We waited a few more minutes in the hall before Livvy got bored and ran off to play or to do whatever smart-britches girls like her do during the day. If I had to guess, she’d solve world hunger by the time she turned twenty.
Before Georgia left, I got the keys to the antique shop and was turning the engine over in my car when Andrew knocked on the window and made me jump.
I slowly shook my head. No way was I taking down that barrier.
Andrew’s lips twisted as he motioned for me to roll the window down, speaking once again in my mind. I’m not going to jump your bones, princess. I give you my word.
I slid my window down just an inch to have his cologne drift inside my car on the breeze. It was woodsy and manly and everything I remembered Andrew was. “Stay out of my head.”
He held up his fingers as though he were a scout. We both knew he wasn’t. “I promise to try better, but I think it’s best if we stick together. That way, when we find a way out of this, we can perform the spell without delay.” His gaze was stoic and determined, as if expecting me to fight.
I chewed my bottom lip while contemplating the visions of the freshly painted scene in my mind. Andrew had been wearing a blue pullover shirt in the painting, and today it was black. Today couldn’t be the day we were going to die. I’d use his shirt to gauge the situation. The answers weren’t going to be in the book. The answers were going to be at the coven. If one of the council members was responsible, we needed to talk to all of them. Too bad one of our abilities wasn’t as a human lie detector or a suit of armor to protect us from potential spells.
“I can protect you. We’re stronger together than apart,” he said when I remained quiet.
“How do you know that?”
“Our families would have seen to that.” His gaze landed on my lips.
“How do I know you aren’t working with the killer?”
His lips twitched. “You, of all people, know me. Don’t you trust me?”
“I don’t trust anyone anymore,” I answered.
“You have my word, Margo,” Andrew said.
I knew how much his word meant to him, and in most cases, action speaks louder than words, but in this case, they meant more. Andrew watched me as I flicked the lock and gestured toward the passenger door. He was silent as I backed out of the drive and headed toward town. He gestured with his thumb as I passed a road. “You missed the turn to the coven.”
“I’m not going to the coven, yet,” I answered, not that I expected him to understand.
“How’s your dad?” Andrew asked.
Chapter 7
I was sure that Andrew had been paying attention to what was in my mind since we departed ways. I must have been wrong. “Why would you ask that?”
Andrew’s lip tugged up at the corner. “All of that emotion you have is charged. You were projecting him to me. I wasn’t being a voyeur. He looks like he’s getting worse.”
That was an understatement. “If I don’t find the spell that he can use to break his binds, then he’s going to die or crack and give the killer everything he wants.”
“We know what he wants. The killer probably wants you and your sisters dead, and we can’t have that.”
“I didn’t realize you cared.”
His grin grew in size. “I don’t. I just don’t need you projecting all your pain to me.”
“Nice.”
“I’m teasing. Sort of, but I’ll help you find him and stop him.”
“Why would you do that? If I die, our connection is severed.”
“Even getting a peek at that book could change my life.”
With that statement, I knew that Andrew had an ulterior motive. I’d done a good job at convincing my sisters that Andrew was nothing like his brothers or his mother, but I knew the truth. Andrew was out for himself. He always had been.
“Imagine what you could do with the book. The ability you have to memorize everything. It would only take you a few minutes to flip through the book, and you would have all of the knowledge in your head. You wouldn’t even need the book to perform any of the spells.”
I parked the car and got out and unlocked the door to the antique shop. Andrew followed me inside. I locked the door back behind us to make sure we wouldn’t be followed.
“What would I even need with the spells in Manny’s book? I’m sure they’re for nothing more than his family spells and the court system.”
Andrew didn’t comment as he followed me through the office and to the bookshelf, where I twisted the music box, and we watched the witches chant the spell. The bookcase moved, and I pulled open the door to get into the basement stairwell. Andrew followed me down the stairs into the empty room. The room was empty to our eyes, but I knew how to make it appear. Before I could even whisper the spell, Andrew saw it on the floor and recited it word for word out loud.
To my amazement, the room appeared like it had for my sisters and I when we’d found the room, but before it settled into place, the contents shimmered back out of sight.
Andrew held out his hand to me and gestured for me to take it. “Do you really think holding my hand is going to make it work?”
“Stronger together than apart. Time to put my money where my mouth is.” He took my hand, and he recited the words again without my help, and the room shimmered into appearance in front of us just like it had with my sisters and me. It was stronger this time. It settled into place and everything around us, including the magical tunnel overlay on the walls. Unlike yesterday, the waters were calm, and everything was green.
Andrew walked over to the magical tunnel design on the wall where it was lit up with the calming blue waters. He ran his finger over the lines and smiled. “My grandmother told me about this place when I was a little boy. She said that one day I would help in keeping the waters calm.”
I shouldn’t be surprised that Andrew knew about this place or at least the tunnels and the magic flowing underground.
Andrew turned in place and headed for the bookshelf. “Although the stories I was told was that the tunnels covered more than just this territory. There are several others spanning the United States.”
