My Aunt Annika had a pig familiar named Gertie who’d almost been tossed in there. She was a murderer, but for some reason the Coven had shown her mercy. They’d turned her into a pig and made her a familiar. Gertie was a little strange.
“In the crypt,” I said to my dad.
“You don’t need to worry about this anymore,” Dad said. “If the best of us can’t protect you, then the worst of us will.”
For a moment, I thought I saw his eyes turn black, but I blinked and they were just their standard shade of rich chocolate brown. He smiled at me and then rushed out the front door. I stood at the window and watched him drive away.
With my dad gone, my attention immediately turned to the file folders on the table. The air felt lighter. So much so that the thoughts of Satanic cults trying to use my baby to bring a demon, or the devil, into the world drifted peacefully from my mind.
I reached out for one of the files and opened it. It was the file on Richard and Al’s accident. My interest perked up immediately.
“What are you doing?” Meri asked as he hopped up on the sofa next to me.
“Thorn left these files here,” I said absentmindedly. “This one has the police stuff on Al and Richard’s accident. I’m curious as to why it is important enough for Thorn to be carrying it around with him.”
“Curious, why?”
“Because maybe it had something to do with Richard’s murder. Duh,” I said and continued looking over the accident report.
“Kinsley, your dad just said that the murder was part of the ritual in the book.”
“Maybe,” I said. “It’s also possible that all these creeps running around town are just wannabes, and they left the book on the porch. They might not have had anything to do with Richard’s murder other than they provided cover for it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What if someone else, like Al, killed Richard, and he just did it all creepy and Satanic as a cover,” I said.
“That seems like a stretch. Especially given that you started sleepwalking to strange places when the book arrived,” Meri countered.
“I think we have to explore all the options before we make up our mind,” I said. “It’s just good detective work.”
“For one thing, you’re not a detective. Your boyfriend is the sheriff, and I’m sure he’d want you to stop looking through confidential files. For another thing, you’re pregnant, and you need to stay out of things.”
“We’re just talking about Al here. He’s not a supernatural and therefore poses no threat to me or the baby,” I said.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Meri asked.
“Maybe part of me would rather that it’s just a mundane case of murder. I don’t particularly want to think there’s a Satanic cult in Coventry trying to use me and my baby to… I don’t know. Dad didn’t tell me what they were specifically trying to do. Summon a demon in human form? It seems like a lot of trouble for something like that when a demon could just possess someone. They do that all of the time, right?”
“Yeah,” Meri said.
“So, it’s got to be something more. Like bringing the devil into the world? That’s a thing they do in movies. So, they’d be trying to bring about the end of the world or something. That’s kind of like the prophecy. I’m supposed to stop that. I don’t really want to think we’ve gotten that far yet. I just got back to Coventry not that long ago. I feel ill-prepared to save the world right now, so I’d like to believe that maybe this is all a coincidence. I can at least look into it,” I said defiantly.
Before Meri could say anything more, the front door opened and Thorn walked inside. His eyes went to the file in my hand, but he didn’t look angry.
“What are you doing?” he asked, but there was no edge of annoyance or anger to his voice.
“Um, I was curious about the files, so I picked this one up and started looking in it,” I said.
He looked a bit taken aback by my brazen honesty. “Well… okay… you probably shouldn’t be doing that.”
“Sorry. Here you go,” I said and extended the file out to him.
Thorn had taken off his hat and shoes, and he crossed the room to get the file from me. “Thank you.”
“So, why are you bringing the report on the accident home with you? Is it important?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Al’s insurance company wants to set up an in-person meeting with me about the accident. I haven’t gotten any specifics from them yet, but I’ll fit them into my schedule soon. I told them I have a murder investigation as my top priority,” Thorn said.
“Oh, okay,” I said with a shrug.
I dropped it after that, but I couldn’t help but think that it had to be something important if they wanted to meet with the sheriff in person. Thorn didn’t know what it was about yet, but I bet Al did. I wondered if there was a way I could casually work that into a conversation. It would have to wait until the next day, though.
“You okay?” Thorn asked. “Did your dad help you with the book?”
“He took it, and he’s putting it in the Skeenbauer crypt,” I said and swallowed hard.
“There’s more?” Thorn pressed.
“He did a ritual to learn how to read the book. Apparently, it contains some sort of ritual. Something to do with the baby,” I said.
“The baby? What would it have to do with the baby?”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure because he didn’t want to talk about it. My best guess is that it’s some sort of ritual to bring evil into the world using the baby.”
“Like the antichrist?” Thorn’s face began to turn red again.
“Something like that. Maybe,” I said. “I’m still not entirely sure that’s what’s really going on here, Thorn.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Even if that’s what the book says, it doesn’t mean that the people here in town, the weirdos turning up everywhere, can actually do this stuff. They might be wannabes or something. I’m not convinced Richard’s death was part of the ritual.”
