by Dana Davis
Bridgette attended to her business and washed her hands. The mirror reminded her of how Scarlet had ordered them to cover all the large mirrors in Daisy’s house, and she wondered just how many ghosts lurked behind that glass right now, waiting for a medium to show up. The fluorescent lights did little for her freckled complexion. She dabbed a finger under tired eyes to smooth her concealer then dug into her jeans’ pocket for the tinted lip moisturizer she kept there.
After she applied the moisturizer, she shoved it back into her pocket and shook her head at her reflection. “You could use a facial, girlfriend.” A crash resounded from another part of the building and Bridgette flew into the hallway. Someone caressed her mind and she immediately dropped part of her mental wall to open her senses.
Bridgette! Kali wouldn’t use her telepathic abilities unless she was in serious trouble.
“Kali? You okay?” Kali! No one answered. The necro wasn’t at the front counter when Bridgette rounded the corner. A computer monitor lay broken on the tile floor next to an overturned chair. “Shit.”
Where are you? Bridgette started for the front door. Kali? No answer. She no longer felt Kali’s presence against her mind and fought rising panic as she raced out the door into the grassy cemetery. Two people moved in the parking lot near a dark sedan. I’m here, Kali. “Hey! Let her go!” She couldn’t do a trussing spell from this distance and she didn’t carry a gun.
She raced toward the parking lot when terror slammed into her so hard she nearly lost her footing. By the time she realized her fear emanated from Kali’s reverse empath abilities and fought through it, the woman was gone. Along with her kidnapper.
The Fates help me. What the fuck do I do now?
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* * * *
Chapter 13
Never Let You Go
Daisy wondered if Bridgette and Kali had found out anything from Liam, but all she could do was wait to hear from the redhead. She and Scarlet sat in the family room, perusing the web for clues about the hitchhiker, as Noah took his turn in the shower. Perky slept on his oversized floor pillow near the coffee table, his feet twitching from some dream or other. Scarlet had confiscated the overstuffed chair Bridgette usually sat in, while Daisy lounged on the couch with her laptop, both in pajama bottoms and tee-shirts. Scarlet wore solid, muted colors, while Daisy’s baby blue pants had little clouds on them.
Despite her exhaustion, Daisy couldn’t sleep so she’d decided to keep looking at records, see if she could find something on the hitchhiker’s former life. A lot of killers colored the Valley of the Sun’s history. She, Bridgette and the others were compiling a list of outlaws going back as far as written records allowed, but no luck pinning down the right one. This hitchhiker could be any of them. Or none of them. They didn’t even know in what century it lived. And no mention of that ancient swirl with any of those people. So far, anyway.
Frustrated, she decided to get a closer look at the recent pictures she’d taken with her phone. So much was happening, she’d almost forgotten about them.
She opened the file she’d emailed to herself and zoomed in on the V shaped lights. “Well crap.”
“What?” Scarlet said as she looked around the room.
“Oh, not a ghost. Just these pictures I took.”
“The Phoenix Lights?” Scarlet closed her own laptop and leaned toward Daisy with an expectant face, resting her elbows on the arm of the chair. “You get a good shot?”
“Yes. No. I mean, yes, I got a good shot, but it’s just a couple of planes crossing paths. No UFO. See?” She handed her laptop over to the medium.
Scarlet snickered. “Yep, those are planes. So much for little green men.”
“I think they’re little gray men.” Daisy shrugged when Scarlet smiled and raised a brow at her. “So sue me. It would’ve been neat to get a picture of the famed Phoenix Lights.”
Scarlet handed her laptop back. “You’ve got your own up on the McDowell Mountains.”
“Lucky me. Hey, did you find anything in that spirit guide recording?”
“Just static. Nothing useful. I told you it might not work.”
“Yeah, you told me.” Come on, universe. Can’t you give us a little help here? Something moved in Daisy’s corner vision by her fireplace but she refused to look. “Damn.” That’s not what I wanted. She snapped her laptop closed and moved her gaze elsewhere in an attempt to ignore the ghost.
