by Amy Boyles
“My name is Vera Stone.”
“Tell me what’s going on.” I gestured to the box of confections that Sera had brought the day before. Vera passed, of course. You can’t have the figure of a pencil and eat, I’d learned. Trust me, I’m a prime example of that.
“It all started a few weeks ago. Let me say that there’s not a man who’s more scheduled than my Flynn. Every hour in his day is set without any room to improvise.” Her clawlike hand encircled my arm. “I’m not exaggerating. If it’s not on his calendar, an event won’t happen. Not even private time between us. Everything, and I mean everything is scheduled down to the second.”
“Got it,” I said, jotting that down.
“Then one day that all stopped. He started veering from the script. He would come home late from work with no excuse as to where he’d been. He changed up his breakfast. He even went shopping. Shopping. Never in his life has that man been shopping.”
I nibbled the inside of my lip. It sounded more like Flynn had a girlfriend than anything else, but I didn’t want to say that.
“What else?”
“Then he disappeared.”
I wrung out my ear. “I’m sorry?”
She shrugged. “Just disappeared. I have reason to think he’s here, in Silver Springs, but I don’t know where.”
“But you don’t know that for sure,” I said.
“No, but he has family here. When I’ve contacted them about him, they’ve been less than helpful.”
Curious, I said, “What do you mean?”
“They hung up the phone on me.” Alarm bells blazed in my head. I cocked my eyebrows at Vera. “I know what it sounds like,” she said, her tone nearly pleading. “It sounds like he got a girlfriend and ran out on me but no one wants to admit it. I’m telling you that isn’t what happened. Flynn wouldn’t do that. He doesn’t have a spontaneous enough bone in his body to even consider such a thing.”
“So you want me to find him?” I said.
She nodded. “Find him and send him home. I can’t do it. I’ve tried, and all my attempts have failed. If you find him, he might be more willing to listen to you simply because he doesn’t know you. Please. I know he might not seem like much but I do love my husband and I want him back, or at the very least I’d like to know if he’s okay and not lying in a ditch somewhere.”
My heart jerked. If something had happened to Roman and no one was telling me, I’d be fit to be knotted. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I’d be lost in a tunnel of confusion with my emotions twisted and tangled so hard I wouldn’t be able to think straight.
If Vera loved Flynn anything like I loved Roman, my heart hurt for her. This was a terrible situation. I had to help.
“My partner isn’t here right now. We like to discuss cases together before we agree to take them, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me accepting this one on his behalf.”
“That’s wonderful,” Vera said, sliding her glasses over those ice-colored eyes of hers. “I’ll give you all of Flynn’s contact information but let me just say he hasn’t been answering for me, so I doubt he’ll pick up, but it’s in here anyway.”
She slid a manila envelope across the desk. “That’s everything. There’s also a thousand dollars inside to get you started. I don’t know what your fee is, but I thought that was a good beginning.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll make a receipt for you.”
Vera waved her hand like it was the last thing in the world that concerned her. “You can send it to me. My address is on a card in the envelope.”
She rose. The dress billowed around her as if Vera owned her very own personal breeze. “Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.”
Her heels clacked against the floor as she left. I opened the manila envelope and poured out the contents. Pictures, index cards with tidbits of information including addresses. Keys to a cabin they owned. I had to assume she’d checked the cabin already, but it couldn’t hurt to look into it again.
I picked up the phone and called Roman. He answered on the first ring.
“I got another case for us,” I said.
“Another case?”
“Yeah, this lady walked in and said her husband’s missing. Said she needs us to find him.”
“Dylan, I don’t know. We’ve already got Polly Parrot to deal with.”
I smirked. “I’m not convinced Polly isn’t hiding in the basement or something. I don’t consider that to be a real case.”
“I do,” he growled.
I paused. “Did I miss something? Why are you angry?”
“Because,” he sighed, “I thought we’d discuss cases together before we decided to take them. I need to determine the danger level.”
