[Mystic Caravan Mystery 05.0] Freaky Places

by Amanda M. Lee

  16

  Sixteen

  Naida was practically vibrating with unrestrained excitement when we hit a remote part of the beach. It happened to be surrounded by large and jagged rocks, making for a dangerous situation should someone slip into the water and be pummeled against the shore, but that meant the curious would be less likely to follow us.

  “Anything?” I asked Raven as she surveyed the surrounding landscape, her back to us.

  “Give me a second,” she murmured, closing her eyes.

  I could feel the power rippling through her as she cast a net. The spot where we stood was relatively hidden thanks to the rocks, but a tall bluff about five hundred feet down the beach allowed for spies … if someone was so inclined. Since finding out that someone purposely cast a spell to mess with us, it was hard to believe we weren’t being followed or spied upon.

  “What do you want me to look for specifically?” Naida asked, stripping out of her clothes.

  Kade instinctively jerked his head to the side so he couldn’t see Naida’s naked body. It was a rather deliberate – and hilarious – reaction. Percival, on the other hand, didn’t bother looking away.

  “I’m glad there are no scales,” he said after a beat. “I imagined scales.”

  Raven didn’t open her eyes, but her agitation was evident. “How often have you been imagining her?”

  “Not very often.” Percival shrugged, unbothered by Raven’s tone. “It was merely a curiosity.”

  “Stop looking at her,” Kade ordered, clutching his hands into fists at his sides.

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s rude.”

  “I’m fine with it,” Naida said. “Where I come from we rarely wear clothes. If we do, it’s only because we’re feeling in a mood to wear glittery stuff.”

  “Oh, well, joy.” Kade focused on me. “You could’ve left me behind for this.”

  “You’re head of security.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “We might need you to secure us.”

  “You don’t need me to secure you.” Kade made a sour face. “You’re perfectly capable of securing yourself.”

  “We definitely are,” Raven agreed, cocking an eyebrow as she turned to face us. “That doesn’t mean we don’t like eye candy when we’re doing the heavy lifting.”

  Kade scowled. “You are … just a delight. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “I believe you told me that one night when you were visiting my trailer.”

  Kade jolted, panic washing over his features. “She’s making that up, Poet.”

  I considered messing with him, but it seemed unbelievably cruel given the circumstances. “I’m well aware.”

  “Well, great.” Kade pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “There are times I hate hanging around you people. You know that, right?”

  “We do. You’ll survive, though.” I patted his arm and focused on Naida. “Look for anything out of the ordinary.”

  “That could be anything in this area,” Naida pointed out. She wasn’t shy in the least and refused to cover her bare breasts as she excitedly wiggled her bottom. “I don’t know much about this area, so everything will seem out of the ordinary to me.”

  “I’m guessing that you’ll know if you find something. Just … swim up and down the coast. Don’t go too far out. There’s land on the other side, so take time to at least breeze past that. I’m not sure what you’re looking for. You’ll know it when you see it, though.”

  “Okay.” Naida offered a saucy salute. “I’ll probably be back late. Don’t wait up.”

  “If you find something, come back and track us down right away,” I instructed. “We don’t have a lot of time on this one.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Kade remained facing away until he heard Naida splash into the water. Then curiosity got the better of him and he swiveled, his eyebrows rising when he caught sight of Naida’s newly-formed fin gleaming under the moonlight. “Holy … !”

  “Yeah, she looks like a mermaid,” Raven said dryly. “Water pixies started that legend. Blah, blah, blah.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “Are you done staring, boys?”

  Percival and Kade had the grace to look abashed.

  “Great.” I held out my hand for Kade. “Come on. We need to do rounds at the festival. If someone is hunting we want to make sure he or she doesn’t get a clear shot at anyone but us.”

  Kade linked his fingers with mine. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “THE FESTIVAL DOESN’T EVEN start in earnest until tomorrow,” Kade noted as he handed me an ice cream cone. We stood in the center of the crafts area and scanned the crowd. “The grounds are only half full, but there are hundreds of people already. Why do you think the crafts people started selling early?”

  “They have different margins than we do,” I explained, licking my ice cream. “They get a lot of exposure from events like this, but the competition is fierce. Much like the circus, people on the crafts circuit turn this into a lifestyle.”

  “You seem to know a lot about it.”

  “I’ve always enjoyed crafts. Luke and I used to have a weekly craft night, in fact.”

  “Really?” Kade was understandably dubious. “You made crafts with Luke? Why am I picturing the two of you sitting in the middle of the trailer floor gluing Popsicle sticks together?”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s not what we did.”

  “Oh, yeah? What did you make?”

  “Mosaics. We made candleholders.”

  Kade opened his mouth and then closed it. I could practically see his mind working.

  “Yeah, it’s not so funny now, is it?” I challenged. “We did a real craft.”

  “I’ve never seen any of these candleholders around the trailer,” Kade pointed out. “You light candles all the time. I’ve never seen a mosaic one.”

  “Oh, well … hmm.”

  “Yeah, now I need to hear the story.” Kade leaned closer. “Did you use glue?”

