by Diana Orgain
“Yes,” he said under his breath and then spat off the number. “Why?” he asked.
“I just got a text message from that number,” she said, and Joseph jumped up. The other officers all instinctually lunged in her direction.
“What does it say?” Joseph asked.
“Confess to murdering the mayor, or your dog is dead,” Maeve said, recalling that during her conversation with Nathan, Alex, and their friends, she’d mentioned the police were looking into her.
Her hands began to shake, and despair clawed at her throat. “Joseph,” she said, her eyes watering. “He’s going to kill my dog! He’s going to kill Wanda!”
Chapter Twelve
Chuck
We’ve been driving for a while, and every attempt of mine to escape is futile. I’m just a dog. With the muzzle around my mouth I can’t even use my magic bark to open a door. And right now, I’d jump out of a moving vehicle to get away from this psychopath.
I crouch down in the back seat, and my legs tremble. I glance out the window, the sun is hidden behind some ominous clouds. It looks like a thunderstorm is brewing after our heat wave. It’s starting to rain, and the atmosphere seems fitting.
I can’t believe I’ve been doggie napped!
Alex, my abductor, is gripping the steering wheel and muttering quietly to himself.
I whine, and he ignores me. It’s growing increasingly dark. We can only see as far as the headlights allow. A loud thunderclap roars in the distance, and the skies open and cry.
Yeah. That’s how I feel, man.
A phone rings through the speakers of Alex’s car, and he grumbles before clicking the green button on his car’s dash screen.
“Hello?” he asks, trying to sound as level headed as a man can be, who only twenty minutes ago ran a woman down in a parking lot.
I cringe at the thought. Maeve is probably being rushed to the hospital as this guy ferries me out of town; I hope she’s okay.
“Alex!” Dr. Roberts’ voice echoes in the car.
“Dad? What’s up?” Alex asks, still attempting to sound calm and collected.
Okay, new revelation here. Dr. Roberts is Alex’s old man. Good to know.
“Did you have anything to do with Mayor James’ death?”
Alex grows quiet, and the car accelerates. There is a long pause before the man responds. “Why would you ask something like that, Dad?”
“Did you kill Mayor James, son?”
Again a long silence passes. Alex grips the steering wheel even tighter, and the car slides across the wet road, hydroplaning. Somehow Alex maintains control, but my heart races in panic. My breathing becomes heavy, and my paws sweat.
“You know what?” Alex snarls. “That man deserved to die for everything he has put this city through! He abused his power. He slept with a married woman and then dumped her! Eleanor tried to kill James, not Nadine! He should have been the one to die–not her!”
“So you did it.” Dr. Roberts’ voice sounds broken. “Alex, please, don’t hurt that poor girl’s dog too.”
Alex practically roars–it’s this loud, gurgling scream that makes me dip down into the floorboard just so I don’t have to look up at the rearview mirror and see his crazy eyes. I swear those things seem to be playing ping pong in their sockets.
“Are you serious?!” Alex screams. “You’re more worried about some dog than you are about me!”
“Alex, that’s not true,” Dr. Roberts says.
I’m the innocent one here, Alex! You got yourself into this mess.
Alex rams the gas, and I tumble, unable to keep my balance. I glance up, and see his pupils flash and dance in the rearview mirror. A puzzled expression appears on the madman’s face.
“What made you think I killed James?” Alex asks. “And how did you know I had Maeve’s dog?” When Dr. Roberts does not answer Alex right away, Alex bangs his fist against the steering wheel. “Maeve already blabbed to the police, didn’t she?” he shouts.
“Alex, listen to me …”
Alex slams a fist into the dash, disconnecting the call. A slew of profanity erupts from his lips as he speeds down the road.
“I got to get out of town,” he says, swerving down an empty road. “That stupid woman! I told her to back off!” He glances up into the rearview mirror, and I realize he’s looking at me. “Sorry, girl,” he says. “But don’t worry. You won’t feel a thing. Just one little shot, and then it’s all over.” He reaches to his passenger’s seat and pats a small black case.
