by Neely Powell
Frances sighed. “I’m afraid the book has been ill-used by our family through the years. It became a habit for young witches to take out sections in order to study the spells.”
“And somehow part of the family history was misplaced,” Sarah added. “That’s one of the reasons I was supposed to keep it in good order, to stop that sort of thing.”
“But you didn’t.” Doris pursed her lips as she flipped pages to the front of the book. “It begins with a record of the birth of a Maeve Connelly, in Ireland, in 1739.”
“She came here with her family,” Frances added. “There’s record of her death here in Mourne County at age eighteen, but no reason given.”
Doris continued flipping through the book. “At least one woman died in each succeeding generation—all between eighteen and thirty. The Woman in White took them.”
“Just no explanation of why,” Brenna inserted.
Jake frowned. “It’s not hard to believe that young women died suddenly or tragically back then. Illness, injury, childbirth…”
Sarah said, “We know the curse is real. This spirit took our sister Rose when she was twenty-three. I was only sixteen, but I felt it happen to her. Just as I felt it with my own daughter.”
Jake’s lifted an eyebrow, obviously confused by all the family connections.
“Eva’s Grace’s mother was my daughter,” Sarah explained. “Celia died twenty-eight years ago at the falls where Garth died today. The same as today, there was darkness and evil on our land, but no one could stop the Woman in White.”
“And was there no warning?” Brenna said, unable to hold back the question that hammered at her each time she confronted this issue. “Surely you could sense—”
“What did you sense today?” Doris asked, reaching out to enclose Sarah’s left hand in her own gnarled fingers.
“Why couldn’t you stop it?” Frances added with a cold glance for Brenna as she took Sarah’s right hand.
The feeling of inadequacy Brenna had been fighting since the storm blew up swelled again inside her. The elder aunts were right, of course. She was the Connelly witch with the most power in her generation.
What had she done to stop Garth’s murder?
She pushed to her feet, unwilling to meet her grandmother’s tear-filled eyes. Sarah was the only person who had any idea how responsible Brenna felt, but Brenna would be damned before she reached out to her for comfort.
“I think you can look through the family book, but you’re not going to find any account that the Woman in White took someone like Garth—a male and not a blood relative. I studied that book backward and forward when I was growing up—”
“And left it in a mess, it appears,” Doris pointed out again.
Sarah squeezed her sister’s hand. “The state of the family book rests with me, as its current keeper.”
The room was suddenly too close for comfort. “I need some air,” Brenna said, avoiding her sister’s soft entreaty and the shifter’s silvery gaze.
She went through the kitchen and crossed the back porch. Outside, the air was hot, but not out of the ordinary for June. Debris littered the yard from the earlier tumult, but otherwise it was clear and beautiful. Tomorrow would have been a gorgeous day for Eva Grace and Garth’s wedding.
That thought drove Brenna to the edge of the yard to a small picnic table under a tree. She sat on the crude wooden bench, arms clenched over her belly, aching with the pain of what happened today. No one deserved this, least of all her gentle cousin.
Wasn’t it enough that the Woman in White had taken Eva Grace’s mother? Celia Connelly was murdered just days after Eva Grace and Brenna were born. They were practically twins, as well, born at exactly the same time on February 2nd, the festival of Brighid. The family loved to tell of how they were gathered to celebrate when Sarah’s twin daughters, Celia and Delia, went into labor. The babies’ first cries sounded at the same time, precisely as the clock struck eleven p.m. in this very house.
And this was where they grew up, both motherless. Even Fiona’s birth had not prompted Delia to stay home. She visited long enough to place Fiona in Sarah’s care and join her husband in Russia or France or wherever else he dictated they should go.
But at least Delia was alive, Brenna told herself. Not like poor Aunt Celia, her generation’s sacrifice. Brenna had sworn she would protect Eva Grace from more tragedy, but she had let her down today.
Could Brenna have stopped this? Despite her vows to protect her family, she had run away from who and what she was years ago. Maybe the spirit took Garth to show her the primitive power of the family legacy. Hurting Eva Grace was a canny move, guaranteed to keep Brenna home.
“You’re being stupid.”
Brenna looked up. Her sister stood in front of her. Behind her, Brenna saw Jake standing on the back steps. “What do you mean?”
“It’s not your fault.”
She shrugged that off. Fiona was only twenty-two. She could never understand the responsibility Brenna felt toward her and Eva Grace. “What does the shifter want?” she asked, jerking her chin in Jake’s direction.
“It’s really tacky to call him that,” Fiona replied. “Garth was a shifter, too. You were never ugly to him. What’s wrong with shifters? There are at least a dozen families with shifters in Mourne County. This is where creatures of all kinds can be what they are. That’s why Garth brought Jake here after they left the military.”
“Garth was Garth. He belonged to Eva Grace and to us. He was family. Jake is…different.”
The description was inadequate, but Brenna couldn’t find another. She took a deep breath. “So what does he want?”
“Just a couple of questions.”
“What does he think he’s going to do about all of this?” Brenna muttered. She knew she was being downright rude to someone who truly cared about Eva Grace, but she didn’t want to bother with him right now.
