Coven of Lies (The Bayshore Witch Legacy Book 2)

by C. J. Beaumont

  "Roxanne, please! I think you're playing into his hands right now, and you're smarter than that. There are too many cameras here for you to be walking around without that calming charm. Think it through. He could be setting you up to lose control in a place where it could get you shot in plain view of these security cameras. I don’t want you to get hurt."

  I stilled and squeezed my eyes shut, torn between the need for vengeance and the realization that Ray was probably right.

  "The guy purposely upsets you. Don't let his manipulation work, and don't give him the ammunition he wants. If you do, I guarantee he'll find a way to make sure it's used against you."

  Sighing, I reached back in my pocket and pulled out the necklace. "Fine." I put it back on.

  "Let's just wait to see what we can learn from Celeste's autopsy report. James knows to watch him closer now, and I guarantee you he's trying to figure out how Graves might have orchestrated what happened to Misty from the inside."

  Slumping in the big leather seat, I muttered a string of frustrated expletives and buckled the seatbelt as Ray climbed in the other side and cranked the truck.

  My gut twisted as another realization dawned on me, leaving me feeling deflated. “Collin can’t be involved in the murders.”

  “How do you figure that?” Ray’s voice was weary but curious.

  “Misty was his step-grandmother for several years when we were little. They were on good terms, even after she divorced his grandfather.” I grimaced, but continued to explain. “As much as I hated him for what he did to me, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. For Misty’s sake, I didn’t want to ruin their relationship. Collin might be a hateful prick when it comes to me, but he would never be involved in anything that would cause Misty harm, much less kill her.”

  “Wow.” Ray shook his head as he cranked the SUV. “As many times as he talked about his Granny M, I never put it together that it was Misty.”

  I cut a sidelong glance at him. "So, how long do you think it's going to take for Dr. Abrams to fax you her autopsy report?"

  Ray frowned and backed the SUV out of the parking spot. "Knowing how meticulous and careful Celeste is, it could take a day or two."

  "Great," I groaned. "What the hell are we supposed to do in the meantime, just sit around and twiddle our thumbs?"

  "Not exactly." Ray shook his head. "I'm sure there are plenty of things we can do while we wait."

  "Probably." I absent-mindedly braided a small section of my hair. "What did you have in mind?"

  Ray kept his eyes on the road and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "I was thinking maybe we could pay Nell a visit. I know the ritual you guys tried the other night didn't work, but I was thinking maybe we could try out the truth-seeing thing I do, if we can figure out how I'm doing it."

  "That's brilliant, Ray!" I sat up a little straighter, bouncing with excitement at the possibilities. Stretching over the console, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "It's definitely worth a shot."

  Ray drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Can you think of any common denominators with the two times I've done...the truth thing with you?"

  "Let me think." I frowned, tapping an index finger against my lips as I thought back over both experiences. I closed my eyes, doing my best to focus, trying not to leave out any details. "Both times you've used your truth-seeing power on me, you asked a question while you were touching my face. Then, your eyes glow this spooky, gorgeous gold color, and it happens. That's all I know."

  Ray swung his SUV into Nell's driveway and put it in park with a contemplative sigh. "That's not a whole lot to go on, but it's a start. Let's just hope she's willing to let me try my way after how things went with the spell."

  I winced and nodded. "She's a lot nicer now than she used to be, so there's a pretty good chance she'll let you do it."

  We strolled up to her front door together, walking so close our shoulders brushed. A storm of nervous flutters erupted in my stomach as I knocked on her door. It swung open moments later and a puffy-eyed, wild-haired Nell stared out at us.

  "I heard about Misty, Roxanne,” she said. “I'm so sorry. I know you were close."

  Tears stung my eyes and a hard lump formed in my throat, forcing me to clear it. "That's why Ray and I stopped by. We'd like to ask you something, if you don't mind?"

  "Of course, dear. Anything for you." Nell smiled and motioned for us to follow her into the house.

  That is so freaking weird. I shivered but stepped across the threshold into the small, stuffy family room. We followed as she hobbled past the heavy, antique couch, through the cramped dining room, and into the kitchen at the back of the house.