“They’ll just bug you if you don’t acknowledge them.” Scarlet held up a hand to stay Daisy’s protest. “But you don’t have to deal with that one right now. He’s keeping his distance.”
Maybe the universe did send me help. “Maybe he knows something about the hitchhiker.”
“I doubt it, Daisy. I told you, ghosts keep their distance from evil spirits. They don’t hang around in the same circles. Besides, if any of them knew something, they’d tell me.”
“You mean we don’t suddenly know everything when we die?” Some of the ghosts I met on the other side seemed pretty damned knowledgeable.
Scarlet laughed. “Good one, Daisy. The dead have access to additional information, but we don’t become gods when we die. More like dead scholars with access to better universities than here on Earth.”
“You mean we still have to learn when we’re dead? Afterlife prep school?”
The medium laughed again. “That about sums it up. But I wouldn’t try and share that information. Even though some humans suspect it, we’re not allowed to confirm or deny anything.”
Daisy sighed. “And kids think graduation is the last time they have to go to school. Won’t they be surprised?”
“Most are. Oh, and I should warn you – midnight’s a very active time for them so I hope you don’t stay up late very often.”
Fabulous. “You sure there’s no way to keep them out of my house?” She remembered the covered mirrors in Scarlet’s house and knew it was a stupid question.
Scarlet raised a dark eyebrow. “I can’t keep them away and I’ve been dealing with them since puberty so I’m not exactly a novice.” She leaned forward, as though she had a secret she didn’t want anyone else to hear, even Perky. “And since both my parents are mediums, I’m also stronger than most.”
Daisy couldn’t help smiling as she stirred more lemon juice into her tea. “Really, Scarlet? No kidding? You’re a strong medium? I never would’ve guessed.”
“Oh, you’re a funny witch, you are. But just you wait. You’re not exactly chopped liver in the afterlife department, either.”
Her hand froze with her cup halfway to her lips and she narrowed eyes on the medium. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ll be calling me a lot.” Scarlet’s head flipped to movement near Daisy’s kitchen. “An awful lot. Hey, you. What the hell are you doing in there?”
Whoever it was caused a plastic bottle to tip over on the counter. Perky barked and Daisy quieted him. The ghost then moved toward Scarlet. Daisy still couldn’t see ghosts that clearly. In fact, she preferred not to. But she could tell this one was female in what looked like a long dress made of patchwork fabric. Another one? Great. “Who is it now?”
“A woman who wants to talk to you. She used to live south of here. Back in the seventies.”
“Well, I can’t see her clearly, so she’s not a relative.” Witches didn’t need special powers to see ghosts in their own family lines.
Scarlet nodded then turned back to the ghost. “What? No, she’s not ready. Sorry. You’ll have to wait until she’s had more training. You can talk to me if you like. Okay, fine. Have it your way.” A finger with a pink nail pointed at the ghost. “But don’t you come around here bothering her too much until she’s ready. And tell the others what I said.”
The ghost disappeared and Daisy took in a long breath. “Why wouldn’t she just talk to you?”
“Because she knows I’m not a novice and I won’t take any shit from her. They’re like little kids, Daisy. They’ll push and push
until you create boundaries for yourself. You have to be firm with them and try not to get frustrated. But you also don’t want to piss them off. They can get cranky and become a real nuisance.”
Well, this just gets better and better. “I can’t do this, Scarlet. I can’t be a medium.”
Dark eyes seemed to look right into her. “Yes you can. You have to. You’ll make yourself crazy if you don’t work at this.” One arm made a sweeping motion around the room. “They’ll make you crazy.”
Noah came into the family room and sat next to Daisy on the couch. He smelled of soap and shampoo. “It’s late. We should get to bed, hon.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” She focused on Scarlet. “Will they let me sleep?”
Scarlet stood and stopped at the hallway. “I hope so. I can stay up if you want.”
“No. Don’t do that. I’ll come get you if there’s anything I can’t handle.”
