Mr. Holloway was just beyond the lectern. With his thick raven-black locks, he was taller even than Mr. Morehouse. Could anyone say hair growth spell?
On either side stood Bill Curry, Marc Phillips, and a redheaded man with a trim beard whom Gray didn’t recognize. She glanced around the room until she located pear-faced Ryan Phillips. He sat alone in a chair against the wall fiddling with a smartphone. Gray’s hands balled into fists. Ryan’s last words to her echoed through her mind: “Go to the light.” A moment later he had extracted her soul from Charlene’s body.
Yeah? Well, she’d like to knock the living daylights out of him with an upper-cut punch, Charlie’s Angels style.
When Gray turned to face the podium again, Mr. Holloway’s face bore down on her from five feet away. Gray gave a little jump. He tapped on the microphone. “If everyone could get settled. Those in the back just joining us, please find a place to sit or stand.”
Gray instantly wished she’d never turned around because the face she saw was worse than confronting Holloway’s or Ryan Phillips’. Entering the lecture hall, paper cups in hand, were Mr. and Mrs. Knapp… and Nolan.
Gray nearly swallowed her own heart. Only she couldn’t manage to swallow. Her throat had dried up entirely. Gray didn’t realize she was digging her fingernails into her arm until the pinch of her flesh began to ache. Gray had to get out of there before silence consumed the hall and prevented her from stepping across the floorboards unnoticed.
She couldn’t be in the same room as Nolan Knapp. She just couldn’t.
Gray wanted to tell Raj she was leaving, but he was talking to Max. There was always Shay.
Forget it.
The advantage to standing was Gray had a head start down the pathway between cots and chairs as Mr. Holloway called for silence. The delayed hush was enough to get her to the end of the hall. Gray increased her pace as she passed Nolan and his parents. She kept her face forward—the stairs only a few strides away.
Other senses kicked in. Gray swore she could smell him. It was a scent that had been intoxicating at one point. Now it was simply toxic. Sandalwood and bed sheets… boy’s room. Gray shuddered. Only when her feet hit the stairway did she feel like she could breathe again.
The double doors were within sight. Fresh air and freedom were only steps away. Her fingers twitched for a cigarette. Nope, she was done with those. Charlene wasn’t coming back anytime soon. No more losing twenty-four hours to her twin. No more communication notebooks telling her how to dress and what to eat. Gray was fully in control this time.
She flattened her palms against the handlebar that ran the width of the door and pushed. It didn’t budge. For a moment, Gray stared at the door dumbfounded.
Next, Gray pulled, then tried pushing again. When that failed, she wrapped her fingers around the handlebar and shook the door. She concentrated on the lock, but her magic wasn’t enough to counter the spell that’d effectively trapped everyone inside Gathering.
Chapter Fourteen
Six candles burned to the wick: three red and three white. Holloway held them up in a Ziploc bag.
“Evidence,” his voice rang out.
Gray swore a shudder rippled through the lecture hall, even among the innocent.
“These candles were used to perform a memory wipe. We collected them from a council member’s home last year. We believe that whoever performed the wipe has something to do with the mess we find ourselves in now.” Holloway’s eyes swished side to side over the assembly. “We also believe that person is in our company right now.”
Chatter erupted around Gray. Everyone began murmuring at once. Eyes darted around the room. Gray looked at Raj. He mouthed her name and looked alarmed when she didn’t answer.
There hadn’t been time to wait for the candles to burn out at Mr. Phillips’s house that night. The plan was to move on to Bill Curry and Mr. Holloway then return for the candle stubs. But then Mr. Holloway had refused to sleep and Gray barely made it home before the switch. In the panic to get her back by three, Raj must have forgotten the candles entirely.
Wonderful.
“Quiet, please,” Mr. Holloway said. Silence followed. He stood puffed up at the podium. Oh, he’d been waiting for this moment a long time. Gray could see it in the curling of his lips as though he were trying to fight back a vicious grin. She doubted a day had gone by when he hadn’t fantasized about cornering the culprits who’d dared attack a coven leader at home.
