Bewitched and Bewildered

by Constance Barker

  “Let’s go talk to him, then,” Harvest shrugged.

  “Here’s the thing. I don’t think he likes to talk about magic. We may have to sort of finagle him.” Quinn hid her eyes with her coffee mug.

  “Finagle?”

  She put the mug down, biting her lower lip. “Um. Do you still have that purple number you wore to your campaign victory party?”

  Harvest’s eyes narrowed. Her brows dropped. “Why do I feel like I’m the one being finagled?”

  Quinn waved down her objections. “I’m in the field all day. I’ll pick you up at noon.”

  Chapter 19

  Echo sat on her bed in the bunkhouse, staring at the gem as it slowly rotated from its chain. The stone changed colors subtly, and the shapes of animals appeared as a flaw deep below the facets.

  She still didn’t understand what Dad had done last night. The shadow lion stood outside the spare room window. Echo saw it in the depths of the pendant. Then, with a wave of a wavy, triangular sword, the lion disappeared. Was it the gem? Was it the sword? Was it both? Or was it neither, the lion simply losing interest because they had nothing to do with the gangster shooting. Was that even a part of all this?

  Her thoughts were jumbled. It was all too much to take. Invisible lions running around, attacking cops, gangsters, human limb hanging from an unseen mouth, the growl, the eyes, the fear, the shadow of a shadow. What did any of it mean? She could’ve been sunburned in Miami on Bunny Brinkman’s abandoned (yet prepaid) travel plans. Instead, she was in freezing northwest PA, accusing a father she hardly knew of something she couldn’t even understand.

  The gem calmed her. Looking into its depths soothed her. Inside, the flaw took on the shape of a squirrel. She looked out her window, and saw one on the power line. Run, run, run, stop. Run, run, run, stop. The squirrel locked eyes with her.

  She suddenly had the craziest idea. “Do The Wobble,” Echo whispered.

  The squirrel moved forward, shook its tail, then backward and shook its tail. It did a few cha-cha steps.

  “Honey, Dad said you might’ve left your car in Warren.”

  With her focus dropped, the squirrel sprinted out of sight. Echo turned to Gramma Em. “Are you heading there? I’m pretty sure Dad left his car there, too. Maybe we can get some ice cream.”

  “What are the bunch of you up to?” Gramma shook her head and walked back down the hall.

  What indeed? Echo thought and grabbed her coat. She wondered if she could control a shadow lion with the gem.

  “FEELING A LITTLE LIKE a sucker,” Harvest said. “It’s freezing out, you make me leave my coat in the car, I’m dressed in this off-the-shoulder purple nightmare and heels, and we’re out in the middle of the freaking woods.”

  Quinn wore a wrap dress that was probably too much for work and knee-high boots. “Trust me, this is where the guy is at.”

  “Some expert on magic stuff lives out here?” Harvest grimaced. “Ugh! I just stepped in a frozen puddle. Who the hell would live in the middle of nowhere?”

  “You’ve finally come to your senses!”

  They both whirled to see the menacing horned figure appear through the trees. “If there’s just two of you, would you be twins? I have to say, the chill is doing wonders for your silhouettes.”

  Harvest bared her teeth at Quinn. “Leshy? Really?”

  “Where’s the little one? She didn’t want to play dress up? She doesn’t know what she’s missing. This goat-man is ready to par-tay.” Leshy wiggled his hips in awkward suggestion. “Twins is awesome, but triplets—that would be epic. Did you bring wine? Snacks? We could get hungry... after.”

  “I can’t believe I dressed up for a stinky goat-man!”

  “No, not Leshy,” Quinn said. She turned and pointed her finger at the goat-man. “I remember you once told me that you wouldn’t give up information unless I learned your name. Well, I’m calling you out, Alan McGooby!”

  “No fair! No fair! Ah!” The goat-man exploded in a puff of woolen fur, leaving behind a smaller, paler, naked-er man in his place. He covered himself up and hid behind some bushes. “The cold looks good on you, but not so much on me!”

  Harvest’s jaw dropped. She stared at Quinn, then back at the naked man. “Holy shit.”

  “We want to know about the shadow lion, Alan. Everything you know about the shadow lion.” Quinn took a step closer, and the former goat-man slipped a little deeper into cover.

