“You need to stay out of our business,” Rosie threatened. “If you involve yourself, you won’t like what happens.”
“If you leave this tent I may not be able to help you,” I warned. “Don’t make that mistake.”
“Stay away,” Rosie repeated as she reached the tent flap. “We’re not afraid of you. Don’t think we are.”
She was gone before I could say another word.
“What was that?” Bay asked, straightening.
“Trouble ... and now I think I know what’s going on.” My mind raced. “We need to get Max, Kade and Raven in here.”
“And Landon and Chief Terry,” Bay added. “We can’t cut them out.”
I slid her a sidelong look. “I don’t usually play well with law enforcement.”
“You’ll have to this time.” Bay was firm. “We’re all in this together.”
I sighed, resigned. “Okay. I’ll try things your way. But if I have to make up the rules on the spot, I’m not going to apologize.”
Bay simply nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll call Landon and Chief Terry.”
“And I’ll get the others.” I started to move toward the opening, but Nelson stopped me with a wail.
“What about me?” he snapped. “You just caused my girlfriend to freak out and run away. What’s going to happen to me?”
I took pity on him. “You need to find another girlfriend. That one is defective.”
“That’s the story of my life,” Nelson griped.
Bay sympathetically patted his arm. “You really do have terrible luck with women. Have you considered dating men?”
Nelson scowled. “That’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. You either need to become a monk or take a break from women altogether. I was trying to be helpful.”
“I am done hanging around you.” Nelson stomped to the tent flap. “You guys are the bad luck.”
It was entirely possible he was right.
ONCE EVERYONE WAS GROUPED IN my tent — and a sign detailing I would be back shortly to resume readings affixed to the flap — I laid out what I saw in the young woman’s mind.
“It’s Shirley and Adele.”
No one reacted to my announcement.
“The old witches staying at The Overlook,” I explained. “The ones excited about the dinner theater. They did all of this.”
Bay wrinkled her nose. “But ... how? They’re in their seventies. Heck, they could be in their eighties. How could they possibly have taken down two younger and fitter men?”
“Billy wasn’t all that fit,” I argued. “But that’s neither here nor there. They’re not doing the physical stuff.”
“Rosie?” Bay rubbed the back of her neck as she considered the conundrum. “I don’t see how that’s possible. Shirley and Adele arrived in town after Darren died. They were on the bus that arrived that afternoon. They told me that.”
“Just because they said it doesn’t mean they were telling the truth,” I argued. “Besides, I saw them that afternoon, too. I didn’t see them get off the bus. They were with that group, but when everyone else was gathering luggage they took off without any luggage.”
“But ... .” Bay trailed off, uncertain.
“Let’s say you’re right about that,” Landon interjected, his hand resting on Bay’s back. “How could those little old ladies take down two grown men? How could they have done it on the fairgrounds without anyone noticing? More importantly, how did they do it without setting off that magical trap thing that Bay told me about?”
“The dreamcatcher,” I said absently as I searched for answers to his questions. “They weren’t always using Rosie and some friend of hers, a girl with black hair and a nose ring.”
“Stephanie Dobbs,” Bay volunteered. “She hangs around with a girl named Stephanie Dobbs. She has a nose ring.”
“They weren’t always using Stephanie and Rosie,” I offered. “They were using Lizzy and Kaley before that. They were meant to be diversions. Plus, well, they needed four people to cast the spell they have in mind.
“You said it yourself, Bay,” I continued. “This comes back to the four corners. There are two of them, but they need the power of four.”
“Rosie and Stephanie aren’t witches,” Bay argued. “They’re simple girls. They just graduated from high school. I think I would know if they were witches. Both of them grew up in this town.”
“Do witches recognize other witches?” Kade asked, legitimately curious.
“Not always,” Bay admitted. “We would’ve known if Rosie and Stephanie were witches, though. They’ve spent eighteen years in this town. We’ve crossed paths with them many times.”
“They might not have needed women with magical powers,” Max noted, thoughtful. “They merely may have needed women they could trick into believing they had powers. That’s why they went for the younger ones twice. They thought they could fool them.”
“To what end?” Terry asked. “Why murder Darren and Billy? What good would that do?”
That was a good question. “I think they’re trying to perform a ritual,” I explained. “I saw things in Rosie’s head, things she didn’t understand. I think they wanted me to see because I’m capable of understanding.”
“And why is that?” Kade asked, nervous. “Why would they want to tip their hands?”
“Because they need something from us,” I replied simply.
“Power,” Bay interjected. “They need power. They stayed at The Overlook because they heard the stories about my family and thought they would get the power from those living under our roof. Then you guys came along and they sensed a different type of power.”
“But that doesn’t explain the murders,” Kade persisted.
“It does if you look back at blood magic spells,” Bay argued. “They didn’t care about who they murdered. They needed the blood. I’m sure they collected it. They covered what they were doing with the runes.
“The runes could play into the spell,” she continued. “They might be necessary to whatever it is they’re planning. They took the blood, though.”
“It makes sense.” Landon scrubbed his chin. “We said that Darren couldn’t have been killed where we found his body because there was no blood. Maybe there was no blood because they collected it.”
