The sound of the bell over the door startled her because she’d had her back turned. When Franny whirled around, she dropped the phone in shock. It skittered and slid, but not very far.
That’s why she tripped on it and planted herself on her backside as she tried to escape into the back room of the salon. Her plan had been to go out the back door, but a twisted ankle and sprained wrist ensured that Lexi would prevent her getaway.
“Calm down, Francine. I’m not going to kill you.” Lexi said in a syrupy sweet voice. “Yet.”
“I need to get to a doctor.” Franny pleaded as the pain in her wrist and ankle grew almost unbearable.
“Hush,” Lexi said, and with a flick of her wrist, she used magic to mask the pain in Franny’s injuries. “I have something I want to show you.”
“Lexi, why don’t you just go. I won’t tell anyone you were here. I swear. Belladonna and her coven are going to fight with everything they’ve got if they know you’re here.”
“I highly doubt you’d keep my presence in Winterfield a secret, Francine. I can smell your allegiance to those nasty earth witches on you like a cloying perfume. But, your loyalty is what I’m going to use. It’s going to serve me well.” Lexi followed that up with uproarious laughter.
Franny wasn’t sure if Lexi was trying to intimidate her or had become completely unhinged in her time away from Winterfield. Belladonna had trusted Francine and given her a chance when she didn’t really deserve it. Standing there cowering in front of Lexi felt like a betrayal. She should try and fight, but Lexi was so much more powerful.
Franny didn’t think Belladonna would want her to die, so she didn’t have much choice but to stand there a listen. Moments later, she’d have another choice to make.
The bell over the door tinkled, and it made Franny jump. One of the Big Buns Bakery’s most loyal customers walked through the salon’s doors with a box of pastries.
“Hi, Franny,” Maxine said. “You hadn’t shown up to pick up your order yet, so I told Jessie I’d drop it off on my way to work.”
Maxine was a Fox shifter and not a witch, but she still should have recognized Lexi. Francine was perplexed that Maxine didn’t look alarmed at Lexi’s presence in the salon. Franny turned around and realized that Lexi was hidden in the back room. She was still going to have to play it cool, though, because Lexi could kill them both and no one would be any the wiser.
“Thank you so much. I was just about to leave.” Franny said and took the box from Maxine.
“Can I schedule an appointment while I’m here?” Maxine asked.
Franny wanted to tell her no. She wanted to shuffle her out of the salon as fast as possible, but that would have come across as highly suspicious.
“Sure, Maxine. When would you like to return?”
Franny made the appointment and waved to Maxine as she left. As soon as the bell over the door tinkled signaling that the customer was gone, Lexi was behind Francine again.
“You handled that well. I have a little more confidence that you’ll be able to assist me in my mission. As I said, I’ve got a little something to show you.”
“I’m not going to help you, no matter what you do, Lexi. You might as well kill me now if that’s what you’re here for because I won’t do anything you say. My friends are far stronger than you, and you can bet that as soon as you leave, I’ll be telling the Nightshade coven everything.”
“Oh, I think that’s where you are mistaken, Francine. Your friends were more powerful than me, but that’s not really the case anymore. I’ve been biding my time and waiting for the dark power to seep back into this world, and I’m confident that there is enough of it at my disposal to take out your little witch friends.” Lexi said and then cackled wildly. “Now, as far as what I want to show you. Shut up so I can do my demonstration.”
Lexi waved her hand in front of Francine’s face, and Franny felt her lips seal shut. She frantically brought her fingers up to her mouth, but there was nothing there. Franny had seen something like that in a horror movie once, and it made her heart pound in her chest and head so loud that she thought it would explode.
I’ve got to calm down.
She willed herself to settle. It was merely an illusion, and even if it wasn’t, Belladonna could fix it. There was no reason to panic. She needed to just sit quietly and watch whatever Lexi wanted to show her. So, she nodded her head in false compliance and took a seat meekly in one of the salon chairs.
