by Sarah Kelly
India couldn’t help but snort with laughter. “He clearly doesn’t know how much college costs.”
Xavier rolled his eyes. “I know, right? But when I told him that, he sent me out to the bakery to go buy him a sandwich. Argh. And you know, he didn’t even ask me directly. He said, ‘I think I’ll have a sandwich now’ and I’m supposed to get up and go running down to the store for him.”
“What a jerk,” India said.
Xavier squared his jaw. “It’s only for a time,” he said, sounding like he was telling himself that as much as he was telling her. “For a reason. Before long I’ll get that promotion and he won’t know what hit him.”
India nodded. “Exactly.”
They took the drinks back to Harry, Aleister and Cecelia.
“Thank you, sonny,” Aleister said with a smile, then sunk back in his chair with a sigh of relief. “It’s over. It’s over.”
“No it isn’t,” Harry snapped. “There’s still the trial.”
“And they might not even be the ones who did it,” Cecelia said.
India sat a couple chairs away, sipping her water. “Aleister, have you received any more threats since?”
“None,” he said. “That’s why I said it was over.”
India knew now wasn’t the time or place, but she had so many questions, and there might not ever be another time. “Did you ever think that the money going missing from the trust and the threats could have been linked?”
“Of course they were,” Cecelia said. “And isn’t it interesting that once the main suspect in taking the money is dead, the threats stop?”
“You mean Will Tremblay?” India asked.
Cecelia nodded. “I think he was sending the threats all along, and killed Katriane. Then he killed himself.”
“But the autopsy showed he was strangled, remember?” Xavier said. “The suicide was staged, ma’am.”
“Maybe he staged it himself,” Cecelia said.
“How can someone stage a suicide themselves?” Aleister snapped at her, then looked up at Xavier. “Is that possible, in any way?”
“No,” Xavier said. “Not unless they recruited someone to help them. But I’ve never heard of that.”
Cecelia burst into tears. “Daddy, why are you always so mean to me?”
“Oh shut up,” Harry said. “Not this. Please.”
“You always loved Katriane more than me,” she said, her voice thick with crying. “You always did. You hated me.”
“I never hated you,” he said impatiently.
But she was too far gone to hear anything he had to say. “When I cried at her wedding, why didn’t you come after me? Why?”
Aleister looked at her, shocked. “I didn’t know you wanted me to, darling.”
“Because you’re a spoiled brat, even worse than Katriane,” Harry said forcefully. “You’re a nasty piece of work and you probably killed her yourself.”
“I’m not a nasty piece of work,” Cecelia cried. “I’m not.”
In that moment, something clicked into place for India. The final pinch of ingredient had been added, and the brew was finally complete. She imagined the web above her, just as Luis had shown her. A tiny connection, that she had not previously noticed, was clear as day to her now.
Kimble strode in. “We’ll talk to the reporters now, on the steps outside,” he said. “If anyone wants to stand with us or speak to the press, please come through now.”
*****
India wished with all her heart that she could tell Xavier what she was about to do. Though they were sitting next to each other in the empty waiting room, the Hooper-Walcott party having gone outside, the chasm between them felt as wide as the universe. It made her feel so alone, and scared, too. The magic Luis had taught her was rushed and difficult, and she was afraid what might go wrong. But she didn’t see there was any other choice. It would have been so good to have been able to share it with Xavier, to rest in his strength. But that was not an option.
“I need you to do something for me,” India said quickly. “But I can’t explain it right now. If you could just trust me, I’d appreciate it forever.”
“What is it?”
“I need to go outside, round the back of the station, where there are no cameras. No people. In the little bit of woods out there. You can’t watch, all right? But at some point, I’m going to scream real loud, and I need you to come running with your gun right away.”
Xavier frowned. “India, what the heck? This sounds crazy. Dangerous.”
“Please,” India said. “Please, Zave.”
“All right,” he said, shaking his head. “Please just tell me you know what you’re doing.”
India took a deep breath, and pretended to sound more confident than she was. “I do. And there’s just one more thing.” She whispered in his ear.
Xavier’s eyes widened. “What? You think…?”
“Please, just do it,” India said, worrying she was going to lose her confidence. “Please.”
“Okay,” Xavier said. “I hope this goes… I hope you’re all right.”
“I will be,” she said. Please help me, energy, witches, whatever the heck is out there.
She left the police station through the back entrance. The sun was beginning to go down, casting dark shadows everywhere, and overlaying the air with a dark sheen that made every color more vivid. India usually found it beautiful, but it was unsettling.
Making her way into the thick clump of trees at the back, she tried to keep herself calm. I can do this magic, she told herself. I can. I must. She willed Luis to appear in front of her, to give her a refresher lesson, or better yet, to do it for her, but no answer came.
Damn you, Luis.
Love ya right back, mami.
India paced, trying to push her fear aside so she could tap into the energy more deeply, just as Luis had taught her. She got into position behind a large tree trunk, and focused on a spot a few feet ahead.