“They were pretty neat about collecting it,” Kade said.
“They were,” Landon agreed. “There was no blood around Billy’s body either, only what was visible. To our knowledge, he never left the fairgrounds. That ground should’ve been saturated with blood.”
“How did they cross the dreamcatcher?” Kade asked. “Why didn’t it alert?”
I had the answer. “They didn’t cross the dreamcatcher. I think they might have tried earlier – that’s why it alerted – but they ran before we could find them. They enchanted Lizzy and Kaley to carry out the actual deed. We should’ve listened harder to them. They said they wanted power. They wanted the sort of power Shirley and Adele had. It was right in front of us and we missed it.”
“Once we sent Lizzy and Kaley out of town, removed them from their reach, they needed other girls to control,” Bay mused. “They picked locals.”
“Those girls are going to be part of their spell. I can’t quite see what they’re trying to do, but it isn’t good,” I said. “Blood is only used in the absolute worst rituals, so whatever they’ve got planned is of the terrible variety.”
“Will Rosie and Stephanie survive the spell?” Max asked.
I shrugged. “They could very well be sacrificed for an extra power boost. They’re only there as pretenders. Shirley and Adele have the power.”
“They’re the ones who alerted on the dreamcatcher earlier,” Kade noted. “It had to be them, right?”
I nodded. “They sent Kaley and Lizzy to kill Billy. The girls weren’t acting of their own free will. They did the deed and departed with the blood they were instructed to collect. The girls weren’t inherently evil, just under a spe
ll. I have no idea why they tried to come back today, but I haven’t seen them on the fairgrounds at all since the festival started.”
“That’s a little loophole in the dreamcatcher design we need to plug,” Max noted.
“Definitely,” I agreed. “First, we have to figure out where Adele and Shirley are. We need to stop whatever they have planned.”
“Where are they going?” Kade asked me, his eyes intent. “You must’ve seen something that will lead us to the right place.”
“I ... can’t be sure. There’s water around, but it almost looks as if they’re walking on water. I don’t recognize the landmarks. I’m not familiar enough with the area.”
“Walking on water?” Bay’s eyes widened as realization washed over her features. “Can you show me?”
I nodded. “Sure.” I grabbed her hand and opened my mind, pushing out an image. She didn’t look surprised when I shared the vision with her.
“I know where we have to go,” she said, her voice heavy as she dragged a hand through her hair. “I think we should get Aunt Tillie before heading out, just to be on the safe side.”
“We’re talking about two old women,” Landon argued. “I think we can take them. We’ll have you and Poet with us. What more do we need?”
“I’m going, too,” Kade said. “You’ll have to kill me to keep me away.”
“I need to go as well,” Max said. “My people are going to be fighting a wily enemy in an unknown environment.”
I knew why he really wanted to go, and it wasn’t because it was necessary to stand with me. He wanted to make sure Kade was protected. He also wanted to make sure he was around to douse Kade’s powers if necessary. I wasn’t about to argue with more backup, so I let it slide.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Hollow Creek,” Bay replied. “I figure that was where they were holing up when you said you saw them walking on water. It’s an optical illusion. You can cross the creek easily in certain spots. They’re probably setting up their stronghold on the far side.”
“What’s there?”
“Nothing now. It used to be a big party place for the kids.”
“Ah, yes,” Landon intoned. “How I miss the days when we had a huge field of pot to burn down. The entire town was stoned for forty-eight hours. It was glorious.”
I smiled at the mental image he painted. “Hollow Creek is full of memory magic, too,” I noted. “Several of my people have commented on it. If Adele and Shirley are trying to bolster the others enough to fake that they’re witches, they need spare magic to channel. It makes sense.”
“Yeah, well, all the magic flying around that place belongs to us,” Bay said. “We’ve fought more than one battle out there.”
“You’re not alone today,” Landon said, sliding his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll be there. We’ll get Aunt Tillie to be on the safe side. Everything will be okay.”
He said the words in a soothing manner, but I had a feeling he was uttering them for himself as much as her.
“We’ll definitely be okay,” I agreed. “I think we need to end this now, rather than waiting for nightfall. They sent Rosie to me because they wanted me to know. They assumed we would come after dark. I don’t think I was meant to see that part. We can’t adhere to their timetable.”
“Agreed.” Max clapped his hands once. “We go now. They’ll wish they’d never killed one of our people.” His fury was palpable.
“I’ll change my clothes. You call your aunt, Bay. We leave in fifteen minutes. I’m definitely ready to end this.”
29
Twenty-Nine
Hollow Creek was desolate, so much so that it gave me chills the second I hopped out of Kade’s truck and peered through the trees to get a glimpse of the water.
“What is this place?” he muttered, his hand instinctively going out to me. “I don’t like it.”
I cast him a sidelong look. “Do you sense something?”
“I ... what?” He looked surprised by the question as he shifted his eyes to me. “Am I supposed to sense something?”
I held my palms up and shrugged. “I don’t know. Max isn’t a full mage. He’s more like half a mage and something else. That means you’re really only one-quarter mage.”
