The newly renovated police station was a five-story building, divided into categories based on the type of crime. If there was dark magic present at a crime scene than a special detective would deal with it. If the assailant was a vampire, a werewolf, or a shadow person then someone else would handle that. And so on.
The floors were changed from linoleum to dark hardwood. Persimmon colored walls were a significant update from the pea colored ones from before. There were a few potted palms trees around the room which gave it a nice island feel. When I walked in the smell of lemons surrounded me. A much-welcomed change from the smell of body odor and bodily fluids that once stalked the halls. Even the desk, the Desk Sergeant sat at was new. Beautiful mahogany wood with delicately carved legs.
“How can I help you?” she said as I walked up to the desk. Her eyes as red as burning coals.
“I'm looking for a Detective Warren,” I said.
“One second.” She typed into her computer before making a call. “He’s on the second floor. He’s waiting for you,” she said pointing me towards the elevator.
“Thank you.”
Even the elevator smelled new. When the doors opened, a man stood in front of me.
“Hazel?”
I nodded.
“Mrs. Stone called me a little while ago saying you might be stopping by. I didn’t know it would be so soon,” he said as he led me to his desk. The room was almost empty. Aside from us, there were five other people scattered around the room, two being detectives.
Detective Warren had short red spiky hair and pointy ears. His skin was smoother than mine and his eyes were the color of white opals.
“So, what can I help you with?” he asked.
“I want to know anything you can tell me about the case. People you talked to. Anything you can share,” I said taking my notepad out of my purse.
“Well, it’s a missing person’s case. I talked to her friends, some school faculty. I’ll write down their names for you,” he said. He took a sticky note out of his desk. “My captain thinks she was tired of school, or it became too much for her, so she ran away. Too ashamed to call her mother. Or maybe she ran to join the Revolutionary army.”
“What do you think?” I asked. I took the sticky note and slid it between the pages of my notebook.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I—I found no evidence she would do any of those things. By all accounts, she was school-oriented. Got great grades. Better than I ever got when I was in school. She was focused, often staying late to study. She had her friends…but—”
“But what?”
“I always felt like they weren’t telling me something. Maybe they didn’t want to get her in trouble with her parents. But there was something. I asked if she had a boyfriend they all said no. A pretty girl like that. So popular. She had to have someone. But I couldn’t force them to tell me anything,” he said.
“You think she had a boyfriend?”
“Yeah. If she did then maybe, I could see her running off but even with that, I just got the sense that school was very important to her and her mother. They talked every other day. She would call just to check-in. For her to just leave without calling—”
“Doesn’t seem right,” I finished.
“Exactly,” he said. “I just have a bad feeling about the whole thing.”
“Really. In what way?”
“Well,” he started. He looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. “She’s not the only young girl to go missing. There have been six in the past two months. Twenty the last few years.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “But there’s been nothing on the news.”
“It all seems unconnected.”
“You think there is a connection between the cases?”
“I think so. It just seems strange to me that they are all within the same age range. Other than that, there aren’t any real connections between them. None that I can see. Some are witches, but not all. Some go to the same college but not all. Unless we can prove there is a viable connection between the cases, my hands are tied. And with what’s happening on the main islands lately, a few missing girls aren’t really a concern. Some of the higher-ups just think the girls went and joined the revolution. I think it’s because they’re so young. I guess they figured them to be idealists and protestors.”
“Could they be?” I asked. I’ve heard of a few people leaving the island to join the revolution.
“I haven’t seen any evidence of that in the cases I’ve been investigating. Most of the girls are from here and have no ties to that mess,” he said with a sigh.
“Is there anyone you think I should talk to?”
“Her friend Syn. I think he’s from Niarus originally. He’s a TA at the college. He seemed like he wanted to say more but I couldn’t get it out of him. You’re pretty, maybe you can. And Paige. They were the closest,” he said.
“Okay. Thank you for your help,” I said. I closed my notebook and shoved it back into my purse.
“Anytime. If you find anything or need any help let me know,” he said. He stood up and handed me his card.
“I will. Thank you.”
I left the police station and walked a block to the bus stop.
The next morning after coffee and a piat berry danish, I stuffed my notepad in my purse and grabbed Rose’s key off the kitchen table. It took me two buses to get to her apartment, which was walking distance from Crystal Lake College for Others. She lived on the second floor, the last door on the left.
It was bigger than mine of course. For her to have been missing for so long it smelled better than I thought it would. I expected a stale and musty smell from the windows being closed for so long but instead, there was a freshness in the room. Like a scented candle or air freshener. I closed the door behind me and stood in the foyer for a moment. Completely still.
