On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  “Willow, listen, do you remember how I had to duck out yesterday?”

  She nodded.

  “It was because the constable who found you needed my help.” I sucked in a deep breath before continuing. “He wanted me to see a girl who was killed outside a club, and her name was Rima.”

  “What? You saw her?”

  I nodded. “She was killed. We think by the same person who killed Ronnie.”

  Her eyes were rimmed red but the tears had dried. “I can’t believe they’re gone…”

  I closed the distance between us and placed an arm around her shoulders. When she didn’t push me away or make an attempt to avoid me, I relaxed. “That’s why it’s so important that you stay safely inside the house. If whoever’s hurting your friends finds out where you are, they’ll come for you too.”

  “It’s got to be that bitch,” she hissed. “She must be tracking my friends because she wants to find me. I’ll kill her the next time I see her, then maybe I’ll raise her spirit and toy with her the way she wanted to do with me.”

  “Have you remembered her name?” Papan asked.

  Willow looked at him and shook her head. “Sorry, I still can’t remember.”

  I had an idea. “Willow, how much did Jamie know about all of this?”

  “I told him everything, why?”

  “What are you thinking, Sierra?” Oren asked, concerned.

  I didn’t know if this would work but it was worth a shot. “If Willow can’t remember the details it might be because she was forced to forget, or maybe the shock of everything that’s happened makes her forget. But Jamie might have taken everything to the grave. If I can get in touch with him, we might be able to get the name we need.”

  “How’re you going to do that?” Willow whispered.

  “I’m a spook catcher, remember?” I sounded a lot more confident than I felt, because this was a long shot. I had no idea if this would work but if it didn’t, I’d have no choice but to encourage Willow to tap into her own power.

  Chapter Eight

  I’m not sure if this is going to work, but I have to try.

  “Are you ready?” I asked Willow for the tenth time. We were seated in the middle of the kitchen with our chairs facing each other.

  She nodded, loosening several strands from her ponytail. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

  The truth was I had no idea. I might have been dealing with spooks for most of my life but they usually dragged me into their zone as soon as I was anywhere near them. Poltergeists had never been any different. Yet with Willow I was dealing with something I’d never experienced before. If I couldn’t be dragged into their zone, I’d have to force myself inside and proximity seemed to be my best option.

  I took a deep breath, let it out slowly and shrugged. “It’s the only thing I can think of that’ll help me speak with them.”

  Willow licked her lips and held out her hands. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  I looked up and met Papan’s eyes. He didn’t look happy, more concerned than anything, but like me he knew we needed more clues or we were never going to figure this out. Or be prepared when the attack came to our doorstep—because I had no doubt it would. I was now pretty sure that someone had killed two girls to get to Willow, and they wouldn’t stop there.

  “Sierra knows what she’s doing,” Oren called from across the kitchen.

  I dipped my head in appreciation before turning to look at the other person in the room. Gareth was sitting at the table, next to Papan. He had his arms crossed and was staring right at me. This happened to be the first time I’d seen him without his uniform. He was wearing jeans and a red T-shirt. He looked intrigued and a little nervous but I wanted him to experience this firsthand.

  The way these poltergeists had worked so far, we might all end up seeing everything. I hoped we would.

  “Did you make sure there aren’t any knives on the counter?” I asked no one in particular.

  “Anything that could be tossed around the room has been put away in one of the cupboards,” Oren answered.

  Not that it would make much of a difference. Still, having clutter hidden away made it a little harder for the teens to go crazy with their telekinesis.

  I took both of Willow’s clammy hands in mine and said, “Tell me about your father.”

  Her blue eyes already seemed a little too bright. “When I was a kid, Dad used to take me to the park so I could fly my kite. It was something we did together, and I loved it,” she said with a small smile curving her lips. “But we haven’t done anything fun for a long time. Not since all he cares about is this stupid thing I can do. After he met that selfish bitch, he got worse. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t love him, but he refuses to listen when I tell him.”

  The temperature in the kitchen was already dropping, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well Willow was handling this. Instead of throwing us all into the thick of her rage, she was easing us in and I hoped it enabled me to make contact with Jamie.

  “That makes you angry, doesn’t it?” I asked, poking at the raw wound. I knew how much it hurt to be constantly furious and annoyed with your father. “Why does he make you so angry?”

  Willow’s eyes widened and the shiny slant looked freaky, as if they were being lit from the inside out. More long strands from her hair escaped, until the elastic fell to the floor and all of her hair was free to sway around her face like Medusa’s snakes.

  “He makes me so mad. I wish he would see me as a person, not as an object.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “We were close once. I miss him so much.”

  I tightened my hands around hers, the warmth of her skin morphing into something closer to the cool feel of Oren’s. The lights exploded around her, engulfing the kitchen so brightly I had to close my eyes for a moment. When I snapped them open, tears slid down my face but the sharpness had dimmed considerably and I could look right into the poltergeists circling her.

  “Will, can you hear me?” the boy was saying, his voice echoing like a broken speaker.

  The dog barked and it sounded much the same.

