by Rhys Astason
Cold Hard Magic
RHYS ASTASON
Copyright © March 2012, Rhys Astason
Cover Art by Calisto Kerrigan © March 2011
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Cold Hard Magic
RHYS ASTASON
Contents
Cold Hard Magic 2
Acknowledgements 5
Chapter 1 6
Chapter 2 10
Chapter 3 13
Chapter 4 17
Chapter 5 21
Chapter 6 27
Chapter 7 31
Chapter 8 36
Chapter 9 39
Author Notes 43
Excerpt from Water of Life 44
About the author 49
Acknowledgements
To my darling husband,
who told me this story and actually wrote a good chunk of it himself (so if you don't like this, blame him).
"No, of course not, love. I most certainly did not throw you under the bus. Not at all, not a bit. Yes, I promise that all proceeds of the story will go towards that new set of clubs you want."
Also, a big shout out to my gals, J and H, for always being so supportive.
To J, I know Timbuktu is not populated by Hillbillies, but I'm taking some artistic license. Blame the husband.
Chapter 1
“So then I looked at this guy’s spiritual lighting in the photo I took.”
Rob Sanders leaned forward in anticipation. “Yeah?" He nodded, encouraging the speaker to continue. "And what did you see?” His eyes lit up with unfettered excitement.
“A pyramid,” the larger man replied, nodding sagely.
“No way!”
“Way," Big Jimmy replied. He leaned back on the faux leather chair which had seen better years and crossed his arms over his sizeable gut. "And then," he paused, waiting until Rob bobbed his head expectantly, "this guy learned he would take a trip to Egypt a week later.”
“Wow," Rob murmured. He sat back on his chair, eyes unfocused and deep in thought. They suddenly cleared as a question popped in his head. "Did you say that at the time you did his reading?”
“Well…" Jimmy shrugged awkwardly, then shifted his hulking frame as he tried to find a more comfortable position. The chair groaned in protest. "No, not then, of course. Later," Jimmy nodded, "but I remembered it after he said he was going to Egypt that I saw a pyramid in his electrical field.”
Rob's face twisted in thought, his lower lip disappearing into his mouth. His face quickly relaxed when Jimmy's eyes started to narrow belligerently.
“Right, of course," he quickly agreed. "Do you still have the photograph?”
“No," Jimmy shook his head, "but I definitely remember seeing the pyramid. It was as clear to me as you are right in front of me, but in the electrical cloud. Surrounding his head. Hovering right above him.”
Rob nodded in admiration."That's…That was prophetic. Amazing, actually.” Rob smiled. “So Jimmy, when are you coming back to Boydon?”
“I'll be back this way in February," Jimmy answered. "Email me if you want an electrical field reading. I'll even let you get to keep the photo at no extra charge.”
“Thanks a lot, Big Jimmy," Rob said, scooting up on his chair and reaching out to shake Jimmy's hand. "We really appreciate you coming on the show." He grabbed the paperback on the side table and turned back to the camera.
"Don't forget to pick up your copy of Big Jimmy Femoa's Hidden Secrets of Electrical Fields and How They Can Change Your Life in 10 Days or Less. It's a fascinating read, folks. That’s all the time we have this week on Cold Hard Facts, your only local public access show on paranormal activity. We’re off the air for a few weeks and will be on again after Christmas, when we have a very special guest on to discuss their latest Big Foot sightings. This is Rob and Big Jimmy saying good night.”
Rob smiled at the camera and waited for Larry to call it a wrap. He didn't really like the fact that Larry tended to snort or downright laugh during the show, but he was the best cameraman in the studio. Granted, Larry was the only cameraman in the studio, but still the best in Rob's mind.
"Larry?" Rob lifted his hand and squinted against the harsh studio lights.
"He left," Jimmy said.
"Oh, right," Rob said. "Well, thanks for coming, Jimmy." He stuck out his hand and firmly planted his feet on the thin carpet.
Jimmy took Rob's hand and nearly wrenched his arm out of its socket as he pulled himself out of the snug chair. “No problem Rob, always good to be on the show.”
Rob made a concerted effort not to rub his now aching shoulder. “How was business this trip?”
“Not as good as has been in the past," Jimmy answered. "That’s why I am going to swing down through Wyoming and see what I can see.”
Rob nodded. Going around the chairs, he picked up and folded the home-made "Cold Hard Facts" cardboard background logo.
"How are your websites?" Jimmy asked.
