He shook his head. “Not at this moment. At this time I am debating on murdering your uncle or not.”
Ah, so that part was true. “Was everything he said true?”
“Yes, but I don’t know about him protecting you from the Cult. He didn’t want you trained in magic, he wanted to use a binding spell.”
That didn’t sound pleasant. Binding spells were on the border of black magic, depending on the person’s intentions. “Why?”
“Because he wanted to protect you. Your parents gave you to my custody in their will, my choice was to raise you as they would have. With your magic and the best training possible. Oliver didn’t agree so I cut him out of your life.”
I nodded slightly. “And now?”
“Now you’re old enough to make your own choice on that.” He shrugged. “I don’t rule your life, Abigail.”
And I appreciated that, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do about this situation yet. “Guess I should wait to see what my research turns up.”
“What about the Cult?” Simon asked. “And the murders?”
“I keep investigating the murders. I don’t think the Cult has finished their mission yet, so I just need to stay out of their way and hope that I’m not the mission.”
“Do you really think that they are after you?” Simon reached for a slice of pizza and I hit his hand.
I was in the middle of a bite and didn’t answer, but Levi nodded. “What Oliver told her makes sense, but it's strange that the Cult waited this long.”
“Fear maybe? Because we all know she’s one of the more powerful witches.” Simon winked at me.
I shook my head. “I may be more powerful, but I’m not the best out there.”
“Unless they fear you’re going to continue your father’s work.” Levi looked at me. “Which is a very real possibility seeing as it seems that the murders are connect to it.”
I chewed on my pizza and considered the words. I had managed to find my father’s research and it was only natural to continue it, after I used it to save my life of course. “Seems to me that most of this is connected. I don’t like it.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Simon asked and leaned back in the chair. “You’ve almost been killed once, you’ve been kidnapped, now what?”
“Now I solve the murders, find a way to get the Cult off my case, maybe solve my parent’s murder and go on with my life.” I looked at Levi. “I don’t know anything about the murder of my parents. The only thing I learned at the house was that it wasn’t witch hunters, but the Cult. Oliver shed some light on it, but I don’t know how much I can trust him.”
Levi shrugged. “I wouldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him.”
Of course he wouldn’t. I nodded. “So now, I eat my pizza, I get a good day’s rest. I search for clues, talk to the coven, oh, and see if that freak of nature vampire is out there selling drugs.”
“You didn’t kill him?” Levi raised a brow and I shook my head.
“Wanted to give him a chance first.”
Simon snorted and I rolled my eyes.
“And we see how that ended, don’t we?” Levi shook his head. “You’re too trusting, Abby.”
We all knew I didn’t really trust that easy, but I let it go. It wasn’t worth arguing with him on. “I’m going to get some rest. I’ll see you all later.” I stood and stretched. Grabbing another piece of pizza, I left the room and headed to my room.
Not a whole lot had changed in my room. Nothing ever did. Levi wanted it to feel like home for me, so he never touched it. A purple bedspread was perfectly laid on the bed, folded just below the pillow, on the four-poster bed. There was a nightstand with one drawer and a picture of my parents on top of it. That was it. The closet held some of my clothes, but mostly because when I ended up here, I tended to need clean clothes. It was just the way things worked in my life.
I stripped my shirt and pants off and fell into the bed. I didn’t bother with the covers, I was exhausted. Too tired to bother with anything and too sore from everything to want to move. Now I wanted nothing but sleep. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off into dreamland.
CHAPTER NINE
I’d set my alarm the night before and the blaring tone now filled the room. I groaned, got up, and fished it out of the pocket of my discarded pants. I hit the dismiss button and sighed. I had work to do today. I needed to call Clarissa and speak to her about arranging a meeting with Michele, assuming the woman would meet with me. More often than not, the leaders tended to ignore me. My hope was now that one of the coven was dead they would listen.
I dialed Clarissa’s number and waited.
She answered on the third ring and I could immediately tell she already knew about Jade.
“Hey you…” Her voice was tired and a little rough, making it obvious that shed been crying for some time. “I’m not really in the mood to talk.” She sighed. “I lost a good friend. I just learned that her body had been found.”
It broke my heart to hear the tears in her voice. I wondered for a moment why I hadn’t been informed. “I know, that’s actually why I was calling. I was hoping we could meet up. I have some questions, I’m the one on the case.”
Silence on the other end. I wish I knew what she was thinking because I hated just waiting with nothing to say.
“This is related to your case then? They never give you two cases.” She sniffled.
She was wrong. If they were small cases, I often got two, but a serial case like this meant that it was supposed to have my undivided attention. “Yeah, it’s related to my case. I’m hoping that I can get some clues as to what is going on here.”
“The Cult is behind this.” She snapped. “That’s the only answer you need.”
I needed to remind myself that I was dealing with a grieving person and assumptions and cold -heartedness wasn’t going to get me far. “I don’t think it’s the Cult, which is why I’m digging further into this. I want to make sure we’re able to get whoever is doing this. She deserves that much.”
I heard another sniffle. “Do you want to come to the shop for tea then?”
