“For locking up his daughter?” I asked incredulously. “Sounds like superstition to me.”
“I’m not championing his behavior,” Dominic said. “But we need to be careful.”
“I don’t want to leave her here all alone.”
“Me, neither. But what happens if it’s true and we let her out?”
“It’s not true,” I insisted. “There’s no way that innocent girl is a killer.”
“Maybe not,” he replied. “But we have to look at all the possibilities. She might not be the murderer, but we need to prove it.”
“What should we do in the meantime? We can’t just leave her there.”
“She’s safe and warm here,” he said. “And what other choice do we have? What if we let her out and someone else dies?”
“Maybe she’ll come stay with me,” I suggested. We went back to Sanja’s room and I posed the question, but she wouldn’t budge.
“I’m better off here,” Sanja said. “That way if someone dies tonight, at least I’ll know it wasn’t me.”
“She has a point,” Dominic said.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll leave you alone. This time. But I’m coming over tomorrow to check on you.”
She nodded. “That is acceptable.”
I wrote down my cell phone number on a scrap of paper and handed it to her. “Call me if you need anything.”
I knew we were doing the right thing, but it still broke my heart to leave Sanja and see her waving forlornly at us from her bedroom window.
After leaving the house, Dominic and I poked around the property looking for clues to Samantha’s predicament, but we didn’t find any unusual plants that might have put her in a coma. We left feeling down.
Despite Sanja’s self-imprisonment, there was another dead body discovered the next day.
That’s when I knew for sure she wasn’t the killer.
Chapter Fifteen
On Monday, the rumor was buzzing around Nightshade High even before Principal Amador made the official announcement. The murder victim was Mr. Bellows, the shop teacher. “At least we know that Sanja didn’t do it,” I told Dominic.
“Do you think she got out somehow?” he asked me in a low voice.
I shook my head. “No way. Sanja was too scared to leave that room before sunrise, which means it’s not a Mara.”
“Then who is it?”
“Good question,” I said. “Maybe it’s time to follow up on the paintings. We know that at least two of the victims came into contact with Jensen Kenton’s paintings. Mrs. Lincoln at the library, and apparently Tad Collins owned one. It was hanging in his bedroom.”
“So what about Mr. Bellows?” Dominic asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “According to Raven’s research, he never even visited the exhibit.”
Daisy sent me a text message to tell me that in his police training, Ryan had heard about some evidence in Mr. Bellows’s murder. A thin piece of string had been found at the scene of the crime, but the police had no other leads.
“Jessica Walsh,” a voice said. “Hand me your phone.”
It was Mr. Martin. “But it’s snack period,” I protested. Nightshade High had a strict no-cell-phone policy except during snack period or lunch.
He held out his hand. “Hand it over.”
There was no sense arguing with him. I’d be able to pick up my phone in the office after school. Still, something made me delete Daisy’s text before I gave the phone to him.
“What was that all about?” Dominic asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s new, so maybe he didn’t realize I wasn’t breaking the rules.”
Dominic pointed to a group of girls over by the vending machines. They were all texting madly. “Maybe, but he didn’t take their phones away.”
“Can I borrow your phone?” I asked. “I’m going to warn Daisy.”
Dominic handed over his phone. “Warn her about what?”
“Keep an eye out for Mr. Martin,” I told him. “I don’t want him to take your phone too.”
I held the phone discreetly in my lap and texted her a message: Our art teacher makes marionettes. Any idea what kind of string they found? If you hear anything, call me at home after school.
Eva was obviously a fan of this guy, but I wasn’t.
I got my phone back after school and checked it thoroughly. It looked like someone might have been scrolling through my text messages, which freaked me out. Not that there was anything exciting to read, but I liked my privacy. It wasn’t like I’d texted Hey, I’m a virago, but it still bothered me. Mr. Martin had been snooping, I was sure of it, and I wanted to know why.
The next day, my phone rang and my brother’s number came up. “Any news?” I asked.
“Samantha woke up!” Sean said.
“We’ll be right over,” I replied. I hung up and called Daisy right away.
When we got to the hospital, Samantha was sitting up. She had a haunted look in her eyes but a little bit of color in her cheeks. My brother held her hand in a death grip, but he couldn’t stop smiling.
“You scared the heck out of us,” Daisy scolded, after she gave her best friend a long hug.
I leaned in for a hug of my own. “I’m glad you’re back in the real world.”
“The doctor was here a few minutes ago and said she’s made a full recovery,” Sean said.
“I’m going to let Ryan know,” Daisy said. “He was really worried about you, too.” She stepped out of the room to make the call.
“So what happened, anyway?” I asked.
“It was the freakiest thing,” Samantha said. “I was in my dorm room alone, sleeping, and then I felt like someone was in the room with me.”
“And then what happened? Did you see a horse?”
“A horse?” she asked. “No, no horse. I tried to get out of bed to see who was there and I couldn’t move. I was frozen and I felt like all the oxygen was being sucked out of the room. Then I guess I lost consciousness. It’s been one long bad dream the whole time. I’m so glad I’m finally awake.” She looked at my brother with tears in her eyes.
