‘Do you think you can work it out?’ Parker asked, earnestly.
‘Maybe,’ she pondered slowly, dusky green eyes roaming over the lines, symbols and incantations that meant absolutely nothing to the other two people in the room. Reaching forward with her hand as if she feeling for something, the occult expert instantly nodded and tilted her head. ‘Do you mind me asking who it was that found this?’
‘I did,’ Martha answered, slowly raising a hand as if she’d been called upon in class.
Both Parker and his colleague directed their attention at her and she didn’t know whether to be proud or nervous about the way that the other woman looked at her with appraisal in her eyes but it emerged that she probably didn’t need to worry as she was complimented with what sounded like a genuine, ‘Awesome. Great job.’
‘Thanks, I guess.’
‘What made you ask that?’ Parker enquired, seemingly needing an explanation. Martha wondered if that was a strategy he had developed, being a null who was surrounded by people as clearly talented as Olivia and Walsh in their line of work. She had to admit that if it was, it was sound. He was clearly interested in knowing how things ticked, even if he could not sense or experience the mystical anomalies for himself.
‘Whoever blessed this was powerful enough to protect their work really securely. You shouldn’t have found it. Not with the strength of this warding anyway.’
‘The man who created it died about a month ago,’ Martha offered. ‘Perhaps the warding, as you called it, was simply starting to wear off.’
‘No,’ Olivia shook her head, sounding slightly amused. ‘Not possible.’
‘Why not?’ It was Parker that asked this time.
‘Because when a practitioner dies, the energy that they put into their spells dies with them. The warding is still relatively fresh and very potent. If the person who cast it had died, then it would be leaking magical energy all over the room and I would not be standing here.’
Martha frowned, mulling over what she had said and the implications of it. There was energy in the room, she had sensed it herself. However, what the pagan was suggesting was that if the protective spell that had seemingly kept the both of them from touching the circle had been compromised, then the fallout would have been catastrophic. ‘It’s that powerful?’
‘It is that powerful.’
‘There is energy leaking through it though,’ Martha pointed out. ‘At least, there was. The man who was killed in this room was not a magical practitioner. Even if he was, or he did this, he should not have that kind of power. And besides, he is dead. Very dead.’
Olivia frowned, gazing back down at the circle for a long moment as if she were trying to read it. Eventually she shrugged, ‘I suppose it’s possible that the circle was created by the person who died. That would explain the little bits of leakage. Whenever magic is used, whether it is a simple spell-casting, a blessing or even a conjuring, the practitioner has to call upon a certain amount of energy or power. A conscientious practitioner will only ever summon what they need or clean up after themselves. If they are sloppy, then they might conjure too much and leave the excess for later or a novice might not even know that they should use it all.’
Olivia’s clear disdain for anybody who did not carefully use magic was palpable and it was good to know that she took her craft very seriously. Every little thing that Martha was learning about MPIA seemed legitimately professional and she was once again grateful that there were people like their investigators in Amanda’s close proximity. It helped her believe that there could maybe be an outcome to all of this that wasn’t totally awful.
‘If unused,’ the magic expert continued, ‘then magical energy can become a problem all on its own because once it becomes corrupted it starts attracting things. Bad things.’
‘Such as?’ asked Parker, who was intensely focusing on what was being said.
‘Oh, all sorts of paranormal nasties,’ she shrugged. ‘Spirits, shadow creatures, astral critters, demons. The list really does go on and on…’
‘Demons?’ Martha asked, swallowing the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.
‘Sure, if the magic is powerful enough.’
Parker summarised what they had been saying, asking Olivia, ‘So you think that Mr. Ford was most likely playing around with magic that he wasn’t powerful enough to really understand and he left magical energy behind, attracting something that got in here and killed him?’
She nodded. ‘It’s a possibility, yes.’
‘But?’ he asked, as if he were used to the way she worked and knew there was more.
‘But, if that is what happened, then whatever it was that the magic attracted would have had to have been powerful enough to bless the circle and then ward it after they had done away with the practitioner who cast it. I’m not saying that it’s impossible but the kinds of things that are attracted to corrupted magic are simply scavengers. They’re just not that smart.’
‘What would be that clever?’ Martha enquired. ‘You mentioned demons before.’
‘I was referring to lesser kinds of demons - the kind that prey on the already vulnerable – rather than anything with true power. Like everything else I mentioned, they’re opportunistic and cowardly parasites. It’d be much more likely they’d keep the source of their food alive, so they can keep feeding off it. Makes no sense for them to kill the practitioner.’
She had a point.
Staring back down at the power circle, Olivia put her hands on her amply-proportioned hips and shook her head, mostly to herself it seemed, saying, ‘This would be so much easier if I knew exactly what the circle was for. Like I said, I’ve never seen anything like it and except for the warding – which is the line of runes running around the edge of it – I just don’t know.’
Parker said, ‘But you can confirm that somebody – possibly the victim – was performing magic in here and that person was different to whoever warded the circle?’
Somewhat reluctantly, she nodded. ‘Someone created this. I don’t think they warded it.’
‘That’s something at least.’