Of course he’d surmise the guilty party had been driven to Gathering tonight. They’d want to check out their handiwork and find out how the coven planned to respond. And maybe the real mastermind behind the magical backfire was within the sputtering audience. But that wasn’t why Raj and Gray had come.
“This is Cedar,” Holloway announced. The redheaded man stood up. “Our Seattle chapter has sent him to aid in this evening’s interrogation.” Holloway turned to Cedar, but his words carried across the hall. “Cedar, you may take your spot in the office downstairs. We’ll begin sending members in shortly.”
Cedar began his walk down the aisle. Gray froze as he passed her.
“Now, here’s how it’s going to work,” Holloway said. “Everyone will get a chance to meet with Cedar. We’re going to get through this as quickly as possible, folks. I know this comes unexpectedly, but it is for your own safety. Bill Curry will send you down in groups of ten to await an interview. Please remain in your seats. We’ll be starting with the back row.”
The shuffling in the back row only made Gray more fidgety. Her fingers twitched. She felt like her invisibility spell could dissolve at any moment. Thank goodness Raj was at the front of the rows. He glanced over his shoulder again.
Max’s father had started down the aisle when Holloway returned to the podium. “And one more thing—the water everyone drank was infused with a truth spell. We will weed out the culprit by the end of the evening.”
Gasps.
Gray balled her fingers into fists. Their peer leaders had no right to place a spell over coven members without their knowledge. Not that Gray was in a position to criticize.
However, she had every right to take Shay Baxter to task. If anyone ought to respect the Vow of Honor, it was a peer leader. She stormed over to their group in the front row. Shay could at least have the decency to look abashed about lying to Raj’s face. If Gray slapped her right now, no one would see.
Raj’s jaw tightened as he turned to Shay. “Blessed water, huh? You lied to me.”
“Only the council and peer leaders were allowed to know.”
Max stepped forward. “Sorry, buddy. We wanted to tell you.”
Maybe Max did, but from the lack of remorse reflected in her eyes, Shay obviously hadn’t. Gray bet Raj wanted to throw that blessed water in Shay’s face right about now.
“You want to find the culprit as much as we do,” Shay said. “We can’t hole up in this building forever and we can’t make a mass exodus out of Kent. People have lives here. We have senior year to finish and I can’t fake bronchitis forever.”
Gray rolled her eyes. There it was. The real reason Shay Baxter was out of sorts. She was missing school.
Mrs. Baxter sidled up to their group. “Shay, what’s going on?”
This time, Shay was the one rolling her eyes. Apparently she hadn’t confided in her own mother. “Excuse me a moment.” Shay stepped away with her mother.
“Gray, are you still there?” Raj asked. His forehead creased.
“I’m here.” If she could have sent him her thoughts, the way Shay Baxter could, Gray would’ve tried to reassure him that they had time to figure something out. He was in the final row. Maybe interrogation would last so long the effects of the truth spell would wear off—if indeed it had a four-hour expiration.
Doubtful. Their coven would just force the stragglers to drink more of the truth-tainted water.
They needed a plan.
While she was racking her brain for escape routes, Holloway stepped over and
smiled at Max. “Hello, Max. Your father could use your help in back.”
Max gave their coven leader a warm smile. “Of course.” Then he turned to Raj and said, “See you in a bit.”
Mr. Holloway still smiled, right up until Max’s back turned. “Hello, Raj,” he said. Gray did not like the way he looked him up and down as though preparing to imprison a convict. “Let’s have a word in my office.”
No! Gray needed more time.
The crease above Raj’s brows smoothed. He gave a lazy shrug and proceeded to follow Holloway to his office. Once Holloway’s back was turned, Raj’s jaw tightened. Gray touched his hand. The way his expression softened was almost unbearable.
It was Raj’s touch that gave her comfort. His skin was warm. Gray wanted to wrap her hand around his and hold it through whatever proceedings Mr. Holloway had planned.
They pulled apart as they entered Holloway’s office. Raj took the seat Mr. Holloway indicated in front of his desk. Gray stood beside it, arms folded.