“Sure, I’m at Levi’s so it’ll be a couple hours.” I needed to shower and eat something, too, just in case someone else decided to kidnap me.
“Okay, love. I’ll see you then.”
The line went dead and I sighed. I hated seeing Clarissa like this. Grief was not a pretty thing, but no one should go through it alone. I’m sure the coven had her back, but I wanted, no, I needed to be there for my good friend.
I stripped my bra and panties off and headed to the attached bathroom. A shower would do me good. I could wash the grime of the last couple days away... meditate, and get my head back on straight. I turned the water on and waited for it to warm up. There were too many thoughts in my head right now. I wanted to know exactly why my parents had given me to Levi instead of Oliver. It was years ago, but I still wanted to know. I had grown up thinking I had no blood family left. There had to be a reason why my parents wanted it that way.
There also had to be a reason why Oliver chose now to reveal himself to me. Was it the Cult? Was he behind everything? My paranoia started to creep up in my mind. The therapists from my childhood always told me paranoia was normal and it would fade in time. Levi always told me paranoia was what kept me alive. I was starting to believe Levi.
I got in the shower and let the steamy water roll over me. It eased my muscles and soothed my mind a little bit. I had a long day ahead of me and it wasn’t going to be easy. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the coven accused me of the murders. Clarissa first, then Michele, then Mason and research. Oh, and I needed a new phone in case Oliver had decided to bug mine.
Paranoia.
I sighed and washed my hair and body. I got out of the shower and went to the closet to find clean clothes. There was a small set of drawers in there with underwear, bras and socks. I pulled them out and put them on and then got a black shirt and a pair of jeans o
ut. After dressing, I reached down and got my holster and belt off the dirty pair of jeans.
I was putting my boots on when someone knocked at my door. “I’m dressed, you can come in.” It wasn’t nighttime or anywhere near it so it had to be Simon.
He opened the door and peeked in. “Hey, thought I’d offer my company today.”
“Just going to be a lot of boring running around and a bunch of crying people. And maybe cell phone shopping.”
He smiled. “Sounds like a good day to me.”
Why on earth was he offering to come with me? I shrugged. “If you really want.”
“Wouldn’t have offered otherwise.” He stepped in the room. “Levi is worried about Oliver getting into your head.”
I finished tying my boots. “He didn’t get into my head. I turned down his offer. I don’t need any more ties to the past. As soon as I get this figured out I can bury the past forever.”
“Abby, you can’t just ignore it.” He sat down on the bed next to me. “The Cult obviously has something to do with your parents passing.”
“Passing?” I chuckled. “They were murdered, they didn’t just simply pass. And yes, I know, which is why I’m pursuing this.” I stood and stretched. “Look, if you’re coming along just to babysit, don’t bother. I’m a big girl. Stay here with Levi and discuss…I don’t know, whatever business you two have.”
He shook his head. “I’m not coming to babysit you. One, you still owe me a spell on the club. Two, maybe I’m curious about the Cult and the murders.”
“I’m going to have a hard time explaining why you’re participating in PIB business.” I went to the bathroom and ran a comb through my hair and a toothbrush over my teeth. “But I suppose I could use the company.” Part of me was happy he wanted to tag along; the other part of me remembered why I never went out to get drinks with a guy…they started to get weird.
“Thanks.” He snorted. “You’ll figure it out. You did when we were at the morgue.”
The first time that I was supposed to be snatched up. Oliver had mentioned it, the only reason Dr. Lambsburg didn’t drug me then was because Simon had been with me. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have him hanging around.
I came back out and then headed into the hall. “We have to go to Clarissa’s first. I’d appreciate alone time with her, just because she’s not going to appreciate you observing her grief and she’ll be less likely to be open with me if you’re around.”
He followed and I even heard him shut the door behind him. I shook my head. Maybe I could keep him around and train him? I imagined him as a big fluffy wolf with a cute collar on and laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
I grinned. “Nothing, just a funny image in my head. Let’s get going. It’s a long drive and I’d like to be back before sundown. I’ll drive.”
“Why do you plan on coming back here?”
“I need the chamber for a tracking spell. I know the hex is gone, but I think it might be safer for me to do it there.” I shrugged. “It’s either that or you start sniffing out our three legged werewolf.”
Simon shook his head. “I am not a blood hound.”
“Didn’t think so.” I walked out and smiled. The sun was shining, but the air still held a cold bite to it, even at this time of day. It’d be warmer in town, but this was the perfect weather for me. Cold, crisp air, my breath in a fog as I breathed. It was perfect. Something about this time of year just called to me and soothed my magic.
I unlocked the car and we both got in. I flipped on the radio and we started our long drive into town.
I parked in front of the shop and got out, leaving the keys in the car. “Go ahead and find something to do. I’ll send you a text when I’m done.” I shut the door and then went into the shop.
“Clarissa?” I called and she came out of the back room, her eyes all puffy. “Hey, honey.”
She came and gave me a hug and then locked the front door and flipped the closed sign. “I’m sorry, I’m a mess.”
