by Joyce Lavene
“What? I didn’t try to disrupt anything. He went in there—on your behalf—and changed the man’s tattoo. I think he’s making his own marks on them while he’s claiming to get rid of the curse. He may have killed Harold and put the curse on us in the first place.”
Abe slowly sat forward. “I believe we begin to see the real issue here. Artemis told me that Lucas may be using you to cause havoc in my organization. He believes Lucas killed Harold, as I thought, for his own benefit.”
“That’s stupid,” I retorted sharply, forgetting my vow not to challenge Artemis openly. “You can’t see what’s happening because Artemis has you in his power too.”
“Let’s determine if that’s true.” Abe calmly suggested. “Remove your shoe please, Skye. Let me see your tattoo.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Artemis must have worked it out. He knew what Lucas had done. He knew my weak spot and had already gone to Abe with the information he needed to turn him against me.
“Skye?” Brandon asked. “Show him. I know you haven’t done anything. Prove it. I don’t like that guy anyway.”
I didn’t know if I should run and take my chances or plead my case. I looked at Abe and Brandon. There was no way they weren’t going to see the change in my tattoo.
I was sitting closest to the door. I’d decided to run when Debbie reached down and flipped the sandal off my foot.
“There,” she said with a triumphant smile. “That’s over now. Can we talk about my problem?”
Brandon lifted my foot. “See, Abe? There it is. I told you Artemis was wrong. He was trying to cause trouble for Skye. Maybe what she’s telling you is true.”
Abe got up and walked around the desk. He bent down low to look at the heel of my foot. His observation was met by a low grunt and a return to the other side of his desk.
Couldn’t they see? Had Artemis’s magic kept them from seeing the change Lucas had made in me too?
Or was it Lucas’s magic covering it up?
When I looked at my heel, the green tattoo of the letter L was still there. But then I could see the red tattoos Artemis was leaving behind too. I wasn’t in the position to question what they could see or not see. I slipped my foot back in my sandal and glared at Debbie.
“I was only trying to help,” she said. “You didn’t tell me you were going to talk about all this other stuff before I could ask for help with Terry.”
I didn’t argue with her. Whatever magic was keeping them from seeing Lucas’s mark on me had worked in my favor. I was clear, as far as Abe was concerned. That gave me the push to add one last thing to my description of the sorcerer trying to take over Abe’s zombie empire.
“I can prove it,” I told him. “I can prove that he killed Harold to take his position and steal your people.”
Abe’s brows went up in his smooth face. “Yes? I have only heard theories so far, no proof. Bring me that, and we’ll see what happens from there.”
My conversation time seemed to be over as Abe reached across the desk to take Debbie’s hand.
“Tell me about your dear Terry,” he invited. “Skye told me you two are having difficulties. What can I do to help?”
I gave Debbie my phone so she could show Abe what Terry was changing into, as soon as she stopped crying. Brandon and I walked out of the office and left the tattoo shop.
“I don’t know how you’re going to prove any of what you were saying to Abe,” he said, lighting up a cigarette. “Abe is sold on the man because he’s keeping the zombies from turning into ghosts. It’s gonna be tough—I assume you don’t really have anything on him.”
I looked at the cigarette he was smoking. It was the plain, filter-less kind you could get at any convenience store. I thought about the cigarette butts I’d found in the alley with the gold wrapper. Maybe there was still some way to use that to prove Artemis had killed Harold.
But if the sorcerer smoked, I hadn’t seen any sign of it. I had to come up with a way to get him to smoke in front of me. Maybe then I could get one of the butts from the cigarette. It sounded weak and desperate. Maybe Artemis had a snake tattoo. Maybe he smoked these unusual cigarettes in the alley while he was waiting for Harold.
He was definitely changing Abe’s life. And I couldn’t prove that either.
Not knowing how far Artemis’s control went over Brandon, I didn’t share my thoughts with him. He wished me luck and offered to help if he could before he went back to the mortuary.
I went back inside to wait for Debbie.
A group of young men were watching a tattoo artist create an amazing image on another man’s back. I’d learned that watching tattoos being done was almost as good for enthusiasts as having one done on themselves.
In this case, the subject of the art was what caught my eye. It was a man with snakes coming out of his mouth, ears, eyes, and nose. It looked exactly as Harold had in the alley. Even the kinds of snakes were the same as I remembered.
I’d noticed the man doing tattoos around the shop many times. I didn’t know his name, but I was sure he’d seen Harold before Morris had time to cover the magician’s body. The detail was too accurate to ignore. If there was a witness to Harold’s death—that would be sweet!
Debbie was still in Abe’s office. I hung around in the tattoo shop watching as the young, long-haired artist worked on the tattoo he’d begun. He kept pushing back his glasses as he concentrated on the image.
“That’s all I can do today, Simon.” The man under the needle got to his feet slowly and took a good look in the mirror at the creation that was appearing on his back. “That is awesome, man! I can’t wait until it’s done.”
The man thanked Simon and tipped him before going to counter to pay Morris for the work.
I watched as Simon cleaned his tools and put them away. He was so used to having an audience that he didn’t even notice me. He seemed very intent on everything he did, each movement carefully considered.