"Huh?" Rob looked up. "Oh, well, Cold Hard Coats is doing pretty well. Got a new shipment yesterday, so I'm going to try the new compass coat later, but Cold Hard Facts," he shook his head, "well, I just can't seem to get enough interest there."
"Maybe you should mention it on your next show," Jimmy suggested, pointing to the sigh in Rob's hand.
"Hey," Rob said, "that's a great idea, Jimmy. I'll do that next time."
"Do we just leave, now?" Jimmy asked looking around the empty studio. "Or do you lock up?"
Rob looked around the empty studio. "I think we just leave," he said. "Larry is the one with the keys." He shrugged and opened the side door for Jimmy. "I'll see you next time, Jimmy. You drive safe now."
Jimmy shivered his massive bulk. "I might need to pick myself up one of those new coats of yours. Cold weather doesn't suit me. "
Rob watched Jimmy's retreating back and wondered if his supplier even had a size triple x that could fit the massive Samoan. "Just let me know," he called out and waved.
Rob opened the door to his beat up truck and climbed in. He pulled, then lifted until the anemic click signaled that it had closed properly. He blew in his tightly closed fist three times, then circled the steering wheel three times counter clockwise. His hand paused at the twelve o'clock position for a full five seconds. He took a deep breath and held it as his hand moved across the steering wheel again, only this time clockwise. And much faster.
Rob let out his breath with a loud whoosh and turned on the ignition key. The engine started with only a slight sputter.
"Works every time," he muttered, silently thanking the Dakota shaman that had taught him the routine. The old man had guaranteed it would always start any car if done properly. He hadn't been wrong yet.
Rob let the truck warm up for a bit, the heater rattling as it tried to combat the frost that had already accumulated during his time in the studio. Rubbing his hands together in an attem
pt to bring some warmth back into his fingers, he looked at the bulky nylon bundle in his passenger's side. One of the new coats with a built in compass. It was definitely going to be a big seller for Cold Hard Coats. He kicked himself again for not working in the Cold Hard Facts website during the show.
Jimmy's idea was brilliant. The show was a perfect place to advertise the occult web site and its merchandise. Too bad he missed the opportunity after Big Jimmy’s momentous psychic vision. That had been a real showstopper.
Rob sighed and pulled the truck in gear, heading out of the station's parking lot. The weather was still relatively warm, so it was only horribly cold outside. That made it a perfect night to try out the new coat's compass. He pulled over onto a more remote patch of road about two miles from his house and parked the truck.
After pushing up on the door to make sure it latched, he walked a few feet away from the truck and pulled the compass that was attached to the inner pocket of the new coat. With a gentle tap on the side button, the compass lit up.
Rob smiled. "Hey, it does work."
The direction of the compass is clearly visible with its tiny light. He'd been concerned the light wouldn't be enough to gauge direction in nighttime darkness but, true to the advertisement by the manufacturer, everything worked perfectly. Rob moved towards some trees and circled around to get the needle to change direction, just to make sure it was working.
"That's great," he said to himself. "You are definitely going to be a bestseller."
He turned back around once more, this time intent on heading back to the warmth of the truck, but stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him.
A glowing doe.
Instead of a soft brown coat, there was an ethereal golden hue which surrounded her like a thousand fireflies and stood out like a shining beacon in the night.
Rob's mouth hung open at her sheer beauty. He stood still, fearful that any movement might startle the wondrous creature.
She froze midstep, eyes wide and unblinking. After a few seconds of complete stillness, she shook her head, letting out a soft puff of air before slowly heading towards him.
As the doe came closer, Rob slowly lifted his hand out to her. This was the closest he'd ever been to a deer before. Unless, one counted the reindeer at the mall during Christmas, which he didn't. His held his hand steady and waited. She blinked at him once before lowering her head and butting her nose against his hand, completely unafraid.
“You are not going to live long with that fearless attitude around this part of the country,” he said. His hand caressed the soft fur of her head.
The doe looked up, her warm dark eyes brimming with an unexpected intelligence that surprised him.
“Fearless or not," he continued, "you should be more wary of people. Just about everyone in this area owns a gun, ya know?" He petted her head gently. "Just the same, you should give us all some distance.”
She didn't respond, not that he really expected her to. She turned toward a grove of nearby trees, listening intently to a sound Rob could not hear, but he tried anyway.
"Something spook you?" he asked. The doe turned back to him. "I don't blame you. It does get spooky this time of year, especially with what happened at the Rumhilde's."
