He was probably right. I licked my lips as I regarded Barbie. “When did you find out Ashley was Gus’s daughter?”
“When I saw the results of some blood work when she was a teenager,” Barbie replied. “I believe she was getting her routine exam before her freshman year of high school. The doctor insisted that we all get tested again because something wasn’t right. He thought it was a clerical error. I talked him out of it and convinced him to fix the chart.”
“Fix it, huh?” I felt mildly sick to my stomach. “I’m sure that would’ve gone over well if Ashley had a medical emergency down the road.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I had the doctor alter Henry’s chart. It didn’t even cost that much. Five-hundred bucks and the possibility Henry might get the wrong blood if he was ever in an accident. It was well worth it.”
Yup. Now I definitely felt sick. “How did Trish find out?”
“She and Ashley gave blood together at one of those drives they hold downtown every few months,” Barbie replied. “They found out they had the same blood type – or I guess it was the same Rh-negative factor, which is rare – and thought it was weird. Apparently Trish thought it was weirder than Ashley and did some digging. She found out Henry’s real blood type – I’m still not sure how – and confronted me.”
“Ashley was her sister. That would’ve been a big deal to her.”
“Ashley was her half-sister in blood only,” Barbie countered. “They weren’t sisters. They never should’ve been friends.”
Something about the story didn’t sit right with me. “Why did you even care after the divorce? I mean … once you got your settlement from Henry, a guy you obviously don’t like, why not tell the truth?”
Barbie turned haughty. “What makes you think he doesn’t know the truth?”
I was dumbfounded … but then I remembered the vision I had when leaving her house. “You told him at some point.”
“I did. We were in a fight and I blurted it out. By then he loved her. She was a teenager, after all. He said blood didn’t mean anything.”
“And then he turned around and had an affair with Maureen,” I deduced.
“Pretty much. It was payback.”
“He conveniently left that part out of his story,” I muttered. “It might’ve saved us some time if he’d simply told the truth.”
“Oh, he would’ve never done that,” Barbie intoned. “He didn’t want Ashley to think of him as anything other than her doting father. He wanted her to live her entire life in the dark.”
“Did he know Trish had found out the truth?”
Barbie shrugged. “I don’t believe so. She came straight to me. She was too sympathetic to approach Henry in case he didn’t know. She wouldn’t want to break apart his world.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What about Gus? Why did you kill him?”
“Wait … forget the why of it.” Booker held up his hand to draw Barbie’s attention. “We know the why. Hadley was pressing for further information. You believed she was pushing Galen to keep digging, and you didn’t want that. You were more than willing to sacrifice your own daughter if it meant you got away with it.”
“Pretty much,” Barbie agreed. “Ashley has been insufferable since her teenage years. I really don’t have much love for the girl. I wanted to protect her a bit, make sure she didn’t find out the truth because it would’ve resulted in a lot of whining. And Henry would have demanded some of his money back from the divorce because he made sure I got more than I deserved in exchange for keeping the secret. But I’m willing to sacrifice her to keep myself safe.”
“You thought killing Gus would distract Galen, didn’t you?” Booker pressed. “You enticed Madame Selena to help you pull it off. You wanted Hadley confused so she wouldn’t know if she somehow killed Gus, and you wanted Galen focused on her above everything else. If Hadley was in trouble, he’d stop looking into Trish’s death.”
“Basically.” Barbie was blasé. “It didn’t even have to be Gus. I just needed someone to get Hadley out in the open. I saw Gus down the beach and approached him. He was a wreck, sunburned and crying. He was broken-hearted … showed me his gun. I saw my opportunity then and sent him in Hadley’s direction with a little help from Madame Selena.
“She was supposed to control Hadley just as easily,” she continued. “Unfortunately, Hadley broke from the spell before I could put the gun in her hands. She broke right before the shooting. I saw it on her face and I knew trouble would follow. Selena did, too. She ran before I was even off the beach.
“That was a big problem for me,” she said. “I knew that Selena was prone to talking if she thought it would get her out of trouble. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I couldn’t lose everything because of her big mouth.”
Madame Selena was affronted. “Hey! I don’t have a big mouth. I never would’ve said anything. You could’ve trusted me.”
“Even though you were Hadley’s first suspect?” Barbie challenged. “Galen knew right away what had happened on the beach. He knew who to go after. He also knew that someone was breaking into the lighthouse, and it was easy enough to figure out who would have the motive for that.”
Madame Selena looked like a kid caught with her mother’s makeup. “They didn’t know.” She looked to me for confirmation. “You didn’t know, right?”
“We didn’t technically know, but it wouldn’t have been that hard to put together,” I replied. “I mean … you were only interested in May’s books when you stopped by. We performed a séance to call May, and she said someone was trying to keep her from the lighthouse. Only a few people could do that, and you’re the first to jump to mind. It wouldn’t have taken long to figure out.”
“Oh, well … .” Madame Selena broke off and licked her lips. “Fine. You’re right. I totally would’ve turned you in to save myself.”
“See.” Barbie knowingly bobbed her head. “I told you I was a genius.”
We were getting off course. “So, what’s your plan now?” I challenged. “We know the truth, and you’re outnumbered.”
