by Dana Davis
Hard to believe a worker could die here and not have anyone find her body until the next morning. Bridgette had heard more about it on the news today. Officials suspected natural causes and were waiting for the autopsy results. It had happened just outside Romancing the Cone, an upscale ice cream shop a few storefronts down from the restaurant Daisy had chosen. Bridgette wasn’t sure which she hoped to find had killed that poor woman, a nasty hitchhiker or a psycho human. Upside with a human – he or she could be stopped fairly easily, especially by an inherent witch. A hitchhiker, on the other hand, could only be sent back to the ethereal plane by a medium and a necromancer.
She glanced at Daisy, who was talking softly to Scarlet. She didn’t like that this hitchhiker was attracted to her cousin. After Dr. Varma’s glowing review of Daisy’s health, some of Bridgette’s immediate concerns had shifted from her cousin to Liam.
I need someone to help him. But Scarlet won’t leave Daisy’s side. And I really don’t want her to. Kali might not know what to look for. She’s not a medium and she just started using her necro powers again. Maybe Noah can chat Liam up on the Y side of things, find out something I missed. Well, shit. I might as well take everyone with me to the hospital. Guess that’s settled. Fuck.
“You okay, Bridge?” Daisy studied her behind dark sunglasses as they waited.
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m good.”
Daisy crossed her arms and cocked a hip, her vintage purse swinging from one elbow. “I can smell the smoke, you know.”
“Smoke?” She glanced around. “Where?”
“Your pants are on fire.”
Bridgette chuckled as Noah joined them from the parking lot. She reads me better than a telepath sometimes. “Am I that obvious?” They started toward the Mexican restaurant.
“I’ve known you since I was born, Bridgette Kelly McDougal. I don’t need to be a telepath to tell when something’s bothering you. Now what’s wrong?”
Bridgette waved a hand to shush her cousin as they passed customers seated outside beneath the tile patio roofs of some of the restaurants. “Soon.” When a frown met her, she added, “I promise.” I don’t have much of a choice now do I? She wanted to see Liam today. And she needed Scarlet with her. I want Scarlet, I have to take Daisy. Oh, like that’s the only reason you agreed. Like it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you haven’t told her about Liam, yet. Chicken shit.
They didn’t have to wait long for a table, since they came between the lunch and dinner rushes. A blonde hostess, who looked all of seventeen, greeted them just inside the glass door, and Bridgette requested a large table in the corner, against the wall of windows. More privacy.
They made small talk as they studied the menus and waited for their food, which took longer than expected, given the few customers in the place. Bridgette’s nerves began to unthread with each second that passed, but she managed to keep herself outwardly calm. At least, she hoped so.
Once the food arrived, she caught Daisy’s concerned look.
Fuck. Confession time. She took a long drink of her iced tea, wanting something a lot stronger just now. After the waitress strode off, Bridgette let out a quick breath. Okay, here goes nothing. “I have a problem and I need your help.” She took a bite of her spinach enchilada, partly because she was hungry and partly to delay what she had to say next.
Daisy’s brows climbed in question. “Who’s help, Bridge?”
She swallowed and took another drink of tea. “All of you.” Four sets of expectant eyes planted themselves on her face. Aw hell. You’re a witch for fuck’s sake, Bridgette Kelly McDougal. Put on your big girl panties and fess up. “I have a friend in the hospital. He’s been there a long time. In some sort of stupor. No one’s been able to communicate with him in many years.”
Daisy laid a brief hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry, Bridge. What friend? Do I know him?”
“I don’t think you’d remember him. I’m not sure you even met him. We went on a few dates back in high school.” Then the proverbial shit hit the fucking real fan. “I started visiting him after his – accident.” Another long drink. Come on, chicken-shit. Tell her.
“How can we help?” Noah this time.
I’m getting to that part. “I – well – I think you brought him back, Daisy. Or reconnected him. Something like that.”
Shock colored her cousin’s face and her fork paused in front of her mouth. “What? How?”