The doe dipped her head, bumping his hand and gave it a quick, reassuing lick before starting to wander off.
Rob watched her go. A smile touched his lips when she stopped between two trees and turned back to look at him. She dipped her head, so he felt obliged to wave, even in the darkness.
He kept watching her until her glow disappeared into the darkness of the woods.
“Well," he stuck his hands in his pockets and shook his head, "a glow in the dark deer. That's something different. I wonder if that's a new species.” Rob shrugged and headed back to the truck.
Chapter 2
Rob entered the Early Morning Diner, the next morning.
“Hey, everybody,” he said as the bell on the door jingled behind him.
The single local patron snorted from behind his paper and paid more attention to his coffee than Rob.
Rob sat down on the worn leather stool and waited at the slightly sticky counter until the bottle-blonde waitress sauntered to him. He smiled. She scowled.
In fact, Rob didn't remember the last time Peggy had actually smiled, now that he thought about it.
“Coffee, eggs and hash browns?” she asked in an annoyed tone that she patented after years of working in the town's diner.
Rob really couldn't figure out why Peggy Landon was perpetually unhappy. She had a steady job, working at the diner since just before graduating high school. She'd been a cheerleader then, well, a reserve cheerleader, but that still got her into all of the local games at half-price and that was an absolute deal. And she'd be downright pretty if she eased up on the cakey makeup and the platinum blonde hair dye.
“Actually, could I get pancakes today?” Rob asked.
Peggy pursed her lips and huffed. “I already wrote that order down and I don’t want to erase it”.
Rob sighed as Peggy turned her back to him and passed the ticket to the cook.
“Do you want to catch a movie this weekend?” he asked.
“I don’t know if there is anything showing, maybe," she said with a careless shrug and dumped cutlery in front of him. "I’ll let you know.”
Rob nodded. “Say, did you catch my show last night?”
“Nah, I was washing my hair.”
Rob looked at Peggy’s disheveled pony tail and couldn’t help but wonder if she actually had washed her hair. He shrugged off the mystery that was anything to do with females.
"You missed a great show," he said. "Big Jimmy was amazing. His pyramid story was a real showstopper."
"Uh-huh," Peggy mumbled as she kept doing whatever it was she did most of the time without actually accomplishing anything.
“I saw the darndest thing on my way home after the show," he continued. "A doe came right up to me and it glowed. Have you heard of a radiation leak or something lately?”
Peggy snorted and crossed her arms. “You must have dreamed it."
“I wasn’t dreaming, Peggy,” Rob answered, put off by her belligerent tone.
“Well, then you shouldn’t use drugs.”
“I wasn’t high.”
“Don't be stupid," she sneered over her shoulder as she picked up his plate from the cook. "There is no such thing as a glow in the dark deer.”
“Well, I saw one.”
“Then you might want to keep that to yourself," she said, slamming his plate in front of him hard enough for the hash browns to get some air time. "People will think you are crazier than they already think you are if you keep spouting all that nonsense.”
The jingle of the bells interrupted anything Rob might have said. Not that anything he could have said anything because his jaw was sitting wide open at the sight in front of him. Peggy smiling.
"Why hi there, Pegster."
Rob sighed. He should have known that the only to get a real smile out of Peggy was the town's favorite football hero and brand spanking new deputy, Walt Brennan.
"Hi there," Peggy's smiled broadened, "Deputy Walt." She leaned forward on the counter, arms framing her breasts. "Can I get you some pancakes? I'll make sure they are extra fluffy, just for you."
"That's might nice of you Pegs," Walt said, then turned his attention to Rob. "How you doin' there, Bob?" He slammed one meaty hand hard on Rob's back.
Rob winced and carefully put his fork down. "Fine, Walt. How about yourself?"
"That's Deputy Walt, now, Bob," Walt said. He winked and showed his pearly whites at Peggy who put a hot cup of coffee in front of him.
Rob eyed the coffee, then Peggy who was now completely ignoring him and sighed. He didn't bother to correct Walt. Instead, he asked about the one thing Walt would care about.
"Any new leads on Mrs. Rumhilde's murder?"
Peggy sent him a wicked glare. “It was prolly a drifter
and he’s long gone," she huffed. "You know the husband didn’t do it, so it must be some no good drifter."
"How do you know the husband didn't do it?" Rob looked at her, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Don't be ridiculous, Rob," she snapped. "A big man like Mr. Rumhilde could a killed her with his bare hands if he was angry enough to do her in.”