Fatal Charm

by Linda Joy Singleton

  “I know she can do it—and then you’ll be totally well.” I bent over to hug her.

  “I already feel better.” She reached for a crumpled pile of notes. “Soon I’ll be able to get rid of these reminder notes.”

  “I’ll help you burn them.”

  “A big celebratory fire,” she agreed.

  I was thrilled she was doing better, but still worried about Dad. I didn’t want to burden Nona with the whole murder crisis; not when she was feeling better than she had in weeks. So I tried to sound casual as I asked to borrow her car.

  “Sure.” She set a paper on a thick pile, her brows arched curiously. “Are you running late for school?”

  “School?” The word startled me. “Not today. I have to go to see Dad.”

  “You plan to drive all the way to San Jose?”

  “It’s important. Dad wants my advice … about a case.”

  “Then he’ll have to call me himself and give permission, because I don’t approve of your missing another day of school.”

  “Nona,” I complained. Why did her memory have to come back so strong? “I really have to talk to him and he’s not at home or answering his cell.”

  “Did you try his office?”

  “He’s never there before nine.”

  She reached over for a blue phone on her desk. “What’s his number?”

  “He won’t answer. His secretary won’t even be there yet.”

  “Can’t hurt to try.” She gave me a firm look, then asked for the number.

  This was a waste of time, but I was trapped by my lies. So I rattled off Dad’s office number.

  “It’s ringing,” she said, handing me the phone.

  “He won’t be there,” I insisted.

  But he was.

  I nearly dropped the phone. My grandmother had this annoying “I told you so” smirk. I had a feeling she knew he’d be there all along. Nona had been psychic long before I made my first prediction. I never got premonitions about myself. So I had no forewarning about what happened next.

  “What is it, Sabine?” my father asked coolly.

  “You didn’t call back.” My heart skipped. “I was worried you were in jail.”

  “I deserve to be for listening to you.” Yup, he was definitely angry.

  “I don’t understand—what happened? How did Jade take it? Did you talk to the police? Did they find the killer?”

  “There is no killer.”

  “What?” I felt behind me for a chair and sank down. “You mean he got away?”

  “I mean there is no killer because there was no murder.” His voice sharpened. “But thanks to your wild story, I had an embarrassing, uncomfortable evening and ended up sleeping at my office to avoid questions from your mother.”

  “But … But … I saw Crystal strangled!”

  “You dreamed it.”

  “No, I was there! I know it happened.”

  “Sabine, stop it!” he shouted. “I’m sorry if you’re having trouble dealing with my other family, but there’s no reason to make up wild stories.”

  “I didn’t make it up. I saw Crystal … dead.”

  “No, you did not.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I spoke to Crystal and she was very much alive.”

  Then my father, who always treated me with respect and never lost his temper, hung up on me.

  It was bad enough that Dad was mad and Nona insisted I go to school. But to add pimples on the face of an already scarred morning, when I stopped at my locker Josh was waiting for me. How could I talk to him like everything was normal?

  I couldn’t. So I just stood there limply while Josh kissed me and said sweet things like he missed me and was glad to be with me again.

  All the while, I was trying to think of the words that might break his heart.

  “So how did yesterday go?” He casually draped his arm over my shoulders, which made me flinch.

  “Um … okay.”

  “Your grandmother feeling better?”

  “Yeah. Much.”

  I turned to my locker, spinning the combo as I tried to remember what lie I’d told him, something about getting medicine for my grandmother. A safe half-truth … I hoped.

  “Where exactly did you go?” he asked, coming to stand behind me. He was tall enough to easily see over my shoulders.

  “It seemed like I was in the car all day,” I hedged. “But I was able to get what Nona needed.”

  “When I visit hospitals, I hear a lot of medication problems. It’s cool how you watch out for your grandmother. Did you run into any bad weather? We had a wicked storm come through yesterday.”