Then she closed her eyes, trying to jump into the energy’s loop. This is for the greater good, she thought, like Luis had told her to say. For justice. She felt a bit of power pump through her then, so she said it again. Soon she was feeling much more confident, and the fear was falling away.
She remembered Luis’ advice, and kept saying that over and over. He had told her the more she worked for the greater good, the more power to overcome fear and powerlessness would flow into her. She imagined all that positive force as golden light, zipping around her body. She allowed it to gather in her chest, making one big ball of golden energy. It was growing, growing, growing by the second, right in her heart area.
Then, with one gigantic thrust, she imagined the projection she wanted, and threw the ball of golden energy forward into the spot in front of her. It streamed from her in a huge ray of gold, and then she saw it. She forgot to breathe for a moment. It was an image of herself! She had done it!
It was so strange to see herself from an outsider’s point of view.
“Wow,” she whispered, but as soon as she did, the gold line began to fade, and so did the image.
She closed her eyes, and focused more fully on her plan. When she opened her eyes, the golden light beam was stronger than ever, and her clone looked more solid and real than ever. India didn’t know if she would ever be able to get used to that.
It was just in time, too, for the person she had been waiting for came into view around the side of the police station.
“Over here!” she called out in a loud whisper, only it didn’t come from her mouth, but from the mouth of the image she’d created.
This was her chance. And if it went wrong, the consequences could be life or death.
CHAPTER 10
Aleister stepped into the clump of trees, frowning but trying to smile. “Miss India, what’s going on?”
India made sure she was totally hidden behind the tree trunk, but she had to find a way to peek out just the tiniest bit. Even though she could speak through her clone’s
mouth, she couldn’t see through its eyes, and she needed to make it all look convincing. Her heart hammered in her chest. The golden line between her chest and the clone wavered, and the clone flickered for a moment. Panicked, she peered around at Aleister’s face, but it remained the same. It was so strange to think she could see the golden light and he could not.
“Hello, Aleister,” she made her clone say.
Aleister frowned. “Miss India, are you a reporter for some trashy magazine? Is this some undercover reality TV series? Because if anything fishy’s going on, you can expect to be sued up to your eyeballs.”
India laughed a little, and found it strange when it did not come from her own mouth. Then she took a deep breath. The plan was to begin. “No, Aleister, that’s not why we’re here.”
“Then why?” he said, trying to sound friendly, but was clearly annoyed.
India took a deep breath, preparing herself. Then she just went for it, like pulling off a band aid. “You killed Katriane and Will Tremblay.”
Then it was his turn to laugh. The sound of it sent a shiver up her spine, it was so cold and mirthless. “Preposterous. How could I have killed Katriane, when I was on the beach when she was shot? And what possible gain would I have had from killing William, let alone my own daughter?”
India knew this would happen. He was such a slick character, used to lying to the whole world and hiding the ugly truth underneath. She knew she’d have to press him harder. Nervousness fluttered through her chest, but she stood her ground. This is for the greater good. The golden ray thickened and her clone stood taller, squaring her shoulders.
“Let’s run down the evidence, shall we?” she said.
India heard a rustling in the bushes to their right. She whipped round, terrified, straining her ears for any further sounds. Nothing came. As her pulse beat out like a drum in her temples and adrenaline zipped around her body, she tried to tell herself it was just a possum, or a bird. Just some creature or other.
India breathed, trying to compose herself.
“You have no evidence, Miss India,” Aleister said, his smile gleaming like a shark bearing its teeth, “because I am innocent. And accusing a bereaved, grieving man of killing his own daughter is despicable. I expected more from you.” He looked her up and down, and as an afterthought added, “I could sue.”
India felt her hands begin to sweat. What if she was wrong? The little lines connecting all the details were as feint as feint could be. He was right, accusing a bereaved father with so little evidence was pretty bad, if she’d been mistaken. But she hoped against hope that she wasn’t.
Keep pushing, girl, Luis sent over.
From her place behind the tree, India hadn’t had such a great view of Aleister. But now the moon had begun to shine, and it cast a white beam over his face. She could see his eyes, illuminated by the lunar light, and it spurred her on. She was sure they were the eyes of a guilty man.
“I will remind you, Miss India, that I am running for Mayor of Monroe County,” he said. “And I will not have my name tarnished by your accusations.” He took a step closer to her, and though his voice was soft, it was dangerous. Like a deathly threat wrapped up in cotton wool.
“You sent the threats to your own family, didn’t you?” India said, sending out a message to the energy at the same time. Guide me. Please let me be right!
Aleister’s laugh was very strained. “Now why on earth would a man do that?”
“Because you had been planning Katriane’s murder for a long time,” India said. “Ever since you heard about Will’s marijuana business. That was your worst nightmare, wasn’t it? Will using your money to start what you saw as a narcotics business. It’s legal now, you know. For medical purposes.”
Aleister stuck his chin up. “Doesn’t make it right. And yes, I opposed his marijuana business. As did Katriane, as I previously told you. Why does that mean I killed anyone?”