I couldn’t even imagine if that was the case. “Why would we need to monitor the magic over the entire United States? I thought that was with the Witches’ Council was for.”
Andrew pulled a book off the shelf and thumbed through it as he spoke. “There wasn’t always a witches’ council, and when it first started, there was discord between the council members to the point where some were breaking their own rules and thereby banned from participating for life.”
I didn’t know as much about the council’s history as Andrew, but I knew enough. A killer was on the loose, and he was attacking all of the strongest witches in the world. Our Witch Wars was the perfect place to strike. He could kill several at once. “Why do you suppose the voodoo killer already attacked? Wouldn’t he or she be worried that it would scare the other participants away?”
Andrew shrugged. “You heard that woman last night. She said that Manny was getting close to ID’ing the guy, and witches don’t scare easily. Heck, some might view this as the real meaning of Witch Wars.”
“Assuming the killer is a witch,” I said. I had to find this book and stop him, just like I had to save my father. “My sisters don’t know that our father is alive.”
Andrew snapped the book shut, and his gaze shot up to mine. “Do you think that’s a wise idea to keep that a secret from them? They could help you save him. If he were to die and you never gave them the opportunity to at least try and help, they might never forgive you.”
“I can’t risk it yet. We don’t know how to stop the voodoo killer and save Dad. They have too much on their plates right now. If they had any inclination that the voodoo killer was using our father's memories and abilities to pick his victims, then I wouldn’t blame them for running away and hiding like my mother did.”
“Your sisters are nothing like your mother. They won’t abando
n you. Each of you inherited strength from your father, and you share that trait in spades. Together you three, along with me, will stop this guy and save your father, but you must first come clean and tell your sisters what is actually going on.”
“Georgia will kill me if she knew why the voodoo killer had targeted her mother. Her mother put the pieces together that the connection was our father but died with that secret. So, in the meantime, the Witches Council and the trackers have been chasing a ghost. When all they needed to do was look into my father’s past to figure out who knew what he was capable of. That’s why I need to find his journals. The answer lies within those pages.”
“Sounds like we have our work cut out for us. Where do you suggest we start in our attempt to solve Manny’s death?”
“To find anything, you start where any good witch would start,” Auntie B said as she headed down the stairs. She kissed Andrew on the cheek before coming to my side and resting her warm palm on my arm. “You remind me so much of your mother. Her tracking skills were beyond reproach.”
“Tracking skills?” I asked.
Auntie B smiled without answering and headed over to the wall of magical tunnels. Without turning around, she spoke again, “You were even stronger than I imagined. You don’t even need a compass to navigate through the magic. You can feel the pull, can’t you?” She turned to me and smiled. “I always knew one of you girls would be my replacement to help show the others what needs to be done and where it needs to go. If you are looking for the killer, all you need is something that maybe he left behind at the crime scene and a crystal, and it should locate him if you tap into the magic of the tunnels.”
“You think we can scry for him and that it would actually work?”
“Don’t underestimate your abilities, Margo. You not only have the navigation skills and strength required, but you have something far more important. You have the emotional connection to your father to guide you where you need to go.” Auntie B glanced at Andrew. “Very similar to what you and Andrew share. You feel each other’s emotions, and you know each other thoughts. It’s that connection that will save all of you.”
“You know about her dad?” Andrew asked.
“Of course she does. She knows everything, including what we’re hungry for,” I said. Auntie B had an uncanny ability to know things before we even said them. Maybe she was some type of mind reader as well.
Auntie B smiled and clasped her fingers together. “You and your sisters will need to hurry and solve the case. The FBI will be converging on the town soon.
The FBI. Georgia had been warned that the Witch Wars was the next target, but I hadn’t counted on the FBI getting in our way.
Auntie B had turned to leave when I called out to her. “Auntie B, you know everything. Do you have any updates on Manny’s death?”
She turned around almost at the top of the stairs and grinned. “The toxicology screen indicates he was given an overdose of insulin.”
“Was he diabetic?” Andrew asked.
Auntie B nodded. “Yes.”
“She would know,” I said. “She handles the catering.”
“It had to be someone who knew Manny was diabetic. I’m sure that’s not common knowledge. I suggest you practice traveling in the tunnels to get you where you need to go. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go start working on the food list for the reception. Happy hunting, children.” Auntie B made her way to the top of the stairs and stepped out of sight.
Chapter 8
“I guess we need to go talk to Janice Smith again. Maybe she can give us a list of everybody that knew that man he was diabetic.”
Andrew gestured with his thumb over his shoulder toward the wall with the magical tunnels. “I guess you’re navigating?”
A smile split my lips at the thought of Andrew possibly getting motion sickness. I grinned. “Absolutely, I hope you’re up for a ride.”
I grabbed his hand and stared at the wall. I had no idea exactly how the travel worked or if we would end up where we needed to be. Closing my eyes, I whispered, “Take us to the forest.”