  Don’t I know! I thought with irony. My mind flashed back to Dominic’s snowbound truck, pressing against him, sharing body heat. My face flamed, and I was glad I was facing my locker and not Josh.

  “Yeah, bad weather. All that rain left huge puddles in our driveway.” I grabbed my lit book and a notebook. “So what’s been going on around here? Did I miss anything in English yesterday?”

  “Nah. Only a boring lecture. Blah, blah … ” He grinned, showing dimples that reminded me why I’d been attracted to him in the first place. He really was a hottie: smart, funny, and considerate. Lots of girls tried to hit on him, but he remained loyal to me. So why was I dumping him back in the sea for some other girl to catch? I must be crazy.

  But then there was Dominic …

  “I typed this up for you,” Josh was saying.

  “What’s this?” I took the paper Josh held out to me. “Homework?”

  “Sort of, but no essay questions. It’s a list of what to bring on the Hoof Beats in Moonlight campout. We have a week to get ready.”

  The campout? Three days and two nights up close in personal camping space with Josh? Once I broke up with him, everything would be awkward between us. Spending a long weekend in the wilderness with my ex-boyfriend was out of the question. There was no way I could go now.

  “Did you get more mentors?” I asked, hoping he’d say yes and I could gracefully cancel.

  But he shook his head. “No. But one canceled.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “You may have to be in charge of two kids instead of one if we don’t get more mentors. You won’t believe how many people turned me down with some lame excuse. It burns me when everyone always has something better to do than help others. I’m so glad you’re not like that.”

  “Yeah … sure.”

  “It’s not like it’ll be all work—it’ll be fun. Riding horses, eating around a campfire, and getting to know the kids. I can’t wait.”

  Here was the part where I was supposed to say “me, too.” But I couldn’t. Instead I kept thinking I had to tell him the truth. He was going to hate me anyway.

  “What if the weather’s bad?” I asked.

  Josh shook his head. “I checked the weather report, and it’s all clear. We’re not going into the mountains, only the foothills where the elevation is too low for snow. It’ll get cold at night, though, so bring a warm jacket. And you’ll need a sturdy hiking pack, too.”

  “I have a backpack already.” I pointed to my backpack, which bulged from books, papers, pens, hair ties, snacks, makeup, and other scholastic essentials.

  “You’re joking, right?” He pushed back his dark hair. “We’ll stow some gear on the horses, but the rest is up to us. You’re supposed to be a role model for the kids, so I’m counting on you to be prepared.”

  “Do I look like a Boy Scout?” I asked sarcastically.

  “No, you’re way cuter.”

  How could I break up with a guy who said stuff like that? Josh was too sweet—damn him. Breaking up was going to be harder than I thought.

  I slammed my locker. Just say it, I told myself.

  “I’ve been thinking about … us being together for a whole weekend.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be cool.” He grinned. “But we have to keep it PG since we’ll be setting an example for the kids. Still, I’ll
figure out a way to sneak off alone.”

  “No! I mean, that wouldn’t be … um … fair to the kids.”

  “They have to sleep sometime,” he said with a chuckle. “Speaking of the kids, I pulled some strings so you could be assigned to Lindsay.”

  “Lindsay?”

  “She’s nine and crazy about horses. She showed me this notebook full of horse pictures she’d cut from magazines. Such a cute kid—too bad about her mother.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Her mother’s in jail again. Her dad isn’t much better, although he’s trying, I guess, back in rehab. Lindsay is staying with her aunt, along with five other kids. Two of her cousins signed up for the ride, too. Now if I could just get more mentors. If you think of anyone, let me know.”

  I nodded, feeling like my skin was tightening around me and I could hardly breathe, much less be honest with Josh. How could I cancel on him now?

  But I couldn’t go either.

  While I was struggling with my conscience, he tugged on my hand and pulled me close like we’d done hundreds of times before. Except now everything was different. I stiffened and jerked back. Hurt flared in Josh’s eyes. He was going to question me, ask what was wrong. This was the moment to admit the truth. It’s over, we’re done, adios forever. Only I wimped out.

