If the Curse Fits

by Kennedy Layne

  It didn’t escape me that Pearl had used the plural sense in her declaration, leaving me to assume that the familiar could only be talking about Jack and Marna—the older couple who were new to town.

  Now that we’ve established my value in this current predicament we’ve found ourselves in, let’s get these interviews over with so that you and Mr. Cornelia may be on your way. Far, far away.

  Chapter Seven

  “That was a total waste of time and effort,” Orwin complained, hoisting his overnight bag from the back of the Jeep. He was breathing a bit easier, just in case you were wondering. “Listen, Detective Jones seems to know what he’s doing. We can just leave it to him and head out in the morning. He has all the information we do, with the exception of knowing about the druids.”

  I’d parked right in front of the two rooms we’d reserved side by side at the motel right outside of town. It certainly wasn’t fancy, but we’d gotten used to places like these. It was basically one row of numerous rooms, each denoted by a tacky blue door with a dull gold number. No technological advancement here—a good old-fashioned key with the same blue color tag was our only way inside.

  You should know that I never had any intentions of dipping into the trust fund that my parents had left me—it was their way of showing love—but these were dire times. My life was basically at stake, but I did have every intention of replacing every dime that was spent on this trek.

  With that said, I had no idea how long it would take to get rid of this hex. It was best to conserve resources when and where we could, which basically extended to all things electronic for Orwin. Oh, and that RV that would no doubt give both of us a bit of sanity.

  “We aren’t leaving town until Cassie Grier’s killer is behind bars.”

  I reached into the back of the Jeep and fished out my own overnight bag. We traveled light in terms of clothing, but we’d brought along Orwin’s entire library of magic tomes and all of his computer equipment he swore he couldn’t live without. We’d had to cast a spell on the vehicle to ensure that no one would be able to steal the items stored inside.

  “I thought you’d say that,” Orwin sighed in frustration as he closed the back end of the Jeep. “I’ll look into Jack and Marna, see if we can confirm Pearl’s assessment that they had nothing to do with Cassie’s death.”

  Pearl’s unexpected declaration had been somewhat of a shock. Now that particular familiar was full of useful information—not that I was acquainted with any other kinds of familiars. Maybe they were all a wealth of historical facts, and I should reconsider calling one forth myself.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Orwin warned, walking around the Jeep and heading toward his room. “That clawed demon would be the death of me.”

  Orwin was probably right, but my agreement on leaving town with just the two of us had more to do with Piper’s naiveté. She was just too pure for the gritty life that had all but landed in our laps.

  “That, too,” Orwin automatically agreed, as if we were having a conversation like normal people. “We’re about as far from normal as we can get, Lou. Goodnight.”

  I didn’t have to tell Orwin to let me know immediately if he found any information to contradict Pearl’s opinion of Jack and Marna. The white feline had been pretty adamant that the older couple had nothing to do with Cassie Grier’s death, but I’d rather have confirmation of that before we completely ruled them out as suspects.

  In just the four short hours that we’d been at the café—not that it had felt short at the time—I’d come to expect Pearl’s English accented voice to buzz in my ear. Thankfully, it was blissfully quiet after eleven o’clock at night in the motel parking lot.

  Well, sort of.

  The faintest sound of muffled footsteps could be heard heading my way. I’d already taken inventory of my surroundings and had spotted a black Land Rover parked two slots down, and a beat-up old dark blue Chevy near the end. It stood to reason that the owner of the Land Rover had reserved a room near ours.

  I’d wanted quarters for the vending machine, so I’d opened the driver’s side door of my Jeep to reach into the console for some loose change. It was a good thing I had time to prepare for who was walking my way with a soda in one hand and a bag of chips in another.

  It was none other than Knox Emeric.

  From what I could see through the passenger side window, the man didn’t seem to notice me. I somehow didn’t believe that for a moment, and I tensed in preparation for some type of confrontation.

  We’d run into each other three times in one day.