Curiously I sit upright, my head tilting toward the case.
I sniff, and that horrible, cloying familiar scent fills my nostrils.
It’s the pentobarbital–the doggie euthanasia he used on James.
My mind goes back to that poor dog in Dr. Roberts’ office. I start to shake, and I let out several whines. Alex glances back at me; I wish he’d keep his fishy eyes on the road.
“It’s okay, girl,” he says in a soothing voice. “You won’t have to be in the car much longer, and I’ll take that muzzle off you in a minute too.”
Good because I’ll bite your face off!
“Right after your shot,” he says, and I cringe. He speaks softly to me as though he thinks it’s going to get me to stop whining.
It’s not.
The bottom abruptly drops out of one of the clouds, and the heavy rain becomes an all-out storm. Each clap of thunder makes me jump nervously. I’ve never been anxious when it comes to storms before, but as a dog they seem so much more heinous for some reason.
That, and the guy driving is planning to kill me.
I jump off the floorboard and back onto the back seat, and then I look out the window.
How can Alex even see where he’s going? He goes on and on muttering to himself about the different towns he can hide out for a while, but I’m not listening. I struggle with the muzzle in an attempt to pull it off, but I can’t.
This is it.
This lunatic is going to kill me and then leave my doggie body stranded somewhere on the side of the road.
What will happen then? Will the curse be over?
Or will it be the end of me?
I can’t stand to think about it.
I yank at the muzzle with my paw. It’s too tight to bark. If I could bark, maybe I could use a little magick to free myself, but I can’t.
I’m just a useless mutt!
Looking out the back window, I stare at the falling rain. A bolt of lightning strikes in the distance, and when it lights up the sky an image appears in the back window.
Selena.
I growl.
This is your stupid fault, Selena.
She smiles back at me. “Relax, Chuck,” I hear her say quietly; Alex is far too distracted with the conversation he’s having with himself to see the witch in his back window.
I growl again, and she laughs at me. “You really are one lucky dog to have found such a powerful witch,” she says, and with a second lightning strike she vanishes.
Lucky, really? I’m not feeling all that lucky.
There’s another flash of light and I catch a glimpse of something familiar. My heart soars.
In the distance I can see a little purple Volkswagen speeding toward us.
Maeve!
The car whips around us, surprising Alex to the point that he swerves dangerously.
“Crazy women drivers!” He roars as the purple Volkswagen drives far ahead and out of sight.
Wait!
Didn’t she see us?
Did I imagine that it was her? Surely, if it had been Maeve, she would have tried to stop him, right?
I sit upright in the back seat, and I look over Alex’s shoulder into the distance.
“What in the world?” Alex grumbles, squinting his evil eyes. “Ha! That stupid driver wrecked!” he slams on his brakes.
My stomach twists in knots.
Did Maeve wreck?
I look, and I see the purple Volkswagen parked in the middle of the r
oad. A silhouetted figure is standing between us and the parked car. Alex rolls his car forward slowly, and as his headlights shine on the figure as she comes into full view.
It’s Maeve!
The rain continues to pound down, and she’s just standing there. Not gonna lie–she’s kind of creeping me out.
Alex pounds a fist on his horn. “Get out of the way!” he shouts.
I don’t think he realizes that this is the same woman he plowed down in the parking lot earlier. Alex probably thinks Maeve is in the hospital. My girl is tougher than that, though.
Slowly, Maeve’s arms eerily raise on either side of her. Elbows bent, fingers extended–she looks like she’s summoning a demon.
“What is she doing?” Alex grumbles. He honks his horn again and starts to roll down his window. He shouts out the window. “Move, or I’ll ram into you and your car!” he shouts at her.
I wouldn’t threaten her right now, buddy.
Her arms continue to rise up, and then she suddenly jerks both hands forward. I can see her mouthing some sort of spell. Then, as her arms extend straight out in front of her, the rain stops.
And I don’t mean it stops raining–I mean the rain stops mid-air!
