“Oh,” he gasped. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I laughed.
“For how long?”
“Six years,” I answered.
“I see,” he said.
The secretary appeared in the doorway. “Miss Moondance, the headmistress is ready for you.”
“Well, I won’t keep you,” said Mr. Lore as he shook my hand. “Don’t be a stranger.”
I nodded.
I followed the secretary through the main office to the head mistress’s office. She stood up from her desk when I walked in. She wasn’t the same one from when I attended. We exchanged pleasantries before we sat down. She pushed a black strand behind her ear.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“I have been thinking of the best way to ask for what I need. Trying to trick you into giving me information or truth spells to cast so you have to tell me what I want to know. But I can’t do any of those things. Well I mean I can, but I don’t want to. I’m a direct person, so this is what is happening, I don’t think Professor Pierce is the one who abducted Rose Stone and I need you to help me clear his name because the police consider it a closed case,” I explained.
Headmistress Rinna blinked. “Okay. Um, how can I help you do that?”
“I’m glad you asked. I was told he had a son, but I can find no evidence of that anywhere. The boy isn’t even mentioned in his biography on the school site,” I answered.
“Oh. Theo—”
“His name is Theo?” I asked as I took out my notepad.
“Yes. Theo Jasper,” she answered. “He went here for a few months a couple of years ago, but he had to be removed.”
“Why?”
“Behavior issues. He was into girls more than he was his school work. Rarely showed up for class. Wild outburst. He pushed a girl down the stairs once because she turned him down. That was the last straw. We loved Professor Pierce even with his problems. He was a very good instructor, but his son had to go,” she explained.
“So, you kicked him out. Did they have a good relationship?” I asked.
“No. Not after that. I think Theo expected Pierce to stick up for him, but he didn’t. He changed his last name to his mother’s maiden name after we kicked him out.”
“Huh, who is his mother?” I asked.
“Um…Nora. Nora Jasper,” she answered.
“Thank you,” I said. “One more thing. How were the herbs for spells kept?”
“Well they were in his classroom and he had the lock for them. It was a blood lock—oh,” she stopped.
“It was a blood lock. So, whoever wanted access either had to be related to Professor Pierce or had his blood with them for some reason?” I asked.
“Well, yes,” she answered. “You think it was his son?”
“I think it’s a possibility worth investigating,” I answered. “Do you know where I can find him?”
She wrote down the address of the professor and the last known address for Nora Jasper in the most beautiful handwriting I had ever seen.
“Thank you.” I stood up.
“I never thought he did it. It just didn’t seem like him,” she said. Her lavender eyes perked up.
“Why? I mean he did get too comfortable with some of his female students,” I reminded her.
“True. He flirted but once they told him no, he moved on. He was a good teacher, a bit of a perv but he never got physical with any of them. They told him no and that was it,” she explained.
“That doesn’t make his behavior okay just because he didn’t get physical. There were other missing girls and they were also witches and were in his class,” I said.
“Really?” she gasped.
“Yes. One name that comes to mind is Tania. Tania—”
“Raven,” she finished.
“Yeah.”
“I remember her. It was a long time ago. I remember it because it was around the same time we were going through the whole Theo mess,” she said.
“He was here then?” I asked.
“Yes. He was kicked out, and we straightened the thing out with the young lady he pushed and maybe a few months later Tania went missing,” she explained.
“Did they have any contact?” I asked.
“They were in Pierce’s class together but that was it I think,” she said.
“Oh. Okay. Thank you,” I said as I rushed out of the room.
Saturday came so slowly I thought I was going to lose my mind. I had been waiting to ask the families loads of questions and finally, the day came. I showered and dressed quickly. I grabbed a thermos of coffee and went to the bus stop. It came within thirty minutes. I rode it downtown to the park. I had only been there on a handful of occasions. There was a time when I tried losing weight and went for walks in the park. Then I realized I wasn’t a puppy and didn’t like being walked. I was going to try something else but then I said, “Nah, I’m good,” and went on about my business.
The park was just as beautiful as the last time I was there. Grass so thick it reminded me of a green carpet. There was a fountain in the middle of the park with a large stone bird in the middle of it. A mermaid sat in it when I walked by. She smiled at me as I passed. With lavender hair and matching eyes, she flicked her seafoam green tail in the water, splashing water onto her face. I walked to a gazebo behind the fountain and waited. I was the first to arrive, so I pulled out my notepad and reviewed my questions.
A family of centaurs was playing with a family of griffons on the grass. The fathers sat on checkered blankets talking while the mothers sat under another gazebo laughing. The children rolled around playing some sort of game. The youngest centaur tripped and fell to the ground hard. She laughed as the little girl griffon nudged her back onto her feet.
“Miss Moondance?” asked a man from behind me.
I spun around. “Yes?”
“Hello. I’m Clark Raven,” he stated.
“Oh,” I jumped up, “nice to meet you.”