“You sure?”
No. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Goodnight.” She reached down and picked up the sleepy dog, who watched her with droopy eyes. “Come on, Perky.” Thankfully dogs couldn’t sense ghosts, only hear the noises they made. Otherwise, she’d probably have one neurotic pup on her hands.
Noah flipped off the family room lights as they all headed to their respective bedrooms.
Daisy heard Scarlet’s phone ring right after the medium shut the door to the guestroom and her heart did a little tap dance. “Wonder who’s calling her this late?”
Noah nudged her into the bedroom and shut the door. “None of our business, nosy.”
She gave him a tired smile and put Perky on his little doggy bed. “You’re right.” She kicked off her slippers and climbed into her own bed.
Noah got in and kissed her then rolled over onto his side. Soft snores started almost immediately.
Poor baby. He’s exhausted. She turned so she couldn’t see the large, covered mirror over her dresser. Or the shadow that had just moved in her closet. I can do this. I can do this. She drifted off to that mantra, hoping ghosts couldn’t haunt her dreams.
* * * *
“Scarlet? Don’t say anything. Just listen. Kali’s been kidnapped.” Bridgette stared at the spot where Kali last stood in the parking lot, her hands trembling, and told the medium everything that happened.
“Did you see who did it?” Scarlet’s voice sounded anxious.
“No, damnit. And they got away before I could read them. Is Daisy there?”
“She and Noah just went to bed.”
“Good. Let her sleep. I’ll get Fay to help me. You see what you can learn from the other side. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll find Kali before Daisy wakes up.” Fay was a psychic witch. Though her powers worked better when she could touch an actual person, maybe she could get a reading off something here. Bridgette felt guilty not telling Daisy but her cousin needed rest. She got out of the hospital just this morning. She doesn’t need any more stress right now.
“I’ll get right on it. Be careful, Bridgette.”
“You too.” She hung up. Her hands trembled and she forced them steady as she walked back to the building, scrolling through her phone’s contact list. Keep it together. You can freak out later. When she reached the right contact, she pressed the call icon and waited. “Jay. Sorry to wake you. It’s Bridgette. Don’t talk. Just get your ass out of bed and wake your mom. I need help.” She filled him in, told him what magick books she needed from her townhome, then hung up.
Another thought implanted itself in her brain. Fuck. Mom’ll kill me if I don’t tell her. She called her home number. When her mother answered, she repeated what she’d told the others, but she skipped the part about Liam.
“I’m coming over there, Bridgette.”
“Mom, Fay and I can handle this.”
“Don’t argue with me, young lady. You’ve kept me out of too much as it is. I’m coming and that’s final. Lock the doors and stay put.” A click and a dial tone sounded over Bridgette’s cell phone.
“Well, this night just gets better and better.”
* * * *
Twenty minutes later, a red SUV pulled into the parking lot so Bridgette unlocked the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Four people filed out, one on crutches, nearby streetlights illuminating them. They started toward the building, her mom moving faster on those crutches than she’d ever seen. Even this late, and with very little notice, Fay looked put together, her bleached blonde hair neat and her clothes wrinkle-free.
Jay hurried to Bridgette and circled an arm around her middle. She kissed him and he smiled. He looked delicious, as usual. He wore jeans and a pullover shirt that accentuated his GQ body, and the tousled hair looked deliberate. Later, you idiot witch. Kali’s missing, remember?
Her mother’s short hair was loose and a few strands blew in the light breeze as she studied Bridgette. “Can you please tell me how a reverse empathic necro with a witch such as yourself nearby gets herself kidnapped? Was there a mob of paranormals?”
She pulled away from Jay and tried to hide her anger. At herself. “I was in the bathroom. The front door was locked. I don’t know why Kali didn’t use her powers on whoever it was. Maybe they surprised her.” But I’d really like to know what the hell happened.
“Did you at least get a look at them?”
“Marge.” Fay that time. “It’s not Bridgette’s fault.”