  He thought he was funny, but the story of the mosaic candleholders probably wasn’t far from what he was imagining. “Let’s just say I found I’m not a very crafty person.” I took another lick of my cone. “That doesn’t mean I don’t wish I was somehow talented with stuff like that.”

  Kade slid an arm around my waist. “You’re talented in other ways. You don’t need mosaic candleholders.” His lips twitched, telling me he wasn’t quite done teasing me.

  “Thank you, but I’ve always wanted to be good with my hands rather than just my mind. You’re good with your hands. You know how it is.”

  Kade grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “It was meant as one.”

  “You’re very good with your brain, though,” Kade said. “You’re also good with your hands, even if it’s not the way you want to be. As for the candles … you know you can buy a mosaic candle holder for, like, five bucks, right?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s better to make them yourself.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Kade leaned forward and licked my ice cream cone. “Now, how about we take a look around and see if you find someone who gives you the willies? I wouldn’t mind narrowing our suspect pool.”

  “I get the willies from a lot of people. That doesn’t mean they’re all serial killers. Sometimes they’re simply random perverts.”

  “Well, I’m fine taking out a random pervert, too.” Kade cracked his neck. “Let’s start looking around. I think it’s going to be a long night.”

  BATES WAS HOLDING COURT at his booth when we passed. He mimed tipping an invisible hat in my direction and winked.

  “I think one of these little beauties is right up your alley, circus girl.” He gestured toward the ridiculous and freaky dolls.

  Kade shot me a curious look. “What is that about?”

  I told him about our earlier conversation, taking delight in recounting Raven’s part in the tale. When I was d
one, Kade laughed.

  “I’m sorry I missed that.” He shot a pointed look over his shoulder and caught Bates’ eye, something unsaid passing between them. “I don’t like him … and it’s not simply because he’s a grown man who spends all of his time with dolls.”

  “You sound like Raven.”

  “I’m fine with that.” Kade directed his attention in front of us. “They’re supposedly having a bonfire on the beach tonight. I heard some of the carnies talking about it when they were visiting with the clowns. I’m guessing that would be the sort of gathering that could draw a killer.”

  “Probably.”

  We strode through the crowd, pausing here and there to listen and look. I opened my senses, doing my best to explore with my magic, but it was a busy night and picking one thought out of the din wasn’t easy. On the surface, everyone appeared to be having a good time. Even when I sought out strife, most of what I found was of the emotional variety rather than the physical.

  “Do you know what I find interesting about young people?” I asked as we started walking again. “They’re so sure they’re right even though they can’t possibly understand how wrong they are.”

  Kade chuckled as he swung our joined hands. “Did you pick up something?”

  I nodded. “That boy over there likes that girl.” I pointed for emphasis. “He’s convinced she likes him because she keeps looking at him. The problem is, she really likes his brother and doesn’t understand why the brother is more interested in staring at the boy across the way.”

  “Ah.” Kade squeezed my hand. “Young love is twisty, isn’t it?”

  “I guess. I often forget what it was like to be that age.”

  “Were you ever that age?”

  “I was. My life didn’t change until I was a bit older. When I was fourteen, I felt the sting of young love keenly. In fact, I thought at one point my heart would break and I’d never get over it.”

  Kade’s eyes twinkled. “What was his name?”

  “Tom Crawley.”

  “And what did he look like?”

  “Big brown eyes, short brown hair, cheekbones chiseled from granite. No, seriously, I went completely gaga over him. He was a football star, making the varsity team our freshman year. He made my heart race and my cheeks burn.”

  “I’m not sure I want to hear more,” Kade admitted.

  “Don’t worry, you did the same things to me when I met you. Even though I was older and thought I understood men – and how to control them – I was wrong. You made my heart sing when I saw you, which left me feeling uncomfortable.”

  “Oh, that was too sweet to mock even though it was a bit sugary,” Kade said. “Sadly, I felt the same way. I’m not sure what that does for my standing in the male community, but I felt it all the same.”

  “That’s nice to hear.” I beamed. “Thank you for saying it.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I’m always happy to be schmaltzy when it’s just the two of us. Still, tell me what happened with you and Tom Crawley.”

  “I thought he was going to ask me to the homecoming dance, but he asked Sybil Harper instead. She had bigger boobs, a smaller waist, and her father was loaded. We hated each other on sight when we met. I was crushed beyond belief.”

  “Did you ever get a chance to date him?”

  “No. Once my parents died the trials and tribulations of romancing Tom Crawley took a backseat.”

  “Still, I bet you wish he could see you now,” Kade prodded.

  “Because I run the circus?”

  “Because you’re the best woman I’ve ever met. You’re strong, funny, obstinate, occasionally obnoxious … and yet you’re a complete person. Why wouldn’t he kick himself for letting you slip through his fingers?”

  “Well, when you put it like that … .” I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Come on. This isn’t a date. We’re supposed to be keeping the populace safe from a serial killer. We won’t be able to do that if we’re too busy staring at each other.”

  “Very good point.”

