What I didn’t understand was why Edmund had also disappeared. Because nowhere else is he mentioned, unless the articles said something about it. But Diana didn’t say anything, and she would have if there had been a mention of him. Did everyone forget about him, or were their minds also tampered with?
I flopped back onto the bed and groaned. I knew all this about Elspeth, but what good was it doing Diana? There had to be a connection. I just couldn’t see it.
As I sat there, I thought I heard a faint sniffling noise. I held my breath, straining my ears. I heard Mom and Dad in the kitchen, cleaning up. The soft creaks and pops of the house, and then … there. Just underneath me, I could hear it.
“Diana?” I felt ridiculous talking to air.
When air answered, I jumped about a foot off the bed. “Caroline? Can you hear me?”
“It is you!” I said, jumping off the bed. I couldn’t tell which direction her voice came from.
“You have to get me out of here, Caroline.”
I circled the room, listening hard. “I can’t figure out where you’re at,” I said. “Let me get my parents. Maybe they can tell.”
“No!” She sounded panicked. “You’ve got to do this alone.”
“What?” I stared at the floor. “Why? The police and those MIST women can get you out in no time.”
“But if they do, they have to use spells. They’ll disturb the magic and he’ll know. He said he’d kill my dad if he felt the slightest disturbance!”
I chewed on a fingernail. “My parents could try something with roots or something.”
“It’s still magic,” she said, her voice filled with misery. “And maybe they won’t even believe you.”
Her voice sounded closer as I moved toward the door. “Why?”
“I can hear them in the kitchen. I pounded on the walls and yelled until I was hoarse yesterday, but no one heard me.” There was another sniffle. “I think the walls are enchanted.”
“Why can I hear you then?” They’d believe me, but I didn’t want to risk getting Diana’s dad killed either.
“I think it’s because you’re, well, normal. Whoever it is that brought me here thinks someone with magic is hunting for him.”
Him? “Do you know who it is, Diana?”
“No. But he’s got me blindfolded. He’s tall and strong. His voice is weird. I think he’s disguising it.” There was a pause and I thought I heard movement beneath me. “He’s coming back. I’ll try to talk again later.”
I thought about arguing, but I didn’t want to give away that I could hear her either. I sat on my floor, wishing I could throw a temper tantrum. It wouldn’t have helped Diana, but I’d get to blow off some steam. What good was it to know where she was if no one else would believe me? I knew if I went down and told the police I could hear her voice, they’d call in a shrink faster than I could say, “Loony tunes.”
Leo needed to know. I dug out my cell, flipping it open and realizing Diana had his number, not me. That would’ve been too easy, I guess. Times like this, just a smidgen of magic would be handy. Though then I wouldn’t be able to hear Diana at all.
With a groan, I fell back onto the bed and flung my arms over my eyes. I had to find a way into Diana’s prison before Friday. I still couldn’t see what purpose kidnapping her would have, but I didn’t want to find out. Somehow, I didn’t think I’d like it.
***
I woke up the next day in the same position, surrounded by papers and notes to myself. The sunlight streaming through my windows told me I’d slept way past my normal time. I was surprised I slept at all. When I rolled over and glanced at the clock, it was almost nine. I contemplated talking to Diana again, but I couldn’t be sure her captor was gone again, so I didn’t say anything.
After showering, I headed downstairs. Food was a convenient excuse to examine the kitchen for hidden doors. It was the room under my bedroom, though the only sign of the round room was a round bay window. Mom made it into a breakfast nook, though neither she nor my dad would sit there. It was oddly shaped, not quite a half-moon because of a pantry closet that had been put in.
The pantry. I smacked my forehead. Before I could get a good look around, Mom walked in. I grabbed a bowl and shook out some cereal and milk, sliding it onto the table.
“Morning, Mom,” I said. My feet tapped impatiently on the tile floor.
She rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water and a carton of orange juice. Her pants already had dirt smeared on the knees. “Morning, Caroline. What are you going to do today?”
I shrugged, swirling my spoon through my breakfast. “Homework, I guess.”
“If you need me, I’ll be outside in the garden. Your father,” she glared at the wall as if he could feel her looking at him, “has locked himself in the study. Again.”
“Okay.”
She smiled, returned the juice to the fridge and headed back outside. Thank goodness she wasn’t in a talkative mood. I turned and stared at the pantry door. Dad finally got it unstuck a few weeks ago, but before then it wouldn’t open at all. Looking at it now, I could see it was added after the house was built.
I tugged on the door and winced when it opened with a groan. No one came through the door, but I waited anyway, just to be sure. Stepping inside, I pulled a flashlight from my pocket. Mom filled it with cleaning supplies, so I shoved boxes of sprays and buckets and mops to the side. I crouched on the floor, using the beam of light and my fingertips to search for hidden catches or unusual cracks in the wall and floor.
Nothing. I took a deep breath, fisted my hand, and rapped my knuckles on the wall.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was an answer.
“Caroline?” The voice was whisper soft, and so close I jumped. It was followed by three soft knocks. I found Diana. Now I had to find out how to get to her.