  “What’s happened to me?” Ronnie swished around both of them.

  From what I could tell, although Willow had gathered three spirits they each seemed to exist separately and couldn’t interact. The fact the trio moved so fluidly around each other without touching or acknowledging one another was enough to confirm my assumption.

  I exhaled and my misty breath turned into colorful particles that vanished into the lightshow around me.

  “Willow,” I whispered, staring at her. We were still sitting directly across from each other and our knees were almost touching but her body had taken on the ghostly, faded look people got when they didn’t cross over with me. I’d been hoping she would since I was with her, but she wasn’t a spook catcher—my half-sister was something else altogether. Something I’d never encountered before, and being this close together wouldn’t change the reality.

  I glanced to my side and found Papan, Oren and Gareth looked the same. Every one of them was focused on us, but there was no way I could interact with them now that I’d entered the poltergeists’ zone.

  “Willow,” I repeated.

  “Who said that?” Jamie and Ronnie asked in unison, pausing in mid-motion right in front of me.

  “I did,” I said. “My name is Sierra Fox.”

  “You’re her sister,” Jamie said, as Ronnie added, “She found you!”

  This wasn’t going to work if they spoke to me at the same time or even echoed each other. I had to let them know what was going on. “Yes, that’s me, but I can only talk to you one at a time.”

  Frowns darkened their faces simultaneously and their lights flashed quicker around their wispy bodies. The dog continued to yap away and circle Willow’s torso.

  “Who else is here?” Jamie asked, looking around.

  The dog barked louder.

  “Ronnie,” I told him.

  “Oh, no, this is going to kill Wi
ll. Tell Ronnie I’m sorry.”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  “To Jamie,” I said to Ronnie. “And he says he’s sorry.”

  “Tell him I’m sorry too.”

  I relayed the message but added, “Listen, guys, I can’t spend my time being your medium. I need to get some answers—things that Willow doesn’t know or can’t remember. Okay?”

  They both nodded.

  “I’ll start with you, Jamie.” Where was the best place to kick off the questions? I decided to go with what seemed most relevant. “How did you die?”

  “Will and I were in my car. We were finally going to get away from that horrible house,” he said with a shake of his head. “Something happened to her house after that witch moved in.”

  “The woman involved with her father is a witch?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just what I called her.”

  “Okay, tell me what happened.”

  “I’m not sure, but her house became so cold and empty, and her father changed too. Mr. Moss and I got along for years. Will and I became friends when I moved in a few doors down—we were both nine. Then her mother died and I tried to help as much as I could, but in the process fell for her. We’d been going steady for two years before I died.” He looked up and met my eyes. “I know it was her. She killed me.”

  “Who killed you?” He’d been talking about Willow, but I doubted that’s what he meant.

  “The witch killed me.”

  “How did she kill you? Didn’t you lose control of the car?”

  Jamie nodded. “Yeah, I did, because the brakes weren’t working. They were just fine when I left the car around the corner.”

  “Where were you two going?”

  He shrugged. “We hadn’t thought that far ahead, but we had my car and a bit of cash, so that was going to be enough to start with. Willow had been talking about you so much. She really wanted to meet you, and couldn’t believe she had a sister no one had told her about. I hope meeting you made her happy. Is she happy?”

  “Not happy, really, because she’s lost so much…but she’s safe,” I said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe, but I need to know a few things to help me do that.”

  He nodded, and his dark hair fell over his eyes. “I’ll answer whatever I can. I don’t want the same thing to happen to her. She deserves so much from life.”

  “Do you remember the name of the woman her father was dating?” This kid seemed really sweet, and I found myself feeling bad for my sister’s doomed relationship. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose someone you loved so much.

  “Sure, her name is Maya…Maya Anwar.”

  I took note of the name and repeated it a few times so I wouldn’t forget once I got out of here. “Willow didn’t like or trust her?”

  Jamie suddenly looked uncomfortable, winking in and out for a few seconds.

  “Maya is a total bitch,” Ronnie said. “If you’re asking Jamie about her, he’ll probably be too embarrassed to tell you she made a pass at him, several times.”

  “What?”

  Jamie looked confused. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “Hold on a second, Jamie. I need to speak to Ronnie.”

  Ronnie’s eyes were wide as she looked at me and nodded vehemently. “Yeah, every time Willow’s back was turned, Maya was trying to seduce Jamie with her sultry looks and always-on-show cleavage. But he never cared or took much notice. Jamie was a good guy. He loved Willow and only had eyes for her. His rejection pissed Maya off.”

  Why would this woman try to seduce a boy? “Did Willow ever find out what Maya was trying to do to Jamie?”

  “Uh, what’s Ronnie telling you?”

  “Relax, Jamie, there’s no shame in admitting an older woman tried to seduce you.” I glared at him. “The only shame would be giving in.”