‘Yeah, it is,’ she half-heartedly agreed, still looking down at it. To Martha’s eyes, she appeared to be almost sad that she did not know all of the answers, her shoulders ever so slightly slumped in defeat. Nevertheless, she appeared to quickly shrug it off, addressing Parker, ‘Do me a favour and take some pictures of it and e-mail them to me so I can look into it some more. Do not – and I cannot stress this enough – recreate it by drawing it out or copying any of the runes on it. Until we know what we are dealing with, I don’t want any of the magic getting free of the warding that’s keeping it all sealed up like that.’
Parker all but rolled his eyes. ‘I know the drill.’
‘Somebody didn’t want this to be found. Cover it back up once you’re done.’
‘Is it safe?’ Martha couldn’t help but ask. ‘My family live in this house.’
‘It is for now,’ Olivia assured her but there was a seriousness in her tone and eyes that, if she was certain about anything, Martha did not want to challenge. Like the young psychic that was dating her sister, MPIA’s resident pagan was more powerful and therefore more dangerous than she looked. ‘Once I know what it is, I will work out how to get through the warding and deal with the energy inside. Nobody will get hurt as long as they leave it the hell alone.’
Martha nodded. ‘Okay. I’ll make sure of it.’
‘I’m sure you will,’ the other woman retorted before turning back to her colleague. ‘I’m getting out of here. If you find out anything more, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you at noon.’
He nodded in response, a genuine softness appearing in his eyes for the first time since they had entered the room together. ‘Thanks Liv. I really do appreciate it.’
‘Of course you do,’ she loftily batted the compliment away with her hand. ‘Who else would drop their plans in the middle of the night to come rushing to your beck-and-call?�
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‘I owe you one.’
She nodded, with a smile. ‘A big one. I’ll show myself out.’
Coming back around the strange power circle, she headed towards where Martha was still standing by the door. The differences in their heights made her feel much shorter than she truly was but that might have had a little bit to do with the other woman’s self-confidence. It had been a long time since she had been around somebody with Olivia’s assuredness that wasn’t male and she couldn’t help but find it a little bit intimidating and strangely noteworthy.
The leggy blonde paused as she reached the door, acknowledging her and smiled. It seemed genuine enough but there was something in her dusky green eyes that Martha couldn’t quite put her finger on. Not animosity exactly but something that felt personal even though they had never met before. Her words, however, were not in the least bit confrontational, as she glibly commented, ‘Nice to see you’re as remarkable as everyone always claimed, Martha Ford. It was good to finally be able to put a face to the name.’
‘It’s Valentine, actually,’ Martha instinctively corrected. ‘I go by my mother’s name.’
‘I’ll remember that.’ Olivia smiled that strange smile again. ‘And I’ll be sure to put in a good word about you to my father. You’ve done some good work here tonight. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear all about it in preparation for when he finally gets to meet you.’
Having no idea who her father was but not wanting to seem combative, Martha simply said, ‘Thanks. It was good meeting you too, Olivia. We appreciate your help.’
‘Much obliged,’ she winked and then was out of the door and gone.
Chapter 15
As the door shut, Michael Parker released a breath that he hadn’t even realised that he had been holding. Calling Olivia in on Amanda’s investigation was a risky idea at best but the moment he had seen what had been hiding underneath Mr. Ford’s gauche oversized red rug, he had known that he no longer had the option to be selfish. She was the best at what she did and her input was needed, whether it was going to be painfully awkward or not. That she had been out on a date when he called was just the right kind of twist of fate that he should have expected.
Irony sure loved to kick him in the backside.
Nevertheless, she listened to his pleas and rushed over to the Ford residence to appraise the strange power circle. The whole thing had gone about as he had expected, knowing the two women who had played such big roles in his personal life as well as he did. His only regret was that they didn’t yet have more answers as to what happened in there the night that Mr. Ford died. He had really wanted to give Amanda something concrete. The poor girl had been so shaken by the revelation that her father might not have been as good a man as she had always believed. It was not fair that she suffered so much while that bastard didn’t even have the good graces to still be around to answer for his misdemeanours. She deserved so much better than his poisoned legacy.
Martha had her arms crossed over in front of her chest again as she stepped further into the room. A part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her so badly but it was not his place to do that anymore and he wasn’t even sure if she would accept physical comfort from anybody let alone from him after what she had been through… Damn. He still couldn’t really get his head around it all. It was horrific and it was gut-wrenching and if he didn’t keep putting it to the back of his mind then he wouldn’t be able to his job. And he needed to work.
Setting about doing what Olivia instructed, he went to his attaché case and pulled out his small, digital camera. He would photograph the evidence so that they could cover it back up and secure the room until they could figure out exactly what it was and how they could neutralise it. He had seen his colleague in action plenty of times before and was confident that, whatever it was, she would be able to handle it. She was simply that good at what she did.
Carefully and efficiently, he captured a few images of the circle in its entirety and then about a hundred pictures of the individual symbols and runes. It was painstaking work and by the time that he was satisfied he had gotten enough images, he was thoroughly sick of the sight of the thing. Turning his attention to Martha, who had been standing there, simply watching him work, he asked, ‘Can you give me a hand, getting this thing covered back up?’
