal expected to see his sister's face. Instead, a hairy spider. At best, this was a hideous practical joke that would be traumatic for a young man so emotionally fragile. And possibly on drugs."

  We settled into a brooding silence until the Phoenix cop in charge interviewed us. It didn't take long because all I knew about the meeting with Ronan was the email and what Sal had told me. The Phoenix cop, who was coordinating with Tempe, asked us to stick around until Detective Gonzales showed up. While we waited on the bench, Jake sat slumped, his eyes closed. I kept replaying the big spider fight in my head. My arms and hands tightened as I recalled the feel of the wand as it jabbed into the creature and tore its flesh.

  I shivered. "I've never stabbed anything before."

  "Tell me what you're feeling." Jake's eyes, having resumed their brown color, were red-rimmed.

  "Don't tell me it's not a big deal because I've slaughtered dozens of flies and small spiders."

  "What particularly bothers you?"

  "And don't tell me it was self-defense. Or defense of a third party."

  "Petra, name your strongest emotion right now."

  I flung my arms out. "I want Ronan to pay for traumatizing Sal and me and you. I want him to pay for making me kill that thing."

  "I always thought Ronan was a caring person. He had just the right way of being tough and tender with Ira." Jake sagged.

  I handed him the half-empty bottle of water. Or maybe it was half full. I needed to get my thinking straight. Reviewing what I knew, I reaffirmed I had many reasons for suspecting Ronan Flynn was involved in Mark's murder and the incident with the spider. What surprised me was that Ronan hadn't yet left town. Did I have any way to prevent him from taking off?

  I breathed in deeply, a mistake because I inhaled the smoky smell that clung to my clothes and skin. Coughing hard, I clutched my chest. Jake handed me the water, which I swallowed in big gulps. I bit my lip and released it only when Ruby, who had been on my shoulder, flew around me three times. When she landed on my knee, I heard inside my head Seek someone Ronan loves.

  I offered her my finger. She disappeared into the tattoo. Thanks to her hint, I realized I knew one person who could appeal to Ronan. I nudged Jake. "How much longer are we going to have to wait?" I needed to see Ira.

  It burned me up that Ronan mig
ht get away without having to answer for his actions. Another thirty minutes of sweaty hanging around kept my temper hot until Gonzales finally arrived and questioned me. I tried to get him to tell me if they'd found any fingerprint or DNA evidence in the car that had killed Mark Turner, which they'd discovered in a parking garage in downtown Tempe. In his growly voice, he let me know lab techs "had processed the suspect vehicle." Other than that admission, he didn't give anything away.

  While he was talking with me, my partners, Bear and Maxy, had shown up to supervise the cleanup crew that would sanitize the office. Bear soon sent Maxy off to buy new chairs for the waiting room. She returned minutes later with cold drinks and snacks then went shopping. Having listened to my account, Bear patted my hand and looked at me strangely. I could see him struggle mentally to fit spider-gutting into his image of me, the rational lawyer. I didn't mind reliving the struggle since I used it as a way to keep my anger hot.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  SUNDAY AFTERNOON

  Late Sunday afternoon at the ranch, when Jake and I returned, nobody was doing magic. In the living room, the beanbags cuddled together in a bunch to accommodate students who were watching the original black-and-white Frankenstein. Vidoc told me that it would be followed by Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Other students visited with family in their cells or in the common room upstairs.

  Kai insisted that Jake get some sleep "to restore his powers." After Jake went upstairs, she asked me if I needed a healing spell, which I declined because I had a plan. I found Ira in his windowless cell, the only light a blue globe that hovered above him. He sat cross-legged on his shelf bed. Piano music floated around the room, a slow tune. I almost held my breath waiting for the next note.

  When I sat next to Ira, he pulled me into his lap. He held me tight and stroked my back. I caressed his arms, soft warm skin, hard muscles. I made a sound like a moan. I didn't mean to. His lips slid around my ear.

  I pushed away. "We have to talk."