A Witch's Journey

by Tena Stetler

  Chapter Twenty-One

  If Things Are Running Smoothly,

  a Kink In the Works Is Inevitable

  Saturday morning, Pepper woke up to loud pounding on her door. She slipped into a robe and sprinted downstairs, tying her belt at the waist as her phone rang. Lathen moved from the kitchen doorway, set the beans and coffee pot on the counter, wiped his hands on a paper towel, and hurried toward the door.

  She picked up the phone, touched the screen. “Hello?” Pepper tried to listen to what was going on at the door as well as the phone conversation.

  Lathen opened the door to find Roark Sullivan standing on the porch. “I think we have a serious problem. Several seal pups washed up on the shore this morning, some dead, some badly injured, and others disoriented. Gulls are just sitting on the shore, rubbing themselves on the sand. Really strange.”

  Lathen held the door open, and Roark stepped inside.

  He sucked in a breath and continued. “I called Dr. Weaver. He’s headed to my place, and Dr. Foster is headed over here but suggested I bring this little fellow directly to you.” He held out a tiny bleating seal pup wrapped in a blanket, and carefully uncovered its side and right flipper. “See—looks like he has burns on his skin. He’s weak. Poor guy. Doc said you could rinse him down in a tub, make him more comfortable ’til she gets here.”

  “Yeah, we can do that,” Lathen said, glancing over at Pepper.

  She stuffed the phone in her pocket, sidled between the Roark and Lathen, then peeked at the pup. “Poor babe, we’ll get you fixed up,” she cooed and turned her attention to Lathen. “Take the pup to the marine building, fill the decontamination tub with water, and rinse the pup until doc gets here.” She tipped the little face, and the pup rubbed its muzzle and eyes on her hand, then jerked away. “Looks like a chemical burn, maybe its eyes too. Rather have Dylan take a look before we do anything but rinse. Try to make this pup comfortable in a tub of clean salt water, rinse her off good, pat her dry, and fill the tub with clean water. Let her sit in it if she will. Dylan should be here by then.”

  “Got it. Who was on the phone?” Lathen asked.

  “Lizzy. She said the beach behind her house was littered with seabirds of all kinds scooting across the beach, rolling in the sand. Some just sitting there. Kinda like you described, Roark.”

  “Speaking of my place, I need to get back there. But I’ll spread the word we have a wildlife emergency. It’s been a long time since we’ve dealt with this type of situation, but you can bet most the town will be here within the hour. This will be your command post. Right?”

  “Hadn’t thought that far, but yes. We can send the volunteers to where they are needed once we get a handle on what happened. Since Dylan is headed here, I’m going to go out to Lizzy’s house and see what we got over there.”

  “Better put some clothes on first,” Lathen suggested before taking the crying seal pup and rushing out the door. Pausing in the middle of the beach path, he called over his shoulder, “Leave a note on the door for Dylan to come on down to the marine center.”

  As Pepper yanked on jeans and a sweatshirt, she considered a couple of birds treated at the clinic and the dead seal that had washed up on the beach two days ago. Looked like there’d been a spill of some kind up the coast. She tapped her finger to her lips and remembered reading about a cruise ship that had an accidental release of waste at Bar Harbor beginning of the week. The boat’s captain claimed it was gray water and only a small amount. Looks liked he lied. Seems she read that same ship had run aground and may have been leaking fuel before the incident. She grabbed her waders and rain slicker and called Dylan’s cell phone. It went to voice mail.

  Sprinting out the door, she jumped in the newly stocked emergency responder van and turned the ignition key. The engine roared to life just as Lathen yanked the door open, baby seal still in his arms.

  “The clean saltwater recirculating pump failed in the marine clinic. Backup isn’t online yet. I can’t get any water into the tubs. Gonna have to try to repair it, which will void the warranty. But I don’t see another alternative.”

  “Shit.” She jumped out of the van and raced down the path behind Lathen.

  Once inside the building she glanced at all the empty stainless steel tubs, set in the counters, lining the walls. The baby seal still keened in Lathen’s arms. Her gaze shifted to the stacks of five-gallon buckets stacked on the cement floor next to the huge pump Lathen pointed out. He snapped his fingers. “I think I can rig a bypass, but that’s going to take time.”