  "Sit down, kids. Would y'all like some sweet tea, or a snack, or something like that?" Nell opened her refrigerator, pulling out a big pitcher of tea before we had the chance to answer.

  "Sure. Thanks, Nell." I couldn't bring myself to refuse her when she was being so uncharacteristically nice.

  Ray nodded and pulled out a chair as Nell filled two glasses with ice and sweet tea.

  "So, what did y'all want to ask me?" She set the glasses down in front of us with a sweet, placid smile.

  Ray drummed his fingernails against his glass and took a sip before speaking. "I'd like to try a different method of helping you recover your memories, if you're open to it."

  Nell's hand trembled as she put the pitcher back in the refrigerator, and she blew out a shaky sigh as she seated herself across from us.

  "What kind of method?" She studied her fingernails, now neatly filed and clean.

  Ray cleared his throat. “It seems very recently I’ve manifested the ability to see memories. I might be able to see the ones you forgot about when you went missing.” Nell nodded along as she listened, but her bottom lip quivered.

  She took a deep breath and blew out a ragged sigh. "I'm a little...apprehensive about what the memories might be, but I'm willing to try if it helps you stop the murders."

  Ray reached across the table and squeezed her hand with a reassuring smile. "Thank you, ma'am. We really appreciate your willingness to help." He stood and walked around the table, pulling out a chair so he could sit directly in front of her. "Now, I hope this doesn't make you too uncomfortable, but I'm going to have to invade your personal space just a tad, Mrs. Ballard."

  Nell squirmed a little and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, how so?"

  Ray did an apologetic grimace. "I'm going to need to touch your face and make direct eye contact for this to work. Is that okay?"

  Nell swallowed hard but nodded and scooted her chair a little closer to him. I didn't miss the subtle quavering in her hands as she reflexively smoothed her shirt.

  "All right...let's get this over with, shall we?" She cleared her throat, and her hands fluttered nervously from the tabletop to her lap and back again.

  "Just try to relax," Ray murmured. His tone was softer than hot butter, and the quiet words were barely loud enough to carry across the table to me.

  "I'll try." She nodded, but her high-speed leg jiggling belied the calm expression on her face.

  Her lips parted and her eyes grew deer-in-the-headlights wide as Ray gently captured her face in his hands and locked her in his gaze.

  "Show me what happened while you were missing," Ray said.

  His eyes glowed gold. Nell gasped, and they both went rigid.

  "What the hell?" I yelped, unable to stop them both from collapsing into an unconscious heap on Nell's kitchen floor.

  I stumbled around the table to crouch beside them on the floor. "Are you guys okay?"

  That's a dumb-ass question. They're both obviously still unconscious. Shadow's voice grated on my nerves and I gritted my teeth, trying to shake off her snarky observation as I gently tapped Ray's cheek.

  "Wake up, Ray! I need you to tell me what the hell just happened."

  He made an incoherent groaning noise and his eyelashes fluttered, but that was the only response I got. I turned and gripped Nell's shoulders,
pulling her up into a sitting position. I supported her weight and gave her a gentle shake. "Nell? Can you hear me?"

  Her eyes snapped open. They looked glassy, and she gave off the impression of an oversized, creepy porcelain doll. I had to fight the urge to recoil and drop her as she wheezed at me, her face contorted, somewhere between pissed off and utterly confused. I froze, holding myself still, though I wanted nothing more than to run and get the hell out of the house, answers or not.

  "Do...not...seek...what...shouldn't...be...found." The halting, raspy voice didn't even sound like it belonged to the petite, frail woman in my arms.

  I shuddered, giving her a gentle shake.

  "I need you to focus, Nell." I disentangled myself from her and shoved up off the floor. Hooking my arms under her armpits, I hauled her up and set her in her chair. "Tell me what happened."

  Her gaze remained cloudy and distant, her voice once again disjointed as she spoke. "Dead men tell no tales."

  "Uh…what?" I blinked at her, and then shook my head before turning to survey Ray, still lying in an unconscious heap on the floor. I poked him in the ribs with the toe of my tennis shoe. "This is a disaster."