The end of the hall opened to the living room and the kitchen. A long cream-colored sofa, three blue chairs and a glass table with blue vases in the middle of it were in the living room. I moved to the large window on the other side of the room and opened the blinds. There was a heaviness in the apartment I couldn’t explain. Even with the new sunlight, there was still a darkness to the room. I walked into the kitchen and then down the hall to her bedroom. There it was again. It was like a shadow was walking through her apartment. From the living into her bedroom. Her mother Ruby didn’t mention anything about Rose being a shadow person. Even though her mother was a witch it was still possible if someone on either side of her family was one. If not…
“Dark magic?” I asked myself. In either case, I would have to get reinforcements before I could come back and look around.
Chapter 3
Lola the Bounty Hunter
By the time I returned to the bus stop, a thunderstorm had pounded the neighborhood into a watery grave. The icy rainwater seeped into my shoes as I stepped off the bus. The streets were clear. Even the takeout place across the street had emptied out. I waded through the ankle-high water back to my building.
“Hey Haze,” said a voice from down the hall.
I was searching through my purse for my keys. I glanced up, just as my fingers closed around my key ring. “Hey.”
Lola was my next-door neighbor. The best neighbor I ever had. She was helpful without being nosey, kind, and quiet. She was at least six feet tall with bright pink hair and an old scar that reached from her left eye down to her shoulder. The scar never seemed to bother her nor did it stop her from putting herself out there. Evident by the long, lean men with chiseled features that occasionally visit her apartment.
She closed the door to the apartment at the end of the hall. She spent a lot of time there.
“You’re home early.”
“Yeah, I got a new client. I went to her daughter’s apartment but something didn’t feel right so I left.” I pulled my keys from my purse and opened the door.
She followed me in and sat at my kitchen table. My apartment isn’t much
to look at but it functions the way I need it to.
“What do you mean?”
I set my purse on the kitchen counter. “I think some type of dark magic was used there and recently. There was a heaviness in the air and there was no reason for it. I felt like a shadow was in there.”
“The police didn’t catch that? Wait never mind—they don’t catch most shit, of course, they didn’t.”
“The detective seemed nice though. He seemed to care. Like he really wanted to help but his hands were tied.”
I opened the fridge. It was dark. I grabbed two drinks and flicked the light switch on and off.
“Yeah, the magic grid is faulty again. That’s why I was going back to my apartment. Can’t play video games with power, so V was going to sleep.”
“What were you going to do?”
“Same but I prefer to sleep in my own bed. I’m surprised you don’t have a stone thingy.”
I shrugged. “I would love one but they are expensive. It’s a good investment, I just can’t invest right now.”
She took a sip of berry juice. “I thought business was good.”
“It is. It could be better if I was an outgoing person and knew how to advertise and draw in clients. But I don’t. It’s going well, it just—”
“You need a real office,” she interrupted.
I need real office money. Right now, my rent is combined so it’s my cheapest option. But it’s okay. I make enough to do what I need to do,” I said as I sat down.
Lola nodded. “You know they have stones you can rent. They are powered by other witches. You pay them a fee each month and they repower it for you. It’s a change from the conglomerate that only caters to our part of town and goes out almost every day.”
“Yeah. It’s funny how this area can only go to one power company and their magic is crap. Even with that I don’t feel right taking a magic stone from another witch. Especially one I don’t know. Having someone else’s magic in your home can be dangerous.”
She leaned back and tapped the bottle three times. “Guess I won’t try it then. “What detective did you see?”
“Um-Detective Warren. He was nice,” I answered.
“Yeah, he is. Sometimes he sends work my way,” she said. “You need any help with this?”
I took a moment to think about her offer. I have always been the type of person that preferred to work by myself. Nothing against Lola, but working with a partner never appealed to me. But Lola was a bounty hunter which meant she found people or items for a living. In a missing person case that would be handy. And Lola was muscular and a skilled fighter. I might need that.
“Yeah, I would like that. The rain doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. I guess we’ll go to the apartment tomorrow.”
“You afraid you’re going to melt,” she smirked.
“No,” I pouted. “I don’t go outside when there’s lightning.”
Lola smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
We talked for an hour before the power finally came back on. I gave her the notes I had taken when I talked to the detective. The power went out again thirty minutes after she left. I lit some candles in the living room, kitchen, and my bedroom.
Not all magical creatures have magic. If you do that meant that somewhere in your family line there was a witch or an elf or something that could do magic. But just because you have it doesn’t mean you get to keep it. It mostly happened to those of us who weren’t full witches. At some point, they lost their magic as they got older. It could come back. Or not. I always tried to live my life in a way where not having magic wouldn’t change anything. Being half-witch and half elemental, I never knew if I was going to lose my powers or not. I’d hate to get hooked on using magic only to lose it.
I would have loved to conjure a light orb to follow me around. There would be no cause for candles but I refused. The lights were going in and out so I would have to keep up the magic for a while. At least until the electricity was steady. Magic comes at a cost. I don’t know how it was for other people but it drained my energy to use magic. I usually have to take a rest afterward. The length of the rest was contingent on the amount of magic used.