  No one was that unlucky, right?

  You already knew my thoughts on coincidences, so I very carefully backed my way out of the Jeep and waited for him to say or do something that warranted me to use witchcraft in the middle of a practically abandoned parking lot. I’d have to chance exposing myself if it came down to self-defense.

  Without a glance or a word, Knox Emeric quietly let himself into a room two doors down from mine.

  “Wasn’t he at the café?”

  I barely caught the scream that was about to fall from my lips, spinning around in irritation at the sound of Piper’s voice.

  “Don’t do that!” I exclaimed through clenched teeth, resting a hand against my chest. My touch did nothing to calm my racing heart, but I’d instinctively curled my fingers into the palm of my hand so that I didn’t mistakenly fling the poor girl into the side of the building. “Piper, what on earth are you doing here?”

  I asked her that myself, Miss Lilura. What can I say? My charge is a stubborn one.

  Sure enough, Pearl was sitting on the sidewalk no more than six feet away from Piper. The white familiar’s tail seemed to have its own rhythm as it swayed from side to side. Every now and then, I could see the twitch of irritation, but she could just join the club.

  No, thank you. I don’t believe in exclusive clubs.

  “I saw your father waiting for you outside of the café,” I said to Piper, taking note that she must have parked down by the office of the motel. I closed the driver’s side door to the Jeep now that any hint of danger in the form of Knox Emeric had evaporated. I was going to have to do a bit of research on the man myself if I were to have peace of mind about his sporadic presence. “I’m surprised your dad didn’t take you home.”

  As I’ve already stated, my sweet Piper has a bit of a stubborn streak.

  She also had Pearl, which was probably the only reason Piper’s father could rest a bit easier.

  “I am twenty-two,” Piper reminded me as if I hadn’t known that bit of information or the fact that Pearl had all but thrown her under the bus. Given Orwin’s research, I pretty much knew everything about the young woman, including that she wasn’t cut out for solving murder mysteries. Her father had been right to worry about her out in this dark, dark world. “I’d also like to point out that I’m no longer a girl. Anyway, I overheard you say to Detective Jones that you were staying at this motel, and I wanted to offer my help to cure Orwin of his allergies.”

  Piper had on one of those lightweight peacock coats in a bright pink color that matched her lip gloss. The brilliance of her ensemble, as well as her personality, were glaringly different from mine.

  I’d like to keep it that way, if you please.

  “I got it, Pearl,” I replied irritably, hoisting my overnight bag over my shoulder and heading toward my room. It didn’t take me long to fish out the motel key from my pocket in exchange for the quarters in the palm of my hand. “Orwin is next door, Piper. I’m sure that he’ll appreciate your gesture.”

  It didn’t take me long to slip the key into the lock and twist the door handle. The faintest scent of disinfectant hit me in the face, reminding me why investing in a high-end RV might be the wisest of choices. These out of the way motels that Orwin and I chose to stay in just weren’t cutting it anymore.

  I can see why. People have to be off their trolley to stay in a place like this. Is that…

  A quick gla
nce over my shoulder showed me that Pearl had taken a tentative step over the threshold, her green eyes glued to a stain in the carpet. I got the feline’s drift, though. The crusty stain did look like blood, but my guess was that it was some type of wine or juice that had soaked into the well-worn carpet.

  One could only hope.

  “I was also hoping to speak with you.” Piper followed Pearl’s path, joining us inside the room until she was able to close the door behind her. She twisted her purse strap around her hand as she thought over whatever it was that she’d rehearsed on the way over here. “Jack and Marna are good people, regardless of the fact that they’re druids. They live a quiet life, and they’d like to be left alone in peace.”

  My sweet Piper has a point. Where most druids allow the capability of great power to go to their heads, this older couple would like to blend into society to live out the rest of their days in peace.