  Grabbing a paper towel off the rack that hung under the cabinets, I turned and doused it in cool water from the sink, and then crouched beside Ray. I lifted his head and pressed the wet towel against the back of his neck. His eyes fluttered open and he frowned up at me.

  "Please tell me your eggs aren't scrambled, too," I whispered.

  "Um...what?" The frown lines around his mouth deepened.

  I gestured at Nell over my shoulder and spoke low enough that I hoped only he could hear me. "Whatever went down when you tried to see the truth about what happened to Nell while she was missing must have fried a few of her circuits. I tried to get her to tell me what happened, and—" I stopped, chewing hard on the inside of my cheek because I didn't want to say it aloud.

  "And what?" Ray prompted.

  I groaned and wiped nervous sweat off my face with the back of my hand. "Well, since she woke up, she's been spaced out, first repeating a line of the prophecy I found in my family's grimoire, and then spouting off a quote from a pirate-themed thrill ride."

  "Shit." Ray let out a low whistle and extended a hand to me so I could help him to his feet.

  "Tell me about it," I grumbled, hoisting him up. "So what happened with your power?"

  "Nothing." Ray shook his head and sighed. "Everything was pitch black and silent when I tried to use my ability to view her memories, and the next thing I knew was looking up at you from the floor."

  "Shit." I huffed and dragged a hand through my hair.

  He stepped closer to me, but his gaze never left Nell. "This is so creepy, and it makes no sense. It might have been worth a shot to try, but I think we should get the hell out of here and go home."

  "I share that sentiment, but we can't just leave Nell here in this state, and definitely not all by herself." I dug my cell out of my back pocket and called Darlene.

  "Hello?" Her voice was slightly slurred and lethargic, like I had woken her up from a nap.

  "Hey, Darlene,” I said, “I'm sorry to disturb you, especially if you've been working graveyard shift again, but I think you might need to come check Nell out."

  "Sure." Darlene yawned. "Give me a couple minutes to get dressed and I'll be right over."

  As soon as Darlene arrived, I explained about Ray's power and what we'd tried, as well as the nonsensical things Nell had said since then.

  Darlene tapped a finger against her chin as she listened. "Whoever took Nell put a hell of a block on her memories. I'll see what I can do about getting her back to normal."

  I reached over and gave Darlene's hand a grateful squeeze. "Thanks for coming."

  "Of course." She nodded and made Nell a glass of ice water before clearing her throat. "Roxanne?"

  "Yes?" Just from Darlene's hesitant tone, my hand instinctively flew up to clutch the necklace Misty had given me.

  "I know this is going to be the last thing you want to hear right now, and I'm the last person who expected to say something like this to you...but I really think you should consider rejoining the coven...officially." She reached up and smoothed her curls back from her face.

  My chest tightened and my extremities went cold as I slowly shook my head. "I'm useless to the coven unless I actually perform the reconciliation ritual Misty suggested the other day."

  Darlene set the glass of water in front of Nell and took a halting step toward me. "You're the only one who's fighting to find out who's doing this, the only one being proactive and putting your ass on the line. Even if you never access your magic again, I think you deserve some recognition and support from the coven in return."

  I crossed my arms and looked away. "Even with how much better—I mean different—Nell has been treating me since she reappeared, which is weird enough on its own, I don't think the elders would agree with your feelings about me."

  "At least promise me you'll think about it," Darlene begged.

  All these stance reversals are a bit strange, don't you think? Rather than her usual, taunting tone, Shadow's brittle anxiety raised goosebumps on my arms.

  Look here, Shadow. I prefer it if only one of us has crippling anxiety, so I'm gonna need you to chill. Besides, death and trauma change people. You should know that better than anyone.

  Ray cleared his throat and his hand brushed the small of my back, snapping me out of my reverie.

  "Sorry," I mumbled, reaching up and ruffling my hair in an attempt to relieve my building headache. "I think I spaced out for a second. Did you say something?"

  Ray gazed down at me, searching my face with laser focus. "I was just saying maybe we should go so Darlene can work on Nell without us being in the way."

