“Anything you want to share? How about clueing me in on why you asked Dan to cover for me on Saturday?”
A guilty look flashed across Charlie’s face. “I thought you could use the day off,” she said, nonchalantly.
“Don’t give me that crap. What’s going to happen Saturday?”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Not really.” She looked away, but not before I saw her face. In the fourteen years we’d known each other, I’d never seen Charlie cry, but I didn’t miss the tears in her eyes. “I can’t see anything past Friday.”
I grabbed her hand. My anger dissipated, replaced with a piercing fear. “No. I won’t accept it. You can’t tell me you’re going to…” I turned from her unable say what I was thinking, fearing that if I said the words they would come true. The tight ball of control I always tried to maintain started to unravel.
“Olivia, you don’t understand,” she started.
But I held up a hand to stop her. “Just—just give me a minute. We’ll figure something out. You can leave town. Go stay with your dad. If we call Samuel, he’ll help.”
“Olivia, breathe. I’m not going to die.”
I stared at her, finally hearing her words.. “What the fuck, Charlie? Why would you let me think…” I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. I wanted to throttle her. “You nearly gave me a stroke.”
“You should have let me explain. You jumped to conclusions like you always do.”
Dismissing her criticism, I asked, “What does that mean? Why can’t you see past Friday?”
“It means just that. I’m still getting visions, but I can’t see them. Not really. It’s almost like someone turned the lights off. Everything is dark. I’ve had this hole for a long time now. But after you told me about Brad’s charm, I started thinking there could be a spell targeting my precognition.”
“But you keep telling me something big is coming. You said I should trust Rick. That I was headed toward a dark path. What was that all about?”
She sighed and leaned forward, a pained but gentle expression on her face, as if she were about to explain quantum physics to a four-year-old. “I’ve known about the events that are about to happen for years now.” She waved me off before I could even start my inevitable questions. “I could never be sure what was actually going to happen. There were always too many variables in play for me to be positive. These events began years ago. Some of the choices were made long before you or I were even born. You know I can’t tell what’s going to happen until it’s almost on top of us.”
“But you’ve known something was going to happen.” I growled an honest-to-goodness growl and stood up to pace the room. I didn’t know how to handle her confession. I was angry and worried, but mostly hurt. “You’re supposed to be my best friend. My family. I count on you, Charlie. Why wouldn’t you confide in me?”
She looked away, but not before I caught the pained expression in her eyes. “I thought you understood. You, of all people, should understand how hard it is to deal with a gift like this. Do you tell me about every feeling and emotion you pick up? Do you tell me every time you give a little nudge to push people one way or another? Don’t deny it, you do it. But I understand. I understand how hard it is for you. Well, you know what? It’s hard for me too. If I told you the number of times I’ve seen you die—” Charlie closed her eyes as if trying to block the mental image. “It doesn’t take much to change the future. Leaving just a few seconds late can keep you out of the path of a drunk driver. Meeting a handsome Order inspector and inviting him out for dinner might keep you safe…” She looked away, her shoulders sagging against the chair. “Or drive a killer to your door. I just don’t know right now.”
I looked at Charlie, really looked at her this time, and saw the dark circles and chewed nails. I sat back down and reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. Why didn’t you let me know? I love you, Charlie. You’re family. Tell me what I can do.”
“I have to figure this out myself. You’ve asked why I stay here. Working for you, instead of a clinic, has kept me safe all these years. You are already doing what you can,” she said.
Even though her words were supposed to be reassuring, I still felt like I was the cause of all her problems.
“How about this: let’s start today over.” I picked up the book I’d been reading and thumbed through the pages. “Why don’t you help me find out how Deputy Dumbass got his hands on that shield charm?” I looked up from the book and smiled. “And then maybe we can figure out what’s blocking your powers, too.”
Charlie smiled and shook her head. The worry was still in her eyes, but she played along with my diversion. “You’re not going to find it in that book. Personal Shield Spells and You. Although you are getting a little warmer. That book’s about spellcraft, and you said he had a physical charm, right?”
“It looked like a simple quartz on a leather strap. I didn’t get a real close look at it because he kept waving it in my face,” I said and tossed the book into the large rejection pile.
Nodding, Charlie stood up and walked over to the shelf. “Well, if it was a quartz that narrows it down. Quartz charms just hold spells. It would need to be recharged, and for a spell that powerful it seems like a waste. I mean, if I were going to expend that amount of energy, I’d put it in a metal charm with a glyph. But quartz does have its advantages. If you had a vessel, you could easily charge multiple quartz stones. It would be easier to mass produce the shield, and create a repeat client base.” She pulled a few books off the shelves and joined me back at the table, handing one to me. “This book might have some helpful information.”
The spine read Personal Defense. I flipped to the index and immediately found a section on charms. While I scanned the pages for the right entry, Charlie sat again and started studying her own book.
Zoe wandered into the library and took a seat with us. “Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes,” she said, snuggling beside Charlie.
Charlie tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “We’ll be there soon. I just want to finish this chapter.”
“Find anything useful?”