We shook hands, and he sat next to me. Once he arrived the rest filed in. One after another until we had fifteen people in the gazebo talking and laughing. Mrs. Stone was the last to arrive, and she looked better than the last time I had seen her. More put together. I gave everyone time to introduce themselves and to talk before we got down to business.
“Hello everyone,” I started, “I’m so glad you all decided to come out. I understand it may be difficult to talk about your missing loved ones but I’m just trying to understand if the cases are related and I think they are. But I’m having a difficult time putting the pieces together. I have a list of questions if you don’t mind answering them.”
They agreed.
“Okay. If your missing loved one is a witch, raise your hand,” I said.
Half the group raised their hands.
“That’s more than I thought. Did they go to college?” I asked.
Some raised their hands. “On the island,” I added.
“The latest missing girl had a secret boyfriend that no one had ever met before. Is that true for anyone else here?” I asked.
“My daughter was acting strange,” said a woman. She had brown hair in a messy bun. She looked to be the same age as Mrs. Stone.
“Strange how?” I asked.
“She would disappear for hours and when I asked her where she had been, she was very vague about it. Very guarded. Getting dressed up and going out but she wouldn’t tell me who he was or what he looked like,” said the woman.
I took out my notepad, “what was her name?” I asked.
“Mary Winter,” she answered.
“Did he ever pick her up?” I asked.
“No. And I asked her friends about him, but they had never met him either. It was so unlike her and then she was gone,” she answered.
“The same happened to mine. Some mystery man she wouldn’t talk about. I figured she wasn’t ready to introduce him to the family. It wasn’t until after she was missing that I talked to her friends and they had never met
him either,” said a man with a thick salt and pepper beard and bald head.
“And what was her name?” I asked.
“Amira Kinoth,” he answered.
Twelve other people had the same story. Their daughter or friend had a boyfriend that she wouldn’t talk about no matter how much they asked. They never met him and couldn’t tell me what he looked like. One woman didn’t agree with the others. She came up to me once the crowd dwindled to a small group in one corner talking. She had auburn hair and sad blueberry colored eyes.
“Excuse me?” she whispered. “Can we talk?”
“Sure,” I said.
She sat down next to me. “My daughter was Waverly Marks. She was a witch and went to the same college as the other girls. She was sweet and good and a bit naive. She had a boyfriend, but he wasn’t a mystery. I knew who he was,” she stated.
“When did she go missing?” I asked.
“Last year,” she answered.
“Theo Jasper?”
“How did you know?”
“He’s my prime suspect. I just need to find him,” I answered. “Did you like him?”
“No. He was a horrible boy,” she answered, “He treated her badly, and he had a bad temper. He hit her once. I tried getting her to stop seeing him, but she loved him, and they were only dating for a few months. I tried talking to his mother but she- I don’t know. There was something odd about her. About them.”
“What do you mean?”
“They were too close. He was always up under her and she always had to know where he was and what he was doing,” she explained. “It was just strange. I finally talked my daughter into breaking up with him.”
“How long after did she go missing?”
“Maybe three months,” she answered. “I told the police, but they interviewed him and his mother. I guess she alibied him or something. To be honest, after they talked to them, they didn’t really seem interested in my missing daughter.”
“I think he is the one I’m looking for,” I stated.
“Why do you say that?” she asked.
I explained to her about Rose Stone and Professor Pierce who was Theo’s father. She was so surprised she didn’t know what to say. We talked more about her daughter. I got the sense she just wanted to tell someone about her. Someone who would listen. I let her tell me stories about Waverly when she was a little girl for thirty minutes. Margaret had to leave so we said goodbye and I told her I would let her know if anything new happened. She thanked me before leaving. I packed up my notepad and left behind her.
Chapter 12
That’s why no one likes Warlocks
I was trying to decide whether to look for Theo by myself when Syn knocked on my office door.
“Look at you, sending the real you instead of a shadow. So proud,” I smirked.
“Aren’t you a funny one,” he remarked as he walked to the chair and sat down.
“With all the crap going on in the world, we do what we can,” I said. “What do you want?”
He was still covered up. This time he wore a gray knitted hat, a white long sleeve shirt, and dark blue jeans. I sat quietly waiting for his answer as he took in my office. When he finished eying the room, his eyes met mine.
“Have you made any progress?” he asked.
“A little. Why?” I asked.
“She was my friend and I’m worried. Do you think she’s um—”
“I don’t know. I hope she’s still alive,” I said.
“Yeah me too,” he whispered.
“You know, Wolf followed her once and saw the mysterious boyfriend had a slim build and black hair. Kind of sounds like you,” I said.
He leaned forward. His hands rested on my desk. “If I had her I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have helped you. What would I even do with her? I don’t see her like that. We’re just friends. Always have been. She was my friend when no one else—”
“No one else what?” I inquired.
“Nothing,” he answered.
“What are you?” I asked.
“Are you always so rude?” he asked.
“Some people it’s easier to tell. With you, it’s not,” I answered.