Kade furrowed his brow. “What else?”
I didn’t know the answer to that. “He never told me. He just said his father was a full mage and that’s it. You’ll have to ask him.”
“I’m guessing now isn’t the time.”
I shook my head as I studied his strong profile. “You’re okay, right? I mean ... if you want to wait here, I understand. You’re still new to this. We have backup in the Winchesters. You can wait here.”
His gaze was withering, but before he got a chance to give voice to his annoyance the sound of agitated voices filled the air behind us.
“You’re not in charge,” Landon barked as he strolled in front of his Ford Explorer. He looked lean and dangerous. He also looked frustrated. I couldn’t tell if he was angry with Bay or Tillie.
“I most certainly am in charge,” Tillie shot back, making me realize I should’ve known who was trying to take control of the situation before she showed her hand. “I’m the oldest one here. Do you know what that means?”
Landon nodded without hesitation as he put his hand on Bay’s back and prodded her forward. “It means that we can lock you in a home if you do anything ridiculous.”
“Oh, if only,” Bay muttered, causing me to smile.
“Puh-leez.” Tillie rolled her eyes. “You would miss me if I was gone. You would cry ... and look at my empty seat at the table and think about what a turd you were for letting me go.”
Landon merely shook his head. “You’re not in charge, so don’t go in there thinking you are.”
“Let me guess.” Tillie’s tone was biting. “You’re in charge, aren’t you?”
“No.” Landon was calm as he met Tillie’s challenging gaze. “Bay is in charge. She gets to boss both of us around today. How does that sound?”
Bay balked. “Oh, I don’t want to be in charge.”
Landon extended a finger in her direction while holding Tillie’s gaze. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Do you understand?”
Tillie shook her head. “Of course I understand. You’re afraid you’re inept and somehow Bay will get hurt because of it.” She patted his arm in a condescending manner. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of her when you fail.”
Landon’s eyes turned into molten blue slits. “You listen here ... .”
Kade coughed to cut him off, causing Landon to snap his eyes in our direction. “She’s baiting you, man,” Kade said calmly. “I have the same problem with Luke. He’s a big, whiny baby with delusions of grandeur, too.”
“Thanks,” Luke said as he slapped Kade’s shoulder a little harder than necessary. “I can’t wait to beat you with my delusions of grandeur later.”
Kade smirked. “Looking forward to it.”
“We need to work together and focus on what’s through those trees,” Bay insisted, calm despite the tension building around us. “Don’t get worked up. Just ... chill out.”
Landon slowly shifted his eyes to her. “Chill out? Did you just meet me?”
Bay snickered. “Do your best.” She squeezed his hand before focusing on me. “How do you want to do this?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. “I thought we would play it by ear.”
“That sounds good. We don’t know what to expect, so I think that’s our best option.”
“So ... are you ready?”
She nodded without hesitation. “Let’s get it done.”
BAY KNEW THE AREA better than me, so I let her lead. Landon and Kade kept close to us, but Landon’s attention was split by Tillie, who kept making as if she was going to bolt into the trees so she could cut in front of the line and get ahead of our group.
Max, Luke and Nellie kept to my left — perhaps as a flanking unit — and
they were focused on the job at hand. Even though Nellie kept winking in Tillie’s direction, the way he gripped his ax (and who said he could bring that?) was familiar and comforting.
The second we cleared the trees, the mood shifted. A chill fell over the clearing and I pulled up short when I took in the scene.
Rosie and Stephanie were on the bank, about five feet apart, staring at us. Their eyes looked glazed, and I could sense the fog clouding their minds.
“Hello, girls,” Bay called, her eyes busy as she glanced between faces. Landon and Tillie scanned the trees for signs of movement, but it seemed Rosie and Stephanie were serving as our welcoming committee.
“You came,” Rosie enthused, clapping her hands as if she were a delighted five-year-old. “I’m so glad you could join us.”
“Yes, we’re thrilled to be here, too,” Tillie drawled, tilting her head to the side as she studied the young women. “They’ve been thralled.”
She didn’t seem to be speaking to anyone in particular, so I asked the obvious question. “Thralled? What does that mean?”
“You know ... thralled.”
I looked to Kade for help, but he seemed as confused as me. “I don’t think that’s really a word,” I said finally.
“Don’t go there,” Landon instructed as he looked over Stephanie with a trained eye. “She always makes up words and claims they’re real. Then she gets upset because she says they should’ve been words in the first place so she’s really doing the world a favor when she coins them. After that, there’s generally some portion of time dedicated to pouting.”
“You’re on my list,” Tillie hissed, extending a finger.
“You’re on my list,” he shot back. “How do you like that?”
“You have a list?” Kade asked, surprised.
“Yup.” Landon nodded once. “It’s a to-do list. I have things like ‘go to work’ and ‘make Bay breakfast in bed’ on it. I also have things like ‘see if you can make Thistle forget how to speak’ and ‘try to make Aunt Tillie’s head spin around’ on it. You learn to take your fun where you can when you’re surrounded by witches.”
Freaky Witches (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 7) Page 28