Chapter Nineteen
Relief made my knees weak, and I pressed a hand to the wall. “Diana? Oh my God, I thought maybe I was going nuts last night.”
“No, I’m here. Took you long enough.”
“Are you hurt? What happened?” I demanded. My words tripped over each other in my hurry.
“I’m fine. I have no idea who he is. I can’t tell where he gets in either. He’s only taken the blindfold off a few times, and that was to bring me dinner and let me use the bathroom.” She paused. “I could have done without ever learning how to use a chamber pot, Caroline.”
Diana had to be all right. She was scared, but she wasn’t hurt, or she wouldn’t have been joking with me.
“Is he coming back soon?” I asked.
I heard material slide against the wall. “I don’t think so. He told me to eat well this morning because he wouldn’t be back to get me until he got what he wanted.”
“The meeting,” I whispered to myself.
A strange creaking and popping reverberated around me and I heard Diana curse. “That’s him, Caroline. Come back after it gets dark. He’ll be gone by then.”
“But—”
Her voice was a hiss. “Go.”
I lurched from the pantry, trying not to make too much noise. Tears burned the corner of my eyes. I found her, but I couldn’t get her out. I still had to find the entrance, and had to do it without attracting attention before this evening. Nothing like a little pressure.
I came out, and Goth MIST waited, combat boots crossed in front of her. She raised an eyebrow. “Do you usually eat breakfast in the pantry and talk to yourself.”
This wasn’t going to go well. I crossed my arms. “Do you frequently go where you aren’t wanted?”
She didn’t jump right up and eat me whole, which I took as a good sign. I even thought her lips twitched a little. She stood up and moved around me to the pantry. The door opened with another squeaking moan, and she jerked back.
“Great Lords of Salem, it reeks in there.”
I don’t think she meant to say it aloud.<
br />
“What have you been doing in there?” she demanded.
I backed away from the intensity of her disgust. Her lips were curled back like she actually did smell something awful.
Forcing myself to stop moving, I fisted my hands, pressing them against my thighs. “You know, I’m getting really tired of repeating myself. I. Don’t. Have. Magic.”
She flung an arm toward the pantry. “You’re telling me you didn’t create that black hole in there?”
Really, I just wanted to tear my hair out sometimes. “Whatever you think is in there, I didn’t do it. I don’t even know what you smell in there.”
Confusion stopped her. “Smell?”
I rolled my eyes. “You said, ‘it reeked.’ That would imply a scent.”
She pressed her fingers to her temples. “You’re telling me you can’t sense that?” She stepped closer and her eyes unfocused while she looked at me. We stood like that for several seconds. Finally she opened her eyes again. “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”
“That would be impressive, actually,” I said.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re pushing it, kid.”
I couldn’t seem to control my lips. “Hey, I figured I should get it out of my system. The way things are going, you’re all going to decide I’m responsible for everything and arrest me. Then I’ll spend the rest of my life in a padded room and a white coat and eat little green pills for every meal.”
She stepped back and rolled her eyes. “And they all say I’m dramatic.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Viola Stringfellow. Don’t laugh. I’ve heard it all before.”
I stared, and then shook her hand. “I’d say it was nice to meet you, but I’d be lying.”
Her lips did twitch that time. “For whatever its worth, I believe you, Caroline. There isn’t an ounce of magic in your body.”
“You believe me?” I repeated the words, just to make sure I heard correctly.
She nodded. “I do. But I do think you know more than you’re letting on. If you know where Diana might be, you have to tell me. Let the grown-ups handle this.”
I liked her until the last statement. The grown-ups hadn’t exactly done a stellar job thus far. I flopped into a kitchen chair. “What are you doing here anyway?”
“Keeping an eye on you and your parents. Crowne wants everyone accounted for.”
“He wants us all watched you mean.”
“You could look at it that way, I suppose,” she said with a shrug. “But that’s a little harsh.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
“Are you going to tell me what you were doing in there?”
I tilted my head and studied her, pretending to think about it. I nodded.
She leaned forward, suddenly eager. “Well?”
I mimicked her movements and grinned. “Nothing.”
“Listen, you little pain in the–”
I waved a finger. “Ah, ah, language. My tender ears couldn’t take it.”
While she sputtered, I skipped from the kitchen, feeling pleased with myself. At least until I found my parents standing outside the kitchen door. Mom looked annoyed. Dad stood behind her and gave me a slow wink, even though he didn’t crack a smile.
I smiled, but Mom pointed back to the kitchen. Great. She’d probably make me apologize or something equally embarrassing.
Based on the smirk Viola wore, she thought the same thing.
To my surprise, Mom stood between us and poked one finger into Viola’s shoulder. “Hasn’t the police department taught you anything? I said you could come in and sit in the den. I didn’t give you permission to nose around my house and interrogate my daughter.”
Go, Mom. I wanted to wave my arms and cheer, but I figured that would get me in trouble. My joy was short lived.
“And you, young lady, know better than to say things like that. Especially to someone who is only here to help. Both of you are going to play nicely with each other because I can’t handle any more disruptions in my house. Now, am I understood?”