“First, let me say I was pleased when you returned to Gathering. I know you went through a rough patch after your house burnt down and your parents split.” Holloway’s eyes locked on Raj. He leaned forward. “I also know you did some work for Adrian Hedrick Montez last year.”
“I haven’t seen or spoken to Adrian since last April,” Raj said.
Holloway grinned. “Last April.”
“That’s right.”
“What sort of things did Adrian ask you to do when you were under his employ?”
“Healing spells.”
“Did he ever ask you to take something from a council member on his behalf?”
Gray’s heart nearly beat out of her chest. She could make Raj invisible, but that wouldn’t help a thing. She could send Holloway’s file cabinet crashing to the ground while they made a run for it, but that would only confirm Raj’s accountability.
Raj’s fingers tightened around the chair’s wooden arm rests. “No,” he said through gritted teeth.
Good thing Adrian hadn’t asked them. No, Raj and Gray had come up with the plan all on their own. Well, Gray, really. Raj helped and now he was in this mess because of her.
Holloway’s elbows extended over his desk. “And have you ever taken anything from a council member?”
Raj’s eyes narrowed to slits. “What exactly are you accusing me of, Holloway?”
Gray hurried out of the office on her tiptoes, glad Mr. Holloway hadn’t shut the door. As soon as she reached the lecture hall, she turned around and yelled, “Mr. Holloway, quick! Cedar needs you downstairs at once!”
Then she held her breath. One second. Two. Three seconds. Four. Five seconds. Six.
Finally, Holloway burst from his office and took long strides down the hall. Gray raced back inside his office. “You didn’t answer him, did you?”
Raj scrambled out of his chair. “What were you thinking? Now what?”
“Go!”
Raj squinted. “What?”
“Go, now!”
“Gray, there’s no way we’re leaving here.”
“Wait with your family.”
Raj’s eyes widened. “What about you?”
“I’m going to have a little chat with Mr. Holloway.”
Raj made a choking sound. “Gray, don’t. I won’t let you take the heat for this.”
“Oh, I don’t plan on it.” Gray filled herself in and flashed a wicked grin. “Now go!”
Raj frowned.
Gray put a hand on Raj’s shoulders. “It won’t do your family any good if Holloway finds out you had anything to do with the stolen pendants.”
Their eyes locked. Finally, he nodded and left the office.
Holloway returned to find Gray occupying Raj’s seat. His expression changed when he saw her. Seconds earlier, he’d looked ferocious, and it had been all Gray could do not to disappear and run from the room. Now his lower lip sagged. “Charlene?”
“Hello, Holloway.” Gray propped her legs on the edge of his desk.
Holloway didn’t take his place on the other side. “I thought you were in France.”
“I was. Now I’m back. Had to check out my handiwork, didn’t I?” Gray tossed her hair over her shoulder and chuckled.
Holloway’s eyes narrowed. “You were behind the theft?”
She shrugged. “Sorry for all the trouble, but stealing those pendants was the only way to get Adrian to do what I wanted.”
At the mention of pendants and Adrian, Holloway’s lip curled back. He lifted a finger and his office door slammed shut.
“Does your mother know you’re here?”
“At Gathering? Nope.”
“Were you and Raj working together?”
“Raj?” Gray followed up her snort with a sneer. Good thing she’d had practice being Charlene, not to mention her years of study. “The idiot refused to help me, so I found someone more willing… Adrian.” Gray grinned.
Holloway’s eyes narrowed. “Help you do what exactly?”
Gray pulled her legs off the desk and sat up straight. “Extract my sister from my body.”
“What?”
The story Gray told Holloway wasn’t far off, except in her version, Adrian was working with Charlene to purge the meddlesome body-sharing Gray from her body.
Holloway lowered himself over his desk and sat on the edge. He stared across the room. “And in exchange for extracting your sister, you had to get Adrian’s powers back for him.”
“That’s right. He couldn’t very well perform a purge without power.”
Holloway looked at her. “You should have come to me for help, Charlene.”
Gray snorted. “Yeah, right, like you’d arrange a purge.”