She blinked as if she had been in her own world before nodding absently, ‘Yeah.’
It was easier work covering the circle back up than it had been getting it off, with Martha taking more than her fair share of the red rug’s considerable weight. He had been impressed by her physical strength earlier on, though he could see that she clearly had been keeping herself in great shape since she had recovered from her ordeal. Now her physical toughness seemed to more than match her mental fortitude, he couldn’t help but admire her even more.
The rug firmly back in place, he returned the camera to his case and shut it tight.
What a night. Checking his watch, he realised that it was far from over yet.
They should probably go and check on Amanda and Walsh.
Turning to look at Martha, he was disheartened to see that she was still standing in front of where the circle was located on the floor, staring down at the rug as if she could see through it and could not pry her gaze from its twisted presence. He called her name softly, unable to bear seeing her so haunted but not wanting to intrude on her personal space, no matter how badly he wanted to cross the room, hold onto her and never let go again.
She sighed deeply, stating, ‘I really hate this house.’
‘Yeah, I get that.’
Taking a deep, shaking breath she seemed to mentally shake herself back out of her melancholy, running a hand through her dark, curling hair, much shorter than it had been all those years ago. It suited her like that. Made her look more like a woman and less like a girl.
‘I think I want to go and be with my sister now,’ she said, crossing the room barely looking at him. The door was unlocked and opened. She disappeared through it without even a glance back, leaving him alone in a room that he had absolutely no inclination to stay in.
Gathering up his case, he followed, turning off the lights and locking the door behind him, pocketing the key. He left the case by the wall at the top of the stairs before joining the others in the lounge. Amanda was curled up on the sofa. Martha had joined her but the two of them were not touching, let alone holding each other as one might expect. Walsh was standing by the balcony doors, a mirror image to how the ones in the study must have appeared to be before the fateful night they had been broken. Rather than disturbing the sisters, he crossed the room and went to his young friend, who nodded in greeting as he joined him.
‘How is she holding up?’ he asked, because it seemed the most important thing to ask.
‘Not good.’ He shook his head, voice muted. ‘This has really taken it out of her.’
‘Not surprising. Losing her father, having Gale in such a state and then seeing that..?’ He cursed under his breath. ‘I can’t imagine what she’s going through.’
‘It’s more than that. She thinks that she has seen it before – the circle. She claims that she dreamt about it a few years ago and drew it out, showed it to her father.’
Parker did not have any words to respond to that other than a string of expletives that he did not want to verbalise. This whole mess just got worse and worse. Where would it end?
Walsh was somehow managing to keep his head. Bluntly, he pointed out, ‘He must have copied it, researched and used it. For what, Amanda doesn’t know. She’s feeling like this is all her fault somehow but she didn’t know. She trusted him.’
‘Yeah,’ Parker mused, trying to get his head around it all.
After a few minutes of thought-filled silence, the young psychic asked. ‘What exactly did Goldilocks have to say about it all?’
‘Olivia’s not sure what it was used for either,’ he relayed. ‘She’s had me take photos of it so she can do some research, warned us
to cover it back up and not mess with it. The protective warding on it is still pretty powerful so she’s not convinced that Amanda’s father did it all.’
‘She’s right,’ Walsh nodded. ‘Mr Ford was a null in every sense of the word. He didn’t have it in him. Quite frankly, I’m shocked that he tried that crap at all. It would never end well.’
It was so unusual for the young psychic to agree with their pagan expert that Parker took what he was saying on board on the provision that it was most likely the reality of things. On their own, the pair of them were rarely wrong. Together, sharing the same opinion, there had to be something in their theory. He would take their advice on board.
‘What are you going to do now?’ the younger man asked.
‘I need to go back to the office, get the pictures to Olivia and process everything. You said that Mr. Ford must have copied and researched the image that Amanda gave to him? If that’s the case, then there must be a paper trail. He’d have kept notes, used books…’ Gazing over his shoulders at the two women who were still sitting on the sofa, seemingly finding comfort in each other’s presence, he decided, ‘I won’t do anything with that tonight though. God, she’s been through more than enough. I’ll have to come back tomorrow morning.’
‘And I’m sure she’ll be happy to help you with that,’ Walsh nodded before leaving what felt like a deliberate pause. ‘How are the two of you getting along, by the way?’
‘What are..?’ Parker momentarily frowned with confusion. ‘I wasn’t talking about her.’
Walsh smirked. ‘Of course you weren’t.’
‘She’s here. We talked. It’s not awkward. Can’t we just leave it at that?’
‘For now,’ the younger man conceded, leaving enough in his tone to firmly state that the conversation was far from over. He could be relentless sometimes. He really could. Coupled with his near-Yoda mind reading skills, it made for more annoying moments than Parker could count. That he seemed to be more concerned about Amanda than poking fun was a break that was pretty far from fortunate though. Nothing about the mess they had found themselves in was lucky.
Sins of the Father (Bloody Marytown Book 1) Page 10