  ONCE WE GOT TO THE BONFIRE, I was dumbfounded to find what had to be at least one- hundred teenagers milling about. I performed a cursory scan of the crowd – and then a longer study – and tilted my head as I turned in a circle.

  “There are no adults here.”

  Kade followed my lead and looked over the teenagers. “Huh. You’re right. How did that happen?”

  “I don’t know.” The sound of hysterical laughter caught my attention and I focused on two young women near the fire. Melissa and Paige looked to be a bit drunk by the way they listed to their sides. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  Kade followed my gaze, a muscle in his jaw working. “We’re not her parents.”

  “No.”

  “We’re still her superiors.” Kade strode forward, not stopping until he was directly in front of Melissa. He jerked the bottle from her hand and lifted it to his nose.

  “What are you doing?” Melissa sputtered, surprised.

  “Just checking.” Kade drank from the bottle. “Hard cider. Nice choice.”

  Melissa’s eyes flashed. “Great. Can I have it back?”

  “Oh, we can’t have that,” Kade drawled. “I’m your boss and you’re underage. I don’t know much, but all the books I’ve read about getting underlings to fall in line are pretty strict when it comes to supplying people with alcohol.”

  Melissa made a face as Paige rolled her eyes.

  “And you said they weren’t your parents,” Paige taunted.

  “We’re not her parents,” Kade clarified. “We’re her bosses. Both of us.”

  “Well … how great for her.” Paige had her role as mean girl down pat. “I thought my father was a pain until I met you guys.”

  “Your father is a pain,” Kade said. “At least he’s friendly. He obviously didn’t pass on that trait to you.”

  “I didn’t know I needed to be friendly to make it in this world.”

  “I don’t really care what you do.” Kade opted for honesty. “You’re not our problem. Melissa is.”

  “I’m an adult,” Melissa repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

  “Then act like one.” Kade tipped the hard cider bottle upside down and emptied it before tossing it in the nearest trash receptacle. “If you get arrested, Melissa, you’re on your own. Keep that in mind.”

  Kade slipped his arm around my waist and prodded me away from the fire. It took everything I had not to grab hold of Melissa and drag her with us. Not only would she fight me, it would very likely make things worse.

  I waited until Kade moved us closer to the water to speak. “She’s spiraling.”

  “I don’t think things are as bad as that. She’s just going into party mode. It happens.”

  “You were hard on her.”

  “She needs it.”

  “I guess, but … .” Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention and I jolted when I realized it was Naida, her hair still wet from her swim and her eyes keen. She was hurrying in our direction. I pushed worry about Melissa out of my head and focused on the problem at hand. “You’re back early. Did you find something?”

  Naida ran a hand through her damp hair and nodded. “There’s a current of death under the water. I followed it.”

  “That sounds ominous,” Kade said.

  “It is.” Naida was serious. “I followed the current. It led to a cave.”

  I knit my eyebrows. “An underwater cave?”

  “Yup … and it’s warded.”

  I felt as if the air was being sucked from my lungs. “And that right there is a game changer.”

  17

  Seventeen

  “Warded how?”

  I did my best to remain calm while Naida ran her fingers through her hair and chatted loudly, ignoring the people casting her curious looks as they passed.

  “I don’t know.” Naida took the time to pull on her shorts and a T-shirt, but she’d
forgone her panties and bra, which happened to be poking out of her pocket for anyone to see. If the three teenagers watching from about fifteen feet away were any indication, she was starting to cause a stir.

  That wasn’t good given our location.

  “How could you tell it was warded?” Kade asked, his expression unreadable. He clearly didn’t understand what Naida was trying to say, and explaining it to him would be difficult.

  “Because I was smacked in the face with black magic when I tried to get closer to the cave,” Naida replied without hesitation.

  “How did you sense the cave in the first place?”

  “It’s a little gift of mine,” Naida said. “It’s kind of like sonar, if you will. My senses pick up rock formations so I can avoid them when I’m swimming in the dark. The formation pinged more than ponged, though.”

  Kade turned to me, incredulous. “Did she just explain something?”

  It took everything I had not to laugh. It was a serious situation, after all. “I believe she thinks she did.” I kept my gaze on Naida. “Could you hear anything from the cave?”

  “No, but it’s not empty.” Naida shook her hair. “The thing is, I couldn’t really see inside, but there was a lot of bad juju outside.”

  “Creature?” I asked, intrigued.

  “What kind of creature lives in a cave in the water?” Kade was legitimately curious.

  “All different manner of creatures live in water caves.” Naida acted as if she were talking to a child. “It’s generally not a big thing. Most of them are harmless. But what I felt in that cave was pretty far from harmless, and it wasn’t … otherworldly.”

  Kade’s frustration was evident. “Meaning?”

  “Meaning that the energy feels more human in origin,” I supplied.

  “So … a person managed to ward a cave?”

  “Or a witch,” Naida said. “The wards were drawn in blood. I don’t know much, but I do know that.”

  Kade often struggled with patience and this was no exception. “How do you know that?”

  “I smelled it.”