“I don’t know exactly.” She leaned forward and kept her voice low. “But he came out of his stupor right after you returned from the afterlife. He said he followed a woman back.” She held up a hand to stay her cousin’s next question. “I don’t want to say too much in public. But I need all of you to come with me to the hospital. After we’re done here.” She started to say, please, but begging would make Daisy even more worried. So, she waited.
Scarlet and Kali shared a secretive glance and both nodded. They had already agreed to help back at the cemetery. If they were shocked about Daisy bringing Liam back, neither showed it.
Bridgette let her eyes roam over Noah’s face and he gave a reassuring smile and a nod. She focused on Daisy again. “What about you?”
“Of course I’ll come. What exactly is it you want us to do?”
She took another drink of her tea. My mouth is so fucking dry. Stay calm. She might be pissed at you when you tell her the whole story but she’s family. She won’t abandon you, you stupid witch.
She hesitated as a bus boy topped off the water glasses, hers last. “Thank you.” When he moved to another table, she studied Scarlet then Kali. “I’m hoping one of you can figure out what happened.” Her gaze shifted to Noah. “He might talk to another man, someone who’s not in a white coat. I really don’t know. I’m sorta winging this.” And stalling. Chicken-shit, chicken-shit. She moved her eyes back to her cousin. “Maybe you’ll recognize him, Daisy. Do you remember a man on the other side? Someone not dead?”
Daisy’s brow furrowed as she chewed and she glanced at Noah for a moment. “I don’t remember everything. I mean the last trip is clearer than the first. But the only men I met were dead.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I think so. What’s his name?”
“Liam.”
Daisy thought a moment then shook her head. “No. Sorry. I don’t remember anyone with that name.”
Bridgette offered a smile and tried not to let her disappointment show. “Well, maybe he’ll remember something when he sees you.” And you still didn’t tell her how Liam got in a stupor in the first place. You big fat coward.
* * * *
All during the meal, Daisy eyed Bridgette as worry bubbled up inside. She’s hiding something. I just know it. She’d even ordered desert, because she was craving something sweet and because she hoped the redhead would talk in more detail. Bridgette didn’t say anything more so they finished desert with more small talk. At least Daisy didn’t see any ghosts in the restaurant. Thank the universe for small favors.
When Bridgette excused herself to the bathroom, Daisy didn’t follow. Her cousin looked like she needed a moment to herself.
“You okay?”
She turned to Noah. “Just wondering about Bridgette’s friend. I can’t believe she never told me about him.”
He smiled. “I’m sure she has her reasons.”
“Yeah.” And I’d like to know what they are.
He placed a comforting hand on her arm. “She’ll tell you more when she’s ready.”
That served to peak Daisy’s interest even more. Just how many secrets has Bridgette kept from me?
The redhead returned to the table and waved them up. “Let’s go.”
“We haven’t gotten the bill yet,” Noah said.
A sly smile danced on those full lips. “Already taken care of.”
“Bridgette, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Sue me. I wanted to do something for taking up your time at the hospital later.”
Daisy thou
ght it partly because her cousin felt guilty about something but she let it go for now. I’ll grill her later.
“I could use a new car.” Scarlet eyed Bridgette as she stood.
“Sorry, not in my budget.”
The medium shrugged and glanced at Kali. “Well, I tried.”
Daisy sniffed and scratched at an itchy spot on her arm. “I’ll buy you a car if you find a way to remove my new powers.”
Scarlet smirked at her. “Honey, if I knew how to do that, I’d be so rich I could by a dozen cars.”
Daisy chuckled as they made their way to the door. “I bet.” Must be a heap of mediums out there who’d rather not see ghosts. Ah, well, I can dream. But later. Right now, she wanted to get to that ice cream shop and see if she could find anything about where the hitchhiker might go next.
Once outside, they headed toward Romancing the Cone. The sun was in low in the west, creating long shadows along the walkway. Many more people walked around in this area now. I’ve been here a gazillion times and it’s never been this crowded. Two teenaged girls with ice cream cones passed, chatting about the recent dead body. Well, that explains it.