I held up the book, discouraged. “More trouble, as far as I’m concerned,” I said.
“What did you find?” Charlie asked.
“Nothing you didn’t already suspect. Seems like a charm to block specific magic needs to be created by someone who possess those specific powers.”
“That’s pretty much what I’ve found, too.” She closed her book. “You could make a general charm to block all magic, but like your ring, it’d just be a buffer. If you couldn’t read him, then my money is on a specific charm that blocks your empathic powers. So that means another empath created the charm.”
“He could have gotten it off the Internet,” Zoe said hopefully.
“It’s possible, but I don’t think so. I’ve seen charms that block specific powers sell for thousands of dollars. Brad doesn’t have that kind of money. Even a temporary charm, such as the quartz, would still run him several hundred.”
“Then where would he get it?” I mused over the possibilities for a few minutes, trying to remember everything he’d said during our encounter. “He mentioned another person. Brad said ‘He warned me.' You don’t think there’s another empath nearby, do you? Maybe in Chicago?”
“It’s a possibility. It’s been years since you stopped looking for a mentor. Just because the closest person we found lived in Austin doesn’t mean that’s still the case. People move. I’ll call Samuel. He owes me after the other night.”
“Why don’t I get you two some drinks? I’ve got to check on dinner,” Zoe said as she headed toward the door.
“I still have call for Ian tonight.” A drink might help me relax, but I didn’t dare.
“I talked with Ian, too. He said he felt well enough to take call tonight, especially after the threat made against you, so you’re off the hook,” Charlie said, smiling. She knew me too well.
“Great. Then I’ll have a beer.
” Or twelve, I thought. This had been a crappy couple of days, and I was looking forward to a night with no responsibilities. If I thought I could get away with going to the club in my PJs, I would have suggested we hit up Thirty-Four. I could have certainly used the empathic charge, but there was no way I was trading my fleece lounge pants for a club dress.
“I’ll be back in a few,” Charlie said. In the hallway I heard her say, “Sam, it’s me. I have a few questions for you.”
I idly flipped through the book in my lap and mulled over what Charlie had said. I knew from experience she’d lie if she thought it would protect me. And I don’t know if she was telling the truth about her own safety, and that scared the crap out of me.
After the third time I’d read the same line, I realized I wasn’t getting anywhere; I tossed the book onto the pile of rejects. I couldn’t shake the thought that Charlie might be in danger. I grabbed my cell phone from the charger and called Rick, hoping he was having better luck. “Hey. It’s Olivia.”
“Is something wrong? Did you get another threat?”
I rolled my eyes. He was as bad as Charlie. “No. Nothing like that,” I assured him. “Charlie’s here and we’re safe. I was just calling to see how your interview went today. Did you learn anything useful?”
A slow exhalation from his end of the call. “I think there’s something here, but I’m having trouble tracking down anyone willing to talk to me. This is a small town, and they see me as an outsider.”
“Awww. Did Rick’s charm finally fail him?” I stopped just short of turning the Ls into Ws for effect. “What? Don’t they have any women there in New Madrid you could flash that panty-dropping smile at to get information?”
“You wound me.” He tried to sound offended, but I could hear the soft chuckle over the line. “You know, that smile doesn’t only work for the ladies. You might be surprised how many men have fallen under its spell.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” I said, laughing with him. “But I am sorry you’re having such a hard time.”
“I’ve got one more interview tomorrow before I leave. I know there’s a connection to this town. The cases are just too similar. Twelve young witches in all. Then the deaths just stop.”
“And you really think these two cases are related?”
“It’s too much of a coincidence that Malone would move kids to two different small towns in the last ten years, and nowhere else. I would bet that whoever is behind this just changed locations. Tomorrow I’ll have a better idea. The news reporter I met with today suggested I talk with a woman in town. Her son was on the original suspect list before he disappeared. Local authorities assumed he was involved, especially after he skipped town. With any luck, we’ll be able to clear your name and solve a ten-year-old cold case. All that without the benefit of that smile you seem to love. What did you call it, again? ‘Panty-dropping?’”
“It wasn’t a compliment,” I said. “While I have you on the phone, I have another problem. Do you know much about precognition?”
“That seems a bit ominous? Did Charlie say something?”
“It more what she’s not saying.” I told him about my conversation with Charlie. “I know she wouldn’t hesitate to tell me if I was in danger, but I’m worried about her. I don’t think she would tell me if she was in trouble.”
“I think you might be overreacting. She told you she wasn’t in danger. Maybe you should trust her judgment in this.”
“I can’t. Charlie is the only family I have. You have sisters. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do anything to protect them.” I stopped, realizing what I’d just said. The guilt over his sister’s overdose was still fresh in my mind. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“I know. Listen, I have to go,” he said, his tone cold. “I’ll see if I can find anything out about Charlie’s problems and give you a call.”
“Rick, I’m sorry.” I tried to apologize again, but the line was dead. “Fuck!”
“Trouble in paradise already?” Charlie asked from the doorway.
I just stared at the phone in my hand, silently kicking myself. When I looked up, Charlie had made her way back to the desk and handed me a beer.