  Pepper drew in a breath and blew it out. “I can buy you some time.” She skirted the center island and put her hands on the huge pump. Closing her eyes, a barely visible spark bounced from her hands to the pump, it whirred to life, and water flowed from the tap into the first tub.

  Backing away, Pepper put her hands on her hips. “Fill all the tubs and all the spare five-gallon buckets we have. Let’s start the filtration system at the beach. I suspect waste and fuel spilled into the water from that crippled cruise ship docked in Bar Harbor. Test the filtered water before you fill the spare tanks. Our clean saltwater isn’t going to last long, if that’s the case.” She took the young seal from him and gingerly dipped it into the filling tub. Using her hand, she poured water over its face and finally sat it in the tub and with one hand reached for a clean towel.

  “Switched the filter system on. It’s a good thing I filled the holding tanks on the van last night to check for leaks. Figured we’d use them for storage in a pinch and wanted to see how the fittings stood up to saltwater. Strange how things work out.”

  A quick grin crossed her worried lined face. “Good thinking.” After the water in the tub reached several inches deep, she turned it off and rinsed the seal thoroughly with the sprayer, then opened the drain.

  The door banged open, and Dylan rushed directly to the baby seal. At the moment, the seal was quiet, its big eyes watching everyone. “Okay, where are we?”

  Pepper filled her in on what had been done and the status of the situation at the present time. Finally, she blew out a breath and switched her attention to Lathen.

  “The filtration is working perfectly.” Lathen gave her two thumbs up. “I’ve called in a few extra workers to get the backup pump online while I rig a bypass. I hope the hell that one works. We got the installation parts yesterday. They were back ordered.” He gritted his teeth. “When I get a hold of the pump supplier…”

  “Good job.” She lowered her voice and tugged Lathen toward the door, out of the vet’s earshot. “I can’t stay here to maintain the magic, need to check the birds on the beach.” She chewed on her bottom lip, reaching for Lathen’s cell phone. “I’ll call Mom and Pops, see if they are available.” Tapping in the number, she put the phone to her ear and heard an echo of the ring tone as the door to the building flung open. Klaren and Duncan stood in the doorway.

  “Got a strong feeling our help was needed. What can we do?” her dad said glancing around the room.

  Quietly, Pepper said, “Pump failed. I’m forcing it to circulate and pump the water by magic. Mom, can you sustain the alternate power source?”

  “You betcha.”

  “Dad, would you go to the beach and draw water samples? You can test them in the lab. Know your way around there. Right?”

  “I’m familiar with your setup. Played around taking water samples while you were gone. Most came back normal, but the one I took the night you got back tested strange. Thought I’d made an error, but never got around to taking another. The samples are still in the lab.”

  “Great, we may need those. Lathen has the keys. He’ll unlock the lab for you. I’ll bring more samples from further up the beach where we have injured birds. Thanks.” She stepped to the door. Lathen caught her around the waist and pulled her in for a lingering kiss before releasing her.

  “So much for a relaxing weekend,” he said.

  Duncan and Klaren moved out of the doorway as Pepper scooted through, first
kissing her mom on the cheek and then her dad. “Dylan, if you need anything, just ask. I’m headed up the beach to Lizzy’s where she’s reporting more birds down.”

  “Probably need to set up cleaning stations in those areas. Bring the worst cases here or to my clinic, depending on the severity of the injuries. Stay in touch,” Dylan said. “After I get this tiny seal settled, I’ll call the rehab centers up and down the coast and see if anyone else is experiencing this situation. Maybe get some more mobile units down here to help.”

  “Nothing like trial by fire, or in this case, water and creatures,” Pepper said bounding out the door. “Call Bar Harbor first. I vaguely remember something in the paper last week about a fuel or waste spill from a cruise ship that ran aground and wound up there.”

  “Hey—wait up.” Lathen grabbed a stack of five-gallon buckets. “These belong in the van. Sawyer and Sons donated several yesterday. I sanitized them and thought they’d be useful in the van. I’ll keep the rest here.”