“I know, and I’m sorry to have to ask these questions, but I figured you’d rather it be me than Detective Mason.”
“Detective Mason was the one who called this morning.” She sniffled a little and led me to the back room where she had tea waiting. Part of me was cautious about it, but I sat down and poured myself some anyways. “Can you tell me about Jade?”
“She was a sweet woman, a school teacher, and I don’t know why someone would want to murder her.” She sniffled. “She never hurt anyone.”
“Do you know if she was involved in any type of research? Something that may be dangerous to anyone?” I picked up my teacup and blew on it a little.
She shook her head. “No, she kept her head down, came to our meetings, and was quiet until you really got to know her. She’d come here often and we’d talk about life.”
This wasn’t getting me anywhere, but I had to remember to be patient. “Do you know if she was seeing anyone? Or mentioned anything about someone who was new in her life?”
“There was a man, she said he’d come to tell her about some documents her parents left her.”
Now we were getting somewhere. “Did she say what kind of documents?”
“Something about a lock box, but she never did go look. She’d gotten papers to claim it, but her parents have been dead for twenty years.”
I frowned. “How old was she?”
“She’s forty.”
So not my age, she would have been old enough to remember if her parents were working on anything in research. “Okay, thank you. I’ll inform Detective Mason to look for the papers, maybe we can get a warrant for the bank. I know this a loss for the whole coven, and I know Michele has her hands full, but—“
“You need to ask her questions as well. She thought you might. She has reservations for you and her at Mona Lisa’s. Said it was her treat. Nine tonight.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Michele assuming I could and would meet up on her terms. I wanted to be back before then to do a tracking spell, but I would make it work. “Okay, thank you.” I sipped my tea and leaned back. “Did you know I had an uncle?” I asked suddenly.
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t. I thought all of your family was dead.”
“So did I. Levi knew, he hid it from me. I’m not too pleased.”
“Listen honey, Levi hides a lot of things from you. It’s not a bad thing, he’s just trying to keep you somewhat innocent.”
“He has me kill for him.” I laughed. “I think it’s far too late for me to be innocent.”
She shook her head. “Your aura is still fairly clean. You still have morals and that helps you out. A lot.”
“I know. Just sometimes I wish he would include me in things.” I shook my head. “Or at least not hide family members.”
“For your own good.” She said again. “Do you truly think this isn’t the Cult’s doing?”
I nodded. “I do. Some things don’t add up.”
“Like?” She asked and met my gaze. “Please Abby, ease my grief a little bit.”
“Like the fact that, though based on the same subtext, the runes were different. The ones at the crime scene were actually a newer version than the kind that tried to kill me.”
“Okay, that means that it’s someone familiar with the language.”
“But it’s not the Cult. From what I understand, they always use the older version, it’s kind of like their signature.”
“Yes, that’s what they say anyways. So do you have suspects?”
“No, the only other person I know who studied the language with my father is dead.” And I wasn’t even sure if that’s what the man had been studying with my father.
“What did Michele study with him?” Clarissa asked, sitting up straighter. “She said she knew him.”
“I don’t know what she studied with him. Research is a weird thing, my father did a lot of it, mostly with languages, but I didn’t know Michele until now.”
“There a
re a lot of people in your father’s past that you don’t know about.” She sighed and played with her tea.
I sipped mine and watched her. She had at least stopped crying, but I knew she was hurting. “I’ll call to check on you later. I need to call Mason and in order to do that, I need a new phone.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Abigail?” And just like that she was back to mother hen mode. Her eyes narrowed and met my gaze, her brows furrowed, and if she had been standing her hands would have been on her hips.
I shook my head. “I’m paranoid my phone was bugged by my uncle.”
“You’ll catch me up soon? It sounds like I’ve missed a lot.”
I nodded. “Of course. After I catch this killer, preferably before they blow anything else up or kill anyone else.”
“Of course, no more arms.”
Or hands, I wanted to add, but that wasn’t a good idea judging by her state. “Yeah, no more arms.” I pulled out a notebook from my bag. “Will you write down Michele’s number? Just in case something happens and I can’t make it tonight?”
She nodded and took the notebook and pen. She jotted down the number and then handed the items back to me. “I hope you can meet her. She’s not a patient woman sometimes.”
I got that impression at the time they undid the hex. “Yeah, but sometimes, I just can’t help it with my job.” I gave a small sigh. I finished my tea and then pulled out my phone to text Simon a simple ‘done’.
“You really need a vacation.” She stood.
I raised a brow, standing and going over to her. “How can you tell?”
“That little sigh you gave after talking about your job. Promise me that after this, you’ll take a vacation.”
I nodded. “I will. Don’t worry. I’m thinking somewhere warm and sunny, with an ocean.” I hugged her. “I have to go. Thank you, I know you didn’t want to talk.”
“I’m willing to do anything. If it’s not the Cult, the killer needs to be caught.”
I thought that was a strange way of saying it. “And if it is the Cult?”
“Then Abby, may the Goddess have mercy on your soul, because anyone who goes after them ends up dead.” She gave me a sad look and touched my shoulder. “I hope it’s not them.”
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