  “What’s that on your arm?” I pointed to a design on his forearm I hadn’t noticed before. “A tattoo?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “But I thought you hated needles and would never get a tattoo,” I said, now genuinely puzzled. He pulled back his arm, but not before I read the three tiny cursive letters tattooed inside a sunburst below his elbow. “What’s PFC mean?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Let’s talk about the—”

  I squinted to make out the letters. “Those aren’t your initials.”

  “I never said they were. They’re not important.”

  “Important enough to permanently etch into your skin.”

  “Well … ” Josh frowned. “Okay, it does mean something, but it’s confidential. I can’t talk about it.”

  His secretive tone made me even more curious. I didn’t even care if he had a tattoo or what it meant. I’d only asked about it as a diversion to stop him from kissing me. Kissing him felt wrong … dishonest. Until we broke up, I was cheating on Josh with Dominic, although it felt like being with Josh was cheating on Dominic. Did that even make sense? This whole falling in love thing was complicated.

  “What’s PFC?” I persisted.

  “Drop it.”

  I really should have, but he was pissing me off. “I asked a simple question. What does it mean?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Since when aren’t you my business? Why are you shutting me out? Don’t you trust me?”

  Some kids hurried by us, but we were stones in a rushing sea and didn’t move. His expression was pained, yet stubborn. “It’s not about trust.”

  “Then why does it sound like you don’t trust me? If that’s how you feel, then maybe we shouldn’t be together. Let’s just end everything.”

  “Sabine, you’re making too much out of this. It’s only a tattoo. I didn’t even want to get it and only did because … well, just because.” He glanced away for a moment. When he met my gaze, his voice was soft and pleading. “Would you feel better if I got another tattoo with your name?”

  “No!” I said sharply, horrified at the idea of my name branded on his skin. That would make breaking up impossible. And breaking up was a must. A startling thought hit me. “Are they the initials of another girl?”

  “Hell, no! What kind of guy do you think I am?”

  “If there is someone else, you can tell me.”

  “When I commit to someone, that’s it. There’s only you, Sabine.” His voice softened and he leaned close to my face. “You’re my girl, okay? I would never ever cheat on you.”

  Too bad, I thought. Then we’d be even and I wouldn’t feel so damned guilty. “So what about the tattoo?”

  “I’d tell you except I made a solemn vow—‘Indocilis Privata Loqui.’”

  “Which means?”

  “It’s Latin for ‘keep your trap shut.’” He flashed a half-smile. “Let’s just go to class—the bell is about to ring.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “I don’t care if I get a tardy.”

  “I do. Come on, Sabine, don’t be that way.”

  I looked down at the PFC tattoo. A vision popped in my head of a dark room with glowing sconces and gold-framed portraits staring down from a high ceiling and a robed figure passing out cards to shadowy people around a long table. I realized what this was all about. Not another girl, which I really hadn’t thought anyway, but passion—Josh’s passion for stage magic.

  “Does this have something to do with your magician society?”

  Josh didn’t answer, turning abruptly to walk down the hall.

  “Tell me.” I slammed my locker, hurrying after him. “What sort of magic stuff is so secret?”

  “I’m not discussing this,” he snapped without slowing or turning around.

  “I’m not asking you to explain tricks—just the tattoo. Why did you have to get it? Does it symbolize something? Are you in some kind of cult?”

  “No way—it’s the opposite! We crusade against frauds and charlatans.”

  “Huh?” I had a feeling he was parroting someone else’s words. “What do you mean ‘crusade’? And who is ‘we’?”

  “I can’t say any more, except this weekend is gonna be huge for me. Arturo is honoring the junior members at his private estate, so I won’t be able to go out on Friday.”

  I’d forgotten we had a date on Friday, and I would have canceled it anyway, but having him say it first made me mad. How dare he take me for granted? For weeks he’d been sneaking off to magician meetings and canceling dates. If I wasn’t going to break up with him … well … I’d break up with him.