Alex’s jaw drops, and he grips the steering wheel in fear. He jams the gas pedal, and I can hear the tires spin, but we’re not going anywhere.
Maeve, her face full of fury, yanks her left arm to the right, and the car follows. I close my eyes, and I suddenly feel my paws on pavement. As I open my eyes, I see that I’m standing outside the car, and the car is hurtling through the air. The car flies off the road and smashes head on into a tree on the opposite side of the road. Purple magick falls off the vehicle, and looking down, I can see a bit of it swirl around me.
The rain starts to come down again as Maeve runs over to me. Frankly, I’m frozen in fear.
“Wanda!” she calls out, rushing to my side. She kneels down beside me and pets me. “Are you okay, girl?” she asks, taking off the muzzle.
Are you kidding?
I’m alive.
I’m alive, and I realize Selena wasn’t kidding. I really am lucky! I found a powerful witch!
Maeve wraps her arms around my neck and gives me several kisses on top of my head. I lick her face.
This is my girl right here! This is my Maeve!
I jump up and down excitedly, and I bark several times.
Maeve looks toward the vehicle that is now partially wrapped around a tree.
She wrecked a car with the wave of her hands!
Maeve chews on her bottom lip. “He should be fine,” she says and then adds, “if I did the spell right, that is.”
Black and red lights flash in the distance. Maeve goes and sits on the hood of her car. She tilts her head back and lets the rain pour down on her.
“So how do we explain this one to the police, Wanda?” she asks. Then she laughs. “I’ll just say I was driving around looking for you, and I spotted the car and went after him. Then because of the weather or whatever, he hydroplaned into the ditch. I guess I should go check on him, right?”
Maeve stands upright and heads over to Alex’s car. I can tell she’s pretty proud of herself right now.
“Alex?” she questions, looking into the driver’s side. I stay right next to her. If he moves, I’m biting his face off.
We hear a moan from inside the car followed by several grunts. His legs are pinned. He’s stuck. The rain stops just as the police arrive on scene. I wag my tail as the police exit their vehicles looking quite confused.
Joseph is, of course, among them. “What happened?” he questions, and Maeve launches into the fantasy story she’d just rehearsed.
I don’t mind her lying to the cops, because she’s scratching my head the entire time.
The police take notes as Maeve talks, and I have to admit, her lie is more believable than what actually happened.
The police buy it, and someone rushes Alex to the hospital.
And I’m able to go home …
With my girl.
Not a bad day, I’d say.
Chapter Thirteen
Maeve
Maeve grunted as she threw her suitcase into the hood storage of her purple Volkswagen. Wanda ran around the front yard chasing Tonya and some random bird that had been hanging around the house lately. It was a sunny day, but a part of Maeve felt rather grim despite the lovely weather.
She breathed deeply, and the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs filled her nostrils. “Maeve!” Gracie’s voice sang from the side of the house.
“Coming!” Maeve called back and slammed down the hood down of her car. She hurried around to the side of her house where Gracie was pestering Joseph by the grill. “What’s up?”
“We’ve having a cookout at your house, and you’re spending all your time packing,” Gracie moaned.
“I need to leave in three hours,” Maeve said.
Joseph waved a spatula in her direction. “You should have already packed, missy.”
“I know,” she said. “But I’m all done now, okay?”
“Fine,” Gracie groaned in the melodramatic tone Maeve had come to know and love.
Attending Maeve’s last-minute cookout, in addition to Joseph and Gracie, were Gracie’s sister Lil and Lil’s youngest daughter Penny, Donnie, and Donnie’s girlfriend, Julie. The group had become her closest friends and acquaintances in Wisteria Pines, and from the outside looking in, the group certainly looked rather ragtag.
Joseph, the police officer; Donnie, the wannabe bad boy; his all-pink-all-the-time girlfriend, Julie; and the two sisters, Gracie and Lil, couldn’t possibly be any more different from one another.