  “Just stay right there. Jeeze, it’s cold without wool.”

  “Talk!”

  “It’s not a shadow lion. It’s called Adversus Lux. They aren’t harmful in the Twih. Beasts of burden, really. Easy to catch, easy to direct. If you’re in the Twih.”

  Harvest folded her arms. “Well, we’re not in the Twih, and this harmless beast of burden is eating people.”

  Alan McGooby had very long hair, a wild beard, and the same unearthly glow to his eyes. If he wasn’t turning blue with the cold, he might even be considered handsome, Quinn thought. She never would’ve guessed the goat-man was anything other than, well, a goat-man. He still had the resonant, radio announcer voice, although it now shook with the cold. “Adversus Luces, once harnessed, will do the captor’s bidding. Like I say, in the Twih, it’s easy-peasey. But here? I can’t think of a single person who might even know the things exist.”

  “It’s out there, stalking, killing, so obviously some witch knows about them,” Harvest said.

  McGooby shrugged. “Only a spellcaster of exceptional power could even drag one to this reality. Not only would it take a strong magic user, we’re talking about a person who’s had a lot of experience in the Twih.”

  “Who would that be?”

  McGooby held his palms up. “That’s all I got. You asking me about Adversus Luces is like me asking you about oxen. What do you know about oxen? Could they be trained to kill? Who do you know who could handle a killer ox? I hear their tails are delicious. Can you turn me back into a goat-man now?”

  Quinn and Harvest exchanged a look. Quinn faced McGooby. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to turn into a naked person.”

  “Okay, a spell? Something? I think I might lose a toe.”

  “Oh, are you uncomfortable? Gosh, I’m sorry.” Harvest shrugged. “Let me give it a try. Alan McGooby you are, Alan McGooby you’ll be, but in Leshy form when I count to three—”

  Leshy shouted, “What is that? Is that from a ‘Bewitched’ rerun? C’mon, I’m dying out here! You, Dominatrix Hair, you’re the spell-girl. Change me back.”

  Quinn pulled the grimoire out of her briefcase purse. “Gimme a second.”

  “Maybe a riff on the one we did to summon Uncle Nick?” Harvest’s expression turned wry.

  She decided to play along. Harvest was enjoying Alan’s suffering. Why not join in on the schadenfreude? Leshy had made both of them feel pretty uncomfortable since their first meeting. “Right, portal, immortal, something something.”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Yeah, no. I don’t remember it.”

  “My favorite parts are going numb!” Leshy shivered, dancing around. “Build a fire! Let me borrow your shoes! Can I wait in your car?”

  “I can come up with something. What rhymes with A-hole?” Quinn asked.

  “Brass bowl, tadpole.”

  “Oh, nice!” Quinn frowned in appreciation. “You really should think about taking up spell-writing.”

  “Stop jerking me around!”

  “Stop jerking us around, then.” Harvest said. “Who is controlling that Adversus Lux?”

  “I already told you: someone with a lotta juice, someone with strong ties to the twih.”

  “Is this African magic?”

  “African?” McGooby shrugged. “Magic is magic. It doesn’t have borders. What a silly idea. That’s like asking if this is chocolate magic or midnight chartreuse magic.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re holding out on us?”

  “There is one thing.” McGooby gave them each
a serious look. “But it might be too much for you to handle.”

  Harvest side-eyed Quinn. “This is the part where we say, ‘we want the truth,’ and Leshy shouts out, ‘you can’t handle the truth.’”

  “You’ll know it’s the truth once I tell you. I just want my frickin wool coat and hooves back. Here’s the thing that’s apparently slipped past you young, perceptive witches. Your father, Cade Hutchinson, is under a spell.”

  “What kind of spell?”

  “A love spell.” McGooby moved to fold his arms, then remembered he was naked. He hunkered back down. “Now change me back, kids.”

  Harvest spoke out of the side of her mouth. “You do know how, don’t you?”

  Quinn nodded. She stepped back, pointing her finger. “I call you back, Leshy!”