Ryan arrived with a bouquet of flowers. “I heard you were awake,” he said, beaming at Samantha.
Soon after, her room was flooded with visitors. Word got around fast in Nightshade.
My parents arrived with Sydney and Sarah. “Samantha, when will you be released?” Mom asked. “I want you to come home with us. You can stay in Jessica’s room.”
“Tomorrow, I think,” she replied. “And thank you, but I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“You could stay with us if you’d rather,” Daisy said. “It’s not a good idea for you to be alone in the dorms. And my house is a bit quieter than the Walsh household. That way you’ll be right next door and Jessica and Sean can check on you whenever they want.”
“Jessica, speaking of quiet, Poppy’s with your other sisters in the waiting room,” Mom said. “Why don’t you go make sure the little ones are behaving?”
My sisters were absorbed with coloring books when I found them. Poppy was sprawled next to Katie, with crayons in her hand.
“Poppy, Mom thought you might want to visit Sam,” I said. “I’ve got the rugrats for a few minutes.”
“I’d love to,” Poppy said. “Thanks.”
I took her place next to Katie. “Has the princess come back yet?”
Katie didn’t look up from her coloring book. “No, and you said you’d help find her.”
My sister was mad at me and I couldn’t blame her.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been distracted,” I said. “When we get home, I’ll help look for Princess Antonia.”
Katie finally gave me a smile. “You promise?”
“Promise,” I said.
Poppy came back about half an hour later. “Your mom asked me to take you guys home,” she said. “I guess they’ll be here a while longer. They want to talk to the doctor, since Sam’s mom isn’t here. I’m taking your par
ents’ van and they’re riding back with Sean.”
We herded my sisters into our family van.
“Want me to come in?” Poppy offered when we got home.
I shook my head. “That’s okay. I can handle them for a few hours.”
Katie and I searched the house top to bottom for the mischievous doll. Finally, I collapsed on the couch, exhausted. Katie tried to coax me to get up and search some more.
“We’ve looked all over, Katie.”
“Not at Natalie’s,” she said. “We should look there.” The dollhouse had come from Natalie and Slim’s attic, so she had a point.
Plus, Natalie might be able to help me with Selena’s black magic lead. She didn’t practice black magic, but her grandmother had when she was alive.
“I’ll go over there tonight,” I said.
“I want to go with you,” Katie said. “Princess Antonia might be there. She was looking for a present for the prince.”
“We’ll go as soon as Mom and Dad get home,” I assured her.
It was dark before they walked through the door, which meant there was no way Mom was going to let us ride our bikes.
“Could you please give us a ride?” I begged.
“Why do you want to go to Slim and Natalie’s anyway?” Mom asked.
“Princess Antonia is there,” Katie said.
“How did your doll end up at Natalie’s?”
“She walked there,” Katie replied.
Mom thought she was being sassy and frowned. She didn’t know the doll could move on her own. Then she gave me an exasperated look, but after a few seconds nodded. “Ask your dad to drive you,” she said. “But don’t bother Natalie and Slim if they’re busy.”
Dad drove us to the house and waited in the car while we rang the doorbell.
Natalie answered. “Jessica, Katie, come in,” she invited. She was a short, curvy young woman with blond hair. Her horn-rimmed glasses were askew.
“Hi, Natalie,” I said. “I don’t want to bother you, but I need some information about witchcraft.”
“Of course,” she replied. “I was just working on this tricky spell.”
Katie amused herself by searching for the princess while Natalie and I sat on the couch and talked.
“Selena Silvertongue mentioned there could be a black magic link to the recent murders,” I explained. “Could someone really try to murder someone using a painting? If they used black magic?”
“It’s possible,” she said. “But they’d have to get something belonging to the victim and put it into the painting somehow.”
“Like painting it in there?”
“No,” she said. “Like burning the item in a ritual and then mixing the ash into the paint. Or even keeping the item and using it in a spell.”
“It seems like a lot of work,” I commented. “Jensen Kenton is the obvious suspect, but I can’t figure out a motive.”
“Some people are just evil, Jessica,” Natalie replied. “If there’s hate in their heart, using black magic will only make it worse.”
“Thanks, Natalie,” I said. “You’ve been a huge help.”
“Katie, we’d better go,” I told my sister. I didn’t expect the tears.
“But I haven’t found the princess,” she said. “Can I look in the attic?”
“Is it okay, Natalie? She’s really worried about her.”
“It’s fine, but why would she go up there?” Natalie asked.
“Good question. Katie, did she say what she wanted?”
Katie shook her head. “Just a present.”
As we went up the stairs, we heard an angry hissing noise coming from a corner of the attic.
“That’s not good,” Natalie said. “It sounds like Tigger caught something.” She broke into a run.
Natalie’s tabby had the princess cornered. The cat’s claws were extended and his ears were back as he snarled at the doll, who rode a tiny black horse. Princess Antonia’s cornflower blue gown was shredded.
“Shoo, kitty!” Katie said.
Natalie scooped up her cat, ignoring his attempts to wiggle out of her grasp. “I’ll put him in my bedroom,” she said.
