I was trembling as I gazed down at the pictures, but it was in a different way than I was used to. In the past I’d gotten shaky when a topic scared me or got too close to what had happened that day. But now it was different. I trembled, but it was in anticipation. I was stronger now. I was going to find a way to do something about my memory, and about the others who had drowned with me that day. It was inevitable. I just knew I was going to do it.
Looking at the individual pictures, I found my own, and that of Piper, Mandy’s sister who looked very much like her. There were also two young men and two young women, none of whom I recognized. And there was no picture of Marcus or his two friends, Roger and Celia. So they were phonies from the get-go. And what had happened to them?
I looked at Mandy. She had tears in her eyes. Leaning forward, I hugged her tightly.
“We’re going to find her,” I promised. “Don’t give up.”
She nodded.
“Wow. A lot goes on pretty quickly around here.”
“You can say that again.”
“Busy day in Moonhaven,” Bentley said, giving me a wink. “You seem to have saved the integrity of the five stones and the haven. But there is one thing missing.”
I looked at him questioningly. “What is that?”
He looked troubled. “The Sam Wellington murder. I take it that your so-called friend Marcus was a prime suspect. And Randy the werewolf was another.”
“And Oliver,” Rennie reminded everyone.
“Oh, that was nonsense,” I interjected. “Just the sheriff being a jerk.”
“So where do we stand now?” Bentley said. “Anyone have any ideas?”
I glanced quickly at everyone and took a deep breath. “Marcus is gone,” I said. “You do realize that.”
Bentley nodded. “Of course. That’s why I’m asking. The sheriff isn’t going to like this disappearing act Marcus has done. How do we satisfy him without pulling others into danger?”
Good question. I didn’t have a clue--nor any evidence. All I could do was speculate. It was probably time I tried to gather some facts.
I mulled that over but the sounds of dancing and revelry were still filling the air. The celebration would probably go on for another hour or so and suddenly we all wanted to be there while it lasted. We walked over into the park and watched the fun, ate a few snacks, and made plans to get together the next day. Then Shane appeared from the crowd and I finally relaxed.
There was just something about that guy….
Chapter 19
It was after midnight when I finally stumbled upstairs, ready for bed, only to find a visitor in my bedroom.
“Randy! How did you get in here?” I said, even though I knew very well he’d probably climbed the tree outside my window. Why not? Everybody else did.
He rose and grinned at me, looking almost shy.
“I’m heading out. Going north. But I just had to stop by and thank you for…well, probably saving my life and all. You didn’t have to do it, but you did. So, hey. Thanks. I mean it.”
He made me smile. “No thanks needed. I wasn’t going to let you lie there with those burns without doing something. And since the cops were coming, I had to put you in the back seat with a blanket over you in order to get out of there.”
“Yeah, well, that’s why I’m thanking you. And, hey, I heard you ‘took care of’ the Marcus problem during the ceremony.”
That way of putting it made me uneasy. “I didn’t exactly do anything like that. I did defend myself in a way that set him up to be vulnerable to the demon. That’s all.”
He shrugged. “That’s good enough for me. I was afraid I was going to have to do something to take care of the situation. But you saved me the trouble.” He grinned at me. “So I guess it’s only fair that I clean up the rest of the mess for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to go in and see the sheriff. I’m going to tell him that we werewolves saw Sam Wellington dead on the deck of his boat and knew it was a good guess that Marcus, who was still on board at the time, had done it.”
“Any thought on what his motives were?”
“Knowing Sam, he was probably thinking he could hold them up for more money, since he knew Marcus was coming in illegally. Marcus wouldn’t have had the patience for a long negotiation. He probably just took the situation into his own hands, so to speak.”
I shuddered and shook my head in bewilderment. “What were you doing out there anyway?”
He held up his head, looking like he was ready for a challenge. “Marcus hired us. He contacted us a few weeks ago. They wanted to come into the haven but they knew your grandmother wouldn’t allow that. If they’d come in any of the normal ways, she would have felled them on the spot. So they needed help to come in by sea. We set up transportation for them, got them a place to stay. Went out to pick them up on those cool jet skis.” He shook his head. “If I’d known he was fronting for demons, believe me, we would never have touched him or his money.”
“How did you find out?”
“About the time you did.”
I nodded. “And what about the murder itself? Did you see anything….?”
He shook his head.
“No. Once we’d seen Sam Wellington’s body, we knew we couldn’t hide Marcus in town. We took those two youngsters who were with him in on our jet-skis, but we told Marcus he was on his own. We really didn’t want any part of him. Sam was a good friend of ours.”
I thought that over for a minute. “Are you sure Marcus did it?”
“Killed him? I didn’t see it happen, but I didn’t see anyone else on that boat. Except for your big old Raven shifter guy, and I know darn well he didn’t do it.” He scratched his head. “And once we were all out at the roadhouse, Marcus made a couple of cracks that pretty much sealed the suspicions into near facts.”