“That’s a stretch,” Thorn said. “It’s a big stretch, Kinsley. Someone using the Satanists’ presence in the town to cover for a murder. They’d have to coordinate that. Plus, I would think anyone as self-serving as Satanists would have declared they didn’t do it.”
“Unless they want people to think they did,” I said. “Maybe they don’t mind if everyone is terrified of them. It could all be some sort of sick game.”
Thorn sighed. “I just want to know that you’re okay.”
“I am. I’m doing fine. My dad got rid of the book; I’m sure it’s going to be okay. Maybe these weirdos will leave town now,” I said.
“Well, if you’re not going to sleepwalk tonight, I suppose we can put a pin in this until later,” he said.
“We can. Or, maybe they will all leave tomorrow, and we can just forget about it,” I said. “But, what about Lincoln. Did you fire him?”
“I put him on administrative leave,” Thorn said. “Just for a couple of days, but I did tell him that if he didn’t take the leave I would fire him this time.”
“You’re actually considering keeping him on the force knowing what you know?” I said. “He wants us to go to jail, and I have serious doubts that he’ll ever stop trying to take your job.”
“The mayor is never going to give him my job,” Thorn said. “I want to fire him, but I need to figure out the best way to do it. There’s too much going on right now for me to have turmoil bubbling over in my department. Him being on leave for a couple of days gives me some time to think.”
“Alright,” I said. “That makes sense.”
“But now you know he’s not supposed to be on duty. If he comes around again, then you call me right away.”
“I can do that,” I said. “But if he touches me again, my family will handle it. What I made was a promise, not a threat.”
“Kinsley, I’m your family too.”
“W
ell, then hopefully he won’t be stupid enough to mess with any of us.”
Chapter Seven
Thorn spent the night on the sofa. I offered him the guest room again, but for some reason he wanted to be downstairs. I wondered if the conversation with Lincoln hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d made it out. I thought perhaps it was all the talk of Satanic rituals to harm the baby too.
Whatever it was, he stayed there all night, facing the front door. The back he’d barricaded while cursing the fact that the old security cameras his father had installed for my mom were long since broken. I didn’t even think those things worked when she was younger. They were ancient, but even then the house’s magic had destroyed the electronics in them. Either that or one of the creepy things that occasionally slithered up from the basement had ruined them. At one point in the house’s history, many demonic and malevolent entities used to hang out in the basement. They’d occasionally power their way into the house, and Meri would have to dispatch them.
That had been a long time ago, and at the current moment there were no demons and no working cameras on the back door. “I’m going to get security cameras,” Thorn groused before I kissed him goodnight.
“You can do that, but I’m pretty sure the protection magic over this house can handle just about anything that comes to either door,” I said.
“I’m still staying down here tonight,” he replied.
“If it makes you feel better, sweetie,” I said and kissed him goodnight.
He was gone by the time I got up in the morning. I imagined he’d gone running at dawn and then to work. Sure enough, there was a new towel in the wash. In the kitchen, I found freshly baked cheddar muffins and a massive stack of bacon.
“He’s starting to grow on me,” Meri said.
“I’ll be sure and tell him,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll deny it,” Meri retorted. “Whatever.”
“Whatever,” I said with a laugh and grabbed two of the warm cheddar muffins.
I brought extra muffins with me when I went to the shop to share with Reggie. When I got there, I found her talking to the glass man. He’d come to put in the permanent front windows.
“He says we have to close for the day,” Reggie said and gladly took the muffins. “Something about the giant sheets of glass being too dangerous. Can’t have people walking around.”
“That’s fine. I have something I want to do anyway.”
“Ooooh, what is it?” Reggie asked. “I just never know with you, but considering that there’s been a murder, I’m going to guess it’s something at least slightly illegal.”
“I’m going to go talk to Al Peterson,” I said and watched Reggie’s shoulders fall.
“That sounds so boring,” she said. “Can I come?”
“You just said it sounds boring.”
“With you, there’s no way it will end up being boring. I want to be there when you go full Kinsley,” she said with a snicker.
“Full Kinsley?”
“Yeah, you know. Something will happen, and we’ll end up summoning demons or breaking into the sheriff’s station,” she said. “Maybe get some criminal vampires involved.”
“Too soon,” I said dryly.
“Really?”
“No, it’s fine,” I said and playfully punched her arm. “Come on, but I promise you, we’re just going to talk to him. He seems like a nice guy, and I don’t see how this could possibly go sideways.”
Al worked at Fairly Green Landscaping. I knew that because I’d seen it in the file.
We went there and were told he wasn’t at work that day. “Oh, okay,” I said to the receptionist behind the counter.
“Yeah, he doesn’t have a truck right now, so they sent him home.” She let out a little giggle. “Guess I’m probably not supposed to talk about that. Anyway, he’s not here. Probably at home because that truck was his only vehicle after his wife left him and took their car.”