“I have this.” Barbie held up the gun. “I can do anything I want with this.”
“Madame Selena has a gun, too,” Lilac pointed out. “It’s not as if she’s going to sit back and watch you kill everyone – including herself – and not do a thing about it.”
As if realizing for the first time that she was in a vulnerable position, Madame Selena quickly leveled her gun at Barbie. That allowed me the space to breathe a little easier, although we remained exposed.
The good news was that Barbie and Madame Selena were nowhere near as smart as they thought they were. In fact, they were both a little idiotic. Things wouldn’t end well for them. They wouldn’t get away no matter what. That didn’t mean, however, that they wouldn’t inadvertently take us along for a very bad ride.
“Don’t point that thing at me!” Barbie snapped, her eyes flashing. “I’m in no mood for your games.”
“This isn’t a game,” Madame Selena fired back. “This is my life and I want to protect it. I’m not going to fight it because you’re a money-hungry B-I-T-C-H.”
I looked around, genuinely confused. “Who are you spelling for?”
Madame Selena sent me a frustrated look. “I have to spell bad words when I run a tent at a festival because kids are always around. Parents don’t like it when you introduce the little ones to bad words. It’s become something of a habit.”
“Oh, well, that’s good, I guess.” I really didn’t know what to make of it. “You should definitely take her out if you’re worried she’s going to kill you. You know … be proactive.”
Booker widened his eyes to comical proportions as he met my gaze. “What are you doing?”
I ignored the question and remained focused on Madame Selena. “I’m serious.” A plan had formed and I was determined to get Wesley, Booker and Lilac safely out of this situation. I was pretty keen on keeping myself safe, too. I didn’t care what Madame Selena an
d Barbie did to each other. They were horrible individuals who had earned whatever was coming their way. “You should totally shoot her, Madame Selena.”
Barbie’s mouth dropped open. “What are you telling her to do?”
I refused to back down. “She has to protect herself.” I was serious. “You’re here to kill her and us, Barbie. Madame Selena has to be the first to go because she’s armed. Even though she’s a terrible person – and I do mean terrible – I don’t want her to die.”
“I’m not a terrible person.” Madame Selena adopted a whiny tone. “I just want to be a more powerful witch. Is that too much to ask?”
“You can’t be a more powerful witch,” Wesley answered. “You’re not a born witch. There’s a ceiling that learned witches can’t move beyond. I’m sorry. I don’t make the rules. There’s nothing any of us can do to help you.”
Madame Selena wasn’t ready to give up. “If I could just take the book I know it would help. May cast a spell so I can’t, but I think if Hadley puts a little effort into it she could lift the spell. Then I’ll take the book and be on my way. No harm done.”
And leave us with crazy Barbie in the process, I thought. No thank you. “That’s not going to happen.” I chose my words carefully. “I don’t know how to lift the spell and I’m much too worried about surviving to do it. You should be worried about surviving, too. I mean … look at that woman.” I gestured toward Barbie. “She has murder on the mind, and you’ll be the first one she takes out. I promise you that.”
Madame Selena balked. “How can you possibly know that? She can’t make an expression – her face is frozen in time – so how do you know what she’s thinking?”
Barbie beamed. “Thank you.”
“I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean that as a compliment,” Booker offered. “You look like a science experiment gone wrong.”
“I look young,” Barbie shot back.
“Fine.” Booker was deadpan. “You look like a young science experiment gone wrong.”
Barbie made a screeching sound as Madame Selena searched my face for answers.
“How do you know?” Madame Selena asked, her voice barely a whisper. “How do you know what she’s going to do?”
“Because I’ve seen inside her head.” That was kind of true. “You’re first on her list. Then she’ll go for the rest of us. You have to protect yourself.”
“But … .” Madame Selena broke off and chewed her bottom lip. “Maybe this situation can be salvaged. Maybe we can work together.”
“She used you to bewitch the father of her daughter,” I pointed out. “She killed him just to give herself some time. She’s fine with her daughter going to prison for something she did. What do you think she’s going to do to you?”
That was enough to break through Madame Selena’s foggy brain. She widened her eyes at the words and pointed her gun directly at Barbie’s chest. “She’s right. I didn’t even think about it.”
It was time to act. I gathered my nerves and courage and tugged on the energy I could feel whipping through my body. It felt fragmented, not yet ready to come out and perform, and yet I knew I had to force the wisps into something complete and powerful.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Barbie said. “I don’t want to hurt you, Selena. She’s making that up.”
“You came here to hurt her,” Booker pointed out. “You don’t care about us any longer. You only care about Madame Selena. She’s the only one who can hurt you.”
“He’s right.” Madame Selena was furious. “You’re a murderer, and I’m next on your list. Do you think I’ll allow that?”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to allow anything,” Barbie barked. “I’m in charge.”
“No, I am.”
They faced each other, guns pointed at chests and eyes wild with suspicion. Wesley and Lilac realized what was about to happen and scrambled out of the way.
“You’ve ruined everything,” Barbie screeched. “You’re a complete and total idiot. I had it all figured out, but you ruined everything!”