  I let my overnight bag slide from my shoulder onto the bed, utter exhaustion flowing through me. All I wanted was a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow was another day, and Orwin and I had already mapped out our plans to speak with each suspect individually—and that included Jack and Marna.

  I see that my dear Piper isn’t the only one with a stubborn streak.

  “Orwin and I have a system that hasn’t failed us yet,” I explained, debating on whether or not to leave my black leather jacket on to walk down to the vending machine. I suppose I could just drink the tap water and then fall into bed. Sleep was beginning to sound a lot better than food, anyway. Having someone in my head nonstop was mentally exhausting. No wonder Orwin could nap anywhere and at any time. “Piper, I truly appreciate you coming here to help Orwin. It was a sweet gesture that I’m sure he’ll appreciate somewhere down the line. As for Cassie Grier’s murder, it’s probably best that you stay clear of us while we do our investigating. I might not have seen the woman’s murder, but I can’t in good conscience leave here with her killer still walking the streets. The perp is dangerous, and I don’t want him coming after you.”

  You might not be so bad, Miss Lilura. As I suggested earlier, come back to us in fifty years or so to see if we can’t do something about that hex of yours. Wait. We adjusted that timeline to sixty years, didn’t we?

  Sixty years? With all the time and effort Orwin and I were putting into finding Ammeline, it had better not take me sixty years to lift this hex. Besides, the rate at which the Lich’s mental capacity was being eroded over time…I wasn’t so sure our kind had sixty years.

  For once, it seemed as if Pearl didn’t have two cents to share with me on that last observation.

  I’m mulling it over, Miss Lilura. Don’t rush me.

  “I’m sure Orwin is still awake if you…”

  I let my words trail off as Piper and Pearl became somewhat blurry, and it was all I could do to remain standing.

  No, no, no.

  This couldn’t be happening, especially with Cassie Grier’s killer still out there.

  I fought against my curse with every ounce of strength I had, but my attempt was futile, as always. There was nothing I could do to stop the garish vision from unfolding in front of me as it replaced everything within sight.

  Piper was calling my name, but I couldn’t respond.

  I was suddenly in the parking lot of a mall, watching from afar as Jamie Lehman laid on the cold, wet cement with a hand over her side. Her breathing was shallow as she tried to call for help. No one could hear her as her life began to seep away with each second that ticked by on her watch.

  Just as suddenly as I was taken to the future, I was dragged back to the present.

  “…you okay? Was it one of your visions?” Piper continued to bombard me with questions, but she’d never witnessed the aftereffects of my hex. It wasn’t pretty, and I didn’t turn down her offer to help sit on the edge of the bed. “Did you really see someone just die? Let me go get Orwin from next door.”

  I remained silent as Piper quickly left the room, even closing my eyes to stop the room from spinning. It always took me a moment to collect my composure.

  That was bloody awful!

  I’d completely forgotten that Pearl was still in the room. I finally lifted my lashes now that the walls and ceiling had stopped spinning. The usually composed, sleek white familiar had a few hairs out of place. Truthfully, it appeared as if she’d been put through the wringer.

  I blinked a few times, thinking maybe my vision hadn’t returned to normal.

  No, Pearl was still looking somewhat disheveled.

  “Pearl?” I was hesitant to ask, and I even put my hand on the bed to steady myself. My heartrate once more began to beat faster at the realization that I might not be as alone in this mess as I’d thought. “Did you just see…?”

  Pearl shook herself like a wet dog, not that she’d appreciate the analogy. She even had to catch herself from wobbling by suddenly plopping down on her haunches with an ungraceful splat.

  Well, isn’t that just a fly in the ointment?

  Chapter Eight

  My groan of agony was instantaneous as a streak of pain tore through my shoulder blade when I tried to lift my head.

  Ouch!

  “…don’t think you know anything about Area 51,” Orwin complained, his voice a little too loud in an enclosed vehicle. His sneeze told me immediately that Pearl was inside the car. “I’ve done my research. Trust me, the government is holding back vital information from the public. Piper, do you have a box of tissues in here?”