It’s extremely difficult to tell with him. With some people, it’s in the eyes. Black for shadow people, red for vampires, orange for firebirds, and so on. Or it’s the hair that changed color when a person comes into their powers. I didn’t know of a creature with emerald eyes. So, was he a warlock? He could do magic.
“Something,” he answered.
“Well, that’s reassuring,” I said. “I have to interview a few people and Lola is somewhere on business and I could use—”
“A bodyguard,” he finished.
“Is that a yes or a no?” I asked.
“Sure. Why not,” he answered. “Who are you interviewing?”
“I am going to find Theo Jasper. He may have taken other girls not just Rose. Lola and Blossom would kill me if I went alone,” I answered.
“You really think he took her?” he asked.
“Well, if you take all the things that made the professor a suspect they can be applied to his son as well. There was a blood lock on the cabinet that held the ingredients for the misty cloaking spell, so he could have gotten into it. He could get access to his father’s car to transport Rose so that explains her hair in the trunk.”
“Do you know where he is?” he asked.
“I have Pierce’s address, but I’m not sure if he’ll be there or not. I’m going to have to do a stakeout,” I said.
“Let me know when you want to do that,” he said.
“Tomorrow if possible,” I answered. “What about your classes?”
“I have straight A’s, I can miss a few classes,” he smirked.
“Well, la di da.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he got up.
“Alright. Be here around seven,” I said.
He gave a dismissive wave as he walked out of the door.
By six I had showered, dressed, ate breakfast, and was waiting on the front steps of the building. Syn pulled up a little before seven.
“Well look at you, getting here early. Again, very proud,” I said.
He rolled his eyes as I closed the car door. We stopped by a grocery store to pick up some supplies. Mostly snack cakes and sodas. There might have been a water bottle or two.
Professor Pierce lived an hour from the college in what was known as the ritzy part of the island. Large mansion-style homes with manicured lawns and long driveways. Luckily for us, Pierce didn’t live in a gated community. We parked two houses down from his and waited.
“What are we waiting for exactly?” asked Syn.
“It’s a stakeout. I want to see if Theo comes here or if anyone else lives here,” I answered.
“Why don’t you just use your magic? Aren’t you a witch?” he asked.
“I don’t use it for everything,” I answered. “Sitting here is not that big of a deal.”
As I said the last word, Syn’s head dropped. “Syn? Syn?” I said as I shook him.
He didn’t answer.
“Syn?”
I shook him violently. When his eyes opened, I slid back in my seat. “What are you doing?” I asked annoyed.
“Shadow spell,” he answered. He opened his door. “No one is in there.” He got out. I followed.
“Are you sure?” I asked as I followed him down the sidewalk.
“Yeah.”
We walked up to the house. Instead of going to the front door, we used the large shrubbery as cover until we got to the back door. I stuck my finger in the keyhole, but nothing happened. “Why won’t it unlock?”
Syn pulled me away from the door and examined it. “Ananite lock and knob,” he said.
“Ananite?” I asked.
“Yes, ananite. It’s a mineral that stops magic from working. In Niarus slaves are forced to wear ananite chains to stop them from using magic, changing form, and fighting their masters,”
he answered. “Give me a minute.” Syn pulled three small silver tools out of his pocket and picked the lock. He turned the knob and it creaked open. He looked back at me.
“Wow. I am both in awe of you and yet very aware of my wallet,” I remarked.
“Shut up.”
We went into the house and closed the door quietly behind us.
“Wow, nice place,” I said. The back door was in the kitchen. Tile floors, expensive gray countertops, dark wood cabinets and a black stove and refrigerator.
“What are we looking for?” asked Syn.
“I’m not sure,” I answered. “I would say anything out of the ordinary but I’m not sure what that is here.”
“We should split up,” he suggested.
“Um, no. We are staying together,” I replied.
We moved through the house quickly and quietly searching through drawers, cabinets, and closets. We ended up in an office. It was beautiful. There was a beautiful wood desk against the wall opposite the door. There was a bookcase on the left wall loaded with books. On the right wall, was a window with a small table and a large red chair next to it. I sat behind his desk and searched through the drawers but found nothing. Syn looked through books.
“Let’s go upstairs,” I suggested.
Syn followed me upstairs, and we opened the first door we came to. A strange smell or rather a mixture of smells plowed me in the face.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Boy smells.”
“That’s disgusting,” I said. It was like a mixture of feet and an assortment of other things. “This is so wrong.”
“Look around. Stop complaining.”
“I’m trying. But I can’t look and hold my breath at the same time,” I said.
“You’ll get used to it,” he chuckled.
“I don’t want to get used to it.”
I looked under the bed first. Big mistake. The pile of dirty socks made the smell stronger.
“Okay, this is just ridiculous.”
“Hey,” said Syn. He handed me a picture; it was of Pierce and his son, who was slim with black hair.
“Just like the man, Wolf saw,” I said. “I think that means we are on the right track. Now I don’t feel bad for breaking in.”
Witch Hunt Page 11