“Just talk to him,” Fiona told her and gestured Jake to come to them.
Sliding off the table to stand with her sister, Brenna stilled her impatience. “So do you understand our family curse now?”
He turned his hat around in his hands. “I’m a little clearer on the details, but I’m far from understanding it.”
“Welcome to the club.” Brenna felt bone weary. “What did you want to ask us?”
“Do you really believe today was just the beginning?”
Brenna reached out to clasp her sister’s hand. “I’ve tried not to believe this my whole life, but it is happening.”
Fiona added, “I’ve hunted some pretty bad ghosts. But nothing has ever felt like today. Nothing that dark or evil.”
“She’s coming for us.” Brenna turned toward the woods again. “Listen,” she said, shushing her sister and Jake. She cocked her head, puzzled. “It’s so quiet. There are no insect or animal sounds.”
Brenna felt Fiona shiver. “This is really strange.”
Jake took a deep breath. “I can smell animals, but they’re silent.”
A cat appeared near the picnic table under the trees. Her name was Tasmin, and she was the latest in a family of felines who called this place home. Gray and white with sharp green eyes, Tasmin paused and stared at Jake. Then she turned, arched her back, and hissed at the woods.
A growl rumbled from Jake.
Brenna turned to him. “There’s no need for that.”
“We’ll see,” he replied. “There’s some seriously bad shit about to happen. I wouldn’t be Garth’s friend if I didn’t offer my protection.”
Brenna laughed.
“What do you find so funny?” Jake demanded.
“The idea of you protecting us.” She kept her head up and let her hips sway as she walked back to the porch. As she had told Fiona earlier, Jake was different, but he shouldn’t get big ideas about any of them needing him. Least of all her.
Chapter Four
The air crackled in Brenna’s wake, and Jake was left with a lingering scent of honeysuckl
e.
Fiona remained at his side as her sister slammed the kitchen door. “Please don’t mind her. She’s not always this way. She’s…”
Jake gave Fiona a look. Her fumbling apology halted.
“Oh, hell,” she admitted. “Brenna’s always this way. She thinks this is a family matter, best handled by the family.”
“And how’s that working for you?” Jake quipped.
“Obviously not very well.”
“I wish she would realize I’m not an outsider. Garth was the closest I ever had to a brother. He and his aunt…” Jake’s jaw clenched with emotion. He shook his head, staring out at the woods where the cat had disappeared. He longed to join the sleek feline, to break free of the terrible events of this day and run.
He straightened his shoulders and fitted his hat on his head. “I’ve got to go back to town. The Board of Commissioners called an emergency meeting to appoint me acting sheriff.”
“I’m glad about that.”
“I’m not so sure.” Jake led the way to the front of the house where his cruiser was behind the cavalcade of Connelly vehicles in the driveway.
“Can we talk again?” Fiona asked him. “Brenna’s going to realize we could use your perspective on this.”
“So you’re going to convince her to bring me in.” Jake gave the younger woman a steady look. No doubt she could do it. After three years in Mourne County, he had come to respect her clear-eyed practicality, as well as her gift for speaking to spirits. “Are you sure you didn’t pick up anything more when Garth was being attacked? Something you didn’t share with Brenna right away?”
Fiona hesitated. Her dark hair was in a ponytail, which made her look younger and accentuated her pale skin. “There was a lot of evil. Whatever killed Garth…”
“You said the Woman in White killed him,” Jake interrupted. “Do you doubt that?”
“No, I just…” Fiona stumbled over her words and frowned. “What took Garth is old and mad, and has been around for a long time. I was—” She stopped, then plunged ahead. “I was frozen with fear. I’ve never felt like that before. Talking to dead people most of my life has put me in some pretty bad situations, but this was a whole new level of terrible.”
It wasn’t just Brenna who felt responsible for what happened today. Jake could see Fiona was dealing with her own load of guilt. He started to reassure her when the radio on his shoulder squawked.
He signed on and said to the dispatcher, “What’s going on?”
Gladys’s familiar nasal twang came over the little speaker. “You’ve gotta get downtown. There are some teenagers writing graffiti on the side of the Dollar General.”
“Graffiti? Can’t another unit cover this?”
“There’s a unit there now. But they’re asking for you, Jake. The town’s tense after what happened to Garth. I told Commissioner Williams I’d get you down here.”
Jake sighed. He wasn’t even officially the acting sheriff, and the heavyweights in the town—like Pastor Fred Williams—were already trying to use their political muscle on him. Much as he loved living here, he wasn’t sure how much of that crap he could stand, but he smothered his irritation and replied to Gladys, “Ten-four. Tell ‘em I’m on my way.”
He turned back to Fiona. “I’ve got to go. Tell Eva Grace that I’m thinking about her, and we’re going to figure this out. Maybe you and Brenna could get some history on this spirit. Maybe there’s something that can help us in that family history book inside.”
“I’ll also check with other people in town who know about our curse,” Fiona said.
Jake let his mind wander as he turned his vehicle toward New Mourne. Grief rose again. Garth was gone. He wouldn’t see him fixing his gut-burning coffee at the office. He’d never get another chance to defeat him at basketball. The hoop they’d put up in the parking lot to “stay physically fit” was really to indulge their competitiveness, but that was over.