Resting my hand on the wall, I whispered it again and grinned when I felt the magic surge through my veins, giving me a jolt of adrenaline. At the smell of the trees and feel of shaky legs, I opened my eyes to see that we were indeed in a forest, only not the forest at the townhouse. The sound of music drifted through the trees, and Andrew started walking toward the sound, trying his best to hide the green tinting his face.
“Where are you going?”
“We must be in the forest behind the bar. I’m going to see if there are any cabs outside,” Andrew announced.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I can take us back the same way we got here.”
I hadn’t been to the bar since arriving in town. Recreational entertainment was the last thing on my mind, but when this was over, I’d be celebrating well into the night.
We were about to turn around when we spotted Ryder grumbling as he left the bar and headed toward his car.
“Ryder,” I called out and jogged in his direction, leaving Andrew to follow.
Ryder sighed as he opened the car door. “Let me guess, you followed me here?”
Andrew and I shared a confused look. “Why would we do that?”
Ryder’s gaze went to the bar before returning to us. “I got a call Councilman Maya Peters was inside getting drunk. I was trying to get her to leave when she threatened to turn me into a frog.”
“Can she really do that?” I asked.
Ryder rolled his eyes. “Probably not, but as inebriated as she is, I wouldn’t put it past her to try and turn me into something even more damaging. If you two didn’t follow me, then what are you two doing here?”
“We’re looking for Manny’s grimoire.” I answered.
“I don’t even want to know why you think that it would be in the woods outside the bar.”
Heat crept up into my cheeks. I had no intention of telling him how it was we landed there. “It’s a story for another time.”
He nodded accepting the feeble excuse. “I’ll keep my eye out and call you if by some miracle we should find it.”
“Thanks.”
We waited until Ryder left before Andrew started walking back in the direction of the forest. I caught up to him and stepped in front of him. “Now is the perfect time to talk to Maya Peters. Drunks tend to tell the truth.”
Andrew gave me a skeptical look. “And if she turns you into something worse than a frog?”
I slipped Tess’s pendant out of my pocket and slid it over my head. “She shouldn’t be able to hurt me.”
“Maybe not you, but what about me?” he asked as he followed me into the bar.
The air in the bar was stale and smoky. Wooden stools butted up against a high counter. The televisions hanging in the corners were muted. In one of the side rooms, two burly tattooed guys were shooting pool. The bartender was propped against the counter checking his phone. Figuring out who Maya might be was easy considering she was the only person on this side of the bar.
I slid onto the stool next to her, and the bartender finally glanced up from his phone and headed our way. “What can I get you?”
“Nothing, thanks,” I answered.
The bartender shrugged and went back to his online life.
“Excuse me, Maya Phillips?” I asked
Maya turned her head to look at me with a glassy gaze. “Who wants to know?”
“Pardon us.” Andrew stepped in and held out his hand. “I’m Andrew Gold, and this is Margo Hexford.”
Her brows dipped, and she ignored the outstretched gesture. “Both your families run the coven?”
“Yes,” he answered.
She took a swig of what looked to be bourbon. “Piss-poor job you’re doing of it if you allow one of your elders to be killed.”
“Piss-poor job we’re doing? What about you? You are supposed to be the authority on witch laws and prosecutions. How come no one has caught the voodoo kil
ler?”
The bartender raised his head before lowering it again.
“Yeah, well….we both suck,” she said.
“Can you think of anyone specific who would want Manny dead? We heard the other council members weren’t happy with him.”
“Of course they weren’t. The members are power-hungry thugs. Manny, he was the one person who kept us in check. He voted down the others’ crazy ideas. Now the poor schmuck has left it up to me to do his dirty deeds.”
“Who gets Manny’s vacant seat now that he’s dead?”
“We’ll have to check the lineage chart to see which clan is next in line. That could take some time.”
“And the vote to make the witches lines pure again, in the meantime? Will you do a revote?”
Her lips twitched. “I know what you’re thinking. You think one of us is responsible for killing Manny. Well, you’re probably right.” She raised her empty glass in the air for the bartender. “He had a knack of making enemies and pissed off the wrong people.”
I licked my bottom lip. “There’s only one problem with your theory.”
“Only one?” she asked with a wobble of her head.
“Whoever killed him had intimate knowledge of how the voodoo killer leaves the crime scenes.”
She waved her hand and had to catch herself from falling over. “Everyone in the witches’ council had access to that. We were the ones to send out the trackers. No one wants the killer caught more than we do. We’ve discussed it off the record, dissecting his abilities and splitting them between all of us. No… we didn’t kill Manny. If it were any one of us, we would have wanted the killer more.”
I guess in a perverse way that made sense. Power-hungry people thirsted for more power. “Thank you for your time,” Andrew said.
I slid off my seat. “One more question?”
Maya sighed. “What?”
“Do you have a remedy for a connection spell?” I asked in hopes she might provide an easy fix.
Witch Hunt Page 4