  She grabbed the buckets and sprinted to the vehicle through the mist and drizzle.

  ****

  Lathen tossed Duncan the lab keys. “You know where you’re going?”

  He raised a hand and snatched the keys out of the air. “Yep. Got it. On my way.”

  Flipping his attention to Klaren, Lathen said, “All set?”

  She nodded, watching the water flow into the tubs. “Do you want me to turn the water off?”

  “Not necessary, they have an automatic shut-off at five inches.” He paused, considering the morning so far. “On second thought, I’d appreciate you keeping an eye on the level. If it overfills, just turn the manual knob on top until the water stops.”

  “Will do.”

  “If you need anything, I’ll be in the workshop for a few. Gotta see if I can scare up parts to circumvent the pump until we get the second one online. If I have to get parts at Sawyer’s Hardware in the Cove, I’ll let you know. There’re a couple guys coming by to put the backup pump online. They’ll know what to do, but if they have questions, send ’em on up to the workshop.” Lathen strode up the path to the mammal building where he’d built an addition for parts storage and a workshop.

  Within fifteen minutes, he returned carrying a bucket full of parts and a tool belt slung around his waist. “Got it. How’s the little one doing?”

  “Better. Burns are definitely chemical. She’s resting now in one of the cubes in a couple inches of water.” Dylan examined the interior of a cube. “Nice invention those cubes. Your creation?”

  “Yeah. If you can use a smooth surface, a bit of clean water, and wave sounds, the marine animals are going to do better than in wire cages and pans of water amid the chaos.”

  “Exactly. We need to talk about these later.” Dylan ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the cube.

  “Of course. I’m headed to the aviary, figure there’ll be a few birds that can’t be left on their own to heal.”

  Duncan burst through the door with several water samples in plastic stacked tubs. “Got a toxic cocktail of fuel and some kind of waste and cleaning chemicals. If I had to guess, the crew of that cruise ship mixed up the chemicals. Whatever they’re using is not biodegradable. But the levels shouldn’t cause this type of damage to wildlife.”

  “Probably what we are seeing came from Bar Harbor,” Dylan said.

  When Lathen started up the path, he noticed several cars parked and people piling out. Still more trudged up the driveway in the dreary weather. He reached for his cell phone, touched Pepper’s name. She picked up on the second ring.

  “What’s up?” she said breathlessly. “Got my hands full here.”

  “Appears most the town has turned out to volunteer. Where do you want me to send them?”

  “Up here. Got washing stations set up, and we’ll move down the beach until help comes from up north. Several rescues up there are going to take in the animals once they’re vet cleared. We’re only getting a few of the contaminated animals as opposed to Bar Harbor.”

  “Dylan agrees with you. The birds and mammals probably are coming from there. Duncan says the water is contaminated but not to the point it would cause this kind of damage to wildlife,” Lathen said.

  “At least that’s good news,” Pepper said.

  Over the next several days, Lathen noticed the number of injured birds and animals found on the beach lessened. Pepper was finally able to return to the facility and care for the creatures that were too ill to be treated and relocated. Most of the weary townspeople that rushed to help returned home. A few remained to take shifts caring for the injured birds housed at the center. He and Duncan helped the larger rescue centers transport the animals and birds to be relocated and released at a later date.

  Kaylee set up vigil over the seal pup, helping to heal with her own brand of magic until the pup was ready to be released to a rehab with other seals. She wasn’t allowed to free feed from the ocean. Pepper fed fish from the holding tank and when that ran out, it was frozen fish or land rodents Kaylee caught herself.

  Finally, two weeks after the initial onslaught, things gradually returned to normal. A week prior to the grand opening, Lathen, Pepper, Duncan, and Klaren were gathered around the kitchen table.

  “Well, can’t really call it a grand opening, though we’ll have to use what’s left of the printed fliers. Most of the town has seen firsthand how everything works,” Lathen said. “And were very impressed with the facility and you, Pepper. Congrats.”

  Pepper’s cheeks pinked. “It was everyone pulling together that got the job done. How about we dub it a celebration of a successful rescue? Drop the tours and set all the food up in the barn—I mean aviary. It’s empty and clean now. Just have a party.”