  With creaking, stretching, farting noises, the naked man grew huge curving horns from his skull. Long wool sprouted on his body, the sound like brushed hair full of static electricity. He moaned as the human face stretched into a fanged snout. “Ow!” Leshy cried, putting clawed hands on either side of his face. “That part hurts the most.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Quinn nodded toward the road.

  “Right behind you,” Harvest said.

  “Hey, aren’t we going for a drink or something?” Leshy rolled his massive shoulders and wiggled his ears. “Next time you make me human, bring my dancing shoes.”

  Chapter 20

  “A powerful magic user who’s familiar with the Twih—who does that describe?” Echo asked. The three of them stood in the Human Services parking lot. “Dad picked up his car and drove to the refinery office. His case is done. He’ll be leaving soon.”

  “I just don’t think he’s behind the lion. What’s his motive?” Quinn asked.

  “Magic doesn’t really have a lot of motive,” Harvest said. “It’s never that straightforward.”

  “Do we confront Dad?” Echo stared at the ground. “I know it’s weird, but if we’ve learned anything, it’s that anybody can be an enemy. The sheriff, my dorm mate—hell, the manager of the ice cream shop across the street, our freakin dentist. So far, not one of those witches has been friendly. I think we have to tell him what we suspect.”

  “What you suspect,” Quinn said.

  Harvest made a guilty face. “I kind of suspect him as well. Mostly the obsession with Chelby. There’s no evidence, but he won’t let it go.”

  “You think your father murdered those people?” Quinn demanded.

  “No, not necessarily. Not on purpose. Maybe he doesn’t realize he’s summoning the Adversus Lux. But frankly, mundane people wouldn’t even know what that is. For Dad’s sake, we have to hold an intervention.”

  Echo frowned in agreement. “Harvest is onto something. That would make sense, if he wasn’t aware of his own summoning. Plus, he’s supposed to be under a spell.”

  “Since you two have your suspect, why don’t you go to the refinery and talk to him. I have a regular job, where people keep wondering where I keep disappearing to, so let me at least finish my day. Call me after you talk, okay?” Quinn walked back inside.

  “Why doesn’t she get it?” Echo watched the door close.

  “What we have isn’t even circumstantial. It’s just intuition. It wouldn’t play in court.” Harvest shook her head. “We have a hunch, Quinn doesn’t share it. Simple as that.”

  Echo couldn’t argue. “What are we doing? Walking into Dad’s office and saying, ‘Hey, Dad, you’ve been acting really suspicious. You wouldn’t be summoning an Adversus Lux by any chance?’ It sounds idiotic, saying it out loud.”

  “Well, good. Then we could be way off base.” Harvest leaned on the Constable-Mobile. “But we don’t have any other leads. You wanna ride with me, or follow?”

  “I’ll follow. I just got my car back.” Echo absently reached for the jeweled pendant around her neck. “Hey, Harvest?”

  Her older sister turned to her. “Yeah?”

  “It’s not just a hunch, you know. The lion showed up at the Grams’. It show up the same time Dad did his sword trick.”

  Harvest eyed her. “Quinn filled me in.”

  Pulling the pendant from her shirt, she let Harvest see. “It used to be Mom’s. Like your ugly sunglasses. She used it because animals here are afraid of the paranormal. But I can do more. Maybe even...”

  Her sister nodded. “Here’s hoping it won’t come to that. Let’s see if we can’t nip this in the bud.”

  “G’DAY, LADIES. LET’S see, we don’t have Quinn with the Miss Fisher bob, so it’s Harvest and Echo. You both wear your hair in pony tails, but Harvest is the state constable, yes? And Echo the student. How’m I doing?” The bubbly redhead smiled at them and led them through the building.

  “Awesome possum, Ava,” Echo said. “Did you see Dad when he got here?”

  “No, but I hear he’s somewhere in the building. Probably commandeered a fax someplace. He’s collecting all the evidence that went into the Zambo case. Let’s check his office first.” Ava grinned and strode down a hall. The office building was confusing. Harvest hadn’t even seen the one Dad used.

  “Is he ever in his office?” Harvest asked.

  “Rarely. He’s not really the office type, is he?” Ava stopped at an unmarked door. She raised her hand to knock, then lowered it. She faced each girl in turn. “Sorry, but I have something of an indelicate question to ask.”