“Oh Roman, you can rest assured there’s no danger with this one. It was just this rich lady who needs us to find her husband. She seemed nice enough, and from the way she described him, he’s a total nerd who does everything on a set schedule.”
There was a moment of silence before Roman spoke again. “Everything on a schedule. Are you sure?”
“That’s what she said.” I leaned back in the chair until the springs groaned, and propped my feet on the desk. I had him. I knew I did. Roman would be fine with the case now. “Yeah and get this, he’s so strict they don’t even have any private time unless it’s on the calendar. He’s very by the book. I think this’ll be an easy one. Nothing to worry about.”
“Darlin’, there’s something really serious to worry about.”
I yanked my knees up. The chair sprang forward, snapping to its base with a thud. “What are you talking about?”
“What was the woman’s last name?” he said.
“Um. I forgot. Let me see if it’s written on a card here anywhere.” I sifted through the collection of pictures and paper until I finally found it. I snatched the slip as if it was a trophy. “Stone. Last name is Stone. She’s Vera. He’s Flynn.”
“Dylan, you need to call her right now and tell her we’re not going to take that case.”
I nearly growled in frustration. “Look, I know I should’ve talked this over with you, but Roman, this is our first case. Our first real case, not some sort of wild-goose-chase crap. I’m not calling her. Besides, none of the cards had a number for me to dial. There’s no way to contact her. She’ll have to call us.”
“Dylan, listen to me. First time she calls, tell her we’re not taking the case.”
“Why? I still don’t understand.”
“Because she tricked you, that’s why.”
I raked my fingers through my hair, ready to yank it out in frustration. “What are you talking about?”
“Her husband is missing, all right, but wizards or witches who stick to a schedule do so for a very specific reason.”
“Which is?”
“Maleficium.”
“What?”
“Maleficium. It’s a type of witchcraft that connects the witch to evil spirits—spirits of destruction. The witch or wizard keeps to a set schedule so they can communicate with the spirit world. They don’t perform spells themselves; they rely on spirits to do the work for them. These aren’t good spirits, Dylan. These are nasty, bad creatures. The kind of stuff that gets someone hurt.”
My throat dried as I listened to Roman’s speech. I swallowed an egg in the back of my throat. “So what you’re saying is that Flynn Stone is involved in the occult?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And now that you’ve accepted his wife’s offer to find him, you’ve involved us in it, too. This is dangerous stuff, Dylan. Not the kind of thing I would’ve agreed to.”
“Well, you should’ve been here,” I said. It was childish, I knew. But it was the only retort I had, albeit a pathetic, sad one.
He sighed. “I’ll be home soon.”
“Have you talked to what’s his name?”
“Not yet. I was hoping to find him today.”
My heart clenched. “Roman, it’s fine. I’ll be fine
. I’ll figure out a way to track down Vera and tell her we’re not taking the case. Stay where you are. I got us into this mess, and I’ll get us out.”
It was a few moments before he spoke. “I should be home later today.”
“Take your time. I won’t do anything about it.”
“I don’t think it’ll matter.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, you accepted. Somehow or another, until you break the agreement, we’ll be dragged into the Stone case no matter what.”
My fingers trembled as I held the phone to my ear. He was scaring me. “So what am I supposed to do?”
“Get home. Have Hazel put a spell of protection on you.”
“Will do.”
We hung up after a series of love you’s that wheezed out of Roman as if he couldn’t be more disappointed in me unless I’d killed his puppy. Luckily we didn’t have a dog, so I couldn’t accidentally forget to feed it or anything like that.
Not that I would. That’s a horrible thing to do, and anyone who does that deserves a slow death.
I dropped the phone to the table and braced my head in my hands. Boy, had I screwed up. Roman was right. I didn’t listen, and at some point it might cost me more than his disappointment.
I needed to get my head twisted on right. I inhaled a deep cleansing breath, grabbed my purse and headed for the door. Reid should arrive any minute to work her shift.