“That’s better.” Lexi cooed. “I always knew you’d be the best of my lap dogs.”
With that, Lexi began to chant in a language that Francine didn’t recognize, but she could tell it was something ancient and dark. A foul smell filled the salon, and the lights went out. Even more frightening was how the sound of Lexi’s voice seemed to stop the sun from making it through the windows, and the sudden chill as they were cut off from the radiant light.
In the center of the salon floor, a ring of black, acrid smoke appeared. It grew to a column that reached about halfway to the ceiling and the smolder swayed to the sound of Lexi’s dark hymn.
“This is the good part,” Lexi said with a wink. “Come forth Aeshma. Come into this world and do my bidding.”
The floor inside of the circle started to sizzle, and the chill in the room was chased out by a sudden stifling heat. Francine could hear the screams of millions of people in agony, and she knew what Lexi had done. She’d opened a small doorway into the underworld, and Lexi could pull one of the beasts that resided there out to do her bidding.
Or, at least that’s what Lexi thought. Franny was smart enough to know that a demon like Aeshma wasn’t going to be bossed around by a witch like Lexi. There was much more to it than that. Francine wondered if Lexi could really be that stupid, or perhaps she was too drunk on power to see the reality of the situation.
Moments later, the fully formed Aeshma stood in the center of the smoke circle. His body looked like burned black stone, and there were fissures where the hot liquid magma inside of him showed through his cracked obsidian skin. He smiled at Francine and revealed a mouth full of razor sharp, blindingly white teeth that were no doubt used to rip souls apart in the nether. He began to step outside of the circle, and Franny’s heart just about stopped.
“Not today,” Lexi said shortly. “Back from whence you came.”
Those words saw Aeshama sucked back into the fiery hole in the floor. Even after it was completely closed and the smoke had dissipated, Francine could still hear the screams of agony ringing inside of her head.
“Now, you can see why you will work for me,” Lexi said and waved her hand in front of Franny’s face again. “I presume I don’t need that to shut you up anymore. You’ll listen, I can tell. It’s not so bad, Franny dear.” Lexi gave Francine a forced smile and smoothed the sweaty hair away from her face. “You and I were friends once.”
“I wouldn’t call it that.” Francine spit with as much venom as she could muster.
“Hush now, Francine. I’d hate to have to muzzle my prized hound again.” Lexi said and paused for a moment to see if Francine would protest. “Now, about the thing, I showed you. I wasn’t just showing off, you know. I wanted to make sure that you knew what I was capable off, and please understand that I will use him to destroy your friends, this town, and even you if I have to. Can your new little coven take on one of the generals in Satan’s army? Don’t answer that. Whatever you say will make you sound weak, Franny. You’ve grown so weak since I last saw you.”
“Don’t misinterpret goodness for weakness,” Franny said confidently.
“We’ll see about that. Anyway, I have a mission for you, and either you do it, or I send Aeshma to kill Belladonna.” Lexi said with a satisfied smile.
Chapter Nine
Ben was in his office rereading Lucy and Luther’s reports trying to figure out what had gone so terribly wrong. There were two versions of the reports, and he had the official reports, for anyone from the outside to read, and the real s
tory sitting in separate stacks on his desk.
He’d spent the morning making sure the official versions were water tight, and that if his department was to get audited, his officers would be above reproach. That left him with the task of figuring out who or what had stabbed Abrielle and then dragged her body into the woods. What bothered him about the entire situation was that she was killed with a large kitchen knife by a creature that could poison people with its tail.
Maybe Abrielle was immune to the poison? Perhaps it was something in her supernatural genetic makeup, or it could have even been the herbs she used for cooking that had protected her. It was something they might never know because her body was gone.
Ben’s thoughts were disrupted by a knock on his office door. “Come in.” He said thankful for the distraction from a puzzle he was worried was unsolvable.