I exchanged a quick look with Booker, hoping he’d somehow grasp what I was about to do. He simply nodded at me, ready.
“You ruined this,” Madame Selena said. “You had to take things too far. You’ve always been like this. Even when we were in high school you took things too far. That’s why everyone hated you.”
“They hated you. I … .” Barbie trailed off, making a face as she stared at her gun. “What’s going on here?”
“What’s going on is that I’m going to shoot you and save myself,” Madame Selena replied, oblivious to the power I was releasing in her direction. It seeped out of me rather than sped, but it was building quickly. “I’m the boss. Me!”
“Not that, you ninny.” Barbie’s eyes filled with panic. “I can’t move. I’m frozen like a statue. I can’t even … no, it doesn’t work. I can’t move.”
“You’re still flapping your lips,” Madame Selena pointed out.
“Yes, well, I can’t move my body.” Barbie looked as if she was about to cry, which was impressive because I’d never seen her face move a single muscle. “Can you move?”
Madame Selena finally realized she was in the same boat and she turned screechy. “No. I’m frozen, too! I … what is happening? Are the aliens coming? Am I about to die?”
“No, but you are about to go to jail.” Booker calmly got to his feet and plucked the gun from Barbie’s hand. She didn’t react, instead remaining rooted to her spot. “This is kind of fun.” He poked his finger into her cheek. “It’s like having a real-life Barbie doll. Quick, someone see if she’s anatomically correct.”
I scalded him with a dark look. “Don’t you dare!” I reached forward and grabbed the gun from Madame Selena’s hand, just to be on the safe side, and rubbed my forehead. I was weary after expending so much energy. For some reason, once I pooled the power, it was easy to form. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I would give it endless thought later. “Someone should get some rope. I’m not sure how long this will last.”
“I’m on it.” Lilac, eager to help, hopped to her feet. “This was a really great showing, by the way. I can’t tell you how impressed I am.”
“Me, too.” Wesley moved to follow Lilac. “I know where May kept the rope. We’ll be right back.”
“Hurry.” I couldn’t stop rubbing my forehead. I worried I would pass out. “Hey, Booker?”
“Hmm.” He was fascinated with the frozen women, so much so that he didn’t even look in my direction despite my raspy voice.
“If I pass out, make sure you don’t tell anyone. I want to maintain my street cred.”
“What?” He finally dragged his eyes to me and frowned. “You look pale.”
“I feel pale.”
“Well … stop it.” He was clearly agitated. “You’re not allowed to pass out. You just saved the day.”
“I know, but I expended too much energy. I think I might actually throw up and then pass out.”
“I could show you how to fix that,” Madame Selena offered, desperate. “Trust me. I’m an expert at magic.”
“Shut up.” Booker flicked her ear as he passed, kneeling in front of me. “Do not pass out. I’ll make fun of you forever if you do.”
“Galen.” I barely managed to get his name out before I listed to the side. My head felt too big for my body and my torso too heavy to support. “Call Galen and get him back here. I … crap. I’m going to pass out.”
Booker seemed resigned to it happening too. “It’s fine. I’ll take care of all this … including getting the credit.” He patted the top of my head. “Nighty-night.”
I wanted to smack him, but it was too late. The darkness was already upon me. “I won’t forget this.”
“I don’t think any of us will.”
Then I was gone.
29
Twenty-Nine
I woke up to find Madame Selena and Barbie hogtied on the floor. No, really. They were face down, their hands
and feet bound together behind them. They didn’t look happy.
As for me, I was on the couch with a pillow under my head. Wesley, Lilac and Booker stood a few feet away, heads bent together.
“What happened?” I croaked, swiping at my face as I tried to regain the strength that had fled so quickly after the magical display I didn’t even know I was capable of performing.
Wesley snapped his head in my direction, relief obvious. “See! I told you she’d be okay. She simply overexerted herself. She’s fine.”
“I don’t think Galen will feel that way when he sees how pale she is,” Booker argued. “In fact … yup, here he comes now.”
As if on cue, the door swung open to allow Galen entrance. He looked annoyed more than anything. Then he got a look at what was going on in the living room. “What the … ?”
Booker filled him in quickly. He didn’t meander and cut directly to the heart of matters. When he was finished, Galen was staggered. Instead of moving to the vociferously complaining women – Barbie was busy trying to blame Madame Selena for putting a spell on her that made her act out of sorts – he headed straight for me.
“Hey.” He sat on the coffee table and leaned close, his hand gentle as it brushed my hair from my face. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”
There was no way that was going to happen. “No. I’m just … a little tired. I’m fine.”
Galen didn’t look convinced. “You’re so pale I can practically see through you.”
Speaking of that, I had other things to focus on. “We need to find a way for Madame Selena to break her spell. We can’t let her leave this house until she does. I don’t want to risk May not being able to come for a visit. I’ll need a mentor and I’m running out of options.”
Galen heaved a sigh. “Fine. You don’t have to go to the hospital. I’m going to be watching you closely, though, so get used to it.”
I tried to hide my smile, but it was a losing effort. “I’ve been getting used to that since we met.”
Witch Out of Water Page 27