I followed him out of the shop and into the alley where he lit up a cigarette and leaned back against the old brick building.
“That was some amazing art,” I said.
He looked up, startled to see me there. “Thanks.” He pushed his glasses back again and took another puff.
“Where do you get your ideas? I mean, why a man with snakes coming out of him?”
He cleared his throat, and glanced around the alley nervously. “I don’t know. It’s something about a man biting off more than he can chew.”
“But don’t snakes mean rebirth? Is it supposed to be about rebirth?”
“No. It’s supposed to be about death. Death is cruel sometimes, and we never know when it’s going to happen.”
His voice revealed his distress as much as his narrowed eyes and nervous movements.
“That’s interesting.” I looked at the spot on the pavement where Harold’s body had been. “You know, a man died right here, exactly the way you pictured him in your art. Weird, right?”
“I don’t know anything about that,” he denied. “I didn’t see anything.”
“I know you didn’t.” I smiled at him. “Because if you had, Abe probably wouldn’t like it. He tried really hard to keep anyone from seeing it.”
“I couldn’t help it,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to be out here. I fell asleep on the other side of the alley. I woke up, and it was happening, okay? I know I wasn’t supposed to see it. Don’t tell him. I’ll give you any art you want.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m more interested in what you actually saw, Simon. Was someone else out here too?”
He stubbed out his cigarette and wrapped his arms protectively across his narrow chest. “There was another man. I’ve seen him around the shop. I don’t know who he is. He doesn’t do tattoos. I think he might work for Abe.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “Tall. Thin. Blond hair. Weird clothes. He didn’t try to help while the snakes crawled around on the other man. He wa
s dead, I think. Still, he didn’t even try to help him. I mean, I didn’t either, but I think the man standing there was getting a kick out of it, you know?”
“I know.” He’d described Artemis pretty well. I didn’t know if his word would have any impact on Abe, but it told me that I was right. Artemis had killed Harold and enjoyed watching it.
But again, how was I going to prove it?
I let Simon go—with a warning that he should stay home for a few days. I got his cell number. Making a fuss over him would only bring Artemis down on him, and there would be another death by snakes. It would be best to keep Simon in my back pocket until I had more evidence against the sorcerer.
Simon left Deadly Ink on a nice motorcycle and didn’t look back. I realized that he might be gone for good. I would be, if I were him. He was close to something he didn’t want to be part of. I hoped his cell number would still be good, but no matter what, I didn’t want to be responsible for his death.
Debbie was finally finished talking to Abe. I met her as I started back into Deadly Ink. Her eyes were so puffy she could hardly see. Morris was kindly helping her out the door, with his hand on her backside.
“Thanks,” I said to him. “I can handle it from here.”
He grinned and leered at me. “Anytime, sweetie. Morris is always here for the ladies.”
We reached the door to the van, and Debbie asked if he was gone.
I told her he’d gone back inside. “Yeah. I thought we could manage without him. What happened with Abe?”
“He was wonderfully sympathetic and even called Artemis in to discuss it with him. Artemis is going to come over tonight and take a look at Terry. It was more than I’d hoped for.”
I helped her sit down and put a box of tissues on her lap. “That’s good, I guess. Maybe Abe can take care of his screw-ups.”
“I’m praying so.” Debbie blew her nose repeatedly. “Do you have any eye drops? My eyes feel like someone rubbed salt in them.”
“Sorry. We could stop and get some on the way over to the county lockup. I have a friend who needs a hand, but we should be back at your house in plenty of time for Raina and Bowman.”
“We can’t be late.” She grabbed my hand. “The kids are getting off the bus at the house. I don’t want them there alone.”
“Not a problem,” I assured her. “It’ll be okay.”
“Skye, I was just trying to help in there when I took off your sandal. I hope you aren’t angry. It got me all flustered for them to think you’d done something wrong.”
“It’s okay.” I didn’t feel like I could trust her any more than I could trust Brandon. I was going to have to keep her in the dark until I could make sense of Harold’s death and the magic Artemis had been doing. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a while again? You’ll feel better.”
“Thanks,” she said with a watery smile. “I just hope Artemis can really help Terry.”
The last was on a sigh as she immediately fell asleep. I glanced at her exhausted face and hoped Artemis could help Terry too. Somehow I doubted it, though he might do something to take them both over. I really didn’t think Artemis was there to help Abe.
I got to the county lockup and exchanged greetings with people I still knew who worked there. But Colin had already released Gerald, and he was long gone. I thanked everyone and promised to keep in touch before I headed to Gerald’s house.
Debbie slept through the whole thing. I didn’t see any reason to wake her. Besides, the less she knew about my quest to find Jacob’s killer, the better. This way Abe wouldn’t be mad at her too.
Gerald’s door had been repaired with a piece of cardboard where he’d shot through it. I was careful that I stood to the left side instead of where he could accidentally shoot me.
But he’d been watching for me—Colin had told him why he was being released. “Come on in, Skye. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I wish you would’ve waited before you tried to tell the world that a werewolf killed your wife.” I closed the door behind me. “Now the werewolf knows we’re on to him. He’s going to be twice as dangerous.”