I nodded, as did Viola. Standing here, in front of my mom, I noticed that Viola really wasn’t that old. She hid it well under way too much eyeliner, but she was probably in her twenties.
Of course, when Mom went on the warpath, no one was safe, old or young.
Viola murmured an apology and slid out of the kitchen and across the hall into the den. Mom took a deep breath and smoothed back her hair. Her eyes fell on me, and I winced.
“What have you got to say for yourself, Caroline?”
I gave her a weak grin. “I love you?”
“Try again. What were you doing in here that made her so suspicious?”
It wasn’t hard to summon tears. For a half-second I debated telling Mom everything. But Diana’s panicked voice in my head stopped me. “I just needed some alone time and I went in the pantry, I knocked things over, and I started crying. And I threw a tantrum. When I came out, she was sitting here and told me it was full of black magic and wanted to know what I was doing.”
Mom’s lip trembled. Guilt formed a hard lump in my belly for lying. But really, they couldn’t hear Diana, so they’d just think I lied anyway.
“Oh, sweetie. Why didn’t you just tell her that? There was no need to get snippy.”
I sighed. “She rubs me the wrong way.”
Dad said something I couldn’t quite hear behind me. Mom glared at him over my head and he wandered around us into the kitchen.
“You have to treat them with some respect, Caroline. Detective Crowne is bringing Leo and Kevin over later this afternoon so they can watch you all in one place tonight. Just in case … ” She swallowed hard. “Well, just in case.”
“Mom—”
She squeezed my shoulders. “Now Caroline, hush. You will keep your comments to yourself. They are only trying to do their jobs. Are we clear?”
When I didn’t answer right away, she raised an eyebrow. I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
Chapter Twenty
I hadn’t intended on keeping my promise, but Mom cornered Dad and I in the living room, making a list of chores that needed to be done before anyone arrived. He kept trying to slip into his study, and I kept trying to slip outside, but Mom was everywhere at once. Each time we got caught before we had a chance to get two feet outside the den.
I vacuumed, staring out the window at the birch. If Elspeth was aware of her surroundings, and I think she was most of the time, why didn’t she just turn back? Two centuries passed since she was forced to become a tree. I suspected her brother, and he must surely be dead by now, or he’d be here in the house. He might have gone dormant himself, but then he’d still be gone.
What was she waiting for?
Finally, we stopped for a late afternoon snack. We made a motley crew sitting around the kitchen table, silent and suspicious of one another. My parents, me, two policemen, and Viola. Mom made sandwiches, and two big bags of chips sat in the center of the table. We all took some; the only sound in the kitchen the crunch of potato chips. The silence was almost unbearable.
But, of course, if everyone was eating lunch, no one watched outside. I inhaled my sandwich and chips, sucking down soda and then turned to Mom. “Can I go for a walk? Anything is better than sitting here in silence.”
And I really needed to see the outside wall of the tower. I’d bet anything that the entry into the secret room was from there. It explained how someone got in and out of the house without anyone being the wiser.
Viola watched me as I left, frowning, but she didn’t try to follow. I don’t know if she decided I wasn’t a threat now that she believed I didn’t have magic or not. I didn’t really care as long as she stayed out of the way.
Outside, the sun began to head toward evening. Leo and Kevin would be here soon and Detective Crowne. I would have to work fast to find the entrance so the twins and I could come back for Diana. Pausing, I wrinkled my nose at the thought o
f including Kevin. He surprised me this week by being something almost like … nice. There were a lot of opportunities for mean remarks and jokes at my expense. He hadn’t taken them. I didn’t really know what to make of that.
Mom hadn’t gotten around to doing much to this side of the house, except pulling the weeds out of the bushes. A good thing too. I started at the place where the edge of the tower met the house and worked my way around the curve from there. Just when I was convinced I missed it, I saw the first hairline crack in the thick wooden siding. I followed it with my thumbnail. A door. I didn’t see a catch right away. There was one spot that seemed a little darker than the surrounding shingles. It was hard to tell, as my parents repainted the house just after we moved in, but I thought it might be where he pushed his hands.
Chewing my thumbnail, I stood and stared at the door. Now that I knew where to look, it was impossible not to see it. If the door required magic incantations or spells to open, I was in trouble. Leo or Kevin might be able to do that. I couldn’t try anything right now, because he might still be inside.
The thought prickled up the back of my neck. Suddenly it felt like there were eyes everywhere, watching me intently. Without another glance, I spun and continued walking around the back of the house until I circled back to the front door.
Waiting never was my strong point. I paced my room, then I watched a movie in the den, and then I helped Mom make pitchers of ice tea, put pints of blood into a wine cooler filled with warm water, and filled candy dishes with snacks. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought we were hosting a party.
When Detective Crowne arrived, it kind of seemed like it. Ms. Widdershins wandered in, then Mr. Grouseman, and Mr. Elliot, Diana’s dad also arrived. The kitchen fell into awkward silence when he arrived. No one quite knew what to say. Me least of all. I wanted to shout that Diana was right there behind the wall. Turn around and you’d see. But I knew they wouldn’t hear her, and he would only feel worse. I didn’t want that.
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