She leaned toward Noah. “Mortals. Just can’t keep from rubbernecking.” I hope Scarlet’s right and the hitchhiker won’t come back here. A toddler in a stroller pointed and grinned at Bridgette. Daisy smiled at her cousin’s discomfort. Kids dig her. Then she noticed Bridgette’s gaze lingered on the stroller. What the hell is that about?
When they were teenagers, the redhead refused to work as a babysitter because kids “creeped her out”. Of course, she had enough money that she didn’t have to work at all if she chose, but she and Daisy did just about everything together back then. Daisy was disappointed when her cousin had refused to help out with a neighbor’s twins. As toddlers, those little witches didn’t need magick to be a handful. That family moved away just before the kids were old enough to come into their powers.
Lucky for me, I guess.
Then she remembered an argument before her afterlife escapade. Noah wanted kids now. Daisy wanted to wait. Bridgette had sided with Noah. Since Daisy returned from the afterlife, neither of them had brought up that subject. Her cousin had never shown any interest in children before that.
So what gives? Midlife auntie crisis? Yeah, she’s okay with kids now, as long as she’s not the one having them. Noah glanced between the child and Daisy, a wan smile on his lips. Great. I bet as soon as this hitchhiker thing is over, we’ll be talking about babies again.
The little one’s eyes moved to Daisy and grew wide, just before the mother turned the stroller toward a shop across the way.
Scarlet leaned close. “A future medium.”
“Really? I thought they couldn’t see ghosts until adolescence?”
“They can’t. But they sense us. I’m surprised she didn’t start crying. That’s usually the reaction I get when they’re that young. They sense our power and it makes them uncomfortable.”
Swell. Now I can even make babies cry. Well, that oughta be fun when I do finally have one of my own. Unlike other women, inherent witches could control that aspect of their lives. A witch never had an unwanted baby.
Scarlet must have figured out what she was thinking because she nudged her playfully. “Don’t worry. Only future mediums react that way and they stop by the time they’re three. Regular kids don’t notice a damn thing.”
Well, that’s something. But what if my kid turns out to be one of these future mediums? Guess I’ll jump off that bridge when I get to it.
When they reached the shop, there was a long line, and Daisy tapped Bridgette on the arm. “Guess a dead body didn’t hurt business any.” She peered around a man in front of them to get a better look at the glass door and the cement in front of it.
Bridgette gave a snort. “I think it did the opposite. What’re you doing?”
Daisy crinkled her nose in a guilty manner. “Looking for evidence.”
“What, like a chalk outline?”
“Maybe.”
Bridgette laughed. “You’ve been watching too many cop shows, Cousin.” She leaned close. “Besides, they’re calling this a natural death, remember?”
Daisy didn’t believe it was natural causes any more than Bridgette did, especially since the victim was barely out of her teens. “Right.” She turned to Scarlet, grabbed onto the medium with one hand and the necro with the other, then marched them toward a bench in front of a large cement planter. Colorful flowers sat in soil not native to the desert, a drip line providing water. Bridgette and Noah followed.
“Is she here? The girl who died? Because I don’t see anyone.”
Scarlet glanced around. “I haven’t seen her.”
“Me either,” Kali said.
Scarlet rubbed at her nose. “She might not show at all, Daisy.”
“Oh yeah, right, because that’d be too damn convenient. I thought they were attracted to me.”
“If a hitch—” Scarlet stopped as a family with several noisy kids passed. “If it killed her, her spirit will be disoriented for a while.”
“But don’t they sometimes hang around where they died?”
“Sometimes. If the death is traumatic. Not always. And she might not even know what happened yet. Like I said—”
“She’ll be disoriented. I know.” Daisy frowned and lowered her voice as an elderly couple strolled past, chatting about a movie they’d just seen. “What good is this new power if I can’t talk to the dead when I actually need to?”
“Welcome to my world.”
“I don’t want to be in your world, Scarlet. Your world sucks.”