She’d started working at Perfect Fit while she took online classes. I could use the help, and she could use the money. It was a win-win.
The front door opened, and I fully expected it to be her. Instead it was a young man with caramel-colored hair that was shaved on the sides. It almost looked like a mohawk, but it was just shy of it.
Expecting him to be looking for something for his girlfriend, I dropped my purse and forced a smile. “Hey there. Welcome to Perfect Fit. How can I help you?”
“Are you Dylan?” His dark eyes were like laser beams focused on me with an intensity that made me want to lie about who I was.
“Yes, I am.”
He stuck out a hand. “I’m Jeremy Driver. Reid’s new boyfriend.”
SIX
I stared at Jeremy. I shook my head to get the cobwebs out. “You’re Reid’s boyfriend?”
He rubbed the back of his neck as if embarrassed. “Yeah. I am. We’ve been dating for a little while. She hasn’t introduced me to y’all, but I wanted to meet you, let you know who your sister is spending her time with.”
My gaze washed from Jeremy’s feet to his crown. He wore brown loafers, khaki shorts, a button-down shirt and his sunglasses were attached to a nylon rope that wrapped over his neck. Besides the haircut, Jeremy looked incredibly crisp and sharp.
I had to admit he wasn’t at all whom I expected Reid to date because, well, she had a habit of liking losers.
Of course, time would tell with this one.
I extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jeremy. I’d been wondering where Reid’s been hanging out.”
“Mostly we go to the pool hall.”
“The pool hall?”
“Yeah, me and my friends are in a league. We play a lot. It passes the time when I’m not studying.”
“What’s your major?” Please let him be in college and not a high school senior. I wanted my baby sis to be moving forward in life, not reversing into a brick wall.
“I’m premed.”
I exhaled a deep shot of air. “Wow. That’s great.” I glanced at my watch. “Listen, Reid’s going to be here any minute. Where’s the pool hall?”
He pointed down Main. “Beside Gus’s.”
“Great.” I gave him a bright smile. “As much I’d love to chat—and we will—if you want to keep this a secret between us and not tick Reid off, I suggest you scat like a rooster being chased by a fox.”
The warmth of his smile reached his eyes. “Will do. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
Jeremy trotted down the steps and across the road. Well, he seemed normal enough. Now I had the location of where Reid had been going most nights.
Looked like I had a date with destiny tonight. Okay, maybe not destiny, but with a smoke-filled pool hall and a bunch of men jacked up on Cokes and testosterone.
Fun times.
Reid appeared a couple of minutes later, and I hightailed it home. I hopped in my sedan and made it to Grandma’s house a few minutes later.
I burst through the door to find her in the middle of an Uno game with Milly and Nan.
“Thank goodness the three of you are here.”
Grandma craned her neck right and left. “Oh, is Goodness around somewhere?”
I slapped my forehead. “No. Goodness isn’t a person. I’m thankful to the heavens to see y’all, is all.”
“Uno!” Nan slapped her hands together in triumph. She threw her last card on the table, rose and jiggled her hips as if she was auditioning to be a Solid Gold dancer.
Milly tossed her cards to the table with disgust. “I don’t know why I bother playing with the two of you. Cheats, both of you.”
Grandma wiggled her fingers at Milly. “Now, now. No need to be such a spoiled sport about things. You can’t win ’em all. You can’t lose ’em all, either.” She paused. “Unless you’ve been hexed. I have seen a pixie or two that were cursed by other pixies. Lost every game of horseshoes they played. Boy, do pixies have a temper when they lose. Vile little creatures with nasty fangs.”
“I’m not a pixie, thank you very much,” Milly said, caning to her feet.
I flared my arms. “Before this party disbands, I need to talk to y’all.”
Grandma picked up the cards and shot me a gleaming smile. “Care to do it over a little Uno?”
“No thanks,” I said.