“Hey, boss. There’s a man here to see you.” Luke said after opening Ben’s door. “He tells me you know him, but I never saw him before.”
“Show him in, I guess,” Ben said and quickly stuffed both versions of the reports into his bottom desk drawer.
He pulled the key out of the lock and shoved it into his pocket for safe keeping. That meant he wasn’t looking up as Luke showed the man into see him.
“I apologize for the interruption.” The voice was familiar, but Ben couldn’t place it.
It wasn’t until he looked up that Ben recognized the man who’d had a meltdown at the airport. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he grappled with how this man knew who he was or how to find him. Still, Ben rose from his chair and extended his hand to the man.
“You’ll have to forgive me, but you seem to have me at a disadvantage,” Ben said calmly. “You appear to know who I am, but I’m afraid I have no idea who you are.” He thought for a moment. “I do remember you from the airport, though.” Ben let the statement hang in the air to see how the man would react.
“I apologize for that, but that isn’t actually why I am here. I’d like to speak with your wife, and I wanted to get your permission first.”
That notion made Ben bristle. There was no way he was going to give this loon permission to speak with Belladonna. Not that Ben was in a position to give people permission. Bella could and would do as she pleased, but he was not sending this stranger off to talk to her without him present at the very least.
“Let’s start with your name,” Ben said.
“I’m Alexander Ford.” The man said and extended his hand to Ben.
They shook hands again even though Ben thought the act was peculiar. He supposed it was because they were actually meeting for the first time. You can’t know a man if you don’t know his name.
“Mr. Ford, why do you want to speak with my wife?”
“Because she’s a witch, and I’m hoping that she can figure out how to remove a curse that another witch has put on me.”
“Why do you think that Belladonna is a witch?” Ben asked.
He’d decided to play this one close to the vest, and it didn’t seem like a smart idea to admit that his wife was a witch. Ben couldn’t tell Belladonna that she couldn’t talk to this man, but he wanted to size Alexander Ford up before he let him go anywhere near her.
“It’s something I’ve been able to pick up since the other witch cursed me. I don’t know if it’s a side effect or what, but ever since that day, I’ve been able to sense low-frequency vibrations emanating from some people. I felt it coming from the woman who hexed me as she left. I put two and two together, and I sensed that same vibration in your wife that day at the airport. It also may have triggered that fit in me as well. I’m not sure.” Alexander said and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I was hoping I could talk to her long enough to find out before the insanity started. Maybe she could stop it or slow it down.”
“You’re not making a very good case for me letting you go anywhere near my wife. You have to understand that.” Ben said. “But, before we get into that, please tell me how you found us. Security hauled you off that day in the airport. You didn’t even hear our names.”
“Well, I’m not a police officer, but I am a private detective and retired FBI. That’s actually how I ended up cursed if you can believe it.”
Ben felt himself relax knowing that Alexander Ford was a former FBI agent and that his behavior at the airport was something outside of his control. He decided to check one of the databases he had access to and confirm Ford’s service.
“You don’t mind if I check your former credentials, do you?” Ben asked cautiously.
“Be my guest,” Alexander said affably. “I wouldn’t expect any less.”
Ben turned his attention back to his computer and pulled up the database he needed. It wasn’t something he would normally have had access to as the police chief in a small town, but having a witch for a wife had its perks. The information he looked for was easy to find, and within a couple of minutes, Ben had confirmation of Alexander’s past service with the FBI.
“Your story checks out so far,” Ben said with a relaxed smile. “So, why don’t you tell me the rest of it.”
Alexander Ford’s tale of woe went a little something like this:
Ford had been hired by a man to investigate his wife. The man suspected she was cheating on him because she’d been disappearing at night and on weekends for years. When Ford asked why the man had waited for so long to hire a private investigator, the man admitted that he was a little afraid of his wife.