“How’s Rick?” She screwed off the top of her bottle and took a drink, giving me a knowing look. “It sounded like you two were arguing.”
I wondered how much of the disagreement she’d actually heard. “It was nothing.” I set down the book and heaved a sigh. “I seem to have foot-in-mouth disease.”
“And what’s new?” She took another swig, then sagged against the pillow. “I like him, you know. You’re different with him. More comfortable.”
“I hate to admit it, but you were right about him. He’s going out of his way to help me. If only he would stop with the caveman ‘I need to protect the weak woman’ crap, he might be perfect.”
“Sweetie, I think it’s hardwired in guys. If you don’t want him to try to save the day, be firm and let him know you’ve got this handled.” She shrugged, and a mischievous smile spread across her face. “But take advantage of that extra testosterone while you have it and give the batteries on your vibrator a rest.”
“Charlie!” I tossed a pillow in her direction. “Speaking of overabundance of testosterone, did Samuel have anything useful to add?”
“Yes, he did!” She hopped into the chair next to me and leaned on the desk. “You are still the only registered empath in the area, but last fall a student applying to the Richardson Academy had scores on the Hecate exam almost as high as yours.”
“So there is another empath in the state.”
“Samuel said he couldn’t be sure. The boy never responded to the acceptance letter, and when the school tried to follow up with the family, their apartment was empty. No forwarding address.”
“Tell me they are looking into to this kid.”
“Sam’s being tight-lipped about it. They think his family moved, but I got the impression he was extremely interested in finding him.”
There was a long pause as I tried to absorb the information. No matter how badly I wanted to believe it, I couldn’t see a teenager—a kid, really—committing these crimes. It was far more likely the family had received a better offer from another academy and moved. The news was discouraging, and I knew it didn’t remove me from the suspect list.
Sensing the shift in my mood, Charlie reached over and touched my arm. “Olivia, don’t worry. We’ll find out what’s going on. They won’t be able to build a case against you.”
“It’s not that.” I shook my head and took another drink. “I’m still worried about the proverbial witch hunt going on here, but…” I exhaled to a count of four and hugged myself, trying to identify exactly what I was feeling. “This whole thing, the charms and the kids, it was done using empathic magic. I’ve always known how dangerous my power was, but I can’t even imagine someone going that far off the deep end. It’s not just wrong, it’s evil. I’ve tried to distance myself from it. To tell myself I couldn’t possibly end up like this person, but I can’t.”
“Olive, you’re not like that. You said yourself that slave charm was evil. You’re not like that,” Charlie said, shaking her head.
A few tears broke free and I turned away, unable to look her in the eyes. “Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself? Every day I have to make the choice not to use my power to influence people. I want to. It would make things so much easier. And now I’ve learned how to control people. Make them actually do what I want them to do, not just nudge. How am I supposed to ignore that?”
“Easy, you’re a good person.”
My bitter laughter filled the air and I turned to stare at her. “You know that’s not enough. It’s too tempting, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to resist. I’m afraid this is the first step to my own destruction.”
I hated seeing my own fear reflected in her eyes. But before I could call her on it, Charlie finished the beer in her hand and slammed the bottle on the desk.
�
��You know what? Screw that. You’re right. Being a decent person might not be enough to keep you from going mad, but I am. I’m there for you, and I’ll kick your ass.” She reached down and pulled me out of the chair. “This entire day has been a real downer. You were supposed to get drunk and watch bad apocalypse movies with us. We shouldn’t spend the night crying in our cups.”
“I thought you were coming over to help me research?” I shot back.
“We have what we need to know. We can save the world tomorrow,” Charlie said as she dragged me out of the library. “Right now I’m ready for some mayhem and destruction of the CGI variety.”
TWENTY-ONE
January twentieth
“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey,” Charlie said in a sing-song voice while poking my shoulder.
“Unless you actually have bacon, fuck off.” I rolled away from her and pulled the covers over my head, regretting the shots we’d had after the first movie.
“You’re so pleasant first thing in the morning. Get up.”
“Where’s Zoe? Why don’t you go harass her?”
“She left earlier. She had to open the store. It’s time for work. I want you to come into the office with me. I’m not sure it’s safe for you to be out here all by yourself, especially since we didn’t change the wards.”
“I don’t want to go in.” Charlie winced at my nasal whinging. I didn’t care. We’d stayed up too late last night, and I wanted to sleep in. “Can’t we play hooky today? You said it was slow. Just have Dan call us if there’s anything he needs. He’s a big boy. He can hold down the fort.”
I sat up and stretched, trying to get the kink out of my neck. As much as girls’ movie night helped, I realized I was getting too old for slumber parties on the sofa.
“I wish I could, but my boss is a real bitch. She’d be super pissed if I didn’t go in. Besides, if I don’t finish with the billing today I won’t get the invoices out before I leave for Chicago.”
“Is the graduation party this Thursday?”
“Yes, and I wish you’d come with me. We’ll be back Friday night. Dan can cover, and I’d feel better if you came.”
Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 197