India shifted her position behind the tree, trying to get a better look at him. “But did Katriane oppose it? You told me she was against drugs, but Cecelia told me once she came back smelling of pot and you went crazy.”
“She made one youthful mistake,” Aleister said, no longer smiling. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“And you…” India took a breath, hoping she was right. “And you asked her for the money back, the few million you’d given her. And she said no. You’re the one who’s been siphoning money from the charitable trust, as practice. So you can get away with it when you siphon back out all that money you gave to Katriane.”
“No,” Aleister said, but his voice was breaking.
“Yes,” India replied.
He shook his head, straightening up. “But I was on the beach when Katriane was shot.”
“You didn’t pull the trigger,” India said, “but you ordered it pulled.”
“Those boys shot her as part of a robbery!”
“No, those boys didn’t shoot her at all, as you very well know. It was Harry who pulled the trigger. Just after the wedding. You told him to.”
Aleister shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would I have Katriane killed after she got married, when her money would go to William, her husband?”
India smiled, feeling victory building in her chest. He’d walked right into her trap. “The charitable funds are going missing. If you look at the money trail of the murders, it leads right back to you, doesn’t it? From Katriane to Will, from Will to the charitable trust. From the charitable trust, to you, through your stealing.”
“You have no proof any of the money is going to me,” Aleister said.
India had to admit that was true.
“And how do you explain the gun in the boys’ car?”
“You planted it,” India said, hoping her theory was right.
Aleister’s features took on a new cruelty. “Liar. Were you sent by Holden Burke’s campaign, to smear my name and stop me becoming Mayor?”
“No!” India said. “We’re talking about your daughter’s murder, and that’s what you have to say? Is that all you care about, becoming Mayor?”
Aleister stood tall, his eyes boring into her. “Why would I have not killed Katriane before she was married?”
“Harry was supposed to shoot then,” India said. “The boys were there from earlier in the morning. They were behind the houses for a long time. Harry was supposed to shoot before the marriage, but chickened out. That’s why you looked so furious at the wedding.”
“Lies!”
“You were the one who told Katriane to go back to her room after the wedding,” India said. “To clean herself up. That’s when she was shot.”
“So now a man can’t even take care of his own daughter?”
India felt her heart pound. “And how many times have I asked you to show me the threats, and you’re always brushing me off? I got my boyfriend to call the police in your hometown, and they have no reports about the threats you’re talking about. You didn’t show them to the police, because there weren’t any. There were no anonymous calls, like you claimed. Or written notes.”
Aleister puffed out his chest and narrowed his eyes. India did her best not to feel intimidated. “So tell me again,” he said, in a mocking, superior tone, “why I would want to kill my own daughter?”
“Because she was going to disgrace the name of the most popular man in Florida,” India said. The anger that contorted his face told her it was time to ramp it up a level. She guessed what was about to happen, and hoped Xavier would make it in time and that her magic would hold out. “You wanted to be the Mayor so bad that you would kill your own daughter. Her husband you just killed because a mistake in timing meant the money went to him instead of into the trust. You wanted your money back, and you darn sure didn’t want some marijuana business associated with your good old conservative family name. And when you said to Harry ‘You’ve failed to do your job properly’ in the bar, you meant he’d failed to carry out the murders properly, but when you k
new I was there you styled it out and made out it was the bodyguard duties you were referring to. Isn’t that right? You murdered your own daughter, in cold blood, because you wanted to keep your so-called good name.”
Aleister looked around. The lights at the back of the police station did not shine out far enough to illuminate where they stood. India knew what was coming. He advanced closer and closer to her, his eyes glazed over, making him look like a wild animal. “That’s a nice little story, Miss India,” he said, “but that’s the last time you’ll be telling it, that’s for sure.”
And suddenly his arms shot out, and he pushed one hand up against the mouth of her clone. He meant to put his other hand on her chest, to push her back, but his arm went straight through, and came out the other side.
India was horrified. Luis had told her that if her magic was strong enough, the clone body would be materialized enough that it would feel real. But it hadn’t worked. As she panicked, the clone disappeared before their very eyes. India couldn’t help but let out a gasp.
Her gasp gave away her location. Aleister’s eyes snapped up toward her where she had edged out just a little from behind the thick trunk.
“What?” Aleister said. “What on earth is going on?”
But he didn’t wait for a reply. He lunged toward her and pushed her against the tree, his hand against her neck. Then, his eyes boring into hers with all the fury of hell, he began to squeeze, until she could barely breathe.
She had planned to scream, to alert Xavier, but when she tried, only a tiny gurgle came out.
Aleister laughed. “Harry shot Katriane, not me. And he killed Will, not me. I’m not guilty in any of this.”
“Y…yes… you… are,” India managed to choke out.
But Aleister just gripped around her throat ever more tightly. “Your sweet little story’s about to die with you, Miss India. And I will be the Mayor. Without a murder case or a marijuana business as a blotch on my reputation, thank you very much. I’m just a poor, bereaved father. The most popular, good hearted, Christian man in Monroe County.”