Nan patted her chest like a gorilla. “She’s smart not to go up against the Uno champion. I would be afraid too if I were you, Dylan. It’s not every day that I can be beat.”
“You can say that again,” Milly said sourly.
I waved my hands, hoping to portray that the situation was much more serious than card games and tabletop disputes. “No. Listen. A woman walked into my office today looking for her missing husband. It sounded like an easy missing person’s case, so I took the job. Well, when I told Roman about it and I described how the husband scheduled every minute of his day like clockwork—at least he used to—Roman said I shouldn’t have taken the case.”
Grandma thrust a tin of lemon-scented cookies under my nose. Feeling the need to feed my anxiety with empty calories, I curled my fingers around a light disc and took a bite. Yummy lemony goodness along with a trace of powdered sugar exploded on my tongue.
“Those are good.” I tapped the air with the cookie. “Thank you.”
Grandma sealed the tin. “Maleficium. That’s what Roman thinks.”
“Right,” I said through crunches. “That’s the exact word he used. I’d never heard it before, and he was all ticked off at me and demanded I come right over here and have y’all place a protection spell on me.”
Milly thumped me on the head with her forefinger. “There. You’re protected.”
“Ouch,” I said, rubbing the spot. “That didn’t protect me.”
“How do you know?” she said.
“Because I didn’t feel any magic.”
She exchanged a look with Grandma and pointed her thumb at me. “Kid’s learning stuff. Good for her.”
“Will y’all take this seriously?” I fumed.
Grandma crossed her arms. “Why? You didn’t take Polly Parrot’s disappearance seriously.”
I wedged my toe into the floor because if I didn’t, I might’ve thrown something. “I do take it seriously. Roman’s trying to interview that swamp guy right now. Listen, I need your help.”
Grandma crossed her arms. “Dylan, what is it you want, dear? A protection spell or do you want to know if this man is really evil? Really a Maleficium?”
No
w I was confused. What did I want? I’d thought I wanted them to shield me with steel, make me invincible, let me shoot lasers from my eyes, but what I really wanted, what churned in my gut was the need to prove myself to Roman.
So many times I’d been foolishly headstrong. I now had an opportunity to prove there was a hint of levelheadedness in me.
Now, where the heck it lived, I still had yet to find out. The little crapper hadn’t reared its ugly head yet. But I knew I was capable of thinking and reacting like a rational person and not like a woman on the verge of having her period every two seconds.
Okay, I know that’s a little on the far side. But sometimes I did feel a bit hormonal. If testosterone made men do dumb things, I was pretty sure estrogen couldn’t be too far behind.
I spit out the bit of fingernail I’d chewed off. “I don’t know. I want protection, but I don’t want Roman to think I’m incapable of doing this job.”
Grandma made a face. “Girl wants to prove herself. I’ve known lots of witches who wanted to prove themselves.”
“Most of them end up burning their hair off,” Nan said.
Milly snorted. “Ain’t that the truth.” She studied me. “Tell you what, toots. We’ll see if we can help you track down this missing husband. If he’s a Maleficium, we’ll help you deal with it. If he’s not…then even better. What’d you say?”
If there was ever a prime example of picking the devil you know over one you didn’t, this was it.
Milly, Grandma and Nan each extended a hand, one atop the other. Mine was the last. I took a deep breath, prayed to God that I wasn’t making the worst mistake of my life and rested my palm on their liver-spotted hands.
A wind snapped through us, lifting my hair and creating a flash. Heat scalded the air and then vanished.
“I hope I didn’t just sell my soul to the devil,” I said.
“Nah,” Grandma said. “Just to me. The worst that could happen is you have to listen to a few of my jungle stories.”
“I take that back. Can I sell my soul to the devil?”
Nan laughed. “Don’t worry, Dylan. I’ll protect you if it comes down to it. Whether you’re an Apel or a Bane, you’re still someone I love and protect.”