  I lifted my arm and rested my hand against the crick in my neck as I pried my eyes open. It was as if I had a hangover from drinking a fifth of tequila. The first thing I was able to focus on was that I’d somehow ended up in the backseat of Piper’s Prius instead of the front seat.

  Trust me, it hadn’t been much of a shock to find out that the petite blonde drove a hybrid.

  Anyway, Orwin and I had gotten into the habit of collecting blankets and snacks for times like these, but Piper’s Prius wasn’t equipped with the usual stakeout essentials. With all the books and computer equipment in the Jeep, there would have been no way to bring Piper and Pearl along even if we’d wanted.

  Don’t get me wrong, I had done my best to convince them that they should go home, but they’d insisted on seeing this case through to the end.

  I’d also somehow ended up with Pearl as my backseat companion.

  Did you know that you snore, Miss Lilura? Sleep apnea is a real health hazard. You should have that looked into soon.

  I was directly behind the driver’s seat, so it was easy for me to reach out and smack Orwin upside the head when he’d unconsciously nodded in agreement. His exclamation of surprise had turned into another sneeze.

  “If you’d reverse the spell you put on yourself to protect you against Ammeline, then I’d be able to rid you of those allergies,” Piper tried to reason, clearly having gotten nowhere with that argument. Those two had bickered half the night while we kept watch over Jamie Lehman. This was one of the few occasions that I’d been given time to save a victim from one of my prophesies, and I wasn’t going to let the woman go about her life without having adequate surveillance. “What could happen in the few short moments it takes for me to—”

  “Ask Lou,” Orwin exclaimed, inadvertently glancing in the rearview mirror. He was still rubbing the back of his head. “Good morning, your highness.”

  I didn’t realize that you were speaking to me.

  “Don’t you have to go for a walk or something? You know, like use the neighbor’s flowerbed for something or other?” Orwin complained before wiping his nose with a tissue that Piper had produced from the glove compartment. The interior of her vehicle was a lot cleaner than the Jeep, and it also had enough room for three people…and apparently a cat. “I need air. And just to clarify, the spell I used to protect myself from the likes of Ammeline was rather involved and tedious. I’m not sure I’d be able to pull it off again without enough rest and study, so there’s not a chance in
this magical realm that I’d ever lift the protection enchantment for allergies that could be simply remedied by the removal of a certain familiar.”

  Does Mr. Cornelia always complain like this? He should be glad that he’s alive and breathing at all, if you ask me.

  Orwin cracked the window, but not before rolling his eyes for me to take notice of his frustration. It wasn’t an easy process to get used to having other people in our cramped space, but both Piper and Pearl had made it impossible to leave the motel without them.

  The custom motor coach made by Powerhouse Coach was looking better and better by the minute, even if Piper and Pearl weren’t going to be joining our little detective team. They had available for sale a 2008 fifty-two-foot coach with four slide-outs, measuring just over four hundred square feet for a well-provisioned headquarters. It also featured a Skydeck, which provided another two hundred and seventy-one square foot area as an elevated observation deck for stakeouts and defensive positions.

  We’d be living in the lap of luxury rather than being exposed to those nasty germs at those cheap hotel rooms we’d been spending so much time in lately. That mobile queen-sized bed was sounding pretty good right about now.

  “How are you feeling, Lou?” Piper asked, her concern still evident. I’d scared her last night, but not as much as I’d freaked out Pearl. It turned out that because familiars could hear the thoughts of witches and warlocks, she’d had a direct link to the hex that had been placed upon me. “It took Pearl a while to catch her breath, too.”

  All things come to those who wait, my sweet Piper. That spot of warm cream did me right up.

  My visions were physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. I could see why it would have taken Pearl some time to get use to the aftermath. It was why I couldn’t keep my eyes open past two o’clock in the morning, which meant that Orwin had been keeping watch for at least four hours nonstop.