* * * *
Daisy, Scarlet or Kali hadn’t seen the dead girl’s ghost at the mall anywhere, so they’d left to see Liam. Bridgette had given Noah brief directions to the mental hospital and sat back as the scenery moved past. Fortunately, the hospital was only a half-hour drive from the mall. Unfortunately, that was enough time for Daisy to get in a few questions.
“So, you dated Liam in high school?”
Bridgette bit back a sigh. “Yes.”
“Was he older?”
“Fifteen. My grade.”
Daisy’s brows climbed as she twisted around in the front seat to watch Bridgette. “Really? You actually dated someone your own age? And I missed it?”
Bridgette smacked the back of her cousin’s seat. “Twit. I didn’t always go after seniors or college boys.”
That got a laugh from Daisy. “In what reality? Now I really have to meet this Liam guy. He must’ve been something to get your attention.”
Yeah. He got my attention all right. Not for reasons Daisy would think of, but because he was eager to please Bridgette and he did the stupid stuff she suggested. Like using his medium powers on a necro. At my insistence. You couldn’t have known she was a necro so stop beating yourself up about it. You thought she was a fake medium, a carnival act to entertain mortals. She frowned. Does it matter now?
“You okay, Bridge?”
Three sets of concerned eyes studied her. She even caught Noah’s glance in the rearview mirror and waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah. Just thinking.” Daisy’s gaze lingered on her a bit longer. Great, she knows I’m not telling her everything. Damn her. She’s going to guilt me into telling her the whole story. Well, you didn’t expect to keep it to yourself your whole life, did you? Hell yeah I did.
Something flashed ahead of them as a car sped past doing at least eighty. “Camera truck, Noah,” Daisy said.
“Yeah, I saw it. I’m only going five over. We’re safe.”
“Good.” Daisy’s smile faded as she squinted out the back window. “What the hell is that?”
“What’s what?” Bridgette twisted in the backseat to gaze out the rear window northeast toward the McDowell Mountains.
A car behind them changed lanes, getting rid of the headlight glare on the glass. The sun had just set and the orange sky, which never grew completely dark because of light pollution, faded in
and out as they passed beneath freeway lights.
At first Bridgette thought it was a plane, but then she saw the V formation of the lights and chuckled. “I’ll be damned. Phoenix Lights.”
“Yeah? Ya think?” Noah said.
“Sure looks like it, doesn’t it? I think I saw them back in ninety-seven.”
“You never told me that.” Daisy’s voice sounded accusatory.
Bridgette turned to face the front again. “Oh come on, Daisy. Mortals are always crying aliens when they see crap in the sky they can’t explain.”
“Well, okay, you’re right about that.” Nonetheless, Daisy had her phone out. She reached her arm out her window and stuck it up in the air to take a photo.
Scarlet made a rude sound. “That’s a good way to lose your phone, witch.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll chance it to get a shot of the Phoenix Lights.” Daisy pulled her arm inside and studied the tiny screen. “Not the best but I’ll blow it up on the computer, see if it makes a difference.” She twisted in her seat and passed her phone to Scarlet, who sat behind Noah’s seat, reaching out, fingers beckoning. “Did they ever come up with an explanation for them, Bridge?”
Bridgette waited a few seconds then reached across Kali, who was still looking out the back window, took the phone from Scarlet and studied the photo. “Oh, don’t get grumpy, Scarlet. Have you even seen the Phoenix Lights before? That’s what I thought. I’ll give you the phone back in a minute. As for your question, Daisy, I doubt it. Probably claimed the lights were military experiments or weather balloons. The usual shit.” The image was small, the lights blurred and stringy, but she could make out a V shape, typical of the legendary Phoenix Lights.
Daisy chuckled. “They do love the weather balloon excuse.”
“Where’d they go?” Kali said, her gaze still out the back window.
“Back to their planet?” Bridgette smirked as Noah slowed and took an exit off the freeway.
“What?” Kali twisted around to face the front, adjusted her seatbelt, and took the offered phone from Bridgette. She didn’t seem to mind sitting in the middle. “Not even a gift basket of alien treats when they visit? That’s just rude. My Chinese grandmother would smack them.”