Bridgette fought a sigh and took solace in Jay’s warm hand on her back. “Kali used her powers on me. Made me afraid to follow her.” Unless it was another reverse empath. I certainly don’t know all the paranormals in the fucking area.
Her mom flicked a hand toward Cousin Brendon and the young man held out one of the two magick books Jay was supposed to bring.
Bridgette shot a look at Jay and he leaned toward her ear. “Don’t look at me. Your mom had those out before I even got to your place.”
Her mom didn’t look like she heard. Or else she didn’t give a damn just now. “Let’s get started before their trail goes cold.” Familiar eyes studied Bridgette. “Where did he grab her?”
“Inside.” She led them to the area where she’d last seen Kali at the desk, the lights illuminating the mess on the floor. “I didn’t touch anything.”
Fay nodded as she ran her hands over the counter, chairs and computers, eyes half-mast. The psychic witch could sense things Bridgette couldn’t get with telepathy. Fay blinked and sighed. “Too many people work in this area. I’m not getting anything useful here. What about outside?”
“She got into a car. Let me show you.” Bridgette started for the door.
Fay followed then turned back. “No sense you hobbling around outside, Marge. I’ll just be a minute. Jay, you and Brendon stay here too.”
Bridgette hid a smile at Fay’s motherly tone. Guess we never grow up to them.
When they reached the parking lot, Bridgette pointed out where she’d seen the dark sedan. The streetlights illuminated Fay as she crouched and ran her hands along the cement. She didn’t seem to care whether she got dirty. With a grunt, she stood and dusted her hands on her black, designer jeans. “Nothing.” She headed back toward the building.
Bridgette followed. There was no reveal spell that worked on people. The best they could manage would be a disclosure spell, in hopes of finding out something about Kali’s kidnapper. But that spell needed a personal object in order to work. “You sure you didn’t get something?” Of course she’s sure, idiot. She’s been a psychic longer than you’ve been alive. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
Fay patted her arm. “It’s okay. I wish I could – wait. What’s this?” She bent down to retrieve something off the sidewalk. “A button. Threads are still on it.”
Bridgette smiled. “It’s not Kali’s. She didn’t have any buttons on her clothes.” Bet Daisy wouldn’t tease me now about my being into fashion. “I bet it belongs to her kidnapper.” She must’ve pulled it off when they struggled. Way to go, Kali. Whether the necro did it on accident or on purpose didn�
�t matter just now.
Fay closed her fingers over the button and her lids lowered. After a moment, she blinked. “I’m not getting a good sense of her.”
Bridgette’s throat constricted. “She’s not—”
“No. She’s alive. I just can’t get any particulars other than whoever this belongs to is male and is moving. Maybe in a car. I can’t tell for sure. Sorry, Bridge. Wish I could do more.”
“You’ve done more than I could. Come on.”
The two hurried back to the building and Fay told the others what she’d sensed.
Bridgette’s mom reached out her hand for the button. “We’ll have to spell it then.”
The three women gathered around with the button placed on the countertop between them. Cousin Brendon joined them. He wasn’t a particularly strong witch, but every little bit helped in a situation like this. Jay wasn’t a witch like his mother, so he stood near the door, watching through the window for anyone who might come along this late in the night. Marge located the disclosure spell in the magick book and laid it out so Brendon could read it. Bridgette had cast this one so many times of late, that she had it memorized. A reveal spell wouldn’t tell them the location of Kali’s kidnapper, but it might tell them about his past.
I just hope we get enough to ID the fucker.
The four witches chanted together, and after a few moments, Bridgette’s vision began to go fuzzy along the edges. It’s working. An image began to take shape in her mind’s eye. A boat of some sort. Too large for a yacht. That image faded, replaced by a palm tree. There are palm trees fucking everywhere in Phoenix. Does that mean he’s a local? Maybe he lives by a lake. That vision was replaced by one of a blue silk scarf with the letter S embroidered on it.
“Fuck!” Bridgette broke the spell with her outcry and the vision disappeared.