  I nodded, leaning into his touch as he said goodbye to Darlene.

  Sliding an arm around Ray's waist, I forced a weak, wavering smile that died the moment it touched my lips. I couldn't force myself to make eye contact with Darlene, so I stared at the bridge of her nose instead. "Let us know how Nell is after you finish up here, okay?"

  "Of course." Darlene nodded as she filled the coffee carafe with water.

  "And Darlene..." I paused, wringing my hands.

  "Yeah?"

  “I’m so sorry about Olivia, and I'm even more sorry that I didn't say so before now."

  Darlene waved a hand at me as tears pooled in her eyes. We stood in the kitchen, awkward and quiet, until she stifled a quiet sob. I took a half-step toward her, but she held up a hand and shook her head, already pulling herself together. Ray ushered me back out the way we came.

  Once we were in the SUV, I scrubbed a hand over my face and groaned. "I...am probably the worst person I know. How did it not occur to me that I should send her my condolences before now?"

  "Hey." Ray reached over and took my hand, stroking his thumb against mine in a soothing rhythm. "Don't beat yourself up. Your sister went missing, and then you were trapped inside my burning apartment and had to jump out of a second-story window to escape. One of your coven’s elders, Nell Ballard, was still missing up until a day or two ago. Honestly, so much has happened, it’s all running together. Not to mention a crazy murder suspect has taken a special interest in tormenting you. You've kind of had a lot on your plate."

  My mind raced, scrambling in too many directions at once. "That's no excuse. Her mother, my grandmother's successor, was murdered. Showing Darlene the kind of compassion she deserves under the circumstances shouldn't have been an afterthought."

  Ray shook his head and backed the truck out of the driveway. "Have you always been this relentlessly hard on yourself?"

  "Not always." I blew out a sigh. "But ever since my parents died when I was little, yes."

  He swerved a little and cursed under his breath. "Sorry. I don't know what it is with me and sticking my foot in my mouth when it comes to extremely sensitive parts of your private life."

  "I don't know." I gig
gled and shook my head. "It's like you have a gift for it, though."

  Ray laughed, too, and the warm, rich sound of it instantly boosted my mood.

  "So, things got crazy enough that I forgot to ask how it’s going on the surveillance job you're doing for James,” I said. “How are things on that front?"

  "Not much has happened with that yet. Phil got a surveillance system set up for it. He's having some of his guys monitor the feed and said he'll ping me if anything comes up. Honestly, I'm hoping the thieves saw the security system and that it's enough to deter them. I really dislike it when this job gets me into physical altercations." His stomach growled loud enough that I heard it despite the country music playing on the radio.

  "Sounds to me like we need to hit a drive-through on the way home." I shot him a teasing grin until my own stomach rumbled.

  "Is there something particular you'd like?" He stopped for a red light and I shrugged.

  "You can pick if you want." I chewed on my bottom lip and stared out the passenger window, contemplating the options. Ray snorted, and I cut a sideways glance at him. "What?"

  He pursed his lips. "You have to have a preference, even if you don't want to be the one who actually picks. List some options for me and I'll choose one of them."

  “Okay.” I rolled my eyes and suppressed a grin. “I’m feeling either tacos or fried chicken.”

  “You said tacos first.” He shot me a victorious smirk. “That’s what you actually wanted.”

  “True.” A warm, tingly sensation filled my chest and seeped up my neck to my cheeks. “And Ray?”

  “Hmm?” He swung his SUV into the lot of the Mexican fast food place and parked.

  “Thanks for caring about what I want.”

  "Of course." He nodded and reached across the console, taking my hands in his. "We're partners—a team, I mean. We should want to take care of each other as well as we can."

  "Makes sense." I nodded. "Did you want to dine in or hit the drive through?"

  Ray's cheeks reddened and he looked away for a second. "I definitely want take-out, but I don't want to do the drive through. I hate yelling into the speaker and all the other mess that comes with it. I was actually wondering if you'd do me a huge favor and swap places with me so we can do the drive-through without me having to deal with it."