“So how did Marcus get in to shore?”
Randy shrugged. “You got me. I think he swam. He didn’t seem that upset when we told him he was on his own.”
“Uh huh,” I said, thinking it over. “He was the guy leaning on the railing when I was swimming out there. I’ll bet he recognized me and concocted a plan right then and there.” I grabbed Randy’s arm and shook him. “That’s what happened!” I cried, looking up into his face. “He saw me and gathered in some magic for his spell so that he could make me think a shark was attacking me. Then when he reached me he could tow me in to the beach and be there when I woke up. I fell right into his trap.”
“You’re not the only one. Even though I was pretty sure he killed Sam, I relented and let him stay at the roadhouse. That was a dumb thing to do.”
I nodded. “That reminds me. How did the fire start? The one out in werewolf country?”
“As far as I could tell, it was that same lousy demon. Head of a bull and all that? All of a sudden Marcus was frantic. He was looking for a place to hide, said the demon wasn’t happy with the way he was handling the bonfire plans and was coming in to talk to him about it. But he knew what that meant and he took off, leaving the rest of us to face the consequences, including those two kids he’d brought along to do his bidding.” He shook his head. “If ever there was a guy that deserved a fate worse than death, Marcus was it.”
“I won’t argue that one. But what happened to Roger and Celia?”
“I got them hidden in a basement we built under the old roadhouse just in time to save them from the demon, but not soon enough to save myself.” He gave me a twisted grin. “And I guess you know how I feel about the effort you made to heal the burns. I really owe you one.”
I shrugged that away. “Have you seen those two since? Are they okay?”
“They’re okay. I got them transportation out of town and they are going back to wherever it was they came from.”
I shook my head. “But with everybody gone, how do we prove anything to the sheriff?”
“That is a problem. But don’t worry about it. I’ve got a solution.”
He shook his head sadly. “I can’t let that go any longer. So I’m going on in.”
“On in?”
“To see the sheriff. I’ll tell him all I know and hope he doesn’t decide to blame me.”
I smiled, feeling a sense of relief. “I’m glad. That will help a lot. But I only ask one thing of you.”
“What’s that?”
“Take Bentley along with you. Hire him to represent you.”
“What? That vampire?”
“Yes. I’ll feel a lot better about you if you have his help. Sheriff Hayes can be a hardheaded jerk. You don’t want to tackle him and his methods alone.”
Randy pushed his huge hand through his thick hair, making part of it stand on end, giving him a wild look. “You think Bentley would do it?”
“He’d probably take it as a point of professional pride, helping out a supernatural that’s supposed to be his natural enemy. Give him a try.”
“I’ll do that. And Haley.” He touched my cheek. “Thanks. You’re a gem, you know. I hope we’ll have time to get to know each other one of these days.”
Not likely but you never want to turn your back on a potential friend or ally.
“You never know. Maybe we’ll be lucky that way.”
Shane drove me out to Gran Ana’s house on the cliff the next evening. The fog had cleared and the ocean shone like a beautifully cut and faceted emerald. No one was playing croquet on the lawn. No one was painting the roses red. The only thing that could remind anyone of Wonderland was a huge Cheshire cat alternately fading and coming in again on a medium sized magnolia tree in the back yard.
We parked and stared at the place for a few minutes.
“No red queen,” I mentioned. “No Mad Hatter.”
Shane nodded. “I sort of miss the flamingos,” he said. “I think they were my favorites.”
“Oh, I liked the dormouses that rolled into croquet balls. I think they were my favorites.” I sighed.
Seconds later, a huge pterodactyl flew over, just grazing the top of our car with a horrible scratching sound. We looked at each other in horror.
“Oh no! Don’t tell me….”
The two of us opened the car doors and ran for the house. Oliver opened the door.
“Hurry in,” he said, shooing us along as he gazed at the skies. “Those dinosaurs might be making another bombing run. Quick!”
He slammed the door shut.
“Oliver!” I said. “Pterodactyls?”
He looked nervous. “Oh yes. Elegant beasts, aren’t they? But somewhat lethal, I fear.”
“No more sweet little Alice?”
“Too tame, I think. Madam wishes a bit more excitement in her life.”
“Well, dinosaurs should fill that bill,” Shane said dryly. “Just before they eat her.”
Oliver’s eyes were huge with a sense of doom. “I’m just afraid she’ll take off for Florida on holiday and leave the rest of us to tend to the animals,” he said softly, then looked over his shoulder to make sure my grandmother wasn’t in earshot.
“Is she planning a trip?”
He looked doleful. “Oh I hope not. But don’t worry. She’s ordered a lovely dinner for you two. Lobster Newburg. Our chef’s specialty. I guarantee you’ll be happy with it.”
That did brighten my spirits. “Sounds yummy.”
“Yes. Please come this way. She’s waiting for you in the library.”