Or would he? Holloway stared back at her. He cleared his throat. “While I am far from happy with your actions and theft, what your mother did to you and your sister was unsanctioned and she will have the council to answer to.”
Gray fought back a scowl. That was the only kicker to her plan. She hadn’t exactly had a chance to think everything through. Maybe it was time Mom sold the house and got out of Kent. She’d always talked about leaving once Gray and Charlene graduated from high school. Lee was leaving for college in another seven months, anyway. No reason for Mom to wait around twiddling her thumbs. In fact, they could take off together. Tour Europe. Travel the world. It wasn’t as though Gray had school to finish.
Holloway’s cell phone hummed to life on his desk top. Gray slouched back into her seat as Holloway answered.
“Hi, Marc… No, it’s not what I thought. Charlene Perez is with me. She confessed to the theft… Yep… No, keep up the interrogations a bit longer. I’m not ready to announce anything yet. We don’t need to tell everyone who, just that we’ve uncovered pertinent information… Yep. Bye.”
Gray’s lips quirked upwards. “You’re not going to stand me up before the coven and hold me on trial?”
Holloway set his phone down and slid into his chair. He folded his hands over the table. “As far as the rest of the coven’s concerned, it doesn’t matter who’s behind this. What’s important is it stops. Have you been in contact with Adrian since the purge?”
Gray looked at her hands. “No.”
Holloway’s lips pressed forward as though in a kiss every time he got ready to speak. “So, that was you who broke into my home last year?”
“That’s right.” Coming out and admitting it wasn’t nearly as scary as she’d thought it would be. Then again, she was letting Charlene take the blame.
“I didn’t know you were so sneaky.”
“Nothing sneaky about it.” Gray leaned forward. “Tell me, Mr. Holloway, do you ever sleep?”
His jaw tightened. She waited. Then Holloway threw his head back and laughed. “Rarely.” Holloway’s fingers formed a steeple. “And who was your accomplice?”
“What accomplice?” Gray inspected her fingernails.
“I know it wasn’t Adrian, he was still powerless at that point. You clai
m it wasn’t Raj McKenna. Who was it?” The laughter had gone out of his voice. When Gray didn’t answer, Holloway repeated, “Who was it?”
He could ask her all he wanted. It wasn’t as though Gray had drunk the tainted water brewed by the backstabbing Shay Baxter.
“I can’t allow you to leave until you tell me.”
Gray snorted. “You won’t let me leave regardless.”
“I can have your mind read.”
Gray sat up. “That’s against coven rules!” It was a wonder they’d bothered putting a spell over the water to begin with when they could have members like Shay digging through people’s brains.
“Shay Baxter is the only peer leader who can read minds and she insisted we try the truth spell first.”
Gray sprang out of her seat. “If Shay Baxter gets anywhere near my brain I’ll erase her from sight!”
Holloway had stood as well. “You were being so helpful up till now, Charlene. I’m disappointed. Tell me who helped you break into my home.”
“No.”
He took a step toward her. “Tell me.”
“No!”
As Holloway reached out, his office door burst open. Sweat rimmed Ryan’s hairline. His cheeks were flushed. “I did it! It was me!”
Holloway’s jaw dropped, but then again, so did Gray’s. Ryan turned to Gray. “Charlene, why didn’t you call me?”
Gray’s mouth opened and closed. If Ryan suspected who she really was, the gig was up. She stomped her foot. “Ryan, I’m in the middle of something here.”
Holloway shook his head at Ryan. “Ryan, your father is going to be very disappointed.”
Ryan lifted his pear chin up. “I don’t care.”
If Ryan hadn’t been the one who extracted her, Gray might have felt a smidgen of guilt. Ryan had no idea what he was confessing to. He looked at her now with adoring eyes that made Gray’s stomach turn.
“I know how to fix this,” Holloway said.
“Great, so we’re done here?” Gray took a step toward the door, then froze in place. Her muscles twitched as she tried to propel her body forward. If her back wasn’t to Holloway, she’d shoot daggers at him. Not that she could blame Kent’s head warlock. She and Raj had done the same thing to him.
Duplicity (Spellbound #2) Page 8