He scratched his head. “Yeah. I know. Sorry about that. I just couldn’t handle it at first. Now I’m ready.”
He was dressed in a complete camo uniform including a hat. Guns, knives, grenades, and various other weapons were strewed across the table in the kitchen.
“We can’t do anything until the moon is full.”
“That’s tonight.” He pulled out a funeral home calendar and showed me.
I glanced at my phone again. He was right.
“We have to get ready. I’ve been studying werewolves. They come out right when the moon comes up. They’re strongest at the apex and get weaker or go to sleep as the moon wanes. We have to be there in the woods, waiting for the bastard. It will be next month before we get another chance. He could run or decide to change his killing area. We can’t let that happen.”
“I agree, but I don’t know if we’re really prepared. Lucas said they move faster than we can see and a gun won’t do us any good.”
“Okay.” Gerald knocked the guns from the table to the floor. “No guns. What did he suggest?”
“Magic. But I’m not sure he’s up to the task. Lucas suggested doing surveillance on the area and waiting until the wolf is human again.”
“Come on, Skye. Are you going to kill him when he’s human? I sure as hell am not taking him to the police. Believe me. No one wants to hear about supernatural enemies.”
I didn’t know what to say. I hated whoever had done this to Jacob, but the werewolf had no choice. It wasn’t like he woke up one day and wanted to kill people. He was cursed. I’d considered that if we could catch him as we had Terry, something might come to Lucas, and he could remove the werewolf curse. It wasn’t any different in my mind than a person with a mental illness who wasn’t responsible for their actions.
“We could catch it when it’s human,” I suggested.
He slammed his fist on the table. “No! We want this thing that murdered the people we loved to be dead. That’s it. There has to be a weapon that will work on him. If it’s nothing I have on the table, we’ll regroup and find something else. Don’t go soft on me.”
“That’s the problem, Gerald. There is no regrouping. If we don’t get him the first time, we’re dead, just like Julie and Jacob. If we capture it, we might have a chance.”
He started loading shells into an M16 military rifle. “I’m not waiting. And I’m not catching it. Come with me or not. I’m killing this thing tonight.”
This was not going the way I’d hoped. I didn’t know what I’d expected since Gerald had driven himself crazy with trying to figure out what had happened to his wife. But I couldn’t let him down at this point. We were here because I had sought him out and given him these ideas. I had to go through with it.
“I’m in. I’ll meet you there tonight. What time is moonrise?”
“Seven-fifteen. I’ll be in the front like we were before. Remember—this isn’t a person anymore, Skye. This is a monster that will keep killing if we don’t stop him.”
I nodded and started toward the door.
“We’ll get him. We can do this. Then we’ll share a drink in honor of our loved ones. Thank you for saving me. I was all but dead when you found me.”
“I’m sorry this happened to you. I hope it turns out okay.”
He laughed heartily. “It’s gonna work. You should’ve been a soldier, Skye. We would’ve been quite a team.”
I left him loading his rifle and went quickly down the front stairs. Debbie had awakened and was crossing the street. She had a million questions that I didn’t have answers for. I gave her a general kind of explanation about an old friend hunting a werewolf and left it at that.
It was no surprise that she easily accepted what I told her.
Chapter Twenty-five
That was the only reprieve I was granted.
When we reached Debbie’s c
abin, Artemis showed up in a bright patch of gold sparkles. He was dramatic enough.
“I’m here to take a look at your husband, my dear.” He bent over Debbie’s hand as he kissed it. “You have my sympathies on this terrible state of affairs. I will do my best to change these circumstances for you.”
Debbie giggled and held the hand he’d kissed in her other hand as she blushed. “Thank you so much for coming so quickly. You don’t know what this means to me.”
His smile was oily, but she didn’t seem to notice as she let him tuck her hand into the crook of his arm.
I argued with myself about not going inside. I didn’t have to stay. This was Debbie’s affair and had nothing to do with me. I could go home, help Lucas in the garden. Watch TV. Anything would be better than watching Artemis at work.
But Debbie turned her head and asked me to stay. “You will, won’t you, Skye?”
How could I leave her there with the man I believed had murdered Harold? I knew he was only doing Abe’s bidding, but what if killing or using his magic on Debbie and Terry was part of his plot?
“Sure.” I looked for some sign that Artemis was uncomfortable with the idea of me being there. There was none. He was as cool as ever, even remarking that he was glad I’d be there for Debbie in case things went bad. Nothing seemed to bother him.
Terry’s howling filled the house as we stepped inside. Debbie started crying again. Artemis asked where Terry was. Debbie said she couldn’t go down there yet and asked me to take the sorcerer to the basement.
“I hope you have a better plan for helping Terry,” I said between clenched teeth.
“You have no faith in me.” Artemis nodded. “I understand, child. I am a stranger to you, but it is not of my own doing.”
“I don’t want to hear any more of your BS. Just fix Terry and get out of here.”
The basement was beginning to smell really bad. I didn’t know how Debbie thought she could keep someone down here and not clean up. I supposed she hadn’t really considered that yet. She was still living the dream that Terry would go back to being normal.