  Jamie sighed. “I feel like a bastard for admitting this but you have no idea how hard it was to turn away from Maya sometimes. She would flick her long hair at me and lean over counters so I could see down her shirt. She always walked around in revealing outfits and one time I busted her playing with herself in the bathroom. I always thought she knew I was coming and did it on purpose. But Willow meant too much for me to do something as stupid as give in to that woman. Besides, I know she didn’t want me. She just wanted me to make a move on her so she could tell Willow and we’d break up. Maya wanted me out of the way.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I overheard her on the phone a few times talking to someone and telling them that once I was out of the way, Willow would be hers and she’d have the insurance someone wanted.”

  My heart sped up. How could a teenage girl be insurance? Had Maya planned to ultimately use Willow against her own father because there was something else she wanted? I wasn’t sure and it didn’t really make clear sense at the moment, but the big picture was slowly coming together in the back of my mind.

  I looked at this kid who’d died so young and had so much inner strength and belief in love that he’d resisted the temptations of what sounded like a very alluring woman. Having such a strong-willed ally by her side probably ensured that Willow wasn’t isolated and easily influenced. No wonder this Maya woman wanted Jamie out of the way.

  “Can you tell me what Maya looks like?” I asked.

  “Curvy, pretty, exotic, big-breasted—”

  “Trampy, overdid the makeup, couldn’t keep her boobs inside her top most of the time, long, black hair, and darkish skin. Did I mention trampy?”

  I couldn’t help but smile at the way each of them described Maya.

  “Thanks guys,” I said. “Now, Ronnie, I need to ask you a very important question—did Maya kill you?”

  Her eyes widened and she looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. “No, it wasn’t her. I’d never seen anything like this before.”

  “Tell me what you can remember…”

  “It’s all broken up inside my head, so I can only remember bits and pieces. Long hair, a bare chest that didn’t look human, a tail wrapped around me so tight I felt like I was suffocating, golden eyes, and huge fangs.” Ronnie sighed. “That’s all I can remember.”

  It was enough to confirm we were indeed dealing with a Lamia. The fact Jamie had added the seduction angle only confirmed the folklore.

  “One more thing—how did you end up in the alley?”

  “Oh yeah, I remember that. I was standing on the street when a really nice looking guy appeared out of nowhere and asked me for directions. I thought it wouldn’t hurt—he was cute and looked totally lost.” She seemed to be engrossed in the memory now. “I turned around for just a moment to point the way, when he dragged me into the alley and that thing was waiting for me.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry about what happened to both of you. No one deserves such violent deaths. I’ll find this bitch and I’ll make her pay.”

  “You need to make sure she doesn’t find Willow,” Jamie said.

  I nodded.

  “Please make sure she doesn’t find Willow,” Ronnie echoed Jamie’s words. “Maya kept calling me and started making appearances at school. She would hassle me, and even threatened to hurt me if I didn’t tell her where Willow was hiding. I just wanted to warn Willow, to tell her to be extra careful when…”

  “Ronnie, why didn’t you just call her?”

  “I thought Maya might be listening in… When I went into the city I took three different buses, even tried to disguise myself as much as I could. She must have sent someone out to get me.”

  The fact both dead girls mentioned a cute guy before being attacked definitely pointed to some asshole posing as bait. But was the Lamia under Maya’s control, or was she the creature?

  I took a long, cold breath. “I need to get back, guys. But I want to thank you both so much.”

  “I hope I helped,” Jamie said.

  “Please look after her,”
Ronnie added.

  “You both helped a lot, and I’ll take good care of Willow.”

  Their smiles mirrored each other.

  “What will happen to us now?” Jamie asked. “I know we’re with Will at the moment but I can’t talk to her, just see her.”

  I sighed. “You’ll both stay attached to Willow for a while longer because she loved you both so much that she drew you in when you died. I’ll make sure this situation is only temporary.”

  “Tell her I’ll always love her,” Jamie said.

  “Tell her I miss her,” Ronnie added.

  They both nodded and their colors seemed to fade as I crossed back into the living world. Before I did, I reached out and patted Stitches on the head. His tail was wagging but he too was fading fast.

  I sucked in a sudden breath and yanked my hands away from Willow’s. An electric shock ran through me, but I was back in my kitchen.

  It took me a little longer than usual to get my breath.

  “Did you see them?” Willow asked.

  After a quick nod, I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Jamie said he’ll always love you and Ronnie misses you.” I pulled back and found her smiling as tears dripped down her cheeks.

  “Fox, are you okay?” Papan kneeled down beside me and reached out for my face, but sprang back when an electric shock simultaneously zapped us.

  “Sorry, it’s a little residue from the experience.” I was grateful he cared enough to run to my side. “I’m fine, by the way. No need to worry. Did you guys see anything?”

  “I saw a boy, a girl and a dog all lit up like Christmas lights,” Gareth said from where he still sat. “But there’s no way I could have seen that, right?”

  Oren took a step towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. If you hang around here long enough, you’ll see plenty more things you’re not supposed to.”

  “Ah, thanks. I think,” he said with a look of utter confusion.

  “Oh no, you don’t want to thank me.” Oren switched his attention to me. “What did you find out from those poor souls?”