Katie stooped down to examine her doll. “She’s hurt!”
“Natalie can fix her,” I soothed.
Natalie came back and took a look at the princess. “She’s bleeding.”
The princess stomped her tiny feet. “Do not touch me, witch!”
I leaned down and looked her in the eyes. “Mind your manners, princess.”
The little doll smiled sweetly. “Of course. I have found something for the prince’s birthday present. His favorite steed.”
“Great,” I said. “Now we’re going home.”
I scooped her and the minihorse into the Tupperware container I’d brought. I didn’t put the lid on it, but it was too deep for her to climb out of.
“Thanks, Natalie,” I said. “I hope she learned her lesson, but call me if you see her around again.”
On the way home, I had to turn up the radio in Dad’s car so he wouldn’t hear the princess’s tiny shrieks of rage.
Chapter Sixteen
My whole family had tickets to the circus on Saturday night. Mom had even bought one for Dominic.
He pulled up at dusk, just as I was trying to help my dad get my sisters into the van.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“I’m riding with Dominic,” I said quickly.
“Can I come with you?” Katie asked.
“If it’s okay with Dominic,” Mom said.
I looked at my boyfriend, who grinned. “C’mon, Katie, let’s get your seat into my car.”
Since she was seven years old, Katie hated it when we called it a car seat, even though it was one.
It was definitely an old-fashioned circus. We sat on hay bales, but Dominic had very considerately brought a couple of blankets, which he spread out on the bales for us.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“I’ve been to the circus before,” he said. “This one is an equestrian show.”
“Which means?”
“Which means that they’ll have horses. Lots of them.”
The ringmaster strode into the arena. She was tall and curvaceous and wore a red and gold lame suit and a tiny black top hat. Every guy in the audience leaned forward at the sight of her.
Six pure white horses pranced in. Unlike the one we’d seen on the beach, they didn’t have red eyes. There were three acrobatic clowns riding on their backs.
This would be a perfect place for a Mara to hide. I glanced around the audience. I was sure Sanja wouldn’t be able to resist a circus, and I spotted her in a corner. Her eyes were glued on the horses.
I turned my attention back to the performance. Something about one of the clowns looked familiar.
Katie sat next to me. Her fact was rapt as she stared at the prancing animals.
I leaned in and whispered to Dominic, “That’s Tashya, isn’t it?”
There was a long pause. “Yes, but please don’t say anything at school. She’d kill me.”
“I won’t,” I said. “Unless I find out that she was involved in the murders somehow.”
“Tashya would never kill anyone,” he said.
“I hope you’re sure of that.”
“I am,” he said. But he didn’t sound that sure.
Just then, my tattoo began to burn.
A ghostly white horse stomped into the ring. It let out a terrifying sound, like someone screaming in pain, and then reared up on its hind legs. Its eyes gleamed red and a thick fog rolled into the tent.
At first, everyone thought it was part of the act, but then the horse screeched again.
It nearly struck one clown on the forehead, but another clown pushed her out of the way. Then the horse kicked the poles that supported the tent, over and over. One went crashing down and narrowly missed the stands.
There was sudden chaos as the big top filled with screams. People were jumping over
rows and running for the exit.
Dominic scooped Katie up in his arms and put her on his shoulders. “Hang on tight, Katie,” he said. “Don’t let go no matter what.”
My mom and dad calmly stood up. Dad put Kellie on his shoulders and told Sarah and Sydney to hold hands with Grace and Fiona. My sisters did exactly as my parents told them, but I could tell Gracie was scared.
“This way,” Dominic said. He pointed in the opposite direction from where most people were headed. “There’s another exit over here.”
“I have to find Sanja,” I said. “You guys go ahead.”
To my surprise, my parents didn’t argue with me. I searched the crowd, but I didn’t see her. Unless there was another Mara in town, I feared she had transformed into the out-of-control creature in the tent.
There was a toddler crying for his mother. He was headed dangerously close to the Mara. I ran over and snatched him up.
Most of the crowd had already made it outside, but I spotted a scared ten-year-old from Grace’s class and grabbed her, too. I never found Sanja.
Outside, things were much calmer. There was a squad car and an emergency vehicle already on site. A few people had bumps and bruises, but it didn’t look like anyone had been seriously hurt.
I found Grace’s classmate’s dad and then went looking for the toddler’s mom. She was in tears, trying to go back into the tent. She practically strangled me with a hug when I handed over her little boy.
My family was sitting at the picnic table. Sarah was texting furiously on her phone and Sydney had found a boy from her class to flirt with.
Dominic was trying to keep Katie occupied, but I noticed she kept scanning the crowd. She broke into a huge smile when she saw me.
“Jessica, there you are!” she said. “Wasn’t the circus fun?”
Leave it to my sister to think that a rampaging Mara made for great entertainment.
“Did you find Sanja?” Dominic asked.
I shook my head. “I didn’t see her anywhere,” I said. “But she didn’t do this. I’m sure of it.”
Anton Platsky overheard me. “Don’t be too sure of that,” he said. “You don’t know what my daughter is capable of.” Then he walked away.
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