  “Good idea. Anyone that hasn’t seen the facility, we can show them around individually.” Leaning his chair on its back two legs, Lathen garnered the stink eye from Klaren until he dropped back to four and grinned.

  “Gwen called the other night. Word of our little rescue had reached her. She’s still coming up to spend a few days with us.” Pepper grinned. “Even though it’s not a grand opening.”

  “Look forward to seeing her,” Klaren said.

  “I hate to bring it up. But no run-ins with Tom or Ben that I’m unaware of?” Pepper asked hesitantly.

  “Well, not exactly run-ins but a total of fifty-two voice mails and text messages. If I ever find out how he got my cell number, someone is going to spend the rest of his or her life as a toad,” Klaren said vehemently. “I’ve caught glimpses of him here and there. Once he stopped me in the market and apologized for his behavior at Maggie’s. But that’s it.”

  “When did it jump from ten to over fifty? And the market?” Duncan asked, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You didn’t mention that. I don’t like this.”

  Klaren shrugged. “Sorry. It was only a few minutes, a couple days after the incident. He seemed sincere. Then we got busy and…I just…Oh, I don’t know.”

  “It’s a matter of figuring out if he is behind the attacks and what motive he has, then disarming him,” Pepper said. “If it’s a curse we’re dealing with, as Ashling believes, a counter curse and some type of punishment is in order. By the way, did either of you talk to her coven?”

  “Yes, I’ve been in touch, and they are more than willing to help. Name the date and place they’ll be there,” Duncan said. “Ben’s reputed to have dabbled in black magic for several years now, according to Ravyn. He was booted from their coven shortly after Ashling’s death five years ago.”

  Klaren’s eyes rounded. “When did you talk to members of the coven? You didn’t tell me.”

  “When you were out shopping with friends yesterday. Ravyn returned my call. I was going to tell everyone at once.”

  “Oh, well, if I’d known that…”

  Pepper chewed on her lip and rubbed her chin. “Okay, lesson learned, spread the information when you get it. No holding back.”

  Everyone murmured in agr
eement.

  “If you believe in Ashling’s theory, and I do, maybe we can use Ben’s disturbing infatuation with Mom to our benefit. He might confide in her if he thought…never mind, it’s too creepy,” Pepper said.

  “No, it’s not. I agree with Pepper. Ashling’s theory is the only thing that makes any sense after all my research into the McKay’s. Ben’s of the opinion that I married your father only because of his power and the McKay property,” Klaren said pressing her hand to the table.

  “Little did he know about my dazzling personality and prowess in bed not to mention…”

  “Oh, Dad, stop—that’s way too much information.” Pepper groaned sticking her fingers in her ears and squishing her face up.

  Though she tried to hide it, concern on Pepper’s face worried Lathen. Not to mention, an unstable witch using dark magic endangered everything they’d built and Pepper’s family. This situation had gone far enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lobster Cove Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation

  Center Grand Opening Turns into Celebration

  of Successful Rescue

  The day of the celebration arrived. Dressed in jeans, a white blouse, and her new hoodie with the center’s logo splashed across the back and her name embroidered on the left chest, Pepper stepped out into the dreary morning. The drizzle from the night before continued. She dashed back into the house and donned her purple rain slicker, pulling the hood over her head. The mist swirled around her like a lost spirit as she followed the path toward the seabird aviary, Ember at her side. Kaylee had been released earlier to feed and now circled high overhead, anticipating Pepper’s destination. The bird landed in a tree outside the aviary and waited.

  When Pepper heaved the heavy wooden door open, she glanced up to where Kaylee sat. “Oh, come on in.” And moved to the side. The osprey soared by her landing on one of several perches set up inside. The wind blew the door closed behind Pepper. Several tables were set up end-to-end, running the entire length of the building. The blue and purple logo with white lettering was centered in the middle of each tablecloth. Thankfully, Lathen had turned the heat on to chase the chill away of the September day. She paused and admired the entire arrangement. He stood at the end of the building talking on the phone. Pepper ambled closer then heard snippets of conversation.