Cheating spouse cases were Ford’s least favorite kind. No matter what the outcome, they never ended well. When a marriage had devolved to the point where one party was seeking a private investigator, most people would have been better off just filing for divorce.
Some people couldn’t do that, though. The reasons ranged from pre-marital contracts to narcissists who’d rather be proven right then just move on with their lives.
In all his years working as a PI, Ford had vowed not to judge. Usually, it was because he needed the money no matter how unsavory the case. Half of his pension went to his ex-wife, and the majority of the other half went to his little brother Timmy’s wide variety of problems. What little he had left was only able to keep him housed in a beat-up trailer. Most of his meals were Ramen noodles, and when he had a little extra money, putting an egg in those noodles was an extravagance.
So, when Lance Carlton showed up promising three times Ford’s usual fee for a rush job, Ford took the case and signed a contract with Carlton before hearing all of the specifics.
That would turn out to be the biggest mistake of Ford’s life. He’d thought what his ex-wife had done to him was bad, but what Linnea Carlton had in store for him was much worse.
The whole thing was a trap. She’d been gone on nights and weekends because Linnea had joined a dark coven of witches determined to bring black magic back into the world.
There were rumors of other covens attempting the same thing, but unlike the others, Linnea’s coven had decided that a trickle was enough. Some other witches wanted a grand ceremony that would unleash evil into the world on a massive scale, but Linnea and the other black witches merely wanted to tap into it.
The newly minted dark witches had been feeding off the pain and torment they’d caused their husbands, and Lance was no different. Ford, on the other hand, was just collateral damage.
One night he followed Linnea to a cabin in the woods where he suspected he’d catch her with her lover. The plan was to watch her paramour arrive, get some photographic evidence, and collect his paycheck from Lance.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things went down.
As Ford watched the cabin from the trees, a blood-curdling scream rang out from inside the cabin. He didn’t hesitate. Adulterer or not, Ford wasn’t going to let anything happen to Linnea even if it cost him the job.
He ran inside the cabin only to find the woman sitting in a chair across from the door. There were candles lit everywhere, and Linnea was dressed in long, black velvet robes. It was only
after he was a few steps inside the cabin that Ford realized he was standing inside a pentagram, painted in what looked like blood, rendered on the floor just inside the door.
Ford tried to step out of the pentagram, but he felt completely paralyzed. The only thing he could move was his eyes.
“Ah, Alexander Ford. I’ve been waiting for you.” Linnea began. “You know, my husband was the only one who hired someone to tail his wife. I’m not sure what that says about him or our marriage. But, that doesn’t matter now. What is important is that you’re too close. If I’d let you keep following me, you’d eventually have found out what my sisters and I were doing. I can’t have that. I was going to kill you, but I think I’m going to put you to better use.”
Linnea Carlton hadn’t just cursed Alexander Ford, she’d twisted him into her slave. His mission was to help her destroy the witches who sought to keep black magic and evil out of the world.
“If you’re her slave, then why are you here asking my permission to speak to Belladonna?” Ben asked as he slowly reached for the gun that was thankfully holstered under his suit coat.
“The only explanation I’ve got is that the magic protecting this town is stronger than Linnea and her coven. I came here to hunt Belladonna and her family down, but instead, I’ve ended up in your police station confessing everything.” Ford said with a relieved smile. “Now, if you’d be so kind, could you please lock me in a cell. I hope that your wife can help me, but it would be better for everyone if I was behind bars until the curse is lifted.
Ben was more than happy to oblige.
When Belladonna’s shift was done for the day, Ben called her about coming to the police station. He’d waited until the end of the day to tell her about the man he was holding in the jail.
“I’m almost done closing up for the day. It might take me a bit. I left the car at home today. I’ll have to walk back to the house and get it.” She said.
“No, honey. I’ll come get you. Do you think you’ll be ready in ten minutes?”
“I’ll see you then.” She said and blew him a kiss through the phone.”
Moon Hexed Page 6