And so she was, leaning back in her regal wicker chair which made her look like an island empress. She rose as we entered, stepped forward and kissed me on both cheeks, nodded at Shane and returned to her chair. We sat in overstuffed arm chairs facing her. She smiled at me. Actually smiled!
“I’ve been getting reports about your performance last night and each one I get seems better and better. I’m quite proud of you, Haley. You did well.”
“Oh.” Her praise left me tongue-tied. I wasn’t used to hearing good things about myself. I kept waiting for the , “But….” that I expected to follow anything good. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I called you both here because I wanted you to know that we are ready to move on to the next level. I know Shane has been waiting for this for a long time. I’ve asked him to hold back, because I knew we needed you, Haley, to play an important role in our operation. I was waiting for you to be ready. And now, I think that perhaps you are.”
I cleared my throat. “Uh…ready for what?”
“Your destiny. You can feel it, can’t you? You have an important journey ahead of you. I know you will not flinch.”
“Uh…” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what she wanted from me. I looked at Shane. He gave me an encouraging smile.
He seemed to know. Why didn’t I know? “What are you talking about?” I finally asked. “I certainly want to help in any way I can, but you seem to have something very specific in mind and I’m not sure…”
“Oh come now, Haley.” She looked annoyed. In other words, more like she usually looked when I was around. “You know what I’m talking about. I’m sure you feel the ache, the loneliness, the lack in your life. And I’m sure you’re ready to turn that around.”
“The lack?” Oh sure. There were plenty of things I wish I could have that I didn’t have. But I didn’t consider it a part of some grand conquest. Did she?
“I know what you miss, Haley. You miss the closeness, the love.”
Her words stabbed me like daggers and I recoiled. “Oh please,” I said in faint protest.
“No, I mean it. I know how it feels to lose the love of your family. You want it back. You’re not going to feel whole until you get resolution on why and how and where it’s gone. Of course, you’re not going to feel whole again until you find it or a replacement. There’s a hole in your heart. You have to fix it.”
I was trembling and I didn’t like that. I needed to stay strong. I needed to be stronger than my grandmother. But maybe I wasn’t really ready for that yet.
“What do you expect me to do?” I asked her.
She looked at me for a long moment, as though once again trying to gauge my worth to her.
“Find your family,” she said emphatically. “Find out what happened to them and get them back here. Simple enough, don’t you think?”
I stared at her. Of course that was what I wanted most of all. And I felt ready to fight for that, to fight for my own emotional survival. But I didn’t feel strong enough yet. I needed more training. I needed more moral conviction. How could I explain that to her? I couldn’t. Not the way I felt it. But I had another path to what I felt had to happen. I had Mandy, and Piper.
I lifted my head and stared straight into her eyes. “I know what you want from me,” I said. “I know what you want and I want it too. But I’m not going to try to do that yet. I have another goal, another aching need.”
My grandmother’s face was twisted. She didn’t like this answer at all. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Mandy. And her sister, Piper. Piper was in the car when we crashed and Piper has not returned. I want to find her. I want to find out what happened and why. And if we have any hope of bringing her back, I want to do that.”
She looked bewildered. “All for this little fox shifter girl?”
“Yes. All for her. I can’t do anything for myself until I do all I can for her.”
“That’s crazy.”
I shrugged. Now that I’d told her, I wasn’t trembling any more. I felt at peace in a strange way. I knew where I was going and I wasn’t going to be talked out of it.
“I hear we’re having Lobster Newburg,” I said brightly, smiling like an insane person. “That sounds lovely.”
She lifted her chin and glared at me. “It is lovely and meant as a part of the celebration of your ascension to your rightful place in the supernatural hierarchy.”
“Great.” I was still smiling. “I’m ready. Lead me to it.”
She snorted. I started to laugh. And looking over at Shane, I saw that he was hiding his own laughter behind his hand.
“Oh come on,” I said to my grandmother. “You know you wouldn’t want a submissive granddaughter. That would be so boring.”
To my surprise, she did start to smile. She just couldn’t help herself.
“Oliver,” she called. “Have the chef pack up the Newburg. We’ll be having grilled crow tonight instead.”
“Awk!” cried the butler.
And we all laughed for a good long time. Laughter is said to be the best medicine. But what, exactly, is the disease?
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Also by J.D. Winters and Dakota Kahn
In the Sister Witchcraft Series…
Sister Witchcraft: Bewitched, Bedeviled and Bewildered
Sister Witchcraft: Confessions of a Teenage Slayer
Sister Witchcraft: Undercover Coven
Sister Witchcraft: Never Date a Warlock
In the Moonhaven series…
Moonhaven 1: Even Witches Get the Blues
Moonhaven 2: That Old Witch Magic
Moonhaven 3: Witches in Wonderland
The Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Series by J.D. Winters…
#1: A Ghost for Christmas
Wild and Witchy Page 16