Lil was a business type, but today was rocking the soccer mom look in her long jean shorts and button up tank and ponytail while Gracie was more of the stylish aunt with a slight hipster look.
“So, Maeve,” Lil said as she approached the grill. “I saw in the paper that Alex’s court date has been scheduled.”
Maeve sighed. “Yeah, and I have to go to it.” She stuck out her tongue in disgust. “Since he kidnapped Wanda, they want me to testify to the incident.”
“Fun,” Lil said. “How does a former songwriter turned café owner become our town’s greatest detective?”
“I just sort of fell into it, or stepped in it,” Maeve said, and everyone laughed.
“How did you figure out it was Alex?” Lil asked.
“It wasn’t too hard,” Maeve said. “At first, it seemed like every other person in town had some sort of motive. At the bar where I had first interviewed Nadine’s brother and his friends, I had picked up a vibe from Alex. I probably should have pieced together that he was Dr. Roberts’ son a bit faster than I did; he was the one who had given me the business card after all. When I realized Alex would have access to the vet clinic, it all clicked. He had motive as Nadine’s ex. Because he dated Nadine, he would have probably known about James’ pain medication addiction. He had access to the drug that killed James. It all became clear when I got a text from Alex’s number threatening Wanda. I’m so glad that she’s okay. Joseph found pentobarbital in Alex’s car, so there’s no doubt he was planning on using it for something. Presumably on Wanda, if I didn’t cooperate.”
“So crazy,” Gracie said. “And I thought I knew Alex pretty well, too!”
“Mom! That bird keeps staring at me!” Penny shouted from under a tree in the yard.
“Yeah, that raven has been hanging around a lot lately,” Maeve said. “I think it likes Wanda, for some reason.”
“Weird,” Lil said. “And a little creepy. How do you know it’s not a crow?”
“Its size, the tail feathers, and the shape of the beak are a giveaway,” Maeve said.
“Jane would like that bird,” Lil said with a laugh. “She’s a big Edgar Allan Poe fan. She loves Nevermore.”
“Jane? Is that your other daughter?” Maeve asked. “Why haven’t I met her yet?”
“She’s away at college
,” Lil explained. “You’ll be seeing more of her soon. She’s about to graduate.”
“Nevermore!” the raven cawed from the nearby tree, causing them all to jump.
“Oh my gosh!” Lil screeched. “Did you guys know ravens can talk?”
“Yeah,” Maeve said and laughed. “Been working on that one for a week. That thing has been hanging around outside my house … hmmm … I guess, since Mayor James died.”
“That’s creepy,” Gracie said.
“You should name it,” Penny said. “Can I-”
“You need to start letting Maeve name her own pets,” Lil said.
Before Maeve could respond, the raven cried out something that sounded almost like, “Damien!”
“That’ll work,” Maeve said and laughed.
“I can’t believe you are leaving town,” Joseph said, giving her a pouting face as he flipped the burgers on the grill.
“Hopefully I won’t be gone long,” Maeve said. “Literally I feel like this is just me reassuring LAPD that I will cooperate with their missing persons investigation.”
Wanda trotted toward them and sat herself down by the grill. She wagged her tail.
“Oh, no,” Joseph said, glancing down at the dog. “Only dogs who like me get a hamburger.” Wanda whined, and Joseph laughed.
“I can’t get her to eat dog food to save my life,” Maeve moaned. “Dr. Roberts told me to stop giving her table food, though. I don’t really know what to do about it.”
“Are you seriously going to keep taking Wanda to see Dr. Roberts? You kind of helped to get his son arrested. Maybe you should look for a new vet?” Gracie suggested.
“I know. It’s a bit awkward, but the closest vet is nearly a forty five minute drive away,” Maeve groaned. “I don’t know about driving that far. And, honestly, Dr. Roberts doesn’t seem too bitter about it. I think he’s just as shocked as everyone else about what Alex did. Probably disappointed too.”
Joseph passed out the burgers. He cut up a little bit for Wanda on a paper plate and set it beside her. Wanda licked the plate clean before Joseph could remove his hand.