I did however need to use magic to power my laptop. I searched the internet for any pages or articles on missing young women on Crystal Lake. I scrolled through at least twenty entries before I found a group forum. Tucked away on page fifteen was the site Families of the Missing, a message for families on Crystal Lake. I tried to enter the site but was denied access. I sent a message to the owner, Sara Hughes, and explained who I was and why I wanted access. After searching the Internet a little more I headed to bed to watch some TV.
Distant creaking jolted me from my sleep. Was it a dream? I stayed perfectly still and listened. My heart pounded in my ears so loud it was all I could hear. Then there it was again. Footsteps. I rolled out of bed and landed gingerly on my feet. With a perfectly round fireball in my left hand, I moved slowly towards the bedroom door. I peered out into the hallway. There was no one there.
I moved down the hall, slowly. I eased the bathroom door open and glanced around the room. Nothing. Then I moved on to the next door. The bedroom was empty. The hallway opened up to the living room and the kitchen. I glanced around the room and there was nothing. I couldn’t see anything but it felt…different. What did I hear? Were they footsteps? I had been sleeping but I could have sworn I heard floorboards creaking. If it wasn’t from footsteps than what was it?
I closed my hand to cancel the fireball and stood in the living room completely still. There was a heaviness in my apartment that wasn’t there before. A familiar feeling. The same heaviness I felt in Rose’s apartment. Did something follow me here? The heaviness seemed to move. Like a dark cloud creeping around my apartment. I grabbed my keys and ran out the door. I headed downstairs to the shop Spells N’ Things which was across the hall from my office.
I knocked three times. Blossom answered the door. She was an older woman. Late fifties maybe. With some witches, it was hard to tell. Her light brown hair was pinned with a flower.
“Yes, dear?” she yawned. She stood in the doorway wearing her yellow sleepy bear onesie.
“I know it’s late, but you have any sage?” I asked.
“Sure, come on in.” She opened the door wider. “What’s wrong?”
I entered. “There’s something in my apartment. I don’t know what it is. It’s dark and heavy and it seems to be moving.” I followed her through her shop.
“Mm-hmm. Have you been playing with dark magic lately?” her tone was more inquisitive than judgey. Although with her eyebrow raised, she seemed amused.
“No. I don’t know much about it but I’m working on a case and I felt the same thing at the missing girl’s apartment,” I answered.
“Describe it,” she said.
“It feels dark and heavy. In my apartment, it’s like a dark cloud moving around the room. At hers, it was like a shadow. I guess. It’s hard to describe.”
“It’s stronger at her place than yours that’s why it feels like that,” she explained. “I’m going to give you some sage and a protection pendant. Are you working the case alone?”
“No, Lola’s going to be helping me,” I said.
She handed me two silver chains with silver skeletal hands clutching a light stone, and some sage. “Wear the necklace at all times. Take the sage and go over every inch of your apartment.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay you.” I inched towards the door as I examined the necklace.
“Don’t worry about it I know where you live.” She gave a smile so wide the skin around her eyes crinkled.
I went back to my apartment and locked the door behind me. Flames licked from my fingertips toward the bunch of sage and lit it. As the smoke rose into the air, I slowly moved my arm back and forth. I opened the cabinets in the kitchen and all the closet doors. I made sure that the smoke had penetrated every inch of my apartment. Once done, I sat on the sofa for an hour before I fi
nally went back to sleep. Only to jump up two hours later because someone was pounding on my door.
I opened the door, yawned, and rubbed my eyes simultaneously.
“Thought you said we were leaving in the morning.” She pushed by me, plopped on the dark gray sofa, and propped her feet on my glass coffee table.
“Why are you up so early?”
“You said morning,” she said.
I moved to the loveseat and curled up with a yawn. “But I just went to sleep two hours ago.”
“Why so late?”
“I had to bless my place.” She might have said something in response but with my eyes too tired to stay open my body shut down.
“Wake up!”
“Alright-I’m-I’m up.” I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Tenish.”
“Okay. Let me get dressed.” I stood up.
I got ready in record time. Twenty minutes. Black boots, black jeans, and a white tank. My frizzy auburn hair was pulled tightly into a top knot.
“Okay, I'm ready.” I grabbed my purse. “Here.” I handed her the necklace.
“What’s this for,” she said as she put it on.
“It’s to protect you from the dark thing in Rose’s apartment.”
“Is that why you had to cleanse your place?” Lola moved towards the door.
“Yeah. I could feel it last night. It was… I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels better in here now.” I locked the door behind us.
“Did you watch the news last night?”
“For a little while. Why?”
“Did you hear about the elf gang?” she smirked.
“Elf gang?”
“It’s this gang of elves. I can’t remember their name. They’ve been vandalizing stores downtown and spray painting everything. They attacked a group of fairies the night before, then a fairy gang retaliated last night. Left one elf floating in the air all night. He pissed and shitted on himself. There was a big pile of it underneath him. It was disgusting. It was morning before someone with the right kind of magic could get him down.”
Witch Hunt Page 3