He drove into the picturesque small town with its town square rimmed by small businesses and residential areas. Some chain stores had infiltrated the edges and a developer had built a mass of large, elegant homes occupied by wealthy people fleeing Atlanta’s urban sprawl. But for the most part, this was a place out of time. Charming for visitors. Peaceful for all who lived here.
He wondered how the humans who pretended to ignore the supernaturals would take all this. The county coroner, an old pro at explaining the inexplicable, would come through with a cause of death they could put in the newspaper, but what would be the chatter in the diner? What would Pastor Williams preach from his pulpit this Sunday?
Garth explained to Jake early on that Fred Williams knew all about the supes in their community. He railed against evil and wickedness in public, pleasing a certain segment of the population, enough that he had built himself a mega church that drew believers from several counties. But he never actually took any action against the supernaturals.
Jake had long wondered what the pastor’s real game was. He dreaded having to work closer with him.
When Jake pulled in, a crowd filled the parking lot between the Dollar General store and the Food Stop. Everyone looked angry. He hustled out of his vehicle to help the officer on the scene.
At the center of the group, three teenagers were doubled over, laughing. Jake let Gladys know he was on scene as he hurried over to Deputy Brian Lamont. First cousin to the Connellys, Brian was a strong man in his late twenties, but he had his hands full trying to hold back the formidable manager of the Dollar General. She was threatening the teenagers with a can of spray paint.
“I don’t think you really want to do that,” Jake said, grabbing the paint out of her hand. He took a firm grip on her arm and pulled her back. He nodded at Brian. “See if you can disperse this crowd.”
The three boys started laughing again. The manager yelled, “Now you’re in trouble, you obnoxious twits. Jake’ll put your asses in jail!”
“Cool down.” Jake held her steady. “Shut those boys up,” he called over his shoulder to Brian as the manager struggled against his hold. The forty-something woman helped her husband take care of the family’s horses before coming to work every day, and she was strong.
“I want them in jail right now with no bail. I already called Pastor Williams, and he said you would take care of this right away.”
“Fred got me here.” Jake tossed the can of paint aside. He pulled the woman around so he could clamp hands on both arms and get her complete attention. “Calm down and tell me what happened. Start at the beginning.”
She nodded at the teenagers. “Those three came into the store and each bought a can of spray paint. My cashier told me they were acting strange.”
Jake frowned in the boys’ direction. He knew these boys and they were all under fifteen. They were barely managing to control themselves as Brian herded them to his patrol car. The youngest couldn’t resist one last leer at the manager. The kid’s eyes were dilated. These three were normally good kids, but they were high on something.
“You can see what they wrote over here,” the manager added.
Jake took in the words on the side of the building for the first time. “See you in the darkness” was scrawled in black across peeling white paint. The letters moved and oozed, dripping downward, bubbling like acid.
“Do you see that?” Jake asked, his eyes focused on the letters.
“See what?” She poked his chest to get his attention. “After the cashier talked to me, I came out the front to see what was going on, but they were gone. I hoped that was the end of it. I had no idea they were at the side of the building. A customer came in and told me what they were doing. I called Gladys and went after them myself.”
Jake looked back at the wall, but the message was just messy spray paint now, nothing out of the ordinary. Still, an uneasy feeling settled in his gut. Why hadn’t the boys run when confronted? It was almost like they wanted to be caught.
“Have these boys been trouble around here before? Were th
ey mad at you about something?” he asked.
“I don’t put up with nonsense from any kids. Everybody knows that.” Uncertainty crept into the woman’s hardened features. “Until today, these boys have always been real polite.”
“You think they bought the paint to huff it?”
“If they were going to do that, why’d they waste it on the building?” She folded her arms across her ample bosom. “I don’t know why they did it, but I want to press every charge against them I can and you lock ‘em up with no bail.”
“The courts decide bail.” Jake looked at the nasty black scrawl again, eyes narrowing.
“You’ve got to do something,” she urged.
“I’ll call the boys’ parents. If they agree, we’ll keep them in jail tonight and bring them out here tomorrow to repaint your wall. Working hard in the summer heat will be punishment for their crime. I’ll make sure somebody stays with them all day and that they put two coats on it.”
It was obvious she was thinking about arguing, but then she nodded. “All right, I’ll settle for that. But if this happens again, I’ll do everything I can to see those nasty little thugs in jail.”
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I know both sets of parents. They’re going to be more than happy to buy the paint and see this set right.”
The manager walked toward the store’s entrance without another word.
Hands on his hips, Jake stared at the message again. “See you in the darkness” sounded familiar. Maybe it was from Shakespeare or some other famous writer, but he couldn’t pull it from his memory.
Brian stepped to his side. “Are you really gonna keep the boys overnight?”
Jake nodded. “Take them on down to the jail. I’ll have Gladys call the parents, and you start the paperwork. Right now I have to go meet with the Board of Commissioners.”
“Good luck with that,” Brian said with a mournful look in eyes that were as green as his cousin Brenna’s. “God help us, Jake. I still can’t believe Garth is dead.”