“That’s interesting,” Reggie said. “Hey, while we’re chatting, you wouldn’t happen to have his address?”
“Oh, I totally can’t tell you that. I’d get fired for sure,” the receptionist said, but for a second I thought she might actually give it to us.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I remember it.”
“You do?” Reggie asked.
“I do indeed.”
“I guess we could have just Googled it,” Reggie said as we left Fairly Green Landscaping.
“It’s okay. I saw it in the police report. He lives over on Linden.”
I drove over to Linden Lane and pulled the car up in front of what I assumed was Al’s neighbor’s house. While I did remember what street he lived on, I didn’t exactly remember the house number.
That turned out to not be an issue, though. Al came out of his house as we were getting out of the car and went to his mailbox. He grabbed a few envelopes from the box, and as he headed back up to his front door, he spotted us.
“Hello,” I said with a wave. “Al, do you have a moment?”
“Okay,” he said and stopped walking. “What’s this about?”
I bridged the distance between us with Reggie right behind me. “How are you?” I figured I’d start with some polite conversation.
“About as good as can be expected,” he said with a huff.
“I’m sorry you’re having a hard time,” I said, hoping that a little empathy would make him want to talk to me.
“A hard time? It’s so much more than that,” he said, and I watched as his face turned bright red. A vein popped out on his forehead, and another joined it on his neck. “Not that you would understand.”
I was a little taken aback by his anger, and it seemed to be directed at me. Al didn’t look at all like the man who I’d encountered the other night.
“Maybe I would. What’s going on?” I tried to sound like I was just friendly and concerned.
“None of your dang business.” Al’s nostrils flared, and he balled his hands into fists at his side like he was ready to throw a punch. “Neither of you have any business here sniffing around. I’ve heard about your reputation. Did the insurance company put you up to this? Are you some sort of private investigator?”
“No, not at all.” I said. “We just wanted…”
“I don’t care what you want. Get out of here, or I’m going to take this mail inside and get my gun.”
“What!” Reggie cried out.
“Get out of here, or I’m going to get my gun,” Al repeated.
“Reggie, let’s go,” I said as Al took a step toward us.
We hurried back to my car, and I drove away from the curb with Al watching to make sure we left. I didn’t go far, though. We pulled around the block and up to the curb of a house one street away from Al’s. I cut the motor, and we got out.
“What are you doing?” Reggie asked.
“We need to get into his house. I have to find out what’s going on with him. Did you see the way he was acting?” I asked.
“Hah! I knew this was going to get good,” Reggie said and rubbed her hands together. “But, Kinsley, he’s in there. Oh, and he said he had a gun.”
“I have an idea; just wait,” I said as we walked back around the block and toward Al’s house.
We stopped two houses away and hid behind a giant lilac bush growing next to the sidewalk. I pulled out my phone and got ready to dial.
“Wait, there he is,” Reggie whispered. “He’s getting in his truck to leave. How did you do that?”
“I didn’t,” I said. “We just got lucky.”
“What were you going to do?” Reggie asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” I said and slid my phone back into my purse.
Fortunately, Al drove off in the other direction. We walked up to the house, and I just prayed he didn’t turn around and come back.
“I thought that receptionist said his truck didn’t work,” Reggie said.
“Well, it looked all mangled. Maybe they just won’t let him us
e it like that. It didn’t sound too good either,” I said.
“Yeah, it did sound like it was struggling. I wonder if it will break down wherever he is going.”
We hurried up the driveway and around to the back of the small, yellow cracker-box house. It was a squat, rectangular thing that had been built after the war. A lot of them seemed to be yellow too. In Al’s neighborhood, they were mixed in with a sprinkling of older houses and a few new ones. The new ones were built where dilapidated tract housing had been torn down. It was quite a different scene than the bad part of town where you found streets and streets full of dilapidated old postwar tract houses. Kind of like Richard’s place. In fact, Al and Richard’s houses were practically identical other than their location, and Al’s was in a much better state.
We went around past the detached garage and to the back door. I listened for a moment to make sure there wasn’t a huge dog waiting to attack us on the other side and then used a touch of magic to open the back door.
Reggie and I slipped inside and closed the door just as I heard feet crunching on the alley’s gravel. Al’s backyard was enclosed with a chain-link fence, so if we’d let them get close enough they would have seen us.
I peeked out the kitchen window above the sink to make sure it wasn’t Al. His truck might have broken down a few blocks away and he had to hoof it back, but it wasn’t him. Looked like a gangly, dark-haired teenager cutting through the alley to get home.
“We’re good,” I said.
“We probably should have brought the cat,” Reggie said.
“Who me?” Meri said and made us both jump half a foot off the floor.
The voice came from inside my bag, so I opened it. Sure enough, tiny little Meri was stowed away inside.
Book of Dark Magic Page 9