  Harvest and Echo exchanged a glance. Echo shrugged. “Shoot.”

  “Cade and I have worked on these witch issues in the past. This last case we’ve worked on for some time. Yet I’ve never seen him call his wife, your mum. Are the two of them still together?” Her bright blue eyes shifted between the sisters. “It’s none of my business, I know. I just find your father interesting. Okay, dreamy. Oh, what am I saying?”

  “You wanna hook up with Dad?” Echo angled her head.

  “Well, yeah! But! I don’t want to stir anything up. If they are married, and constantly separated by all that distance, it would be difficult, and I wouldn’t want to add to the strain. But if they’re separated by more than space, well, I’m in there then, yeah?”

  Harvest put a hand on Ava’s shoulder. “I don’t know how to say this without just dropping the bomb. They’re still married, Ava. Dad spends nearly all his time trying to get to her.”

  She stopped when she saw Echo’s expression. Harvest wondered if she’d said too much.

  “I’ve been in Papua New Guinea more than a time or two. I know it’s impossible sometimes.” Ava’s face fell. “I feel like such a fool. A woman my age with a schoolgirl’s crush.”

  “No, don’t feel bad, Ava,” Echo tried to comfort the woman. “If Dad wasn’t married, you’re just the woman I’d set him up with. You’re a hoot.”

  “Thanks for that. I think.” Ava’s cheeks pinked. “I think I’m going to go hide out until I stop blushing. Which may be a while. Anyway, here’s the office. G’day.”

  Ava Taylor fast-walked down the hall in her heels and disappeared around a corner.

  “Hot for Dad?” Echo shook her head. “Eew.”

  Harvest patted Echo on the back. “Well, it was pretty obvious. I’m glad she came out and asked us instead of never knowing. She’s been flirting pretty hard with Dad. He’s just kind of oblivious to it. Immune, even.”

  “Maybe it’s the spell Leshy says he’s under,” Echo mused.

  “Whatever. We have work to do.” Harvest knocked on the unmarked door. There was no response. “Dad?”

  “Is it locked?”

  “We’re not doing that spell.” Harvest turned the knob and the door opened. “Well, okay, then.”

  They found the light switch and entered. There was hardly anything at all in the office, save a desk, chair and phone. The only thing that marked this as being Dad’s space was his overcoat hanging over the desk chair.

  “No computer?” Echo looked around. “What’s this?”

  Instead of a monitor, a chrome bowl sat on t
he desktop. It was a perfect hemisphere set upon a chrome ring with three decorative claws for feet. Harvest looked inside. “It’s full of water.”

  “How weird.” Echo looked over her shoulder.

  For a moment, Harvest saw the two of them in reflection. Then the water in the bowl went dark. From the depths, a different reflection rose to the surface. Harvest recognized the features, the big hair. A hand gripped her shoulder as Echo whispered “Mom?”

  Mom shifted her watery gaze between the two girls. A smile touched her expression, and then fled. She lifted two fingers at them. “It might flicker and fade from flames or a spark; but understand a shadow dies in the dark.”

  Once again, they were looking at their own reflection.

  “What does that mean?” Echo asked the bowl.

  Harvest pulled out her cell phone and texted the message verbatim to Quinn before she forgot the words. “What do you think she meant?”

  “I never know what Mom means. You’d think she’d want to say something to Dad.”

  Harvest took her eyes from the phone. “Well, if this is the only thing on his desk, and Mom can look through from the Twih, I’d say they probably talk all the time. Just not on the phone, like normal people. I wish I knew more about magic things, objects, whatever.”

  “Mom, it’s Echo! Come back!”

  “Maybe if you rhyme.”

  “We need to speak, my rhyming is weak.”

  The two of them were leaning on the desk chair, which made Dad’s overcoat fall to the floor. Echo stooped to pick it up. She didn’t stand up again. “Busted.”

  Harvest looked down. Echo held the coat in one hand, in the other, a green necklace. “What the heck is that?”

  Echo rose so that they both could examine it. “It’s jade. The stuff that makes our powers wonky. These beads are perfect reproductions of lions’ teeth.”

  “How do you know?”

  Echo shrugged. “I just do. So maybe this summoning business is different than Dad said. Maybe you just need a magic necklace.”