  Only we reached our first class, took our chairs, and didn’t get another chance to talk alone. Instead of listening to my teachers, I jotted notes about the best breakup lines. “It’s been great, but it’s time we moved on.” Or “You’re a fantastic guy and it’s really not you, it’s me … ” Or “Well, if you’d rather spend all your time with dumb magicians, then they can have you.”

  Okay, I might have been a little bitter—which was not how I wanted to end things.

  During lunch I tried to get Josh off alone, only Penny-Love hooked her arm into mine and steered me to the cheerleading table. Josh showed up with a hot food tray and went along, sitting next to me. He gave me an uneasy look, as if he was afraid I was still mad over the date-canceling thing, but that was the least of my concerns. We wouldn’t be dating much longer anyway. I would tell him after school.

  Only that didn’t work out either.

  When the last bell rang and I bolted from my class, I couldn’t find Josh anywhere. I checked his last class, his locker, my locker, and the parking lot. His car wasn’t there either. I tried his cell and got his voicemail. I texted a short “Where R U?” message and waited for a reply.

  I probably still would have been waiting, except Penny-Love found me and invited herself to my house. She wasn’t scheduled to work for Nona today, but she was really concerned about Nona and wanted to see how she was doing.

  “Much better,” I assured her. Penny-Love knew Nona had trouble with her memory, but not that the illness was so serious it might be fatal. “It took a while to find the right … uh … medicine, but I think we have it now.”

  “That’s great for Nona! But what’s the 411 with you and Dominic? Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you guys were snowbound together, which sounds so romantic and scandalously naughty, too. Did you get naked and wicked together? No—don’t tell me, it’s obvious from your shocked expression. Knowing you, nothing happened—which is a damn shame. I mean, if it had been me, I would have melted like a hot snowball in Dominic’s muscular arms.”

&nbs
p; “What about Jacques?”

  “Jacque’s cool.” She waved her hand, dodging out of the way of a mother pushing a baby stroller. “I get really turned on when he talks about art and shows me his paintings. But a girl can have some dessert with the main dish, you know. So dish, Sabine—what really happened last night?”

  I cheated on my boyfriend. I committed a crime. And I witnessed a murder—that turned out not to be a real murder, just a realistic dream, so now my dad hates me.

  “Nothing,” I told her.

  “You are so pathetic,” she said with a playful tug on my long hair. “But I kind of respect it. I mean, you’re like the most honorable person I know … well, except for Josh. You two really are the perfect couple.”

  “No one’s perfect,” I said with a sad smile.

  I didn’t say much else, listening and letting her talk until we reached Nona’s house.

  The ranch house was strangely silent. I could sense this as I approached. Lilybelle wasn’t in her usual perch on the porch rail, and even the penned farm animals made no sounds. No music or scent of herbal tea drifting from within the house. With curtains drawn and windows closed, the house seemed like a tomb.

  “No one’s inside,” I said knowing this for a certainty.

  “How can you tell?” Penny-Love asked as she opened the door and peeked inside the dimly lit living room.

  “It’s too quiet.”

  “You’re right—her office door is open but she’s not there. The kitchen is all dark, too. So where is Nona?”

  I looked around, noticing for the first time a car parked beside Nona’s car. “Velvet’s car,” I murmured. With a look over to the barn I saw that Dominic’s truck was here also. There were lights on upstairs in the barn loft, and I sensed strong energy emanating from them.

  I headed for the barn, pushing open the double doors and going up the staircase that led to Dominic’s loft room. Mixed in with fresh manure and hay scents, I smelled something unusual; a strong aroma that made my nose tingle and my heart pulse. The whole barn seemed aflame in a lavender aura.

  I pushed open Dominic’s door and stared at the three figures gathered in a candle-blazing circle where crystals hung from the ceiling to ward off darkness and a small pan bubbled with an eerie green-black liquid.